Lastly, and most importantly, always be ready. You have probably learned I became very skilled with that knife when I was training for the show. If you’re reading this, I’m guessing it has probably saved our life once or twice. Always keep it with you. There is a photo of a man enclosed. You don’t know who he is, but trust me when I tell you, that is for the best. I will not tell you his name; I don’t want you getting cocky and trying to find him.
If you ever see this man, don’t blink; don’t flinch; don’t hesitate for a second. Run. Run or be killed. He has friends and contacts everywhere. Run far and fast, or he will find you. Do not let him speak to you and don’t believe a word he says. He’s very charming and very convincing. I fear if you let him try to reason with you, you are going to wind up right back where we started. You have no idea what has been sacrificed so that you can start over. Do not waste all the effort that was necessary for this to happen.
I know you can do this. I hope I thought of everything.
– Me
Abby read the letter again, and then again a third time, trying to make sense of it. What could have possibly happened in her life? What horrible road could she have gone down if lives depended on her ignorance? She picked up the photo from the nightstand and studied it. He didn’t look like a happy man, but he certainly did not look like someone to be scared of. Then again, life wasn’t a movie. The characters didn’t always look the part.
She was getting a fresh start. That does not happen often in life. Obviously, she had continued on her current path ten years ago and fell on some bad times since she got out of college, but that was in the past. Out of sight, out of mind. Literally, forgotten. She felt a sense of freedom, like how she felt when she gave in and gave up in the whirlpool. There was nothing she could do to change the status of her life at that moment. There was nothing more to do than just give in and accept it.
A loud knock on the door startled her out of her trance. She looked at the clock. An hour had passed since Robert left, and she was still in her robe. Standing to answer the door, she put the photo on the bed, then thought better of it and placed it in the top drawer of the nightstand instead.
Opening the door, her pulse quickened at the sight of Eric. His sandy hair was combed, hanging just over his ears. He wore a sky-blue shirt that made his bright blue eyes pop and brought out the deep tan he had acquired over the past month. His loose, khaki pants and leather sandals completed the picture. He looked like every beautiful man she had ever seen in a vacation advertisement.
“You shaved.” She stood on her toes and rubbed her cheek against his smooth face. Bringing her lips to his, she kissed him very softly. “I like it.” She smiled.
“Not a lot of razors out on the island.”
She stepped back and lifted her robe enough to reveal her calf. “I shaved, too!”
He reached down and rubbed his cheek against her leg, giving it a soft kiss. “I like it.”
She smiled and laughed. “Not a lot of razors on the island.”
He lingered at her leg for a moment before standing up. “You missed dinner.”
“I know. I wound up taking a little nap and... well, here I am.”
“Want to go find something to eat? There was plenty out there. I’m sure we can find you a plate.”
Abby bit her bottom lip. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, she slowly walked backwards into the room and kicked the door shut behind him.
Still holding his shirt and leading him into the room, she turned to him and whispered, “Do you realize we haven’t been alone together in a quiet place in nearly three weeks?”
He playfully asked, “Is that so?”
“The last time was that final night we were with Robert; the night before we set out for the beach to build the raft. Remember?”
He leaned toward her and tucked her damp hair behind her ear. With the lightest touch, he kissed her neck just below her ear, his lips barely grazing her skin. Placing his lips close, he whispered, “I remember.”
His breath against her neck gave her goosebumps, and when he kissed her again, she shook with a chill, although she was far from cold. Slowly, she unbuttoned his shirt and ran a hand over his chest, then down his flat stomach, while he planted soft kisses slowly down the length of her neck, just a bit lower each time. When he got to the bottom of her neck, he continued down her shoulder, slowly inching her robe out of the way as he went.
With his free hand, he untied her robe with one pull and let it hang open. As he kissed her left shoulder, his fingertips lightly traced a line down the right side of her neck and continued down to her chest. If her pulse quickened when she had seen him at the door, it was racing now, as his hand continued its journey, gliding down the center of her breasts.
She slid her hand down his taut stomach to his loose khakis, where she found he was no less excited than she was. He breathed in quickly when she touched him. Their mouths found each other, and his tongue lightly traced her lips before he kissed her deeply. The feeling of their lips meeting while their bare skin pressed against each other sent electricity through her body.
Leaning forward, he gently kissed between her breasts where his fingers had been as he knelt down in front of her. While his hand continued to trace a line down the center of her stomach and slid below her waist, his lips followed. She closed her eyes and tried to hold onto the thick bedpost for balance as her leg began to quiver, and her head rolled back as he teased exactly the right spots. Her robe fell to the floor.
He looked up at her impishly, his bright blue eyes twinkling in the dim light of the room. She looked down at him and smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair and down to his broad shoulders, where she slipped off his unbuttoned shirt, and it joined her robe on the floor. Abby knelt down with him, facing him, kissing his neck and working her way down to his chest, playfully biting his nipple. He wasn’t wearing a belt, and after unbuttoning his top button, she slid his loose-fitting khakis below his waist. He smiled and sighed as she took him in her hand.
