Chapter One Hundred Six

Eli

Dani has an awful night. The nightmares are bad, but instead of talking to me, she pulls away and locks everything up in her mind yet again. I know I shouldn't be, but I feel disappointed by this. It seems like whenever we make steps forward, we end up going backwards again. It gets frustrating, but I can't voice or show my frustration or it'll upset her. Maybe she's just processing or something and maybe she'll talk to me about it another time.

She has a session with Sam tonight, but I'm not going to be there. I'll be at the prison seeing these scumbags. I have to figure out how to tell Dani I can't go with her and I have to find a way to get her there. I know she won't go on her own and I don't feel confident in doing that. We don't know if these people are still watching her or if they're waiting to make another move. There is so much we don't know and I'm not willing to put her safety at risk. I suppose we could reschedule if necessary, but Dani has been doing so well and I don't want to do anything to upset that.

Dani is slow and lethargic on the way up the stairs to our floor at the precinct. She's lost in her mind and she jumps when I whisper, "Baby?"

She places a hand over her heart and I can hear her counting softly. While I'm pleased she's found a way to help her calm down, I still don't like the fact she has to do that. These moments are less frequent, but they're still there. The panic moments may never go away, I can't blame her if they don't. Her past is far more traumatic than anyone will ever know, even I will never fully know what she's been through. So, while I hope she learns to not panic or freak out, I will understand if she still has those moments.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You ok? You're very quiet."

"Sorry, just thinking."

"You're doing it again. You're locking me out. Please don't do that, not now."

She smiles softly at me and whispers, "I'm just trying to get my mind around everything. I'm not shutting you out, I promise."

"Good. Your session with Sam is at 7, right?"

"Yes sir."

"I have to work late tonight. Ash and I have to chase something up for the Cap. I have to figure out how we're going to get you there, is all."

"Oh. I can reschedule. I'm sure she won't mind."

"I don't want you to do that. Would you be ok with my pops taking you? If he's not working, I mean."

She doesn't answer, so I take that as a no. I don't think she wants people to know she's seeing a therapist. She's never said it, but I think she feels weak for going to see Sam. No one would think badly of her for it. Heck, they'd be pleased she's able to talk about it with someone.

"Ok, not to worry. I'll sort something out..."

I hear footsteps, and I turn to see Arrow following us up the stairs. Dani jumps and moves closer to me, but she doesn't look particularly scared of him. I think he took her by surprise.

"Hey LT, Dani."

"Hey Arrow. What are you doing here?"

"Came to speak to your Captain. He asked to see me. You didn't know?"

"No, I haven't seen him yet."

"How's it going, Dani?"

"Good, thank you. You, sir?"

"Yeah, not bad, thanks."

"Arrow?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Thank you."

Both Arrow and I look confused and we share a look before he asks, "For what?"

"For watching out for us last night. You didn't have to take the time to do that, but you did. So, thank you. It helped to know you and Eli had my back. I know you guys weren't there the first time, but it helped to know you were both there last night."

I see the guilt flash in his eyes. No one else would probably notice it, but I've known him a long time and we've been through some serious stuff together. I shake my head slightly, giving him a silent message so Dani doesn't notice. He gets the message and he smiles at her before saying, "You're welcome girlie. Ramirez? You working late tonight? Ash said he was working after hours."

"Yeah, we're checking something out for the Cap. Why?"

"Just wondering if you want me to see Dani gets home safely."

I hear the breath catch in Dani's throat but I don't know if that's fear or shock that he'd offer. She backs up slightly, but she misjudges the space between us and her back hits my chest. She shoots forward again and I can see her trembling. It seems her senses are on overload after last night and she's not quite able to process everything.

