???

Quiet was the night.

The faint murmurs of the city seeped through the open window, blending seamlessly with the gentle hum of his computer. The soft glow emanating from the screen delicately illuminated the room without overpowering the senses.

Outside, the city was sleeping. He sat alone, relishing in the tranquility around him. With a soft exhale, he allowed his eyelids to drift shut, surrendering to the serene stillness. A perfect way to spend the sleepless night.

His bliss did not last long, though. 

The tranquility he had just savored shattered like fragile glass as a series of loud thumps resounded from the apartment above, rudely intruding upon his peace. Rhythmic. Regular. Purposeful. It was as if someone—or something—was relentlessly pounding against the wall.

With a frustrated click of his tongue, he glanced upward, his thoughts already swirling with annoyance. This wasn't the first time, oh no. It was the third consecutive night of such disturbances. Three damn nights in a row, his sanctuary invaded by these unwelcomed noises. And, as the noise persisted, irritation simmered within him, threatening to boil over.

Because the nights, the nights were meant to be his and his alone. 

He closed his eyes once more in a futile effort to block out the noise. Yet, the relentless thumping persisted, refusing to be ignored.

Fine. Enough was enough.

With a sudden jolt, he stood up, the chair he had been sitting on spinning and nearly tipping over as he strode purposefully toward the door. He paid little heed to the possibility of disturbing his neighbors' intimate moments. Ready to demand they screw their bed to the wall, or simply screw each other elsewhere, he stepped into the hallway, slamming the door behind him. Without any hesitation, he began climbing the stairs two at a time. Before he could even start second-guessing his decision, he found himself knocking firmly on the door of the apartment directly above his own.

The thumping stopped immediately. For a brief moment, there was silence, then the sound of footsteps approaching.

Just as the door began to creak open, he wasted no time in venting his frustration. "Finally! I don't know if you even realize, but it's the fucking middle of the night and—oh, shit."

A step backward was his immediate reaction upon seeing the woman before him. It wasn't just the anger etched in her eyes, nor the furrowed brows and crossed arms that silenced him. No, it was the startling sight of her—all covered in red stains. From her shirt to her hands, even her face, she resembled a character straight out of a slasher movie. And when she casually wiped her sweaty forehead, leaving behind a conspicuous streak of crimson, his shock only deepened.

"Uh-huh. It's the middle of the night. And?" she sighed, seemingly unfazed by her unsettling appearance. "Do you need something? You're the one standing in my doorway, yelling."

“What the h–hell…” Stupefied, he could only manage a dumbfounded gesture, pointing incredulously at her with both of his hands, his eyes widening.

Her frown deepened at his reaction, but it was only after a moment that she glanced down at herself and her hands, noticing the streaks of red. With an amused scoff and a roll of her eyes, she dismissed his alarm. 

"Oh. It's paint, genius. I'm painting," she casually fixed a lone strand of hair that had fallen onto her forehead with her fingers stained red. "If I were a murderer, I'd be more careful. Don’t you think?"

His breath caught in his throat as he registered her words, a wave of relief washing over him. 

"Well, I suppose I'd rather confront a murderer, then!" he retorted, his voice regaining its composure. "At least I wouldn't have to deal with the constant banging on the walls at night, it seems. What the hell are you even doing?"

"I already told you, I'm painting," she shot back, her narrowed eyes fixing him with a glare. "And, excuse me, but aren't you that loud guy living in the apartment under me? The one who slams his doors no matter what, and always blocks my bike with his?"

"Am I? Well, maybe because your pretty urban bike with that ridiculously huge basket always takes up two spaces, mine included," he countered. "Learn to park, maniac. It’s not that hard! And keep it down! I’m trying to work!"

The young woman's laughter echoed through the hallway, genuine and hearty. "Unbelievable. And what are you doing at night that my painting bothers you so much, huh?"

"None of your fucking business what I do," he barked, jabbing an accusatory finger in her direction. "It's quiet hours, so either you stop banging on the walls or I'll report you. And then your bike!"

"Damn asshole," she hissed, her grip tightening on the door handle.

"At your service," he replied with a mocking bow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Have a good night, psycho. Red does not suit you, by the way."

Whether or not she heard his parting words remained uncertain, as she promptly slammed the door shut in his face. Fuming with anger, he turned on his heel, ready to storm back to his place. But as he reached the door and patted his pocket, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, you’ve got to be kidding…" he muttered aloud, his hand coming up empty. He grabbed the doorknob, even though he knew it was a futile gesture without his keys.

Could he be that stupid? Could he really leave his apartment with nothing, not even his damn phone?

Apparently, he could.

With a frustrated grunt, he considered banging his forehead against the door in a fit of vexation but quickly dismissed the idea as both stupid and potentially painful.

And definitely loud.

Left with no other option, he reluctantly decided to seek help from the landlord. He cursed his luck because, of course, the landlord lived right next door to that dreadful neighbor who could easily pass for a murderess in the right lighting. Nevertheless, he really didn't like the idea of spending the rest of the night stranded in the hallway.

This time he climbed the stairs with deliberate steps, determined to handle the situation with a little more finesse. Walking to door number 33, he knocked softly, hoping the guy, by some miracle, wasn’t sleeping yet. Or was already awake. Whatever was closer. 

Yet, the silence that greeted him was quite deafening. Undeterred, he knocked once more, this time with slightly more force.

His heart skipped a beat as the door behind him creaked open, and a familiar voice broke the silence. "What happened? Is the landlord too noisy, too?" 

He spun on his heels, fingers clenching into tight fists at his sides. "Mind your own business, huh?" he retorted, frustrated. 

The young woman chuckled, pausing in her task of wiping away the stubborn red streak of paint from her face with a damp towel. "Richy's out for the night," she informed him, nodding toward the landlord’s apartment. "Whatever you need from him, it'll have to wait until morning."

"Well, isn't that just fucking perfect," he growled, more to himself than to her. 

Her laughter bubbled louder at his exasperation, head tilting slightly in amusement. Quickly, she covered her mouth, though, mindful of the late hour and not wanting to disturb the neighbors further. 

"Let me guess, genius," she remarked with a hint of amusement, her smile softening. "You locked yourself out. A smarty-pants like you? Aww, that’s so sad…" Her lips pursed in mock sympathy as she tried to wipe her hands of the remnants of red paint.

He snorted in response but remained silent. With determined strides, he made his way towards the stairs, fully prepared to spend the night wandering the city until morning. Passing her by without so much as a glance, he was about to descend when she called out to him.

"Okay, wait a minute," her voice caused him to pause mid-step. "I think I can help you out."

“No, thanks,” he snorted, turning to her, “You just want to gloat at my misfortune.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she shook her head. "Maybe a little," she admitted playfully. "But you're the asshole here. I'm just the good-natured maniac whose pretty bike you keep blocking."

Her bluntness caught him off guard, and he regarded her with a mixture of surprise and skepticism. After a moment of contemplation, he let out a resigned sigh, realizing that he was indeed in a bit of a bind with very limited options.

"Come in, will you?" she urged when he didn’t respond. "I'll go get some tools."

"Tools?" he echoed, but she had already vanished inside, leaving him with no choice but to follow.

After a moment or two, he sighed and cautiously crossed the threshold of her apartment, his eyes scanning the space to locate where she had gone. The layout of the place mirrored his own, a spacious studio with an open living area. However, the differences in décor were quite obvious—unfinished paintings leaned against the walls, an easel stood in one corner with a canvas in progress, and sheets of paper littered various surfaces, each with vibrant splashes of color. The faint smell of fresh paint lingered in the air, and somehow it wasn't unpleasant at all. 

On the floor in the further corner of the room, his gaze landed on a toolbox, its lid slightly ajar. Beside it lay a hammer and a small painting, only partially framed.

The culprit of the noise. 

"Hey, what did you mean by tools–" he started, his voice trailing off as he took a few steps toward the bedroom, only to freeze in place.

She had already taken off her paint-stained flannel shirt and was in the process of pulling a red t-shirt over a snug tank top, the fabric clinging to her figure a little too perfectly. He felt a pang of unease, suddenly aware of his accidental intrusion into her personal space.

He barely had a moment to process his embarrassment before she turned around with a smile as she noticed him there, her laughter hitting his ears. Then, with a playful shake of her head and a casual run of her fingers through her messy dark hair, she made her way back into the living room. 

"So you're not just an asshole, but a voyeur, too?" she teased, her tone surprisingly light given the circumstances. "What a combination!"

"S–sorry," he mumbled, feeling a flush of embarrassment color his cheeks as he looked away. "I didn't mean to. I was just–" He clicked his tongue in frustration, struggling to find the right words. "In my defense, you disappeared, and I just wanted to–"

“Relax, eh? Let's open your door,” she interjected, her laughter cutting through his stumbling explanation as she patted him on the shoulder and moved toward a large toolbox.

"What? H–how?" he stammered stupidly, his gaze following her movements as she crouched next to the box, her fingers deftly rummaging through its peculiar contents.

"Yeah, well… Have you ever taken a closer look at me or my apartment?" she quipped, a wry lift of her eyebrow accentuating her point. "I'm the absolute embodiment of forgetfulness and scatterbrained tendencies, in case you haven't noticed. How many times do you reckon I've accidentally slammed that darn door and found myself locked out? Those locks might seem sturdy, but truth be told, they're quite easy to pick…"

He snorted in disbelief. "Wait, wait, hold on... Are you seriously thinking about picking my lock?"

"Why not?" she shrugged casually, as if it were the most natural suggestion in the world.

He opened his mouth to make a cutting remark, but found himself at a loss for words.

"Yup. You're crazy. I'm leaving," he declared, raising his hands in resignation as he turned towards the door.

“Well. Good luck, then!” she chuckled skeptically, waving to him with a small, thin screwdriver and what looked like a hairpin. “I hope your doormat is comfortable… You should know that Richy is on a date, and I guess it went very well, so I have no idea what time he'll be back. Might as well be late in the afternoon. Or in the evening.”

He paused, a mix of disbelief and fascination flickering across his face as he turned back to look at her. Despite the paint smudges and the aura of chaos surrounding her, there was a peculiar glint in her eyes that felt oddly genuine and dependable. Bold. Daring.

"This can’t be happening…” he muttered, his fingers instinctively finding their way to pinch the bridge of his nose.

She only chuckled further, “If it makes you feel any better, the first time it took me about 3 hours to get inside.”

“So you've… really done this before?" he inquired tentatively.

She burst into laughter, her amusement almost contagious. "Yup. I do this every two weeks or so. My own door, of course! But don't let Richy in on my little secret. I just don’t want to bother him too much..."

He hesitated, uncertain whether to trust someone whose toolbox contained an eclectic mix of brushes, paints, and all variety of tools. As he pondered, his gaze drifted to the paintings adorning the walls behind her.

"Hey… Did you paint those yourself?" he asked, pointing to the colorful canvases, most of which were saturated in shades of red.

"Of course. Why do you ask? Want some proof?" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest, the screwdriver still held loosely in her hand. “Or are you about to critique my masterpieces?”

"No, I just— I... I've seen similar ones. All over the city. In different places," he explained, his voice trailing off uncertainly.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, her gaze narrowing as she processed his words, rising from her spot on the floor. "You mean that street art?"

He fell silent for a moment, his eyes lingering on her still paint-splattered face. "Are they yours? They are, aren’t they?"

"Planning to report that too?" she shot back, a hint of sarcasm lacing her tone as she held his gaze. "Just like my bike and the alleged noise at night? You know you have no evidence for any of it!"

"No, it's not that," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just curious. I really like those paintings. The ones in the city, I mean. I never would've guessed someone like you could be the artist behind them."

“I didn’t say I was.”

"Come on," he gestured towards the red figure on the canvas, "They're identical to the ones in the city. These simple, faceless cat-like characters doing all sorts of amazing little things. Cleverly hidden in various, unexpected places."

"No, they're most definitely not identical," she huffed, striding up to the painting. "Can't you see something's missing in mine?"

"Yes, those big eyes painted with thick black lines, right? Sometimes other details, too. Very distinctive."

"Distinctive my ass! They're just stupid doodles that someone painted on real things!" she retorted, her frustration evident as she gestured toward the artwork.

"Do you really think so? People seem to like them. Have you seen all those pictures all over the web? They got quite popular, at least in the city. They even got a name, what was it…" He rubbed his stubbled chin, trying to recall.

"Night Watchers," the woman sighed, resigned.

"Right," he grinned with an odd sense of satisfaction, "Night Watchers. I like it."

"Well, I don’t!" she snapped, pointing her sharp screwdriver at him once again. "Those doodles are crude and primitive. And so are those who paint them!"

"Fine, fine!,” he laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “You're strangely defensive here, and we're just talking about graffiti, you know? Are you sure they're not yours?"

"Forget it," she sighed, taking her keys and waving them in front of his nose. "Come on. I’ll get you and your arrogant ass home."

He opened his mouth to protest, but seeing her determination, he realized there was no point. Without hesitation, she strode down the corridor, and he hastened to follow.

As they reached his apartment door, the young woman wasted no time in kneeling down, her movements fluid and assured as she began to work on the lock. He watched her with a mix of fascination and disbelief, the scene unfolding before him like something out of a movie. Here he was, in the dead of night, entrusting a stranger with the task of breaking into his own home. and not just a stranger. It was a surreal moment, one he never could have anticipated.

"My name’s Charlie, by the way," she muttered suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence. Despite her focus on the task at hand, there was a hint of warmth in her tone. "You can tell me yours, or I can keep calling you an asshole. Whatever you prefer."

He snorted in slight disbelief, recalling the last name written on an intercom, “Okay, hold on. You want to tell me your name is Charlie Brown*?”

She turned to him, her expression serious and unfazed, “Charlie Brown. Got a problem with that?”

“No, it's…” he scratched his head, trying to contain his smile to a minimum, “It's just cut– curious. That's all. Fits an artist, I guess.”

“Uh-huh. So?” her gaze focused on the lock once more, “Do you want me to keep calling you an asshole?”

"Tempting," he conceded, leaning against the railing with a wry smile. "But my name is Jake."

“Well then, Jake…” Charlie's fingers danced over the lock, her touch deft and precise. With a soft click, the lock surrendered, and she pushed the door open. "Welcome home." Her grin was triumphant as she got up and gestured for him to enter.

“I'll consider this as compensation for disturbing my peace,” he sighed, stepping past her as he finally made his way back to his place. But then, as he glanced back at her, he nodded slowly. "Thank you, Charlie. You'd make a very good burglar."

“Yeah… No problem,” she rolled her eyes, “Suppose us insomniacs have to stick together. No matter how annoying you are.”

