"Welcome to New York," Elle said to herself as they drove past they border sign. They had left early that morning and drove straight through Pennsylvania to New York without stopping once. As soon as Gabriel had her stitched up, he was determined to get to his apartment as soon as possible. Elle peeled back the bandage on her leg to look at the stitches.
"How does it feel?" Gabriel asked without taking his eyes off the road.
"It's sore. I don't think it's infected or anything. You fixed it just in time." She reached over and laid a hand on his thigh. "Thank you for everything you've done."
"What do you mean?" he asked, glancing at her.
"You are the most sought after murderer of your time. You kill people for their powers. You could have killed me." She withdrew her hand and looked down at her lap. "Thank you for saving my life."
Gabriel smiled. "I didn't have to kill you. I got your power anyway." He opened his hand and blue electricity sat in his palm.
"So why don't you kill me now? You have my power. I'm useless to you now."
He held her hand between the seats. "Because I do need you. You saved my life."
Elle remembered the day she walked in on him hanging from a noose in his apartment. "Yes, but under the wrong circumstances. If I were you, I'd kill me."
"Good thing you're not me." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
She smiled at the warmth in his voice. Whoever he was now, he was not a killer. She knew that. She had spent how many days with him and the thought never even crossed his mind to kill her. Maybe he did care about her. Maybe coveting powers was not the only thing consuming his heart anymore. He had changed. She had watched him.
"Dammit," his whispered.
"What's wrong?" Elle asked, surprised at the sudden panic in her voice. He was looking in the rearview mirror. She noticed the flashing blue and red lights behind them. She felt the car accelerate. "Gabriel, what are you doing? Pull over!"
"This is a stolen car. We're not going to get off with just a ticket." He weaved in and out of slowing cars, gaining speed as he went. Elle heard the sirens blare.
"Watch out!" she screamed as they clipped the bumper of a small car.
He checked the mirror again. "There's only one way we can stop them."
"What do you mean?" Her arms flew out in front of her as her seatbelt held her back from the dashboard. The tires squealed and she could smell the burning rubber. She felt the impact of the police car in the back of their own. She heard the shattering rear window and then they stopped.
Gabriel turned around and looked out the back of the car. Elle mirrored him. The officer was leaned over the steering wheel, blood running down his face. "Is he dead?" Elle asked.
"If not, at least we have a chance to get away." He stepped on the gas again, tearing down the highway. He got off on the nearest exit and slowed down.
"What are we going to do now? Not only are we driving a stolen car, but we also fled the scene of an intentional accident. We're never going to get away with this."
He looked deeply into her eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked simply.
She looked as intensely back into his. She had wanted to. She had believed that he had changed, that he would take care of her. But there was a part of her that still feared the killer inside of him. When faced with trouble or danger, he wouldn't stop at anything in his way, including her. "Yes."