by Karen Legasy
Abigail slid the cell back into her handbag. “My legs are still feeling a bit wobbly from all that sex and I think a ride back is in order anyway.”
“Pizza and a ride back to our unit sounds good about now.” Marlee’s jaw tightened.
They picked up a bottle of merlot and a few cold beers to go with their pizza then hired a cab. The two tabby kittens met them at the lobby door again. Marlee put down the bags to pick one up.
“You love them, don’t you?” Abigail smiled.
“They’re so cute.” Marlee brushed her nose through the feathery fur. “I hope they find a good home.”
“I’m sure they will. Maybe we can get our own once things settle down. Josh would be thrilled, although I’m sure he’d prefer a dog.”
“Dogs are nice too.” Marlee put the kitten down and picked up its meowing sister for a cuddle. “I don’t know that I’d ever be able to tell them apart, they look so similar.”
“I’m sure their personalities would come out once you get to know them.” Abigail leaned against the building and scanned her email. “It’s all in the genetics, you know.”
“My own personal geneticist. How lucky am I?” Marlee released the cat and picked up her bags. “Shall we head in and eat?”
“Yes, please, considering I worked up such an appetite.” Abigail smiled as she brushed against Marlee and led the way inside.
They made it an early night to get rested up for a sunrise jog along the beach the next morning. Marlee ensured the windows and doors were securely locked then double-checked around their unit to verify nothing had been disturbed while they were out. Everything seemed fine, even the wind was calm and the surf peaceful as they lay in bed, but Marlee couldn’t fall asleep. Something was coming, she could feel it her veins, and her instincts wouldn’t let her rest.
She listened to Abigail’s even breathing long into a night of inner turmoil over whether or not it could have been Tyler in Merimbula and wondering if Hannah had somehow gotten to him and they were working together.
Marlee replayed their meeting at the elevator earlier that morning. It had been as though Tyler was waiting for them. And then there was the gun. Why had he brought it to Canberra and then not let her have it? Something wasn’t right and she was beginning to worry their safety was at risk, especially when Tyler didn’t answer any of her messages asking if he’d made it back to Sydney.
Chapter Forty-Two
A spectacular sunrise highlighted the horizon over the glistening ocean as Marlee and Abigail jogged along the beach toward Merimbula’s satellite village of Pambula. The air was fresh and the water retreating. Waves washed the sand to leave a hard-packed surface that captured their footprints along an otherwise pristine shoreline.
“This afternoon it’s your turn,” Abigail said as they ran side by side.
“Oh yeah? My turn for what?”
Abigail playfully shoved Marlee. “You can’t be that much of a saint. Tell me you haven’t been thinking of it.”
“Oh I’ve been thinking about it all right, for a long time now.” Marlee licked her lips as she corrected her exaggerated stumble. She was still feeling uneasy, but didn’t want to dampen the mood with something she hoped was a figment of her imagination. Especially since Tyler finally responded to her messages and she convinced herself he was back in Sydney.
“Sometimes it gets to be too much just thinking about you touching me there like that and I have to block it out,” Marlee said between breaths. “I can hardly wait.”
“Then why did you hold off until we got here?” Abigail panted. “I can’t believe you stopped me yesterday when it was your turn.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I think progressions in our love are worth savoring,” Marlee said. “I want us to relish moments like that. It seemed fitting to postpone it until our vacation.”
“You’re making this sound like a honeymoon of sorts.” Abigail chuckled, keeping up her pace.
“Maybe, but I hope we have lots of little intimate trips like this.”
“I like that idea. What other holidays do you have in mind?”
Marlee started to fall behind as she reduced her speed. “Can we take a break?”
“Sure.” Abigail slowed to a halt and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
“When we get over to Canada,” Marlee gasped for air, “I want to take you on a little excursion to the States and visit P-town.” She flopped onto the dry sand and faced the water.
“And what’s P-town?” Abigail sat beside her.
“It’s one of my favorite places in the world because it’s where we can be ourselves and hold hands or kiss on the streets and I want to be able to do that with you. Like I wish I could now, but people would stare.”
