Subject:  CHAPTER 86 |
Author:
KK
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Date Posted: 06:43:47 05/07/06 Sun
Chapter 86
“Hello?”
Her one-worded question fell flat in the heavy air. She shuffled backward a couple of tentative steps and tried again.
“Is anybody there?”
Again, there was no answer, but she imagined she heard a subtle rustling of leaves. This time she didn’t hesitate. Turning on her heel, she bolted, unmindful of the creek she plowed through or the limbs whipping across her head and shoulders. By the time she reached the road, her side ached and her lungs fought for air. Bent double, she stuck her hand against the tree for balance.
A cool breeze, laden with moisture, lifted her hair and reminded her that the rain, as well as her pursuit, was eminent. Time needed for a well-deserved break was not an option. Pushing upright, she forced herself forward until she broke free of the trees and stood clearly visible from the highway. Surely someone would see her and stop to help.
She squinted as a group of headlights approached. The first vehicle, an eighteen-wheeler, whizzed by without slowing. The second and the third follow suit. Of course they did. No one going 70 mph would spot a lone female on the side of the road at night. What was she thinking? She might as well walk.
Her feet hurt. The shoes, which had been so cute in the store and comfortable for short periods, had graduated to intolerable a few hundred feet back. About half a mile down the road she heard a distant siren. As the wailing squealed louder, a tiny flame of hope flickered wildly. The police? The highway patrol? Surely they’d see her and stop. She moved closer to the road’s shoulder and waved her arms.
What if they didn’t stop? What if no one did? The red/blue flashing lights grew larger. Desperation made her reckless, and she stepped further onto the highway. They had to stop. They just had to.
And when the car slowed? And when it pulled toward her? She was ecstatic. And the fact that the car cut its lights as soon it neared was only mildly disturbing. She waited until the black and white vehicle pulled to a complete stop before bolting forward.
“Step back from the vehicle, ma’am,” barked the armed officer emerging from the car.
Niki backed away, her words falling out of her mouth in a rush. “Thank God you stopped. I need your help. I’ve been kidnapped.”
By this time the office had closed the door and stopped directly in front of her. “Are Niki Samisen?”
The name sounded strange, and she had to stop herself from correcting him. “Yes, that’s my married name. How did you know?”
“I’m going to have to ask you to turn around and put your arms behind your back.”
Niki was dumbstruck. This can’t be happening. I’m the one who needs help. “How did you know my name?”
He snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. The metal was cold and unforgiving. Tears burned the backs of her eyes and threatened to spill onto her cheeks.
“Am I under arrest?”
He answered by reciting her rights.
Her hopes plunged. “I guess that means yes. And the charge?”
He turned her around and led her toward the car, not loosening his grip on her arm until he’d opened the back-seat door. “Theft,” he answered, pushing her into the vehicle.
A loud clap of thunder punctuated the one-syllable word. Somehow, Michael had bested her once again, and this time she was the one facing a jail cell. Raindrops hit the roof of the car like tiny pebbles and ran down the window glass in crooked rivulets, mirroring the stream of tears coursing down her cheeks.
*******
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