“Not really. Relax.”

“I can’t.” Mary couldn’t see the driver in her mirror, so she turned around in her seat, straining against the shoulder harness. On top of the grille glinted the slivery emblem of a Mercedes-Benz. Justin has a black Mercedes. “It’s a Mercedes!”

“Right. An SL. What a ride. If it’s the 500, it has a five-liter engine. One of the most powerful cars on the road.”

Oh, great. Mary was trying not to panic. The Mercedes was speeding up to them, but she couldn’t see the driver’s face in the darkness. “Is it a man or a woman driving? Can you tell?”

“No.” Gary looked in the rearview again. “Does it matter?”

“How long has that car been back there?”

“I don’t know. What are you worrying about?” Gary looked at her like she was nuts. “So he’s tailgating, so what?”

“Why would he? It doesn’t make sense.” Mary sized up the traffic, which was light as the road stretched out toward Jersey. “All the other lanes are totally open. Why doesn’t he just go around us?”

“I don’t know!” Gary laughed, softly. “Sit back down and relax, will you? I can’t drive with you popping around like -”

“How fast can this car go?” Mary blurted out, panicky.

“Fast. Not as fast as the SL, but fast.”

“Then lose this guy. If you can lose him, I’ll calm down. If you can’t, I’m calling 911.” Mary twisted back onto her seat, reached for her purse, and took out her cell phone, so it was ready.

“You gonna call the cops for tailgating?” Gary’s mouth dropped open, but Mary was beyond explaining.

“Just go!”

“Okay, sit back and hold on!” Gary hit the gas, and the Lexus surged forward with surprising power.

Mary fell back in her seat. They barreled forward as if the highway were greased for them, whizzing past the Oregon Avenue exit. Dinner could wait. She tried to figure out what was going on. Chico had evidently changed cars. He had followed her to the restaurant. He was going to run them off the road or ram them. Poor Gary, mixed up in this. In the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Gary, go faster. Go!” She turned around and looked over her shoulder. The Mercedes was falling behind. She felt a leap of hope in her chest. “Go!”

“Sit down!” Gary shouted back, and as soon as Mary sat back down, he floored the gas pedal. The Lexus burst forward, shot like a rocket.

Mary looked back. The Mercedes was way back, evidently making no attempt to catch up to them. They had lost it! Thank God!

“They’re gone! Ha!” Mary heard herself laugh with nervous relief. She turned and double-checked, but the purplish headlights of the Mercedes were pinpoints. She exhaled, finally. The car could have been nothing, but she wasn’t taking chances. It could have happened the way she thought, but it hadn’t. Not this time, at least. She was safe again. The Lexus slowed, bringing its speed nearer the limit.

“What was that all about?” Gary asked her, almost laughing. “Are you crazy or what?”

“It’s a long story.” Mary looked over, and his dark eyes shone with that excitement men get from high speeds and St. Pauli Girl. Another disastrous blind date, but he might call her back. Guys love crazy chicks.

“Tell it, for Christ’s sake! This I’d love to hear.”

Mary sank into her seat, her adrenaline buzzing in her ears. Her heartbeat returned to normal, her mouth felt less dry. She tried to process what had just happened. How could she explain it? Should she explain it? And could she swear Gary to secrecy, or would he run back to Bennie and get her fired? He hadn’t come down yet, from his excitement.

“Hell, Bennie didn’t tell me you were nuts! He told me you were a nice, quiet girl!”

He? Mary must not have heard him right. “What did you say?”

“I said, Bennie never told me you were so wild! Wait’ll I get my hands on him!”

Her, Mary was about to correct him, then froze. He? Him? It was a natural mistake, but it would never have been made by a friend of Bennie’s. It would never have been made by anyone who had even met her. Mary’s thoughts jumped back in time. A regular lawyer? No dog hair in the car? Suddenly it all fit together. This man wasn’t Gary Haddon. This man worked for the Saracones. He must have followed her to the restaurant, then stationed himself at the bar. And she was in a speeding car with him, alone. She had to stay calm, and play along.

“He didn’t tell you that, did he?” Mary asked, but even she heard a new fear in her voice. It made the man look over, and his smile faded. They locked eyes and in one glance, he knew. She couldn’t pull it off. Oh my God, no. “Help!” Mary screamed and lunged for the door lock, but her injured hand couldn’t hold her grip.

“NO!” the man yelled.

“HELP! PLEASE!” Suddenly all hell broke loose in the car. Mary was yanked backward by her hair. Her neck almost broke. Her scalp exploded in pain.

“HELP!” Mary kept screaming, trying to pull him off. Her cell phone fell from her hand. The Lexus careened into the next lane. There was no other traffic. No one to see the struggle. It was too dark.

“HELP!” She struggled to free herself. Reach the door. The window. Anything. “HELP!”

The next thing Mary knew, her face was pushed into the car window with the impact of a head-on collision.

One that happened again and again and again.

Forty-Three

Mary woke up in darkness, lying down on her side. Something heavy covered her completely, like the biggest blanket in the world. It made it hard to breathe. Hot. Sticky. Her head was killing her. Her thoughts were cloudy. Confused. Pain seared into her brain from her forehead and her right eye.

god my head my head hurts so much

She reached up to touch the spot, but she couldn’t move her hand. She tried to move it again, but it wouldn’t budge. It was behind her back. She pulled harder, hurting her shoulder, but it still didn’t move. Something was binding her wrists. Both wrists. She could feel the pulling. The same thing with her legs. They were stuck together, one on top of the other. She couldn’t separate them. They were bound at the ankle.

Mary couldn’t see anything. It was the blanket, on top of her. Wetness poured from somewhere into her eyes, warm. She blinked and blinked but she couldn’t clear her eyes. They stung, drowning in the liquid. Her forehead burned. It felt like her hair was on fire. She tried to speak, she couldn’t open her mouth. She couldn’t move her lips. Something tight was covering them. It cut into her nostrils. It was so hard to breathe. She could feel moisture under her nose, she was leaking, warm and wet. Then she remembered.

The Lexus. The man. The car window. Her gut twisted at the memory. And the realization: her hands were tied behind her back. Her mouth was taped. Her head was probably bleeding. It was dark. Justin. In the next second, whatever she was in lurched forward, jostling her. She heard a powerful car engine. She smelled exhaust. Moving now.

She was in the trunk of a car. The Lexus? The Mercedes? Were both drivers in it together? Did it matter? Mary felt herself surrender to panic. Her heart thundered. She screamed, emitting only a muffled mmmm, a cry that began and ended in her throat. Terror rose in her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

MMMMMMM! MMMMMM! MMMMMM!

Mary told herself not to panic. Think. Plan. Figure it out. Be brave. No, be determined. She was determined to live. The Lexus picked up speed. The jostling was almost constant now. She could hear road noise. Other cars. She was lying on her right side. Judging from the pull, she was facing the front of the car. Her hands were tied at the back. She forced herself to think. Assess the situation.

Okay, okay, in a car trunk, going somewhere fast. Legs, mouth, and hands taped. Cell phone? Lost in the fight in the car. No one knew where she was, not even Bennie. Bennie thought she was with her friend Gary Haddon.