The hard-wood floors were cold against my bare feet as I hurried towards the basement, my eyes darting around me in caution of anyone who could be up. I wrapped my arms tightly around my torso in comfort, swallowing against the large lump that consumed my throat. I didn't want to think about what I was doing, how I was leaving all these people I cared for, and the man I loved.

But, it was for the best. At least that's what I would keep telling myself.

I quickly hurried down the stairs, trying to mute my steps as best I could. The house was silent, giving me some reassurance that I would be able to escape without a problem.

The basement had always been an off-limits zone, though I knew exactly where the door was that led to that dark place. It was locked, for obvious reasons, and I was forever grateful that I had managed to snag Jace's keys on the way out.

Jace.

His named my heart quicken and my steps falter. If I turned back now, nothing would change. Though, even I knew somewhere deep in my mind that that wasn't true.

I shoved the key in the lock, turning it quickly, before opening the door and quietly releasing the handle. I let out a sigh of relief when the door didn't squeak. Most of the men around here were light sleepers and I was shocked no one had caught me yet.

I managed to shut the door without much noise, before thumping mutely down the steps, taking two at a time.

Suddenly, the need to hurry was beginning to creep up on me.

The maze of hallways was a concern, though I continued running forward, almost sobbing in relief when I caught a mess of hair behind a set of bars.

Greg was looking significantly worse, I noticed, when I finally got close enough to actually see him.

"Are you good?" I murmured, my voice cracking with weakness.

"Fine. The fuckers just aren't letting me heal because they want information." He gritted out, not putting any weight on his bad leg.

I shuddered at the new information, still not used to the violence that accompanied this life.

"We have to hurry." I whispered, if that fact wasn't obvious in itself. My vision was blurry as I attempted to unlock the gate with shaky hands, the tears in my eyes making it nearly impossible for them to focus.

There was a pause, then a gruff muttering from the man opposite of me. "You okay?"

"Fine." I whispered back shortly, not wanting to discuss what had just happened. Finally finding the key for his cell.

"Doesn't seem like it." He noted, cocking his head, not moving towards where I stood. "You sure you can do this?"

"I'm fine." I repeated, a bit harsher, narrowing my eyes at him to let him know he should drop the topic. "I couldn't find keys for the handcuffs, but I'm sure Ricardo will have some way to get them off you, correct?" I sniffed, as he moved through the opening, grimacing.

"Yes." He nodded, beginning to jog towards the exit of the cells. I shouldn't have been surprised that he knew this already, but still was.

I struggled to keep up, following his lead. Still not trusting him fully, I watched his back wearily.

"You made the right choice, you know." He spoke up, not bothering to look my way. He stayed focused on the task at hand, leading us through the doorway, but not before carefully checking to make sure that no one was there.

"I sure hope so." I quietly responded, my thoughts flashing back to how I had left Jace, just minutes ago.

"You did. You know the choice he would have made. You wouldn't have been able to have your freedom then."

I didn't speak, not able to be agree with him yet.

"What's the plan?" I asked instead, my heartbeat picking up when Greg led us towards a hallway I wasn't familiar with.

"Get out of here and find the getaway car." He was straight to the point, his voice gruff.

"And then?" I pushed, anxiety beginning to rise in my gut.

"And then Ricardo." He answered simply, turning to watch my reaction.

I kept my face blank, hoping not to give my fear of him away.

"How do you remember all of this?" I gestured to the maze of walls around us as we passed a collection of doors before making another turn, the dark sucking us in.

"I've had practice." He kept it short, keeping his face a blank stare as he turned to stare at me, pausing in his steps. "We're almost there. Don't talk back to anyone, listen to what they tell you, and keep your head down." He ordered, refusing to look away from my gaze.

I could only imagine what he saw. My eyes felt swollen from crying, my face most likely drawn from any resemblance of color due to the stress from tonight. My hands were clutched tightly to my shirt, tensed and ready.

I cleared my throat. "What's going to happen now?"

"I'm sorry, but now we meet with the driver." Greg was clearly distracted and focused on the task at hand. "Ricardo arranged for someone to pick us up. There's a short window of time that he arranged for that and I hope we didn't miss that." He sent a severe look my way.

I shivered, my eyes glassy once more as I stumbled forward. I could see a door in sight, an opening to my new fate.

"We have to be quick about this." Greg mumbled before the handle and throwing it open.

An alarm blared, screaming loudly into my sensitive ears. I stumbled forward, gripping onto the back of Greg's shirt as my heart stuttered.

