Page 51 of Abigail's King
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kye
My head was pounding as I started to come around. What the hell had happened? I was completely disorientated and couldn’t work out for a moment where I was. Then it all came crashing back to me.
Bianca. She was the stalker. Everything had been down to her. Everything around me came into focus. I could see Joel, who was still unconscious on the other side of the cave. But there was no Bianca and no Abigail. I could feel the panic starting to rise in me. My heart beat erratically and my breathing was fast, as I realised the enormity of what had happened.
I had failed. I’d promised to keep her safe, and I hadn’t done that.
I searched around me to find my phone and saw it lying over to my right. I managed to get myself up on shaky legs to walk over and pick up my phone. Before I could check it, I heard a groan coming from Joel’s direction. Carefully, I walked over to him and reached him as he started to speak.
“What happened? My head feels terrible.”
“The water we were drinking was drugged, probably with sleeping drugs. Luckily, there wasn’t enough to knock us out for a long time. It looks as though we have only been out for about thirty minutes. I’d give it a little while before you get up. Apart from your head feeling fuzzy, are you hurt?”
“I think I’m okay. Things are just a little fuzzy. Where is Lila?”
“Bianca has taken her. She has been pretending to be a stalker. Well, at least I think she has. Look, are you going to be okay here? I’ll get the guide to come down and check on you. I need to get to Lila before anything terrible happens.”
“You go, Kye. I’ll be fine.”
I looked down at my phone and saw several missed calls from Mateus. I dialled his number as I started to walk out of the cave.
“Kye, thank fuck you are okay. What happened?”
“Mateus, I don’t have time to explain. You need to start tracking—”
“Already on it. Looks as though she is heading towards the airport, according to Richard and Tyler. They are sending through updates, and I have already informed the police and security staff at the airport. I’m on my way there too.”
I couldn’t have felt more relieved knowing that I had Mateus watching my back. If I had been alone on this job…fuck, I didn’t even want to think about that.
“Okay. I just need to get someone to keep an eye on Joel, the photographer, and then I will meet you at the airport.”
“Just be careful, Kye. Don’t get yourself killed on the way there. The police can handle everything. There is no need for you to worry.”
“Easier said than done. Got to go.”
Before he could even say goodbye, I had dropped the call and was heading towards the office at the entrance to the caves. I walked to the main office to speak to the tour guide who was in there, but before I could say a word, she came rushing over to speak to me.
“Is everything okay? I saw Miss Goddard being taken out in a wheelchair by Miss Emerson.”
I had wondered how Bianca had gotten Abigail out of the caves. There was no way she could have carried her out. The fact that she had used a wheelchair and not had any assistance eased my worry slightly. At least it looked as though we were only dealing with her and not a group of people.
“It’s a long story that I don’t really have time to explain now. Joel, the photographer, is down in the caves. Could you please make sure he has some water that wasn’t brought in by Miss Emerson and that he gets medical attention? If you have a spare bottle of water for me, that would be appreciated as well.”
The tour guide, who I noted from her name badge was called Maria, rushed into the office, brought out two bottles of water, and handed them to me.
“Obrigado. Please make sure that Joel stays awake as much as possible and drinks plenty of water. I must go and catch up with Miss Emerson. I will let Joel explain everything.”
I very quickly said my goodbyes and headed out to my truck. Taking a few swigs of water to clear my head, I started the drive towards the airport. It would take me around forty-five minutes to get there. Thirty if I broke every speed limit there was along the way. All the while, though, Mateus’s words went through my head.
Just be careful, Kye. Don’t get yourself killed on the way there. The police can handle everything. There is no need for you to worry.
I knew he was right. There was no reason to get myself killed in a car accident. I looked down at my speedometer: seventy kilometers per hour. I took my foot off the accelerator slightly and lowered my speed down to the obligatory fifty kilometers an hour. I would rather be there alive than dead. I followed the expressway, which was the quickest way to travel. I wasn’t about to go through the mountains to get there. All the while, I could feel my heart beating in my chest with anxiety.
What if the drugs harmed Abigail? What if she woke up on the way back and tried to stop Bianca, causing her to crash on the way to the airport? There were so many scenarios running through my head that the fuzziness I was feeling was turning into a headache.
I had to try to compose myself and stop these thoughts from going around in my head. I needed to trust that Abigail would be sensible and that Mateus and the police would get to them both in time. At least we still had the tracker in place if she did manage to get into a plane and take off. I just hoped that the battery life on the tracker would last long enough to get to her.