Jake’s shoulders shook with silent mirth, “Yes, well. It was… interesting to finally meet you, Charlie Brown. And you actually do look good in red… when it’s not all over you,” he casually pointed to her t-shirt.

“Screw you, Jake,” her eyes crinkled at the corners as she snorted at him, “See you around.”

He watched her vanish down the hallway, a smile lingering on his lips. Then, with a soft click, he closed the door behind him, careful not to make a sound.

. . ………………… . . 

She came to an abrupt stop, her fingers tightening around her phone as she squinted at the grimy wall of the aging city building. Until quite recently, it had served as a canvas for her creativity. The playful red figure mid-jump over the rope – the cable swaying from the electrical box nearby.

Now, however, it was something entirely different.

Thick, bold lines appeared on her little masterpiece. A bike now dominated the scene, but not just any bike. It was a truly whimsical rendition, making the red figure no longer leaping but riding that damn bike with carefree abandon. A large basket adorned the front, and right in it—a brush, and a screwdriver.

And there were those eyes. Those unmistakable, big, doodle-like eyes.

A laugh had to leave her lips, disbelief and amusement fighting with each other, as she read the small writing underneath. 

Coffee tonight? 

J.

“That damn asshole…” 

. . ………………….. . . 

*You all probably know this well, but Charlie Brown is a character from the comic Peanuts :) 

....................................................................

I spent quite a long time staring at the hospital room door.

It was a strange feeling. As if I was suspended in a very weird dream. I only wanted to wake up, but nothing seemed to work.. The nightmares keep coming.

There was nothing I could do to stop them.

"Willow," a low voice called out, jolting me out of my reverie.

Although I knew that voice I wasn't particularly eager to hear it at that moment.

I slowly tilted my head in its direction. His eyes' grayness caused my heart to flutter in a way that I could barely stand. I gave him a long look as I thought how much he reminded me of Jake. I instinctively glanced at my phone, thinking about the Hacker.

There was nothing.

He had deleted all of his messages and chats. It was as though he had never even been with me.

It was actually reassuring. He had time to get rid of it all. Only my heart refused to accept it.

Even Jake's Tamagotchi was no longer working. I pressed the buttons, yet only zeros appeared.

No coordinates.

I had nothing of his other than this tiny, pointless toy. Nothing that might bring him to mind. All of his belongings and my car was gone. I knew who took it and I was terrified by the mere thought of it.

Jake's laptop was there.

It felt like a storm was approaching, but for some reason it hadn't reached me yet.

"Willow, are you okay?"

Thankfully, John only needed stitches after being lightly injured by Paul's knife. Well, I don't think I would have survived if it had gone otherwise.

"I'm fine. I thought I'd visit Hannah. I have to admit that I'm a little scared, though." I replied, my voice much more tired than I expected.

"Oh?" he gave me a warm smile, "I had the same plan. Well, I was in her room yesterday... and today... maybe twice. The nurses are yelling at me not leave my room, but what can I do... I have to visit my daughters."

Lilly survived our visit at Paul's nearly unscathed as well. Nearly. She had a concussion and a massive lump on her head, but otherwise she was the happiest little sister in the world. So far... no one but Bloomgate and I knew about Jake. Hannah was found, so no one really cared about much else...

It was for the best.

"Understandable," I replied, "I won't bother you then."

"Nonsense! Get in there with me!" John came over to me so quickly that he nearly tripped over his slippers, "Hannah already knows a lot about you! Wait a minute... where is Mal?"

Uh-huh.

So much for not caring about Jake...

"He–" my voice got stuck in my throat. I swallowed hard, trying to stay calm, "He had to leave."

"Oh? I see... Is he... well, is he alright?" Jonathan mumbled, his gaze fixed on me. "And, if you don't mind telling me... is he who I think he is?"

"Oh..." I sighed, furrowing my brow. "I'm not sure I can answer those questions. At the very least, not well. All I can say is that I truly hope he's alright. And I'm not sure who you believe he is, so..."

"You said his name yesterday," John explained quietly, "and... I know this name. I've heard it before, from Hannah. And then there was this recent #IamJake movement, here in Duskwood as well. And Lilly's video... I kinda figured that. So he knew her? Mal? He knew Hannah?"

I froze, unsure what to say next. I realized there was no use in hiding anything from him. He wasn't stupid. He only needed me to confirm his suspicion.

"Yes, that's why he... we were involved."

He nodded, smiling gratefully at me, "I don't know how to thank you, then... So? Shall we go in?"

He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me towards the door before I could respond.

It was just what I needed.In a burst of bravery, I seized the doorknob without even knocking.

"Honey? I'm back," John said behind my back." Look who I've got with me this time!"

"Willow?" I heard a soft voice.

It was her again.

Hannah.

Her dark hair fell across her face. Her demeanor was oddly calm, but also... sad. I couldn't even imagine what she'd been through.

There was just Thomas there besides her. He sat near her bed, his hands on her lap, yet she kept her hands close to her own body.

"Hannah I– Well, I suppose you don't know me, but it feels like I know you, and-- well, what I'm trying to say is... I mean- I'm...," I stuttered, feeling incredibly nervous, "Well, I'm glad you're back."

"Willow... I've heard so much about you! And it feels like so much has happened during this time," she said as she shook her head absently. "How long has it been again?"

"A little over two weeks," Thomas mumbled as he stared at her.

"It feels much longer... anyway. Thank you for... for not giving up on me."

"We would never do that!" Thomas tried to grab her hand, but she moved away quickly, startled.

"Tommy... Oh, you didn't tell me what happened to you," she murmured, pointing to Thomas' nose patch.

"Huh? That is something you can thank your brother for. "Jake broke my nose..."

...haha.

Right.

I closed my eyes.

I shut them hard.

Please, tell me he didn't do that.

"E-excuse me? What brother?" John grinned uneasily, "What exactly do you mean, Thomas?"

Congratulations, Thomas.

This is your new record.

It hasn't even been five minutes since we've been here and you've already screwed something up.

Hannah looked at Thomas in horror, shaking her head again, "B-brother...?"

"Wait, no... you didn't– didn't know? Willow, I thought she knew!"

Oh, so it's my fault?!

"Knew about what?!" Jonathan yelled at his daughter's boyfriend.

I sighed, grabbing John's arm, "Miller, you absolute witless wonder..."

"What? I–"

"Talk to your girlfriend," I hissed, "Jonathan? Let's go back outside..."

Jake's father was bigger and stronger than me, but he let me drag him back into the hall. When I let go of his arm, he nervously ran a hand through his hair and groaned.

"Okay, Willow... what's this about? I'm not sure I like it..."

"Okay, alright. Okay. Would you believe me if I said Thomas got a screw loose? That he popped his cork and there is no brother?"

He scoffed, "I may be naive sometimes, but no, I wouldn't believe you!"

"Okay... The point is, this is not my secret to tell an–"

"Willow," John said sharply, coming closer to me, "Tell me what's going on or I'm going to have a heart attack! This IS a threat! It is about Mal again, right?!"

A threat, huh?

So Jake inherited his love for threats from someone.

I looked into his gray, puzzled eyes. I had no idea how to do it. I didn't know what to say to him. I was terrified of his reaction, and to be honest, only Jake deserved to see it. Not me. Nobody else.

"Mal... well, Jake," I muttered after a long while, "He told me he's y-your son... and Lilly saw your picture with his mother..."

John looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

He went quiet, and I thought he wouldn't react at all, but then a nervous chuckle left his throat.

"Son? No, no, no... it makes no sense."

"Listen, John... I don't know his mother's name. And frankly, I know very little about it. All I know is that she lived on a farm near Duskwood. Do you maybe remember anybody like that?"

Jonathan inhaled deeply, his eyes widened, but then he paused, his piercing look making me very uncomfortable.

"Oh... my dear, dear god," he grabbed his head, "A-are you talking about Amelia? But we... are you sure about this?"

"It's only what Mal has told me... but I think he had no reason to lie."

"I can't believe this... I mean... she– she left me all of a sudden! She never told me she was– I would never expect that–"

"John..."

"We were so young! Barely twenty...I– why would she do this?"

He looked at me bitterly. He did not expect that by finding his missing daughter, he would also find a son he had absolutely no idea about.

"I don't–"

"Did he know? Mal... When he met me, did he know that? Shit, he did, didn't he..."

I just nodded, unsure what to do next.

Well... I actually knew what I wanted to do next - kill Thomas.

"John, I know it's a lot to ask, especially now, but... could you keep that information to yourself?"

"What? I–" he scratched his stubbled cheek, "But Willow, how can I–"

"Please, John. For his sake and yours."

"Okay... okay. I would like to just, I don't know.. just talk to him! I can't– I can't leave it like that!"

I kept quiet for a while. Although I was tempted to tell him what I knew - all about his stepfather and the rest of his family, I chose not to.

It was dangerous for him. For him, for Jake and for me.

"I hope that someday you'll be able to do that. But for now..." I shook my head, "He has no contact with that family. I don't know why his mother chose to keep it from you, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore..."

I failed to get to know Hannah's reaction to this information. Moments later I saw Bloomgate at the other end of the corridor.

I really missed the days when there was only one drama going on at a time.

"I'm sorry to leave you like this... but I have to go talk to Bloomgate and–"

"I–" Jonathan looked like a beaten puppy, "Yes. Yes, I'll be fine... I just– it's madness, huh?"

"Sheer madness," I smiled.

I nodded quickly to John and ran to the Policeman. I haven't seen him since last night and I desperately needed to know if Jake had managed to escape Duskwood.

"Alan!" I stopped right before Bloomgate, "Alan, please tell me if–"

Bloomgate rushed to me in two swift steps, placing his hand on my shoulder. At that moment my heart sank into the darkest of places. I wasn't sure if it would actually start beating again.

"It went well. Everything according to the plan," he said quietly, "We did as I said. He should be fine. Well... " Bloomgate took a quick look around, "He was fine when we parted ways."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Both joy and sadness filled my soul at the same time.

Because the Hacker had actually disappeared.

"Are you okay?" the Policeman eyed me carefully, "I mean... all things considered?"

I nodded.

That was all I could do.

Words didn't really want to come out of my mouth.

For a few minutes we both kept looking out the hospital window to the crowded parking lot below us.

"Be ready," he finally muttered to me, "They should be here soon. You know what you're supposed to say?"

I knew exactly who he was talking about. I knew they'd find me eventually. Still, his words made my heart race.

"I do," I said in a surprisingly calm manner, "I don't know much anyway."

"Good," a weak smile appeared on the Policeman's face.

I couldn't believe he was putting everything on the line for both of us. His career... his life!

It was... surprising. In any case, I was very thankful for it.

When I turned around, John was no longer there. I felt guilty for leaving him like that, but on the other hand... I knew he needed time to process that massive amount of information.

Bloomgate and I stood side by side for a few minutes, silent. I never expected to like his company.

I knew it was going to happen. Alan said they would come soon and was trying to prepare myself, but... as an unfamiliar man approached us cautiously, I shuddered beneath his strong gaze.

He was there for Jake.

"Miss Willow Malinsky?" The man brushed off his expensive suit and nodded to Alan. His short, blond hair was styled perfectly, "I'm special agent Wolf," he said, his dark eyes emotionless, "I'd like you to accompany me. somewhere... more private."

"Pardon me? Why?" I asked dryly, "How do you know my name?"

"I only have a few questions for you. Please don't worry about anything," he said with a cautious smile.

Bloomgate looked at him anxiously.

"You say it like I have a choice, Mr. Wolf... So tell me, do I really have a choice? Because if I do, I'm not going anywhere with you."

I knew it was pointless. I knew if he wanted me to go with him, I would have to do it. No matter what.

The man stared at me for a short while.. I didn't avert my eyes either. Then he grinned wider, "No, Miss Malinsky. I'm sorry to say you don't have a choice."

"Am I under arrest?" I was utterly scared, yet I managed to give him an innocent smile.

"I wouldn't say you are, Miss Malinsky, but for now you have to come with me. Chief Bloomgate? If you'd be so kind and follow me, please." he waved his hand, gesturing for both of us to come after him.

Although I was quite terrified, I also felt a peculiar calmness too. Maybe because of what Jake told me the previous evening. I just knew what I had to do for him. What I had to do for us.

Without another word, Bloomgate and I got into the dark car with Wolf. There was another man inside, in the driver's seat, but he didn't even look at me. To my surprise, we didn't go far, the car stopped right outside the Duskwood Police Station.

"I thought I wasn't under arrest?" I asked sarcastically.

"It's just a good place to talk."

Wolf motioned to the other man, while I exchanged looks with the Policeman, and we all got out of the car.

The two agents entered the building with the air of familiarity. Wolf opened the door for me and went straight to Bloomgate's office. He folded his arms and looked down at me as I walked in.

"Miss Malinsky, as you remember, my name is Wolf," he sat behind Alan's desk and showed us two chairs on the other side of it, "This is my partner, agent Smith. We wa–"

"Smith?" I scoffed, looking at the second man, "You didn't have the creativity to come up with some more original name?"

Wolf sighed and fell silent, staring at me. Bloomgate sat with his arms crossed as he watched our little exchange. I could swear the corners of his mouth twitched a little.

"I don't appreciate your tone, Miss Malinsky."

"I don't care much about what you think. Ask me these questions you want and leave me alone. And don't let your boyfriend look at me that way, I don't like it," I nodded towards Smith, who was eyeing me intensely.

To my right, I heard Bloomgate chuckle softly.

"Alright," he hissed through his teeth, then leaned back in his chair, "Let's get down to business, then. You've been in regular contact with a dangerous criminal for at least two weeks now. If you tell us what you know about him or where he is, we'll treat your case... lightly."

"Yeah, you see, the problem is...I don't want to talk to you. And I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a good citizen you see, cross my heart!"

"Miss Malinsky," Smith cut in, his voice low and angry, "I think you don't realize the gravity of your situation here!"

"Oh, really? I'm sweating like a whore in church already!" I feigned my shock.

Wolf smiled and I really didn't like the look on his face, "So you want to tell me... you don't know who Jacob Meyer is? That you don't know he's a hacker whose actions led to the death of at least five people?"

At that moment my heart stopped.

Jake didn't tell me about his past on purpose. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know what he did. I didn't know why they were after him.

Had... had he done something that bad?

No.

He told me he was one of the good guys.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you know something about him after all..." Wolf smile widened.

"I don't know shit, you asshole!"

The Agent slammed his hand on the table so hard that I jumped in my chair. Alan tensed up, looking at me apprehensively. He even moved closer, but said nothing.

He knew who we were dealing with.

"Alright. Here's what we'll do...!" he said, pissed off, "I'll tell you about Meyer, what he did and what he got involved in... maybe it'll show you who you're hiding from us. What do you say to that, Miss Malinsky?"

