It was the early morning, and young Jo was fast asleep in her canopy bed. It was still dark out, and her alarm wouldn't go off for another hour. Suddenly, a gloved hand covered her mouth. Before her eyes could even open, her head was jerked up and a black piece of cloth was tied over her eyes. Not able to see, she blindly flailed her arms, trying to hit her assailant, but she only made contact with the air.

Jo was flipped onto her stomach. Her arms were pulled back painfully, and her wrists were tied together with rope. When another set of hands grabbed at her ankle, she tried to kick them off, but her little legs were no match for the strength of a grown man. After Jo's legs were bound together, she was hoisted into the air and flung over someone's shoulder. She was carried out of her bedroom and down a flight of stairs.

Even though she was blindfolded and tied up, Jo remained relatively calm. She had to keep a level head in order to think clearly. She felt herself being carried down another few flights of stairs. Where were they taking her?

Jo was being walked through a long hallway. She heard a heavy pair of doors being opened, and she could smell chlorine in the air. The man carrying her walked another fifty yards or so before stopping. He hoisted her off of his shoulder then flung her into the air.

With a loud splash, she was submerged in cold water and enveloped in bubbles. She had been thrown into a pool, just as she predicted. Jo struggled with the rope as she started to sink. Just as she was about to reach the bottom, Jo finally freed her arms. She pulled off the blindfold. 

With her legs still tied, Jo pushed off from the pool floor and butterfly kicked to the top. She gasped for breath when she finally broke the surface. A striking raven-haired woman with porcelain skin was sitting at a nearby table, smoking a cigarette and watching Jo coolly.

Jo climbed out of the pool, her pajamas sopping wet, and unfastened the rope around her ankles. The older woman exhaled a cloud of smoke, then picked up a silver stopwatch from the table. She smiled.

"Well done, little one. You beat your brother's time. He almost drowned!" she chuckled. "Francois is making blueberry pancakes for breakfast."

Jo grinned, pleased with herself. Her mother wasn't usually one for compliments.

"After you wash up, go to the kitchen and practice your French with Francois. He says your accent needs work."

Jo's smile quickly turned to a frown. Francois was a liar - her accent was perfect. He was probably just upset with her for stealing his chocolate. But what did he expect from a child whose mother forbade sweets?

*        *        *        *        *        *

Jo was floating in and out of consciousness. She had been dreaming about her childhood "tests," as her parents so cutely called them. The first test occurred on her tenth birthday, when she had been playing with her brother in their backyard.

Jo and Thomas had been racing each other when two large men appeared out of seemingly nowhere, grabbed them, and threw them into separate black cars. She was dragged, kicking and biting, to a warehouse where she was then tortured for information. It was the only test that she almost failed.

When it was revealed that the torture was Agency-sanctioned, Jo became upset. "But it's my birthday!" she pouted to her mother, folding her little arms.

"Little one, life does not care if it's your birthday," Sophia told her daughter. The beautiful woman bent down and looked her mini-me straight in the eye.

"You must always be ready for life's twists and turns. Do you understand me?"

Jo nodded, and Sophia pulled her daughter in for a hug.

The image of Sophia hugging her younger self started to dissipate, and Jo slowly regained consciousness. She blinked her eyes open, but she could only see darkness. There was a sack over her head and duct tape covering her mouth. Her arms and legs were tied up.

Jo was in fetal position in the trunk of a car, helpless and getting more pissed off by the minute. After what felt like an eternity, the car finally came to a stop. She heard three doors slam shut in unison, and she braced herself for what was next. Jo remained perfectly still, even when the trunk finally opened.

Jo felt strong arms being placed around her back and around the bend in her knees. As she was picked up and carried like a bride on her wedding night, Jo tried to remain as lifeless as possible.

Jo could hear the loud whooshing sound of helicopter blades in the distance. Where the hell were they taking her? Jo was hoping that the men would talk to each other and give something –anything – away, but they didn't speak at all. Suddenly, she was tossed onto a hard surface. Her body reflexively flinched upon landing.

"She's awake," a man gruffly said. 

"You sure? She looks dead to me."

"Yeah, I'm sure," the gruff voice answered.

Jo felt the sharp pain of a needle pierce her thigh, and she again lost consciousness.

*        *        *        *        *        *

Jo was transported by helicopter to a secluded estate in the woods. Jax landed the helicopter behind a mansion overlooking acres of greenery. It was the perfect criminal hideaway.

Jax and Frank stepped off the helicopter and walked towards the house. Michael slung Jo over his shoulder and followed suit. Corey was waiting for them at the front door.

"The office is prepped and everything," the younger blonde told Jax.

"Good," Jax replied, nodding to the others. "Let's go."

The four men made their way to the office. The décor was darkly romantic, with mahogany furniture and a crystal chandelier. In fact, the entire mansion was lushly decorated, as the men had plenty of illegally obtained money to spare.

Jo was placed in a chair, her feet bound and her arms tied behind her back. She started to stir.

