“Let’s just make a video, Abby. You’ve got pictures of what you used to look like, right? We can use those, and you just talk. Tell them why they should pick you”
She looked at the ceiling, silent for a long while, before she looked across the room at him with tears in her eyes. “Why, Donny? Why would they pick me?”
* * *
“Okay, go ahead,” Donny’s voice said off camera.
“Hi.” Abby smiled and waved. “My name is Abby, and I would really like to be on your show.” She sighed. “I’ve seen a million of these things, and I know I’m supposed to tell you how much I love the outdoors, and what a survivalist I am, but I’m not. I am a housewife to a sack of shit husband who has ruined my life.”
“Abby,” Donny’s voice said.
She looked off-camera. “What? You said to be honest.” She turned back to the camera. “I’m not going to tell you what he does for a living, what he has done to me, or what he makes me do. I don’t need some do-gooder intern watching this thinking they have to do something and sending the police to my door. That’s more trouble than I can bear to deal with right now.”
Abby was quiet for a moment while she picked at her fingernails, trying to find the words to explain what was going on in her head. “I used to be a good girl. I grew up with two beautiful parents and a dog, in a perfect suburban neighborhood. They’re all dead now.” She sniffed and dabbed the edge of her eye with the sleeve of her sweater.
“That’s about when things started going wrong, I guess. I haven’t made a good decision since then. I... I stripped for a while, among other things I shouldn’t admit to on tape. I was lost...”
* * *
Robert found his way to his room after Dr. Lee assured him that Abby was peacefully sleeping and the procedure was over. There were no more memories to unlock. It may have been the middle of the night, but it was done. He recalled the many long heart-to-heart conversations he’d had with Abby during the months of her training and preparation. He could not believe the horror stories he had heard, and was so thankful that he had picked her to take part in the show.
He remembered the first time he saw her audition video. It was so different from the others. For the seven minutes they were allowed, most spent the entire time showing how tough they were. Video after video showed hard bodies running, sweating, and working out. They would ultimately end with the entrant saying a line or two about how physically tough they were.
Abby’s was different. She spent seven minutes looking into the camera and just talking. She was so open and honest. Above all else, she was vulnerable. It broke Robert’s heart every time he watched the video of that sad, sick girl. The Abby in that video was so different from the woman who was resting in the room a few doors down the hallway. But different only physically – she was still the same person on the inside. She had just been locked up for the past year. Now that she was unlocked, how would she react?
Robert sat on the edge of the bed and pulled up her audition video on the media center. He shook his head seeing how thin she was, her sweater hanging off her like she was a little child wearing her father’s clothes.
“... I was lost,” she said. “Stripping didn’t pay the bills. I had no bills. Stripping kept me in a free room with a half dozen other girls in a motel just off the Strip where I slept on a thin sheet that covered a mattress stained with every bodily fluid you can think of. I didn’t care, though. Stripping paid for drugs. When Bryce – my husband – when he found me, I was at rock bottom. At least that’s what I thought rock bottom was at the time.
“Long story short, I cleaned up, got knocked up, and he’s spent the time since then knocking me around. He hates our daughter. Hate is a strong word, but it’s probably an understatement. How can you hate a beautiful little girl? I can’t leave him, though. It’s not because I don’t want to, but I can’t. I sent her away to protect her, but I can’t live without her. I need to forget. I need to forget she’s out there. I need to forget I created this beautiful child and gave her life, because I’m dead inside without her.
“So, I’m hoping we can help each other.” She held up a picture of her in a bikini last year. It was folded in half to hide Ava, who was also in the photo. “This is me.” The camera closed in on the picture of a healthy and curvy Abby. Long, brown, loose curls framed her pretty face. Her cheeks were red, either from a little too much sun or from laughing so much – it was hard to tell. It would be impossible for any man not to notice the way she filled out her bathing suit in all the right spots.
Abby dropped the photo, stood up and backed away from the camera. She took off her sweater and let it fall to the floor. She stood there in a bra that hung over her flat chest, the dim light from the side casting deep shadows where her ribs stretched at the skin. “In the interest of full disclosure, this is me, too.” She sat down and pulled her sweater up to cover herself a bit.
“Your show is all about survival. Well, I’m a real survivor. The life I’ve led has killed plenty of others, but I’m still standing. I’ve already fought for my life. At this point, I just want it back.”
Robert clicked off the screen and shook his head. The first time he had seen that, he demanded that she be brought in on the show. Every other producer tried to talk him out of it, but the show was his and he had the final say. He saw something in her. She was a survivor, just like she said. Of course, that video never saw the light of day. They shot a new one once they brought her in. One they could show on television and was in line with what the viewers expected.
He walked over to his dresser and took out the photo that she had held up in the video. She had given it to him before she left for her stay on Trial Island. He unfolded it to see a photo of a beautiful Abby and her adorable little Ava smiling at the camera from another life.
“Well, Abby, you’ve finally gotten your life back, and soon, you’ll get Ava back, too.”
