Chapter 32

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She screamed into the phone. "You bastard!"

He had not liked the way she was speaking to him.

"Did you have to shoot him, huh? He's fucking bedridden." She took a deep breath, and he took the opportunity to speak.

"I did what was necessary. Now why don't you tend to your little boyfriend and I'll tend to Abby, ok?" he said quietly and calmly, a stark contrast to Eva's mood. "And don't call me again. It's over now. We both got what we want, so let's just move on with our lives," he added as he furrowed his brow when he thought he had heard the front door.

"Oh it's over alright. I don't want any part of this anymore. This is not what I signed up for. It was supposed to be discreet, but the cops are after you…you asshole! Shit, you didn't have to shoot Hoagie."

"What exactly are you saying?" Kensei asked, irritation evident in his voice.

"I'm saying I don't know you... I've never seen you…you've never seen me, alright?"

"Of course." He hang up and walked into the living room to find the door open as Abby had made an attempt to escape. He was pissed off enough as it was with Eva calling him, and then to find Abby outside, he couldn't take it anymore, and so he hit her. After chaining and gagging the scared mocha skinned girl, Kensei's next mission had been to eliminate the only person who knew where to find him.

xxx

Nigel and Lizzie were seated in his car in the hospital's parking lot. The Briton was not in a state to drive, for he was drunk on grief. He had no more tears, but the look on his face still portrayed his shock and sorrow. "How? Why?" he asked out loud without realizing as he tried to come to terms with the loss of his closest family member apart from his parents. He stared out the window at people walking to and from their vehicles before reclining his chair until it was obstructed by the back seat. He interlocked his fingers so that he could support his head as he lay back. He turned to his right to see his girlfriend weeping quietly into her hands.

Lizzie didn't know what to do.

While she had been in the bathroom earlier that morning, she had heard Eva screaming into her phone. Quickly, the chubby girl had grabbed her towel and walked out into the corridor. "Eva, is everything alright?"

"Yeah," the auburn haired girl replied. "Don't worry about."

Lizzie hadn't believed her, and she walked into the room, looking at her best friend questioningly. Eva, who had been covering the mic of the phone with her hand, gave Lizzie a strained smile before waving her away. "It's nothing, ok. Just go take your shower, alright?"

Lizzie turned and went back to the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water poured she opened the bathroom door ever so slightly. She could hear her friend yell at someone on the phone as she admonished the person for shooting Hoagie. Lizzie gasped. So Eva is involved. What kind of crap is this? She listened more intently as Eva said she would no longer be a part of the whole fiasco. Lizzie could tell that the call had ended when there was a disturbance in the closet. As her friend rummaged through her belongings, Lizzie heard Eva speaking to herself, "I thought I didn't give a shit about Abby, but I can't let Kensei hurt her...chaining her to a wall like some animal…Hoagie will never be mine anyway, he's made that perfectly clear…I'm gonna go to the cops…"

Eva was out the door before Lizzie could react.

And now she's dead. Shit. Lizzie didn't know what to do. Should she tell Nigie that Eva was involved in Abby's kidnapping? It would kill him. Eva was the closest thing he had to a sister. He loved her. Something like that might tarnish his image of her. Pauline had said that the guy who ran her friend over looked like Kensei. That would make sense. After having an argument like that, he would probably off her if he felt threatened.

Lizzie felt a hand on her thigh. She opened her eyes and looked at Nigel who had sat up again, his gaze sympathetic. She swallowed and gave him a watery smile as she placed her hand on his. "It'll be ok," he said quietly as he instead held her hand in his and lightly rubbed his thumb over it.

Should I tell him?

Shouldn't I?

Should I?

"I know," she finally replied.

xxx

Hoagie was standing at the nurse's station. "I'm checking out."

"No, you're not," said the stern voice of Dr. Suarez who was approaching the patient from behind.

The young brown haired man turned around to see his doctor, his face looking as stern as his voice had sounded. "I mean no disrespect," Hoagie said as he stretched his arm out to hold onto the counter, "but I'm not staying here one more minute."

"Look at you," said the doctor as he pointed his file at the patient, "you can hardly stand on your own. You should be in bed resting."

"I'll rest at home," replied the boy with a wince as he tried to stand straight to prove the doctor wrong. As Dr. Suarez shook his head, Hoagie added, his voice rising, "Even if I stay here for a fu –" He cut himself short and took a deep breath before he blew a fuse. "Even if I'm here for a week, my wound won't have healed. So I'm leaving."

"I don't like this."

"I don't care," Hoagie growled harshly. He looked down at the ground as his doctor watched him. "Sorry," he added quietly. "Please…my girlfriend is missing. My ex girlfriend is dead. I dunno what's going on anymore," he said with a defeated expression on his face. "I can't just lie here," he said as he shook his head slowly. "I dunno where my girlfriend is," he added in barely a whisper, his hand stuck in his hair as he paused mid-action of running his fingers through his tousled locks. The doctor walked up to him and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He was sympathetic to the boy's plight.

