- Nick, I’m going to Banff, Alberta. Come and get me.

- Hey, Nick. I’m going to hop on a plane in the morning. Pick me up at the Phoenix airport at 2 PM.

- Have you figured out Briel yet? Is she a good guy or a bad guy, cause I could use as many friends as I can find?

-Unsent texts to Nicholas Alexander from Felicity on her last night on the road with Jase.

Two souls, alas, are housed within my breast, And each will wrestle for the mastery there. – Goethe

Early morning, March 24

Felicity's uninterrupted repose lasted five blessed hours before she found herself dragged unwillingly to wakefulness. Struggling to shake off her sleep, Felicity gradually became aware of a form reclining behind her in the bed, heat pouring over her in waves. Only a thin sheet and her clothes protected her from skin contact. Instantly, her senses went on full alert, a scream building in her throat.

“Shhh...” A voice told her, and a hand clamped itself over her mouth.

Completely defenseless, Felicity complied. She could smell the slight hint of Jase's cologne, and she almost began to thrash out of his arms, afraid he intended to join her in the bed. Something in the tension of his body stilled her, though. She realized he wasn’t lying down – he was leaning as if to whisper in her ear. Heart pounding, her unseeing eyes froze wide with fear. Jase’s posture spoke danger.

Gradually, her eyes adjusted to the scant light that filtered into the room around the edges of the drapes. She saw no immediate peril that would explain why Jase lay in her bed, and her initial irritation returned, though she obediently remained still and quiet. She had to focus on the potential hazards of her situation to keep from feeling the ridges of muscle that pressed from his chest against her back. She forced her eyes to strain against the darkness.

For what seemed like several minutes, the form behind her lay motionless, breathing shallowly, and pinned her so that she did the same. After the protracted moment, a hand pressed itself gently on her raised shoulder, vacating the space behind her. As a result, she found herself lying on her back, Jase's face inches above hers, his breath hot on her face. His shirt brushed her chest and the heat of his body cocooned her. She swallowed, her own breath speeding even more for a moment. Then in a whisper so low she had to freeze to hear it, Jase told her to be still and wait for him. He lowered his lips to her ear, and she closed her eyes, trying to focus beyond his proximity.

“Someone was here,” he breathed, “trying to get in. I think the person has left, but I have to check.”

Felicity came back to her senses, and her eyes popped open. She lay frozen as Jase raised himself gingerly from the bed and glided to the curtained window. Without moving her head, she watched Jase creep around the room – the air around her chilled with his absence. She wondered that he didn't produce some sort of weapon, seeing as he was in security, but he merely slipped along the edge of the room toward the window, empty-handed.

After checking every hidden corner of the room, bathroom, and closet and carefully peeking through the curtains, he rushed quietly back to Felicity's side.

“Sit up,” he commanded.

He placed two pillows behind her back as if she were an invalid and ordered her to remain where she now sat. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a cell phone which he held out to her.

“This is my cell phone. I have to leave the room to check the rest of the house. If it's possible for us to get out of here, we need to do it now.” As he spoke, his usual slight drawl transformed into a new, unfamiliar accent. Some portion of Felicity's brain registered the fact and recognized the accent, but she didn't have the capacity to both process novel suspicions and listen to Jase's instructions.

“You're leaving me?” she whispered harshly, trying not to sound desperate.

“Just for a few minutes,” he smiled tersely, brushing his hand down her hair. “Do not open the door to anyone but me, not even the owners. I’ll knock five times. If someone else shows up and tries to get in, you must open my phone and hold down the six key. This will call a friend with whom I have set up a signal. The call will initiate a trace on our location. I set this up years ago as a fail-safe in case I'm ever in more trouble than I can handle.”

His hand paused, cupping her face, and he gazed heatedly into her eyes. “If you do what I ask, you'll be safe. I intend to take care of you.” Then he leaned in to her and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. Not waiting to see her reaction, he hurried to the door and crept carefully into the hallway.

