Wouldn't have to, when all he had to do was call her name...
Heart pounding unevenly, she ran, desperate to get lost in the evening crowds and the safe oblivion they offered her mind.
Dusk began to streak the sky with crimson sheets. She reeled like a drunkard and smacked into an old man. His curse followed her as she staggered on. She had to keep going, had to escape, before he came after her.
"Nikki!"
Her heart stopped. Oh lord, he'd found her! Without looking back, she ran on. Somehow, Jasper had found her. Terror lent her feet wings.
Nikki!
The shout reverberated through her. She bit back a cry of terror. He was after her. She had to keep on running.
Stop! Nikki, watch it...
A screech of tires filled her ears. Too late she became aware of the road, the traffic, and the red car rushing upon her.
She tried to dodge, but the car hit her. Agony exploded as oblivion swept in.
Chapter Ten
The heavy rumbling of traffic woke her some time later. Nikki shifted slightly, and silk rustled against her skin, bunching near her thigh. A faint scent clung to the material, warm, musty and recognizable. She smiled, wondering how she'd come to be wearing Michael's shirt. Opening her eyes, she studied the room. The sun peeped brightly behind the curtained window to her left, casting pinpoints of lights across the pale blue walls. Paint peeled from the smoke-stained ceiling above her, and from the small brown dresser next to the bed. It wasn't her room, or her dresser. Her heart skipped several beats. Where was she?
A hand rested lightly on hers, enclosing her fingers in warmth. Michael. She closed her eyes briefly and wished he'd take her in his arms, tell her that it had all been a nightmare, that everything would be all right. But he didn't move, and maybe that was just as well.
"What time is it?” she asked softly.
"Four in the afternoon."