Promise Me Forever (7 page)

“Are you allergic to poison ivy?” Elvin asked, his voice hesitant.

“I don’t know. Never ran in to any.”

“Um, well, I think we’re hiding behind a Poisonwood tree.”

Abby flinched. “How would you know that Elvin?”

“I took a few years of college. Majored in botany and horticulture.” He took a few steps back away from the tree. “Stay back Margie,” he told the older woman, “and don’t touch Abby, it’s too late for her now.”

“What do you mean too late for me? Is this poisonous?” Fear took its hold on her and she slid her hand over her skin to rid herself of the black tar like substance. “Will I die?”

“Not unless you are allergic to poison and your throat constricts as your lungs fill up and you can’t breathe. Then we should get you to a hospital right away. You don’t carry an epi-pen with you by any chance, do you?”

Abby would not panic. She wasn’t short of breath and her skin felt wet, not itchy like poison ivy would make someone if they were allergic. “Elvin, I hate to burst your bubble, but anaphylaxis starts within minutes and as you can see I am fine. Besides, I doubt that would happen with poison ivy.”

“Are you positive?” Elvin looked terrified.

“I’m sure Elvin. Don’t worry. I’m not allergic.” Even though she itched in some areas, she tried to downplay Elvin’s fears. That’s all they needed, him to go crazy thinking she was dying.

“I think the man gave up. He’s going back up to the pavilion,” Margie said. She pointed to the thief, who now wore a pair of shorts and a dark shirt. He sat on the far end where everyone gathered, his back to them as he watched the entrance to the camp as if he waited for someone.

“I have an idea. We need to get out of here,” Abby said as she scratched her neck again. “See the boat right over there? The one closest to us? We need to get to it without him seeing us.” She hated to steal but there was no way they could stay in the dark tree-line all night. Now that the poison intruded her skin, she was starting to scratch like crazy.

“You okay,” Margie whispered. “You are uncomfortable. I won’t tell Elvin,” she said loud enough for him to hear. “We don’t want him to panic.”

“It’s poison that’s all, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
As soon as I get out of here!
Abby longed for her home. She knew Jon had to be home by now and was no doubt worrying about her. She couldn’t contact him because she left her cell in the car, along with her purse and extra outfit. Abby never thought she’d be in the game this long.

She pulled on Margie’s wrist again and clicked on the button. “Mom, call Jon. He should be home by now and I didn’t tell him where I went. I’m sure he’s worried by now.” She stared at the watch but frowned when no one answered. Even though it was a one way radio, she hoped somehow Margie was wrong and she’d hear her mom’s voice. But the older woman had been right.

Abby rubbed her eye before she realized the poison could spread. She would be a hot mess when this was over if she didn’t get something for the itching. Her skin crawled and her nerve endings screamed for relief. She took a deep breath. These guys were in harms way and she had to get them to the boat. At least out in the water they would be far enough away from the man’s gun.

“Okay listen up. I want both of you to follow my lead. We will move low and head to the docks to get in the first boat. No one can make a sound no matter what. Here we go.” Abby moved towards the dock. She doubted anyone would see them unless the thief still had his binoculars, but she kept her eye on him. He still sat on the bench, his back to them. It looked as if another man joined him at the table.

They crossed the rocky, sand filled area and hit the wooden dock. Abby hesitated when a couple stood kissing a few feet away. She reached back and nudged Margie, who put her fingers up and stopped Elvin. After a few minutes, the couple continued to walk across the boardwalk, never paying attention to their surroundings.

Abby turned back and held her finger over her lips. She nodded and climbed in to the first boat tied to the dock. The other two followed along with Penny, who didn’t hesitate but jumped right in. “We must get out of here fast,” she told them.

“Can you drive a boat?” Margie asked, her face terrified. “I think I’m about to be sea sick.”

Abby shook her head. “Margie! Get a grip, we’re not even out in the water yet!” Alvin pushed her down on to a bench and sat down beside her, his arm around her shoulder. He murmured to her, trying to sooth the older woman.

