All of our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling. – Blaise Pascal, Pensées

The voice stirred many emotions in Felicity, but the woman’s words mattered little. How had Briel found her? The woman who claimed to work for Felicity but really worked for the man who sent Felicity to slavery. The woman who had smiled and laughed with young children then gone home and assaulted a man in her apartment building.

Carefully lifting the upholstery flap, Felicity peered around the room for the source of the voice. She could see no one, which seemed strange with the shards of glass that spelled Briel’s presence so clearly. After a moment, though, she saw Jase stealing around the edge of the room to slide behind the sofa near her. Instinctively, Felicity reached for him when he entrenched himself in the narrowest corner behind the couch. She scooted out from behind the couch and hugged his arm with both of hers, leaning her face against his arms and breathing in his strength.

“I'm telling you the truth,” Briel insisted from somewhere near the window. “Nick is the only person you can trust right now, and he told me how to find you.”

Her stomach clutching, Felicity realized the profundity of her error. Instead of recognizing the danger in communicating with Nick, Felicity had held onto the communication as a lifeline. She had left the computer open to remote access and in so doing had provided a virtual homing beacon for her brother to follow. Felicity now realize that everything she had told Nick had made its way back to Briel. How could Felicity not consider the ramifications? Innocent, naive, brilliant Nick. Just dumb enough to trust a woman he carried a flame for. Just intelligent enough to trace Felicity's location using a computer connection.

“I'm going to divert them.” Jase leaned his mouth down to her ear. “You run to the car. Do you think you can reach that backpack as you run by?”

Felicity forced herself to raise her head from his arm, glancing into his confident gaze before she peered around for the backpack. Since it was on the path to the door, she nodded stiffly.

“Get into the driver's side. If I don't make it, leave without me. There's money in the center console and supplies in the bag. Go!”

Unable to move, Felicity stared, open-mouthed at Jase. Could she leave him to navigate the peril of the situation alone?

“I can’t do this, Jase. I’ll turn myself in to her and you can get away. Just don’t make me to this.”

As if Briel had heard the words, she spoke from across the room. “Let me help you, Felicity.” Felicity wondered why Briel and her partner did not just rush in and overtake them – Brendon would probably be just as happy if Felicity were dead. Maybe Jase could hold his own, but Felicity could do nothing. It would be two against less than one. They would have her back in captivity in minutes. Yet, they didn't attack.

“Look at me, Felicity!” Jase slid his hand on the side of her head, directing her eyes to him and leaning so close that his breath warmed her face. “Never.” His voice hummed low and focused. “You get away. You are the priority here. Whatever happens to me happens – it’s my job, and it’s my choice. You, go!”

In light of her earlier suspicions, she couldn’t believe the intensity that rolled off Jase at the moment. She couldn’t fully understand his motive, but she could read his intent: he wanted her to get away, even at the expense of himself. She swallowed, not able to suppress her concern and her wish to stay with him. Whatever his motive, though, she had to take advantage of it, because her children needed her to survive.

Steeling herself, she turned from Jase and scurried in a crouch to the far end of the couch. She could almost reach the backpack. She glanced back at Jase, and he nodded. She sprang at the backpack, arching her path so she could clutch it on her way to the small entry hall. As she moved, Jase shoved the small sofa at the pair that lunged toward her, and they dodged, off balance, to avoid the huge projectile.

Trying not to think about what she left behind her, Felicity let herself out into the front clearing. The sound of the scuffle reached her ears just before the front door closed. She started toward the car, and her pocket snagged on an errant nail that stuck out from the porch railing. Not her pocket, she realized, but what she had stashed away after her earlier encounter with Jase. When she saw what had happened, she tried to stop her forward momentum long enough to grab the beads, but she could not slow enough, and the string snapped, scattering shimmering blue spheres across the porch and the grass in front of her. She couldn’t move for a moment, staring numbly at the flashes of light where they tumbled and rolled.

Even though she knew her marriage had died weeks before, the beads where they spiraled to the ground spoke a finality that she could not pass by unaffected. It was as if a final shovel of earth had been thrown onto the grave. Her life before had been at death’s door for far longer than she knew, and though she had hidden herself away in a fantasy world that somehow kept her from facing the reality, once she stepped out into the wide world, she would have no choice but to look the truth squarely in the face.

She realized with elation that the thought did not sadden her. It did not even scare her. Strangely, even as she ran for her life, her breath floated, lighter, into her lungs than it had since the day she had seen her husband and his lover entwined in the library. Felicity recognized the truth that she really, honestly didn’t care what he did from now on. Felicity was free.

A thump against the inside of the door jerked her to awareness, and she glanced up through the little window to the sight of Jase and the white-haired op, seemingly engaged in battle once again. She could not see much below their shoulders, and she could not tell if Briel was participating in the fight. If not, the diminutive op had probably gone back through the window to come after Felicity alone.

