Chapter Sixty-One

The next afternoon, Mar knocks on my screen door, and I wave her in. “Hey,” she says. “Riel’s busy, and I want to go to the beach before the sun goes down. Interested?”

“Sure.” I grab my grant and loan applications. “Mind if I do this while you play?”

She shakes her head, and we head out.

Minutes later, she’s digging into the sand building a castle, and I’m settled in with my paperwork.

She pats the side of the sandcastle and presses a shell into the wall to decorate it. “Are you mad Riel got your scholarship?”

“No,” I honestly tell her. “Absolutely not.”

She lets out a breath as if that question had been weighing heavy on her mind. “Good. Because I don’t want you mad at Riel or me.”

“Mar, I don’t think I can ever be mad at you.”

She makes a face. “Riel can.”

I laugh. “What’s he been mad at you for?”

“Last week I didn’t make my bed three mornings in a row. This week he got upset because I left dishes in the sink.” She sticks another shell in her castle. “He’s a little too neat and tidy.”

“But he’s a great big brother. That counts for a whole lot.”

Playfully, she rolls her eyes. “I suppose.”

I go back to my paperwork.

“I think I like a boy, too,” she hesitantly admits.

I cough. “What?”

“Don’t tell Riel,” she pleads.

“Mar,” I sigh. “You’re only eleven.” But then I remember I liked boys at that age. I had my first kiss at twelve. Given that, she’s on track in the boy department. But this is Mar, not me.

“We’ve held hands,” she tells me. “But that’s it. He wanted to kiss me, but I said no.”

“Good girl. Keep saying no. If you don’t want him to do something, then you say no.”

“You won’t tell Riel, right?”

I give her a gentle look. “I can’t promise that. If he asks, I won’t lie.”

She plops another clump of sand on top the castle. “Maybe I should just tell him.”

“I think that’s wise.”

We lapse into silence, and I go back to my applications.

“Riel really likes you.”

I close my folder. Clearly, I’m not getting work done. “Yeah? How do you know that?”

Mar’s eyes take on an intelligent twinkle. “I can tell.”

With a laugh, I get up. “As much as I’m having fun, we really need to go back. I love you to death, kid, but I’m getting no work done.”

She gets up, too. “That’s what Riel says.”

I bet.

As we walk up the beach, Mar rambles on and on about this boy she held hands with. I try to have a patient ear but really just want to get my stuff done. The quicker I get these turned in, the quicker I get money and college figured out.

We near the parking lot that separates the beach and the campground, and I see Abbie leaning up against a dark SUV. My steps falter as I realize—a dark SUV.

She smiles, but there’s nothing pleasant about it. “Hello.”

I grab Mar’s hand and take a step back.

She glances at Mar. “You’re a bit inconvenient.”

Tightening my hold on Mar’s hand, I square my shoulders. “Get out of our way.”

She sneers. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

I go completely still.

I’ve been waiting for this moment…been watching you…give you what you’ve been asking for…prick tease…

She smirks. “Pretty convenient with that ex of yours taking the fall.”

Images of that night flash through my mind, and I flinch. My attacker had a garbled voice. Abbie must have been wearing something to mask it. Otherwise, I would’ve recognized it.

“What a tough little bitch you are.” She rakes her gaze over me. “Makes no difference to me. I’m still going to get what I want.”

“Viola?” Mar whimpers, and I snap out of my frozen haze.

Abbie pulls a gun from behind her back and points it at me. My heart leaps into fast drive as I shove Mar behind me.

“I know how to use this.” She pushes away from the SUV. “Get in. You’re driving.”

I look at the gun, then glance around the small beach parking lot. Night has settled in and everyone’s gone. One lone car sits a few spaces down. I squint, but don’t see anyone inside. On the other side of the lot is the path that leads to our campground.

I consider running. Would Abbie really shoot us?

“Don’t even think about it,” she says.

Behind me, Mar trembles. I pull her around and hug her tight to my side. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

Abbie opens the driver’s door. “Get in.”