"I don't care about your made-up stories!" I yelled, "Say whatever you want!"

Wolf sneered. He got up from his chair and sighed.. I could see that Bloomgate was disturbed by the whole situation, but he didn't want to show it. He pretended to be on their side... at least partially.

"Mr. Bloomgate," Wolf smiled at the Police Chief, "Agent Smith... Would you give us a few minutes? I want to talk to Willow... alone."

"But agent Wolf... I don't think I can. I don't understand why–" Alan muttered, glancing at me again.

"This shouldn't be your concern, dear chief. Now please, go with agent Smith. Trust me, it's the best thing you can do right now," Wolf pointed at the door as if it were his own office.

Bloomgate paused for a long moment as he watched the other agent approach him. Then he clenched his jaw and nodded, giving me a quick glance once more, as they both walked out of the room slowly.

Wolf adjusted his perfect, expensive suit again and slowly came closer, stopping very close to my chair, leaning against the desk.

I didn't like that confident smirk on his face.

Only the Hacker had the right to smile like that!

Maybe I've been spending too much time with Jake, but all of a sudden I really wanted to grab him by the collar of his dull, blue shirt and punch him right between those stupid eyes!

"Miss Malinsky, you're now going to tell me what you know," he sighed.

"Are you stupid? Or deaf? I told you I don–!"

He leaned down swiftly, placed his hands on the arms of my chair so quickly that I almost yelped. His face was suddenly way too close to mine. When I tried to pull away, he grabbed my chin and forced me to keep looking at him.

I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my wrist and twisted it slightly...yet hard enough to make me hiss in pain.

"What the fuck, you–!"

"Listen, here you little,annoying bitch, because I won't repeat myself. Insult me again and I'll use a lot more force than I do now. I don't have time for your stupid games. Do you really want to test me further?"

His mask fell off. He was no longer the kind, polite agent from before. His eyes flashed with hatred.

"Do anything to me and I'm going to scream for help!"

Wolf chuckled, clearly amused my reaction, "And what then, huh? Haven't you noticed that the entire precinct is under my command?"

I didn't answer. I just swallowed hard, feeling suddenly very small under his gaze.

"You've finally shut up, that's better," he smiled leaning to my face even closer than before, "Or maybe you still have something to say, huh?"

I was silent.

He waited for several long seconds for me to react. Then he finally let go of me, stepped aside, and reached for the file that was laying on the desk.

My heart was racing like crazy.

"Now, where were we... Jacob Meyer. I've been looking for him for eight years, you know?" Wolf sighed nostalgically, "Tell me, dear Willow, do you know what they call people who steal money from life-saving organizations? Well, I guess you could say 'heartless'... or criminals with no moral code. Did you really want to be with someone like that? My dear Willow... what does that say about you?"

Wolf clicked his tongue, as if reprimanding a young girl for doing something very naughty. I shivered, "Be a good girl and cooperate, okay?"

I didn't answer, I simply gave him a disdainful look.

"So..." the agent continued, "Here's a story you probably don't know and I'm sure you're going to like very much. Your lovely boyfriend worked for a major charity organization that raised money to treat children with cancer. But well... he was apparently so good at his job that he decided to take the money for himself, blaming it all on one of his workmates."

I snorted.

There was no way in hell that Jake could do something like that.

Wolf opened the file and threw some documents at me.

Reports about his alleged cyberattack.

A copy of his arrest warrant. International.

Among it all, Jake's photo from eight years ago and his composite sketch... thankfully not a very accurate one.

I almost smiled as I looked at that photo... he looked so innocent. He looked so young. There was no sign of dark circles under his eyes. But most importantly... he looked completely different than the day before. If I didn't know it was him, I wouldn't recognize him at all. That's probably why he managed to sneak out from Duskwood unnoticed.

"So you didn't know about anything... interesting."

It wasn't until a few moments later that I noticed Wolf staring at me, his head tilted almost in amusement.

"I didn't– I mean it..." I muttered a curse. I figured he knew too much about me to pretend I didn't know absolutely anything about Jake, "All of this can be fabricated."

"Well, it isn't. I think you know that... Do you want to know what happened next?" The agent smiled a little ominously. Without waiting for my answer, he continued, "Those five people I told you about. That was Meyer's workmate's whole family.... Mark Heynes. A very good, decent guy!"

"I don't know who that is... I've never heard his name before."

"Let me tell you more about him, then! He was a cybersecurity specialist, like Meyer. They were working together. Heynes must have discovered what Meyer's plan was. Imagine his surprise when he learnt that Meyer had planned to frame him into something that big..."

"That's bullshit," I hissed.

"I can assure you it's very far from being bullshit, my dear Willow," he smiled again, "But you see, as the evidence slowly began to point to our little hacker and his scapegoat began to testify against him... well, do you want to guess what happened next? Long story short. Suddenly, he and his whole family died in a fire in their own house! The whole family was tied up, they didn't even stand a chance! They burned to ashes. Him, his wife, their three children. Even their dog... Isn't it cute? Without his testimony, it was hard to gather enough evidence against Meyer, but in the end, we finally did. He was long gone by then... with the money, of course."

"So this is absolute baloney–"

"Is it?" Wolf chuckled as he threw another photo at me, "Here. Meyer leaving Haynes's house a few hours before the tragedy. Coincidence?"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"No, I think that's proof that it was him. And what's very curious, he decided not to tell you about all that. I wonder why? Doesn't it seem strange to you? I think he used you t–"

"Bullshit!"

Is that what Jake was prosecuted for? Is that why he had such a shitty life?

"There's another thing about Meyer." another heavy sigh, "I'm pretty sure you're involved in this somehow, but unfortunately I don't have any proof of that."

"Involved in what, exactly?" I glowered.

"We found evidence in Meyer's belongings confiscated from your car that he was connected to some heavy drug and human trafficking."

No...

No, no no...

That was Maverick's hard drive Nicky gave to Jake!

"It's not like that! He–!" I protested, but then stopped, seeing Wolf smiling again.

"So you already know something about this... good to know. He didn't keep you in the dark completely."

I sobbed helplessly. I didn't want to, but I couldn't help it. I was drowning. I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper...

I didn't want to panic. It was a little too late for that... I clenched my trembling hands.

I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

I wasn't going to give up at all!

Wolf seemed very happy with the effect he had on me, "So, Miss Malinsky. Now that you know some facts... maybe you'd like to help me catch this murderer?"

"I do not know anything! And even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!"

I didn't believe a word he told me. It couldn't have been Jake's doing. I knew it all too well, but... a tiny pang appeared in my heart.

I didn't believe anything he said. Jake could not have done this. I was well aware of it, but... a tiny pang appeared in my heart.

No, I said to myself. I had to fight against it.

Jake expected them to tell me things like that. He was well aware of it.

I had to stick to that.

"Well, then," Wolf sighed, "I hope you don't have plans for the next... hours, because we're going to spend some very nice time together."

Then I understood it.

My interrogation had only just begun.

...........................................

Warm tears were streaming down my faceI was crying as I walked out of the police station more than 24 hours later. I was exhausted. Overwhelmed. I felt small and completely humiliated. Insignificant.

Wolf threatened me. Then he begged me. He made fun of me. Called me names that I already knew that would stay with me forever.

He used physical force only a couple of times, but it was more than enough.

He used everything he could to get me to tell him what I knew about Jake.

Still, as I walked out of the police station, the warm rays of the setting sun fell on my tear-stained cheek... I couldn't stop smiling.

I actually burst out laughing, nearly falling to the ground.

Because...

Because those stupid government motherfuckers knew absolutely nothing of an importance.

They had no clue where Jake was.

They had lost all their traces of him since Hannah was found. And when they were interrogating me, the Hacker eluded them even further.

Then I sighed, feeling like I was about to break into a million little pieces.

Those stupid government motherfuckers didn't have the slightest idea about where the Hacker could be.

The problem was...

Neither did I.

Days without the Hacker: one.

...........................................

I silently watched as small droplets of water ran down the glass of cold beer that Phil had placed in front of me. I didn't take a single sip, glancing up at the Bartender and Liam, who were talking in the back door, standing very close to each other.

I never thought I'd say this about Phil, but...he looked adorable when he was making those googly eyes at Liam when he thought no one was watching them.

They both giggled, whispering something to each other, then Liam scoffed and walked over to the bar with a very wide smile on his face, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Working as a bartender suits you," I smiled, watching him put beer bottles into a small fridge, behind a bar "Much better than your previous job. Although... I feel a bit sorry for all these books."

"Well, I won't say I don't like this job..." Liam chuckled, "This job comes with certain... perks."

"Perks, you say..." I giggled a little, "Well, I'm glad you both are getting along."

"I think we do a little more than just get along, you know! For example yesterday Phil wanted me to d–"

"Liam?" I said harshly, but with a smile, "You've told me a little too much the last time... I'm not ready for more yet."

"Right..." he blushed slightly.

"So I guess you like living in Duskwood?"

Liam sighed as he pondered for a couple of seconds, "Well... it's not Colville. I miss the noise and the chaos but, well... those six months were much calmer than my whole previous life. It actually feels quite nice, you know. Not that I could really get back there, right? My business was totally over."

We were silent for a moment. Liam served a few people that came to the bar, amusing them with a little conversation. Everyone seemed to like him. Well, it wasn't surprising at all.

"Have you heard from Nicky?"

The former Bookseller gave me a weak smile, "I'm surprised you still ask me that every time... but no. I haven't had any contact with her since she disappeared from the hospital."

"Shame..." I muttered, "I'd still love to strangle her for turning Jake over to those motherfuckers."

Liam smiled bitterly, "And Phil? I mean... it was his fault, right?"

"It wasn't his fault..." I ran my finger across the glass, catching a few drops of water, "He's a naive dum-dum... no wonder he told her he had a bar in Duskwood. How was he supposed to know something like that would endanger Jake?"

"Well... still," he chuckled, "I feel like I could have stopped it."

I shook my head.

I knew it wasn't Liam's fault. I also know it wasn't Phil's.

My eye drifted to the calendar on the wall. I knew what day it was, and yet every time I thought about how long it had been since I'd last seen Jake... something inside me died anew.

Days without a Hacker: 179.

"Thanks for the beer, Liam, but I don't really feel like it. I think I'll go back to my apartment today."

"But... you've just got here. Like, two hours ago!"

"I'm having a really lousy day, okay?" I hopped off the bar stool, "I don't want to sleep on Phil's very uncomfortable sofa tonight."

"Willow, wait," Liam jumped out from behind the bar and grabbed my hand, "I'm telling you this every time you're here and I always believe it. He'll be back. I'm sure he's okay. You'd hear about it if he wasn't."

I fixed my gaze on him. His eyes were so genuine. But I saw it somewhere deep within. I could tell he was worried about being wrong.

"If he was ok, he would come back by now, wouldn't he?" I muttered, managing to free my hand from his grip, "Say goodbye to Phil for me, will you?"

"Willow, it's not like that...!" Liam shouted after me but I was already leaving the bar.

I realized it wasn't like that. I knew Jake's pursuers were still watching me. Closely.

Finally alone, I leaned back against my car as I breathed in the cool air of early spring, reaching into my pocket.

After lighting a cigarette, I took a long, slow breath, allowing the smoke to scratch my throat. Exhaling, I watched the smoke dance around me in the nearly empty, dark parking lot. The pink lighter in my hand wasn't the same as Jake's, but I couldn't find the one he had.

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you still smoke!" I didn't notice Phil approaching me. Cheerful as always, he was smiling broadly as he took a cigarette from my jacket pocket and lit it as well.

"I don't," I replied by blowing smoke once more.

The Bartender chuckled and leaned against my car beside me, "Right... Liam told me you're not in a good mood today. Can I help you somehow?"

"Did Liam talk you into coming after me?"

Phil grunted, pushed himself off the car and stood in front of me so he could look me in the eye, "I know you still think I'm an asshole, but I'm worried about you. And it's just... I've never told you I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, that wasn't your fault. You didn't know Nick–"

"No, Willow," he lowered his head but continued to stare at me. His dark hair fell lightly across his face, concealing a troubled expression, "I meant... I'm sorry about Reynolds. And I'm sorry that everybody kind of... broke up a bit and left you alone with this all. It's not fair. I know Jessy is having trouble believing Richy knew Paul was behind this and the rest of them is trying to put their lifes back together, but fuck... you got hit the hardest after it was all over!"

"Did I...?" I chuckled bitterly, "What about, for example, Paul's family? They didn't know they had a psycho in their ranks. That he was getting revenge for what happened to the girl he was absolutely obsessed with ten years ago? And his poor wife? She's in a mental hospital now, totally alone an–

"Willow!" The Bartender threw away his cigarette butt and placed his hands on my shoulders, before giving me a light shake. It was only then that I noticed tears really wanting to come out of my eyes, "It makes no difference! After all, those constant interrogations right after Hannah was found... I know how they affected you!"

Phil wrapped his arms and hugged me tightly. He had no ulterior motive in this... he just wanted to make me feel better, as a friend. So, after a short moment, I sank into his arms, into his chest, and hugged him back so tightly that he grunted and chuckled.

And I chuckled too.

I never imagined that out of everyone I met during this crazy investigation, Phil would be the one who would stick by me until the end.

He and Jake's father, who knew he couldn't ask me about his son... but still wanted to talk to me. He called almost every day to see how I was doing. He knew that if I disappeared one day... then I would disappear with the Hacker... and I think he was waiting for it.

He wanted for him to be back as well.

No matter if he met him again or not.

As for Paul... he had never been involved with Jennifer, but as it turned out, he was absolutely obsessed with her... The police had found lots of pictures of her in his house. I'm not sure if he knew that Richy was involved in her accident... I haven't spoken to him once since that night.

Paul wanted revenge on Hannah for Jannider's death, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. From what I'd heard, Richy was supposed to do his dirty work for him... so I had a slight suspicion that he'd intentionally let himself be caught by Barret in that building, when he was spying for his father, trying to figure out how to blame it on Barret after their Hanson's house fiasco.

"Are you sure you want to go back home today? It's late... you can take our bed an–"

"No, no... no, Phil. I wouldn't dare," I grinned as he let go of me, "Liam told me too much about that place."

"Uh, yes, well..." the Bartender scratched his head, a little embarrassed, his cheeks slightly flushed, "It's hard to stop him sometimes. Well... most of the time. I guess this is why i lo– like him so much."

"Well, well, well... The biggest womanizer in town... and look at his lovey-dovey face now..."

"Oh, shut up," gave me a playful nudge as he rolled his eyes.

"See you, Phil. Take good care of Liam."

"Aye, aye!" he saluted me like a true soldier, "See you soon Malins– what is it? Something's wrong?"

