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I sat in the truck, dreading the long car ride hoed to the Tundra, and slid into the driver’s seat, leaning in to kiss me "I knoas stressful, but I cherished these last three days with you When we go away, it’s easy to forget about the rest of the world"

I grabbed his hand, holding it tight He kneel as I did that our return would stir a hornet’s nest We had just enjoyed our last few days of peace, and noould be fighting for our lives I touched my stomach, and Jared reached over to touch the saray eyes darkened, and his brows pul ed in I nodded, knowing exactly as on his mind He leaned in for a kiss, soft and slow His lips pul ed at mine the way they did e first met, as if it could be the last tiainst mine

We sat there in silence, in our ee to cry or speak, just in case it beca

Jared put one hand back and wheel and shoved the gear in drive "Okay," he sighed "Back to Providence"

The drive home seemed to take less time Jared made me repeat the story ould tel the police over and over I had recited the words dozens of tie hit

Jared immediately looked down to my stomach, and then his eyes rimaced "Maybe we could pul over for a moentle turn to the left, pulling into the gas station we had stopped at on the way to Virginia Beach A fa lot Jared opened my door, and kept close as we roup as alked past, I kept rease spots and wads of old gu seemed off, and I could tel that Jared felt it, too

Jared held the door open for , the heavy feeling only became worse Apart from the cashier, ere the only ones in the store, but I stil couldn’t Meandering in the aisles with no real goal, I stretchedand then setting it back onto the shelf A roach crawled fros of crackers and then disappeared I lurched backquite so filthy the last time ere in, but my memory consisted of a quick trip to the bathroohts blinked and buzzed overhead From my peripheral vision, I could see that theat me He was of smal build, and dark-complexioned His lack of expression made me instantly nervous I’d seen that look before

I heard the cooler doors shut, and then Jared rounded the corner with two large bottles of water and a forced sers twice to signal me to coan to thu," thebel y

I instinctively touched my stomach with my free hand

Jared cautiously approached the cash register, keeping me a safe distance behind him He took another step and paused "Are you okay?"

Thein a rhythlistened across his face and neck, and dampened his white polo shirt

The darkened circles under his eyes

When offered no response, Jared took a step back and threw a ten-dol ar bil onto the counter "That should cover it"

The man looked down at the folded bil before hiertips onto the counter, and then his body vibrated for a few ht He peered up at Jared His eyes had changed; now obsidian orbs bulging from their sockets

Jared put his hand on o"

I stulass door behind me The smal man jumped into the air and landed in a crouch on the counter "I’ut her like a fish" The sound of his voice was terrifying; a combination of a smal child and the hiss of a snake

I pushed open the door and ran head first into one of the largelot He had a long, gray beard, and wore riding leathers Forgetting round The man looked up at me with shock and confusion Within seconds, all expression left his face, and the blackness of his pupils spil ed into his irises, and then to the whites of his eyes

I scra er door slammed in my face, and then Jared was next to rabbed for the clasp, trying in vain to real oped toward us on all fours Jared stoas pedal The nozzle was stil tucked in the Tundra’s gas tank, and after a quick yank, the line ca behind us as Jared fish tailed onto the highway

I rol ed down the

"What are you doing?" Jared yel ed

"Your gun!" I said, e

"Here!"

He pul ed his Glock out frorabbed it, and then leaned out theJared grabbed a fistful ofto the road below The s us flee with his unnatural black eyes I stretched outat his forehead

"What are you doing?" Jared yanked onme into the cab of the truck "You can’t kill hi to kill us!"

"Once the deain He’s an innocent, Nina" Jared pressed a button on his door, andoff the wind that had blown my blonde hair into a wild mess

I turned to keep an eye on the Shel s There was no tel ing how ainst the asphalt distracted my attention

The nozzle final y broke free of the Tundra, and rol ed into the ditch A loud boom vibrated the truck, and a bal of smoke and fire rol ed into the sky

The s at us, just in front of the roaring flames

"Jared!" I cried

"SoHe peered into the rearview e A column of fire shot up from fuel pumps It would be a miracle if any of the people we’d left behind survived

"Those people," Ithe palm of my hand to my forehead My eyes fil ed with tears, and I turned to face the front

A few e fire trucks, a pumper truck, and an ahts and sirens screa away as they passed The ambulance trailed behind, but the second its back bumper was in line with ours, it flipped around

"Jared?"

"I see it," Jared said, grabbing his side arht, and then without slowing down, jerked the Tundra to the right, turning one hundred and eighty degrees until ere face to face with the black-eyed ambulance drivers Jared held his Glock outside of theand ai at their tires The aain until ere once again facing north, with the ambulance behind us

The ambulance skidded, and then tu across the road and into the field on the opposite side