I try to push Mar in ahead of me, but Abbie grabs her. “She’s in the back with me.”

“No,” Mar cries.

“It’s okay,” I assure her. “Just do what she says.”

Abbie shoves Mar in the back, I close the driver’s door, and over the seat she hands me the keys.

I jab the keys in the ignition, glad for the steady hands.

Abbie presses the gun to my ear. “Drive south.”

I glance at Mar in the rearview mirror. Silent tears trail her cheeks, and it just about wrenches my heart out. I give her a bolstering look, before turning a glare to Abbie. “Get the gun off my head.”

Her upper lip snarls. “I can put it to Mar’s if you’d prefer.”

Mar whimpers, and anger spurts in me that Abbie’s caused it. I will make her pay for that.

I put the SUV in gear and drive off. “Where are we going?”

Abbie snickers. “You’ll see.”

“If we’re going to be driving far, you’ll have to get gas,” I point out, so glad to have my wits focused.

Abbie glances at the tank monitor, irritation registers, and she presses the gun firmer to my head. “Shut the hell up and drive.”

I do and use the time to concentrate and remember the self-defense videos I watched. The moves I practiced. Abbie’s bigger than me. I’d say six-two and 180. I have no clue if I can take her, but I sure am going to try. But what the hell? Abbie’s the one who has being doing all this stuff to me? Why? This can’t be just about Riel.

“Here,” she prompts, and I turn right onto a sandy road.

Simmons Lane. I note the sign.

“All the way to the end,” she directs.

I pull around the back of a small, dilapidated house sitting dark, isolated, and surrounded by trees. Does Riel realize we’re missing yet?

“I had no idea there were houses back here,” I say, purposefully making idle conversation to hide the fact I’m rattled to the core.

“Would you shut up?” Abbie spits. “What do you think you’re on, a sight-seeing tour?”

I almost smile. My fake confident demeanor is working, and that makes me ever more assured in my skills.

I give Mar another glance to see her shaking, but not crying.

“Get out,” Abbie orders. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

I open the driver’s door and reach for Mar as soon as Abbie shoves her out. She latches onto my hand with a death grip.

Abbie aims the gun at me. “Move.”

Hugging Mar close to my side, I walk toward the back door and at the same time survey the area. Garden tools sit propped against the side of the house, a hose snakes around a picket, a beach chair and boogie board take up one corner of the porch, and lots of bricks litter the walkway.

Mar trips on a brick, and I look down into her tear-filled eyes. I squeeze her shoulders and give her a reassuring look, noting the loose brick. I might be able to use that later.

We enter through the back door, and my gaze immediately falls on the preparations. Obviously, Abbie’s already been here. Ropes and handcuffs lie on top of a steel chair situated in the middle of the living room.

I divert my eyes from her materials, survey the rest of the place, and catch sight of a cell phone on the table near the door.

If she ties me up, our chance of escape will be limited. The element of surprise always works in favor of the victim. If I’m going to make a move, it needs to be now before she gets the upper hand.

Glancing over my shoulder, I note Abbie’s location—two feet behind me and to the left. As fast as I can, I spin, kick her in the kneecap, and then punch her straight in the throat.

With a groan, she hunches forward.

I grab Mar’s hand and sprint for the front door. I jiggle the dead bolt and yank on the knob, but it doesn’t budge. A key. I need a key. I turn and smack right into Abbie’s chest.

I shove Mar behind me, sandwiching her up against the door.

“You stupid whore.” Abbie backhands me across the face.

My head flies to the left, and I snap it right back. Oh, she’s going down for that.

She grabs my wrists, and I fight back, thrashing, tugging, and pulling against her as she drags me over to the chair and handcuffs me to it.

Mar screams and lunges at her, and Abbie shoves her hard, sending her stumbling across the room.

“If you hurt one single hair on her head, I will kill you,” I threaten.

“Is that so? Let’s see about that.” She crosses to Mar, jerks her up, and drags her kicking and screaming from the room.