"What the hell is going on?" Jai demands.

"What!"

"Do you need me in there?"

"A car accident?" I shriek. "Are you okay?"

"All right, if you're not out here in three minutes, I'm coming in."

"I'm on my way!" I snap the phone shut. I have her attention now. "Please get Steve. Mr. Lee's been in an accident."

The secretary rises with a frantic look.

"I told him not to take the interstate. Too busy this time of day," I add while she rushes to the locked door. As soon as the door clicks shut, I text Jai 5 MIN then tap my heel on the tile and hold my stomach. We have to get out of here like now. I dash to the door when the three of them come out. "We've got to go. Your daddy's been in an accident."

Ping looks skeptical. I'm not sure if the look is part of the act, but he'd better follow along or I'll grab his ear and yank him out like the bitchy stepmother I'm pretending to be.

"Mrs. Lee, may I have one minute of your time?" the doctor asks.

No, you may not. I shove Ping outside. "My husband's on the side of the highway!"

"This is important." He marches over to me.

He is close. Too close. "I have to go." The phone rings behind us.

He grips my arm. "Mrs. Lee-"

The receptionist interrupts him. "Doctor Smith's on the phone. He says it's urgent."

My mouth drops open and I yank at his hold. That call so can't be a coincidence. His fingers dig into my arm. He glares at me from over his bifocals and leans forward. "Your step-son is faking."

"W-what?" I stammer over the receptionist talking in the background.

He lets go of my arm. "I'm pretty sure he's faking for attention."

My shoulders sag with relief. With Smith on the phone I'm still desperate to get out of here. "That's very possible, but I've got to go." I step outside.

"Grab her!" the receptionist yells.

I'm already on the porch. The car waits at the bottom of the steps. Ping's halfway down the stairs. His eyes grow round at the scene behind my shoulder. I can hear them coming, but I don't look back. "Move!" I shout.

Jai gets out of the car.

"Get back in!" Not made for running, the boots pinch my feet. I almost do a nosedive down the steps. The weight of the purse doesn't help either.

"Nivea Nash, stop this instant!" Dr. Brewer yells from behind.

Shit. He'd even told them my name. Ping gets in the car as Jai rushes around to the passenger seat. Good idea. I'm able to get in quicker from this side. At the end of the steps, I throw the purse in, dive into the driver's seat, and slam the door shut.

Jai jumps in and hits the locks.

The receptionist's fists pound on my window and the idiot doctor stands in front of my vehicle. I chug in air while my mind screams the question: how did he know we were here? The card in her purse, they must have realized I saw the card.

"What's going on?" Chang cries from the back.

I toss the car into reverse and take off before the old doctor's butt can move over. "Put something far away in the GPS. In case they call the cops!" I stomp the pedal to the floor.

Jai's fingers push buttons.

As I squeal out to the highway, Ping asks, "What happened?"

I glance back at him through the mirror. "Smith called. Somehow he knew we were there."

Jai's face twists with confusion. "How do you know he called?"

I glance at the GPS and catch the word Pennsylvania. That's definitely far. Getting out of the state of New York sounds good to me. The farther from Mali and Smith at this point, the better. "Get Chang's phone out of my purse. Look at the pictures." While I speed and my hands shake, Jai zooms in on the photos.

"It's them," he says.

"Read it," I demand.

He lifts the phone until its inches from his face and reads: "Ms. Mali Hartell, who runs an established consulting firm, has promised over two million dollars to Dr. Smith for his upscale program for mentally unstable and addicted teens. His plans for the money include buying and renovating an old high school near Stony Point, NY. "I believe a country setting will be the best place for these teens to heal." Ms. Hartwell is enthusiastic. "Teens need different treatment than adults, and I decided to fund this because it addresses those differences." The program will begin accepting applications next year. However, most insurance companies offer little or no reimbursement. Dr. Smith is hopeful that as more strides are made in research, which will be done on site, they will see a need for such facilities. Yet others like Dr. Norwell, who runs the adolescent wing of Memorial Hospital, questions Dr. Smith's idea and his practices. "Taking these kids and removing them to a separate facility in the middle of nowhere is not teaching them to cope. They also, in my opinion, issue too many prescriptions and-"

"The rest is cut off," Jai says.

I just shake my head. Unfreakin' believable.

Chapter 32*Snow.

I grip the motel counter. We wasted time searching for somewhere to stay. Midnight passed and we found this place. Not part of a chain and run down it's perfect. While the last seedy motel didn't ask for anything this one out in the middle of nowhere, and a little less seedy, is being difficult.