I speak in Russian, quickly trying to reassure her. She takes some deep, steadying breaths and I reach for her hand to comfort her. At first she hesitates, but then she accepts my hand and relaxes slightly at the gesture. She does eye the two of us carefully, like she's trying to figure something out. I can see the wheels turning through her eyes, but she doesn't ask about it. Either she's wary of asking in front of Arrow, or she's trying to figure it out on her own. For her sake, I hope she doesn't find out where Ash and I are going tonight. She'll be worried about us and what the backlash will be from our visit.

I can see Arrow watching us closely from the corner of my eye, but I have to ignore him for a minute and deal with Dani first. I continue to speak to her in Russian, so he can't understand us.

"Baby? Are you ok with Arrow taking you to see Sam? He doesn't have to go in with you or anything. But, I do trust him with your life and I know he won't let anything happen to you. I know he won't hurt you and he would die protecting you. If you don't want him to take you, then we can reschedule. What do you think?"

She tosses it up for a few minutes and then whispers, "Ok, but I'm not sitting in the front seat."

I smile, only Dani would think of something like that.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. He'll take care of you, I swear."

"I know."

I shoot her a grin and then turn to Arrow, "Dani has an appointment at 7. Would you mind taking her and then dropping her back at my folk's house?"

"Of course not. Just let me know where we're going and I'll make sure she gets there safely."

"Thanks man. I'll fill you in later. We better go see the Cap."

As soon as Arrow steps onto our floor, Ash spots him and throws himself on Arrow's back. He always does the same thing; the guy is a little south of sane.

I find the Cap to get filled in on what the day is set out like and then Arrow corners me in the rec room.

"She doesn't know I was there that day?"

"No, and it's going to stay that way. I don't want to put a strain on whatever friendship you guys are building. For some reason she likes you and trusts you to some degree. I don't know what you said or did when you met her, but she believes you're a good guy. I don't need to ask what you said, that's between the two of you, but thank you for putting her mind at ease. Please don't give her a reason to doubt the trust she has put in you."

"I won't. Anything I need to know about taking her home?"

"She won't sit in the front with you. Don't be offended at that. Just keep your distance a bit. She doesn't like people being too close, physically, I mean. She has an appointment with her therapist tonight. You don't need to go in with her, just sit in the waiting room. She'll be about an hour and then she'll be ready to go home. There shouldn't be anyone else in the building. We're always the last appointment. Don't worry too much if she's quiet after; she's usually like that. I really appreciate you doing this, man."

"No problem. That's what I'm here for. You need anything, just call me. I hope you get what you need tonight."

"So do I."

"Will someone be home when I drop Dani or should I wait for someone to get back?"

"My mom will be there. My pops might be working. I don't know what shift he's on today."

"I'll make sure someone is there before I leave. Call me when you get home, yeah?"

"Will do. Thanks Arrow."

I watch him swing passed Dani's desk on his way out and she shoots him a small smile before saying goodbye. I know I told him I don't need to know what he said to her, but I am curious. She's different with him than the rest of the team. She's good with Ash, but more wary of the rest of my team, so I do wonder what Arrow did to make her like him. I know he'd never do anything untoward and I know Dani would never allow him to do something like that, not without showing some kind of fear of him. I guess will just have to stay curious or wait for one of them to tell me.

The day drags so slowly. We're called out to a hostage situation and to help on a few raids, but that doesn't help to move the hands on the clock any quicker. Ash and I are supposed to leave at 6, but I don't want to leave until Arrow has picked Dani up. I don't want her to see us leave the building and wonder where we are going. I know that will alert her to the fact that something is going on.

Arrow arrives at 6 on the dot, got to love the armed forces for instilling prompt time keeping. I'm with Dani, at her desk and I say, "You'll be ok, right?"

"Yes sir. I'll be fine. Just be careful, ok?"

"Always, sweetheart, always."

I catch her smile at my words and I send one right back at her. I kiss the top of her head and whisper, "I'll call when I'm on my way back. You want to speak to my mom about putting the house on the market?"

"Yes sir. Did you ask her about Beth coming for dinner this Sunday?"

