Escape, the Complete Trilogy

by David Antocci

  He hadn’t seen her in awhile, as the flight attendants were constantly pulling the curtain closed to separate the classes. However, he wasn’t worried. She wasn’t going anywhere while they were forty thousand feet up, and he knew from his employer that she wasn’t planning to leave the airport once they were on the ground. She had a couple-hour layover before catching a flight to Montreal. Connor would grab her during this time and escort her to a waiting vehicle where Bryce would be anticipating their reunion.

  With the restroom right near his seat in use, he decided to venture into the first class cabin to use their restrooms, and maybe even give Abby a friendly smile and a hello just for fun. He needed to stretch his legs anyway, as fourteen hours on a plane had him awfully cramped up.

  Walking through the curtain and into first class, he was immediately stopped by a flight attendant. “Excuse me, sir, can I help you?” Her words came out with a smile plastered across her face, but she was anything but happy to see him there. Despite his large frame and big arms, the airplane, and in particular first class, was her turf and she was willing to defend it.

  “No, thank you,” he said. “I just need to use the men’s room.”

  She somehow smiled even larger. “This is the first class cabin, sir. Please use the facilities just on the other side of the curtain in business class.”

  He looked over at the back of Abby’s head. “It’s taken.”

  The flight attendant gently placed her hand on his arm and turned him around. “There are several additional lavatories in the coach section, sir, I’m sure you can find one available. Thank you. Buh-bye now.” If it was possible to slam a curtain closed in someone’s face, she did.

  And with that he found himself back on the other side. Oh, well, it was worth a shot. However, he did actually need to use the facilities, and the bathroom in the business section had been occupied for quite some time. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go in there once it did become available anyway.

  Connor walked back into the coach section where the seats were decidedly more crowded than business or first class. There were three seats on each side of the plane, and the center aisle had four. He looked past the sea of three hundred and fifty heads to the end of the aisle where there was a green indicator light telling him that the bathroom was available.

  Most people walk with their heads down, not wanting to make eye contact or, heaven forbid, interact with a stranger on the flight. Not Connor. In his line of business, it was important to be aware of what and who was around you at all times. As he walked down the aisle, glancing over his fellow passengers as they stared down at their magazines or television screens, one in particular caught his eye and made him do a double take. He had never met him in person, but he had seen his face plenty of times before.

  Eric.

  Shit.

  * * *

  Abby watched as the bulldog of a flight attendant made her way back to the front of first class after having dismissed a passenger who wanted to use their bathroom. He had been a big man who didn’t look all that friendly, but the flight attendant was a tough little women. Abby smiled at the thought that she would rather take on that tough-looking man than this little woman who ruled everything forward of the first class curtain. Good for you, she thought to herself.

  Despite her instincts, she was looking back to see if she could spot Eric back there. She couldn’t, and was a little disappointed, though not surprised. She was excited for him to meet Ava, and was sure that they would become a happy little family in no time at all.

  That thought stunned her for a moment. A happy family. Abby, Ava, and Eric. Yes, she thought, we will be a happy family. She had never spoken to Eric about marriage, though they had always talked about their future lives together – they just never said the words.

  Technically, she had been married the entire time that she had known Eric. Now that Bryce was gone, they could truly start a new life together. She dreamt that their future would involve a small ceremony on the white sand beach in front of their villa on their secret island. She pictured flowers in Ava’s hair, and a simple ring on her finger. Yes, a happy little family. She allowed herself to close her eyes and dream for a bit as the plane continued toward their destination.

  * * *

  On the opposite side of the plane, in the right aisle window seat, a clean-shaven Ace nudged JJ awake. “Hey, did you see the way that guy just looked at Eric?”

  JJ had his baseball cap pulled down over his face. He opened his eyes halfway and tilted his head up to look at his brother. “No... I was sleeping.”

  “It was weird, that’s all.”

  “So is looking at you without a beard.”

  “Seriously,” Ace hissed under his breath. “I don’t understand why I had to shave my beautiful beard that took six months to grow out like that, and you just get to wear a baseball cap.”

  “I’m one of a hundred anonymous guys in a ball cap. If you didn’t shave, you’d be the one guy with the crazy beard. Easy to pick out. Remember, Robert doesn’t want her to know we’re here.”

  “What about him?” Ace said, indicating Eric across the other side.

  “I don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I say we just lay low, make sure Abby gets to where she’s supposed to go, and by the grace of God get back to Boston and our own beds by tomorrow night.”

  Ace was still staring across the plane at the back right side of Eric’s head.

  “Will you stop staring at him? He’s going to see you.”

  “We’re behind him; it’s fine.” Ace watched as the man came out of the bathroom and quickly walked back to business class, but not before glancing down at Eric as he walked by. “There, he did it again.”

  JJ sighed. “He probably recognized him from TV. Wouldn’t you?”

  “Well yeah. But still.”