Felicity sat frozen where he left her. Her emotions churned with conflicting pains. Unlike the last time Jase had touched her uninvited, Felicity did not feel the righteous anger and violation she should feel. Even fear fled as the longing for connection warmed her from the core. Unfortunately for her tough-minded intentions, Felicity responded far to instinctively to Jase Hamilton – scoundrel or no.

If Brendon had honestly sent her into slavery, where lay her reasons to reject Jase? Just the ghost of her dead marriage refusing to rest in peace. you would have said no to someone like Jase before you were married. You would have said no if you had never married. Because you can’t trust him. She wouldn’t put her faith in Stockholm Syndrome to direct her into good choices.

Taking the opportunity to cool off, Felicity closed her eyes and fought back the tears. Yearning stripped away the carefully packed earth under which she had buried her emotions. They were still entirely too fresh to dig up, but part of her craved what Jase offered. It was like the rush of pleasure buried the dull ache. Like a drug, she realized. She did not want to expose herself to Jase, to allow him to have that kind of control. Hadn't she given that control to Brendon? And how had he responded? He had destroyed her, even tried to enslave her.

Ironic, she realized. The isolation of her previous life mocked her now. She had only thought she was alone then! Beyond any moment of her existence, alone had now enveloped her completely. For every person she might tell about her plight, reasons rose to stop her. Who could understand why she was doing what she was doing? Putting herself in the hands of a stranger, heading back to the hornet's nest, where the greatest danger lay. Jase Hamilton could not be trusted.

How did she even know if he had heard an intruder? What if he needed to leave her behind so he could contact ProtoComm, discuss his plans for Felicity?

Still, who, exactly, offered her as much potential advantage as Jase did? Something in her just wouldn't throw in the towel, couldn’t shrug off the past and run away just yet. She could not afford to be afraid.

The banging at the door proved her thoughts liars as her heart leapt, panicked, into her throat. Afraid.

“Felicity, let me in! I'm here to help you!” an unknown male voice hissed through the door.

She couldn't move. Her mind willed her muscles to respond to her command, but terror had rendered them immobile. The pounding in her chest and the increased speed of her breath were the only evidence of her being human rather than a statue.

A new sound propelled her from her frozen state and sent her flying to the door.

“Felicity,” Jase's voice called frantically from outside.

“Jase!” she screamed. Felicity did not open the door, but dashed to it and looked through the peephole to see what was happening. She could see a white-haired man, very muscular and athletic looking, hands raised defensively, facing to her left, but she could not see what he was seeing. Fortunately for Jase, the owners lived offsite, or they definitely would have called the police.

“Jase!” she cried again and, despite Jase’s warning, she cracked the door, wedging her foot behind it to slow it down if someone tried to push it open. Before the stranger could react, Jase angled himself so that he cut off any option to bust into the room.

Jase, in a mirror pose to the man, was a little taller but, now that Felicity saw him in this perspective she realized, almost the same build. The fact that Jase looked like he could match the unknown intruder calmed some of her anxiety. She would have no chance against either – not without a weapon. And even more encouraging, the fact that a stranger had actually shown up to claim Felicity proved the truth of Jase’s concern. Maybe if she stayed with him long enough, he could actually convince her that he intended her no harm.

“Stay where you are, Liss. I have him.”

Of course Felicity would stay where she was. Maybe she should have closed the door, but if the men moved far enough away, she fully intended to escape to the car. She prayed that Jase had the same idea.

“Leave now,” Felicity heard Jase say, though with an infinitely more dangerous tone than any he had ever used with her. Could he fake the danger that emanated from him toward the other man?

“We're going to get her sooner or later. You may as well give her to me now, and no one needs to get hurt.”

“I think not,” Jase retorted.

Felicity didn't see who threw a punch at whom, but the next thing she knew, Jase and the man had begun a steady exchange of blows, hands and even occasionally feet barraging each other’s forms. She cringed as a firm blow from the man's fist connected to Jase's cheek. Though she wanted to close her eyes, Felicity forced herself to watch, knowing that the outcome would determine her fate. She had no idea what she would do if Jase lost. Still, she could hardly follow the blur of blows exchanged by the men.

Suddenly, Jase had the man on the ground under his knee, his hand to the man's throat.