While they were still kneeling on the floor, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “That bed up there is much nicer than anything we’ve slept on in weeks.” She gently squeezed her hand tighter around him and nibbled his earlobe. She felt his body nearly leap with excitement.
Without saying a word, he lifted her from the ground and set her down on the impossibly soft, silk sheets. She pulled him onto the bed and pushed him onto his back, putting him exactly where she wanted him. She climbed on top of him. Their lips met first, and then their bodies pressed together. Little beads of sweat started to form on her forehead as she slid her body against his. Looking into his eyes, she saw the man with whom she had gone to hell and back; the man who had put his life on the line for hers.
She realized she had been aching for this moment longer than she had allowed herself to admit. Judging by his reaction, he had been, too. As her hips settled over him, she felt him fill her completely. He ran his hands up her body, cupping her perfect breasts as she eased against him. Pressing into him, Abby slowly moved back and forth in rhythm with their breathing, which was speeding along faster with each movement.
Both had anticipated this moment for so long. Their deep, emotional connection started the first night they met, when they’d barely escaped the cave with their lives. Their physical relationship had smoldered for weeks and was suddenly bursting into an inferno. As she moved against him faster with each breath, neither of them stood a chance of savoring the moment for much longer.
Abby began to tremble and felt her chest and neck became flush. She closed her eyes as she dug her nails into his chest, trying desperately to hold onto the moment for as long as she could. Every nerve ending in her body tingled as her muscles tightened, and she felt a warm explosion of pleasure wash over her body. Every inch of her quivered as she contracted around him. He grabbed her hips with his strong hands and pulled her close as his body tensed, and he shuddered.
Abby collapsed onto his che
st as they lay there, panting in unison, their skin moist. Neither moved for what seemed like an eternity, until Abby rolled off his chest and snuggled close to him. They were lying in a bed that felt like a cloud, both of them completely satisfied, neither of them needing to say a word. They stayed that way for quite some time, satisfied and safe, off the island, listening to the waves crash in the distance as a mild breeze caressed their bodies through the open window, both of them feeling complete.
* * *
Abby did not want to bring up the subject of the letter; she wanted to live in this moment forever, but she knew she could not. Right now, Eric was one of her only friends in the world. As she lay next to him, she considered the letter and her impending life on the run. If only I could freeze this moment in time.
She asked, “Are you nervous about getting your memory back?”
“It’s actually not that big a deal.”
“Huh?”
He sat up. “You never gave me a chance to tell you. I already had it done.”
“What? How? Robert made it sound like a really big deal.”
Eric explained that after dinner, he commented to Robert that he didn’t want to wait until morning, and to his surprise, they readily agreed. “It was really easy; nothing to it. They sat me in a chair. There’s a doctor and some tech guys. They said I was probably the easiest one they’ve ever done.”
“It sounded more complicated when he was talking about it before.”
“I guess it can be, but it wasn’t for me—given my fairly unique circumstances.”
Abby’s interest was piqued. “And what circumstances are those?”
He sighed. “Well... it would seem my life has not changed a bit in ten years. There’s no shock to deal with; no dream to wake up from. I’m still living in the same crappy apartment with my same loser buddies, swinging the same hammer. I’m on a different a job site than I thought I was, but that’s about it.” He sighed again, a little depressed at the thought, and then chuckled. “Funny story, though. One of us did wind up in Mexico. It just wasn’t me.”
Abby was naked and lying on his bare chest with her arm draped over him. “How do you feel about that?”
“Well, I like Mexico, but I’m glad I wasn’t the one who got dumped there, passed-out drunk.”
She playfully smacked his chest. “Not that. I mean, how do you feel, knowing you haven’t really moved on with your life in the last ten years?”
He laughed. “I actually feel great that I don’t need to go back to it, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m rich. I met a great girl. I’m getting a new start.”
She bolted up in bed and very seriously asked, “Who’s the girl?” He looked genuinely nervous for a second, but she couldn’t keep a straight face, and they burst out laughing.
“I asked about you; if you could have it done tonight, too. Robert said your life was a bit more complicated, and he would feel better about waiting until morning, when they can do it right.”
Abby sat in silence for a while, nervously running her fingers through his hair. Robert was covering for her. He knew she wouldn’t be going through with the procedure, as simple as it may be. The room was lit only by the bright moonlight, coming through the large, arched window on the wall. A tear ran down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away before Eric noticed, but she couldn’t move quickly enough.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
The words caught in her throat. “Well, it seems I’m getting a fresh start, too.”
“I’m sure you are,” he said. He sat up and pulled her close to comfort her.
“No, Eric, I know I am. I’m not going to have my memory restored. I’m really starting fresh.”
“What? Why?”
She explained the letter she wrote to herself, then let him read it. She watched his face change from concern, to anger, to confusion. As he read through it a second time, he settled on understanding.
“Jeez.”
“I know.”
“We’ve been through a hell of a lot in the past month. I’m sure we’ll get through this.”