“There’s hardly anyone on the beach right now. Anyway, who cares if they look?”
“You’re going to make a great lesbian.” Marlee turned to Abigail and smiled. “Just think of the role model you’ll be when you come out to the world. Dr. Abigail Taylor, renowned geneticist and CEO of AbTay Biosystems, is a lesbian and living the best life ever with her Canadian partner.”
Abigail laughed. “You’re making me sound like your poster girl.”
“You are my poster girl. From now on, I’ll always have a picture of you in whatever locker I have.” Marlee patted Abigail’s knee then stood up. “We should keep moving or I’ll seize up.”
“Are you thinking police locker?” Abigail brushed off the seat of her shorts as she got up. “Is that what you want to do over here?”
“I don’t know yet, but I hope to at least have a gym locker because I don’t plan on becoming lazy and fat now that I’ve hooked onto you.” Marlee blew a kiss. “Come on. Let’s keep going so we can say we jogged from Merimbula to Pambula. It sounds neat.”
The rest of the run was leisurely but well paced, and it didn’t take them long to reach the main beach near the Pambula campgrounds. A few surfers were putting on wet suits and other beachgoers were setting up chairs or strolling along the sand.
“If you don’t mind,” Abigail said, “I’d like to visit the public toilet before we head back.”
“Good idea. I’ll go too.”
They used the washroom facilities and were alone at the sink washing their hands. No one else was inside.
“If we go into the town of Pambula,” Abigail said, “we can have a rest at one of the cafés then hire a cab back to our unit.”
“Sounds like a plan. How long is the—”
Marlee gasped for air as someone grabbed her from behind, thrust her into a headlock, and dragged her to the door. She tried tucking her chin to bite the muscular male arm, but her assailant was ready. A black leather-gloved hand clamped over her mouth while the barrel of a gun jabbed into her rib cage. She was rendered defenseless in a matter of seconds.
They were dragged outside. Marlee watched as Abigail struggled to avoid being stuffed into the back of a white windowless cargo van. Marlee wanted to fight back, get them out of this ambush, and protect Abigail. All she could do was take notes.
There were three attackers in all, each dressed in dark clothes and their faces concealed. Marlee was shoved in behind Abigail, pushed facedown against the unforgiving metal floor of the seatless van. The rear doors clanged shut, two of their attackers closed in with them and the third hurrying into the driver’s seat.
“Help! Call the police!” Abigail screamed when the hand over her mouth released its hold. “Let us go.” Her arms flailed about in an attempt to break free from her captor. A gloved hand whacked her in the face then tightened the grip around her arms as they bounced around in the speeding vehicle.
“Ouch! You’re hurting me,” Abigail cried out.
Marlee tried to lunge, but couldn’t move as she was pinned facedown, a heavy knee against her spine. A strip of duct tape was plastered over her mouth and her arms were yanked behind her back. She heard the ripping of more tape and felt stickiness binding her hands together. She turned he
r cheek against the cold metal floor, struggling for her eyes to meet Abigail’s and signal she’d find a way to get them out of this. There had to be a way, especially since she’d been trained how to get her hands out of duct tape.
Why hadn’t Tyler given her the gun? If only she had a weapon now. Her phone. Yes. At least it was in her pocket, at the ready for an opportunity.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Abigail’s cheek reddened from the smack, but she spoke as though in charge. Her assailant cut off a piece of duct tape and plastered it over her mouth. He also wrapped it around her wrists and fastened them to a handle on the side door.
Marlee guessed they were driving away from the nearby town. The ride was smooth and fast, so she surmised they were being transported by highway. Whether to be interrogated or killed, or both, she wasn’t sure. She was certain they knew she was a police officer. The way they had been ready for her, two assailants against Abigail’s one, and leaving nothing to chance with the hard Glock in her ribs made it obvious. She knew without a doubt that Hannah was somehow involved.
