by Alison Bliss
He sat at the small table, still looking intently at his computer. I plopped into the chair across from him and admired the new brown do Agent Rawlings had given me in the mirror on the wall. The cut was perfect and, although I never thought I’d look good as a brunette, I loved it.
When I got bored with that, I flipped on the television. Sounds of a girl moaning blared from the television well before the black screen turned to a live color shot of a couple having sex. I tried to change the channel, but the button on the remote crushed inward and no longer worked. Frantically, I hit more buttons, including the one that turned the volume up. The man had a ginormous penis and pounded it into the poor girl while he slapped her rear end, making her scream like a…well, a porn star.
Jake looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, but my face had to be as red as the girl’s ass. I banged the remote on the table, smashing my finger in the process. Jake shook his head with irritation, crossed the room, and hit the power button on the television. Why didn’t I think of that?
“We need to get on the road,” Jake said, packing up his computer.
Outside, a man stood near the room next to ours, smoking a cigarette. He made a lewd gesture with his tongue, then winked at me. I got into the Explorer and locked my door.
“Did you see that?”
Jake nodded. “Want me to shoot him?”
“No, but you could show him your gun.”
“Those walls are paper-thin. I’m sure that’s what he thought I was doing to you. Why do you think he needed a cigarette?”
I gave him a dirty look, but it was dark enough in the Explorer that Jake missed it. Good thing, since it meant he couldn’t see me blushing again.
“How did those men get inside the safe house?” I asked as we pulled out of the motel parking lot.
“Since the alarm didn’t go off, I assume they had the code.”
“How?”
“Someone must’ve given it to them, along with your location. Makes sense, otherwise, they wouldn’t have known where to find you.”
“Who, the agents who escorted us from the plane?”
“I’m not sure. I checked out their explosion story. They told the truth as far as I can tell.”
I twisted in my seat, trying to get comfortable, though my sore, achy back wouldn’t allow it. I made a small grunting sound as I shifted.
“Problem?” Jake asked.
“I can’t get comfortable. When I fell in the kitchen earlier, I hit my back on the counter and twisted my ankle. I feel like someone threw me down three flights of stairs.”
“So much for witness protection,” Jake said with a laugh. “You keep getting hurt. You even smashed your finger in the motel room. Any other injuries I need to know about?”
I didn’t tell him I almost shit my pants when he pointed the gun at me in the kitchen. That would’ve hurt, but only my pride. “I think that covers most of them.”
“Maybe I should ransom you off to Frankie Felts. You might stand a better chance of escaping injury with him than you have so far with me.”
He was kidding, but his words made my heart stop and my stomach churn with queasiness. The psychological implication of being abandoned weighed on me, making me wonder what would happen if Felts found me. Then I made the mistake of wondering how I’d die. Maybe I should’ve listened to Jake when he said I didn’t want to know how the other witnesses had died. I had pressed him to tell me, but now I regretted it.
My mind tapped into the residual memories of the past twenty-four hours, and the sharp crack of reality split me in two as vivid pictures flashed through my head. Sergio’s death replayed automatically, the images standing tall and casting a shadow over the more pleasant thoughts I conjured. Like him, I’d be dead. No gray area, just the black and white of it all. I’d been marked. Frankie Felts would do everything in his power to make sure I didn’t live much longer.
Then I made the mistake of imagining my cold, lifeless body lying in a cornfield. The image overwhelmed me, making me numb, as my eye twitched uncontrollably. I couldn’t take it anymore. My pulse raced, and my breathing deepened until my lungs stopped functioning properly. I hyperventilated in rapid succession until everything around me distorted.
I don’t remember Jake pulling the car over, but he must’ve. I stood on the side of the road, doubled over, as my chest convulsed with spasms. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t in between all of the sobs bubbling in my throat. Wracked with fear, I became practically inconsolable.
“Don’t panic,” Jake whispered, trying to soothe me as he rubbed his hand on my back. “Take deep breaths.”
It felt dreamlike, as if all of this had happened to someone else. I’d watched Oprah enough times to know the ugly cry wasn’t attractive on anybody. Yet, I was on the side of the road doing just that.
Jake stood close with his arm around my shoulders, wrapping me in comfort and security, as well as compensating for my unbalanced posture. I was a crumbling mess under his hands. He tried to smooth over my rough edges, a further distance than the wheels of responsibility should’ve taken him. It was bad enough he saddled himself with the impossible, foolhardy task of keeping me alive—something he’d barely been able to do.
“I…I’m fine,” I choked out, not wanting him to see me this way. “Leave me alone.”
Jake grimaced. “Bullshit. Emily, I can plainly see you’re not fine. Tell me what I can do.”
He may be responsible for my physical well-being, but my mental state wasn’t something he should have to deal with. It angered me that he looked at me with his eyes full of pity. “For one thing, stop calling me Emily.”
“It’s your name.”
“No, it’s not!” I shrieked. “My name is—”
“Not anymore, it isn’t. Your name is Emily, even if I have to beat it into your head before I’m through with you. Now get in the car.”
