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She looked to the mirror again, jumping when a pair of black eyes stared back at her.
“Hello, Jenna,” James said.
Her heart thundered wildly in her chest. He knew her name, and he’d followed her. Her mind raced as she thought through her options.
She could scream and say he was stalking her. The pharmacy attendant might call the police, but that would only lead to questions she couldn’t answer. And anyway, James was the head of the CIA... he had resources and contacts she didn’t. Especially given she couldn’t contact Lisa.
The police wouldn’t help her. She needed to help herself.
She took a calming breath then looked him in the eyes. “Hello, James,” she responded, her voice surprisingly cool and collected.
They stared at each other, playing a mental game of cat and mouse.
“I’m going to make this easy for you. I don’t want to hurt you, and if you do what I say, I won’t. If you do otherwise, I’ll do whatever I need to do,” he said, his voice calm and controlled.
She nodded slowly.
“Walk to the entrance and a black sedan will pull up. Get inside. Do not scream, and especially, do not try to run,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
She nodded again, turned, and took a step forward. He didn’t walk beside her but was a step behind. In all their planning, she’d never once fully comprehended how powerful his presence was.
As she neared the door, she knew she only had a split second to put her plan into place. She slipped her phone into her pocket, stepped out of the pharmacy and dropped her bag, emptying the contents onto the pavement. It would only buy her one second as James had to step or jump over it, but that second was better than nothing.
She bellowed a high-pitch scream, causing the lady walking in to stop in front of James. Jenna surged forward, sprinting down the street. She was at the end of the block when she saw his face and her body flushed cold.
The man from the train tracks.
Jenna came to a halt.
Jenna didn’t believe in ghosts, but she didn’t have time to think about it. She ran in front of the traffic, eliciting a chorus of honking noises, and darted between cars. Once on the other side, she didn’t stop to look back but she knew James would only be steps behind her.
She ran with no idea of where she was going—no real plan. She was almost at Union Square when she saw him again.
She blinked, almost tripping over her feet as the man stood in front of her again. Her stomach churned and she looked over her shoulder. James was no more than ten steps behind her.
Her head snapped to the left, then back to him. He stood still, not moving, but looking right at her. Was it possible he’d run across the street?
She didn’t know, and she didn’t have time to think about it now.
James was behind her, the man in front, and the ghost of the man to her left.
She ran right, straight into the Union Square.
Her heartbeat whooshed in her ears and her legs felt heavy, but she couldn’t stop. She was almost at the plaza when she saw him again.
She skidded to a halt and his lips turned up. She backed up.
No, no!She shook her head furiously, her breath caught in her throat.
She was losing her mind. This was like some kind of horror movie.
“Do not move,” he growled from behind her.
She knew it was James. His voice had that same calm yet menacing edge to it.
Jenna felt the press of metal against her lower back and her jaw locked.
“If you scream, I will turn you into the police for attempted murder. The man you secured to the track was wearing a body camera, Jenna. You play by my rules now, or I’ll ensure you spend every minute of your life in prison.”
