“You bitch!”

She knew it wouldn’t kill him, but it gave her some time.

Maya raced from the room and down the stairs. She jerked the front door open and ran into the night. Her eyes darted frantically up and down the street, not sure which way to run. She let instinct take over and turned west toward the part of the city she knew best.

At the next stoplight, she saw a flatbed truck which carried flattened cardboard boxes. She eased onto the back of it taking shelter behind the cargo, making sure the driver didn’t see her. When the lights turned green, the truck jerked into motion.

Thirty

Gabriel jumped out of the car, his long legs eating up the distance to the front door of Samson’s house. It stood wide open, and light spilled onto the steps. Not a good sign.

The panic that had already gripped him earlier only intensified at the sight of the empty foyer and the silence in the house. He instantly saw the dust on the floor, together with a cell phone, some loose change, and a ring – Carl’s ring. Oh, God, no! Ricky had already been here.

The grief for his friend and Samson’s loyal servant almost made his knees buckle.  But he couldn’t—wouldn’t—be weak now.  Not when Maya … “Maya! Maya!” he yelled, not expecting any answer. He knew what he would find.

Taking three steps at a time, he ran up the stairs and stormed into the guestroom that Maya had been occupying. The stench of blood instantly assailed him. His eyes zeroed in on a metal fire poker, which lay on the rug, its tip covered in blood.

Gabriel inhaled and for an instant, he felt relieved. The blood wasn’t Maya’s. She had fought him. A sense of pride spread within him, only to be instantly replaced by more fear. He recognized the blood as Ricky’s. Was he dead or had she merely injured him before he was able to take her away with him? There was no telltale dust on the rug so he had to assume both of them were alive.

He stared at the blood-covered metal stick and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his strength. He couldn’t lose her, not now, not when he’d just paved the way for them to be together.

Before he could turn to leave the room in order to search for them, he felt a stab in his head. A split second later, his eyes looked at the scene in front of him, a scene that had played out in this very room only minutes earlier. He’d tapped into Maya’s memories. How, he didn’t know. This had never happened to him before. He’d never been able to access somebody else’s memories unless he was physically close. Maybe his connection to Maya was so strong, he didn’t need to be close to her to tap into what she’d seen.

Gabriel concentrated and watched as Ricky kissed her brutally. He saw how she used her new skill to disable him so she could get away from him. As she ran out the door, he saw everything through her eyes, including the streets she looked at, the truck she jumped onto.

His feet carried him downstairs and out the door. He slammed it shut and headed for the Audi. While concentrating on traffic with one eye, his inner eye kept the connection with Maya’s memories. He recognized the streets and houses she’d passed as the truck she sat on drove further and further west.

She’d gotten away from him, but Gabriel didn’t delude himself for even a second that Ricky wasn’t on her heels already. He had to get to her first and make sure she would be safe.

***

The truck stopped at a red light, and Maya jumped off. They’d reached the east end of Golden Gate Park. She realized the sun would come up soon, and she needed to find shelter before it was too late. While it was tempting to run to the hospital which was only blocks away from the park, Maya knew Ricky would expect her to hide out there and find her. No, she had to go somewhere where he wouldn’t suspect her and hide until she could summon help.

She crossed the meadow and passed the children’s playground with its carousel. The tennis courts lay to her right. While there was a club house where she could find shelter from the sun, it would be swarming with people as soon as the sun came up and the first tennis players arrived for an early morning game. She wouldn’t be safe there for long.

Maya headed deeper into the woods. There was a place she knew of, had heard one of the paramedics talk about when they’d picked up a homeless man. She’d listened to the story of exactly where they’d found him, and knew she would be able to remember the way. She’d been there before. Curiosity had led her there on one of her Sunday walks, partly to check out whether the paramedic had told the truth, and partly because she’d had nothing better to do that afternoon.

She found the path she was looking for and jogged at a fast pace. At every sound, she jerked, ready to speed up if Ricky was coming for her. He’d never give up until he had her; she’d seen it in his eyes. The evil that had rolled off him had been strong, and now that she knew what he was capable of, she was surprised at herself that she hadn’t sensed it the moment Gabriel had introduced him in the kitchen.