Kate clutched the red patch on her T-shirt, now large as a saucer.

"Run," she gasped. She could see Jack wiping Charlie's car. "No, lock the door."

Too slow. Jack got in beside Charlie and handed him the keys.

"Buckle up, Charlie. Back on the I-10 west. Stick to the speed limit, we don't want to attract any attention."

Charlie glanced down at Jack's crotch and Kate cringed.

"Fucking coffee," Jack snapped.

She heard the rasp of his zipper.

"Kate, hand me a soda. The coldest there is."

Jeannie's anxiety was severe enough to give her palpitations. On Sunday morning, she'd tried to call Kate but her phone appeared to be disconnected.

There was no answer at the door when she'd knocked. A little puzzling, since Kate always had a drink with her on Sunday mornings, providing she wasn't busy. But not coffee. Why had Kate said that? Coffee gave Jeannie terrible indigestion.

She'd called the library and been told Kate wasn't due in until Monday.

Jeannie had been five times now to Kate's apartment, even gone downstairs and pressed her buzzer. The fact that she could hear nothing convinced Jeannie something was wrong, but with no apartment on the other side of Kate, no one could confirm or deny the silence. Jeannie tried calling Martin Fryer, the building superintendent who lived on the first floor. He wouldn't even come up and check.

With a sense of foreboding, Jeannie tried the emergency departments of the local hospitals. No one would tell her anything. Finally, she called the police. She thought they'd be sure to take notice, but apparently she had to wait until after the weekend. The policeman suggested Kate had gone away and forgotten to tell her. Or maybe Jeannie had forgotten. Or, as Jeannie now regretted pointing out, maybe the phone connection had broken when Kate tripped.

Disappointed by his patronizing attempts at reassurance, Jeannie had to face facts. Unless it was a child or a disabled adult or there was evidence of foul play, a person needed to be missing forty-eight hours before the police would take details, let alone start looking. She wrote down the policeman's name and then told Detective Luke Foster he'd be hearing from her again. Though she prayed it wouldn't come to that, hoping Kate would come knocking on her door like nothing had happened.

Chapter Five.

Nathan fell asleep hoping he'd wake to a new life. He didn't. Apparently he needed to do more than delete a file to make a difference.

He spent the morning following a woman whose husband suspected her of cheating. Nathan trailed her from her home to her parents, where she dropped off her two kids, on to her place of work, supposedly closed for the weekend, where her boss waited. Nathan took several shots through a window. It annoyed him they weren't even being careful. A quick fuck before they returned to their respective families, thinking if no one knew, then no one got hurt.

Nathan had clenched his teeth so hard while he'd watched that his jaw ached.

Lives destroyed because one couldn't keep his dick in his pants and the other couldn't say no. He was furious with them and even more furious with himself.

Just over a year ago, Alison had told him Jack wanted her so much, she couldn't resist. Nathan pointed out he'd wanted her, too. Why did she think they were getting married, for fuck's sake? He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. Had wanted.

Nathan knew innocence and guilt weren't always clear-cut. Simplistic to believe only selfish people cheated, those who thought too much about their own pleasure and not enough about those they'd hurt. Nathan was paid for proof of treachery, not to find out why. But sometimes, that knowledge came, too.

He was surprised how many reasons there were for infidelity. Abused women seeking kindness in gentler arms, desperate men craving affection because their wives wouldn't kiss them anymore, those trapped in loveless marriages for the sake of the children, for convenience, for money. And those like Jack, who didn't give a shit, who just liked to fuck and to hell with the consequences. And those like Alison, who'd looked for something Nathan had been unable to give her. Was Jack a better listener? Kinder? Better at making her come? What?

Kate stared out of the window. The blacktop shimmered in the heat, the land flat as a chessboard. Maybe someone would miss Charlie. They'd find his car and the ID she'd dropped. The guy who'd come out to the car would have realized something was wrong. There could be a road block ahead. Kate imagined police cars, lights flashing. Safety. The image rippled like a heat mirage and vanished to be replaced by chilling reality. If Jack hurt Charlie it would be her fault.

