The way he was looking at me may be doing something to my body, twisting it in ways I’d only read about in books, but my mind was no longer meek. Alarm and energy surged through me. I was trapped by not only the seat belt but also his stare. With fight or flight my only options, I couldn’t take the confinement any longer. Pulling my hand free of his, I scrambled for the buckle of the seat belt, and reared my head away from his silencing touch.

My head shook from side to ...