The Game Has Changed (8 page)

“You alright then, Luv?” Evan prodded with
consideration.

Jaime had to see the expression that went along
with his tender words. She turned her head quickly back toward him
and wasn't disappointed. He was gazing at her sympathetically as he
looked back and forth from her to the road.

“I'm sorry if my trash talk is upsetting you,
Sweetheart. You say the word and you won't hear another sound from
me.”

She sighed. She didn't mind it all that much,
but should she let him know that? “I just . . .” she
stuttered.

He kept most of his attention on her, as much
as his driving would allow. She could tell that he was totally
attuned to her and it made her feel special. People usually didn't
listen. They mostly pretended to be interested in her at school. No
one seemed to be fully focused on her, yet he seemed to be. Was it
because he was as much of a captive with her as she was with him
and had no choice but to listen? Or did he truly care about what
she had to say?

“I'm not used to it, that's all,” she finally
admitted.

“Then I'm really sorry,” he
murmured.

“My dad never talked like that to me
before.”

“Well, I should hope not.” Evan smiled sweetly
at her.

“No boy's ever talked to me. Period,” she
continued softly.

“I'm sure they have, sweet one. You're a very,
very beautiful young woman.”

Jaime's breath was literally sucked from her
body at the sound of his tender musings. She didn't mean to gasp,
but his words surprised her immensely. She also didn't mind seeing
that handsome smile of his.

“Thank you, but . . .” she stuttered, “I'm not
at all.”

“Why are you so down on yourself?” he asked
gently. “Believe me, you are very beautiful. You have to remember,
I've seen my share of women, so you need to trust my judgment about
that sort of thing.”

She stared at him out of the corner of her eyes
as he drove. “But you also have to say that,” she added
perceptively. “You have to keep me happy to get what you want,
don't you?”

She wasn't as naïve as he’d thought and it
caused him to smile. “That is true, to an extent,” he said. “But
honestly, couldn't I keep you happy in other ways? Buying you
things or something? I don't have to say you're beautiful in order
to keep you happy. I just really think it's true.”

She was now gazing at him in a completely
star-struck fashion. He was going to win her over to his side so
easily. By the end of their adventure, she would be telling the FBI
she went with him freely and willingly.

He continued his seduction. “You have the most
beautiful azure blue eyes. They speak to me.”

Jaime's heart was literally racing because of
his words, the tone of his voice, and his lovely accent. She now
knew for a fact that she was in love. The only thing she wasn't
sure of was whether he could ever love her back. He was her
kidnapper, after all. He could still very well be planning on
raping and murdering her. She didn't fully trust him yet, but she
could not deny that she was falling in love with him.

“And hair like sunshine,” he continued as if he
was reading a love poem to her. “I've never met a girl quite like
you, Sweetheart. Beautiful on the outside and in.”

“Evan!” she gasped suddenly, almost blurting
out that she loved him. Yet she stopped herself from doing
so.

Evan’s eyes bored into her momentarily as a
tender smile formed across his lips. He decided that her heart most
likely could take no more, for the moment, so he stayed quiet for a
long while. They were soon lost within their own thoughts as the
conversation died between them.

CHAPTER 8

By late afternoon, they had reached the
outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. Evan avoided major freeways for the
sole purpose of lying low, staying mostly to back roads. He
realized it would take them much longer to get to California, but
it would also be much safer this way.

He found a Wal-Mart in a small suburb of
Columbus and they stopped there for some clothes, snacks, and
cigarettes. He realized he hadn't had a smoke since before his
accident and he now wondered how he had managed it. Surprisingly
enough, he hadn't even thought about it until seeing cigarettes for
sale at the store’s checkout. That had been enough of an urge for
him to grab a pack before moving on.

***

That early evening found them in another small
motel room, not unlike the one they had occupied the night before.
Again, there was only one full bed, even smaller than the
queen-sized one they had previously shared, but Jaime didn't make a
fuss about it this time at all.

She sat pressed up against the headboard eating
potato chips and pretending to watch a sitcom on the television. In
reality, she couldn't keep her eyes off of Evan. He was sitting at
the small table near the bed and seemed engrossed with the map he
had purchased in order to plan his route back to California. He was
so intent on studying it that he had no idea that she was staring
at him.

A wondrous expression played across her face as
she watched him. He was shirtless once again and was only wearing
his blue jeans while his beautiful, untidy brown hair was hanging
down in front of his face. Occasionally, she saw him brush it back.
The lamp hanging over the table was obviously annoying him as it
kept dimming, every now and then, and she noticed him hitting it
once in a while to make it become bright again.

“You okay?” he asked, suddenly invading her
daydreams about him as he looked up at her.

She nodded quickly, shaking her head to clear
it. She watched him stand up and reach for the cigarette pack he’d
bought not too long ago.

“I'm gonna go have a smoke outside. Stay here,”
he said.

“I can come with you,” she offered.

He was pulling his tee shirt back on as she
said it. “Naw, it's cold outside, Luv. Don't want you to get
sick.”

He smiled, slipping his black leather jacket
on. He paused as he seemed to remember something. He opened the
drawer he’d placed his gun and holster in. She saw him take the gun
out. Her heart leapt with fear as he fiddled with it.

He looked up at her with a smile. “Safety's on
now,” he replied. “We wouldn't want you shooting me in the head
whilst I'm having my fag, now would we?'