“Run, Felicity,” she heard Jase command. “Get the keys and get to the car!”

Shaking uncontrollably, she tore herself from the spectacle outside her door and roamed the room with her eyes until she saw the keys on the nightstand beside her bed. She dashed across the room, grabbed the keys and the phone, and then darted back to the door.

Peering out, she saw that though Jase still held the higher position, the stranger fought fiercely to free himself from under Jase's knee. She threw the door open and narrowly dodged the man's outstretched legs which he appeared to thrust toward her in an attempt to trip her up. With all her might, she sprinted down the stairs and out the door. She didn't want to be alone again. She didn't know where to go. But she knew that if she didn't get away quickly, she might find herself a prisoner again, and isolation seemed the better option. So, she dashed toward the car, leaving the sounds of Jase's struggles behind her.

Though the sun had begun to lighten the eastern horizon, the shimmer of the dawn's transition actually made it harder for her to see. Or, she wondered, was it her utter horror blocking her vision? Felicity finally made it to Jase's car in the little lot behind the house, and she made a beeline to the driver's side door, throwing herself into the seat and locking the door. She knew she should hurry, but she hated to leave Jase without resources, without help. Not that she could provide much. Suddenly, she remembered the phone. Which number had he said to push?

Her hands quaking, Felicity tried to unlock the phone so she could call for help. Unfortunately, the nervous tremors of her fingers made pushing the right combination of characters almost impossible. She nearly screamed in frustration the fourth time the phone refused her entry.

The sudden banging on her window released the scream she had stifled before, and she dropped the phone. Cringing away from the glass in terror, Felicity upbraided herself for not placing the keys in the ignition as soon as she got in the car. Now, she had to fumble to find the right position to shove them in the ignition. When she registered the face in the window, her heart restarted, and she floundered to unlock the door.

Relief washed over her. Before she could reach the handle, Jase had opened her door and reached in to pull her out of the car. She nearly jumped into his arms, throwing her arms around him in her pleasure at being safe. The relief didn't last long.

For one brief moment, Jase placed his lips softly against her cheek, and his hand caressed her hair. She felt herself relax, and her breathing returned to normal. He pulled away almost immediately, though, and ordered her to get in the passenger side.

“We have to hurry. I didn't kill him, and I couldn't knock him out,” Jase informed her when she was seated safely in her seat. “He’s hidden somewhere in the house, but he probably heard me go out the front door. It will only be a matter of seconds before he’s out here.”

As he spoke, Jase threw the car into reverse and then peeled out of the parking lot, whipping onto the grass as they approached a car that blocked the drive – probably the intruder. Glancing behind, she recognized the man's blonde head where it veered into her view from around the red brick corner of the house. Felicity threw on her seat belt and leaned her seat back slightly so that she could calm down. Now that Jase was with her, she knew she would be okay.

“Who was that?” she panted. “Someone from ProtoComm? Have they found out you're helping me?”

“No, actually. I didn't recognize him, and he didn't know the passphrase the ProtoComm operatives use. I'm not sure, but he may be from the traffickers I stole you from. They need to find you before Bill finds out they lost his material.”

Great! Now I'm Bill's material. “What do we do now?” Felicity wondered, half angry, half anxious.

“We stick to the original plan. I can still work best out of ProtoComm. And the traffickers headquarter in the south. Going north is our best option.”

“But don't you think that man can guess where we're going?” Felicity didn't like the idea of doing anything predictable.

“No. I think they traced your phone. I need it.”

Surprised, Felicity handed him her phone. He pulled the car over and began to dig through the center console. A moment later, he pulled out a safety pin and pressed it into the side of the phone. A small rectangle popped out revealing a piece of plastic which he promptly snapped in two. Then, he placed her phone on the ground outside his door and drove away. Felicity could hear the crunch of the tire as it ran over her phone – her lifeline. Though she trusted his rationale, she felt a kick in the gut once she realized that all her ability to contact the outside world had been crushed with her phone.

Jase had taken good care of her so far, but she had relished that one link to her independence. Now she had none.