This is my first book Fanfiction that I wrote in response to my friend's request. I loved the book Only for you, but unfortunately didn't feel satisfied with the ending for Heath, so I brought him back! (I also emailed Fanfiction to get this book as a category for all you other Only for you fan writers!)

Back for You
1: Chapter 21

' I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three' -Elayne Boosler

"He's out." There was no fear, no terror, no grief -not during the first few minutes of finding out. I couldn't feel anything. Every single part of me turned numb, pressing the phone to my ear so tight the plastic creaked.

Heath got out.

It wasn't as if he had broken out of the jail; he had actually been released. Heath, the sociopath serial-rapist and murder who brutally attacked over a dozen girls, leaving four of them for dead. Three of the girls, beaten bad enough to kill, had died because of their injuries -only one survived. That one, was Sam. Sam was my best-friend and the last of Heath's victims.

Heath had also tried to attack me in the parking lot of the hospital on my way back from visiting Sam. He had confessed to me about all his crimes, including the one he had plotted just for me. I only just managed to get away by throwing hot coffee in his face and escaping back into the hospital. The police picked up Heath and locked him away, assuring me and Sam he would face his crimes in court and live in prison for the rest of his life. Now he was out walking the streets.

"How the hell did this happen?" I screamed, waking from my frozen state with a burst of anger. The phone for the FBI front desk continue to ring in my ear, pacing up and down the floor of the apartment. The small complex suddenly seemed tiny and the room began to close in. My breathing increased with the short tightening of my chest, rippling cold and hot burst of heat through my veins. Panic sat on the doorstep, ready to flood in through my emotional gates. But not yet, I would not let them in. Before I was allowed to panic, I had to get a hold of him.

Only when the receiver on the other end picked up, did the pacing finally stop. A woman, one I didn't recognise, answered the phone.

"Hello, this is the Federal Bu-"

"I need to speak to Hunter- Agent Charles." I cut her off, correcting myself when I realised she might not know the agents on a first-name basis unless they were friendly with each other. This was not a friendly call.

"I'm sorry but Agent Charles is in a meeting." The receptionist, obviously irked at my cutting her off. "Unless it's urgent, I-"

"It's urgent."

There was a short silence on the other end.

"Hang on one moment." She finally replied.

"Thank you." I added, feeling a slight bit of guilt -among the many emotions I was experiencing- for being so rude.

I began pacing again, moving against the rhythm of the music that was apparently supposed to be calming, waiting for the call to be put through. Of course I wouldn't have been going through the hell of waiting if the idiot hadn't left his phone at the apartment. Here I was thinking FBI agents were responsible, always ready to jump to the phone if there was an emergency.

Finally after almost three minutes -having felt like a lifetime- Hunter's voice appeared on the other end of the phone. "Hello?"

"Hunter!" I exclaimed in relief -a new emotion I had yet to feel.

"Ev?" He said, obviously sounding surprised to hear from me. It also meant he hadn't heard about Heath yet, which was surprising. For an FBI agent, he was awfully slow on the news, especially on such a personal matter. I had only heard of it after a phone call from Detective Norse, who had been there the second they gave the word to release him.

"Heath's out."

"What?"

" .Out." I said, feeling suddenly irritated that he couldn't catch my words. Every time I had to repeat them the truth sank its teeth in deeper making me want to vomit more than I already had. I was sure there was nothing left to come up.

"Where are you?" His tone changed, serious worry channelling through the phone line.

"I'm at the apartment. Sam's here too. Detective Norse called and said he was getting out. How the hell did this happen, Hunter? He was supposed to be locked away for good!"

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the phone, making my anxiety amplify once more. The speed of my pacing increased enough that I was threatening to weave a groove in the floor.

"I don't know." Hunter's voice finally appeared on the other end. "But I'm going to find out. I'll make a few phone calls and then I'm coming straight over. Don't leave the apartment. Do you hear me? Ev?"

"I got it!" I snapped, surprised at the sharpness of my voice -probably just my emotions getting the best of me. In a more controlled voice, I added. "We're not leaving the apartment even if a meteor hit us."

