Ben's POV
I blinked in surprise as Riley emerged from behind a tree. He was smiling and looking really happy to see me. It took me a second to realize it was really him and not just my imagination.
"Dude, I really hope you brought the getaway car," he said lightly, though I could hear definite relief in his voice.
"Riley! What happened? Are you ok?" I finally stammered, closing the distance between us and looking him over critically. He didn't look too good. Even in the moonlight I could tell his face was paler than usual, and I hadn't missed the limp, even though he was doing a good job of hiding it. Closer inspection revealed a black eye as well.
He shrugged. "I'm fine. Where's Abbi?" Little liar.
"She's…" I looked back into the trees where I had left my wife only moments before. She should have caught up to me by now, but there was no sign of her. "She was messing with her shoe. She told me to go ahead." I shrugged, trying not to worry about it.
"Ben, Abigail should not be left alone. She's like a little kid for trouble." He crossed his arms pointedly.
"Uh, Riley, I don't know how to tell you this, but she says the same about you."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So, we really should go find her so she can kill me and get it over with."
"Don't worry. She'll kill you; then she'll hug you."
Riley grinned. "I don't know which is worse!"
"How did you get away?" I asked.
He threw me a condescending look. "Ben, haven't you ever watched 'The Great Escape'?"
"What, you tunneled out?" Believe it or not, I actually do watch movies once in a while. Just not when Riley's around. I have to keep up the illusion of being a rabid-scholar who doesn't have time for things like movies.
"Uh, no. Actually, there was already a tunnel, so I didn't have to dig one." He seemed surprised that I actually knew what he was talking about.
"Riley?" A tiny voice peeped from somewhere in the dark behind Riley and I caught a glimpse of three small blond heads almost invisible among the leaves. My next question had just been answered. Riley had not only managed to rescue himself, but he had gotten the kids away as well.
Riley turned toward the tree. "It's ok guys. This is my friend." The three children scrambled to their feet and came over to us, standing slightly behind Riley and looking at me shyly with large, moonlit blue eyes.
"This is Luke, Sophie, and Andrew." Riley said, introducing each one. "Guys, meet Ben. He's like... well, he's like my family. You can trust him." He smiled at me. "So, now that we all know each other, can we go, please? You did bring the car right? I mean, you didn't walk all the way from D.C. And calling the police wouldn't be too bad an idea either because these people are insane! Ben, they were going to…" he glanced at the kids. "Um.. I'll tell you later, but it was bad."
"Yeah, I know. We talked to a detective and he told us what they had planned. I'm just glad I found you."
"Me too. I've experienced more lunacy in the last few days than when I helped you steal the Declaration of Independence. And believe me, I figured that stunt took the cake."
I shook my head fondly. At least his mouth wasn't injured. "The car isn't too far. We didn't want anyone to see us, so we hid it near the road. Abigail has the phone, so we'll call the police when we catch up to her. Are you ok to walk?" I asked cautiously, looking Riley over again uncertainly. Funny how the limp disappeared as soon as I asked.
"Well, you're not carrying me, if that's what you're thinking," he growled.
I smirked. "Actually, when we find Abigail, I'll let her do the honors." I picked up Andrew, who was looking really tired, and much more willing to be carried than someone else I knew.
Riley rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure Ben. Even geeks have a certain amount of pride, and mine can only take so much. Be nice."
I let him have the last word and started concentrating on finding Abigail. I didn't know how anything could have happened to her in such a short amount of time, but all the same, we should have met her by now.
By the time we reached the place where I had left Abigail struggling with her shoes, I was getting worried. There was no sign of her. I didn't say anything, but Riley saw me pause and stopped.
"Do you think she went back to the car?" he asked. He didn't sound convinced.
"I doubt it. But she might have gotten off track. We might have missed her." I managed to make my voice sound a little more convincing than Riley's, but inside my heart began to thud uncomfortably. Abigail may be the sort of woman to wear unreliable fashion boots on a rescue mission, but she isn't going to get lost on said rescue mission. At least, it didn't seem likely.
"Let's get these kids to the car. If she's not there, I'll go look for her."
Surprisingly, he didn't argue or say something smart which made me glance at him to make sure he was still alive. Instead of paying attention to me, he had stopped walking and was standing stiff with his head cocked to one side, listening. I stopped and listened as well, and in a second, I heard it too - people shouting and dogs barking.
Riley's eyes widened. "Oh no. Ben, we've gotta get out of here fast! They know we got out."
I set Andrew back on the ground. "Run kids! That way. Go!" I pointed them in the direction of the car and they took off and ran as only little kids can. Riley and I weren't far behind, but Riley wasn't running at his usual speed and I held back with him to help if he needed it. He was pushing through it, but I could tell he was exhausted, and though I couldn't see the full extent of his injuries, it was easy to see that he wasn't his usual energetic, mouthy self.
