She cocks the gun and points it towards me, her fingers poised on the trigger. ''Any last words? Make it quick, I have a hair appointment.''

When I woke up this morning, I never thought that I would die today. Of course, most people don't plan for death but I always thought my death would be when I'm old, frail and on a walking stick not like this, not in the hands of a psychopath.

​​

I scan the area with my mind's eye, looking for a route to escape or at least something to be used as a weapon. I can't run, she'd shoot me dead in an instant. I can't attack her, my hands are tied…literally.

''I-''

Suddenly, I hear headlights and what seems like a car pulling up in front of the bakery. Patricia makes a motion for me to shut up with her hands and she rushes to the window. ''Looks like we actually do have company,'' she muses. Pulling down the blinds, she turns to me. ''If I so much as hear you mumble, you're dead.''

''Get up,'' she whispers harshly. I do what she stays, even when my knees are cramped from all that kneeling. She drags me along as we proceed towards the socket. Patricia then hits the off switch, leaving us in a state of darkness. I've never been too fond of the darkness especially with her still pointing a gun at my head.

''Princess, are you in there?''

Jason?

Knocking on the glass doors follows the voice and I resist the urge to scream, well I can't actually scream because Patricia has me in a chokehold.

''Princess, can you hear me?''

It's definitely him.

He came.

''If you can, just stay calm, I'll get you out of there.''

''Don't you dare,'' I hear Patricia whisper in my ear. ''You know the consequences.''

''You're hurting me,'' I wheeze, gasping for air. Her grip is not light and with her still having the upper hand, I'm getting delirious.

''Avanla,'' I hear Jason yell. ''I know you're in there. If you hurt her, I swear on my life I'd kill you on this concrete.''

Avanla?

Avanla Maxwell?

Patricia is Avanla Maxwell? She sent the fake letter?

Of course! It makes sense now. The letter was meant to throw me-well Theo and I-off course. If we thought Daniel was alive, maybe we'd stop looking for him and think that he's okay. That means, if my calculations are correct, before she sent the letter, she had already killed him.

Today just keeps getting better and better.

''You're Avanla Maxwell?'' I whisper.

''Shut up,'' she whispers back.

The knocking stops and for a minute, it seems like he has left. I hope he hasn't because I can't hear a thing. Her choke hold lightens a bit and I gasp, trying to take in as much air as I can. I can't see and I'm in the presence of a mad woman.

''Stay here.''

I don't have much of a choice.

I hear her footsteps as she meanders towards the window, the ray of light from outside shines through as she peaks from the blinds. ''Well, it looks like your knight in shining armour has come to rescue you and he brought company.''

Company? Theo?

I have to get out of here, by any means necessary, or at least, signal to Jason that I'm here.

''JASON,'' I yell with as much courage as I can muster. ''I'M HERE.''

Yep, she's going to kill me.

I can't see her, but I can definitely hear her, and feel her.

She hits me on the side of my head with something hard, no doubt the gun, and I scream so loud that I think I might have a concussion. ''Didn't I tell you to be quiet?''

My hand makes contact with the side of my head as I feel liquid run through my fingers. It's blood-my blood.

Tears stream down my cheeks in heaps and I try to silence them with my hands. I don't want a repeat of what happened right now, and knowing that she has the intent to kill me, well I'm fucked.

I feel a bit whoozy from the torture, but I struggle to stay awake. I can't fall asleep. If I do, with the amount of blood I'm losing and my headache that is sharper than a two-edged-sword, I'm scared I may not wake up again.

Glass shattering keeps me alert.

What's going on?

Glass upon glass shatters and before I know it, I see a ray of light flash through the dark bakery. Suddenly, the lights come on and I see a figure-well figures.

''Avanla, step away from her.''

It's Jason, and he brought with him Ryan, Janet and Pearson. In Janet's hand is a baseball bat and charred glass is scattered on the floor.

They broke through the door.

''No.''

She still has me in her grasps. With his boot clad legs on the charred glass, he motions towards us, a gun in his hand and points it towards her head. His eyes motion towards me, taking in my appearance, and his eyes blaze with anger. ''Avanla, I won't tell you again. Step away from her.''

He knew she was Avanla, Avanla Maxwell.

That explains why he told me to not be in the same room as her.

''Don't threaten me, little brother. Trust me, it won't be to her advantage.''