The thought sent Felicity into a lurch that cross the remaining space to the car. By the time she reached the car, she was shaking, but she threw herself into the driver's seat and fished for the keys. Quaking, she fought to control her hands so she could successfully fit the keys into the ignition. At that moment, the front door burst open.

Mesmerized, Felicity stared motionless at the two figures that toppled onto the porch. Jase had obviously escaped the man, who was getting up slowly from the ground just inside the door, but Briel still advanced on Jase. A steady barrage of punches rained down on Briel from what Felicity now realized were very skilled hands. Equally as impressive, Briel dodged and averted blow after blow, obviously determined to get past Jase to where Felicity sat mindlessly in the car.

Jase, with a swift move that Felicity could not quite comprehend, flipped Briel into the air and sent her rolling toward the edge of the clearing. Somehow, she jumped to her feet quickly, but Jase had bought himself time enough to reach the car. Felicity couldn’t escape the sense that Jase had aimed the move exactly so that Briel was uninjured but was disoriented enough to lose her advantage.

“Go!” Jase shouted to Felicity. “Go, go, go!”

Shaking herself, Felicity forced her hands and mind into motion. She turned the keys in the ignition, but she started at the noise of the engine. Felicity threw the car into reverse and backed frantically toward the narrow gravel drive. She knew she had to turn around, so she swung the car alongside the trees at the edge of the clearing until the nose pointed the right direction. She tried not to take time to register her surprise at the success.

In the second that the car stopped reversing to initiate its forward momentum, Jase wrenched the passenger door open. Felicity 's foot had just completed its course toward the gas pedal, so Jase jumped agilely into the moving vehicle. Of course, the maneuver offered no real difficulty for Jase, and Felicity could see that a moment's hesitation would have given Briel time to reach the car. As it was, Briel managed to bang on the back bumper with her hand as they sped away.

Felicity's mind could do nothing but focus on driving. Any attempt on her part to assess her danger required more thought than she could spare.

“Where are we going?” she prodded. She wished she could switch places with Jase; she didn't like the driver's seat.

“Just follow this road around. You'll turn left after about two miles.” Jase glanced behind him. And then, as if Felicity needed the reminder, “Drive fast.” She almost laughed at the ridiculously obvious statement.

The density of the trees and the curve of the roads obscured any view Felicity might have of the way behind her. Though she thought she might have heard the gun of an engine, she could not sacrifice any attention to what lay behind her. She had to keep her eyes ahead to avoid precarious bends in the road. Twice, she looked up to see that the car headed directly toward a copse of trees, but she managed to avoid any major hazards.

Luckily, Felicity could delegate the predicament behind her to the capable eyes of Jase, and she concentrated on the road before her. “Are they following us?”

“I'm sure they are, one way or another. If they didn't try to follow us in their car it's probably because they stuck a tracker on this one,” he shrugged exasperatedly at Felicity.

“Were they there when you were searching in the woods?”

“Most likely,” he glowered into the darkness. “If it had been anyone but Briel, I would have found them then. She's a very dangerous woman, Felicity.”

Felicity shivered. All those times that Felicity had left her children alone with Briel! Unable to restrain herself, Felicity's mind wandered back to pictures of Briel pushing her children in the swing. Would that be before or after you betrayed me? Felicity speculated bitterly to herself.

“Once we reach the edge of town, it will be to our advantage to abandon the car and go on foot. You and I will be easier to conceal than a 1-ton car.”

Reaching across her, Jase killed the headlights and pointed to a narrow break in the trees. “Pull in there for a minute.”

Felicity obeyed.

“Switch with me. Quickly.” Felicity was vividly aware of Jase's hands on her waist as he easily lifted her from her place and, raising her over him to the passenger seat, rotated swiftly into the driver's. “Hold on,” he commanded.

As they reversed onto the road, the bumpy terrain that she had easily navigated going forward jostled her violently.

“Sorry,” Jase apologized without taking his eyes off the road. “Buckle your seatbelt.”

He did not rekindle the headlights. Instead, he sped at breathtaking speeds through the impossibly black woodland roads. Felicity closed her eyes for a moment, petrified every time they rounded a bend that Jase would crash them into the next tree. Rather than alleviate her discomfort, however, the lack of visual input brought on a wave of new sensation: motion sickness.

Breathing deeply, Felicity reopened her eyes just in time to see Jase tear what seemed to be blindly onto an impossibly narrow path. It looked more like a walking trail than a road. The action radically increased the turbulent motion of the car. After several minutes of jouncing along the trail, Jase stopped the car and turned off the engine.

