I try another approach, reaching for the familiar framework that makes sense of the world.
The universe doesn’t deal in accidents or coincidences. Everything happens for a reason.
This man, this moment, must have a purpose. I’ve survived terrible things before. Been surrounded by violence with little hope. When I slept under that bridge for six months, I had nothing but day-old bagels and the clothes on my back.
I survived that, and I will survive this.
Opening my eyes, I force myself to really look at him.
His profile is carved in shadow, his face as blank as glass. No flicker in those moonstone eyes. He just drives, every movementpracticed and spare. Hands at two and ten on the wheel, steady as a clock, each shift of the gears relentless and smooth.
I take in the hard line of his jaw. The absolute stillness of his expression. The way his hands sit loose but ready, like weapons at rest. His dominating presence fills the car.
In any other circumstance, he’d be the man of my dreams. The strong, decisive, capable, handsome…
Killer. A real dreamboat.
Since when do I find murder sexy?
I shake the thought away.
He’s not a monster. He’s a wounded soul trapped in a cycle of violence. His aura is a tight black knot, constricted by trauma, his pain turned outward instead of processed. He’s operating from his root chakra, which houses basic needs. Survival instincts, security, stability, and shelter. His chi is completely cut off from his heart, stifling his compassion.
I find a strange kind of comfort in this assessment.
I have a role. I’m not a victim. I’m a healer. And he’s a challenge, sent by the universe to test my abilities. This is a high-stakes energetic realignment.
I just need to stay centered, find the crack in his armor, and shine a little light. I’ve guided people through worse. Helped them transform.
I can do this.
His head turns, and his eyes leave the road to fix on me.
That bright blue gaze reveals nothing.
No anger or cruelty. Not even curiosity. Just deep and absolute awareness. A shark’s eyes.
I return his gaze, the hair on my arms prickling. I won’t back down, won’t show this predator any fear. His unblinking eyes remain on my face. Heat tingles in my cheeks and travels down my neck.
I’ve never had a man’s attention this long. This…intensely.
Cold sweat breaks out all over my body.
Seconds stretch, elastic and unbearable.
“Watch the road.” The words barely clear my constricted throat. Getting in a wreck might be safer than jumping out of the car, but I’d still rather not endure an accident for no good reason.
He just stares, like I’m a puzzle he’s deciding whether to solve or trash. My hands clench into fists on my thighs.
I glance away first, unable to hold that empty gaze a moment longer.
The car drifts a little in the lane, and my heart leaps up into my throat.
We’re going to crash.
After everything he’s done, he’s going to kill us both with his indifference to basic traffic safety.
The passenger mirror scrapes against a bush lining the sidewalk. I gasp, gripping my seat belt as my chest seizes.
