My brain felt clogged.

I had to get away from Taeyeon, 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 Taeyeon passed. He had anger issues.

Taeyeon 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.”

. 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 Taeyeon, 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. Taeyeon 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,” Taeyeon 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.”

“Two minutes. Don’t make me come in there to get you.”

His threat irritated me, but I smiled agreeably. “Okay, Taeyeon.”

I walked into the bathroom, but stood by the door listening to Taeyeon’s shoes clomp away. When I could no longer hear him, I peeked out to be sure he left. Since Taeyeon 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 Taeyeon 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. Taeyeon 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 Taeyeon 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 Taeyeon 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 Taeyeon’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.

Taeyeon flicked me on the nose. Hard. “Damn you, Jessica, 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.”

Now, this is how hearing and listening are two very different things. I listened to what he said, but all I heard was he wanted to cut off my head.

“Help! He’s going to kill me! Help me! Help—”

Taeyeon muzzled me with his hand over my mouth, but he seemed confused. “Simmer down. What the hell’s your problem?”

I started to cry, which shocked him into removing his hand from my mouth. “Please…don’t kill me!” I begged.

“What?”

“I thought you wanted to help me,” I sobbed. “You said…”

“Jessica, I don’t understand why you think I’d want to kill you. Well, besides the obvious reasons.”

I sniffled. “You said you were going to shoot me.”

“What? When?”

Taeyeon relaxed his grip on my wrists and allowed me to pull them free as he eased off me. We both dripped with sweat.

“On the phone.”

“Oh hell, I was kidding around,” he said with a laugh. “That’s why you ran? Why didn’t you just say something?”

“Oh, yeah right. I’m supposed to ask a murderer if he’s going to kill me before I run. Give me a break. How was I supposed to know you were joking? And what the hell is funny about that, anyway?”

“I was talking to my uncle. We’re staying at his house until I can figure out what’s going on. Frankie Felts went underground after shooting Sergio. Someone on the inside must’ve leaked information to him about our location. I’m not taking any chances by putting you in another safe house. Apparently, they aren’t very safe.”

“So you aren’t going to kill me?”

“No, but I might line you with bumper pads to keep you from killing yourself,” he said, his voice as coarse as steel wool. He rubbed at his temples, then ran his hand through his unruly hair. “Come on. We need to get on the road.”

“Uh…Taeyeon?” I waited for him to turn around. “One problem. I still have to pee.”

He half-smiled. “Yeah, me, too.”

“I thought you went already.”

He shook his head. “Never made it. I knew you were up to something.”

“How?”

“When I said I was giving you two minutes, you were too agreeable. You didn’t argue. And you always argue.”

Taeyeon led me across the highway and toward the building that housed the restrooms. He kept a firm hold on my upper arm as we passed a small crowd that had formed. Two teenagers stood there, skateboards in hand, eyeing Taeyeon with uncertainty.

“Man, he caught her quick. That dickhead can run!” one teenage boy said as we passed them.

Taeyeon’s fingers tightened around my arm. All I could do was grin.

“How am I the dickhead?” he asked, tossing me a sideways glance. “You ran from a federal agent.”

“Well, to start with, you tackled a woman. Or maybe it’s because you’re an agent. Take your pick.”

When we stopped at the women’s restroom, Taeyeon glared at me. “All right, I want to hear you say it. No more surprises, right?”

“No more, I promise.”

Taeyeon was already outside the bathroom when I came out. Guess men do piss faster than women. Once we were in the vehicle, Taeyeon turned the ignition and nearly jumped out of his skin. Music from the radio blared from the speakers, the windshield wipers screeched across the window at full speed, and the flashers blinked wildly.

He turned eve