A soft chuckle came out the other end. Somehow, in the process of reassuring him, I had managed to amuse him. "Hunter this isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry. You're just taking this better than I thought you were. I'm relieved." He sounded exhausted.

"Okay. Just hurry up and come back. I don't think I'm handling this as well as you think I am and I don't know how I'm going to handle Sam."

"Is she okay?"

"She's locked up in her room. I'm worried about her."

"I'll send someone over first. I've got to go; the quicker I make these phone calls, the quicker I can come back. I'll be there as soon as I can okay? Keep the doors locked."

I hated the idea of putting the phone down, not wanting his voice to disappear and leave me by myself in the room. Just hearing him was good enough. But alas, he was right; having him back in person was better than just his voice alone. "Alright." I said and bid him goodbye before putting the phone down.

Without realising it, my emotions had calmed down after talking to Hunter, allowing me the pleasure of standing still while making coffee. Both were done in under five minutes, and I opened the door to Sam's room.

"Sam?" I asked, peering round the room. Her covers were piled over her, wrapped up as if she was sleeping. The mug was set down on the night stand and I gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. I wanted to reach out and touch her but didn't want to surprise her again.

When I told her the news she had completely frozen. I had tried touched her arm in an attempt to reassure her but she almost screamed in surprise before apologising and running into her room. At the moment I spoke the words, I could see the images of what happened flashing before her eyes, reliving the trauma all over again at the consequence of three words. Heath got out. Reaching out to her now made me fearful.

At this point, I didn't think she wanted to be touched or could even handle it. I was sure she wasn't asleep, and was sure she wasn't able to talk back to me, yet I couldn't bring myself to even hold her hand.

I stayed by her side without touching for the next ten minutes until a knock on the door summoned me from her room.

When Hunter said he was going to send someone, I was expecting one of his FBI colleges to turn up at the door in a suit and sunglasses, which left me surprised when I saw Griffin through the spy hole. I immediately opened the door and let him come inside before locking the door up after him. Even if Griffin wasn't an FBI agent, with his strong body and big muscles, he looked as intimidating as any of them could have been. Not to mention, I had already seen him in action before, punching the very same guy who was back out on the streets.

"Hunter gave me a call and told me what happened." He gave me a reassuring hug which I gladly welcomed.

"I can't believe it." I uttered. No matter how many times I had said the words today, they always felt false.

"Don't worry. He's not going to get anywhere near you or Sam." Griffin reassured me. "I won't let him." For a moment, his face took a quick glint of the anger he had seemed to hold down. There was no way he was ever going to let Heath off the hook for what he did to Sam. He had earned a punch from grabbing me once at the bar, I didn't want to think what would happen if Griffin was to get his hands on him. Heath would probably deserve it, but Griffin didn't need to be dragged down as well.

"Thanks, Griffin. I... We appreciate it."

Griffin nodded and looked around the room. "Where's Sam?"

"She's in her room." I said hesitantly. I wondered whether Griffin would have better luck trying to reach her. My growing fear of her regressing again left me open to anyone who could help. Griffin nodded again but made no attempt to go find it. He looked anxious, desperately wanting to check in on her. I realised Griffin was just like me. He wanted to hold her, help her in any way he could, but at the same time, he feared touching her, scared she would break.

"Will you go sit with her?" I blurted, surprised to speak my mind. Griffin turned to me and contemplated it for a little while. I wanted him to say yes and go with her, but I also didn't want to push him. He loved Sam, but I wasn't sure if his feelings was what she needed.

Eventually Griffin nodded and turned down the hallway to her room. I heard the sound of the door opening and shutting again and then silence, suspecting Sam hadn't freaked out upon his entry.

It was another few hours before another knock resounded on the door. I peeked through the spy hole and saw Hunter on the other side with a bag in hand. Unlocking the door, sliding off various chains and bolts, revealed the exhausted version of my boyfriend on the other side.