Abby felt her way to the captains seat and looked at the gadgets on the boat. She had no clue how to even start it up. As her eyes scanned the console, a set of keys fell out when she flipped the lid.

She held the keys in her hand but hesitated to start up the boat. On one hand, she wanted to get them as far out in the water, away from the thief and his gun. On the other hand, if she tried to start up the boat and failed to move it, they would be sitting ducks at this dock and she could get them all killed. There would be no time to run back to the trees.

A hand fell on her shoulder. “I can drive this,” Elvin whispered.

“You can?” She jerked her head up, amazed.

“I think so. I saw some videos online. Was gonna get my boat license then but things got hectic with our other venture and all so I never went for the test.”

“You think you can drive because you saw a video?”

He nodded, so sure of himself, Abby believed him. She had no clue how to get the boat away, at least he could try. She got up from the seat and pushed the set of keys in his hand. “Hurry! We won’t have much time.”

Abby crawled back to Margie, her soft whimpers getting louder. “Hush, Margie, you’ll draw attention to us. Please,” she begged. She sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her to help calm her fears.

“You have to untie us,” Elvin told her. “Over there, remove the rope from the post.” Abby followed his orders, and the engines came to life. The music and revelry was loud enough no one paid attention to a boat start up. Relief flooded through her veins. They were soon free.

The boat sputtered as it moved away from the dock. “Can you go faster?” Abby tried to keep her voice down but Elvin never heard her. He needed to hurry. “Elvin, hurry!”

“It won’t go any faster.” He hit the throttle harder, but the engine began to sputter. Abby crawled up to the front of the boat and checked the gauges.

“It looks like it’s almost out of gas! You’ve got to be kidding!” They were a couple hundred feet away from the dock, too far to swim back. The boat drifted further away, the engine sputtering and trying to move.

Penny barked as two dark sinister forms shouted from the pavilion. Zorro and another man ran towards the dock. “Give it all you got, now!” Abby shouted as the boat gave one last jerk and sped out in to the water, knocking her down. Abby fell forward, her head hitting the leather seat. She got up on her knees and looked back in amazement.

A sound like a freight train rent the air. At first Abby thought it sounded like the tornado they witnessed in Memphis until the whirly wings of a helicopter spun over the trees, out of the darkness, its engines reverberating through the night air. Like something out of a spy novel, she watched as the tree-line along the far end of the camp came alive when dozens of armed men sprung from the woods, their guns ablaze. Abby laughed out loud! She doubted the little pistol Zorro carried could match the gunfire at hand.

“Would you look at all the folderol!” Margie cried, her sea sickness forgotten. “Look at them two,” she laughed. “Elvin, do you see the bad guys? We did this, we won!”

Elvin took his eyes off of what he was doing and turned his head to see the commotion. “Wow!” His hand slipped off the throttle and in that moment the engine sputtered and died. “Oh!” He tried to revive the engine, but it was no use, the last of the gas got sucked up in their flight.

“Don’t worry, Elvin. They’ll see us and come to our rescue.” The three of them watched as the armed agents surrounded the two men and forced them on to the ground. They both lay on their bellies, handcuffed and taken away. Margie jumped up and down until she realized she was in a boat and her eyes widened.

“We’re far out in the water. Do you think they can see us.”

“Maybe we should let them know.” Abby waved her hands back and forth. “Margie can I see your watch?”

As Abby went to grab for Margie’s arm and speak in to the watch she didn’t realize the older woman unclipped it from her wrist. As she took a hold of her wrist, the watch flew off in to the water.

It delved in to the water and then resurfaced. Abby reached over the side to retrieve the plastic watch but couldn’t get a grip on it. The boat floated away from the watch. The water was so dark. She looked out to see it float towards the shore. “I could jump in the water and get it,” Abby told the others.

