Miss No One, Mark Ayre [romantic love story reading .TXT] 📗

seeing as this is my house, you might try showing me some respect.”

"Call this a house, do you?" Ndidi said, leaning forward, peering through the door.

"Enough," snapped Abbie. She grabbed Ndidi’s shirt and pushed him back from the door. “You’ve had a shock, so I’ll let this attitude problem go for now. Especially as your wife trusted Leilani. With good reason.”

Ndidi’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” said Abbie. “I know all about that. I know about everything.”

Ndidi met Abbie’s eye. For a moment, it seemed he was going to argue, then he forced himself to nod, and he looked at Christine. “Thank you for your hospitality, Detective Lakes.”

This was said with some sarcasm, but Christine accepted it and stood back to allow the duo in.

"Where's our friend?" said Abbie.

Christine held Ndidi's eyes for a few more seconds, then looked back to Abbie. She nodded to the bedroom door.

"Secure?" asked Abbie.

“Cuffed to the radiator," said Christine. "Bound and gagged. She's not going anywhere."

"And those handcuffs, binds and gags," said Abbie. "They were here for business or pleasure purposes? Before today I mean. I just like to get the measure of the people with whom I'm working."

Christine glared, then shoved Abbie towards the living room.

Ana was on the sofa but stood when Abbie and Ndidi entered. She gave Abbie a curt nod then went to the Detective.

"Ariana Rayner," she said, holding out a hand. "I'm sorry about your daughter. You must be worried sick."

Ndidi had never met Ana but, to him, she could only be another enemy. He didn't take her hand. His look was contemptuous. The look a man gave before spitting on someone, although Abbie didn't think Ndidi would lower himself quite that far.

"What would you know about my worry?"

Ana dropped her hand but not her gaze.

"Well, I don't have a daughter, and no one I love has ever been kidnapped," she said. "But my father drowned when I was a kid, and I'm only a couple of months removed from losing my teenage sister to murder." She paused, let that sink in. "So I know a little about loss."

Ndidi looked ashamed, but it seemed he had no response. Then, perhaps when Ana's gaze became too much, he raised his hand as she had hers. Ana didn't hesitate to shake.

"Idrissa Ndidi," he said. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Good news for you, Detective," said Abbie. "Your daughter isn't lost, only misplaced, and as I mentioned, we have a little leverage here."

"How much?" said Ndidi. "You can't tell me Orion cares for his sister as much as I love my daughter. It's no contest. He's a criminal, a murderer, an animal."

"He is all these three things," agreed Abbie, "though none of that is relevant. I have seen the most heartless mass murderers surrender their lives to save a loved one. Orion may not have put his life on the line, but he has risked his freedom and his wealth to free his sister from incarceration. Does he love Rachel as much as you love Isabella? I doubt it, but he loves her a great deal, and we can make use of that connection."

"I can make use of that connection," said Ndidi. "I have his loved one, and he has mine. It wasn't clear what he was proposing before. Now it's obvious he wishes to trade his sister for my daughter, and that’s a trade I’ll make without hesitation."

"There will be no trade," said Abbie.

"Because you'll stop me?" At this, Ndidi laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

"I'm not talking about me. Nor Christine or Ana."

Ndidi looked from one woman to the next. The four of them were standing in the living room. Only Ana looked as though she would rather be sitting.

"You mean Orion?"

"I do."

"Because he'll kill my daughter then me as soon as he has what he wants."

Abbie nodded.

"So says you. Yet I have no more reason to trust you than Orion. Not really. And at least he’s set out a path for me to bring my daughter home safely. What have you offered?"

"Well, I don't know about offers, but I haven't kidnapped your daughter. You'd think that might bank me a few points in the old trustworthiness column over Becker."

"Which is the same as saying you have nothing,” said Ndidi. "No plan to help return to me my daughter. You have nothing to offer but goodwill, is that it?"

Ndidi and Abbie were facing each other. Christine and Ana were looking from one to the other, unsure which way this would go.

"We have Rachel," said Abbie.

"For now."

"You think you can take her from us?"

"For my daughter, I could do anything. If I set my mind to walking out of here with Rachel Becker, do you believe you could stop me?"

"I believe," said Abbie, "that if you walk out of here with Rachel, you will die. So will Isabella, while Rachel and Orion Becker will disappeared into the sunset. That outcome is intolerable. Therefore, if you try to take Rachel, I'll have no choice but to stop you. Possibly, we'll have to restrain you, and I'll need to make the best of a crap situation in terms of securing Isabella's safety. But I will. To answer your question, I believe I can stop you. I know I can stop you. As you will fast find out if you go against me."

Ndidi's hands were clenched into fists by his side. He looked to Christine again, then to Ana, but his gaze came back to Abbie. His eyes burned like fire.

"What if I walk out of here? I can leave Rachel but call Orion and tell him what you did. He already sent someone to kill you once, didn't he? He'll send people again. He'll overwhelm you next time, don't you think?"

“If he has the numbers, which I doubt,” said Abbie, “he'll come in force to reclaim his sister and kill meddlesome me. But he'll murder Isabella first, which is why you won't do it."

Ndidi's jaw trembled. There was no way he would leave the flat and risk