Jack turned and held out two closed fists. "Choose." What now? Kate hesitated, then tapped the left. Jack opened his fingers and showed her the two identity cards. Her heart slammed into her throat.

"Wrong hand, darlin'."

Fear grew again, consuming morsels of hope like a greedy cancer. Kate closed her eyes to force back tears.

"If you hadn't tried to run, I wouldn't have found them." And Charlie wouldn't be in danger.

"What will your wife do when you don't come home, Charlie?" Jack asked.

"She died seven years back."

No, you idiot. "Someone will miss you though, won't they?" Kate asked.

"I was buying lunch for my neighbors' kids. How much farther do you want me to drive? I really need to get back. They'll be hungry enough to eat the dog." Kate sagged. How did he think he'd get back? Why did he get in the car? He's going to hurt you.

"Just keep driving, Charlie. Nice and steady," Jack said.

"I don't have any money. If I did, would I be eating Sunday lunch at Burger King?"

Charlie gripped the wheel so hard, his knuckles looked like fleshless bones.

"Next exit."

Crash the car! The words stayed in her head.

"Turn off here and head for that bunch of rocks," Jack said. "We're going to find a nice place to leave you."

"Not too far from the road. I'm not so good at walking."

Kate could tell he was trying to sound cheerful and gulped back a sob. The terrain grew more rutted. No sign of life, only scrub land. After ten minutes bumping around, Jack told Charlie to stop.

"Out of the car." Jack passed Kate her glasses. "Wouldn't want you to miss this."

Kate could have run but there was nowhere to go and a high price to pay for disobedience with a chance Jack would let Charlie go. Jack crawled over the driver's seat and followed Charlie out of the car.

Charlie grasped Kate's hand. "It's going to be fine." Jack stood in front of them, the knife in his hand. "If either of you move, I'll kill the other."

"I won't say anything," Charlie said. "Leave me here and I'll walk back to the highway. But I'd appreciate a bottle of water, if you have one." Jack moved toward them and Kate took a step back, tried to pull Charlie with her.

"Oh, you moved. Lesson number one, Kate." Jack thrust the knife straight into Charlie's stomach and twisted it. "Your fault, your responsibility." Kate stared in horror as Jack yanked the knife out. Charlie's hand fell from hers, and he clutched at the wound. Dark blood poured between his fingers.

"Oh God. Run," Charlie gasped.

Kate took two steps.

"Move and I'll slit his throat," Jack said.

Charlie sank to his knees. Kate was torn between trying to help him and running. One pace forward and Jack grabbed her arm.

"I told you to stand still."

He forced the knife into her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers.

"This is your fault, Kate. You dragged him into this." Jack pushed the knife into Charlie's throat. His eyes opened wide and he looked straight at Kate. The scream froze in her throat. Jack yanked the knife out and pulled Kate away from the spray. Charlie deflated, blood gushing from his neck to sink into the sand.

Only when the light left Charlie's eyes, did Jack let her go. Kate scrambled away on hands and knees, retching.

"We're in this together, Kate. You're guiltier than me." Get up and run!

Jack laughed as she stumbled away. She might have started slow but fueled by fear she was soon flying, even faster when she heard the car's engine. Kate tried to pick the bumpiest route but what made problems for him, were the same for her. He drove right up behind her, so close that if she stopped, he'd run her over.

"Had enough exercise yet?" he called through the window.

Kate launched herself sideways, trampling through the scrub toward a gully.

Sprawling desert plants and sharp grasses scratched her legs. A car door slammed. Faster. She slithered down into the dry riverbed and tripped on the sun-baked, uneven ground. Her sandal flipped off, but she still ran, head down, headlong, still believing she could get away, even though she heard him coming behind her. Faster. Closer.