"I think she's waking up," Corey said nervously. The three others walked over to their captive, surrounding her. Jo blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the light. She raised her head and looked around.

"I'm going to untape your mouth, but I wouldn't recommend screaming," Jax told her roughly. Jo just glared at him. He ripped the tape off her face, and she winced in pain but quickly regained her composure.

"I wasn't planning on it," she retorted, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

She never screamed.

"I'm Jax, and this is Frank, Michael, and Corey," Jax said, completely ignoring the attitude she was giving him.

Jo looked at all four men as their names were announced, assessing them quickly. Jax was the asshole leader and Frank was a cold-blooded killer. Michael seemed like the warmest of the three, and Corey – well, she could work with nervous little Corey. He was probably their tech guy.

"Those are your real names?" Jo asked.

"Yep," Jax replied. She examined his face for tells. It was the truth.

"So, you plan on killing me then," Jo said, her eyes never leaving his face.

Michael raised his eyebrows and Corey just gawked. Frank continued to stare at her coldly.

"Not necessarily," Jax responded.

She could tell he was lying by the movement of his eyes and the slight twitch of his face. She sighed. They were going to kill her, and then kill her brother and Jake, too, once they got a hold of them.

"Your brother wants proof you're alive. I'm going to call him, and you're going to say exactly what I tell you to say," Jax told her.

"Yeah, no thanks," Jo responded. She wasn't feeling very cooperative given the circumstances.

Jax's eyes flashed, and he pointed a finger in her face. "You'll talk to your goddamn brother if you know what's good for you," he growled, his voice low and gravelly.

She stared at Jax, appreciating the anger in his face. She couldn't help but be attracted to him, but she quickly shook away the erotic thoughts polluting her mind.

"Fine," she said. "But only if Corey holds the phone for me."

Jo looked at Corey and winked saucily. Michael laughed, and Corey became even more nervous.

"Alright," Jax said. "You have yourself a deal."

The four men left Jo in her chair and congregated around a large mahogany table, talking quietly amongst themselves. She began to loosen the rope around her wrists, silently thanking her parents and the Agency for all the training they put her through.

Jax and Corey walked back to the girl, and the other two stood behind them. She studied Jax without emotion. Jax's dark blonde hair was slicked back, and it looked like he hadn't shaved in over a week. The facial scruff did little to detract from his pretty face, however, and his eyes were a breathtaking shade of blue.

"Just tell your brother, 'I'm fine.' Nothing more, nothing less. Got it?"

Jo nodded.

Jax dialed a number on a black cellphone and watched her intensely. The two continued to stare each other down as the phone rang. Then, a familiar voice answered.

"I want to hear her voice. Then we can talk," Thomas said through the phone.

Jo's tough demeanor softened, and she straightened up in her chair. She was happy to hear her brother's voice.

"She's right here," Jax said, holding out the phone to Jo's mouth.

Jo shook her head, refusing to speak. She nodded towards Corey. Jax handed the phone to Corey, then crossed his muscular arms.

Corey held the phone to Jo's mouth.

"Thomas, I'm fine," she said. Then, with her freed hands, she grabbed the phone from Corey so quickly that her movements were a blur. Before Corey could even react, she punched him in the nose and sat on the floor. He yelped in pain as blood gushed from his nose.

"Don't try to save me, go into hiding, change your number, I'll be fine. Savikna." The words flew out of Jo's mouth before anyone could stop her. Jo hung up and put both hands in the air, still clutching the phone.

"You fucking bitch," Frank cried as he lunged towards Jo.

Michael quickly held him back. "Easy, mate."

Jo silently thanked Michael. She was fast, but even she couldn't dodge a swift kick to the face while sitting on the ground with her legs tied.

Jax crouched down to her level and pressed a gun into her forehead. He clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Drop the phone," he commanded in a low voice.

Jo opened her right hand and let the phone fall to the ground with a satisfying crack.

"Michael, tie her up and get her out of my sight," Jax said with his gun still pressed into Jo's forehead.

Michael grabbed the rope that had fallen behind the chair. "Cross your wrists," he ordered.

She complied, and he tied her wrists together so tightly that it cut off her circulation. Jo grimaced. Michael pulled her up to a standing position, then slung her over his shoulders easily.

The dark-haired Dutchman carried her out of the office and up a flight of stairs. Jo was getting sick of being tied up and thrown around like a ragdoll. She could hear Jax and Frank talking angrily in the office, which at least gave her some satisfaction. 

Finally, Michael reached their destination, the second last bedroom on the left. Jo heard him unlock and open the bedroom door. She was upside down, but she could tell the room was enormous by the number of steps Michael took before stopping. He put her gently down on the couch and finally spoke.

"I'd untie you, but I'm sure you can manage that on your own."

He winked at her, just as she had winked at Corey, and walked out of the bedroom. Jo could hear Michael lock the door behind him. She was officially a prisoner.