  * * *

  Connor locked the bathroom door behind him and pulled out his phone. Shit! What is he doing here? He was confident that he could take care of Abby, but with two of them and one of him, he needed to alter his plan. He looked down at his phone. There was no reception this high up, but he had Wi-Fi through the plane and sent a message to Bryce:

  Eric is on the plane. I’m going to need some help on the ground. I’ll be in touch.

  As he walked back to his seat, he glanced down at Eric. Yes, it’s definitely him. He wondered why he was there, and why he wasn’t sitting in first class with Abby. He also wondered why Bryce had told him that he only needed to worry about the girl and didn’t bring Eric up at all.

  His phone vibrated with a message from Bryce.

  You’re sure it’s him? Greg said she was traveling alone. Said they had some sort of fight and he was supposed to stay behind.

  Connor thought about that. If he wasn’t supposed to be here, and they weren’t sitting together, then maybe she didn’t even know he was there. That would certainly make things easier. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that was the case. Eric had not come up front the entire flight. If they had a fight and he was supposed to stay behind, then he was probably following her, and she doesn’t even know it.

  If that was the case, Eric was probably planning to approach her between flights to make up. If he could neutralize him before that happened, then he could stick with the original plan. He messaged Bryce back:

  Yes, it’s definitely him. Doesn’t look like she knows he’s here. Have a couple guys grab him when he gets off the flight. He’s at the back of the plane, so he’ll be way behind us. She’ll never see him.

  * * *

  Eric nervously flipped through the airline magazine for at least the fifth time. He hated being so close to Abby, yet so far away. He knew that they were fine on the plane. Everyone goes through security, everyone has their assigned seats, and from what he just saw, they don’t even let you walk into first class if you don’t belong there. Still, they had been through so much together, and he would feel better if he had his eyes on her.


  Their relationship, while wonderful, was complicated on a certain level. They had spent the past year together; however, she was a married woman. Albeit estranged from a psychotic husband who had tried to murder them both, but a married woman nonetheless. What would my grandmother think? He knew exactly what she would have thought. It’s time to put a ring on her finger.

  His grandmother, who had practically raised him, had been and still was a big influence on his life. She was a traditional woman, but also practical and realistic. She wouldn’t have necessarily approved of their relationship, but wouldn’t have voiced her objections either. Now that Abby was free, he had to do the right thing and marry her.

  The thought shocked Eric. Why hadn’t it crossed his mind until now? He wasn’t sure. He supposed that everything had happened so quickly since they found out Bryce was dead. In light of everything, he didn’t think the timing was right for such a dramatic event. Their lives had changed so much over the past ten days, and now, within a few hours, they would change even more.

  He wondered, when is the right time to ask something like that? He relaxed and told himself that he would figure it out. He and Abby would have a long life together. For now, they would stick around Montreal for a few days to get everything in order before they revealed themselves.

  They had toyed with a few different ways of doing it, but decided they would simply go out to lunch in the city and have her sister call in an anonymous tip to the local media about where they were dining. A reporter would show up, and they would just ever so briefly answer the inevitable question, “Where have you been hiding?” by saying, “Somewhere quiet and out of the way up north, so please leave us alone.” After that, they would separate for their travels, disappear again, and be able to go back to their quiet life in the villa while the media turned its search for them to northern Canada.

  He took solace in the knowledge that their return to heaven on earth was just a few days away, and that in just a matter of a few hours, he would be holding Abby in his arms again.

  * * *

  Abby opened her eyes. She hadn’t really slept, but felt about as rested as she could. The captain had announced that they were on their final approach and would be on the ground in a matter of minutes. She had butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous to see her daughter again. She was also excited that she was that much closer to being with Eric. They had been through so much, it seemed as though she had known him all her life, not for only a year.

  The thought occurred to her that although she felt that way about him, he was still a complete stranger to her daughter. She wasn’t sure when would be the best time to introduce him to Ava. She’d been away from her daughter for so long, she felt she should show up alone and let Ava meet Eric later. Her sister confirmed that Ava knew of Eric, and that they had been on the show together, but didn’t know that Abby had been in hiding with him for the past year.

  Given that Ava had been through a great deal, and that she probably had some sort of abandonment complex, Abby decided it probably wasn’t best for her to show up with Eric by her side. She figured she would go to her sister’s alone, and then tomorrow or maybe the next day, add Eric to the mix.

  She also knew that he would understand, and it would be all right. Before she knew it, their lives would be relatively normal again. Well, normal for us, anyway. She was semi-relieved at the thought of returning to normal, even if she had no idea what normal was going to be. It would be great as long as she had Ava and Eric with her.

  She flipped up the shade and looked out the window at the Chicago skyline against the gray of dawn in the distance. She had mixed feelings about returning to the city, even if it was only for a short few hours.

  “It will be fine,” she said aloud.