Her head snapped back as he grabbed her hair and they crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Her glasses flew off, her diaphragm went into spasm and her lungs locked. Jack rolled to one side and for a moment neither of them moved. As her chest stopped cramping, Kate caught her breath and tried to get up. Jack dragged her down and grabbed her breast.

Pinpricks of blood blossomed on her arms and legs as she writhed on the rough ground, struggling to get free. She was no match for Jack. On her back with him astride her hips, his hands pressing on her shoulders, she couldn't move. The cut he'd made started to bleed again.

"Why did you kill him? Why did you do that?"

"The way I look at it, sweetheart, it wasn't me who killed him. It was you." His eyes were so dark, they looked black. "I warned you. See what happens when you don't do as you're told?"

Kate tried to buck him off but he pressed her harder into the dirt.

"The truth is, he tried to fuck you and you stabbed him. I was taking a piss and came back to find him dead. You're a bad girl, Kate. A bad, stupid girl." He pulled up her T-shirt, and Kate yanked it back. "No."

Jack wrenched it over her head and tossed it aside. His hands moved to her breasts and she grabbed his wrists. "Oh God! Please, don't. Please, let me go."

"You're mine, Kate. You're not going anywhere." Fury filled her, choked her throat, drove her mouth. She'd done nothing to deserve this. She'd been in her apartment, not bothering anyone. She hadn't fought four years ago when the rapist attacked and afterwards wished she had.

She'd fight now.

"You pathetic little worm," she snapped. "Is this the only way you can get a woman? You disgust me."

Kate saw something animal in his eyes then, the cold gaze of a predator and in that instant knew she'd lost the battle, but she wouldn't go down without fighting.

She scratched at the ground for ammunition and bombarded his face with stones and dirt. He caught hold of the front of her bra and tugged so hard, Kate arched up and the fastening at the back broke. He tossed the bra away and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm HIV positive," she blurted.

"Don't insult my intelligence."

Taking both her wrists with one hand, he pinned them above her head, and slid his weight further down her legs. Kate struggled but did little more than grind her back into unyielding earth. He moved his head to hers and she turned away. Teeth sank into her shoulder and tears filled her eyes. His knee forced her legs apart and he ripped off her panties.

"Please. Please." It was all she could say.

Kate closed her eyes. Before, she'd not been able to see her attacker's face.

Now, she didn't want to. But she could hear. The zipper on his chinos. His grunts.

When he released her hands to unfasten her last item of clothing, she clenched her fists and swung at his face. Nothing made any difference. In moments she lay naked on the hot, rough ground.

"Please,' she whispered.

He began to thrust, his hands squeezing her breasts as he jerked his hips against her. Within seconds he stiffened and Kate felt him spurt inside her before he slumped. She could feel his heart beating fast against hers.

Time should have stopped. Kate expected the sky to darken, thunder to ring in her ears and lightning to strike him dead. None of that happened. She was cold in the sun, sticky between her legs.

Jack pressed his lips to her ear. "Way more fun this time, darlin'." He pulled out of her, zipped himself up and walked off.

This time?

Kate looked up at a blue sky that went on forever.

This time.

Everywhere hurt.

She wanted to curl up and die.

She wanted to kill him.

Rolling onto her side, Kate pushed herself up. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest, she thought it might burst through her ribs.

This time.

When she saw the sticky blobs of semen on her thighs, she turned her head and vomited. Once the spasms had passed, she drew the back of her hand over her mouth and reached for her torn panties to wipe between her legs. She ignored her bra, pulled on her skirt and crawled to her T-shirt, caked in Charlie's blood.

Her arms trembled as she pulled it over her head.

This time.

The words wouldn't go away. She found one sandal, not the other.

Kate climbed out of the gully to see Jack leaning against the car, the other sandal and her glasses dangling from his finger. She looked around but there was nowhere to go. She limped back, stood in front of him and raised her head. "Was it you last time?"

He smiled.