The address Red gave us was in a rundown neighborhood near the docks. The house is a sprawling Victorian mansion on a private drive. The mansion was probably stunning in its day, a pillar of the community, but it’s seen better days. It’s obviously been years since someone actually lived in the house. The white paint is peeling, and a few windows are cracked and broken. There is faded graffiti on the second story, and the yard is an overgrown jungle of weeds and tall grass.

Leo turns off the headlights and pulls up the drive, stopping a few yards away. We get out and walk the rest of the way, hoping to maintain some element of surprise. There is a beat up white sedan parked behind the house and light coming from a window. Someone is here. I just hope this is where Rose is being held.

“Let’s go in the side door,” Leo pointed. “Once inside, we should split up to cover more room. I’ll search the upstairs. You check the main floor.”

I nod. “If I find that bastard first, I’m putting a bullet in him.”

“We need to find Rose first. After that.” Leo shrugs and checks his gun. “The asshole deserves whatever he gets.”

Of course, the side door is swollen shut with disuse. I have to use more force than I wanted. Once free, the door crashes open with a loud bang.

“He probably heard that. We should hurry.”

Leo runs ahead to the stairs and takes them two at time. I head for the front of the house. The air is stale and thick with dust. A quick scan of the front rooms turns up nothing. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here for a very long time. As I go from one room to the next, I start to panic. What if we were wrong? What if she’s not here?

A muffled scream from somewhere in the back stops me in my tracks. I strain to listen and hear a faint male voice. I can’t make out the words, but they sound angry.

“Leo,” I call, thinking he’s found something.

“Nothing yet,” he calls back from a different part of the house.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I run to the rear of the house. “Rose. If you can hear me, scream. I’m coming for you.”

The only room in the back is the kitchen. I look around, listening intently for any sounds. The room is eerily silent. I’m positive the sound I heard was coming from here. I pull open the door to my right door and find an empty pantry. Another door on the left holds a narrow set of stairs leading up. The last door in the kitchen leads down.

There’s a light at the bottom of the stairs. I bound down the stairs and freeze at the sight before me. There’s blood everywhere. An overweight middle aged man is lying lifeless on the floor. Long, dark hair peeks out from beneath his body, and my heart stops. It’s Rose.

“Leo!” I yell up the stairs and go to her.

She can’t be dead. I refuse to let things end this way. I grab the guy’s shirt with both hands and haul him off of her. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive and I really don’t give a fuck right now. I need to get to Rose.

She’s covered in blood and not moving. Her skin is a deathly white.

“Leo get the fuck down here! Now!”

I fall to my knees and cradle her face in my hands. She’s so pale, and the blood it’s everywhere; covering her body, splattered across her face and running down her neck. I search her mostly naked body, looking for wounds. I find a few superficial cuts, but nothing to explain all the blood. Looking over at the guy I pulled of her, I assume most of it is her attacker’s. Thank, God.

“Rose, baby. Wake up.” I can’t tell if she’s breathing, and my panic swells. “I need you to be okay. I love you, damn it. Do you hear me? You were right. I was afraid to admit it. Now come back to me.” I check for a pulse. Her skin is cold and clammy, and my hand shakes as I try to find the right spot. There’s a steady thump-thump of her heart beating under my fingertips, and I nearly collapse with relief.

Leo comes trampling down the stairs, and his reaction is pretty much the same as mine.

“Is she…” He chokes on the works.

I shake my head. “She’s still alive,” I look back to her naked body and flinch. That psychopath has had her for hours. “But she’s not waking up. I don’t know what he did to her. Call an ambulance.” I pull off my jacket and lay it over her still form. I want to pull her into my arms, but I’m afraid to move her. Please, let her be okay.

“We’re in the cellar,” Leo says from behind me. “No, I don’t know what happened, damn it. She’s unresponsive, and there’s a lot of blood. Yes, she’s breathing. The other guy is dead. Just get someone here fast.”

Leo ends the call and falls to his knees. Her arm is still tied, and I try to untie her, but the knot has been pulled tight, and I can’t get it loose.

“Here. Let me.” Leo picks up a knife that’s on the ground and cuts the rope.

Rose’s body crumples limply onto the ground with a groan. It’s the first sign of life she’s given us.

“Come on, Bambi,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “Open those pretty eyes for me and let me know you’re okay.”

“I told you,” she says with a cough, “don’t call me Bambi.”

I suck in a breath. It’s the first deep breath I’ve been able to take for hours. “You’re going to be okay. We’ve got you.”

Her eyes flutter, trying to focus up. “How—” Her voice cracks, and she coughs again. “How. Did. You. Find me?” Each word seems to be a struggle.

Leo leans down and kisses her. “Don’t talk, sweetheart. An ambulance is on its way.”

Her eyes drift closed again, and I can’t help but think about what she must have been through. I glance to Leo. His lips are pulled tight as he strokes her hair.  I know he’s thinking the same thing I am.

What seems like hours tick by until the ambulance arrives. The paramedics have to pry Leo and me away from Rose as they take her upstairs on a stretcher. It feels like just yesterday we did the same thing after the car accident. We stand out back and watch as they load her up and drive away. The police have a million questions, but they can go fuck themselves. I have to get to the hospital.

“You say this guy made threats before,” the officer says, “Has he ever tried to hurt Ms. Morningstar before?”

“No,” Leo answers. “He’s never even mentioned her in the letters.”

“We’re going to want to see those letters,” the man says.

I glance over to the car parked behind the house and notice the front end damage. My gut clenches when I realize that it was the car that hit us.

“I shouldn’t have let her leave,” I say more to myself than to anyone else. “This is my fault.”

Leo puts a hand on my shoulder and turns to the cop. “I understand you’re just doing your job, but we need to be at the hospital with Rose.” He hands the man a card. “My lawyer has all the details and if you have any more questions, run them through him.”

Leo pulls the car around, and we head to the hospital. The image of Rose naked and covered in blood is forever burned in my memory. I can’t stop thinking about what she must have gone through.

“Do you think he hurt her?” I ask aloud, my voice coming out hollow.

“She’s alive,” Leo says. “That’s all that matters. We can deal with anything else later. But you need to pull your shit together before we get to the hospital. We need to be strong for her.”

Leo is right. I wasn’t there for her before, but I’m determined to be there now. No matter what happens next.