  23

  CONNOR EXITED THE PLANE only a few minutes after Abby, though when he walked into the terminal, she was nowhere to be seen. He spotted the restrooms on the far wall and figured that, like many passengers after an excruciatingly long flight, she probably ducked in there. He decided to wait it out for a few minutes. If she didn’t show up, he still wouldn’t be worried – he would check the food court, and ultimately the terminal for her connecting flight to Montreal.

  Scanning the area, he immediately picked out two big guys in dark sport coats sitting near the restroom, pretending to read their newspapers. Their respectable guts hung over their belts and rested on their laps. Both sported a goatee to give the casual observer some inclination as to where their chins should have ended. Judging from their greased back and somewhat curly hair, Connor rightly assumed their sizable girth was from one too many helpings of mama’s spaghetti and meatballs.

  He kept an eye on them, and an eye on the ladies’ room exit. When she exited a few minutes later, the men noticed her, but quickly looked down at their papers. Connor watched as she stood for a moment, scanning the international terminal, before her eyes settled on the familiar orange and pink colors of a donut shop sign at the far end of the hallway. She smiled and headed that way.

  Connor looked down at his phone to check the time. Abby had just over two hours before her flight to Montreal, and he doubted she would leave the terminal. He decided to stick around a few more minutes just to be sure these two goons took care of Eric. He didn’t know what the plan was, but they had to be Bryce’s men.

  Once he was satisfied they had things in hand, he would follow Abby and grab a coffee himself. Once he saw what Abby was drinking and where she was sitting, he would drug his coffee with a potent sedative, put his identical cup down next to hers, and then take hers by accident. Given the strength of the sedative, and her petite size, just a few sips would be enough to put her down for the count for at least a couple of hours. She would sleep through the boarding of her flight and in her half-lucid state when she woke up, he would tell her that Robert had sent him and escort her from the airport to Bryce’s waiting vehicle.

  That plan was a bit complicated, so as a back-up, he had a syringe in his pocket. He could sit down next to her, stick her, and she would pass out within seconds before she knew what happened.

  If that didn’t work, he would convince her otherwise.

  Anyway you cut it, she was leaving the airport in a black limousine and not a plane for Montreal.

  As he stood there going over his plan and pretending to be busy on his phone, he noticed Eric walk by and head straight into the men’s room. The two men looked at each other, stood up, and strode in behind him, their impressive stomachs leading the way.

  Connor muttered under his breath as he walked toward the donut shop, “Way to play it close to the vest guys.”

  * * *

  Ace walked down the wide corridor past the donut shop and saw Abby standing in line out of the corner of his eye. He continued walking. With his previously longish curly hair now chopped above the ears and his scraggly beard freshly shorn from his face, there was no way she would recognize him. They had only seen each other a couple of times in the first place. However, he did not want to be obviously following her.

  He walked a few storefronts down, pretending to look over the selection of earplugs at a kiosk, then turned and walked back to the donut shop to stand in line a half-dozen people behind Abby.

  He thought it was bizarre that Robert was so concerned about her that he had him and his brother tailing her to her destination on the other side of the world. However, Robert paid exceedingly well, so Ace had reluctantly cleaned up his hair and beard and grabbed a couple of seats on the plane for himself and JJ.

  Ace heard Abby order. “Medium regular, milk, one sugar, and a Boston Crème donut, please.”

  He got the sense that she had placed this order a few hundred times in the past. Ace thought it was funny how people were such creatures of habit. Abby had spent the past year of her life in isolation, as far from her regular coffee order as possible, but here she is, on terra firma back in the good old U.S. of A. for ten minutes, and she’s spouting out her regular order without missing
a beat.

  The next thing he noticed was odd, as well. A man, two customers in front of him, also ordered, “Medium regular, milk, one sugar.”

  What an odd coincidence, Ace thought.

  When the man took his cup and turned to hustle out of the shop and down the hall after Abby, Ace watched with intensity, trying to figure out what was happening. That was the guy looking at Eric on the plane. Having spent years as a private investigator and bounty hunter, he had learned to trust his gut, and right now his gut was telling him that something was not right.

  The voice of the woman at the counter snapped him out of his trance a few moments later, “What’ll it be, sir? Sir, can I help you?”

  “Uh,” he turned and watched as the man walked briskly down the corridor and out of sight around the corner. “Sorry, nothing.” Ace turned and left the shop in pursuit.

  “Next,” the woman called.

  JJ was supposed to be standing at the end of the corridor where it spilled out into the wide-open terminal, hat pulled down low. He was supposed to be there to nod in the direction that Abby went so Ace would know where to go. They had determined she would either head over toward the tables at the food court, or just to the gate for her next flight.

  The only problem was that JJ was not there. Ace stopped and looked around. Not only was JJ not at his post, he was nowhere to be seen.

  He scanned the crowd carefully, trying to put eyes either on his brother, Abby, or the man who had appeared to be following her. However, he found none of them. Something must have happened, he thought. His brother wouldn’t have just left his post. He must have noticed the guy, too. That was the only explanation Ace could come up with.