"I did. She's cool with it. We should probably go and visit Beth to invite her, huh?"

"Yes sir. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me. You need to get going. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yes sir."

I kiss the top of her head one last time before she heads toward the stair well. I overhear her ask Arrow to go through the door first but the closing door stops me from hearing anything further.

I turn to Ash, "We'll wait a few minutes before leaving. I don't want her to see us go."

He nods, "She'll be fine, you know that, right? Arrow will take care of her."

"I know. Just... never mind. It's fine. She'll be fine."

I'm not sure if he knows about Dani's visits to Sam, so I don't want to tell him I'm worried about how the session will go without me there. I'm worried she'll get herself into a panic and I won't be there to help get her out of it. Although she hasn't panicked to that extent recently, I have been there just in case. Obviously, this time I'm not even going to be close, so if the worst does happen, I'm not going to be any help at all. I don't like not being able to fix things or make everything run smoothly. Sometimes that's a great trait to have; other times, it's a major flaw because I can't always make everything right.

10 minutes later, Ash and I are on our way to Rikers. We've been to prisons before. We know the routine, so it doesn't shock us when we have to go through security and searches to get into the cell blocks. What I don't like, is having to hand over my guns. I can fight hand to hand, that's not the issue. I don't like leaving my firearms out of my sight. I've seen people killed with stolen guns. I've seen cops that have been killed by their own guns, or taken off guard when their firearms aren't with them. I don't like being put in that position to be honest.

It is what it is right now, and I have to focus on the task at hand. This is going to get us one step closer to finding this Misha guy. We're going to take him down and Dani will be able to live knowing he's gone forever.

The warden greets us, shaking mine and then Ash's hands.

"Captain Greggson speaks very highly of you two. My men will do whatever we can to help. Clint told me this is a major case for him and you guys, so he wants us to help any way we can."

I don't think I knew Captain Greggson's first name was Clint. It's strange the things you wonder at times like this. Of all the things I should be thinking about right now, that certainly isn't one of them.

"Did he clear our methods with you?"

"He said you need clearance to do whatever you need to, to get a result. He did tell me it would be within reason though. I can't have inmates dying on my watch."

Ash scoffs so I shoot him a stern look before saying, "No one will be dying. I just want to know your men won't be barging in to stop us if they hear some screams."

"No, not unless it's your screams."

Not even my look can stop Ash from muttering, "Definitely not going to be happening."

I warn, "Scott..."

We're visitors here and we need to respect the warden and the fact that he's giving us a free ticket to do whatever we have to do. I'm thankful he sees the seriousness of the situation and that he is thinking about the bigger picture.

The warden chuckles, "I like your enthusiasm, son. If you can keep that after so many years in service and you still want to see justice served, then you're my kind of guys. We've got three interview rooms set up along this corridor, just like you asked. They won't be able to hear your conversations, but they will be able to hear screams and shouts, as you wanted."

"Thank you."

There was a reason I requested this. I want the others to hear the pain being inflicted, if that's necessary. I want them to fear me more than the mob. I want them to know I mean business and I'm not leaving this building without the information I came looking for.

"My guards will be right outside the rooms. A few guys have worked overtime to be involved in this. They hate the fact that these men have to be guarded separately for their safety from the rest of the inmates. I hope you get what you need from them."

"I'm not leaving without it. A lot is riding on this information."

He nods and shows us to the interviewing rooms, before leaving us to it.

I steel my features even further and roll my shoulders, shooting a look at Ash. "You ready for this?"

"I've been waiting a long time for this moment, Ramirez. Let's get this guy and his whole sordid ring of filth."

I nod and push the door open, after the guard unlocks it. The guard that's in the room with Goraya nods at Ash and myself.

I nod back and say, "Thanks for watching him. We'll take it from here."

"Yes sir."

He's gone without another word and Goraya eyes Ash and I carefully.

