Page 31 of Girl Long Gone

The man turned toward her but ducked his head to glance at the top of the box in his hands. He blew out a quick breath and lifted the package with an electronic signature device toward her. Evelyn rolled her eyes at the man’s rudeness. I guess I need to sign.

“Just a second.” She closed the door, slid off the chain, and opened the door. She shoved her phone in her pocket so she could grab the box with one hand and give a signature with her other. She reached for the pen, and the man clamped his hand around her wrist. “Hey!”

The delivery man lifted his face, and the bright lights from the hallway chased away the shadows from the bill of his hat. His wide mouth slid into a smirk, and amused hazel eyes laughed at her. “Hello, Evelyn,” Gabriel said. “Thought I’d stop by to make sure everything’s all right.”

She yanked her arm to free her hand, but he tightened his hold. Her heart raced and her mind whirled. Connor was still on the phone. “Gabriel? What are you doing here?” She dipped her mouth toward her phone. Please, God, let Connor hear me.

Gabriel puckered his brow and stepped into her personal space. “No need to raise your voice. I’m sure that pretty little girl is asleep by now. Wouldn’t want to wake her.”

Fear grabbed hold of her, stealing her breath and wiping all thoughts from her mind except one—keep this monster away from Abbie. “What do you want?” she whispered.

“I want you to come with me. If you give me a hard time, I’ll take the girl, too.”

“Don’t touch her,” she snarled. “I’ll do what you want.”

Gabriel flashed a wide smile, and she wanted to smash her fist into his perfect white teeth. “Good.” He threw the box on the floor and pulled her into the hallway.

She pulled the door closed with her foot and followed Gabriel toward the stairs. Abbie was alone, and Evelyn had no way of getting to her. What if she woke up and needed something? What if she fell out of bed or got hurt?

Panic clouded her thoughts, and she pushed them away. Abbie would be fine, and Evelyn needed a plan before they got outside. She couldn’t get into a car with him. If she did, chances were she’d never make it home alive. Something had pushed Gabriel over the edge or he wouldn’t have come for her. Wouldn’t have shown his face and laid his cards on the table.

Unless he didn’t expect her to get the chance to tell anyone what he’d done.

She stayed close to Gabriel as they crossed the lobby and stepped into the cool night air. He shoved her in front of him, keeping her back close. Something hard and sharp poked into her spine. All the blood drained from her face, and a cold sweat collected at her hairline. Oh my God, he’s got a gun.

People strolled past, oblivious to the panic clawing at her psyche and the madman abducting her. She twisted her head from side to side and stared into their faces, but no one looked her way.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” Gabriel’s words whipped against the back of her head, and he dug the object harder into her back. “I’d hate to go back for the girl.”

She winced and bowed her back away from the pain. “I won’t,” she whimpered, swallowing the sob in her throat. She cast a glance toward her apartment window, but the drawn curtains blocked the view inside. Please stay asleep until your mom gets home.

Gabriel led her to an idling car parked at the curb. “Get in the back. I’m glad to see you didn’t try to make a scene. Good girl, Evelyn.”

Her feet turned to lead, and her muscles refused to cooperate. Her mind told her to move, to get in the stupid car, but her flight instinct roared to life, and she searched the passing faces for someone, anyone to notice the distress that had to be clear as day on her face. But the people who passed were too busy to notice, and bright lights against the dark sky weren’t enough to highlight her fear. Her ragged breaths tore through her and terror squeezed her lungs.

“Tsk, tsk, my little mouse. Don’t disobey me now. I’ve warned you of the consequences.” Gabriel opened the car door. “Get in.”

She took one step forward, and the tinny taste of fear flooded her mouth. She locked her gaze on Gabriel’s. “Please don’t do this.”

He leaned close, pressing his mouth to her ear. “Your fucking cop friend didn’t leave me much of an option.” He jammed the object in his hand into the side of her neck, threw her into the back of the car, and slammed the door.

Nausea pitched in her stomach and pain shot through her veins as she fell to the floor and her world went black.

15

Blood pumped furiously through Connor’s veins as he weaved between cars. Evelyn’s voice might have been hard to hear, but the fear had been clear as day when she’d muttered Gabriel’s name.

Gabriel had acted brazenly. Showing up at Evelyn’s was a risky move. Connor shouldn’t have left Evelyn alone. Her apartment was so damn close, but the bumper-to-bumper traffic and idiot drivers made it farther away than the fucking Golden Gate Bridge.

An eerie quietness continued to mock him through his phone, and he threw it on the seat beside him. He pounded his palm against his horn. Not that it helped. He swore it made the jackasses driving in front of him move even slower.

Evelyn’s building came into view, and his gaze zeroed in on people bustling down the sidewalk and cars parked along the street. He scanned the faces for Evelyn, but she wasn’t anywhere. Then he saw it. A man in a brown uniform putting someone in the back of a silver sports car.

The man straightened and glanced in Connor’s direction. He stilled, and his smirk tightened. He turned and ran toward the driver’s door.

Gabriel!

The sonofabitch had put Evelyn in the back of his car, but why wasn’t she fighting back?