Alejandro cut the tape binding her ankles together. Then, moving methodically, he slipped each of her feet into the sneakers, fingers gentle on her skin. Kate didn't resist his grip and found herself being drawn up out of the easy chair. He steadied her with a hand on either of her shoulders as she swayed dizzily. Their eyes met. His voice was soft.

"It'll get easier. I promise."

She did not shy away when he pressed his lips delicately to her forehead.

"I need you to walk now," he was picking up her service bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder. She remained still, eyes on his face. Her father's rifle in one hand and the other guiding her by the upper arm, he looked resolved and calm again. He took her from the room to the back stairwell leading to the garage. Their feet were quiet on the carpeting as they descended.

The motion sensored light came on as the door opened, revealing the dusty, mud-splattered vehicle. He opened one of the rear doors. She was quickly tucked into the tight space on the floor, pinned between the front and back seats. He shut the door, careful of her feet, and went to the front, getting in behind the wheel and placing the duffle bag and rifle below the dash on the passenger's side.

"Stay still and low back there," he stated, looking in her direction behind him as he slipped the key in the ignition.

The garage door rose slowly and the car growled to life, vibrating around her. As they rolled out into the open, the sharp afternoon sun blinded her sight. In her mind, images and sounds flashed — the sudden recognizable noise of sirens, the car surrounded instantly by federal vehicles and officers with their guns trained, sights open and clear with his head in sharp view. She imagined what he'd look like with a bullet straight through his forehead and skull.

But the car moved unfettered through the lot. She caught a glimpse of his face as he turned the wheel, steering around a corner and onto the main drag of the condo property. His eyes flicked over her lying there on the floor and then went back to the road.

As he drove, she turned her head and looked beneath the seats before her. There was an empty water bottle and an old take-out bag crumpled into a ball. Behind it, she spied the Maglite she kept there. She moved very gradually, adjusting her position with the movements of the vehicle, fingers working out from beneath her back. He had turned on the AC, but the car was still warm and she felt the sweat building on her scalp and also behind the tape over her mouth, slowly loosening its grip on her flesh. Her knuckles brushed over the flashlight, but she froze as his head turned, glancing in her direction. She remained still for a long moment before carefully beginning to draw the flashlight beneath her form.

The bright blue of the sky flashed over her head through the windows. As quietly but quickly as possible, she unscrewed the flashlight bulb from the handle, fingers working through the materials inside to locate the metal spring by touch. She pried the end of it straight, her eyes on him all the while, slipping the end into the tiny lock on the handcuffs.

He drove at a reasonable speed to begin with, but as the treetops and power lines she could see from the floor began to disappear, the car moved faster. She wondered how much time she had to jimmy the lock open. This was something she had practiced; she could do this. Her thudding heart was up in her throat, making it hard to swallow, to breath fully. There was the tiniest click as the lock slipped from its place. He did not appear to hear anything. Kate slipped one wrist free from the cuff and then was still again.

She lay in extreme tension, entire form ready to spring up — for what felt like a long time — but she really had no way to know. The road became rougher as they travelled farther, and when it became dirt she knew they were getting close. Eventually, Alejandro stopped the car, turning off the ignition and opening his door to get out. She was wet with sweat now and she felt light-headed.

"Come on out," he stated quietly when he pulled the back door open and leaned forward.

She gripped her own wrist as he took hold of her by the belt loops to draw her out of the car. His eye line dropped for just a second and she moved, ripping the service revolver from his waistband. When she found the trigger and pulled, nothing happened — except the safety clicking in its tracks. She felt herself gasp sharply. He threw his weight forward, pinning her body and her opposite arm to the car floor.

Then they were struggling against one another — him as he tried to keep her contained and her grasp from the safety — her as she attempted to free her trapped arm. She struck out with the butt of the gun, hitting him in the side of the neck. She tried to strike again, this time connecting with his temple, but he got hold of her wrist and they were pushing back and forth in the tight space, his weight keeping her from effectively punching or kicking her way out. The tape was slipping off from over her lips.

His face was only inches from hers and they met eyes now as he tried to force her hands over her head and she fought back to keep him from doing so.

"Stop!" he hissed loudly, nearly spitting. "Stop struggling!"

When he whipped his head back and then forward, she flinched, but his forehead struck hers. She felt herself nearly go unconscious immediately, and she knew it must've stunned him too as she went slack beneath his superior weight. Now she was fighting to stay above blacking out. The gun slipped from her grasp and he was picking it up, flipping off the safety. She felt the barrel under her chin as he sat up, straddling her prone form, his arms straightening out. The world spun wildly around her while he shook his head to clear the sharp blow to his skull. His voice was almost weak, and she had a difficult time hearing the words clearly from within the fog that was overtaking her brain.

"I'm not asking. You're coming with me."

She realized she was speaking, sound muffled by the edge of the tape that still clung to her lips. "You're going to have to shoot me, you know."

There were voices somewhere outside the car, quickly drawing closer. She saw the silhouettes of men behind him, features darkened by the high sun. Then she fell into blackness like a light being switched off in a small, hot room.