"Tell Lisa I need her."
"Jennie," she whines. "You're scaring me."
My eyes dart out the window and I see Kai stalking across the street with a purposeful look in his eyes. "Just promise you'll call her right after I leave and make her find me." I shove my phone down into my bra and shakily hand her my purse. "Keep this for me, please."
I don't wait for an answer. I bolt out of the restaurant, shoving past people along the way. The moment I step outside and the warm breeze whips around me, I'm chilled by a voice.
"Letty Spaghetti," he chides. "You know I hate Hide and Seek."
Terror claws its way up my throat, but I don't fight him when he grips my elbow. Willingly, I walk with him across the street. He opens up the passenger door and closes it behind me once I'm seated. My gaze flits across the street and I'm thankful to see Gwen staying on her side of the road with her phone pressed against her ear. Kai slides into the driver's seat and wastes no time peeling out into the busy traffic.
The silence is deafening.
I'm too afraid to look at him or speak to him. When I finally chance a peek, he's gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles are white. His jaw is hard and his thick neck muscles keep ticking.
This is bad.
This is so bad.
I suck in a frantic breath but will myself to calm down. I need to think and plan. He doesn't know I have my phone yet, so if my stalker girlfriend is tracking me—which I have no doubt she is—then maybe she'll find me.
"I've looked for you for a long time," he tells me, his voice every bit as cold as I remember. "Your style has changed since I saw you last." His gaze roams up my bare legs as he takes in my sleek pencil skirt and bright pink cashmere button-down blouse. "You look like a damn naughty librarian."
I look down into my lap but don't speak. I'm too afraid of setting him off. He's calm right now but I know his monster will rear its ugly head sooner than I'd like.
"You know," he grits out. "I was so fucking pissed when I found out you bailed on me that night. I mean, I get it. I shouldn't have lent you to that asshole. But, angel," he says as his strong hand rests on my thigh. "I killed him for you. You should have seen me as a hero."
My body begins to tremble and as a physiological response to this monster, my leg begins to go numb where he touches me. At one time, I was able to numb everything. Even my mind.
"You were always quiet, Letty Spaghetti, but never this quiet. What's got a grip on your throat?" he growls. "I know it sure as hell ain't me. But it will be soon."
My phone buzzes against my breast, and I pray he doesn't hear it. Of course my prayers fall on deaf ears because he most definitely hears. With a rough yank, he grabs the material of my shirt and pulls it until the buttons ping off. Then, he snags my phone from my bra. I'm not at all surprised when he tosses it out of the window.
"Your tits look just as nice as I remember," he praises as he cups my breast over my bra. "I bet your pussy is every bit as perfect too."
I close my eyes and try to block out his touches. He squeezes my breast so hard that I yelp, popping my eyes back open.
"Your mom says hi," he tells me with a harsh laugh as he tugs the front of my bra down. His fingers dive beneath the fabric where he pinches my nipple.
"Leave my mom out of this," I hiss, tears welling in my eyes.
He snorts. "She speaks! She fucking speaks!"
"Please, Kai."
He yanks at my bra until I'm halfway over the console and nearly into his lap as he continues to drive. "I love it when you beg."