* * *
“Does Eric know?” Abby asked, sitting at the small table by her bed, eating a hearty breakfast that Robert had brought to her.
“Does he know what?”
“I don’t know... everything?”
Abby knew everything now that she had her memories back. She also knew that Robert did not know everything. He did know that Bryce was hell-bent on ending her life and that Abby was terrified of him. He had seen why she was terrified when Bryce tried to kidnap and murder her on this very property last year, but he didn’t know the whole truth. He didn’t know that Bryce had murdered his boss’s son and ascended to power in his place, and that he would do anything to keep Abby quiet about it. Abby was happy that she hadn’t burdened him with that, and wondered if she would even share that secret with Eric.
“No, Eric doesn’t know anything he didn’t before. I haven’t told him a thing. He was disappointed that you didn’t want to see him last night, but I explained what a traumatic thing you were going through, and he understood. Can I tell him that you’ll see him today?”
Abby thought about it. “Yes. I mean of course I want to see him. I’m just scared, that’s all.”
“What of?”
“That I’m not the girl he thought I was.”
“But you are, Abby. You are exactly who he thinks you are. The Abby he knows and loves is sitting right here in front of me. You’ve just got a little extra baggage now.”
“A little?”
“Alright, a lot of extra baggage now. But he loves you for who you are, and who you are has not changed, has it?”
“How do you think he’ll take it when he finds out about my past?”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll feel horribly for you that you had such a trying life. I’m not sure what else you expect.”
“I have a child, Robert!”
He nodded his head. “Is that what you’re worried about? That he won’t like the fact that you have Ava?”
“No, no. I mean, I have a child, and I need to find her. I need to hold her, and kiss her, and tell her she doesn
’t have to be scared anymore. I have a child and I need to get to her. Is she still with my sister in Canada?”
Robert smiled. “Yes, she is, and she’s doing quite well. I spoke with Sarah last night. They will be ready for your return. Once you get back on your feet, psychologically speaking, we’ll get you over to the big island, where you can be on an international flight in no time.”
“You know I don’t like to waste time, Robert, and I’ve wasted more than enough.”
“Can you give me a day? Just a day. Rest, spend some time walking around the island and get your head clear. Is that fair?”
Abby gave him a good, long stare. She didn’t like the thought of sitting around for a day, but the ache behind her eyes told her that she should probably listen to him. “One day, Robert, that’s it.”
“Good. You didn’t have a choice anyway. There’s only one international flight out, and it’s every other day. I’ll see to it that you’re booked on the flight to the Chicago hub for tomorrow night. You’ll land late-morning, and then it’s a short hop to Montreal. One of my men has already lined everything up.” Robert smiled and held out his hands as though to say, ‘Aren’t I amazing?’
“You’re the best,” she said with a smile.
Robert stood to leave. “JJ will escort you, to make sure you get there safely.”
Abby furrowed her brow. “Robert, I don’t need an escort. I’ll be fine.”
“I just want to make sure you get where you’re going, Abby, that’s all.”
She stood up. “I appreciate that, but I do not need an escort. I made it off your booby-trapped island. I can make it from A to B on a plane.”
Robert smiled as a father would to his know-it-all daughter. “Whatever you say, Abby. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
There was a knock on the door before it eased open a few inches. It was Eric. “Can I come in?”
Robert looked at Abby. “You need to rest and keep your head about you, OK?” He walked over to the door and opened it all the way, gesturing for Eric to enter as he took his leave and shut the door behind him.
Abby was awash with emotions upon seeing him. She was so excited to have her life back that she wanted to open the floodgates and gush out all the information, but she worried how he would take it.
“Hi,” Eric said. “Um... are you OK?”
Abby nodded, and then ran and jumped on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him and squeezing him tightly.
He stroked her hair. “It’s a hell of a thing getting your memory back, huh?”
She pulled away and smiled, wiping a few tears from her eyes. “Yes! Oh, my goodness, yes. I have so much to tell you.” She stared into his blue eyes from just inches away. She could feel his love and knew that she had nothing to be afraid of. And yet, she was. “It’s not all good, though. I hope... I hope you don’t think less of me.”
He was flattered beyond belief that this beautiful woman cared so much about his opinion of her. “It’s alright. I know your life has gotten infinitely more complicated in the last twenty-four hours. But I’m here for you, and we’ll get through it together. Right?”
She nodded her head, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered in his ear, “I have a daughter.”
He pulled away in surprise. His dimples came out as a broad smile swept across his face. “What?”
She was smiling, tears running down her cheeks. “A little girl, Ava. She’s with my sister.”
“That’s great Abby! That’s unbelievable. I mean... I have so many questions, but wow!”
“I know,” she laughed a little. “I’m shocked, too!”
“Well, where is she? We have to go.”
