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

regarding Christine, Abbie snatched the Constable's phone from a dusty cupholder by his knee.

"What are you doing?"

Abbie pressed a button, and the screen flashed to life. A prompt for a passcode popped up.

"Nothing," she said. "But you have a job to do, don't you?"

"What?"

"Orion's orders. Did he not tell you to call the moment I was in police custody? Well, here I am, sitting behind a big strapping police officer. Time to follow your orders. Make the call."

Outstretching her hand, Abbie waved the phone next to Evans.

Trembling, the Constable shook his head. "No chance. I ain't calling."

The fear had hitched up, and Abbie knew this was no longer primarily fear of her but of Orion. Evans knew with whom he was dealing and was afraid of the consequences of displeasing the monstrous crook.

"I understand your reticence," said Abbie, "but we don't need to waste each other's time. Like I said, you're a coward. We know what you're going to do, but if it'll make it easier for you to proceed, allow me to layout your choices."

Abbie withdrew the phone. Held it in her lap as she spoke.

"Option one: You refuse to do what we say. We put a gun to the back of your head and force you to pull over. Maybe you refuse, but that's okay; you can't drive forever. Eventually, I'll be in a position to put a bullet through your brain, assuming you have one, lowering the veil of darkness forevermore. And before you suggest I won't do it, I want you to know when I put the gun to your head, I'll be thinking of Christine, what happened to her, and your part in it."

Evans made a slight, involuntary sound. It said he was terrified of the prospect and believed Abbie was true to her word.

"Option two: You take us to Orion. When we arrive, I let you go, and I kill the Beckers. If I fail, Orion will probably forget all about you. If he doesn't, you'll at least have a chance to survive. Orion and Rachel will be fugitives. They'll be too busy hiding to spend undue effort tracking you. So..."

Reaching forward, Abbie put the phone next to Evans again.

"The choice is yours, friend... what's it going to be? Possible survival or certain death? It's a toughie."

Evans stared ahead. No doubt, he had always been a bully. He wanted to seem strong. Wanted to call Abbie's bluff, maybe tell her to go screw herself. He wasn't used to being pushed around. But it was a show. He couldn't call her bluff because he was afraid of the consequences. Without looking back to Abbie and Ana, he snatched the phone, unlocked it, searched for Orion's number.

Abbie reached forward when he found it and clasped her hand over the phone before Evans could hit call.

"Hang on a second," she said. "You don't know what to tell the boss."

"I'm not an idiot," he snapped. "I'll tell him you're in police custody. You gave yourself up and confessed to the crimes, as specified."

"No," said Abbie. "That isn't right at all."

Confused, Evans looked in the rearview, meeting Abbie's eye.

"I want you to ring Orion," she said, "and tell him I got away."

Thirty-Seven

"He's stopped."

Ndidi had left just over an hour before Abbie, Ana and Evans, so they knew they had about that long left to go once he reached his destination.

The drive had already been long. By the time Ndidi stopped, the sun was dropping beneath the horizon. The dark of night was swallowing the light of day. Day two. If Isabella was still alive, she didn't have long left.

Evans had made his call hours ago, and Orion had lost his temper. Abbie and Ana had heard him screaming down the phone as though he were on speaker. Evans had flinched again and again as if Orion was with him, lashing fists.

So far as Orion was aware, Evans was part of the effort to capture Abbie. He was to call the elder Becker the moment Abbie was in cuffs.

Evans wouldn't be calling Orion again.

Abbie knew she was taking a risk. A huge risk, maybe, but that was the point they'd reached. Orion held all the cards. Abbie had a pair of twos, and he a straight flush. When that was the situation, even bluffing wouldn't work. You had to do something completely unexpected.

Like set fire to the table cloth.

But Abbie still held hope. Not much, a tiny flicker, like a damp match that has come to life but looks as though it might go out any second. But something was better than nothing, and even the tiniest flame could be encouraged to grow under the right conditions.

While sitting in Christine's flat, trying to decide whether to hand herself to the police, something hadn't felt right to Abbie. She was sure she was missing a vital thread of this tapestry. It was only when she found Ana alive that it clicked. She realised why she was uneasy.

Why did Orion want Evans to watch Christine's flat and Ndidi to call Abbie with those demands when she arrived? What was he hoping to gain?

After Evans had hung up the phone earlier, his hands shaking following Orion's roar, he had glanced again in the rearview.

"This is pointless," he said. "They got a massive headstart. Orion will have his sister back an hour before we arrive. Then he'll kill the detective and the kid and disappear. You'll never catch him."

That was tempting logic. It sounded as though it could be true, but Abbie didn't believe it.

The moment Rachel and Ndidi drove away from the flat, they would have phoned Orion and explained where Abbie was. If Orion’s plan was to kill Ndidi and disappear when his sister arrived, Abbie would have been no concern.

Maybe he would have left Evans to watch the flat and call the police when she arrived, but why worry over whether she was arrested?

Only one explanation made sense. Even once Rachel reached Orion, they couldn't make good their escape immediately.