“Don't worry,” she uttered shakily,
disappointed that he still didn't trust her. She decided to be bold
and cried out just as he opened the door. “Why don't you trust me
yet?”

He turned to face her. A deep sigh escaped him.
“If I were you, I don't think I'd trust me. I'd certainly want to
shoot me in the head. That's why I don't trust you yet,” he stated
and then disappeared out the door.

Jaime wasn't exactly sure as to why his
observation made her feel miserable, but it did. She started to sob
while he was outside smoking his cigarette. After a few moments of
weeping, she jumped up from the bed and stared out the front
window. It was dark outside already, but there were street lamps
lighting the grass and the parking lot out front.

She could see Evan standing beside one of the
street lamps. His head was low and one of his hands was stuffed
within his jacket pocket. The other was holding the cigarette
between his fingers. He didn't seem to be smoking it, though, and
his body language seemed depressed and sullen. She wanted to rush
over to him, yet she knew she shouldn't. Instead, she bit down on
her bottom lip and forced her tears away.

He stayed away far longer than she’d expected
him to. As Jaime sat back down on the bed, she wondered if he
needed to get away from her for a while. That idea made her just as
miserable as the last one did and she promptly started sobbing
again. When the door finally opened, she knew Evan could tell she
was crying. She saw concern written across every inch of his
face.

“What's wrong, Luv?” he asked as he slid his
jacket off of his shoulders and approached the bed's
edge.

She didn't want to admit that he was making her
cry as she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing it.
After all, he was plenty cocky enough. Instead, she proceeded to
lie and utilize the pity defense at the same time. “I'm just
homesick,” she sobbed.

He nodded slowly. “Of course you are,” he
whispered. “Is there something in your backpack that would help?”
He reached for the bag and set it down beside her.

“How did you know?”

He shrugged and smiled. “I didn't,
really.”

She carefully opened it and pulled out the
picture of her father and herself. She inspected it for a moment
and then handed it to him. Evan accepted the photograph and stared
at it before smiling tenderly at her as he handed it back to
her.

“I can see why you revere him so.”

“I do?” she whispered.

He looked at her directly. “You do.”

“He was very handsome,” she said
wistfully.

“Well, see, I told you.” Evan smiled. “You look
just like him, you know. I told you that you were beautiful. Do you
believe me now?”

Jaime smiled demurely, her sadness had suddenly
vanished. “He was a little overweight, though. Just a
tad.”

“But you're perfect.”

Their gazes clashed. After a moment of intense
staring, Jaime shyly looked back down at the photo, but she
couldn't see it anymore. Her head was spinning and her eyes
blurred.

That look he’d just given her . . . She could
hardly control the electricity that was coursing through her. In a
flustered panic, she tried to keep him from knowing what she was
feeling, then and there. She pulled her wooden wolf box out of her
backpack to keep herself occupied.

“More treasures?” he inquired.

She nodded sadly. “He bought me this. It's
filled with postcards he sent to me.”

Evan smiled with understanding. “Keep it
always,” he whispered.

The tears streamed down her cheeks so suddenly
that it alarmed her. Yet what happened next amazed her even more.
She was literally trembling, almost ready to explode, when she felt
Evan pull her within his arms and hug her affectionately as he
pressed her against his chest.

What a wonderful feeling! She sobbed as she
buried her face against his warm tee shirt. She could feel his body
heat radiating from him and she could smell his wonderful scent as
it wafted in her direction, though it was laced with a muted
tobacco smell. Never before had she felt such contentment and
desire before.

I love you, Evan!
she
wanted to proclaim to him loudly.
I love
you!
But she dared not. After all, he couldn't
possibly love her back. Could he?

***

“I'm quite sure this won't be necessary much
longer,” Evan whispered as he wrapped the tape around their wrists
later that night.

Jaime was on her knees astride the bed. He
faced her while in the same position as he repeated the first
night's routine. She smiled with contentment at his statement.
“It's not even necessary now, but if it makes you happy,” she said
with a soft giggle.

His eyes widened playfully. “You think I'm
getting some kinda S & M thrill out of this?” he asked, knowing
she would have no clue as to what S & M meant. She shrugged
innocently, but happily, and seemed to take no notice of his
gibe.

What amazed him the most about how she sat
before him now was the way she was attired. The night before, she
had not removed any of her clothing except for her shoes before
lying down to sleep. Tonight, he was blown away by the fact that
she was nearly in her skivvies, too. She wore a very skimpy and
tight tee shirt that enhanced her small bosom perfectly, her
nipples protruding through, and a delicate pair of
panties.

He realized she was smitten with him now. It
was her way of trying to innocently tempt him, even if it wasn't
what she really wanted. He would try to be strong, never-the-less,
but he truly wondered just how long he would be able to
resist.

“Go to sleep now,” he gently admonished as they
lay down, their bodies close together. “I want to cover a lot of
ground tomorrow if we can.”

“How long will it take us to get to
California?” she asked softly.

He stared at her with confusion. She seemed to
be okay with the fact that she was going to end up on the other
side of the country, a long way from home with her abductor, no
less. “Um . . . not sure, exactly. Never drove cross-country
before.”

She nodded, content with his answer. Slowly,
she turned onto her side to face him and then cuddled up against
him, not exactly touching him with her free hand. She wasn't sure
she was comfortable with that yet, but her whole body seemed to
like being very close to his. It touched his in places and she
snuggled her face within his long hair. She adored the scent of him
and loved feeling his warmth. It made her feel very safe and
content with him.