Never one for following orders, I resented Jake for issuing one. Annoyed by his demand and in the middle of a nervous breakdown, I underwent a mental time-out and said the first stupid thing that came to mind. “I hope the FBI has an extra-large dildo because all of you can go fuck yourselves.”
I angled past him, walking away from the car, but Jake snatched me up before I could get far. “Don’t be stupid. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I didn’t answer him. In fact, I was careful not to look at his face until he stuffed me in the passenger seat of the Explorer. He stood there glaring, still waiting for an answer.
“Who cares, Jake? I’m dead, no matter what.”
His hard expression softened around the edges. “So that’s what this is about? You think you’re going to die?”
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
“Emily, I know your world just became more stressful with having to be relocated for a second time, but I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You have my word.”
“I don’t want to die.” I straightened my face and tried to get ahold of my emotions, but a few stray tears rolled down my cheek. “I didn’t even get my birthday sex.”
Jake looked at me strangely, swiped the drops away with his thumbs, and then snagged a strand of my hair, pushing it behind my ear. His hands rested on both sides of my neck as he leaned toward me. “I don’t know what the hell that means, but I can assure you that you’ll have plenty more birthdays ahead of you. Trust me, okay?”
I nodded quietly.
Jake flashed a grin. “I love the sound you make when you’re silent.”
He was only trying to make me feel better, but I couldn’t force myself to smile back. A flicker of light in his dark eyes called to me. How he had responded to my emotional needs stimulated me, and I desperately needed more. I inhaled his scent—a mix of soap and something unmistakably male—with every breath as I leaned slowly toward him. But before my lips touched his, he shifted away.
“Emily, it can’t happen again.” Jake wore a self-deprecat
ing look. “It shouldn’t have happened the first time. It was an unguarded moment, one where I should’ve considered the consequences first. I could’ve gotten you killed.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Not this time, but I need to keep a clear head. And having sex with you is the exact opposite of that. We can’t become intimately involved.”
“You’ve already seen my vagina,” I reminded him, sarcastically. “You can’t get much more intimate than that.”
His gray eyes liquefied to molten steel. “Wanna bet?”
My inner muscles contracted enthusiastically, and a hot wave of lust ran up to my breasts. I bit my lip to keep from asking him to do a show-rather-than-tell format of his theory. “I don’t understand.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Not that. I mean, I don’t understand why we can’t—”
“Because there are rules about these things. I’d lose my job.”
“But as long as it’s off the record, then…”
“No.”
“Jake, I’m a big girl, and we’re both consenting adults. It’s not like you’re corrupting my soul or something.” God, I sounded desperate.
“No, but fraternizing with a material witness could get the entire case thrown out of court. My choices are a reflection on the bureau, as well as on me. I have to do this right. It’s important.”
“I get it. More important than some piece of ass you’re stuck babysitting, right? I’m glad you’ve made that clear.” Nope, I was wrong—way past desperate at this point.
“Damn it. Why do women always have to analyze or overthink everything?” He shook his head at me. “I didn’t say you were some piece of ass.” He blew out a breath. “I’m attracted, okay. I’ll admit it. Attracted enough that I can’t deny it, but some things are better left unspoken. I’m not saying it won’t happen…but later, after the trial. Until then, let’s keep things platonic.”
“I guess that’s your ‘let’s be friends’ speech? And I’m supposed to wait for you to lift this sexual embargo?”
“That’s all you can do. I won’t change my mind. I need to put Felts behind bars.”
“Wow! You’re a fucking marvel. The backbone of our relationship,”—I used my fingers to signal air quotes—“is dependent on whether I live or die?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s ridiculous. You’re prolonging this because you’re afraid of being that guy.”
“Which guy?”
“You know, the one who falls for the witness who gets killed.”
“Damn it, Emily. I’m responsible for your safety.”
“Then wear a condom!”
“Jesus,” he said, breathing out hard. “I was right before. You definitely have multiple personalities.”
My eyes narrowed. “Yeah, well maybe I do, and none of them like you!” I folded my arms across my chest and resisted the urge to gaze back at him.
Jake slammed the car door and stomped around the front of the vehicle, stopping long enough to bang his fist on the hood before getting in. His hand tightened into a death grip on the steering wheel, but he didn’t try to strike up another conversation. I quietly stared out the passenger window as we got back on the road. I didn’t have to look at him. I could feel him next to me. His anger vibrated the air and danced on my skin.
An hour later, we still hadn’t spoken. Isolation fueled the depression I desperately tried to push away. The blahs tend to multiply when you are silent for long durations. I counted the bug splatters on the windshield to pass the time until we crossed into Oklahoma on I-35, and then, before I knew it, my eyelids drifted closed.
When I woke up, we were in a rest area parking lot. Jake leaned against a payphone outside my door with his back to me. Guess he didn’t want to risk being tracked by using his cell phone. So much for his supposedly secure line.
He had left the car running and the air conditioning on high, which explained my icy-cold skin, goose bumps, and hard nipples. I turned the air conditioner down a few notches to keep from getting hypothermia and cracked open the window. That’s when I heard Jake talking.
“It’s a solo mission, but she doesn’t have a bullet hole in her head. At least not yet.”