His Russian accent is thick when he asks, "What am I doing here? What do you want?"

"You've got something we want, and we're not leaving without it."

"I have nothing. I'm a prisoner. How can I have something to give you?"

"Oh, it's not something physical. You've got information that we want."

"I know nothing."

I click my tongue, "Well, that's a lie right there. Did I mention we're trained in interrogation? We know when you're lying."

"You haven't even told me who you are. Aren't you supposed to give me your names or something?"

Ash chuckles, "Rules are out of the window here, man."

"I have nothing to say to you. I want my lawyer."

Ash looks at me and laughs, "I don't think he understands English, LT. He obviously didn't understand the meaning of no rules..."

Goraya lets out a rant in Russian. I keep my features cold and listen to what he has to say. Basically he's telling us he's going to find out who we are and he's going to make us pay for treating him this way. When he's finished his little verbal explosion, I smirk and speak in Russian. "Well, that wasn't your smartest move, was it? Threatening two officers? You could add time on to your sentence for that."

He doesn't know that Ash doesn't understand Russian, and I'm not going to enlighten him. I want him to think we're both witnesses to his threats. I steal a glance at Ash and see that his expression is cold and he's masked his confusion on the matter. Good man.

"I'm not helping you police scum."

He's returned to English now, probably knowing the Russian isn't going to help him out here.

Ash shakes his head, "He was hoping you'd say that."

"What? Why?"

"So now I can use a little persuasion on my part. See, you can throw around loads of threats that will never amount to anything, but I can actually do something to make your life even worse in here. You're stuck in solitary. They tell me it's for your own safety; that people in general population will kill you if they can get to you. Personally, I think it's just so you can have an easy ticket in here. I mean, you're not getting the full experience of prison if you're sitting in solitary. I think I'll have you put in gen pop. You think that's a good idea, Fuse?"

The old Marine call sign rolls easily off my tongue. We mostly use them when we don't want people knowing anything about us. There's a funny story behind Ash's call sign, but I'll save that for another day.

Ash smirks, "That sounds like a great idea, LT. He shouldn't be denied the full experience of prison life..."

Goraya can't contain his horror as he bursts out, "They'll kill me!"

He seems to get his emotions under control after his initial outburst. "You won't put me in gen pop. You're not allowed to do that..."

I'm sure my look is fierce as I hiss, "You have no idea what I can and will do to you. You don't have to make this complicated. Just tell us what we want to know and then everything can go back to the way it was."

He smirks, "How about you give me something in return? If this information is so valuable to you, then I must be able to get something in return..."

Ash growls, "You get to keep all your body parts in full working order..."

"We won't be negotiating with you. You either give us what we want, or we make life very difficult for you. It's that simple, really."

He scoffs, but says nothing, so I continue, "We already know you're in with the Bratva. You've already pled guilty to the charges brought against you, which is why you're in here. We know you were working with Artur Babkin. I'm also assuming you know that he's dead. Killed by your own brothers I should imagine..."

"You're not making me want to talk, threatening me with what someone else might do to me..."

"I only have to get word round that you talked to us and then release you into gen pop. I'm sure someone will find out about it. The rest is for you to deal with."

His lips form into a tight line. He must know I'm not messing around here.

He's not talking anymore, so I carry on. "All we want to know is where the brothel is in Brighton Beach. That's all you need to tell us..."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"See, I know you're lying. You want to play it like that, it's fine with me. I get to show you what pain feels like..."

I raise my hand, like I'm going to hit him and when he tenses up and flinches, I ram my finger into one of the pressure points on his shoulder. He can't help the involuntary squeal of pain that's released from his mouth. Trust me, it really is excruciatingly painful. Even the toughest men will howl in pain.

"Oh, don't scream for me yet. I've only just started. I've got a lot more to do to you yet. Don't end it so quickly..."