He came in and locked the door behind him before setting his bag down on the breakfast bar in the kitchen. I followed him, not saying a word.

When he finally did turn back on me, his arms wrapped around me and pulled me in towards him for a tight embrace. My arms automatically went around his back, squeezing myself as tight as I could into his chest. He smelled of coffee and paper showing he had come straight from work. I pulled back first, looking up into his brown eyes full of concern.

"How are you, Angel?" He asked, stroking a stray piece of hair behind my ear before bending down and giving me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Better now that you're here." He held me again for a few moments, letting him be the one to break it apart second time round.

"How's Sam?"

"Griffin's with her. She's been in her room ever since and she won't talk to me. I'm worried she'll regress again -go back to how she was. Especially now she knows that the guy who did that to her is walking a free man."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll make sure to put him behind bars again, I promise." He held my gaze with his, silently showing his devotion to put him right back where Heath belongs and protect us. Our conversation was interrupted with Griffin's appearance in the doorway.

"You can start by telling us how the hell he got out." He said, his hands behind his back. It took me a second to realise what he was doing, and at the sight of her brown hair, I felt a flood of relief.

"Sam!" I exclaimed, throwing myself at her. I stopped just in time so that I didn't touch her. When she saw me stop, she looked slightly guilty and gave me a weak smile before wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I hugged her back instantly, hoping that it would open up some kind of connection that would let all of my reassuring thoughts flow into her. Meanwhile, my head was telling me how much I loved Griffin at that moment. I mouthed a "thank you" to him over her shoulder which he took with a gentle nod.

Sam, me, Griffin and Hunter all managed to get at least one mug of coffee down us and Sam and I shared one of the deli sandwiches Hunter had brought on his way over. It was tuna and salad but I couldn't taste enough of it to tell the difference.

"He got out because of the lack of evidence." Hunter explained.

"Lack of evidence?" I jumped first. "I gave my testimony! He admitted everything to me!"

"That's your word against his. There's not enough DNA evidence to put him as the attacker."

Sam sat silently between me and Griffin on the couch. I hated to talk about it right in front of her but she insisted she listened too and there was no way I could manage to keep my anger under control.

"But he even tried to grab me at the hospital. Does that not count for anything?" I knew my voice was becoming almost hysterical, but you couldn't blame me for being panicked. When a violent serial rapist gets a taste for murder and targets you after almost killing your best-friend, you're allowed to be hysterical.

"Heath's dad is a powerful man. He pulled strings and got him some top-class lawyers who managed to put enough doubt on the evidence to force bail. Heath's free until trial."

"If he was smart he would be long gone out of the country by now." Griffin said.

"He's a psychopath!" I exclaimed. "Why does nobody see that?"

"We see it." Hunter said with a calm voice, somewhat trying to make me see reason aside from the red covering my vision. "It's just those lawyers bending the law. As soon as trial comes, he'll be sentenced as guilty and sent to a maximum security prison. Or worse." meaning the death penalty.

"I choose 'or worse'."

A hand set on mine, beckoning my eyes to my side. Sam gave me a reluctant smile. "Don't worry." She said. "I choose the same."

I smiled back.

"I think we all would." Griffin added.

"And until the trial comes," Hunter continued. "We'll keep you safe. There's also been assigned some police protection as well. They'll keep an eye on you from the outside."

"Your good catch-unmarked police protection?"

"I told you. It's because I was looking for them last time."

"Well, I would feel happy even if they had the sirens and flashing lights and all."

"I would be surprised if you were able to get any sleep from that." Griffin joked, and the rest of us laughed in response- even Sam. Tension in the room had faded by a degree, leaving us all calmer and exhausted.

Griffin went home for the night, promising to return first thing tomorrow at eight and was handed one of the spare keys to the door. I wondered how he would manage to get through the ten thousand bolts and chains I had installed on the door.

Hunter stayed over and we all decided to get some sleep. Sam fell asleep in her room first with me at her side, and once she was gone I returned to my own room where Hunter was waiting for me.