Abby looked at him. He was so sure of himself and his life, and so willing to go along with hers. She never considered herself a religious girl, but looking into his eyes, she felt truly blessed. “It’s complicated Eric. I woke up a week ago living in paradise, and now I’m kind of thrust back into reality. You too, you know? Granted, Bryce is gone, so reality is much better now than it was when I left it, but still... are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“Are you kidding? I’m in this for the long haul. Listen, this past year, all the talk about our future, our hopes, our dreams, what our lives will be like... that wasn’t just lip service. I meant every word of it. I knew someday you would get your memory back, and that there were some incredible things locked up in there. Of course I’m ready for this!”
Abby kissed him. “Alright, then. Well, she’s in Canada, and I kind of want to go get her right now.”
“Then let’s catch the next plane!”
Abby smiled. “Hold on! Robert says we’ve got a day to kill before the next flight to Chicago.”
Eric saw a thought flash across her mind. He knew there was something going on behind the scenes, and wondered what it was. He didn’t even have to ask – he just tilted his head and raised his eyebrow.
“What?” she asked.
“I know you Abby, and there’s something going on in there.”
“Robert said something to me. He said ‘Bryce may be dead, but I don’t know what kind of history you have with his people. I don’t want to alarm you, but I want to encourage you to be practical’.” Abby was silent a moment. “Do you think there’s someone else waiting out there for me?”
Eric mulled that over. “I don’t know. You’ve got your memory back now. Is there anyone you can think of that has it in for you?”
She shook her head. “No, but he had a lot of connections. I mean, just look at the last time we were here. He owned half those so-called security guards that were protecting me from him.”
In her head, Abby was trying to work out if Bryce would ever tell anyone else his secret. She didn’t think so. There was no benefit to it. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that even from the grave he would be out to get her and keep her as quiet as his corpse.
Eric put his arm around her. “We’ll be fine as long as we stick together, right?”
Abby thought about that as she looked at their reflection in the mirror over the dresser. “Well, we certainly do look good together, that’s true enough.” She smiled, then was struck with a thought. “Do you think we’re more likely to be recognized if we’re together?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Eric examined them in the mirror, paying attention to Abby’s hair, weight and overall frame. “You look really different from when you were on the show, but I don’t.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” She was fairly confident that she wouldn’t be picked out as whom she was, but Eric was pretty much still Eric, with shorter hair. “I probably wouldn’t get recognized on my own, but if people see us together, they’ll recognize us in a second.”
They thought in silence for a moment, before Eric spoke. “What if we don’t travel together?”
“What? No way. I want to be together.”
“No, I mean, we can travel together, but not...” he made air quotes, “...together.”
Abby didn’t look convinced.
“Think about it. We disappeared together. If someone is waiting and searching for you, they’re really searching for us. So, when are we going to get recognized and have the story blow up? Probably either walking through an airport or sitting on the plane. If we’re separate though, maybe no one will recognize us. Does that make sense?”
Abby agreed reluctantly.
“So, who can we trust?” Eric wondered.
“Robert. That’s about it. After what happened last time, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to know the plan.”
“There’s a little problem. He had mentioned to me earlier that the travel arrangements were already made. He had assumed I would be with you, so we’re already booked on the flight together.”
Abby bit her lip while she thought, “That’s right, he did say that his guy had already taken care of the arrangements.”
“So let’s really make it legit, have him cancel my seat and I’ll just get another tick
et at the airport. He can tell his guy that we had a fight or something, that way there’s really no one that knows we’ll be traveling together.”
“That’s a good idea Eric, but, what then?” Abby wondered. “We can’t live the rest of our lives like that. We get to Canada, we get Ava, and where do we go from there?”
Eric smiled. “Wherever we are, we’ll be fine as long as we’re together. I just happen to know a great villa on a beach not too far from here, and it’s available.”
“You think we can go back there?”
“Why not?”
“JJ said there are others out here looking for us. Even if it’s not Bryce’s people, when the media finds us, everyone is going to know about it. Bryce’s people don’t even have to be looking for us. They’ll know where we are.”
“That’s true, but how did it go down when JJ got to the island? How did he find us?”
Abby thought about it a moment.
Eric continued, “He didn’t find us. Jay, Ben, the rest of the locals, they hid us and protected us. JJ is a pro, and he still wouldn’t have found us if we didn’t have Ben lead him to us.”
Abby smiled at the mention of Ben. He was such a sweet kid, and she hated the thought that she wouldn’t see him again. She certainly didn’t need to be talked into going back to the island. It was paradise on earth, a perfect place to raise her daughter with the man she loved, and a terrific out-of-the-way place. Coupled with the fact that there were likely cold-blooded killers out there looking for her, she couldn’t wait to get back if she knew that they couldn’t be found. Suddenly, she looked up, her eyes wide.
“What?” Eric asked. She was excited. That much he could tell.
Abby walked back and forth, working out the plan in her head before she turned to Eric and spoke. “OK, follow me here. We know there are investigators all over these islands looking for us, right?”
Eric nodded his head, curious to see where her mind was going.
“But, once we get to Canada, what if we make sure people know we’re there?”
Escape, the Complete Trilogy Page 40