“We walk from here. They should be miles behind us by now, but we can't stop moving. With the morning light they will, no doubt, easily find our trail. Briel will have no trouble with that.” His mouth twisted sardonically on the last sentence. Felicity studied his expression by the light of the full moon overhead, which cast its light through the tangled branches above.

Once again, Felicity felt nauseated, but not from any physical stimulation. Instead, the very near possibility that Briel might lie behind the next tree gripped her by the chest, and the dancing shadows sent shivers down Felicity's spine.

Taking her hand, Jase began to hike as swiftly as her clumsiness allowed him forward along the path that they had navigated in the car just moments before. As they maneuvered around trees and over roots and rocks, Felicity saw no evidence that Jase paid attention to their course. His carelessness worried her. Would even he be able to find their way out? As if to increase her suspense, something large - probably a bear, she fretted anxiously - darted from the path in front of them.

While they trudged through the dense forest, Felicity became aware of a steady incline to their steps. Felicity had never been physically inept, and her awkwardness surprised her as she stumbled over tree roots and stones along the way. After several minutes traveling with the trail, Jase turned from the relatively easy terrain before them and launched them directly up the steep mountain slope.

Felicity's breath sped, whether from anxiety or from increased exertion she couldn't tell. A pain in her side made walking more difficult and worsened her sluggishness. In response, Jase turned to her and, taking her shoulders, directed her to a fallen tree onto which he positioned her and pushed her down.

“You can rest for a few minutes.”

Stepping into a patch of moonlight that filtered through the trees, Jase pulled the backpack off of his back. Felicity had not noticed when he grabbed it from the car. Consulting the GPS that had directed them days before, Jase nodded, seeming satisfied.

“Where are we going?” Felicity begged probingly.

“Train station.”

She managed to pull a blanket of ice around her emotions so that they did not spoil her determination. With the excitement of their flight, however, Felicity couldn’t suppress her terror at the question that hit her then. Would he go with her, or would he leave her alone?

“We'll have to sweep around north of town to approach the station without spending too much time on the roads.” He seemed to deliberate. “Are you okay to walk a little more right now? We have several hours to kill until the train comes through, but I would like to be closer before we stop. Plus, we can throw Briel some false trails with the time we have.”

Felicity had assumed that she would have to move again soon and was grateful for the length of rest she had already had. “Sure,” she agreed easily.

“We’re going to sweep near your cabin,” he informed her. “The presence of other people should throw Briel off a little. It’s basically on the way.”

Shivering, Felicity tried to steel herself. Brendon was probably back at the cabin, probably with Aimée. It didn’t hurt Felicity as much as it made her kind of ill.

Gently, Jase took her hand, rubbing it as if to warm it, and he turned to watch her face. “I'm sorry,” he offered. “It's an idea I have. It should buy us some time.” He sat next to her in silence for a few minutes, lacing her hand in his and watching his fingers as they twisted around each other. “I wish you didn't have to do any of this.”

“I'll be fine,” Felicity suddenly declared, her tone unconvincing. Though she felt no overarching sense of confidence, she hadn’t given up on herself yet. Her resolution to survive invested her with just enough determination to continue their journey, though she wondered sometimes if she would have anything at the end of the journey.

“Come on,” Jase urged. “We'll find some place less visible to rest for a couple of hours.

Felicity glanced around at the crowding trees and wondered how any place could be less visible. Suddenly she shivered, the moments of inactivity having cooled her enough to make her susceptible to the damp cold surrounding her.

Jase grimaced and began removing his jacket. “Put this on,” he insisted, and then turned to repack his backpack, muttering something to himself about his being “inconsiderate.”

Felicity smiled a weak smile despite her stress.

For what seemed a couple of hours, they traipsed farther up the mountain, resting occasionally when Felicity appeared indisposed. Abruptly, Jase stopped them next to a thick overgrowth of bracken. The morning sun had lent the sky a mild glow, but it was not yet beaming into the trees overhead.

“We can rest here for a while. I want you to get a couple hours sleep if you can. You'll need your strength to hike back to the train station,” he informed her. Then he commanded, “Come here.”

Leading her by the hand, Jase walked to the right of the underbrush and headed directly at an expansive spruce tree, larger than any she had seen. Just as it looked like they might smack into the side of the tree, Jase ducked to their left and entered a concealed alcove behind the bushes: bushes which, she could now see, created an exterior barrier to the path they had traversed.

Jase swung his free hand in a wide arch to remove the spider webs which seemed well established in their refuge. Felicity tried to hide her squeamishness. She didn't relish the idea of sleeping for a couple of hours among arachnid roommates.

Letting go of Felicity's hand, Jase dropped his backpack and again dug around in search of something she couldn't predict. He pulled out a small silver aerosol can. When he sprayed it, Felicity wrinkled her nose in displeasure. The odor smelled slightly sulfurous, but she thought she caught a hint of something spicy or floral.