"I'll say it again," says the man behind the counter. "You got to have a driver's license that says you're eighteen." He pulls the sides of his Hawaiian shirt, revealing his white wife beater and beer belly.

"Listen," Jai leans over the counter. "We're supposed to meet my parents in Rochester tonight. We left late on purpose. I just wanted a little alone time with my girl." He nods his head toward me.

My stomach flutters with his words until I clench my teeth as beer belly's eyes scan over me. He gives me a knowing smirk and I hide a cringe. With the pounds of makeup on my face and dressed like I am, I understand the smirk, yet it still strikes me with a buzz of irritation.

He releases the edges of his shirt. "Sorry, but I ain't gonna-"

"I'll pay double for two rooms plus a little extra," Jai says, cutting him off and shoving a wad of bills across the counter.

After staring at the roll of green, the man snaps the money up, counts it, and taps the bills against his palm. "All right, but if the police show up or something, you lost your license."

Jai grins at him. "No problem."

"And don't get too wild," he says with a wink to me.

Burning with embarrassment, I go out to the car while Jai waits for the keys. Ping and Chang are still asleep. In between cleaning the fast food wrappers off the floor, I repeat, "Get up, we're here," and try to control my anger. When Jai gets in, I ignore him while time alone with my girl rings in my head. The truth is I'm angry with myself. As soon as I heard the words, I wished they were true. Guess my crush didn't die. Like always, I'm such an idiot when it comes to him.

Inside the room, I go directly to the shower. The caked on makeup feels like a week's worth of grime on my face, the gelled hair like a nest. Once clean and dressed in a Yogi Bear t-shirt and flowered shorts, I slowly step out of the bathroom. My reaction to *spend some time alone with my girl' has me worried I might act like a fool.

He's on the far bed sorting through bags of clothes we bought at the mall. From the looks of it, there's a dirty pile, a Jai pile, a Ping pile, and a Chang pile. He never ceases taking care of those two.

I sit on the bed. "Why did you have to tell that guy I was your girl?" I blurt before I can stop the question.

Jai's fingers pause folding a shirt. He doesn't look up. "Really, that's bothering you?"

I cross my arms. "Well, I usually don't like to look like a slut."

His head snaps up. "Why would you think that?"

I fear I may be slipping into idiot territory. Now that I opened my mouth, I have to plead my case. "What else is alone time with my girl supposed to mean?"

"That we're alone." He shakes his head. "It's not a slut reference. I believe couples tend to spend time alone."

"Did you see how the clerk looked at me?" My eyes round to confirm my point.

He drops the shirt in the pile and the fabric unravels from its neat folds. "You know, I don't think this is about that." He faces me and bends over with his elbows on his knees. His gaze searches mine while my heart hammers in my chest. He knows. I've finally given myself away. I'm not going to be able to explain myself out of it this time. He leans just a bit further across the space between the two beds. The small, small gap between us. Shit. Shit Shit. I can't form a coherent thought with him so close. His eyes narrow. "I think you're embarrassed at the idea of dating someone poor. Or maybe it's the Asian thing."

I blink. I breathe. I blink again. "What?"

His hands clasp together between his knees. "You're used to being seen with Ivy League types. White guys with money."

After gaping at him, I almost laugh. The guys I dated back in Cleveland-if you count going to the movies, school dances, or meeting at the local park dating-tended to be skate boarder or artist types plus maybe a jock or two, but the type he's referring to don't live in the suburbs of Cleveland. And I haven't even looked at a guy in New York until him. Not that I'm going to ever admit that. As he sits there and stares at his hands, I realize this has more to do with him than with me. Perfect Jai has a crack in his armor. And I'm sure the fissure in his self-esteem has a history. Being a poor orphan in Chinatown wouldn't be easy. My heart squeezes. The insight somehow endears him to me more. I'm not sure about his superficial opinion of me; whether it's a natural defense or he really thinks I'm that way. Though it upsets me, I need to tread lightly here.

Jai," I say slowly and wait until those dark eyes find mine. "I'm not like that. Really, it had nothing to do with you. The guy just made me feel slimy. But please don't put me in the category of people who judge people like that." My eyes implore him to believe me.

He takes a deep breath and reaches for a pile of t-shirts. "Yeah, I may have overreacted. Sorry." He drops the pile on the dresser and moves toward the bathroom. "Get some sleep. We've got a lot to figure out tomorrow."