When I was really down and needed a reminder that Jake had once been with me, I would pick up a Tamagotchi and press its buttons.

Even though it showed nothing but zeros, I didn't mind. That was enough.

Because Jake had made this silly Tamagotchi for me.

But then, that night, in that moment, something changed.

There were no longer zeros.

I fixed my eyes on that small screen. I could hear Phil's voice, but as if from a distance. Because I couldn't believe that instead of just zeros I saw... coordinates.

"Phil..." I breathed out, struggling to form a logical sentence, "Can you see that? Please tell me... can you see those numbers?!"

The Bartender looked at me anxiously as if I had lost my mind, "W-what? What do you mean...?"

"Give me your phone."

"Willow, what's going o–"

"Phil!" I hissed, trying to stay calm, "I have no idea if they're tracking my phone, but they probably still are. I have to check something, give me your phone!"

He handed me the device without saying anything. With trembling hands, I typed in all the numbers.

My heart felt like it was about to burst.

Was this really happening?

I'd had many dreams about it, but this time I didn't want to wake up so badly.

The dream always ended just as I was about to reach the Hacker.

I chuckled hysterically when it turned out that those numbers weren't an error. A glitch.

It was a place.

A place here in Duskwood.

A small, full of trees park at the edge of the town.

"Phil... I think I need to go," I looked up at him, my chest hurt from the sudden excitement, "I think... I think he–"

The Bartender laughed loudly as his eyes widened. I was surprised by the sudden joy on his face. He must have really liked Jak after all!

"Go," he said softly, "Go. I'll tell Liam."

"What if I'm wrong..."

He gave me a warm smile, "Then my bar is open. My treat. Liam and I will take care of you. Now go..."

I nodded slowly at him and quickly pulled my backpack out of the Volvo.

I went as fast as I could.

Shaking, I reached the destination.

As I approached the old park surrounded by high walls, I heard police sirens wail.

Or maybe the fire department's?

Then another.

For a moment I thought they were coming after me, but they just passed me with dizzying speed.

I was getting too paranoid.

Was I really, though?

I looked at the Tamagotchi again.

They were still there. These numbers. Coordinates. And I was exactly at the place.

Only... it was quiet.

There was nobody around.

I took a cautious step forward. Then another.

I walked forward, passing old, tall trees. Police sirens could still be heard in the distance.

My heart was pounding like crazy.

When someone grabbed my hand and forced me to lean against the wall, I didn't even squeak. I clenched my fists, ready to punch whoever decided to set this trap for me. I was ready to gouge out the eyes of the person who made me believe that Hacker was coming back to me.

But this person... didn't seem hostile at all.

They clung to me, placing their hands on my shoulders, freezing for a moment, probably listening to what was going on around us. And when they looked at me after a short while, I knew I had nothing to fear anymore.

Because it was really him.

Because he still smelled like my strawberry shampoo.

I knew that tired, pale face.

I knew his blue, piercing eyes.

I knew all those little scars on his face.

He looked a little different.

His stubble was much longer, as was his hair.

Yet his smug smile didn't change one bit.

It was just as cheeky and confident as I remembered it.

Almost immediately he slid his hands into my hair and kissed me.

Hard.

Longingly.

Greedily.

I sighed softly as my legs buckled.

I completely gave in to his scent surrounding me like some kind of magical force that kept the outside world at bay. Like a rocket traveling at the speed of light, all the memories from six months ago hit me altogether. I grasped his black hoodie so firmly, as though I would never let him go again.

I wasn't going to let him go.

Not again.

Never, abso-fucking-lutely ever again.

I must have had a very absent expression on my face when the Hacker broke the kiss because he grinned and stroked my cold nose with his.

"Jake..." I said it half moaning, half sobbing, touching his face to make sure if he was real.

"Hey, Malinsky," he said casually, "Did you miss me?"

"You idiot..."I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, so I think I was doing both at the same time, "You damn asshole... you fucking bastard! I missed you so much it twisted all my insides and you know it!"

"Hush, quiet down, please," he chuckled, whispering into my ear, "It's still not safe. They're still keeping an eye on you."

"Wh–what? Then why are you here?! Have you lost your mind?"

"That's a completely different question, you know..." he mumbled, kissing me quickly, "I couldn't wait any longer... fuck, Willow. I wanted to get back to you as soon as I left Duskwood, but Bloomgate stopped me. There hasn't been a day... not a fucking minute that I haven't thought about you.I know I should go back just yet, but I couldn't bear it anymore. I'm having a hard time breathing without you. I can't fucking sleep without you! My mind can't function without you. Maybe it's selfish, but I need you with me."

"Jake, but–"

"Holy shit, tell me, because I can't take this anymore. Fuck, I need to know, it's killing me," Jake sighed anxiously, his blue, piercing, radiant eyes staring into mine, as if he wanted to read my every single thought, "Are you coming with me? Do you still want to be with me? I know life with me is a little crazy, but I have a plan... We'll get out of this someho—"

"Wh– How can you even ask me that?" I looked at him as if he'd gone completely mad.

The Hacker fell silent. Then he frowned and exhaled, as if that was exactly the answer he expected, "I just thought... I just thought you might want to b-be with me after all this. I'm s-sor–"

"Jake, no..." this time I chuckled, "I meant it like, how can you even ask me that? I thought the answer was obvious! I'll go with you wherever you want. I'm never leaving your side, you dumbass, so deal with it already!"

"You– oh, thank fuck..."

The relief I saw in his eyes was indescribable. I didn't get a good look at them, though. Jake kissed me again, this time so feverishly, intensely and yearningly, that if he hadn't been cupping my cheeks, I would have dissolved in his arms and flowed down the drain in a flash.

"So, are you ready to go?" the Hacker gasped out into my mouth.

"Right away?"

"Well... yes," he said with a troubled expression, "Those douchebag's car is not on fire for no reason... haven't you heard those police sirens? We still have about 15 minutes before they realize they've lost sight of you..."

"Oh... jesus, Jake," I chuckled, "You set their car on fire?"

"Maybe I set it on fire, maybe I blew it up... maybe there was one than one car... and maybe I also messed up with all their devices... doesn't really matter, does it? Do you really want to know everything?" he paused for a second, noticing my worried expression, "Hey, nobody died!"

"You're unbelievable..."

"And you're finally saying it honestly!"

We giggled at each other as if those six months hadn't happened at all.

"But... you know what that means, right? You know you have to leave your car behind? And your apartment...?"

"So?" I shrugged, "Do you think I need any of that?"

"B-but your Volvo..."

"It broke down a month ago and I had to go back home in a heavy rain, because there was no cab around!" I scoffed, "Now I live in constant fear it's going to happen again! Hell with this shit!"

Jake laughed out loud, but put his hand over his mouth almost immediately, realizing we had to be quiet, "Then let's go."

And suddenly I felt so light... and free.

I had my backpack on my back and my hand was squeezing Hacker's hand tightly. That was all I had.

And I thought to myself, I've never felt better.

Looking around, Jake dragged me to a car parked across the park. As we got in and he tossed my backpack into the backseat, his lips found mine once more.

"Wait, Jake. What are you doing?" I looked at him anxiously as he began to take off his hoodie, "We don't have time for this!"

He laughed but didn't stop undressing. After a while I knew why. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at his arm.

"Sorry... I just had to show you this," the Hacker blushed a little, "But it is a shame we don't have time to fuck in the car because... holy shit Willow, otherwise you'd already be lying under me in the back seat...

"Jake!"

"Oh, come on, Malinsky. Do you think I didn't notice how you reacted when I kissed you?" the Hacker smirked, "But my point is... I wasn't joking when I said it was hard for me to get through even one single day without you. I needed you near... maybe it's a bit silly. I asked you once about getting a tattoo, remember? Well... every time I look at it, I just feel... that you're a little closer. That I didn't imagine it all... That I really was with you."

I couldn't stop admiring it.

His whole forearm was tattooed... willow leaves interspersed with small strawberries. It was somehow so elegant and not very hacky, yet... it fit him like a glove.

It was beautiful.

"Jake, that's..."

"I just... had to have you near me, "he said flustered as he looked at the tattoo, "One way or another."

I knew we didn't have much time, butI pulled up the sleeve of my jacket to show him the inside of my forearm as well. He chuckled nervously, a kind of warm spark appeared in them when he realized what he was looking at.

"I've got a tattoo as well," I muttered, "It's Mario in–"

"Mario in... a hoodie, " Jake chuckled and touched the tattoo as if he couldn't believe it was real, "Mario in a black hoodie. "

"I wanted to have you close, too."

"Fuck, Willow. I–"

The hacker tore his eyes away from the tattoo as his watch beeped twice.

It was time to go.

Jake started the engine and let off the handbrake, but before he took off he gave me one more uncertain look. He stared at me as if checking if I was really sitting next to him. Then he quickly stroked my flushed cheek with his cold hand, his skin a little rough and dry, but I didn't mind it at all, "Something's bothering you..."

I shook my head. This was neither the time nor the place for a conversation like that. Or maybe... maybe he was?

"Willow..."

"I didn't believe them," I shot like a revolver, "I didn't believe that you... I didn't believe in their story."

"Good. I knew you wouldn't," he smiled, "Because it's not true. I was... I was the one who tried to stop this."

"Somebody framed you?"

The Hacker sighed, glancing at his calculator watch, "Did they tell you about Mark?"

"Yeah..."

"Well... He was the one who was transferring money from the charity. Mind you, it was... a huge organization. I'm talking... big, big money, Willow. It was a huge fucking thing. And Mark collaborated with some other high-ranked people. Well, I figured what he was doing and I wanted people to know about it...but it turned out it all went further than I thought... much further. Those people... I shouldn't have messed with them. They decided to kill Mark, when it turned out that I had gathered too much evidence against him. Him and all his family... Because of me. I mean, he was a douche, but..."

"Jake, that's..."

His eyes were full of bitterness and regret. I knew he blamed himself for everything even though he wanted to do something good. That just got him into more trouble.

"It doesn't matter..." he chuckled quietly, "You're with me now. That's all I need. This is all I need in my fucking, shitty life. You and your silly face, I want to tickle you almost to your death, then fuck you all night and talk all day. That's all I want. You, nothing else."

"What about coffee?"

"Good point," the Hacker nodded, " You and coffee, then."

"And Sriracha?"

"Malinsky," Jake said warningly, "We don't have time for this."

I smiled as he started the car, "Oh, right... very tight schedule, wanted criminal and cars on fire. Nothing new."

"Hey, you knew what you were signing up for from the start!"

The Hacker smirked and reached into his pocket for something. I was about to scold him because I was sure it was a cigarette, but then my jaw dropped.

"Is that... a lollipop?" I asked, trying not to laugh as he popped a red heart-shaped candy into his mouth.

"What? You forbade me to smoke! I guess that's a good replacement, eh?"

Wanted broccoli-hating childish criminal with a fucking lollipop in his mouth...

I laughed out loud until I cried.

...does life get better than that?

Abso-fucking-lutely not!

Days without the Hacker: zero.

..................................

Author's note:  You know what? There may be 3 other chapters not related to the main plot. Little things that I wasn't really able to include in the story...

It was getting dark. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the pavement, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. As he stood on the doorstep, the dim glow of the newly illuminated streetlights cast an amber hue on the doormat beneath his feet. The sounds of the bustling city beyond reached his ears, a reminder that life was still happening all around him.

Strange.

In that very simple moment he actually felt a lot of things. The emotions that had been trapped inside him, like a deep lake beneath a sheet of thick, very hard ice, were finally beginning to surface. And when the door closed with a very soft click, the little spark that had been in him for some time, turned into a warm, soft, calm fire.

He smiled to himself as he let go of the doorknob.

Another step behind him.

He had been living as a free man for several years and his life was much more peaceful than it had ever been before. However, as he looked at the number 14 on the apartment door one last time, he thought to himself, no. This was not what he had imagined freedom should be like.

It wasn't freedom. It wasn't something worth... fighting for. There was nothing that would make him hesitate to close that door. He paused for a moment, still staring at that silly number as his mind wandered far away.

He was sure she cared for him... in her own unique way.

He didn't notice anything... malfunctioning at first. He loved her. After all, she was the one who gave him hope again! For her, only for her, he left his old lifestyle behind and wanted to change... for the better.

Was he better, though?

After their first, innocent fight, he thought that perhaps the stresses of everyday life had gotten to them. They had met under rather unusual circumstances, after all. People fight; there was nothing unusual in that, but... not like this. Jake couldn't help but wonder if they were two people who were desperately trying to make something work that was never meant to be. What had brought them together had simply ceased to exist, and slowly but surely, it stopped working.

It stopped working for him.

He smiled wryly as he realized she might not even realize he was gone. She wouldn't notice that all his things had disappeared... well, to be honest, there wasn't much anyway. The apartment still felt like hers. It was as if the walls themselves still belonged to her, and he was merely a guest in her domain. They had been living together for several years, yet he never quite felt at home there.

It took him a long time to realize that.

Much too long.

He chuckled to himself, recalling all the ridiculous moments he had simply given up. The times when he allowed himself to be pushed around or did things he didn't want to do. The times when he let her make him feel like he was nothing. Make him feel likea very insignificant part of her life.

They were brought together by a very big event, but it was a number of very small, commonplace, trite things that tore them apart.

Isn't it how it always works?

He had not expected that. Each and every day, his words like static on a screen to her, a noise she heard but didn't really listen to. And at the same time, she expected too much... much more than he could give her.

She only wanted him when she needed him, yet when he needed her, she was nowhere to be found. At first, he thought it was his fault - he even laughed at the idea that his secretive, introverted nature pushed her away from him and made her withdraw.

But he was wide open.

She knew his every weakness and took advantage of it. She forgot about his strengths.

It was her mistake.

One of many.

Jake knew he was good at a couple of things. Not every one of them was useful in his everyday life, though. Escaping was always one of his skills. He knew how to disappear completely without being found by anyone. Except... he knew it wasn't an actual escape. He wasn't really running away. He was simply... letting go.

Turning his back to the door, he took a deep breath and resisted the urge to glance at it one last time.

Another step done.

He wondered how quickly it would take her to notice he was gone. Well... this time he made sure she would notice him quickly... or rather the lack of him.

She didn't know the new wifi password, after all.

She didn't know the new alarm code.

She also had no idea how to change those.

He was never really vindictive... well, maybe a little. Or maybe a lot, but only in some, particular cases.

Perhaps he messed up with every single device they had in the apartment he could.

The one last farewell present for her, to simply remember him by.

Maybe old Jake was talking through him a little. The one he forgot about. That guy had a lot of issues, but he never let anyone treat him like she did.

Seeing her face would be priceless, as she tries to figure it all out.

