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“Exactly,” Anna agrees. “I can give you directions to my house if you tell me what road we’re on right now.”

“We know where you live,” I say. “We have been planning this for a while.”

“Well, then there is no reason not to go,” she concludes.

“Just stop there really quick. I’ll be in and out in a minute,” I promise.

Mark sighs in annoyance, but takes the turn toward her house anyway.

Anna grins in satisfaction, before explaining to me what I need to grab for her and where everything is at.

By the time we park in front of the house she and her parents live, I have the list and directions memorized.

“Three minutes or I leave your stupid ass here,” Mark warns as I hop out of the van. As soon as I close the door behind me, I pull off the mask and stuff it into my pocket. Scanning the suburban street, I make sure no one saw me, or is looking at the van suspiciously. Luckily, everything is clear.

I walk up to the door, where I find a key under the mat, just as Anna said. Once I’m inside, I quickly make my way up the stairs and to her room, which looks just like I imagined it would. Homey, neat, and decorated with light colors. It suits her, and if I had more time, I would spend it going through her stuff just to get to know her better.

I fold up the thick blanket from the bed, and grab the e-reader from the nightstand before placing both on the guinea pig’s pen.

As soon as I lif‌t the cage, the small fluffy animal dashes from his little plastic house with the most annoying high-pitched squeal I have ever heard. Trying my best to ignore the painful sound, I speed-walk down the stairs and back outside.

Back at the van, I set everything down for a moment to pull my mask on again. When I open the door, Anna jumps forward, snatching the cage from my hold.

“Oh, Wiggles! It’s okay. I’m here,” she coos, opening the cage to let him out.

I climb into the van, while Wiggles climbs into Anna’s lap. At least he is no longer making that god-awful sound. Thank fuck.

Mark takes off, tires squealing, before the door is completely shut.

It takes us over an hour to get to the safe house. I spend every minute of it studying her, learning every facial expression, and memorizing every curve of her slender body as I fantasize about peeling that dress off her.

“We’re almost there,” Mark announces from the front seat. I meet his eyes in the rearview mirror and see the same uncertainty I’m feeling reflecting back at me.

“Where is there?” Anna asks, trying to peek between the front seats out of the windshield.

“A place we can stay in for a while.”

“We?” she questions, her perfectly shaped eyebrows raise.

“Yes,” I confirm. “You, him—” I nod to Mark. “—and of course, Wiggles.” I lean forward, wanting to be closer to her, hoping to get another whiff of her flowery perfume that has my mouth watering.

I must be losing my mind because I swear I see excitement flickering in her pale blue eyes.

“Are you going to wear a mask the whole time?”

“No. I told you. I’ll lose my mask as soon as your dress is off.” I can’t help but grin when I see her cheeks turn a hue of pink. She lowers her head, letting strands of her golden blonde hair fall into her face like she is trying to hide from me.

Oh, baby, there is no hiding.

The van comes to a stop, announcing our arrival. Mark kills the engine and turns his body to look at us. “You gonna walk into the house, or do we have to carry you in?”

“I’ll walk,” she agrees, gathering up Wiggles to hold him to her chest.

“If you’re thinking about running, don’t bother. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, and you won’t get far. Besides, we won’t hurt you,” I assure her.

She still doesn’t look convinced, and when she pulls off her high heels before inching closer to the door, I’m sure she is going to try to run anyway.

Mark walks around the van and pulls the back door open, and bright sunshine filters in, making me squint my eyes as I watch Anna scoot along the side to the door until her feet hang out. Her feet touch the ground, and Mark takes a step to the side to give her some space. Just as I expected, she takes that as an invitation to dash away from us.