Her eyes scanned the inside of the windowless vehicle, looking for anything that could help get them out of this situation. A sunroof was opened to let in a breeze and revealed a clear blue sky. Their captors remained silent and the driver was hidden behind a curtain blocking out the front view.
Marlee studied the two thugs. Their faces were still hidden and they didn’t speak. She deduced they were all Caucasian, two dark haired and one red, judging by the hair on their arms. The redhead was driving.
All were over six feet tall with muscular builds, and wore dark zip-off pants, plain black T-shirts, and black balaclavas. It was though they were a team, or clones, except for the redhead. Musk aftershave permeated the air.
The inside of the van was new and barren, most likely a rental, with the exception of a spade and three digging shovels thrown on the floor near the back. When the vehicle slowed and turned onto a gravel road, Marlee’s eyes drifted back to the tools and her heart pounded. They were going to be killed and buried somewhere in the bush outside Merimbula. She was sure of it.
Abigail’s frantic eyes urged Marlee to look toward the sunroof. A helicopter hovered against the blue sky, as though keeping in stride with them. It was too high up to know if it was the police, but Marlee hoped for the best. Had Tyler followed them to Merimbula, knowing something was up? Could he have alerted the authorities? Please let it be so because Marlee knew there weren’t many other options.
When the helicopter disappeared, Marlee held her breath, yearning for another glimpse as the whirring motor drifted into the silent distance. Marlee finally released her breath and dropped her head in anguish. They were on their own.
Marlee carefully wriggled her hands behind her back, working at the duct tape. She managed to slide it over her wrists and was diligently tugging it away with her fingers. She also loosened the tape over her mouth by discreetly blowing and sucking against the glue. There had to be a way to get them out of this, just like when all seemed lost at sea until Abigail rescued her from the shark. She couldn’t give up.
The van came to an abrupt stop. The doors flung open to a wooded area and Marlee was shoved out first. She fell onto the sand and rolled to conceal her loosened hands. Shimmering water off to the right caught her eye and she realized they weren’t far from the coast. As soon as she freed her hands, maybe she could grab one of their guns and at least have a chance to protect Abigail.
Abigail’s chin hit the dirt when she landed on the ground and her hair had come out of its ponytail. The tape had been cut from her hands and she reached to remove the piece over her mouth.
“Leave it alone.” Hannah appeared from behind the van, semiautomatic pistol with silencer in hand and fury in her eyes.
Hannah looked away from Abigail and pointed the gun at Marlee, their eyes meeting in sizzling hatred. “I ought to shoot you right now, but I want you to suffer.” She motioned into the bushes near the rear of the van where the three thugs were digging a hole. “Considering the two of you are so stuck to each other, I thought you’d like to be together for eternity.”
Hannah snickered, keeping her gun and eyes on Marlee. “I’m disappointed in you, Tay. We were supposed to be best friends and that should mean we tell each other who we’re sleeping with, unless, of course, you’re ashamed of your Canadian slut. I think I’d be, considering she’s a pathetic excuse of a bull dyke that doesn’t even have a bite.”
Marlee’s hands were almost free and she concealed her final tugs on the tape by exaggerating convulsions of anger toward Hannah’s hateful words. Her gut feeling had been right all along and she needed to take control. Marlee groaned and whimpered until her hands finally came free. She kept them hidden behind her back as though still tied, and acted like she was reaching frustrated resignation.
“She’s a wild one, isn’t she?” Hannah sneered. “I didn’t realize you liked it so feral, Tay, or I’d have played a little rougher.” She turned the gun on Abigail. “Maybe you’d like a little Russian roulette to turn you on?”
Marlee watched as Abigail pointed to the tape over her mouth and pleaded with her eyes to remove it.
“I’ll let you speak now, Tay.” Hannah waved the gun at her. “Go ahead and pull it off, but if you scream, I’ll kill you.”
Abigail carefully removed the tape and let out a sigh. “Hannah.” She spoke in a soft voice. “What’s going on? I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
“As you like to say when rationalizing a decision I don’t agree with, there are a few reasons.” Hannah gave a wicked grin. “First of all, there’s the money. Why should you get it all?”