He petted the neighbor's cheerful, friendly dog for the last time.

Then he adjusted his backpack, threw away his keys, and put on his hood before coming down the last step onto the pavement.

It hadn't been easy, but he finally did it.

And just like that, he was free. After being sidetracked for so long, he had finally regained his focus.

MC released a gush of air, then she nodded rather to herself before she turned her back to him.

In her mind she began to count.

One. She reached back over her shoulder. Two. She grabbed her hair. Three. She lifted her hair to offer him a view of her neck, finally showing him her newest tattoo. Her most beautiful tattoo.

She could not see his face, but she heard him sharply inhaling the air.

Then nothing happened at all.

She was waiting for an answer, for any further reaction that would relieve her tension, but nothing. A few moments later she threatened to explode with anxiety, therefore she let her hair fall back down and faced him again. She dried her sweaty palms on her pants. What if he doesn’t like it or worse, what if-

"You are crazy."

She looked into his wide open eyes and swallowed. Wanted to say something quickly, apologizing or explaining herself or similar, but she did not get the chance. With two big steps he stood right in front of her, grabbed her cheeks and let his lips collide greedily with hers. Jake immediately took over her completely, taking the lead without mercy.

Both breathed heavily as they drowned in each other’s scent and taste.

The hacker's hands glided over her cheeks, down her neck and over her shoulders until he finally touched the spot of the new tattoo. Goose bumps run down MC’s back, the tiny hairs on her arms straightened up.

Jake had to stop himself otherwise he would probably never let this kiss end again.

When also the rest of oxygen had escaped from their lungs, he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, only then did she open her eyes, meeting his icy blue.

"Is it real?" he gasped, pecking her lips again.

She chuckled, "Of course it’s real."

"I need to see it again, right. I-I have to see it" Begging he grabbed her hips to turn her around.

He stroked her shoulders and gently lifted her hair to get a proper look at the Nymos-Eye tattoo hidden under her hair. Only with hair tied up it would be visible to everyone.

"MC, babe, it’s - you’re - incredible." She felt his breath on her neck. "It is, it’s my sign, you’ve - you’ve got my sign, forever." He was caressing the lines of the eye with his fingertips, her skin tingled and her heart beated dangerously strong.

"I’m glad you like it." She couldn’t hide her relief.

"Liking? I love it, I adore it, I love it as much as I love you, indescribably much." His warm breath crawled over her skin, then he placed a kiss on the tattoo.

"I don’t know what to say, MC, it’s fantastic, the meaning, certainly, but also the outlining and the shades. I love the 3D effect and the style you chose."

Happiness but above all pride filled the young woman as she turned to face her boyfriend once again. She balanced on her tiptoes right in front of his face, "Thank you, thank you so much."

She placed her hands on his chest. "I want you to know I’ll always be by your side, just as you will be by my side forever now."

"I’d be damned if I’d ever be that stupid to let you go. If this ever happens, I’ll have 'idiot' tattooed on my forehead."

Laughing, she crossed her arms behind his neck and let herself sink against his body.

"Do not laugh," he grumbled, hiding his head in her neck bend, "I mean it."

"In that case, I don’t know if I should not dare to take the risk. It would be a spectacle I would really love to see."

Jake quickly reacted to her teasing, bent down, grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. MC had expected this and immediately wrapped her legs around his waist.

"How did I know you would say that?" he asked, making his way straight towards the bed.

"Because you know and love me."

He kissed her again. When his knees touched the bed he crawled in the middle of the mattress. She relaxed her grip and slumped into the soft sheets.

"I believe-" the black-haired one mumbled as he kissed down her cheek to her neck, "-I have to take another closer look at the tattoo."

His lips flew over her collarbone, his warm breath dancing over her chest.

"This could be relatively difficult if we continue as we are now, the position is not conducive."

Jake laughed roughly, stopping the worshipping of her skin and looking up, "Fortunately, I remember some positions where I have a wonderful view of your back and your neck."

.................................

The Hacker blinked a couple of times, wondering if the Police Chief was talking seriously or not. Alan's impassive face, however, left no doubts that he truly meant what he had just said.

„This... this is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard in my entire life! And if you knew what my life is like, you'd realize how idiotic the idea actually is!" Jake ended up laughing loudly.

And he kept laughing for a while, like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. To be perfectly honest... the idea really did sound quite ridiculous, especially considering who Jake was. But also, because of that... it was actually genius at the same time.

At least I hoped so.

I had my fingers crossed so fucking hard that I couldn't feel them anymore.

Bloomgate sighed lingeringly, his tired eyes looking at the Hacker as if he were a little boy who suddenly announced that he didn't want to go to school that day. Actually, it wasn't that far from the truth, considering what he was proposing to him.

"Do you want to be able to take part in the search?" the Policeman asked calmly, his arms crossed, "Do you want to know what's going on there, first hand?"

The Hacker was silent for a moment, considering his every option. He must have known how risky it was for him to show up for the search. He really wanted to be there. At the same time he didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Well, most importantly he didn't want to be recognized. Being among so many people was dangerous for him, so he had to blend in somehow.

"Yes, I do," Jake answered with just a little bit of contempt in his voice.

"Good. So, do you want people to be able to recognize you right away? Like people who are after you? Or other policemen?"

The Hacker pursed his lips, a really annoyed expression on his face, "No. Bu-"

"There you go, then," Bloomgate spread his hands, a slight smile of victory on his face, "You have a choice. Either you do that or, well... you go there at your own risk."

Jake fixed his eyes at the policeman, trying to win some kind of stare contest with him.

"If you think I'm going to go along with this, just like that, you must be crazier than Malinsky," Jake chuckled.

E...excuse me?

"I agree. The fact that Willow puts up with you is no mean feat. She must be quite crazy-"

Wait, what?!

You too, Brutus?!

"-- but that doesn't mean I'm wrong," the Police Chief continued, "I don't have to do this. I want to, for your own good. Have you forgotten that we have a common goal? You will blend in with the crowd. Nobody who knows you expects this. Who knows, maybe if you comb that messy hair of yours, you'll even look like a decent citizen... unlike now."

The Hacker narrowed his eyes, unsure if he should feel offended by Bloomgate's little comment or not, but for a short moment stayed perfectly silent.

The Police Chief sighed loudly, for a dramatic effect, "Fine, then see you at the search. Oh, there will be many more policemen from outside of Duskwood... and I have no idea if any of them will want to arrest you. Or hand you over to your persecutors. I mean, I won't tell them about you, but who knows about some other people that heard about you. Oh well..." Bloomgate shrugged.

"Wait one second, Alan..." I stopped the Police Chief and turned to Jake, "It's nothing that serious, you know... you're not going to work for him or anything like that. It's just a disguise!"

"Ju- Just a disguise?!" he scoffed loudly, "Do you have any idea who I am, Malinsky? I think it's about your uniform kink again..."

Bloomgate clicked his tongue and tilted his head, looking at us with curiosity.

"I don't have any fucking uniform kink, for fuck's sake, you sick son of a bitch!"

"So why do you want me to dress like a fucking policeman?! Wait! Shit, don't tell me..." Jake gasped in feigned shock, "Are y- are you... into roleplay and I'm just finding out about it now?!"

Resigned, I turned my head to the policeman, who somehow managed to remain impassive. Jaw clenched, I tugged Jake's arm and stepped away from Bloomgate so I could have a word with him in private.

"What. The. Fuck?!" I hissed, "Do you really want Bloomgate to lose what little respect he still has for us? Why are you always acting like a child near him?! I think I'm repeating myself here!"

"Malinsky, do you realize what he wants from me? I have to wear a uniform! I have to pretend to be a fucking policeman! Me! A government wanted ha-"

"Yes, a government wanted hacker!" I interrupted him, "Do you think anyone expects this? That's the point! You will blend in with the crowd and you will be able to control the situation, even if a bit! Actually, Alan is a little crazy to suggest it to you, but I think he likes you for some reason..."

"Yeah? You like me too, yeah?... Is that so weird? I'm very likable!"

"Okay, let's stop the jokes now, huh?" I tried very hard not to giggle, what made Jake flinch unhappily, "We have no other choice. Tomorrow morning you are a policeman from some nearby town. In a uniform and everything... it is about finding your sister, isn't it? And you could push people around... wait, I hope Bloomgate won't give you a gun..."

The Hacker rolled his eyes, "He better will! Fucking hell... I hate when you're right. I'm always supposed to be right, and you're supposed to be impressed by it. When this is over, can we agree that this will be our division of responsibilities?"

"Yeah... Of course, you idiot," I smiled, reaching for his hand, "You know I just love to praise you."

"I expect some kind of reward for this, alright? I can believe I'm going to agree to this..."

"Jake..." I grabbed his hand, suddenly scared somehow, "Everything will be fine. And when this is all over, I'll do whatever you want, okay? Is that an acceptable reward for you?"

"Like... anything?"

"Anything. Well... I reserve the right to veto if you want me to kill someone or something... Other than that, anything."

"Okay, alright... Bloomgate! We have a deal!" the Hacker cheerfully approached the Policeman again with his hands outstretched, "I'm ready for my gun and my badge!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and the policeman laughed softly, "You won't get any of that, I'm afraid. You think I'm gonna give a gun to a civilian? As emotionally unstable as you? Come on, Mal..." the Policeman shook his head, "You will pretend to be a police officer before being sworn in."

"What? You can't be serious..." Jake scoffed, "And what if the kidnapper wants to kidnap me? How am I supposed to defend myself?"

"First of all, we don't know if Barret isn't bamboozling us, right?" I almost laughed, because this word from Bloomgate's mouth sounded absolutely hilarious," Second of all, I've seen what you can do. If the perpetrator shows up on a search and any defense is needed, which I doubt, you can attack him like you did with Hawkins, he'll tell us everything right away... am I wrong?"

Ooh, pampering the Hacker's ego?

Sneaky and smart, Mr Bloomgate.

I'm impressed!

"So... I won't get any kind of weapon?"Jake just asked sadly.

Bloomgate studied the Hacker, frowning. Then, to my (and perhaps also his own) surprise, he said slowly, "I may consider giving you a nightstick."

"At least it's something..." the Hacker answered weirdly calmly, though the corners of his mouth twitched up slightly.

"Then it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow, kids..."

As Bloomgate got into his car, Jake gave me a truly goofy look, as if he was waiting for my reaction, but said nothing. In fact, he smiled like a little, very excited boy and pursed his lips.

"Okay, come on..." I sighed, "Say it. I'll allow it. I know you want to."

"Really? Okay!" he grinned dangerously, "I already have one nightstick and I love using it on you!"

I giggled, "Wow, that wasn't that ba-"

"Wait, wait, I have more. Suck my nightstick!"

Crap, that was a mistake...

I was too naive.

"Alright, you know, that's enough-"

"Want me to pull out my nightstick and have some fun with it?"

"Oh my god..." I yelped.

Jake's wide smile only made it worse, "This is exactly what you'll be screaming when I use my nightst-"

"NO!"

I jumped into the cat and locked myself inside.

That didn't stop Jake from making more jokes with his face smushed on the window.

.......................................................

The next day we got up very early. In fact, we didn't didn't sleep most of the night, lost in our own thoughts.

Besides, we had a lot to prepare before the search and I still had to let the gang know that Jake was going to impersonate a policeman.

Wow, it does sound ridiculous.

I was curious about their reaction, although I was pretty sure they all would burst out laughing (except maybe Thomas...).

The first stop for the day was Bloomgate's apartment, where he wanted to turn the Hacker into a proper policeman.

How did he want to do it? I had no idea. It was actually a near-impossible task, and I was actually glad I wouldn't be there. Although... watching Bloomgate try to get Jake into a police uniform must have looked truly hilarious.

Damn. I didn't think this through...

As soon as Jake disappeared through Alan's apartment door, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

Willow: I have some news, guys. But first I have to ask you: there's no way you're going to give up on this search, is there? For you to stay home, safe and sound?

Dan: Nope.

Cleo: I understand why you would want that, but unfortunately, it is not possible. I think you get why.

Willow: Yeah, that's what I thought.

Willow: Okay, then I have something to tell you and you have to keep it cool, alright? You can't tell anyone.

Willow: Dan? Thomas? I'm looking at you both.

Dan: Yeah, Will. I'm done with doing stupid things.

Cleo: Oh?

Thomas: I don't want to be negative again, but it depends on th

Willow: Thomas? Depends on...? Are your hands too shaky to type or something?

Dan: I took his phone. He won't talk nonsense to you anymore.

Jessy: I confirm, he did!

Willow: Dan, you are my hero now.

Lilly: So, Will? What is it? Do you have a plan or something?

Willow: Well... it's not exactly a plan. I still think that search is a stupid idea, but it seems we can't stop it. And I think Jake should be able to participate in it as well.

Cleo: Really? But isn't it dangerous for him? Someone can recognize him, right?

Willow: Well, that's why... he won't be himself? If you could say that...

Lilly: Oh, Will, btw. My dad will be on that search. He was asking about you both, I think he likes you... is Jake gonna be ok? You know, I'm not sure he wants to see my dad, but my dad definitely wants to see him.

Willow: Okay, I'll warn him. But you'll have to warn your dad too.

Lilly: Why?

Willow: Jake's gonna be dressed as a policeman. He will pretend to be a policeman.

For a long moment no one typed anything. I was worried that everyone actually died of shock! Well, that wouldn't be so surprising, considering the information I had just given them. All in all, I wouldn't have to worry about the culprit getting them...

Dan: Holy fuck!

Dan: I can't wait to see it...

Dan: I'll call him an 'officer' and all!

Dan: This is gonna be hilarious.

Dan: Best day ever!

Cleo: Dan...

Willow: He's right, you know...

Willow: The point is, act like he really is a policeman? Please?

Jessy: Of course, Will! We won't let you down.

Willow: What about Thomas?

Dan: He just nodded.

Dan: I'm gonna keep an eye on him, Wilson. Don't worry.

Cleo: Dan, I almost don't recognize you. I think this accident messed your head up.

Dan: Excuse me? I'm a gentleman and an honest person. I fight for what's right. I always did.

Lilly: Um...

Willow: Thank you, Dan :)

I couldn't help but smile to myself.

None of them were who I first thought they were. Even though I was in Duskwood, we didn't see each other very often. There was too much going on. And yet... it seemed to me that we really had known each other for a long time.

I really, really wanted it all to be over.

I waited almost an hour for the Hacker and the Policeman... I was already starting to worry that one killed the other.

When Jake left Bloomgate's apartment a few minutes later, my jaw dropped and I didn't even try to hide it.

H o l y f u c k .

Never in my wildest dreams would I have suspected that I would see the Hacker dressed like this. I've actually never seen him wearing anything other than a hoodie or a T-shirt.

