Ryan before leaving. She wanted to lock the sight of his beautiful body and face into her mind forever.
Finally forcing herself into action, she grabbed her purse and left the room. Locking the door, she slid the key beneath the sizable crack so he’d be able to leave once he woke. She took the stairs to the ground floor and ghosted out through the door while the clerk’s back was turned.
Abby took to the streets, walking fast but keeping her eye out for Montoya’s men. She found an old car parked in an alley and checked to make sure no one was around before opening the door. It was a dilapidated piece of junk and the owner hadn’t bothered to lock it. He or she probably thought no one would be desperate enough to steal it. It took her a couple of minutes to hotwire it then the motor roared to life. She took off before the owner woke up and came to investigate the noise.
Debating about returning to her hotel for her belongings or driving straight to the airport, Abby decided it would be a good idea to go to the hotel first. Her flight was due to leave in a few hours and there was a good chance that her tour group was still at the hotel. She’d most likely been declared as missing by them days ago, which could cause complications when tried to board the plane. Her name would have been flagged with the authorities and she didn’t want someone pulling her aside at the airport to question her about her disappearance.
The small, rusty car made the journey through the large city without dying and she parked several blocks away from her hotel. She walked the rest of the way, glad that she’d worn hiking boots. The relieved look on the receptionist’s face told her that word had definitely spread about her kidnapping.
“I’m fine,” she said before the girl could bombard her with questions. “I managed to get away, but it took me a while to find my way back here,” she said by way of explanation. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs to speak to me.” She had no doubt that the cops would be called. The receptionist was already reaching for the phone as she stepped into the elevator.
Well aware of the types of questions the cops would ask, Abby quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes. She wadded her old clothes up, stepped into the hall and tossed them down the trash chute. Hopefully, they’d land in a pile of garbage and would become too encrusted with filth to tell that they’d been relatively clean when she’d arrived. The story that she’d concocted wouldn’t hold up if they examined her clothing in detail. They weren’t dirty enough for her to have been trudging through the jungle for four days.
It took a full hour before a knock came at her door. Instead of the cops, it was the couple that had tried to stop her from being kidnapped by Ryan. Their names were Gary and Cecelia. Gary was a retired judge and, even though he was elderly, he was still a formidable man.
“We just heard from the receptionist that you’d returned and we had to check on you,” Cecelia said. Her eyes were teary as she looked the younger woman over for any signs of injuries.
“Are you alright?” Gary asked her. His blue eyes were faded with age, but they were still sharp. They barely knew her and their concern was genuine and touching.
Smiling wearily at the pair, she stepped aside to let them enter. Her room was much cleaner and nicer than the one she’d left Ryan in. The carpet was light green to match the wallpaper. The bed was smaller than she was used to, but it was soft and comfortable. Best of all, the bathroom was spacious and clean.
“I’m fine ,” she told the pair. It was obvious that they didn’t believe her. “Really, I wasn’t with the banditos long enough to be harmed.”
They took a seat at the small dining table and Gary looked at her with a direct stare that would have made a bad guy squirm on the stand. “You’ve been gone for four days.”
“I know,” she said ruefully. Her
Finally forcing herself into action, she grabbed her purse and left the room. Locking the door, she slid the key beneath the sizable crack so he’d be able to leave once he woke. She took the stairs to the ground floor and ghosted out through the door while the clerk’s back was turned.
Abby took to the streets, walking fast but keeping her eye out for Montoya’s men. She found an old car parked in an alley and checked to make sure no one was around before opening the door. It was a dilapidated piece of junk and the owner hadn’t bothered to lock it. He or she probably thought no one would be desperate enough to steal it. It took her a couple of minutes to hotwire it then the motor roared to life. She took off before the owner woke up and came to investigate the noise.
Debating about returning to her hotel for her belongings or driving straight to the airport, Abby decided it would be a good idea to go to the hotel first. Her flight was due to leave in a few hours and there was a good chance that her tour group was still at the hotel. She’d most likely been declared as missing by them days ago, which could cause complications when tried to board the plane. Her name would have been flagged with the authorities and she didn’t want someone pulling her aside at the airport to question her about her disappearance.
The small, rusty car made the journey through the large city without dying and she parked several blocks away from her hotel. She walked the rest of the way, glad that she’d worn hiking boots. The relieved look on the receptionist’s face told her that word had definitely spread about her kidnapping.
“I’m fine,” she said before the girl could bombard her with questions. “I managed to get away, but it took me a while to find my way back here,” she said by way of explanation. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs to speak to me.” She had no doubt that the cops would be called. The receptionist was already reaching for the phone as she stepped into the elevator.
Well aware of the types of questions the cops would ask, Abby quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes. She wadded her old clothes up, stepped into the hall and tossed them down the trash chute. Hopefully, they’d land in a pile of garbage and would become too encrusted with filth to tell that they’d been relatively clean when she’d arrived. The story that she’d concocted wouldn’t hold up if they examined her clothing in detail. They weren’t dirty enough for her to have been trudging through the jungle for four days.
It took a full hour before a knock came at her door. Instead of the cops, it was the couple that had tried to stop her from being kidnapped by Ryan. Their names were Gary and Cecelia. Gary was a retired judge and, even though he was elderly, he was still a formidable man.
“We just heard from the receptionist that you’d returned and we had to check on you,” Cecelia said. Her eyes were teary as she looked the younger woman over for any signs of injuries.
“Are you alright?” Gary asked her. His blue eyes were faded with age, but they were still sharp. They barely knew her and their concern was genuine and touching.
Smiling wearily at the pair, she stepped aside to let them enter. Her room was much cleaner and nicer than the one she’d left Ryan in. The carpet was light green to match the wallpaper. The bed was smaller than she was used to, but it was soft and comfortable. Best of all, the bathroom was spacious and clean.
“I’m fine ,” she told the pair. It was obvious that they didn’t believe her. “Really, I wasn’t with the banditos long enough to be harmed.”
They took a seat at the small dining table and Gary looked at her with a direct stare that would have made a bad guy squirm on the stand. “You’ve been gone for four days.”
“I know,” she said ruefully. Her
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