Chapter 48

All my vulnerable woe flits away into panic as I realize what Jake intends to do. Jake boxes and practices martial arts as a fitness regime, and he used to be a scrapper in his teens, always in trouble. I know he’s a fighter, but I’m still beyond terrified. Ray and Jake are equally matched in body size, similar in height, and definitely in aggression, so there’s no telling what the outcome will be, and I can’t bear it.

Jake can run like the wind. I tear after him screaming his name manically. He’s much faster than I am, though, and he’s already out of the building, tearing off in the direction of a lone figure walking in the distance. They’re too far from me to see what’s happening, but the figures have collided, a jumble of blurry shapes, a joined mass of movement, arms coming out and throwing back with force. Even kicking my stilettos off and running barefoot, I can’t begin to catch up. My body is pumping adrenaline fast, and I get a cramp in my leg so severely I fall—panic