Miss No One Mark Ayre (children's books read aloud TXT) 📖

There would be a delay. Enough of a delay that Orion knew even an hour's headstart wouldn't be enough. It would still give Abbie time to reach him before he and his sister disappeared.

Probably, Orion believed he could deal with Abbie, but he was clever. He was like her. He didn't believe in taking risks. Abbie had already killed three of his people at the dealership and had evaded Smoker on two separate occasions. She had also escaped a team of armed police. Orion thought he could kill Abbie if she arrived, but he'd sooner not test himself. If Abbie was locked up, imprisoned, he could relax.

The landscape slipped by as they travelled further North. They'd left the last big city behind, and now fields stretched out on all sides, far as the eye could see. They carried on, moving closer to their now fixed destination.

Ana had been confused by Abbie's instructions. Like Abbie, she had theorised Orion would be more relaxed if he believed Abbie was in police custody. This would make him easier to kill because he wouldn't be expecting an ambush.

This was also Abbie's opinion. Evans' call would have put the elder Becker on high alert. He wouldn't know how Abbie could find him, but he would prepare for an eventuality where she did. Evans' call had made Abbie's job far harder.

In Abbie's opinion, it was worth the risk. Orion would post people around his hideout, with instructions to watch for Abbie and, if they saw her, to shoot to kill. But if he was as keen to cover his bases as he seemed, he'd also need a plan B.

With Abbie in custody, the elder Becker had no incentive to keep Isabella alive. His kidnap victim would become a useless burden. Someone to be disposed of the moment her father arrived.

But with Abbie on the lose, with a plan B required, maybe the kidnap victim transformed into something else. The same thing Abbie had believed Rachel Becker could be.

Leverage.

Abbie watched the fields race past. With Evans' call, she had made her task of infiltrating Orion's current base and killing the Beckers, plus anyone they were with, far more complex. But on the flip side, maybe Abbie had brought Isabella a few more hours of life. Perhaps she had given herself a chance to save the little girl.

And that wasn't only the main thing.

That was everything.

Sixty-five minutes after Ndidi had reached his destination, Abbie tapped Evans on the shoulder and pointed off-road. The Constable took the hint. Flicked on his indicators, though they were in the middle of nowhere with no one around to signal to, and pulled off the road, over the verge, and onto the grass.

"Everything off," said Abbie.

A twist of the key in the ignition, and the engine went quiet. A light flashed on above their heads. Abbie looked to it, and Evans reached up, flicked it off. As darkness swallowed them, Abbie heard Evans retract the keys from the ignition. Heard them jangle.

She jabbed the gun into the cop's ribs and listened to his low squeal.

"Give."

He hesitated. Trying to decide whether to pretend he had misunderstood or maybe whether he should run. Abbie didn't believe this guy was anything close to a genius, but nor was he foolish. After a few seconds, he twisted and held out the keys.

Ana took them. Slid them away.

"How far?" Abbie asked, into the dark.

Another light as Ana turned on her screen. The phone bathed her face in a soft glow, and Abbie saw fear. Twice in two months, the lawyer had come within inches of death. How long before she decided it was probably sensible never to see Abbie again?

"Three miles. Five K. Pick your measurement system. We're facing north, and you'd need to walk north-west to reach Ndidi's tracker."

"Good."

The phone went dark. Blackness claimed them once more. Silence too.

Ndidi hadn't stopped here. He had travelled a little further up the road Evans had recently departed. There was a left turn not far along. Moore had driven Ndidi and Rachel along this road until they reached their destination.

Abbie looked north-west. It was clear fields for a way, but she could make something out. Shapes in the dark. Something rising a distance towards the sky. Not high. Maybe as tall as a two-storey house, but far narrower. That wasn't the only shape, and Abbie knew that block of forms was where she needed to go.

"Okay," she said and launched forward.

She was sitting behind Evans. Before he knew what was happening, she brought her hands around his headrest and slid an arm around his throat. She grabbed the wrist of that arm tight with her other hand and tugged. Evans struggled but weakened quickly. She counted as his attempts to remove her arms grew more and more pathetic. When he was unconscious, but before she could suffocate him to death, she released her arm and slid back into her chair.

Evans slumped. His head hit the window.

"I don't know how long he'll be out," said Abbie, "but I'd guess long enough."

Even in the pitch black, Abbie could sense Ana turning her way.

"Long enough for what?"

“For you to take him back, dump him somewhere, and await my call. Next time we speak, I’ll be in custody. I’ll need my lawyer. Unless I’m dead. In which case it’s unlikely I’ll phone.”

Ana’s hurt was evident.

“Is this because I let Ndidi get the better of me? Guy moves like a snake. His hand was a blur. Flash Gordon couldn’t have dodged that punch."

“Flash Gordon?”

“Yeah. Quick one in the red spandex. Batman’s mate.”

“That’s The Flash, idiot. “Flash Gordon was—“ Abbie stopped. “Doesn’t matter. This is nothing to do with trust. You’ve proven yourself yesterday and today. As I said, your actions don't make up for your past wrongdoings, but they prove the person you are now is worth having around. I don't blame you for what happened to Christine. Ndidi is an experienced police detective, and he was desperate. You didn't stand a chance,