Outside was just as dark as inside and my head ached as I strained to see my surroundings.

"Quick." He muttered, jogging towards the surrounding trees that would quickly shadow our pale forms.

"What happens now?" I gasped, trying desperately to keep up. More than ever, I wanted to turn back and bury myself in the arms of the only person I had really trusted, but I pushed on.

"There should be a car once we break through these trees. By now, Jace will have realized you're gone."

My lips pressed tightly together and I knew I couldn't speak. The only thing that would pass through my mouth would be sobs and I couldn't break down just yet.

I could see the car faintly in the distance now, the trees beginning to thin.

"Another minute now." He huffed, panting, the exercise beginning to wear on him. "We can make it."

I stumbled again, nearly going down but saving myself at the last moment. I didn't want to look back. Running away felt so wrong.

We came upon the car quicker than I had expected. Greg threw the door open with a surprising amount of force, nearly throwing me in, before sliding in just as quickly.

"Drive!" He bellowed, and the car quickly squealed off.

"How'd it go?" The driver muttered darkly, turning briefly to eye my hunched figure.

"According to plan." Greg shot back, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

The man in the passenger seat turned back as well. "And I see you did bring her."

"Of course." Greg smoothly replied, grabbing the cellphone that the stranger offered him.

"Ricardo was getting impatient." The man continued, his eyes flickering over to me occasionally. I slouched, wishing I could disappear into my seat.

"That doesn't surprise me." Greg, emotionless, responded.

"You need anything, Man?" One of them asked.

I quickly shut out his response, shutting my eyes once more, before sinking low in my sleep. I wrapped my arms tightly around my torso.

I stayed in that position for the rest of the ride. I didn't want to be bothered by them and they clearly had no intention of ever doing such a thing.

I was interrupted from my peace with a tap on my shoulder.

"We're here." Greg spoke lowly into my ear. "We're going to meet with Ricardo first."

"And then?" I pushed, flicking my glance around the large house we were parked in front of.

"And then, I'm not so sure." He held my gaze once more for a moment, before sliding out of the car. "Let's go."

The two men who had driven us had disappeared, leaving Greg and I alone to make our way to wherever Ricardo was in his place. The home certainly had a grandiose interior. Large columns framed the entryway, the occasional statue of a lion filling between them.

"This way."

Instead of taking the stairway, we moved deeper into the house, passing the kitchen and more living spaces before stopping in front of two large oak doors.

"Here goes nothing."

Without a warning, and with terror in my heart, he them open.

The office was huge, that was my first impression. Dim lighting gave it a darker feel. Huge oak bookcases lined the walls. A rich carpet of reds and browns covered the floor. The windows were covered with dark curtains, and sitting behind the carved wooden desk, was the man of my nightmares.

"Ah, Savannah!" Ricardo cried, waving me further into the dark office. I swore that I could count every one of his teeth with the smile he gave me and I resisted the urge to shiver. Instead, I gave nothing away. "Welcome! I hope the ride here was comfortable."

The pinch of sarcasm in his words had me grating my teeth. I only held my chin up higher. "I followed through with my side of the deal. Have you?"

"Stella has already been sedated and left at a location that we notified Jace of. Once I heard that the mission was successful, I gave word that our plan to release Stella was on." He tilted his head at me, quirking his lips up in a menacing grin. "I have big plans for you."

My stomach turned sharply at his words and I swallowed around the lump in my throat. I felt Greg move closer to my side, as if he knew I needed the comfort his form would allow.

"The next step," Ricardo continued, "Is to ship you off to California. Greg will assist to be keeping tabs on you. You'll be issued a new license, passport, and all the necessary documents to keep up your new identity. Savannah, you, will technically never exist."

I couldn't stop a tear from dripping down my cheek, but I stubbornly didn't wipe it away, instead choosing to glare at him hatefully.

"Though, there is a first step to that. In order to complete the final stages of our 'mission'..." He paused, arching one eyebrow as if he was amused. "We do have to make poor Jace believe that you have passed."

"Passed?" I could feel the blood drain from my face and my brows crinkled together. "As in..."

"Died." He nodded. Ricardo turned back to the paperwork he was surrounded by. "That way he won't bother with trying to find you, or at least it would diminish his hope."

"How are we going to do that?" My voice was hoarse, and I hoped he couldn't hear the terror in it.

"Pictures, evidence - that kind of thing." He waved his hand around, as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Evidence?" I choked out.

