Mesmerized by Julia Crane Page A

But, I can never stay anywhere too long."
    "I don't think anyone would notice this far in the woods."
    "You'd be surprised. Do you want some hot chocolate?" It wasn't the neighbors he was worried about. 
    "I love hot cocoa." She watched as Jake strolled to the kitchen and filled up the kettle. There was no denying it. She was crazy about him. He looked up as if he could feel her eyes on him and smiled. 
    The evening went by in a blur. Every moment that she spent with Jake was wonderful. She loved falling asleep in his arms.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    The next thing Lily knew, Jake was shaking her awake. "Lily, get dressed we have to get out of here now!" 
    "What? Why?" She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She looked over to find Jake was tossing things into a bag. She looked out the window and it was still dark.
    "Hurry up! They’ll be here soon."
    "Who? The police?" Lily stepped into her jeans and threw on a sweater. 
    "I'll explain later. We don't have time now."
    "Okay. I trust you. Let's go." 
    "Thank you." Jake reached over and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm sorry I brought you into this mess." He hurried down the stairs with her close behind. 
    Lily's head was reeling. She was still half asleep, but what Jake was saying made no sense. He didn't bring her into anything she was the one that dragged him into her problems. 
    Jake stopped and looked at the cabin as if he was seeing it for the last time. He grabbed her hand and they headed out the back door. Lily followed him to the shed, where he moved around some boxes and then lifted a floorboard. Underneath was a satchel. Jake grabbed it and tossed it over a shoulder. 
    "What's that?"
    "Enough money to keep us on the run for awhile. Lily, you have to try to keep up ok? We're going to have to take to the woods for awhile." 
    "Okay.” She grabbed her gloves out of her pockets and slipped them on as they took off.
    "Damn it, why did it have to stop snowing?"
    "Maybe we should just turn ourselves in?" Lily’s voice quivered. 
    "That's not an option anymore. We need to keep our voices down until I'm sure we’re safe, okay?"
    She nodded her head and he reached for her hand and they ran. Lily had a hard time keeping up; she was worried she was going to fall on her face. Jake kept a firm grip on her hand, which gave her the strength to go on. They ran for hours. Lily was freezing and tired. The sun was rising and she wished they could stop to enjoy it, but he pulled her on. 
    Lily looked up at the sky. The snow started falling again and it was coming down heavier than before. She shivered and pulled down her hat even lower over her ears. "Jake, look at all this snow. I'm scared. What if we're lost out here?" 
    "We're not lost. The falling snow is actually a blessing. It will cover our trail for us. We'll find a place to rest soon. You're doing great."
    "My feet are killing me, and I'm getting hungry." 
    "When I see cover, we'll stop." Jake reached in his bag and pulled out a protein bar. "This will hold you over for now." 
    Lily was confused. She was cold, hungry, and didn’t understand why Jake looked so worried. She bit off a piece of the protein bar. She trusted him, but she didn’t like not knowing what was going on. She continued to follow him, not saying another word. He wasn’t going to talk until they got to wherever they were going.
    It was another hour until Jake said, “We’ll stay in that motel.” He pointed down the hill. I’ll go get the room. You wait here.”
    Lily nodded uncomfortably. She watched Jake make his way down the hill and disappear into the motel. She waited, rubbing her arms for warmth. It felt like it was forever until he emerged and waved her down. She went slowly, fearing that she’d slip and fall. 
    When she finally reached him, he took her hand and led her into the motel room. Closing the door behind them, he started taking off his wet clothes. He didn’t speak. She decided she better do what he was