The sunrise tinged the sky with pinks and golds. It looked to be the beginning of a beautiful day, though Moira was unable to appreciate it fully. She drove along the highway. Liam was right, her Gremlin did sound like a small tiger. But it worked and she was beyond grateful that he had kept it running. Having transportation allowed her some freedom. Freedom she desperately needed right now. She tried unsuccessfully to shut down her racing thoughts.
“Once Liam comes home and realizes that you’ve escaped,” said Jack, “you’ll be back in that hospital by the end of the week.”
“I left a note,” she retorted. “And I didn’t escape, Jack. I’m not under house arrest, for God’s sake.”
“I thought your license was suspended?” he replied. “Forget the hospital, you’ll be sent straight to jail. Where are you going?”
Moira’s pulse quickened. Don’t tell him, she thought. He’ll figure it out soon enough and then things will get complicated. Suddenly, Jack had her wrist in a viselike grip. The car swerved dangerously.
“Stop it!”
“Don’t ignore me,” he snapped. “I know where you’re going.”
“And where would that be?”
“You’re trying to find your freaky lover. I’m not an idiot,” he grated. “They’ve already got him. Probably locked him away for good.”
A wave of nausea hit her stomach. That can’t happen, she thought desperately. “I don’t want to talk to you, Jack. Just shut up.”
“I could make you drive off the road right now,” he said smugly. “Right into the river.”
I can’t swim. She grasped the steering wheel, her knuckles white. If he did that, I would drown.
“But where’s the fun in that?” Jack continued. “So many different ways to die, Moira.”
Her vision blurred. She blinked several times to refocus.
* * *
Moira drove into a gas station and parked. Eager to be out of the car and away from Jack’s cloying presence, she practically ran inside to pay. Jack trailed her like a snake.
“Unleaded, please.”
“You got it,” said the woman across the counter. “Passing through?”
“Yes,” Moira replied. Jack ran his hand through her hair and she took a step away from him. “Has anyone else driven through recently?”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“I was supposed to meet someone in Trader Pines.”
“I’m sure you’ll run into each other,” the cashier replied curtly. “You can walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes flat.”
Moira’s hopes deflated. “Thanks.” She went outside to fill her car.
“What are you going to do once you find him?” Jack asked.
“Why? Worried?”
“Hardly.”
A small part of Moira felt triumphant, because she knew that was a lie. A larger part of her was scared. Jack’s presence was stronger now that Isabella was gone—there was no denying it. It felt like a gathering storm. Maybe I need to call Dr. Cassano, she thought. Even if it’s just to tell him I may not make it to session on Monday. She picked up her phone, hesitant.
“What are you doing?” Jack asked.
“None of your business.”
“Everything is my business.” He grabbed the phone and a shock went through her hand.
“I’m calling Dr. Cassano, Jack.” She picked up the phone again. It was dead. “Great. Just great.” She tossed the phone onto the floor and started the car. Moira pulled out and continued down the highway. After several moments of silence, Jack started again.
“Why are you calling him?”
“He’s my doctor.”
“You don’t need to call him—”
“I’ll call who I want,” she retorted.
“He wanted to keep you there. For himself,” Jack said. “I’m surprised he let you out at all.”
“You’re so paranoid,” she said. “I don’t believe anything you say, Jack. Not now, not ever.”
The air in the car seemed to still.
“I saw your wrists that evening.” She glanced at him. “I saw them after—” Moira turned her attention to the road again. “The cuts were barely enough to make you bleed.” The air in the car seemed to crackle with electricity. Moira’s foot pressed on the gas. “What are you doing? Stop it!”
The woods, dotted by the occasional house, sped by at an alarming rate. A river flanked them on one side, thick trees on the other. The car engine rattled in protest as it began to swerve.
“Beg me.”
“What?” she cried in alarm.
“Beg me to stop,” his voice was full of malice, “before you crash.”
She tried to pull her foot off the gas. The pressure increased.
“You’re mine, Moira,” he whispered in her ear. “We were meant to be together, one way or another.” Jack ran his hand along her arm. “And I will make you pay for what you did.”
The steering wheel was jerked from her grip. Moira screamed as she skidded off the road and plunged down the embankment. The car hurtled through the forest, smashing through tree branches. Her head slammed against the roof. Moira tried to stomp on the brakes but couldn’t keep her foot on the pedal. A tree loomed directly in her path and there was nothing she could do. The abrupt impact and deafening crash were simultaneous.
Everything went black.
* * *
Angry yelling filled Moira’s head and she opened her eyes. The side of her face stung. She blinked to focus and saw that her windshield had been smashed out. Glass lay across her body, catching the wan light that filtered through the trees overhead.
“You’re still alive,” Jack remarked.
Moira frowned and tried to sit up but something held her back. Bringing her hand to her chest, she ran it along the seatbelt. She struggled with the buckle and gave up. Moira made a move to grab the door handle and cried out as her wrist bloomed with pain. She slumped back against the seat of the car.
“You’re bleeding.”
She touched her forehead tentatively and her fingers came back bloody. “Happy?” she murmured. Her lips felt bruised.
“Not as happy as I’d be if you were dead.”
The pine trees overhead swayed in the breeze. “I’m going to be sick.”
“You probably have a concussion,” Jack said, as if commenting on the weather.
She tried to make sense out of what he said, but it slipped away as quickly as she heard it.
“Sleep, Moira.” Jack pressed her against the seat.
For some reason, that sounded like the best thing to do. She closed her eyes and was pulled away by darkness.