Slipping under the sheets in my pajamas, I pressed myself against his warm chest in comfort. Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. He placed several kissed on the top of my head, brushing his hands through my hair in silence until sleep finally seized me.

The next morning came with the whistle of the kettle and the crisp scent of coffee rousing me from my bed. I still looked tired and disheveled but I didn't have enough caffeinated fuel left in me to make an attempt on my appearance.

Walking into the kitchen, I met the curious gazes of Sam and Griffin. Sam handed me a mug of coffee giving me a quick look up and down. "Not awake yet?"

"Not until I have my coffee." I took pleasure in the moist air hitting my face before downing at least half of the rich black goodness. I had trained Sam well.

Griffin passed a bagel over to me which I took and shuffled into one of the chairs at the breakfast bar besides Sam. Griffin stood up on the other end, still looking at me with vague amusement. "Where's Hunter?" I mumbled through my stuffed mouth. He was gone when I had woken up and didn't appear to be hiding anywhere in the apartment.

"He had to go back to work. He's talking to his superiors about what happened with Heath." Griffin grumbled, obviously uncomfortable referring to that monster by a name. I was pretty certain he and I alike could come up with far more creative terms to call him.

"The quicker he's behind bars the better." Sam added before turning to me. "Are you going to work?"

"Yeah."

"What?" Griffin interjected. "Why are you going to work? Don't you think it's best to stay here?"

"I can't just stay in here and wait for Heath to have his trial and go behind bars where he belongs. I have to work and pay the bills. Marty's relying on me you know."

"Can't you call her and explain the situation?"

"I can't. She's on holiday with her husband in Barcelona at the moment. Someone has to tend to the shop."

"But-" He turned to look to Sam for help but she looked as defeated as him.

"Thanks for the concern, Griff." I said, waving my half-eaten bagel in the air before heading back to my room.

It didn't take me long to get ready, settling for jeans and a wool jumper after considering the creeping bitterness of winter making its way down from the north. I tied my hair up in a ponytail, unable to muster any more effort for something extra.

When I passed through the living room, a figure stepped in my way. Griffin.

"Are you absolutely sure you have to go to work today?" He asked, concern all over his face. Obviously he hated the idea of leaving me alone where I couldn't be protected by him, especially with a psychopathic killer on the loose.

"Yes."

"Hunter asked me to look after you."

"And he asked you to look after Sam."

"I am looking after Sam?" His look became confused.

"You can't look after us both if we're at two different places." I said, in the hopes he may give up. I had my phone in my hand, ready to patch a call to the men downstairs to tell them where I was going. They would probably have a second car and one would follow me. Hunter left me the number on the bedside table along with the instructions to call them if I needed to go on an 'errand' anywhere if Griffin couldn't. Going to work wasn't exactly an errand, but I didn't feel the need to call Hunter for specifics. It would be a lot harder to slip out of his grip than it would be Griffin's.

"You're right." He said. He looked thoughtful.

"Then we'll go with you." A voice appeared behind me. Oh no. Sam stood, ready and dressed for the day, study books in hand. I couldn't believe it. They were teaming up on me! Somehow, I felt betrayed.

"But-"

"We're going with you." Sam repeated with a cautioned tone warning me not to defy her. As it turned out, it was my turn to be defeated. I gave Sam a rueful look before dropping my keys into my bag and turning to Griffin.

"Fine. But you're driving."

Griffin looked happy with his win, giving Sam a prideful gaze before collecting our bags from us, unlocking the door and holding it open. "This way ladies," He bowed.

Work was somewhat pleasant. There was only me and a few other part-timers on shift today and with the bitter cold and upcoming exams, there were floods of university and college students alike. Sam and Griffin stayed in the corner booth drinking coffee and studying. Well, Sam was. The attack had happened during the exam period and she hadn't been able to take the tests she needed to pass. A few strings were pulled and looking at her circumstances, the university allowed her to take them during the next semester after a direct call to the exam board explaining the situation. Griffin was helping her out with her studies on the basis I keep them both provided with muffins and coffee. I was more than happy to help out.