Wait a minute... did he really comb his hair back?

And... shaved!

He looked so neat... And if I didn't know him, I'd think he was just an ordinary (and hot) police officer.

The Hacker had a very unhappy expression on his face. Other than that, he was wearing a navy blue shirt. Yes.. A shirt. A damn collared shirt! A dark police jacket, tactical trousers... the only thing he had on were his heavy boots, which, oddly enough, matched the rest of the outfit perfectly.

Jake and Bloomgate walked over to me, the Hacker awkwardly moved his head and tried to undo the button at his neck, at which Alan just clicked his tongue with disapproval.

"Fucking shit... It's an absolute nightmare!" Jake flinched and gave me a reproachful look, "How do you move in those fucking clothes? These are so uncomfortable ... no wonder the police can't act quickly or efficiently!"

"Quit complaining... it's only a shirt," the Policeman muttered.

"I've never felt more uncomfortable in my life... and I've been tied up a couple of times, you know!" this time Jake tried to pat down the unruly collar that seemed to be scratching his neck, "I even had a bag over my head and it felt better than that."

"Haven't you ever worn a shirt to work?" I asked, "I know you once had a job for at least... some time."

... although Jake working in some office was very hard to imagine.

"I did wear it! Um, kind of...Well, there was a dress code in that place..." the Hacker smirked, "I always had a shirt in my backpack... each morning I was showing it to the security guards at the entrance and that was enough for them... I even had a tie!"

"Let me guess... also in your backpack?" Bloomgate sighed.

"Yeah... where else?"

"Right..." I smiled, because it was so 'Jake', "IT guys and their privileges. Hey, wait... where's your nightstick?"

"Uh..." flustered, Jake glanced at the policeman, who only rolled his eyes in response, "I've made too many jokes about it... Apparently I'm 'too careless to own any kind of weapon'."

"Willow, after spending about an hour alone with this lunatic, I have gained a new respect for you," Alan said very officially, "Okay, enough of this chatter. Willow, Mal... especially you, Mal; stay close to me, okay? If you see anything disturbing, let me know right away."

I nodded.

The Hacker tried to nod, but then groaned, struggling with his shirt again.

Yeah.

This is going to end well...

The day was passing slowly. We didn't expect the search to yield any kind of real results... at least not in Hannah's case. It was about getting a good look at people. See who else might be involved in this strange case. If Barret really was telling the truth, then the culprit was still at large and everyone was in danger.

We didn't tell the Gang about it. I didn't tell them I was sure this search is pretty much pointless. They believed the search was just that - the search for their friend. But at least that way, they stayed together and left us alone... after making fun of the Hacker.

Everyone besides Lilly.

She stayed with us, keeping a close eye on me and Jake. Without bad intentions, of course! I guess she just felt safer with her older brother nearby...

A few hours passed during which Jake was 'keeping an eye on everything' at Hate of Hope. When I saw Jonathan approaching us from a distance, my heart skipped a beat. His expression was very worried.

He walked quickly over to Jake and gave me a quick look, motioning for me to come over. Jake tensed up suddenly, which actually made him look even more like a real police officer.

And that hair of his...

Damn, maybe I do have some uniform kink after all.

"Willow, Mal," he shook the Hacker's hand, "It's good to see you both. I guess there is no point in asking about... that?" he pointed to the Hacker's clothes.

"Well... let's just say I trust this one police chief for the time being. This will make it easier for us to spot something... potentially suspicious."

Jake's father looked even more tired than before. He must not have slept much since we last saw each other, which wasn't weird at all.

But that made him look like Jake even more.

"I see," John nodded.

He must have known Jake wasn't the real policeman... yet he wasn't going to ask for more.

I saw Jake's father for the second time in my life, but I already noticed he was very observant. He didn't ask about things that he knew he shouldn't. I had a feeling he already guessed who Jake was (a hacker involved in his daughter's disappearance, not his son), but he also knew there was no point in asking about it. After all, this criminal was helping him find his daughter. It was safer like this for both of them.

Jonathan frowned, still looking at us uncertainly.

"What's wrong?" I couldn't help but ask.

He smiled sheepishly, "Well... that's probably nothing, you see...I think I'm being paranoid here."

"I would never think you're suffering from paranoia... What's going on?" the Hacker frowned, shaved and kempt, he looked even more like his father.

"Well... do you know who Paul Rogers is, right?"

Jake nodded, "Yes, we do,"

"He was the one who insisted on this search, he was very keen on it... and now I can't find him. He doesn't pick up the phone. It was obvious to me I'd find him here today... do you think something might have... happened to him?"

Jake narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. I knew that expression of his. His head began to work at top speed.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?"

John scratched the back of his head, "Yesterday. Yesterday evening..."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but," -my heart started to beat much faster- "Maybe we should check it out, to be sure?"

"Maybe we should," Jake muttered quietly, thinking deeply.

The Hacker didn't care about Richy's father. Of that I was very much sure. His concern was something else entirely... that our culprit had once again managed to elude us.

I knew it, because it was the same for me as well.

"Malinsky, call Bloomgate. I think we should pay a little visit to Roger's Garage." the Hacker ordered.

Well, he was actually dressed like a policeman, so I didn't punch him in the arm for ordering me around...

"He's not picking up either..." I muttered after a short while, "I'll leave him a message..."

"I don't see him around... Do it, then. In the meantime, we'll go check it out."

Before we left, Lilly caught up with us. She looked at us reproachfully, then grabbed my hand, "Where are you all going? You're up to something!"

"No, Lilly. We're just-" I started, but John interrupted me.

"We are going to check on Paul. You are staying here. It's nothing serious, I just want to check if he's alright."

"Come on, dad!" Lilly clicked her tongue, "I'm going with you! I'm not letting you and my b- my friends alone!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Fuck to the no!"

Jake and John said at the same time, then they looked at each other.

The Hacker got flustered. I don't think he expected to have anything in common with his father, yet the longer they were near each other, the more they seemed like two peas in a pod to me. It seemed quite... charming actually. For the Hacker, however, it must have been hard.

Lilly looked at them with a smile, then frowned, "I'm not letting you go alone. Dad, if anything happens to you, I won't forgive myself for it!I'm going with you, period! You are not changing my mind."

She's just like Jake...

"You know what? I've had enough of this, I'm not in the mood for it today... I'm wearing a terribly uncomfortable shirt that's scratching my fucking neck!" Jake snapped at his little sister, pointing a finger at her as he tried to fix his shirt with his other hand, "Alright, you're coming with us! No funny business and you do everything I say. At least that way I can keep my eye on you. Understood?"

Before Jake realized he went a little too big brother-y on Lilly, it was too late. He looked at John with a hint of fear that he had yelled at his daughter. The man just smiled at both of them.

"You know how to deal with Lilly, I'm impressed."

The Hacker laughed through his nose, relieved a little. A slight blush appeared on his cheeks and I was sure I was the only one who noticed that.

Unsure of what would happen to us, we set off. Roger's Garage wasn't very close to Hate of Hope, but we decided to walk anyway. A little more than fifteen minutes later I saw the familiar garage door with the MWaF sign painted on it.

I shivered.

It was quiet. There was no one around. Everyone was participating in the search.

As should Paul.

"John?" Jake rolled up the sleeves of his police jacket and nodded toward Richy's house, "Knock on the door, would you? Paul knows you. I don't want to scare him, just in case."

Jake's father glanced uncertainly at his daughter, then walked slowly towards the door.

He knocked, pounding hard on the door with his fist closed.

We held our breaths, listening.

Nothing.

"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about all this?" Jake muttered to me, looking around, "Something doesn't seem right."

Before I could answer, we heard a loud crack coming from the locked garage. Jake stopped me with his hand when I wanted to come closer. He muttered to me and Lilly to stay away as he walked over to the building.

"Paul Rogers?" Jake said loudly, "There's Jonathan Donfort here with me. We just want to make sure everything's okay. Are you inside?"

After a longer while, the garage door slowly began to open. I held my breath, so did Lilly. The Hacker took two steps back.

We were all relieved when we saw who was actually inside.

It was Richy's father.

His very surprised expression turned into a slight smile as he saw Lilly and John in front of him.

"Donfort! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the search?" He shook Jonathan's hand, glancing at Jake, "Why did you take a policeman with you? What is it about?"

"Well... I couldn't reach you. I thought maybe something bad had happened..." John replied.

Paul chuckled, "As you can see, I'm alive and well!"

"Then why aren't you at the search?" the Hacker asked, eyeing him carefully, "Wasn't the whole thing your idea?"

"Well, not exactly mine, no. It was the Gate of Hope. I only helped. I just wanted something to be done."

"So?"

"So... what, officer?"

"So why aren't you at the search?" Jake wouldn't let go.

Richy's father looked at all of us in embarrassment, pressing his lips together, but didn't answer.

Not at first, anyway.

I took a few steps towards Jake. I had a strange feeling that I should stay close to him.

"Paul, is it about Sophie?"John asked quietly.

"Well... it's just... she wasn't feeling very well today, so I stayed with her."

I suddenly felt very silly. After all, we knew what problems Richy's family had. And we just decided to show up at their house, unannounced.

"I'm sorry to hear that, mist-"

"Mr. Rogers," the Hacker interrupted me, "If you really did stay home with your wife today, why are you packing your car?" Jake pointed to a pickup truck parked at the back of the garage.. In fact, there were various supplies next to it, some cans and even a sleeping bag.

"E-excuse me?" Paul slowly turned his head towards the car.

Before he could explain anything to us, we heard the door creak.

All five of us looked towards the noise. We actually came inside.

Then we saw her.

I saw a woman in light clothes, her hair just like Richy's. Her expression was gentle, but her eyes were lost and confused. She looked at all of us, then her eyes landed on Paul. Her smile lit up the room.

"Sophie, what are you doing here?!" Paul's eyes widened in fear, "You shouldn't be getting out of bed alone... remember?"

"That lovely voice woke me up again," The woman looked dreamily at her husband as he jumped to her in one, quick step, "She was singing again."

"What voice?" Jake asked sternly, staring at Richy's parents.

"There's no voice," Paul answered softly, almost in a whisper, taking his wife's arm,"No real one, at least. She keeps hearing some things, you see..."

Jake didn't give up, taking one small step towards them, "Mrs. Rogers, what voice was that? You said 'she'--"

"Reynolds' don't," Jonathan muttered, shaking his head at the Hacker.

"Can you stop?" Paul hissed at the fake policeman, "Please don't upset her, she doesn't take it well. He gets nervous when he can't answer questions..."

"I just want to know-"

Then Sophie turned to Jake and gave him a truly warm, welcoming smile, "Richy will be home from school soon. I'll make him his favorite dinner. Are you a friend of his?"

"I'm-"

Paul cupped his wife's face, "Sophie, honey? Let's go back to your bedroom, huh? It's nice and cozy there..."

Sophie nodded, staring into Paul's eyes.

Richy's father gave us an apologetic look (although I was pretty sure that for a moment he fixed an angry gaze on Hacker) and slowly walked his wife to her room.

"Well, what a disaster," John muttered to us as soon as they both disappeared from our sight, "We shouldn't have bothered them... They're safe. And I think we should go now."

"The fuck?" Jake winced, "Didn't you hear what she said?!"

John glanced at me, looking for help, then turned to the Hacker, his arms crossed over his chest, "I heard and know her well. Both of them. She says things like that all the time."

"I don't care a monkey's fuck! We should che-"

Okay.

Alright.

It was time for me to step into action.

The Hacker was getting out of control.

"Jake, Richy's mom is sick... what did you expect? Wait... you think it might have something to do with Hannah?"

"Mal, I like you, but this idea is probably the most ridiculous idea you could ever have," Jonathan sighed. For the first time I saw the disappointment in his eyes, "I've known Paul for a long time... his wife too. They're good people, you know?"

"Look!" Jake pointed at Paul's car angrily," He packs the car! Why would he do that when-"

"You don't really think that he could do something, do you?" Lilly asked frightened.

"Okay, I think we all should try to calm down, huh?" I grabbed the Hacker's hand, "Especially you?"

At that moment Paul came back to us. He smiled apologetically again, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry you had to see that... well, but now you know what kept me here today."

We were all a little embarrassed about what we did... everyone but Jake.

Suddenly we heard a noise coming from above our heads. We all looked up, a little confused. Richy's house was a single-story building, but it looked like it had an attic as well.

I heard the Hacker take a deep breath, his angry eyes suddenly shifting to Paul.

"What was that?"

Paul chuckled, shaking his head, "Officer, I think we've had enough of this interrogation. Thank you for checking to see if I'm okay. Now I kindly ask you to leave my house. I have to take care of my wife."

"Your wife?" Jake snapped, "Or that missing girl?"

"Mal!" I hissed at him again.

Even if he was right, it wasn't wise to immediately accuse Paul of the worst.

"What did you mean by that, officer?" Paul's expression changed in an instant, he was almost as angry as Jake. Suddenly he didn't look like that friendly mechanic from the website I knew.

The Hacker didn't get to answer, because Lilly interrupted him. She hurried over to Richy's father, staring at him with her bluest of eyes, "So what was that noise, Mr. Rogers?"

Paul chuckled incredulously again, "That would be our cat, Lilly! It's not illegal to have a cat, right, officer? Now leave, before I'll call your supervisor."

"Call whoever you want, Paul. I'm accountable to none," the Hacker's voice was frightful as he said those words, slowly taking a step towards Paul.

"But, Mr. Rogers..." Lilly spoke again glancing at her father, "Richy keeps complaining that you're... allergic to cats."

I looked at John as well. And god knows, I'd never seen someone go from scared and tired to angry so quickly.

Angry was an understatement.

I saw the fury in his eyes. He looked just like Jake back then. He clenched his fists and teeth, his gray eyes seemed to glow with pure fury as he realized what could really be going on.

"Is she here, you motherfucker?" he said quietly, his voice trembled, "Was she here all along, you fucking scum?! I trusted you!"

Shit.

Time seemed to slow down. In fact, I thought he stopped for a moment.

Then it all blew up.

Paul grabbed his pocketknife and opened it so quickly I barely even registered it. Lilly was standing closest to him, so he pulled her arm and a second later, he pinned her arms behind her back with one hand, his other hand holding the blade to her neck.

"Lilly!" I yelled. She tried to somehow get away from Paul, but he only pressed the knife tighter to her neck.

"Nobody. Moves," he said very slowly and quietly, his eyes wide as he looked from me to the Hacker and John, "I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't set me up. Now, you're going to let me get in the car and drive away, and Lilly will be fine. Are we all clear?"

Lilly jerked again, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at Jake in desperation.