Marlee sat quietly, studying their surroundings while waiting for an opportunity to reach her phone and hit speed dial for the police. She studied Hannah’s gun and the three thugs in the distance. If only she could get her hands on a gun.
“I’ve always tried to be fair to you,” Abigail said. “You’re my highest paid employee and I’ve been more than generous with your bonuses.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Hannah said. “I wasn’t just an employee. I helped you build that company. I should have been a co-owner.”
“I’m sorry, Hannah. If that’s the way you feel, I’ll talk to my lawyers and make it happen. Let us go and I’ll do whatever you want. You can have it all if you want.”
“What I want is for people like you to pay.” Hannah swatted a fly with the back of her hand. “People who have everything—money, brilliance, good looks, happiness. I can see how happy you’ve been over the last few weeks and it makes me sick. Your company’s under siege and yet you look the happiest you’ve ever been. All because of her.” Hannah jerked the gun toward Marlee. “Where’s your little androgynous friend Tyler?”
Marlee glared at Hannah, her body shaking with anger. The woman was clearly deranged, expecting Marlee to answer even though gagged.
“Where is he?” Hannah screamed and fired a shot in the ground next to Marlee.
“I’m right here.” Tyler jumped out of the bushes beside Marlee, hands shaking as he pointed the stolen gun at Hannah.
Chapter Forty-Three
Marlee lunged at Tyler, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at Hannah with a readiness to kill. She spit the tape off her lips. “I’ll shoot if you make the slightest move.”
Hannah had raised her gun toward Tyler in the confusion, but it now pointed at empty air as he’d dropped to the ground during the exchange with Marlee.
Marlee motioned and Abigail bolted to her feet. She sprinted to Marlee’s side as the three thugs threw down their shovels and reached for their guns.
“Run!” Marlee fired a few shots as they fled into the bushes and raced for their lives.
“This way!” Tyler shouted, leading them through an opening in the brush to a rock face along the shore. “I think we can get down to the beach from here. Follow me.”
Their attackers were right behind, thrashing through trees
and closing in. Marlee tailed Tyler and Abigail as they slid down the steep rock face to the shore and began to race along the sandy beach. Silenced shots were fired from above as they darted into the concealing trees along the shore. They continued deeper into the undergrowth and finally collapsed behind a mound of dirt.
“Where are they?” Abigail panted.
“They might be driving around.” Tyler gasped for air. “There’s a road not too far from here.”
“Where are we?” Marlee remembered her cell and tossed it to Tyler. “We could use some police support now.”
“Good on you.” He kissed her phone. “I forgot mine in the car.” His hands trembled as he tried to make the call.
“How are you holding up?” Marlee brushed a hand over Abigail’s shoulder.
“I’m good.” Abigail gave a weak smile. “My two heroes. I’m so glad you’re on my team.”
“We’re not out of this yet.” Marlee knew of the danger that still lay ahead.
“I can’t get through.” Tyler shook the phone. “What a useless piece of shit.”
“Fuck,” Marlee said. “What’s wrong with it?”
“The coverage in this gulley isn’t strong enough for your phone and the battery’s almost dead. What about yours?” He looked at Abigail.
“I didn’t bring it.” She groaned. “I wanted to forget about the office for a few hours.”
“We should keep moving,” Marlee said. “I’m sure we’ll find a signal around here somewhere.”
They were just about to get up when a branch toward the left snapped. Marlee motioned for Tyler and Abigail to freeze. She held her breath and listened for movement. The next sound came from the right. They were being circled. She spotted Hannah through the branches first, head twisting back and forth like a robot, her gun out in front. They couldn’t make a noise, and maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t be discovered.
She spoke with her eyes, staring toward Hannah then at Abigail and Tyler to let them know silence was paramount. A bead of sweat formed on her brow and tickled, but she didn’t dare wipe it. Her pounding heart echoed, reminding her of a partridge pumping its wings in the bush, and hoped it wouldn’t give them away like the hunted bird often did with its fluttering feathers.