He hummed in response, flicking his gaze up at me briefly. "Why of course. But, don't worry. Due to your help with making our plan come to life, we'll at least sedate you for it."

"What are you going to do?" I took a step back, backing into Greg, who pressed a warm hand against my back.

Ricardo waved his hand once more at me. "Don't be concerned, Savannah. At least you won't end up dead. A couple of strategic cuts and bruises won't kill you?"

"A couple?" I was nearing hysteria. "You didn't mention this!"

"Because it was not needed." He hummed. "Greg, take her to her cell. I have work to finish before I have to deal with this."

He nodded sternly, hooking a strong hand around my bicep.

As soon as were out of the room, I tried to resist his grip. "You're a liar! You didn't say-"

"I didn't know." He interrupted me, casting a cold look in my direction. "Ricardo certainly doesn't fill me in on all of his plans. He only shares things when it benefits him, and that is something you best remember."

He pulled on my arm once more to keep us moving.

"You need a doctor." I softly spoke, studying a deep cut engraved into his neck.

"I'll last a couple more minutes without one." He responded back.

I studied the empty hallway we were walking down. No doorways lined the walls.

"Where is everyone?" I whispered, my teeth sinking into my lip with anxiety.

"I'm taking us through the private corridors, only close confidants of Boss know about." He explained. The exhaustion in his voice was clear through the words he spoke, the night beginning to take it's toll on him.

"Oh, to my cell?" I dreaded the bars I was going to be tossed into. The terror was still there, but also extreme tiredness, my adrenaline fading and being replaced with something akin to acceptance. I struggled with avoiding the thoughts of what could happen to me next, knowing that they'd only make the hysteria worse.

I was terrified of being abandoned in the place where Greg was going to lock me into. The pain of not knowing if I would ever leave it again was mind-numbing, but not as crippling as the thought of not ever seeing Jace again. It almost made my knees crumble.

"Yes." Finally, I began to hear the sympathy in his voice. "I don't want to have to, but-"

"I know." I interrupted him, pressing my lips together grimly before speaking once more. "You have to."

"I'm sorry." He only muttered once more.

"Am I going to die?" I wondered out loud. I let out a tiny giggle, the exhaustion finally beginning to get to me, mixed with hysteria. "Is this going to be one of my last moments?"

My laughter got louder, booming down the staircase that Greg had begun leading me down to. "Oh fuck, who knew my life was going to end like this? And isn't it fucked up? Because if I didn't love Jace, I sure as hell would've put up more of a fight."

"Shush," Greg murmured, casting me another look. "I won't let you die."

By now, my laughter had turned into loud sobs.

He opened a door of bars, before gesturing in towards the dark, dank cell.

"Here it is."

I tried to muffle the sounds of anguish coming from my throat, with no avail.

"Savannah, shh." Greg pulled me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around me in the way I could imagine a brother would. "It's okay. You're going to be okay. Just think of California, okay?"

I sniffled, nodding against his chest. "California, right - California."

"You'll have a visitor coming soon." He murmured into my ear, before pulling away. "I'll see you soon he promised.

Greg stepped out of the cell, looking reluctant as he shut the door and locked it. "Stay strong, promise?"

I nodded, shutting my eyes as I slumped against the wall. There was no bench, no bed, and certainly no toilet. The bucket in the corner made me want to start crying once more, so I leaned my head back against the wall, trying to focus on just breathing.

It seemed unreal to me, that only hours ago, I had been totally content in Jace's arms. It was astonishing how quickly reality could change. One moment I had been totally content, and then the next, I was struggling to survive.

What was worse though, was the knowledge that life as I knew it was over. Change was something I had never been good at and the knowing I had to start my life completely over was something tormenting.

But how could I? I struggled with knowing how to start a new life when I would never be able to completely let go of my old one. It was impossible to just think that I could forget and move on. No, the feelings the past months had had on me were irreplaceable and unforgettable.

I wasn't sure how long I was there. It could have been hours, minutes, or days. My head remained down, my fingers clenched with dread as time ticked by.

Though, the door creaking open had my eyes snapping open with awareness and my fists squeezing tighter together.

"Who's there?" I called out, unable to stop myself. With no response and unable to see far enough in the dark, I crawled to the furthest corner from the door I could.

Footsteps had me gritting my teeth in suspense, my body tensed and ready for whoever was going to make themselves known to me.

Though, when the person appeared from the shadows, I almost passed out.

"Riley?"