The Hacker slowly took a step towards them, but Paul just clicked his tongue, "Didn't you hear what I said? NOBODY MOVES!"

This time he yelled so loud it made my ears ring. John was breathing heavily and I could only imagine what was going on in his head. Another of his daughters was in mortal danger and it seemed he couldn't do anything about it.

"You won't get away with this..." Jake's father hissed through gritted teeth, "Do you think I'm gonna just let you go like that?!"

"I knew that idiot should have given me a gun!" Jake mumbled to me quickly, though he didn't take his eyes off his sister.

I was starting to panic. We all started to panic.

It didn't look good.

It was an absolute disaster.

For fuck's sake and all of that, it was slowly getting out of our fucking hands!

I glanced to the side. There was a wheel wrench on the table next to me. It wasn't the best weapon, but it suddenly occurred to me that it was better than nothing.

If only he hadn't kept Lilly with him.

"Everybody put your hands up where I can see them," Paul said as he slowly backed up to his car, "No funny business. Lilly's life is in your hands."

I saw how Jake analyzed the situation as he gave me a quick glance, putting his hands up. I nodded toward the tire wrench. He frowned, but suddenly a tiny spark appeared in his eyes. That spark filled me with hope. I knew that spark.

He had a plan.

"Sophie!" the Hacker yelled very loudly, "Sophie! Mrs Rogers! Richy is back from school! He misses you! We're in the garage!"

"Sh-shut the fuck up!" Paul snarled, "What the hell are you doing?!"

John realized Jake's idea almost instantly, "Sophie, dear! We need you in the garage!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!"

Richy's father looked absolutely terrifying. His eyes were fixed on both men, outraged and very alarmed.

My heart was pounding like completely fucking crazy.

This was my moment.

Three.

Two.

One.

I managed to take advantage of this sudden commotion. I reached for the tire wrench and quickly hid it behind my back.

The Hacker saw it.

"Sophie!" John yelled once again. Much, much louder this time, "Soph-!"

Paul couldn't take it anymore. With a loud, desperate growl, he pushed Lilly hard away from him, she crashed into a metal workbench, hitting her head on the metal tabletop.

Richy's father lunged at John with his large pocket knife.

Jake snatched the tire wrench from my hands and shoved me back, telling me to stay away.

As if I'd let him pounce on a madman alone!

But before we could do anything, Paul and John started jostling and we had no way to even react. They were moving too fast.

My heart stopped again.

"No!" Jake screamed, the blade of Paul's knife plunged into John's stomach in one smooth motion as they both fell to the ground, "You son of a bitch!"

I couldn't stop the Hacker. In fact, I didn't even want to stop him. Jake lunged at Paul, knocking him off John, throwing him on the ground. He jumped over him, the tire wrench held up with both hands, and a second later his face would be completely butchered by that piece of metal.

I wouldn't even feel sorry for him.

One second.

One second later he would have been dead. His head smashed into little pieces.

"FREEZE!" I heard a familiar voice, "Reynolds, don't! Don't move!"

Bloomgate ran inside through the garage door, gun in hand. Behind him, I saw several other policemen, ready to take action.

Jake froze, staring at Paul with his piercing blue eyes. I saw that he was still hesitating. I saw that he wanted to do it. He wanted revenge on the man who had made his life hell for the last few weeks.

He wanted to kill him.

One of the policemen ran over to John, who groaned as he tried to get up. The other was already with Lilly.

"You piece of fucking shit, you fucking asshole! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now?!" Jake's eyes were furious. I'd seen him like this a few times before and knew someone had to stop him.

"Reynolds!" Bloomgate yelled, stood right in front of the hacker but did not dare to approach him, "Reynolds, don't do this... let me handle him. Everybody's safe now!"

"Alan, Hannah..." I mumbled, slowly realizing what had happened here, "I think she's upstairs. In the attic..."

Bloomgate gestured for the third officer to check what I had told him.

"Jake... "I moved closer to the Hacker, "Jake, I know you're furious, but please don't do this... please."

Alan nodded as I moved my hand to Jake's upraised, trembling arms.

I glanced quickly at Paul lying on the ground. He was in complete shock, he didn't dare to say a word.

It was over for him, one way or another.

I grabbed the wrench with one hand and grabbed Hacker's hand with the other, as gently as I could. Only then did he look at me as if he had been awoken from a dream, as if he had no idea I was there.

"Malinsky, I-" he muttered, looking deeply into my eyes as his expression softened, his hands lowered down as he let me take the wrench from him.

"Paul Rogers," Blomgate took Jake's place as I helped him up. He turned Richy's father onto his stomach and handcuffed him, "You are under arrest for kidnapping Hannah Donfort and holding her against her will. You have the right to remain silent."

"Chief!" one of the policemen shouted through the garage door as Alan lifted Paul off the ground, "Chief, we've got her! We've got the girl, she's alright!"

Jake and I both looked at him. He and the other policeman were helping a brown-haired girl leave the house.

I knew her only from photos, although I was sure I would never forget her face. She raised her head slowly and looked at us absently. Her eyes lingered on the Hacker. She seemed to think about something for a moment, then gave him a slight, bright smile.

I felt like I was in some crazy dream, but it looked like... like Hannah was finally safe.

Our job was done.

Unfortunately there was no time for anything else. The ambulance arrived in record time. The three Donforts were immediately helped. Lilly had a big bump on her head, but other than that she was alright. I will never forget the relief on Jake's face when it turned out that Jonathan's wound was only superficial and he would be fine in no time.

Before the paramedics packed him into the ambulance, he must have thanked us like a hundred times.

It was a very, very strange feeling, but less than 20 minutes later we were sitting by the police car trying to recover from what had happened. There was a lot going on around us, but we were simply sitting next to each other without saying anything, just looking at each other and holding hands.

I guess... I guess we were both overwhelmed by the fact that... that we were free. We didn't know all the answers yet, but we were simply free.

...for a short, short moment.

So when my phone rang in my pocket, I reluctantly reached for it. I was sure it was someone from the Gang, but Liam's name popped up on the screen.

"Liam! Oh my god! You won't belie-"

"Willow, is Jake with you?" the Bookseller sounded much more serious than ever, "He's not picking up his phone."

"He's here... are you okay?" my heart skipped a beat.

"Okay, I'll tell you because you don't have much time. They are there. They know Jake is in Duskwood. He must get out of there immediately. I'm not panicking this time, I'm very serious, Willow. Get Jake the hell out of there!"

"W-what?" my heart dropped, "Wait... How did they know that?!"

Jake lifted his head and looked at me. He knew. He knew what it was about. His expression became serious, but this time I saw no fear in his eyes.

He was already ready to run.

"I have a few theories, but there's no time for that. Figure something out real quick, alright?"

Without any further hesitation, I hung up. I heard enough.

Jake was still looking at me and I knew what he was thinking. The thought terrified me more than anything else.

"Fuck that, Jake. I'm coming with you. You're not getting rid of me. Not like this!" I spoke so fast I barely understood myself. Still, my voice cracked in the end.

The hacker embraced me quickly, pressing my head to his chest.

"Hush... please, don't talk so loud. I don't want anyone to hear what we're talking about. Be calm. Do not arouse any suspicion, please."

The Hacker's voice was calm. Quiet. His grip was firm, but I realized his hands started to shake slightly.

Nobody was paying any attention to us. The ambulance took Jonathan and his two daughters to the hospital. Everyone who was there was talking among themselves about what had happened.

And we just stood there. In the middle of it all.

Jake's face was illuminated from time to time by the light from the police car's beacon.

Red and blue.

Blue and red.

All I wanted was to somehow stop time.

It was a surreal feeling.

When the goal has been achieved. Hannah was saved. The culprit was found. Nobody even died! But at that moment for us... for me, the world was simply ending.

"You can't come with me. If they catch me, it's over. I have... I have a better chance alone. "

"No, Jake, I can't-"

"I am going to go back for you, okay?" he moved his face closer to mine, his voice calm but I could see he was barely controlling his emotions, "I love you like a fucking madman, you know that, right? Malinsky, I will come back. I am coming back. Please, believe me. You have to believe me, Willow. I will always come back to you."

"You will?"

"I will," he chuckled, as if we were talking about ordering a takeout, not about breaking apart for... hell knows how long, "Besides, someone has to stay here and clean up this mess..."

"Jake..."

"Hey, hey, listen..." Jake leaned in closer, his hands warm, his breathing calm... but his eyes always betrayed what he really felt. And now his blue eyes were lost... and sad, "Everything will be fine. Shit, Willow. You know I won't let them hurt you."

"Hurt me? Fuck that! They're after you! How am I supposed to let you go when I know they can get you at any moment?"

"Alright... Now listen to me, because this is how you can actually help me. And I fucking hate ask you to do this, i hate putting you in this position, but it's the only way for you and me, okay? When I'm gone, they'll focus on you, because if they're here, I think they already know about you. You know little about my past, but pretend you know even less, alright? They have nothing on you. They'll only interrogate you and try to scare you, but that's it. But that will give me enough time, okay? This will give me time to get away. To hide. Disappear again. Your life is going to be... very uncomfortable for a while. They're gonna be watching you..."

I nodded eagerly, "I'm going to confuse them so much they will think you're a bunny living on a freaking moon. No one will catch my Hacker."

Jake chuckled again, his eyes glistened, "That's my girl... That's my fucking gorgeous, dazzling, smart girl. Fuck, Willow... How am I going to survive even one day without you? Is it even possible?"

I tried not to fall apart. Not to cry. I tried to be strong for him and not make it difficult for us to say that damn goodbye. But well, when he said that, tears started to fall from my eyes.

"What's the longest time we've been apart since we've known each other?"

"I'm not sure..." the Hacker answered, shooting a quick glance to the surroundings, "H-half a day, I think."

"So we'll live half a day at a time. At least we know that we can survive so much without each other. Damn, it sounds so cheesy, doesn't it..."

"Half a day at a time," Jake repeated as he pressed his forehead against mine.

Then he kissed me with his hands in my hair, clinging to me so close there was no free space between us.

There was everything in that kiss. All the words we didn't say. All of our doubts. Fear that something would go wrong and we would never see each other again. Regret that the universe decided to separate us like this. Happiness we had found each other.

I was somehow grateful that we had at least these last few minutes. Because Jake could just disappear like that. Without a word, without a goodbye, without me knowing anything.

"Take my shitty car. I don't care. Take it and drive."

"He can't take your car," we both jumped, Jake squeezed my hand as Bloomgate suddenly appeared at our side, "I assume you already know? You need to get out of here, Reynolds."

"B-but how..." I mumbled.

Jake shot the policeman a surprised look, he frowned deeply, "Why are you telling me this? You've found the girl... why do you care what's gonna happen to me?"

Bloomgate sighed, fed up with Jake's constant suspicions, "You can believe me or not. You have helped many people today, so I want to help you. Besides... I didn't like these pursuers of yours."

"So what's your plan?" I asked without letting go of Jake's hand.

"They're going to search every car that comes in and out of Duskwood, so there's no way you can go out in a civilian car. Luckily you still look like a policeman. You'll come with me, we'll take my car. I'm the chief of police, so why would I help some criminal, right? After that... you'll do whatever you want."

Both men stared at each other intensely. Jake didn't seem to be able to bring himself to trust Alan completely.

And me? A tiny spark in me was telling me that with enough luck it might all still end well...

"Go, Jake..." I said quietly, even though I couldn't believe I was actually saying those words, "If he's lying, then believe me, I'll get so much revenge on him, that the whole world will know about it. You heard that, Bloomgate?"

"You two are an odd couple... but I'll take care of your criminal, you don't have to worry, Willow. I really wouldn't want to mess with any of you...," Alan smiled.

Somehow I believed him.

Jake squeezed my hand and almost broke my fingers. Then he kissed me again, making the Police Chief look away.

When he let go of my hand, my heart broke into a million little pieces. The Policeman and the Hacker disappeared from my sight. I stood there alone for a long, long time until all the policemen, all the cars and other people disappeared as well.

I stood alone in front of Roger's Garage and only then did I feel the evening chill that slowly froze my bones.

But I somehow didn't care.

It got so quiet.

I was alone.

One thing was for sure I didn't hear those two words wrong.

One moment, I was trying to shoot targets in a basement with Kaden, and the next moment, we were running towards the hospital wing. Lex was a crying mess at this point, only able to stutter out random words like 'Sorry, fault, me and dying.'

Kaden, on the other hand, had gone completely mad, yelling out questions towards Lex, who wasn't able to answer him at all.

"How the fuck did this happen!? You guys go on one mission without me and this is what happens!?" Kaden yelled while he kept running with me and Lex behind him.

My whole body started to feel numb the moment I realized Lex's words were real, and Jake had indeed been shot on their mission. It was a mission just for revenge, a stupid and useless mission as I saw it.

While Kaden taught me how to handle a gun, he had explained to me where Jake and the others were and why they had left without Kaden. Turned out that they all had been dying to put some other gang in their place. While Jake had been in prison, the guys from the other gang had tried to steal stuff from within Jake's gang, and to make a long story short, Jake and the others had wanted revenge on them.

Besides that, Jake had been dying for some action again, or as Kaden liked to state it 'He needed to relieve some stress.' Kaden had been the one who was left behind to keep an eye on me and teach me how to handle a gun, something he wasn't very fond of doing as Kaden kept mentioning the whole time we were together.

Kaden had mentioned multiple times that he should have been with Jake instead of teaching me how to shoot something I would never be able to master anyway. Sure, I didn't understand the basic gang rules, but what I did understand was that this whole revenge plan had sounded useless and stupid.

"For fucks sake sake, Lex answer me?!" Kaden yelled again, but again without any response from Lex.

All three of us kept running through the long silent halls, our footsteps, and heavy breathing. The only sounds to be heard. I saw how Kaden turned the corner towards the hospital wing, a loud fuck sounding from him followed by the quickening of his footsteps.

Panic started to rise in my body, and with great speed, I also turned the corner, only to come to a halt immediately at the sight before me. I completely stopped breathing. My whole body became stiff, blood drained from my face, and my mind became empty.

There he was, Jake. The guy who I had grown to care about, the guy who I had feelings for I didn't understand at all. The guy who saved me from the prison, the guy who I had been so scared of, but I had grown to like so much.

Jake hung between Sam and Dan, his arms on their shoulders and his body completely lifeless. Small puddles of blood lay on different places on the hallway floor, and while Dan and Sam dragged him inside the hospital wing, Jessy kept screaming things at them.

Things I didn't understand at all, not because I didn't know the words but because my brain couldn't process them anymore. The whole scene before me felt like one big blurry nightmare. It didn't feel real. It couldn't be real. Jake couldn't leave me like this, right? He wouldn't do that to me.