“Spider repellent,” he grinned, and kicked some leaves and needles aside from the great spruce before dousing it in the spray. Felicity shuddered as several spiders scuttled to escape the offensive chemical. Reaching into a side pocket of his pack, Jase removed a tightly wound object from its spot. It reminded Felicity of a poster or picture, wound up so as not to create creases in its surface. When Jase opened the object and began to shake it out, she recognized it as a small vinyl tarp which Jase then placed on the ground near the trunk of the tree.

“Come here,” he commanded again, and seating himself on the tarp, he leaned back against the tree. Hesitantly, Felicity ambled toward him, crouched awkwardly beneath the protruding branches of the brush. Falling to her knees, she crawled shyly toward Jase, her reserve balking at the intimacy of the situation. As she inched toward him, he reached back into the pack and pulled out another tightly wound bundle, a thin wool blanket she saw as he shook it out. Felicity laughed.

“Is there something you’re not carrying in there? Or are you going to produce a five-star resort in a minute.”

He smiled wryly, and, finally impatient at her reluctance, reached out and lifted her to him, turning her so that her back rested against his chest.

“Get some sleep,” he insisted.

Shifting her hips, Felicity moved to where she could look at him, her legs crossed perpendicularly across his. He tilted his head at her in confusion.

“I need to talk to you,” she stammered, nerves fettering her tongue.

“What is it, Liss? You look serious.”

“You mean more serious than people chasing me and trying to sell me into slavery?”

Jase pursed his lips. “You know what I mean. What’s going on?” He grasped her hand in his, gently massaging the back of her hand with his thumb.

Damn! she complained internally when her gut thrummed in pleasure at this touch.

“Now that we are out of your cabin, now that the immediate danger is over, you need to just set me on my way and get yourself to safety. The whole reason you interfered was to keep me out of Bill’s machine, and you have done that, but once you put me on that train, you need to get yourself out of this.”

“Liss!” he contradicted, his hand rising to brush her hair out of her face. “Do you think I could rest before I am sure you are safe? Before you get back to your children and can settle in stability?”

She gritted her teeth, determined not to react to the prickle of heat that followed the path of his hand on her face. Refusing to thrill at the slight accent that thickened his tone with emotion. “That is not your job. It’s not your call.

“Stop, Liss. Felicity…there is no way you can convince me to abandon you.”

“But –“ Her plan was not working, largely because the two halves of her psyche could not unite in the effort.

“No,” he pressed. “I am incredibly stubborn, and when I start something, I finish it. I understand that you are having trust issues…” Jase sought her eyes with a smirk. “And I am fully aware that you are thinking this is a good chance to take back control of your situation, but Liss…”

Felicity bit her lip, holding herself tightly in an upright position. Every moment, he pulled her to him with his concern.

“This is not the place, and this is not the time for you to strike out on your own – not when we have come this far. Some time in the next couple of hours, Briel will find you. If I leave you, she will abandon any search for me because I am not her target – you are. Just let me get you out of this.”

She want to jump to her feet, to scramble out of the little cave and run until she collapse somewhere in the middle of the forest. But, why? Because she thought Jase would hand her over to Bill? No, she didn’t think that. She definitely didn’t believe that. Before she realized what she was doing, her shoulders relaxed, and her face turned to the ground.

Moving his hand to her chin, raised her face. “I have told you from the beginning that I was going to take care of you, and I meant it. I will keep you safe for as long as you’ll let me, and when you won’t, I’ll make sure you have resources so you can manage it yourself.”

Exhausted, Felicity turned her face into his sweater, grabbing the material and pulling herself in to bury her face in the soft cloth. “I’m sorry,” she moaned. “This is so confusing, You are confusing.” Despite her words, she melted against him, her head under his chin.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he soothed. “You have been through more than anyone should have to bear, and you have handled it with incredible strength. You’ve been pursued by something so much bigger than you, and you’ve been pursued by your would-be rescuer.” He pulled her more tightly against him. “You are completely justified in never trusting anyone again. I just want you to let me get you to safety, and then whatever you choose to believe about me, you probably won’t be far off from the truth. Until then, though, I have one purpose, and it is to make you safe.”

The physical relief of repose began to creep over Felicity’s tired, sore muscles as she lost the will to fight against the comfort he offered. With her mind at war with her instincts, she did not have the internal fortitude to maintain a battle she did not really believe in. She soon felt herself slipping out of consciousness. If he seemed to inhale the scent of her hair, what did it cost Felicity? If she let his warmth envelope her, what danger did it entail? She was not going to run, and she now realized that fact. A moment later, she remembered nothing more.