"Give him his papers," the doctor told the nurse who was manning the station. "And please get him ten days worth of dressing."

"Right away doctor," said the nurse after she pushed the check-out papers to the young man.

"You've been through a fairly major surgery, so try to get some rest," he advised the boy. "And I want you back here in a week for a checkup."

Hoagie nodded. He signed his papers and waited for his dressings to be brought. Once they were in his hands he thanked the doctor and the nurse and slowly made his way down the corridor and out of the hospital, all the while holding onto his painful abdomen.

xxx

Abby felt so helpless; and useless. How was it that with one free hand (since Kensei only used to chain one arm) she still couldn't untie the damn gag in her mouth? She let out a muffled scream in frustration as she again tried to undo the tough knot at the nape of her neck. She had been at it for the past three hours without any luck. Her left arm would become very strained and painful.

Giving up for the time being, she lay on the chaise lounge and watched the TV. She wasn't really watching it, more like she was just looking at it. She lay down and worried about Hoagie, wondered what her folks were doing at that time, and wondered about where she was. She let her mind mull over what she had seen when she had stood outside for just a moment, her path blocked by that very scary-looking canine. Why were the surroundings so familiar? She had clearly been around that neighbourhood before, yet she could not put her finger on the location. "Grrr," she growled. Remember, dammit. Remember!

Just then, she heard a heavy vehicle pull up to the driveway. Kensei was back. Shit. She would much rather remain locked up in that house by herself than be locked up with him around. In as much as she hated to admit it, she was afraid of him. He was just too damn unpredictable. Like his bloody Doberman, she thought.

Seconds later, the tall biracial man sauntered into the house, looking sufficiently pleased with himself. He looked down at Abby from the front door, giving her a most charming smile before he walked down the corridor into his bedroom. The young African American looked on after him, and she felt sick to her stomach. There is something off with that fool.

Kensei came back into the living room having discarded his shoes and jacket. He sat down next to Abby and held her in his arms. He noticed that she involuntarily shuddered when he touched her. He kissed her on the cheek, and discreetly breathed in her scent. "I'm sorry I hurt you earlier. But you asked for it, you know. If you're a good girl, we won't have any problems." He then brought his hands up to the knot, and his fingers worked it for a couple of minutes before he finally managed to untie it.

"There you go," he said sweetly. "All better?"

"Obviously!" Abby spat out as she rubbed her fingers on the corners of her mouth.

Snaking his arms around her waist, Kensei held her tightly to him, and took an obvious sniff of her neck. She immediately pushed him away, disgust evident in her face. "What the fuck, man?" She moved away from him, as far as her chained arm could allow. "I'm not your woman, dammit. I don't want you. I – DON'T – LOVE – YOU!"

Kensei laughed a most genuine laugh before stretching his arm to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Abby, you make me happy! Listen doll, don't think you're going back to that boy of yours," he said as he scratched his cheek with early morning stubble. "You are mine; all mine!"

All of a sudden, the TV caught their attention as the anchorwoman on the news mentioned the name 'Abigail Lincoln'. They both sat up straighter, their eyes trained on the television.

…violent kidnapping of the young university student. The kidnapper, known as Kensei Sanban, is extremely dangerous, and the police advise everyone to be on the lookout for this man...*A picture and sketch of Kensei had just been put up on the screen*

"What the hell?" Kensei exclaimed as he saw his image on the TV screen. He stood up and walked to the TV as he listened to the anchorwoman:

…He should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If anyone should believe he or she has seen him, please contact the police. Do not attempt to confront him. Now, we've also just obtained a recent photograph of the kidnapped student… *a photograph of Abby was displayed on the screen*…do not hesitate to contact the police if you believe you have seen Abigail Lincoln…

Holding his head in his hands Kensei whispered an expletive. "Dammit, these guys are trying to put a cog in my wheel." He turned to Abby, "It's not gonna work," he said with a smile. "I got rid of the only person who could tell the cops where to find me." He then took a seat beside the mocha skinned girl.

Alarm bells sounded in her head. "Huh? What did you do?"

He ignored her as he got his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Kensei! Who did you…kill?" she asked with trepidation.

He brought his palm to her cheek. "No matter, babe." He stood and moved away from her, sitting on the armrest of the couch and his phone held to his ear. He got voice mail. "You better call me as soon as you get back, you hear me? I need to get outta hear ASAP! You know who I am."

He hang up and threw the phone onto the couch. Seeing Abby's questioning look, he said, "You and I…we're going away; where no one can find us. It will be just you and me." He gave a little chuckle. "Ever been to Japan, baby?"