I saw how Kaden ran up to the two struggling guys who kept Jake up and started to help them drag Jake inside the doors of the hospital wing. Lex, who had been behind me all this time, had finally been able to close in on the now frozen me.

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the hall towards the surgery room. I still wasn't able to process anything clearly and just stumbled behind a still crying Lex. I couldn't lose Jake. He was all that I had left. More panic took over my body, and tears slowly started to form in my eyes. Lex threw the doors to the surgery room open, and immediately, all eyes were on us.

"Mc! I need your help right now!" Jessy screamed from behind the surgery table, her eyes locking with mine.

I slowly looked over at her, my eyes instantly falling on Jake. He had been placed on top of the surgery table, his clothes soaked in blood, and his face drained from all color. He looked more dead than alive at this point.

Jake's whole body was limp, and the only thing that confirmed that he was indeed still alive were the heavy breaths that left his body in an unsteady pattern.

"Mc, now!" Jessy screamed again, and before I could fully process what Jessy had been screaming at me, Kaden had already grabbed me by my arm while he literally shoved me towards Jessy.

"Prove yourself crying baby for fucks sake! This is not a moment for blacking out!" Kaden yelled while panic and worry both laced his voice.

My eyes fell once again on Jake on the table, my eyes getting even more blurry with tears. A stinging pain soared through my whole chest while soft sobs started to make its way out of my mouth.

I heard how Jessy screamed some orders at the others surrounding her, and not even a second later, I felt two hands on my shoulders who turned me around, making me come face to face with Jessy.

"Breathe." She ordered in a soft tone, the panic still visible in her eyes but not in her voice. "Come on, Mc, you need to calm down for me. I need your help, okay?" Jessy continued while she kept making eye contact with me.

"We need to help Jake. Can you please calm down for me and for him?"

I slowly took a deep breath, blinking rapidly with my eyes to shake the blurry feeling off of me.

"That's it. Keep breathing. We need your help right now, okay? Jake and I need you." I took another deep breath, and I slowly became fully aware of what was surrounding me.

"You okay?" She asked softly, and I lifted my eyes up to meet hers.

I slowly gave Jessy a soft nod, and within a second, the whole situation made a complete 180. Jessy's calm state was gone, and with a rough tug on my arm, both of us were back next to Jake.

"I need you to do a little more than just the basics, just do as I tell you, and you're gonna be alright!" Jessy blurted out, giving me a pair of operation gloves while putting on a pair herself.

I didn't know when, but somewhere in the meantime, Jake had been stripped of his upper body clothes. The wound had already been located by the others, while Sam kept putting pressure on it with some towels. I looked at the situation once more, and as if a switch in my head turned over, my whole body and mind turned into full nursing modus.

Before I knew it, I was sterilising the wound, followed by me assisting Jessy to remove the bullet from Jake's shoulder. Jessy blurted out order after order, and I followed them all flawlessly.

"I need you to put immediate pressure on the wound once I remove the bullet, okay?" Jessy ordered, and I gave her a short nod.

With some difficulty, Jessy was able to remove the bullet from Jake's shoulder, and I immediately started to put pressure on the wound.

"Kaden switch places with Mc! Mc, I need you to sterilise the wound again so I can stitch it up." Jessy ordered again, and we all did instantly what we were told.

Kaden took the towels from my hands, I sterilised the wound again, and Jessy stitched it up a moment later, followed by another order at me.

"Mc? Can you bandage him up for me? I need to check his vitals again."

I instantly got back to work again, and minutes later, Jake was all bandaged up while Jessy still checked his vitals, expectant and panicked eyes from all of us in the room.

"His breathing is a little unsteady, and his blood pressure is a little low, but I think he's gonna make it. The wound was pretty clear. He's been lucky." Jessy sighed, followed by all the others.

I looked back at Jake, and all my emotions I had been able to keep inside of me hit me all at once. Tears started to stream down my face, and deep sobs left my mouth. My knees began to feel weak, and I slowly fell down on them. Heavy breaths left my body, and a dizzy feeling took over my brain.

"Dan, please get Mc a glass of water." I heard Jessy's voice say, and I saw how she walked over to me.

"You've done great. It's okay now. There's nothing to be worried about anymore. Jake's gonna make it. We know how he is. He's not letting go that easy."

Jessy calmed me while she helped me to get rid of my gloves and dirty clothes, giving me the glass of water Dan had provided a few minutes later to steady my breathing and calm me somewhat down.

She slowly guided me to a chair and made me sit on it, grabbing a blanket from one of the beds and wrapping me up in it. I saw how Kaden, Sam, and Dan moved Jake in a more comfortable bed in the meantime, and just when I thought that everything would be alright.

The hell broke loose again. Kaden started to scream at the others out of nowhere, and within a minute, the whole room erupted in yells from basically everybody except from me and a still crying Lex.

"How did this happen?!" Kaden yelled at the other two, his face red with anger and his hands balled into fists.

"Can't you do anything without me?! Do you have any idea how bad this is!?"

Both Dan and Sam looked down, glaring a little at Lex.

"Of course we do."

Kaden looked from one to another, his eyes squinted into splits and his mouth a firm line.

"He's gonna kill us! How the fuck do we explain this to my fucking dad, you fucking idiots!?" Kaden yelled again his voice taking on a more sarcastic tone.

"Hey dad, your younger son is out of prison, but he's been shot already, and we don't know if he will make it... does that sound right to you two fuckers?!"

Sam and Dan both looked up at the pissed Kaden once again.

"We..." Dan started, but before he could finish his sentence, Lex stepped in front of them, tears still flowing down her face. With a look full of regret, Lex looked at her boyfriend.

"I-I it was my fault, I-I let my guard down... The bullet was a-aimed for me... J-Jake jumped in front of me to save me..."

All eyes turned towards Lex, and before anyone could react, Lex blurted out a 'I'm sorry' and sprinted out of the room with heavy sobs coming from her mouth. Silence fell over the room, everybody looking at each other before Dan finally broke the silence.

"We need to talk, Mc go and search for Lex."

I looked up at Dan, my eyes big, not understanding why I was the one being told to look for the short girl.

"Oh fuck no! Lex's my girlfriend, if anyone is-" Kaden started but got cut off by Dan instantly.

"You're not! We need to talk right now! Mc, go and get her!" Dan yelled, now completely done with the whole situation and being accused of something he didn't do. Jessy slowly walked over towards Dan, grabbing him by his arm and calming him down.

"Calm down, you're scaring Mc. Let me talk to her, okay?" Dan took a deep breath and gave her a soft nod. Jessy slowly walked over towards me, kneeling down before me with a small smile on her face.

"Mc? Can you search Lex for me? She needs someone right now, and since everybody here is pretty pissed off, it's best if you go look for her. Can you do that for us?"

I shortly looked at her.

"B-but Jake...?"

"I will look after him, I promise you that when you come back with Lex, you can stay with Jake as long as you want, okay?" Jessy promised me.

I looked around the room once again, deciding that it was indeed better if I left for a short moment, there was no way I would wanna be part of whatever was gonna be happen between the others.

With a soft sigh I gave Jessy a soft nod, walking out of the room on my search for Lex while leaving the guy, who I cared for even more after everything that had just happened, behind.

I walked through the long hallways, not knowing where to go or where to look for the smaller girl. I didn't know Lex that well, but I knew she did something with computers, so that's exactly what I've been looking for. The only problem with that was that I had no idea where the computers were or where she was for that matter.

It had been ten minutes since I had left Jake and the others, and I found myself to be completely lost inside the building. I didn't know why I chose to wander off to the left side of the building, the side I hadn't been to yet, but somehow my gut told me Lex would be there.

Well, I couldn't find Lex at all, and now I also didn't know where I was. Instead of only one problem, I now had two, and I wasn't pleased with that at all. I didn't know how I could get back to the others, and I also didn't know where to look for Lex.

With a deep sigh, I turned another corner, hoping to see something that could tell me where she was. That wasn't the case, though. More white and empty walls lay before me. Panic slowly started to rise in my body. What if I never found my way back? What if they had to go look for me too? What if I ended up dying in these walls. My breath fastened, and I started to run through the hallways, hoping to find a way out of this maze of white empty hallways.

A sob started to make its way up in my throat until my eyes fell on something on my right. Huge cables lay on the floor in another hallway on my right. Cables with all sorts of coloured lights on them, cables in different colours and two thick grey ones...

I walked over to the hallway, following the cables through the building. I didn't know much about this high-tech technology stuff, but even I could understand that this wasn't leading to a normal television or computer. I slowly walked through the long hallways, hoping to find Lex at the end of the cables. My search suddenly had become a whole lot easier, and I slowly started to calm down while still walking alongside the thick and coloured cables.

I turned two more corners, ending up in a hallway with just one door. A door with a huge hole in the bottom to let the cables through. My eyes flickered over the door, slowly making my way over to it and not knowing if I should knock or not. I couldn't enter such a room right away, right?

With slight hesitation, I lifted up my arm, knocking softly on the door. Silence fell over the hallway, not a sound coming from inside the room. My eyes roamed through the hallway and over the door once again before I knocked a second time.

"Lex? Are you in there?"

Again, it became completely silent inside the hallway. I walked a little closer to the door, putting my ear against it to hear if there was any sound inside. At first, I could only hear the buzzing and little beeps coming from what I guessed were the computers inside, but after a few seconds, I believed I heard a soft sob coming from behind the door.

"Lex?" I tried again, but again, there was no reaction. I pressed my ear yet again against the door, trying to make out another sound that could be Lex, and after a few seconds, I was met with another sob coming from behind the door.

"Lex, it's Mc."

I took a small step backward, considering if I should just try to open the door since Lex was clearly not opening it for me. Deciding that opening it myself was my best option for now, I reached over to the door handle. I placed my fingers on top of it, pushing softly on it and hoping that Lex hadn't locked the door.

A huge sigh of relief left my body the moment the door easily opened before me. With a soft push, I pushed the door away from me, getting a clear view of the room behind it. My eyes immediately widened at the sight before me, and the whole room was packed with computers and everything that belonged to them. Lights flickered everywhere, and cables filled the whole floor.

In the corner of the room stood one small desk with a chair before it. A chair that was currently occupied by a crying Lex. A soft sigh left my mouth, happy that I had found the smaller girl.

"Lex..." I whispered softly. The girl slowly looked up at me, a deep sob leaving her mouth and big tears streaming down her face. Without thinking, I walked over to the small girl, wrapping my arms around her while pushing Lex's head against my chest.

"Shh, it's okay."

Lex's hands immediately grabbed my shirt while she pushed her head even harder against my chest.

"It's okay, Lex. I'm here." I tried again, hoping to calm her somewhat down. Deep sobs left Lex's mouth while her tears started to soak my shirt.

"I-It's all m-my fault."

I lifted one of my hands, bringing it towards Lex's head. I softly began to stroke her through her hair, knowing it was a way to calm most people down.

"It's not, Jake took that bullet for you. He didn't have to, but he still did it. It's not your fault, Lex."

"No! Y-you don't understand..." Lex sobbed again, clearly stressed out by the whole situation.

My eyes wandered over to Lex in my arms, not knowing how to calm her down. With a soft sigh, I decided to keep quiet for a moment, hoping that my presence only was enough to calm Lex down.

Much to my delight, it did prove to be enough. Almost twenty minutes later, Lex had somewhat calmed down. She had removed herself from my hug, thanking me for the support while wiping the last of her tears from her face. I had given Lex a small nod while placing myself on the desk before her.

"It is my fault, you know." Lex whispered without looking at me. I immediately reached my hand out for Lex.

"It's-" But before I could finish my sentence, Lex had me cut off already.

"It is, Mc. Jake might have taken that bullet willingly, but it's still my fault that he got shot..." Lex's lip started to quiver again, and tears started to flood her eyes.

"Kaden is right, you know... Mister Dalton is going to be so mad w-when he finds out." Lex softly sobbed while trying to wipe the tears away with the back of her hand. I placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down again.

"Why would Jake be mad at you?"

Lex looked back up at me, a questioning look in her eyes. Why would Lex suddenly start calling Jake, mister? On the other hand, I had no idea what was going on inside the gang. Lex softly shook her head, sniffling a lit before she spoke again.

"Not Jake, mister Dalton is Jake's and Kaden's father. That man made this gang. He built it up from the ground, and he's probably the coldest person you're ever going to meet. That is, if you ever get the chance to meet him."

I gave her a questioning look, still not getting on fully. A soft sigh left Lex's mouth.

"Their dad is not a nice person, Mc. He's heartless, willing to kill everyone who fucks shit up or is useless. Jake runs this gang when mister Dalton is away, but mister Dalton is the actual boss here."

I removed my hand slowly from Lex's shoulder. Jake had never told me much about his dad, and I had never felt the urge to question him about the man either. Lex stood up from her chair, pacing around in the room while still wiping away the last of her tears, her breathing now somewhat normal.

"Before you ask, no, their mother is not involved. She's not even alive anymore, to be honest. Rumor said that Mister Dalton drove her to such madness that she killed herself a few years back. Kaden or Jake doesn't really speak about it, so I don't know the full story, I only know that she's not in this world anymore."

I fell completely silent at that statement, Jake had never spoken much to me about his parents and to hear that one of them was scary as hell and the other was dead wasn't a pleasant thing to hear. My own parents weren't on good terms with me right now, but compared to Jake's parents, my problems were nothing.

Sure, I didn't speak to my parents right now, but they were still alive. I still had the chance to set things right with them, and Jake, on the other hand, didn't. With another sigh, Lex walked over to the door, opening it and motioning me to follow her.

"Let's go back. They must be worried."

Ten minutes later, both of us arrived back at the hospital ward. Kaden immediately walked over to Lex, apologizing for his outburst while Lex kept mumbling that it was okay to him. They exchanged a few hugs and kisses while Sam fake gagged behind them, clearly not fond of the cute scene that was taking place between the two of them.

A soft mumbling from behind startled all of us a few seconds later, Jake tossed a little in his bed while he mumbled something inaudible. Not even two seconds later, everyone stood around Jake's bed, six pairs of worried eyes looking at him. Jake slowly started to open his eyes, squinting them a little to adjust to the bright lighting above him.

By now, Lex and Kaden had completely abandoned their cute scene, their complete focus on Jake. Jessy became so happy that Jake was able to open his eyes that she almost tackled him in a bear hug. Hadn't it been for Dan holding her back.

Sam stood a little back, observing the scene from a little away with a small smile on his face.

I slowly walked over to Jake's bed, my eyes focused on his face and tears pooling in my own. He didn't leave me. He stayed.

"How are you feeling?" Dan softly asked, grabbing Jake's attention. A small smirk formed on Jake's mouth.

"Like I've jumped of a building."