Page 53 of Abigail's King

Chapter Twenty-Four

Abigail

My head felt fuzzy and I was nauseous when I finally woke up, completely disorientated and wondering for a moment what the hell had happened. I tried to move my arms and legs and realised that they were bound together. It was only then that the realisation came crashing down on me.

Bianca. She had been the stalker all along. Some deluded vengeance for her boyfriend, Gary, because he was obsessed with me. That he left her because he couldn’t have me. I opened my eyes again, but everything was still black. Bianca must have put a blindfold on me. I could feel that we were moving so we had to be in a vehicle, probably heading towards the airport. I just hoped that the tracking device that Mateus had suggested to put on my outfit for today was still there. At least then they would be able to track me.

Bianca must have realised that I was stirring, as she started to speak.

“I wouldn’t do anything stupid if I were you, Abigail. You are in a moving car, and you would kill us both if you try anything. Especially as you are tied at the wrists and ankles. I would just put up and shut up if I were you. Don’t worry, you will be treated like a queen where you are going. I’m almost jealous. Only almost.”

I couldn’t believe the audacity of this woman. The fact that she was abducting me and selling me to a sheik amounted to kidnapping and modern slavery. If she thought I was going to shut up, she had another think coming.

“Bianca, you can’t think you are going to get away with this. You will be stopped at the airport before you get anywhere near the plane. You’re better off just letting me go and making your own escape. We have far too much evidence against you. You would be arrested as soon as you come into land—”

“Little do you know, Miss Clarke? I have everything planned down to the last detail. I already contacted the airport, and because you are a celebrity, we can get right next to the plane at the gate. It’s a shame you are awake, but I am sure I can do something about that.”

My heartrate was starting to become erratic as the panic started to set in. I tried to regulate it by slowly breathing in and out like I had seen in so many films when the victim was having a panic attack. They made it look so easy, but whatever I did, the terror inside me was still increasing.

“If I’m awake, then you can bet that Kye will be awake, and he will guess where you are going. I bet he has already contacted the police by now and is not far behind us.”

I wanted Bianca to start second-guessing herself. Hoped that she would start to worry about getting caught and change her plans. I just had to stall her enough so that Kye and Mateus could get to me. It was obvious from what I had heard Kye saying that Mateus knew Bianca was behind it, so I was hoping he had already started tracking me and would realise where she was going.

“I wouldn’t worry about your precious boyfriend. From the looks of the amount of water he drank, he will probably be out for a few hours. By the time he wakes up, we will be long gone, and the great Lila Goddard will never be seen again. Now shut up, because I need to concentrate on driving. You wouldn’t want us to crash, would you?”

Part of me wondered whether that would actually be a good idea. At least it would give everyone more time, Kye especially, to catch up with us. Then again, I didn’t know how good Bianca was at controlling the car. One wrong move, and we could both be dead. Did I take the chance, or did I just keep quiet and wait? The answer came quite quickly when I felt the car slowing down as, I assumed, we pulled off the main road and towards the airport.

“I suggest you keep quiet when we arrive at the plane. I don’t want to hurt you any more than I must, but I will if required. When we stop at the plane, the pilot is going to come out and take you into it while I deal with the security clearance.”

I didn’t have time to say a word before the car slowed to a near halt, but without stopping, we continued on our journey. I could only assume that we were now at the airport and somehow we had already gotten into the secure area and were heading over towards the plane. My already-high anxiety levels were starting to kick into overdrive as my breathing started to become quick and shallow. I was at the point of hyperventilating, and nothing I had learned was helping my situation. I could feel my heart starting to beat faster as the adrenaline and fear were coursing through my veins. If I hadn’t been tied up, I would have been making a run for it. I was not one to fight. In situations like this, I was a flight person.

As we slowly continued, Bianca spoke from the front of the car. “I told you I had everything arranged. We are just pulling up next to the plane now. As I said, do not make a scene. Believe me, it is for your own good.”

The car ground to a halt, and from the sounds of things, Bianca got out of the car and closed the door. I lay in the back of the car wondering how I was going to hold things up without causing a scene. Bianca had already said that I was worth more to her alive than dead. However, would she feel the same way if I tried to stop her from carrying out her plan? If I shouted enough to get the attention of the security guys, would she turn on me and carry out the unthinkable? I heard footsteps heading towards the car, and the door next to me opened.

“Miss Goddard, I am the pilot. I’m not going to tell you my name for obvious reasons. I don’t want to implicate myself in this ridiculous plan.”

It didn’t escape my notice that he addressed me as Miss Goddard. That meant he knew exactly who I was and probably what I did for a living. If anything, I had thought that Bianca would use my real name to cover who I was.

I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my voice. “Then why go along with it? You could put a stop to this right now.”

I heard him sigh before he replied. “I wish it was that simple. Miss Emerson has some very influential friends. If I do anything wrong, they will kill my entire family. I can’t lose my wife and two daughters. They are my world. I’m sorry, Miss Goddard. But if it comes down to you or my family, my family wins every time. Even if it means I go to jail for kidnapping you. At least I would know they were safe.”

I really couldn’t blame him. If I was put into the same position, I would protect my family as much as I could, and who was to say how the mind worked in certain situations?

“I understand. But I must tell you, the police will be here any minute, if I know my boyfriend. He will have contacted them. You have a chance to stop this situation. Just stall the plane from taking off as long as possible. I will tell them you had nothing to do with Bianca’s plan. That you were just hired to fly the plane and didn’t realise what was going on. I’m not asking you to go against anything, just come up with some procedures that need to be carried out before taking off to delay the flight for as long as possible. Please, just try.”

I wasn’t beyond begging, and at this point I practically was. I knew that Mateus and Kye would be tracking me. That they would be coming for me if they weren’t already on their way. I just needed him to be with me on this. I was sure we wouldn’t need long, just enough time for the police to arrive.

“I will see what I can do, Miss Goddard—”

“Please call me Abigail. That is my real name. Miss Goddard sounds far too formal in these situations.”

“Abigail it is. I might as well tell you my name. It’s Geoff. I have to carry you out of the car and to the plane. I know your instinct is to shout, but Miss Emerson has told me to keep you under control with any force required. I really don’t want to use any force. So, would you mind just pretending to be asleep? Our takeoff slot isn’t for another forty-five minutes.”

Could I trust this man if I told him about the tracker? I knew it was a risk, but it was one I was willing to take. Geoff seemed an unwilling party in this situation.

“Geoff, I have a tracker on my clothing and my phone. I am hoping that the police have already been informed of my whereabouts. Plus, my boyfriend and his brother should also be on their way. I promise I won’t cause a scene. Would you please take off this blindfold, though? I will keep my eyes closed until you tell me I am on the plane.”

---