"Hey, you doin' ok?" I asked when I saw him stumble for about the third time.
He sighed in frustration. "That's kind of a stupid question, Ben." He threw me a look. "Has anyone ever told you that you are ridiculously overprotective?"
"Frequently. But what I'm not getting is an answer to my stupid question."
"Actually, by not answering your stupid question, I was hoping to make you feel better."
"Didn't work."
"Darn."
"Want me to carry you?"
"Want me to fry your motherboard?"
"Point taken."
He shook his head (not the easiest thing to do while running, but Riley has many hidden talents). "Seriously, I'm fine, Ben."
"Liar."
"Freak."
The car wasn't far away, but from the sounds I was hearing, our pursuers were getting dangerously close. I could also hear cars not far away which probably meant they were searching for us from the road as well. Fortunately, we only had a few more gargantuan bushes to struggle through and we would be at the car. The kids had outdistanced us.
Other than our immediate predicament, the foremost thought in my mind was the whereabouts of my wife. It was like she had vanished into thin air. I didn't want to think of the implications involved in her disappearing like that, so instead I concentrated on getting Riley and myself to the car without further mishap. Abigail was more than capable of taking care of herself.
The car came into sight at the exact moment that two huge dogs burst through the trees behind us, snarling and baring their teeth. It was easy to see they were the attack dog type - out for blood. Ours, in fact.
"Riley, run!" I yelled, practically shoving him in the right direction. I scooped up a large stick and swung it just as the larger dog leapt at me. My stick hit hard and his teeth snapped shut with a crack. I turned in time to see Riley vault onto the hood of the Lexus just in time to escape the other dog that had gotten past me. He hadn't had time to get inside the car, but at least he was safe for the moment. I couldn't see the kids anywhere.
"Ben, look out!" Riley yelled, bringing my attention back to my own predicament. I barely had time to put the stick between my body and the dog before he barrelled into me. He knocked me to the ground and his jaws snapped bare inches from my face. I didn't really notice his claws digging into my skin because I was too busy keeping the stick wedged against his neck. I heard Riley frantically yell my name, and I hoped he would stay put.
I managed after a second of struggling to pull my legs up and kick, throwing the animal off me. I swung the stick again and the dog let out a howl as the stick cracked against the side of its head. It backed down with a whine, giving me time to scramble to my feet and run for the car. Fortunately, the other dog was too busy barking at Riley to see me jump up beside him. The dog I had smacked recovered quickly and joined the other, growling at us and circling the Lexus.
"Ben, are you ok?" Riley asked, his eyes huge in the dark.
"I'm fine." I told him. "Just a little scratched."
"That was way too close." Riley muttered.
"Are the kids in the car?"
"I uh, didn't really have time to look."
I growled, but it wasn't directed at Riley - just our situation in general.
"What do we do?"
"I don't know. I'm thinking."
"Think faster," Riley said, looking beyond the barking dogs to the edge of the clearing. At least eight people had filed between the trees and were approaching the car. Even in the dark, I could see that a couple of them had guns, which would have been cause enough for concern, but a minute later my heart dropped into my stomach as another two figures entered the clearing, one of them very blond, angry, and fiercely struggling against the other. "Let me go! You jerk! Take your hands off me!"
She was madder than I had ever seen her, and thankfully unhurt as far as I could see. I should never have left her alone. Even for a minute.
She caught sight of me on top of the car and stopped struggling. "Ben?" Then she saw Riley and her eyes widened. He was probably the last person she had expected to see.
"Abigail, are you all right?" I called to her. I take the prize for stupid questions today.
"Yes," she answered. "I'm not hurt. I just need Gorilla Repellent!" She angrily elbowed the large man holding her to accentuate her words, causing me to smile a little. I almost found it in me to pity her captor.
"Riley, you look awful!" she told him by way of greeting.
"Nice to see you too, Abigail," he replied sweetly.
A slim girl approached the car. She was the only one that I could see who was not wearing black, but her eyes and hair were painfully dark. "Get down off the car," she ordered.
"No thanks. I choose life." Riley quoted, staring at the snarling dogs below us. "Besides, I have great view of the stars from here."
"Riley," I warned. "Quit mouthing off!"
"Sorry. Force of habit. I've been doing it since I learned to talk."
"I believe it."
The girl called to the dogs and they backed off. "I will not ask you again," she said in a low, menacing voice. She made a motion to the man holding Abigail and he put his gun to her head. It took all my self-control not to do something stupid. Riley was glaring at the man, shooting daggers through his expressive blue eyes, but for once, he kept his mouth shut.
"Hey, take it easy!" I told them, climbing down from the car. Riley followed my lead.
"Tie them up," the girl ordered shortly. "And find the kids. They're here somewhere.""