I shove my finger into the pressure point on his other shoulder before he can recover from the first and he screams again. When he regains some form of composure, his body is shaking as he grinds out, "You're crazy, man."

"Nope, not crazy. I just want what I want. I will get it, no matter how long this takes. You're going to give me the information."

"Are you crazy?! Do you even know what they'll do to me?!"

"No worse than us, I assure you. I swear, I will put you back into gen pop and award you for your help. Everyone will know you gave us information."

"I haven't told you anything!"

"They don't know that."

He's not giving it up, so between Ash and myself, we give Goraya a taste of his own medicine. His hands are chained and cuffed to the table, so he can't do anything in return. I almost want him to fight back, just so I can actually take the guy out. After about 30 minutes, he's a quivering mess and we haven't actually landed a blow on the guy. There will be no lasting marks on his body and we haven't even raised a hand to him. Pressure points are a fantastic tool.

He's drooling, shaking and a complete mess. Ash and I aren't even breaking a sweat.

I pat Ash on the back and say, "Let's give him some time to think about it. Maybe he'll be ready for round two in a few minutes."

We leave the room and move on to the next one, where we find Avilov sitting in the same position, hands cuffed to the table. Except his expression is very different. He is wide eyed and looking scared.

I breathes out, "What is going on? Who are you?"

Ash replies, "Your worst nightmare. That's probably what your brother in the other room would tell you."

"I want my lawyer."

"Lawyers don't work in this room. I'll tell you how it's going to go. You tell us what we want to know, or it's going to be you screaming like the other guy."

I'm deadly serious with my words. I want this information and I'm starting to get impatient. I get that they're scared of the mob, but I want them to fear us more. We're the ones that can make their lives miserable in this place, if they even make it out of here alive.

Avilov's interrogation goes pretty much the same way. I want to get through all three of them to show them I mean business. I also want the same location from all three, so I know they're not playing us.

Zhabin is bigger and tougher then the other two, which is why we left him til last. He got to hear two sets of screams, so even he looks a bit frightened.

He answers everything with 'No comment', which really irks me. Not saying I wouldn't do the same if I was captured, but that's beside the point. I know I wouldn't do something like they have.

I let Ash take the first shot at this guy. Even he can't resist the pure pain of what we inflict on him. By the time we finish, he too, is a quivering mess with sweat pouring off his face. That's when we go back to Goraya.

As soon as we step into the room, he whispers, "No more. Please."

"That's entirely up to you. You can make this stop any time. Just give me what I want and you can go back to solitary like nothing ever happened."

"Like nothing happened? You are out of your mind! If they find out I told you anything, they'll kill me!"

"What choice have you got? Right now, you need to be more worried about what I'm going to do to you. Once you're in solitary, no one can get you."

"That's what you think. They have people everywhere..."

"Not when they get taken down, they won't. We're your best shot right now."

He stays silent, so I turn to Ash, "He's ready for another round. You want to do the honors this time?"

"Sure."

Ash hits a pressure point in the top of Goraya's leg. He howls in pain and he definitely won't be walking out of here now.

"Alright, alright! Just stop! Stop! I'll tell you..."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Where's the brothel?"

He takes in labored breaths, trying to get through the pain Ash just put him through. Eventually he grinds out, "There's a hotel not too far from the pier. It's a cream building, with big statues on the top. The first 4 floors are used as a hotel, but the top floors are sealed off to the public. That's what you're looking for. I want to go back to my cell."

I bang on the door to let the guard know we're finished.

"He's done. Take him back to solitary."

Avilov is up next, he sings like a canary, giving me the location just at the threat of more pain. He's only a little guy, so I'm sure he felt everything worse than the others.

Zhabin isn't giving in. I take a chance and bang on the door. Once the guard appears, I say, "Take him to gen pop. He's going to get a full taste of prison life. Make sure you thank him for his help as you release him in the yard."

Zhabin yells, "What? No! They'll kill me!"