When the hollow bathroom door shuts, I let out a groan and fall into bed. I'm such a hormonal idiot. People are attacking me, drugging me, chasing me, and my biggest worry is that he might figure out my attraction to him, which I can't seem to control no matter how hard I try.

Boom.

I spring out of bed clawing blankets.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Disorientation dissolves. Someone is destroying the orange motel door.

In the darkness, I hear movement next to me and my arms flail in defense.

"Stop it!" Jai hisses in a whisper and catches my elbow. "The Tong's here." He yanks me out of bed. "Send Ping and Chang in. Lock the door between us then get the car." He drops my bag, shoes, and coat into my hands. "Here's my phone," he pushes the plastic into my hand. "Call Chang's phone. At the first ring we'll come out."

"But-"

"Go!" he urges and pushes me toward the connecting door.

The banging continues as I stumble next door through the darkness. Ping is already up. I almost run into him. I explain Jai's plan in an incoherent rush and he pulls a disoriented Chang from the bed. With shaky hands, I turn the lock after they leave, and try to catch my breath. This can't be happening. How the hell did they find us so fast?

Shouts ring from the other room. More banging ensues followed by a resounding crack. Grunts and bumps follow. Furniture splitting. Something or someone crashes into the wall next to me. Imagining Jai, Chang, or Ping hurt, I stifle a scream with my hand and force myself to put my coat on and slide a pair of jeans over my shorts. Digging in my bag for the keys, I peek through a slit in the curtains. The parking lot looks empty of people. The wall next to me vibrates. My eyes scan the lot again. I can't see a soul. One more bump against the wall and I'm out the door.

Like a four year old, I tiptoe to the Mercedes. The black Town car parked next to the SUV has me shaking inside, but I force myself to keep calm. Grunts and shouts tumble out of the broken door. I hit unlock. Crash. Glass shatters onto the sidewalk followed by Chang's voice yelling in Chinese. I slide into the driver's seat and slowly pull the door closed.

I dig for the phone in my pocket. Okay, almost home free. A body flies out of the window and tumbles across the sidewalk. I flick open the phone as the man pushes himself off the sidewalk. He stumbles forward. I push Chang's number. He's next to me. I hit send. He wipes his face, shakes his head, and his eyes meet mine. I choke on air.

I'm staring at Kevin's bloody face, something I never wanted to see again. Terror rushes through me. My entire body shudders with it while the muted sound of ringing fills the silence. Kevin jumps at the door. Chang's voice mail clicks on. Finally, I move and tap the lock just as his hand finds the handle.

He spits, yells, and beats on my door.

My trembling fingers drop the keys. He beats on my window. I face forward, refusing to look at him as I reach and search. The key is wedged under the seat. My heavy breath fills the gaps of sound in between the pounding next to me. I use a fake nail to flick the key out. Glass cracks next to my head when I shove the key into the ignition. Still refusing to look at him, I throw the vehicle into reverse and squeal into a three sixty. Kevin chases. I shoot past him and pull right up to the broken door. My friends stumble out. Dark shadows tumble out after them. I slam on the accelerator before the doors are shut and squeal out of the parking lot.

I drive toward the expressway as if a trophy and a million dollars wait at some imaginary finish line. Heavy pants fill the car. The dark Pennsylvania landscape passes by in a blur. Behind me, endless black. There's no way their Town Car can catch up. The speedometer hits one hundred. Fortunately, the road at four in the morning is deserted. My nerves almost instantly calm.

"Where to now?" I ask in a light tone.

"A hospital?" Jai says in a shaky voice.

His words have me snapping on the overhead light.

When I look at him, I cuss then swerve.

Chapter 33*Snow.

A smear of blood runs down his face, but that's not what has my lungs constricting. His ripped pants allow me to see the long, vertical cut on his leg. Almost the length of his thigh, the slash runs down the side and curls under his knee. Scarlet liquid makes a pond on the leather seat. Did one of them have a freakin' sword? A machete? Staring at the oozing gash, I almost run off the road again.

"Ahhhh!" Chang shouts. "Slow down!"

There's so much blood. Too much blood. I push the guilt and fear raging through me down. If Jai's going to live, I have to get it together. I pull my gaze back to the road and push the pedal to the floor. "Chang get up here and find the nearest hospital."

"Why?" he asks. "Are you going to kill us with your driving?"

If he doesn't do it now, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands. "Jai's bleeding to death."

Chang pops his head between the seats, looks at the bloody leg, gasps, and immediately presses his fingers to the GPS screen.