VANISHED, A Romantic Suspense Novel (Edgars Family Novel) by Suzanne Ferrell Read Free Book Online Page B

more. The trickle of blood rolled down her arms.
    Abby needed to know…
    Brianna shook her head again. Maybe if she tried, the ropes would give. She lifted her right shoulder. Her arm extended and her wrists pulled on the ropes binding them together behind her back. She slumped in the chair. The effort forced her to inhale and exhaled deeply.
    She wiggled her wrists. Had the ropes loosened? All the blood was making the bindings slip a little.
    How long would it take to get free? How much time did she have? It was impossible.
    She closed her eyes.
    “ You can’t conquer the world all at once, Brianna . ” Abby’s voice filled her head in the darkness.
    “Oh, and you have all the answers, Ms. Perfect?”
    “ No, it’s like a giant cookie. You can’t eat it in one big bite. You have to nibble it a piece at a time .”
    “What do you want me to do, gnaw at the ropes?”
    “ Try to loosen the ropes a centimeter at a time. You can do it. You can do anything you put your mind to.”
    “I don’t think I can this time, Abby.”
    “ Just try . ”
    Brianna sucked in air. She leaned to the right and lifted her left shoulder this time. Her arm tightened and she tugged on the ropes again. Her wrist slid slightly past the rope.
    “Okay, Abby. I’ll call you.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    The ringtone erupted from Abby’s cell phone. Jumping nearly out of her skin, she struggled out of the pile of hotel-issue blankets and sheets wrapped around her body to snatch the phone from the bedside table.
    “Brianna?” she asked hopefully as she squinted through the mid-morning light to read the time on the bedside clock. Quarter to noon. How had she slept so long?
    “No, Ms. Whitson,” a slightly familiar, deep voice said on the other end. “This is Detective Jeffers. We spoke last night.”
    “Oh, yes. Detective Jeffers. What can I do for you?”
    “I wanted to ask Agent Edgars a few more questions, ma’am. I’ve tried the number he gave me, but he isn’t picking up. I’m sorry to bother you. Is there any chance you can contact him for me?”
    Luke wasn’t answering his phone? Had Brianna’s captors found them? Images of his body lying in a pool of blood on the other side of the wall flashed through her mind.
    Abby swung her legs out of the bed, and hurried over to the slightly ajar door joining her room with Luke’s. Across the opening she saw the closed bathroom door and heard the shower water running.
    Thank goodness. She leaned against the doorframe and heaved a sigh of relief.
    “Ms. Whitson?”
    “Uh, yes, Detective. I can get him a message. What did you need me to pass on?”
    “I’d like to meet with you both today.”
    “At the police station?”
    There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I believe Agent Edgars wanted to keep a low profile while you were in town. I’m thinking we should probably meet someplace away from the station. Maybe for lunch? Say in an hour?”
    Abby glanced at the clock again, quickly calculating how long it would take her to throw on some clothes and be ready. “I would imagine we can meet you. Where did you have in mind?”
    “A place called Flannery’s Pub. It’s about five miles from where your friend’s condo is and they’ve got great fish and chips. Do you have a pen and paper?”
    Abby spied a pen and pad of paper on Luke’s beside desk. “Yes. Go ahead.” She bent over the desk writing down both the address and directions from their hotel. She paused, swallowing before continuing. “Detective?”
    “Yes?”
    “Have you…has anyone…Brianna…” She swallowed again, blinking back the tears.
    “No, Ms. Whitson. I’m sorry, there’s been no word from her, but we are actively looking for her. Perhaps you or Agent Edgars will be able to help me search in the right direction after we talk.”
    Abigail mumbled an agreement and hit disconnect on her phone. Fighting hard not to cry, she stared out the window at the just budding trees of spring. She’d decided last