Chapter 14

All my vulnerable woe fleets away into panic as I realize what Jake intends to do. Jake boxes and practices martial arts as a fitness regime and he used to be a scrapper in his teens, always in trouble. I know he's a fighter, but I'm still beyond terrified. Ray and Jake are equally matched in body size, almost in height and definitely in aggression so there's no telling what the outcome will be, and I can't bear it. I run after him screaming his name manically; he's much faster than I am and he's already out of the building tearing off in the direction of a lone figure walking in the distance. Jake can run like the wind. I can't even begin to catch up, throwing my stilettos off and proceeding barefoot, my body shedding adrenaline fast and I get a cramp in my leg so badly I fall. Panic sears through me as I try to get up, they're too far from me to really see what's happening but the figures have collided. They're a jumble of blurry shapes, a joined mass of movement, arms coming