She has the gun pointed to the side of my head. I'm in so much pain and my knees can barely hold on it's own. I'm seeing double, or triple, depending on where my focus is at right now.

''Drop your gun and I'll let her go.''

With his gaze hard, he bends and drops the gun on the floor.

''Toss it,'' she instructs.

His right leg pushes the gun towards her and it rolls to where we are. She picks it up and releases me. With my knees still weak, I try to move, but end up falling to the ground. ''Princess,'' Jason yells. He makes a move to run towards me but Patricia halts him. ''Don't you dare touch her. She can move on her own.''

I actually can't but okay.

I struggle to move, but my body doesn't allow it. I'm tired, hungry, weak , have blood seeping from the side of my face and my head hurts like hell. Patricia still has the two guns and she points it towards the four people.

''All of you, on your knees.''

''Bitch please,'' Janet says. ''Like we'd listen you.''

''Janet, don't,'' Jason warns. ''Just do as she says.''

''Fine,'' she grumbles.

They all drop to their knees, and Janet drops her bat to the floor. With what little energy I have left, I crawl towards where Jason is and he stretches out his hand. ''It's alright,'' he whispers. ''I got you.''

''Enough of the chit-chat,'' Patricia yells. She looks like a deranged person right now. ''All of you need to stop getting in my way! She needs to die! Daniel killed the love of my life and she deserves to die too.'' Tears actually stream down her cheeks, her mascara running along with it.

She motions towards Jason. ''You're my brother. You're meant to be on my side! Why would you side with her? She's nobody! She betrayed you. She ratted you out to that cop of hers. You're all in danger.''

''You're not stable, Patricia,'' Jason says. ''Drop the guns.''

''No,'' she yells.

''We won't tell anyone about this,'' he reasons again. ''Just give me the guns and we'd go home.''

''You think I believe that?'' she snorts in between tears. ''Fuck you, Jason. You're choosing her over me.''

Is she jealous?

''I'm not picking sides,'' he squeezes my arm. ''Just lower your weapons and we can talk about this.''

''Very funny.''

He sighs. ''I tried to reason with you, Patricia. You're not listening.''

Police sirens can be heard from outside and before I know it, the whole place is surrounded. I look up in time to see men in dark uniforms surrounding the area with guns in their hands.

''Patricia, lower your weapons. You're surrounded.''

Theo!

''You really called the cops?'' she yells at her brother.

''I did what I had to.''

While she is distracted, a cop takes the two guns from her hand and she's put in handcuffs. ''No,'' she struggles with the officer, flapping her arms and resisting arrest.. ''Let me go.''

Janet, Pearson and Ryan stand up while Jason helps to remove the rope from my hands. Once they're free, I shake the numbness away. ''God, I thought I lost you.'' He examines the bruise on the side of my forehead and his frown deepens. ''I can't believe she did this.'' He hugs me and kisses my cheeks. I cry on his shoulder and he pats my back. ''It's okay. You're fine now.''

''Mel.'' I hear Theo voice come through . Jason releases me and Theo squats to give me a hug. ''I'm so glad you're okay.''

''Thanks for coming through,'' I whisper in between tears. It's so weird seeing him in his police get up and not the regular Adelaide uniform that I've grown accustomed to.

''Dave Shaw confessed everything. We know everything. We know all the atrocities Patricia committed.''

It's over. It's really over.

''We need to get you to the ambulance,'' he says. They both help me stand on my two feet and I wince in pain.

''Your plan worked like a charm, Blunt. I underestimated you.''

I see a hint of a smile grace Jason's cheek. ''Never underestimate me.''

So they worked together?

Once we're outside, the cool night breeze hits me and I'm whisked away by a paramedic who takes me to the ambulance. Theo escorts me and once I'm inside, he excuses himself to talk to another paramedic.

Where's Jason?

I try to poke my head outside to see what's going on. The whole area looks like something straight out of a movie: there are police vehicles and cops everywhere, the bakery is being sealed with yellow and black tape and the press is here too taking pictures. I see Aunty Fiona talking to an officer, Janet, Pearson and Ryan are at a corner talking to another officer; I don't see Patricia and I don't see Jason.

''Theo,'' I call out. He excuses himself and climbs into the ambulance. ''Yea?''

''Where's Jason?''

Silence.

Panic settles into me and I question again, this time a little more forcefully. ''Theo, where is he?''

''We had a deal.''

''A deal about?'' I probe.

''He's turning himself in.''

What?