It was almost eight by the time my work shift had come to an end, and most of the part-timers had gone home for the day, leaving me to clear the last tables. The shop would be open for about another half an hour and it was still alive with the usual coffee-addicts coming for their fix before time ran out. Outside was already dark as the windows indicated, showing the faint signs of illuminated city life on the other side of the glass.

I had a coffee sat under the counter for me and took a big mouthful before I noticed someone approaching the counter. "What will it be?" I asked, reading my hands on the hot water and picking up a coffee cup.

"You." My blood ran cold when I recognised the voice. My heart felt like a rock in my chest, my lungs unable to cooperate properly to form a breath, my muscles tensing to the point it hurt. I wasn't sure I dared look up, but my eyes betrayed me, wanting to find proof that it wasn't true.

Under the hood of a thick blue jumper, was no one other than Heath Varbeck. My eyes instantly flickered to Sam and Griffin in the booth. I wanted nothing else than to scream, but before I had chance, Heath seized my wrist with enough force to bruise.

"Sh!" Heath uttered, pressing a finger to his lips. "Surely, you don't want Sam to see us." That was right. I couldn't let Sam see him, if she did I wasn't sure what would happen to her. Would she scream? Cry? Breakdown? Those were all better options than if she were to do nothing. I would rather her cry everyday than say nothing at all. Last time was difficult enough for both of us. I couldn't let it happen for a second time.

I swallowed down as much as my fear as I could, twisting my gut to the point I almost felt sick. His words in the parking lot came back to me, his verbal presentation of how he wanted to brutally rape and kill me.

"What the hell do you want?" I hissed, trying to sound confident in an attempt to cover up the absolute terror burning through me. He wouldn't try anything in this shop. There were too many witnesses. There were police outside. Griffin and Sam were right there. What the hell was I thinking? I was trying to apply reason to a psychopath. I wasn't sure what Heath's limits were, if he had any at all, but a public display seemed far from them.

A small smile turned on his lips. "I already told you, Everleigh. I want you." He almost whispered, his cold eyes not hinting a fragment of compassion. I flinched. At my movement, his hand clamped down tighter on my wrist making me give a small whimper of pain which only made his smile grow. "Now that's a nice expression you've got there. I'll be making sure to see more of it in the future."

He let go of my wrist and turned, heading towards the door. Griffin looked up just at that moment, catching eyes with him just as he turned. Griffin was up from his seat in a flash, startling Sam from her sleep. He didn't stop to reassure her, flying straight to the door Heath just closed behind him.

Everything after that seemed like a blur. Griffin returned along with our police detail after they lost sight of Heath around the next block. Sam looked horrified after she realised what happened, and I didn't know what I looked like. I must have been absolutely shocked when Griffin came rushing over to me, frantic about how I looked like I was about to passed out. At that moment, I felt like I could have. Heath had openly walked into the shop unnoticed, and made a threat on my life before leaving unscathed and uncaught. The police questioned the other customers in the shop, but they hadn't even noticed him. The cameras didn't even catch anything other than a figure in a blue hooded jumper.

Sam -almost as stunned as I was- sat beside me with a cup of coffee in our hands. I had forgotten all about my wrist until I mentioned Heath grabbing it to Griffin. It was swollen with black and blue marks from where his fingers had gripped me. An ice patch was put around my wrist and I was abandoned in one of the booths.

I felt frozen and hazy in my seat, feeling that what had happened was surreal, almost like a dream, (or rather nightmare), until a certain someone walked through the door. Hunter.

He looked annoyed and it was only amplified the second he caught eyes with me, marching straight from the door to the booth like a war god going into battle. For a moment, I thought he was about to burst into screams and shouts at how stupid I was for going to work, but he didn't. Instead his arms came around me, pulling into a hug so tight, I could barely breathe.

"I'm so sorry, Angel." He whispered into my hair, planting frantic kisses over the top of my head. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you."

And just like that, my surreal world shattered and the truth set in. Tears poured from my eyes and I let the fear consume me.