Rina placed the strap of her purse over her shoulder and locked the car, her heart beating hard in her chest. Because she had no idea what she was doing…what she would even say if given the chance to see him. As fate would have it, the situation took care of itself. She saw him bolting down the back stairs of the Van Nuys Substation. He started jogging through the parking lot away from the police complex. She had to sprint to catch up with him.

As soon as he saw her, Bram’s expression turned hard and furious. “Where’s your car?”

“Right over there.” Gasping, Rina pointed to her Volvo.

He grabbed her arm, pushed her forward.

“What are you doing?” Rina shook his arm off. “What’s the matter with—”

“Give me your keys—”

“What—”

“Don’t argue with me. Just do it!”

Rina flipped him the keys. She had to run to keep up with him. When he reached the Volvo, Bram opened the driver’s door, got in, and opened the passenger’s door from the inside. As soon as Rina was seated, Bram peeled rubber before she had the door fully closed.

“What is it?” Rina asked as she shut the door. “What happened?”

Instead of answering, Bram depressed the gas pedal. The car flew forward, the tires squealing as he turned onto Van Nuys.

Rina took a sharp intake of air. “You’re going to get a ticket—”

“So, you’ll fix it for me—”

“Bram, slow down!” she said. “You’re going to have an accident!”

Instead, he accelerated to overdrive, had to swerve to avoid hitting a stopped car.

“Stop it!” Rina screamed.

The car continued racing, Bram shooting one yellow light after another. The fourth traffic light was completely red as the Volvo entered the intersection. Bram depressed the accelerator to the max, narrowly missing side impact by a eighteen-wheeler semi. The blare of the truck’s horn ricocheted in Rina’s ears.

Rina pounded his shoulder. “Stop it! Stop it!”

Bram braked suddenly, pitching them both backward. Breathing hard, he brought the speedometer down to normal city limits.

Rina covered her face, cried softly, a sharp pain stabbing her body with each intake of breath. Recovering quickly, she immediately prayed her thanks to God and wiped away tears. She held her rib cage as she spoke. “You could have gotten both of us killed. Have you gone crazy?”

Bram whispered, “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

Rina said nothing. Signaling, he turned right, hooking onto the 405 North. Within minutes, the Volvo was going a smooth and safe fifty-five.

Rina finally managed to breathe without pain, her armpits damp with sweat. Some of her hair had fallen out of her scarf. She tucked it back in. Quietly, she asked, “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer, didn’t acknowledge her question.