“I wouldn’t. Never know when a hungry shark is out there.” Elvin stood beside her. He grabbed a hold of her arm, a serious look on his face.

Margie nodded. “Please Abby, listen to him. He’s a botonosits. He knows if there are sharks in the water.”

Abby was brave, but she wasn’t one to mess with mother nature, or sharks. She heard somewhere there were more sharks in the area than usual and wanted to see her love again. Somehow they would be seen because her parent’s knew they were here. “It’s a botanist, Margie. He learned botany in college.”

“Yes, I know. That’s what I said.”

Abby plopped back down on the bench to wait for her parents to send a rescue party. It would be a long night at sea with these two until they got here.

Chapter 6

Jon woke up to a full moon sprinkling its rays over the water, the ocean dancing with moonbeams. He shook himself and jumped from the hot tub, his skin wrinkled from the churning heat.

He gathered his clothes and made his way inside to find a towel. “Intruder!” Pete yelled as his beak pecked on the cage.

“Shut up!” Jon warned the bird, whose rants went on long after Jon reached the bedroom. He worried because Abby wasn’t home yet and shouldn’t be yelling at the bird. He dried off, threw on a pair of jeans and searched the pocket of the old pair for his cell. It buzzed as he put it in his hands.

Danny, Abby’s father was on the other line. “Danny? What’s going on?” Jon asked, cautious. Her father never called him unless it was important. Or about Abby. He stood in the center of their bedroom, water still dripping from his hair as he listened. “I’m on my way.” He switched gears and hurried, slapping on one shoe after another and headed out the door.

He called Jake. “There’s trouble.”

“Where?”

“At that old fishing camp off the highway, about five miles from here.”

“What’s going on bro?”

Jon didn’t realize his hand shook. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Seems Abby and two others tried to stop a murderer tonight.”

“Where’s Abby?” Jake’s voice sounded as cautious as his own.

“They don’t know. I’m on my way to the camp. Danny said a young couple on the dock saw three people get on a boat at the far end of camp. But the boat isn’t there. They’re afraid they may be lost at sea.”

“If they’re in the boat, they should be okay. There’s no storms tonight, the ocean is calm,” Jake reassured him. But Jon knew better. Anything could happen in the water. As far as he knew Abby didn’t know how to drive a boat.

“I’ll meet you in a few minutes. You gonna be there?”

“You know it brother. I’m on my way.”

Fifteen minutes later, Jon and Jake stood at the end of the dock. Danny and a few men in dark clothes stood there talking. “Where is she?” Jon asked.

“Listen son, we have a patrol out in the water. The bird went to refuel and will be in the air in a few minutes. If they’re out there, we’ll find them.” Danny placed a hand on Jon’s shoulders and looked in to his eyes. He was a man who told the truth, Jon knew it but was still angry.

“How did Abby get mixed up with a murderer?” he asked, his voice low, steady. He had no right to talk to her father with such a tone but he couldn’t help himself.

Abby’s mother paced back and forth. “This is why I don’t want my child involved in this business,” she told him. “We can’t stand here and do nothing.” Abby’s mom walked down the dock until she came to a motor boat that looked fast. She jumped in and fiddled around until the engine started. “Get in if you’re going along,” she called out.

Danny laughed out loud and ran to get in the boat. “Hurry up son, she’ll leave without you.”

Jon didn’t hesitate but followed Danny to the boat, Jake right behind. Abby’s mom backed the boat out of the dock area and cranked the engine full boar. They sped away in to the night and no one stopped them.

Jake looked at him, a grin on his face, his brow raised.

Jon grinned back. “It helps to have spies in the family.”

“I can see why. Even with all my connections, I couldn’t have gotten a boat or chopper here as quick.”

“You two best keep your eyes on the water and search for my daughter.” Her quiet orders rang through the air. Jon turned to her.

“I want to know why Abby is lost at sea?” He stared at the two agents because he couldn’t believe they would get her involved in their work after trying to protect her from it for so many years.