"Not my problem. You had a choice and you took the wrong one."

"What kind of cops are you?! You're supposed to serve and protect!"

"Who said we were cops? I think you're delusional. Take him away, guard. Maybe if he changes his mind, someone will give us a call."

We wait for all three men to be taken away before we get ready to leave. The warden finds us just as we're walking out of the corridor.

"Did you get what you needed?"

I nod, "Yes sir. Thank you for your cooperation. We are in your debt for that."

"No problem. I'm glad I could help. I did hear you released Zhabin into gen pop. You do know the Bratva have men in there, right?"

"Yep."

"And you know they'll either kill him or seriously hurt him, right?"

"Yep."

"And you're not bothered by that?"

"I gave him a choice. To be honest, I don't think he'll stay there that long. He'll see everyone eyeing him up as fresh meat and then he'll be begging the guard to call me back. I bet you'll get the call on the radio before we can even hand in our visitor passes. He doesn't want to die for these people. He's just playing the tough man. He thinks he's big and he'll be able to fend for himself, except he doesn't know what it's really like out in the yard."

"I hope you're right, Ramirez. I don't want a death in my prison, especially not after you guys have visited. That will look very bad."

"Just trust me, Warden."

He shows Ash and I out, and we're just collecting our guns when his radio crackles to life.

We hear one of the guards say, "Warden, we've got an inmate that wants to talk to the visitors. Have they left yet?"

I say, "Tell him we've left and you'll see if you can get us back."

He eyes me suspiciously but complies with my request. Then I explain, "If he thinks we've gone, he'll be even more scared and likely to talk as soon as he gets in the room."

The warden tells the guard to bring Zhabin back into the interview room and he'll call us to turn around.

I nod and thank the warden before releasing my guns again. I really don't like not having them on me.

When we walk back into the room where Zhabin is, he mumbles, "I can't believe you're making me do this."

"We don't have to be here, Zhabin. We can turn right around and leave you in the yard. You're the one who called us back."

"I can't believe you did that! They would have killed me!"

I notice the cut above his eye and the bruises that have started to form on his face. I know we didn't do that, so someone already got to him in the yard. He's also got cuts on his knuckles, suggesting he got a few hits in himself. He must have realized he wouldn't be able to fend everyone off by himself.

He takes a deep breath and asks, "You'll put me back into solitary? If I tell you what you want to know?"

"You have my word."

And he talks. Giving us a location for the brothel, but also a brief plan of the building. That helps me to think of a tactical invasion, but I don't tell him that. I tell the guard to take him back to solitary and we leave. Neither Ash or myself say anything until we're in my car. I let out a huge sigh before I start the engine.

Ash whispers, "That was... awesome."

I chuckle at him and I can't help but let the excitement bubble up inside of me. We've got a location! We've got a location for this Misha guy and we can actually raid somewhere! We can make arrests, we can save some girls. We can help Dani to make this right for herself.

I shoot him a smile and say, "Thanks man, I really appreciate your help. More than you can ever know."

"Don't even mention it. You'd do the same for me. That's what brothers do. Now, the question is; who do we call first? Arrow, the Cap or Greggson?"

We both smile before simultaneously saying, "Arrow."

If anyone has invested as much as us in this investigation, it's definitely Arrow. He's given up so much to watch these guys before they were arrested and then trying to find out what he can. He even spent days and nights watching Dani's apartment for leads.

Arrow picks up on the first ring.

"Dude, I guess you were waiting for my call..."

He chuckles, "You could say that."

"How's Dani?"

"She's still in there. It's running over the time. You might be back before us."

"Doubt it. We need to see the Cap first."

"So?"

"We got it. We'll start planning for a tactical invasion ASAP."

"Yes! Awesome! Just awesome. You need to give me details when I see you."

"Of course. Tell Dani I'll be home as soon as I can. She's ok, yeah?"

"She was quiet, but she's been fine. Stop worrying so much, you pansy..."

