The Depth Between Us

Part 6: It's All Over

"Hey, champ." Jay said.

Kiera didn't answer for a few seconds, then she turned over and sat up in the bed. Jay gently pulled her into a hug because it was also traumatic for him as a police detective to see someone he loves caught in the middle of a crime. They hold each other for a good few minutes, then they pulled away to face each other. Jay puts a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Kiera said.

"Me neither. You really had me worried back there." Jay said.

"Why do you think they did this to me?" Kiera asked.

"I guess it was retaliation from apprehending those two traffickers from the undercover job we did." Jay theorized.

He took his phone out and tapped on the voice recording app. He was going to ask her questions and secretly record the answers. He sat his phone face down on the bed.

"So, what happened?" Jay asked.

"I just got off the bus after babysitting Nathan when I was walking by a donut shop that's a block away from the apartment complex. I heard a whimper coming from the alley and I found a puppy. The next thing I know, I was grabbed from behind and put in a van. After driving for about fifteen minutes, they arrived at that farmhouse." Kiera explained.

"What did they do once they brought you there?" Jay asked.

"They filmed a video of them hitting me and saying derogatory things to me. After that, they made me change clothes and they placed me in a dog cage with three other girls. The next day, the guys pulled us out of the cage room one-by-one and they didn't come back until fifteen minutes later. I overheard one of them say: "gotta love brokenness hour." I knew that it was a matter of time before my innocence was taken away." Kiera said, then wiped away some tears.

Jay noticed and handed her a tissue. She accepted it and wiped her face.

"Umm, were you able to get a look at any of the guys' faces?" Jay asked.

"No. They wore masks and they never took them off. But, that one guy had his mask off when he was upstairs with me." Kiera explained.

"Can you recall what happened right before we got to the farmhouse?" Jay asked.

"That guy you shot? He wore a tag with the letter "W" on it. He came into the cage room and pulled me out, then he covered my face with a rag to make me pass out. I heard him say: "saved the best for last." I woke up to find myself restrained to the bed in that room on the third floor. W jabbed a needle into my leg, then sat next to me with the knife to my neck. That's when you came in, just in time." Kiera explained.

"Kiera, I hate to ask this. Did any of those guys assault you?" Jay asked.

"They tried a few times, but I fought them off. There was no way in hell I was going down without a fight." Kiera said.

"Looks like I taught you well." he said with a smirk.

Jay pulls out her Priceless necklace from his pocket and placed it around Kiera's neck. She stared down at the two charms and smiled. That symbol was what got her through the ordeal.

"Please promise me that you won't let this define you." Jay said to her as he took her hands into his.

"Of course not." Kiera said.

Then, she felt her stomach growl and Jay stopped the voice recording.

"How about I go get us something to eat?" he offered.

"Please." Kiera said.

With that, Jay left the room and went down to the hospital cafeteria to get some food. Kiera noticed a bag by the chair and she carefully reached for it. She grabbed ahold of it and placed it beside her. She found her phone and earbuds inside, so she plugged them in and played a random song. After about five minutes, the door opens and Hank walks into her room.