We were thrust roughly over beside Abigail and our hands were tied in front of us. "Ben, I'm so sorry. They caught me by surprise," Abigail whispered.
I shook my head miserably. "It isn't your fault. I should never have left you alone." I had been mentally kicking myself ever since I had realized Abigail was missing. I had bungled this whole thing.
One of the men went over to the car and yanked the door open, an expectant look on his face, but after looking around for a moment, he turned to the girl with a shrug. "They aren't in here, Amy."
My heart leapt. Had the kids gotten away?
"What do you mean?" Amy said angrily, stomping over to the car. She went so far as to climb inside and flick on the interior lights before climbing out again and approaching Riley. She was shorter than he was, and if not for the danger of our predicament, it would have been almost comical to see her glaring up at him through her dark eye-liner as though she thought she could intimidate him.
"Where are they?" she ground between her teeth.
Riley shrugged. "Check your crystal ball."
Amy slapped him viciously and I lunged forward, earning myself a sharp cuff on the side of the head.
Riley shook his head and blinked. "Geez! Amy, I hope someone drops a house on you."
"Tell me where they are, or I will set the dogs on you again!" she threatened. I ground my teeth. I had not missed the use of the word 'again' in that sentence. That explained Riley's injuries.
Riley glared at her. "I don't know where they are any more than you do. We lost them in the woods. They got scared when they heard the dogs and ran away. I guess you'll just have to roast marshmallows like normal people do on Halloween."
Amy narrowed her eyes and took a step back from Riley. "Nick." At her word, the young man holding Riley swung him around and punched him hard in the stomach. Riley sank to his knees gasping for breath. Abigail let out a scream of pure rage, and I started yelling and struggling for all I was worth. "Hey! Leave him alone!"
Amy ignored us and knelt next to Riley. "You won't tell me where they are?" Her tone was almost conversational and totally dispassionate.
"I don't...know," Riley gasped. Nick landed him a harsh kick in the ribs. He groaned and curled himself into a tight ball on the ground. Nick kicked him again and I expected to hear bones cracking.
"Stop it!" Abigail screamed.
I struggled helplessly, trying to think of a way to distract them from Riley. The poor kid was still struggling for breath.
"Knock it off!" I yelled, trying to draw attention to myself. Thankfully, this time it worked and Amy turned to me.
"I want to know where those kids are."
"He's telling the truth," I told her earnestly. "We don't know where they are. I thought they would have gotten in the car. Hurting Riley isn't going to get you what you want."
Now that she was standing so close to me I realized just how young she was. I would be surprised if she was over nineteen. How could a girl who was hardly more than a child be so messed up?!
"I always get what I want. One way or another," she replied smugly. She turned to her minions. "You five, bring them to the clearing. The rest of you, look for the kids. They haven't gone far." She looked at us. "If we can't find the kids, one of them will have to do."
With guns to our backs we were shoved along back the way we had come, though this time skirting the large bushes and the majority of underbrush. It would have been nice to know there was a path there when we started this venture. It would have made our going a lot faster.
I kept an eye on Riley who was uncharacteristically quiet. The bruise on his cheek stood out starkly in the bright moonlight against his pale face. Abigail was still seething, and I wondered if she was melting the frost under her feet as she walked.
We came to a large clearing with a bonfire built in the center. We were set against trees at the edge with our arms tied behind us, after which most of our guards went to join the search for the kids. Three of them remained, staying close to the fire and paying little attention to us.
"So now what, Ben?" Riley asked in that hopeless tone that scares the heck out of me whenever I hear it coming out of him. It doesn't usually show up, but Riley does possess a pessimistic streak along with his smart-mouth and computer genius.
"Well, usually about this time the natives start dancing around the fire and waving feathered spears in the air while chanting-"
He copied perfectly the look I usually give him when I'm annoyed. "Seriously, Ben."
"I don't know. I'm thinking."
"You do that a lot," he said heavily, staring ahead of him into the flames of the bonfire with a slightly blank look on his face.
"Riley!" Abigail said sharply, causing him to start and look at her. "It's going to be ok."
He shook his head. "Do you guys know how insane these people are? They were going to sacrifice one of those kids to a pagan goddess! They're not going to listen to reason."
"I know."
"We're tied to trees, Ben. The police don't even know where we are."
"Thanks for the news flash, Riley, but it doesn't really help!" I didn't mean for that to sound so sharp, but I didn't need him giving up right now. "I'm sorry. Just work on getting the ropes loosened if you can." I said in a gentler tone.
After about ten minutes of complete silence while we wrestled with our bonds I was beginning to wish Riley would talk again, even if it was to complain. I started to say something when I felt something lightly brush my numbed hands. I jumped and tried to twist around.
"Shh! Hold still!"