Ash chuckles, "You wouldn't be calling him a pansy if you'd have seen him in there. The dude was on a serious mission, man."

Arrow full out laughs, "I need details soon. I'll come in and see you tomorrow."

We say our goodbyes and we head to the precinct. The Cap told us he'd wait until we returned so we'll tell him all about it when we get there. Ash just lets him know we're on our way back, so he knows to expect us.

When we step into the Cap's office, Greggson is there as well. They shoot us questioning looks and the Cap asks, "Well?"

"We got it. Same location from all three, so it has to be right. They've had no contact since being in there, so they couldn't have planned it or predicted we'd question them."

Both Captain's let out huge sighs and I say, "Don't get too comfortable though. We've still got to raid the place and get this guy. I won't be happy until he's behind bars."

Greggson looks shocked, "You're planning on going on the raid?"

"I'm leading it. I'm not trusting anyone else with this mission."

"Aren't you a bit close to the situation? Maybe you should take a back seat."

"Not going to happen. I've got us this far, haven't I? I could have done a serious number on those guys tonight, but I didn't leave a mark on them. Haven't I proven to you that I can push everything aside and get this done? I want justice. I want us to get these people and I will do what I need to to make that happen. No disrespect, Captain Greggson, but you should know that by now."

"And you're ok with this, Rob?"

"Ok with it? I wouldn't want anyone else to lead the team. He'll get it done, trust me. When do you want to set this up, Ramirez?"

"I need to do some recon first. I want Arrow in on it as well. Non negotiable. He'll run recon for us and outside support. I know he can't be in on the raid, but he can be civilian help on the outside."

The Cap nods, so I continue, "I will run my recon mission and then I'll get back to you. I want complete silence on this mission. We can't risk anyone hearing about it. We don't know where their men stretch to, so we need to keep everything quiet. I will use my men and your best team. We need to go in heavy. If what Zhabin says is true, then they'll have armed men scattered around the place. There will be girls in there, so we need to minimize innocent casualties. Ash and I will find the blueprints tomorrow and go from there."

The Captain's nod and thank us for our good work before Ash and I leave. I drop Ash home and then head to my parents house. Soon, Dani and I will actually be able to go home. The house should complete in a week or so and we'll be able to move in. I should get my butt into gear and get her place cleared out so we can put it on the market. I don't know if we have to declare that she was attacked there. I know if someone dies in a property then you have to disclose it before selling. I suppose that's something my ma will know.

Arrow and Dani are just pulling into the driveway when I park up. Dani smiles at me as she gets out of the car and I make my way over to her.

I pull her close and whisper, "Hey. How you doing?"

"Ok. You?"

"Much better now I'm with you. How was it?"

"Hard."

"Talk about it later?"

She nods and turns to Arrow. "Thank you, Arrow."

"You're very welcome. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Dani surprises me by asking, "Did you want to stay for dinner?"

His eyebrows shoot up in shock and I'm sure mine do too. I love that she's more comfortable with my friends.

"You sure you don't mind?"

"No sir. It's the least we can do to thank you. You think your mom will mind, Eli?"

"Not at all. She hasn't seen him in forever."

My mom greets Arrow like a long lost son, while Dani and I watch the exchange. I've got my arm around Dani's shoulders as I hold her close. I can feel tension in her body, but I decide not to press the matter. She will talk to me when she's ready.

Conversation flows quite freely as we eat and even Dani joins in a little. These two have shared something different in their exchange and I am thankful she has accepted him the way she has. Life is pretty strange sometimes, but for now it's also pretty good. I think we deserve something good for once, and maybe justice is just the thing we need.

A/N: So, the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. I hope it didn't disappoint. I didn't want to give a blow by blow account; it didn't seem in keeping with the story. I hope I didn't make Eli and Ash completely out of character or too soft on these guys. I know they'd probably want to kill them.