“Eric, don’t you get it? There is no we. I can’t go back to the States with you. I’ll stick around for the big finale but after that, I’m on the run. I can’t even tell you where I’m going. I don’t even know where I’m going....” She threw up her hands and flopped backwards onto her pillow, exasperated at the thought.
Eric looked into her eyes, pushing a stray hair out of her face. “I don’t have to go back. What do I have to go back to? Let me come with you. If you can’t tell me where you’re going, just let me tag along.”
She thought about it. “You would do that?”
“Of course I would, Abby. I love you.”
She laughed and cried all at once. Unable to wipe the giant smile off her face, she jumped on top of him and kissed him deeply as they sank back down into bed together.
* * *
From three-hundred yards away, Bryce watched through high-powered binoculars as they sank down into bed and began another round of lovemaking. He muttered under his breath, “I’ll kill that little whore.”
27
WHEN ABBY AWOKE mid-morning, her stated goal was to spend as much time in bed as possible that day. With less than twenty-four hours until the finale and her departure, she knew she wouldn’t be enjoying these comforts for long. At the very least, she would be enjoying the comfort of having Eric by her side, so she took consolation in that.
Robert and the production team had other plans. She swore his stated goal must have been to keep her on her feet for as much time as possible. The morning and early afternoon were spent running through rehearsals for the live finale that would be held at 5 AM local time the following day. This was so they could broadcast it live, and it would be in primetime back in the States.
The rehearsal was simple enough. For the most part, they went over questions Robert would ask during the interview portion. The live show was going to be early in the morning, so Robert wanted to make sure they were on the ball. The early hour didn’t bother Abby or Eric. Having spent the last month sleeping under the stars for the most part, they were pretty well in tune with the natural rhythm of the day. What did bother them about the early hour was the show would be coming to an end just before sunrise. They had hoped to make their disappearance immediately after the finale, under the cover of darkness.
On their way to a very late lunch, following the final run-through of the day, Abby pulled Robert away from the rest of the group to finally talk.
“I read my letter last night.”
“And?”
“I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty freaked out. It sounds like I was scared out of my mind about this guy. What if he shows up here?”
“Abby, we’re in the middle of nowhere, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. But, we did discuss this before, and you were concerned then, too. You said he had a great many resources. I promised you if you came back here, I would have extra security on hand. Even though you don’t remember that, I am a man of my word, and we called in extra security late last night. They will be with us for as long as you are.”
Abby thanked Robert. She had come to understand why she’d felt so familiar and comfortable with him when they were back on the island. He had told her he was willing to help in any way he could, and she had thought of a way. Actually, she was mostly seeking advice. He knew the islands and the area better than she did. If he were going to disappear, how would he do it?
“That is a tough one,” he said. “Obviously, I can’t know where you are going, so I can’t exactly tell you where would be the easiest place to disappear. That being said, there are over seven-thousand islands out here; roughly two-thousand with people on them. Most of this area is very undeveloped. Relatively few of the inhabited islands are tied to the world at large.”
“I guess it isn’t a bad place to be if you don’t want to be found.”
“Certainly, it would be difficult to find you, even if some
one knew approximately where you were.”
“How should we go about finding a nice, out-of-the-way island somewhere?”
“That, I don’t know. I don’t even know you want to stay on an island. Understand? I don’t know that. What I do know is I have at least a half-dozen boats out in my little boatyard. With the exception of the yacht, the keys to all of them are usually right in the glovebox. I own everything within two miles of where we are standing. I’m not worried about theft—though it would be a shame if one were to disappear. I doubt anyone would even notice for a day or two. It would be even worse if it never came back because it sunk off the coast someplace far from here, and the people aboard had to swim ashore and start their lives over. Would that not be tragic?”
“Absolutely,” Abby agreed.
“Hungry?”
“Starved.”
* * *
It was mid-afternoon, and after a satisfying lunch, Abby finally found her way back to her bedroom and enjoyed another long, hot shower. Drying off, she climbed into bed, wearing only her underwear. She had never felt anything quite like these sheets, and she wanted to feel the softness against every inch of her body. She was exhausted but lay awake, enjoying the comfort of where she was. When she was a little girl imagining what it was like to be in Heaven, surrounded by clouds, this bed was what she had pictured. While the warm, late-afternoon sun gleamed through the beautiful arched window on the west wall, she lay daydreaming about the possibilities to come.
She had money, she had a blank slate, and she was going to start over. Not only would she start over, but she would start over with Eric.
There was a knock on the door. She assumed it must be him. He had said he was going to clean up and rest. It appeared he didn’t want to rest alone.
Abby called to the door, “Come in!”
After a beat, the handle turned and jiggled a bit, but the door didn’t open.
“Hold on; I must have locked it.”
She climbed out of bed and trotted to the door, enjoying the feeling of walking around mostly naked. In her prior life, this was not a habit of hers, but she found it very liberating. That, and she thought her new body looked damned good without much on it.
Escape, the Complete Trilogy Page 20