What did he mean yet?
“We aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment,” Jake commented. “She trusts me, though. I’m good at this. Her decision to cooperate sealed her fate. Now it’s up to me to make sure things go as planned.” He paused for a second, listening to the person on the other end. “No, nobody knows her whereabouts or where she’s going, including her.”
Who the hell was he talking to?
“Yeah, I’m bringing her in. In fact, it won’t take us much longer to get there. Probably another couple of hours. Get your guns ready,” Jake said. “She’s a live one. We may have to draw straws to see who gets to shoot her first.” Then he chuckled.
The deep timbre of his laughter jolted through me like a high-voltage shock wave. Jesus Christ. I thought I was safe with an FBI agent and, all along, he planned to kill me. I thought Jake kidded when he said he should turn me over to Frankie Felts, but I was wrong. He was going to let me die. That shrewd, double-crossing bastard! I knew he was a weasel. No wonder he didn’t want to have sex with me. I was practically dead already.
And he knew it the whole time.
Chapter Five
My brain felt clogged.
I had to get away from Jake, but I didn’t know how. He manhandled me every time I didn’t do something he asked, which, now that I thought about it, should’ve been a red flag. FBI agents went through psychological testing, right? If so, I don’t know how Jake passed. He had anger issues.
Jake hung up the phone and slid into the driver’s seat. “I’m glad you’re awake. Do you need to use the restroom while we’re here? We have a few hours to go before we get there.”
This was my last chance to escape. “Yes, I need to go,” I told him, trying to keep my voice even.
“Come on,” he said, turning off the car and taking the keys out of the ignition. “I’ll walk you over there.”
Shit. I hoped he’d leave the keys behind. “No, that’s okay. I can walk myself.”
“You’re not going alone. I can’t protect you if I’m out here.”
“Protect me from whom…the elderly couple, the parents with their children, or the two teenagers skateboarding on the sidewalk? I don’t think any of them are going to take me out.”
“With you, you never know.” He stepped out of the car and waited at the front for me to join him.
Pressing the issue would only make him suspicious. I couldn’t risk him wondering what I was up to. If I managed to get away from Jake, it would be a small miracle. He had the keys and, chances were, he’d come after me in the car once he figured out I was gone. I wouldn’t have much of a head start unless I could slow him down. Hmmm. Jake was too busy scoping out the area to see what I was doing inside the car.
As soon as I opened the car door, the heat slapped me in the face. It was like stepping into a hot oven, and sweat instantly formed on my lip. “Where are we…Hell?”
“Close. Texas.”
The midday sun, bright and hot, seared into my skin. I shaded my eyes and surveyed my surroundings, mindfully planning my escape route. The busy four-lane highway wasn’t a good option, but the mounds of dirt surrounding the rest area kept me from seeing what was on the other side and didn’t look like easy climbing. “I thought Texas was supposed to be flat.”
“We’re in the hill country. Only things here that are flat are the armadillos in the road.”
We walked inside the brick community building together and stopped outside the entrance to the ladies’ room. “The men’s room is on the opposite side,” Jake said, grimacing. “Men piss faster than women do. I’ll be back before you come out.”
“It’ll take me a few extra minutes. I want to splash my face with some water while I’m in there.”
&nb
sp; “Two minutes. Don’t make me come in there to get you.”
His threat irritated me, but I smiled agreeably. “Okay, Jake.”
I walked into the bathroom, but stood by the door listening to Jake’s shoes clomp away. When I could no longer hear him, I peeked out to be sure he left. Since Jake was nowhere in sight, I scuttled out the door.
The moment I got outside, I sprinted for the highway. Traffic zoomed steadily by, and I had to wait for an opening to cross. I looked back and saw Jake come out of the building. He looked my direction, spotting me.
Gulp. It was now or never.
I had an overwhelming sense of imminent danger. I wasn’t sure if it was the cars roaring past me at seventy miles per hour or the sinister face on the man running to catch up. I took my chances with the cars.
I shot across the highway and climbed over the concrete divider, but had to stop and wait for more vehicles to pass. Jake made it out to the highway quicker than I did, but still had to wait for his chance to pass. Once he had an opening coming, I couldn’t wait any longer for the traffic on my side to clear.
I darted across too soon as Jake yelled out. A tan car headed straight for me. Standing frozen on the hot asphalt, I braced myself for impact. The car barely slowed, zigzagged around me, and sounded its horn relentlessly. I rushed to the shoulder of the road and observed Jake jumping the concrete divider.
Without wasting any more time, I ran away from the highway and into an open field. Long blades of grass went up to my knees, but didn’t hinder my movement. Or Jake’s.
He caught up quickly, tackled me to the ground, and straddled my waist. I immediately became combative, swinging my arms and trying to scratch out his eyeballs, but he captured and pinned my wrists above my head. His red face lit with fury, his eyes filled with hostility. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I pulled my head up and tried to bite his arm.
Jake flicked me on the nose. Hard. “Damn you, Emily, if you don’t stop trying to bite me, I’m going to cut off your head and send it to a lab for a rabies check.”