Mesmerized

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 doing. 
    Soon, they were in their underwear, and nothing else mattered to Lily. The lust took over. She put her hands on Jake’s cool chest and began to kiss him. 
    He grabbed her hands and pressed them to his chest. “Not now.” He felt bad seeing the look in her eyes. Avoiding them, he dug in his bag and yanked out his dry clothes. “Why don’t you get dressed?”
    Lily glared at him. She couldn't believe he had turned her down. “Fine.” She unzipped her backpack and pulled out dry clothes. 
    After she was dressed, she looked in the mirror. She was a mess. Her wet hair was matted to her face. Her nose was bright red and cold. But, she didn’t care. She turned to Jake and said, “What is going on?”
    Jake took a deep breath. “Sampson came back after you fell asleep. He’s a seer, do you know what that is?”
    Lily nodded. “Someone who can see the future. I wasn't born yesterday.”
    “Right. He saw people coming for me.”
    “You? I don’t understand. Aren’t we on the run from people looking for me?”
    Jake shuffled his feet. “A long time ago, someone found out that I was immortal and came looking for me. The man was obsessed with finding out how I could live and not age. He was filthy rich, and wanted to stop the hands of time. He sent his goons after me." Jake met her eyes. "They wanted to know my secret, as if I had one to tell. I got away from them, but they keep coming after me. It’s like an unsolved case to them. It