The flowers were tulips. Janet's favorite. And they were purple! Her favorite color! She had to admit, she had Jacob pegged wrong. Way wrong! He always seemed old fashioned and a stickler for the rules. Hell she knew he was faithful because he still wore his wedding band.
Simply by the way he drove the Shelby, Janet knew he was like most pilots in the Airforce. He was an adrenaline junkie. He shifted the car up and down, masterfully maneuvering it through traffic on the highway. Little did Janet, Jacob, or Selmak know that those skills were about to be put to the test.
Janet sensed a change in Jacob's demeanor when they came to a stop at the light. She looked over at him to see his dark eyes narrowed as he looked into his rearview mirror. His hand adjusted the mirror and his face hardened.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The same car has been following us since we left Sam's house," he answered, not taking his eyes of the mirror. "I didn't notice it until we were getting off the highway. But it looked too familiar. Selmak says it's the same car."
The light changed and Jacob had to move forward.
"We're really sorry for this, Janet," Jacob sincerely sighed.
"You think whoever's following us is after Selmak?" she asked, even though she knew that to be the answer.
"That's what my gut's telling me. I made a mistake, thinking it would be safe for Selmak and I here on Earth."
"I can't believe it's any one of our Government branches. The rogue NID have been taken care of as have the Trust."
"It could be anyone or any Government," Jacob countered. "I'm sure Selmak or the knowledge Selmak contains is worth something some where."
"The danger would be the same no matter where you both had gone," she smiled. "Better that you're with friends."
"That is very kind of you, Janet," he said sadly. "Last thing I want is for my friends to get hurt though."
"Wish I brought my cell phone," she muttered.
"I didn't bring mine either. I was afraid our evening might be disturbed. Plus I know George really well. If he needed me that badly he would put an APB on my car to find me."
They came to a stop at another light.
"Thank you," he said, grasping her hand and gripping it firmly. "Thank you for saying yes. Wish we would have had a chance for that dinner."
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," she said, knowing he was going to suggest she get out of his car. She gripped his hand tightly back. "Why not out run them? You have the faster car."
"Holy Hannah! That's exactly what's Selmak's been telling me!" he laughed.
The light changed but Jacob didn't move. His laugh was gone. He placed his hand firmly planted on the shifter. A car honked behind them. Jacob revved the engine.
"Hang on," he ordered.
The car behind Jacob honked again and again. Janet looked in her side mirror. She had no idea which of the four cars behind them was the one following them. But at least three of them were getting pissed that Jacob wasn't moving. She too was wondering what he was waiting for.
Then the light changed. A second passed and the other traffic started to move. That's when Jacob pressed the gas pedal down hard and let the clutch out. Smoke from the burning rubber off his tires filled the air behind them as the Shelby tore across the intersection. Janet could hear another set of tires screeching through all the honks as they broke several road rules at once.
Going through a red light and making a left turn from the far right lane were nothing compared to the speed Jacob quickly got his Shelby Mustang up to. And forget about the fact that he was driving on the wrong side of the road to get around traffic.
Behind them Janet saw a black four-door sedan following breaking every law that Jacob did. They ended up back on the highway. Janet remained quiet, not wanting to be a distraction to Jacob or Selmak as they pushed the car to its limits. But on the highway Janet saw now that two cars were chasing them.
"Jacob!"
"I see them!" he shouted back. "I don't think I can lose two cars. Our only hope is that we can stay ahead of them all the way to the SGC."
Janet nodded. She had full confidence in Jacob. He sounded confident. Well, he was supposed to sound confident. He's a General for Pete's sake! But no matter how this evening turned out, Jacob and Selmak made one hell of an impression on her. She just hoped she got the chance to tell them that later.