Abby

 

Jackie's head jerked back and forth between them, her eyes like saucers. She trembled, a little like a Chihuahua. “What the hell are you doing, Zed?” she asked, her voice shaking.

 

“Keep calm,” Abby soothed, the sedative apparently being just what she needed to soothe her frazzled nerves.

 

Why she hadn't thought of it in the first place, she had no idea. But, damn girl, was that a great cocktail with the champagne, or what?

 

“I'm really sorry,” Zed said to Jackie, as he grabbed hold of Abby and pulled her from the room, wedding dress train flying out behind her as he led her barefoot down the thickly carpeted halls. “This is just something I have to do!”

 

Jackie came out of the bridal suite after them, stopping at the open doorway “Abby!” she shouted.

 

“Go for help!” Abby called back, almost as if it was a formality, but not even bothering to fight Zed as he dragged her to the elevator that would take them to the parking garage below.

 

Besides, she was feeling pretty good at the moment. All the stress from the last few months, with the wedding and the new job, had completely evaporated from her shoulders when the sweet little cocktail entered her circulation. She no longer cared one way or another what happened to her, although, she was kind of grateful that Zed had finally swooped back into her life.

 

“I just didn't know how to explain it to you otherwise,” he said, as he dragged her into the elevator and hit the button for the parking garage. “No other way I could think of that you'd understand how serious I was.”

 

Her eyelids suddenly very heavy, she fluttered her eyes in an almost vain attempt to keep them open. She looked around, bleary-eyed, at the inside of the elevator as it lowered them down into the depths of the earth, and her eyes finally settling on the form of her handsome tormentor.

 

The doors buzzed open and Zed grabbed her in his bear-trap-strong grip, pulling her out into the garage. He dragged her, not quite kicking and screaming, to his car, an older Honda Accord. He stuffed her into the passenger seat, just like he had that day a little over a year ago, then went around and hopped in behind the wheel.

 

He pulled out with a squeal of tires, then flew out of the garage as fast as he safely could.

 

She slumped in the passenger seat, realizing just how arrogant she suddenly didn't feel. Gone was her sense of knowing what was best all the time for everyone, for even herself. So what if she'd thought Ethan was going to be perfect for her and that he'd be able to give her a good life? What fun would it have been?

 

Abby knew she'd never be able to escape Zed Hesse, no matter what she did. She could run to the ends of the earth, all the way to Kathmandu or some other ridiculous place, and he'd still show up looking for her. They were connected on some deep level, one deeper than she had ever considered possible.

 

Besides, why would she want to?

 

# # #

 

Zed

 

He drove without purpose. He hoped the constant, unceasing movement of the car would somehow magically impart some sort of deep, mystic understanding of the universe, and of his actions. But, he was out of luck, at least on that front.

 

As he drove around the city, Zed realized he hadn't really thought this plan all the way through. He'd acted on impulse this time, just like he had before with Pharma-Vitae. And, a year of prison notwithstanding, that had worked out surprisingly well. Hadn't it?

 

He shook his head.

 

This time things were different. His reasons for acting weren't vindictive. They were pure. At least, he hoped Abby and the cops would see it that way. After all, he had kidnapped her.

 

Abby's head lolled to the side, and she groaned a little.

 

Shit. The sedative would be wearing off soon, and Zed didn't have much of a follow-up plan. He didn't have any more syringes, and she might fight him to take her back to her wedding.

 

God, what the fuck was he doing? Clearly, she loved Ethan. Look how beautiful she'd made herself for their big day? She was wearing beautiful, expensive gown, her hair was all done, with a crown of flowers woven into her blonde tresses, and her makeup was virginally radiant. On the one hand, he felt bad for breaking the wedding up like this. On the other, though, he knew he could change her mind.

 

Deep down, he wished this had been their wedding, not hers and Ethan's. He wished, more than anything, that Abby had been going to walk down the aisle to his waiting hand.

 

Then, it hit him. “Shit,” Zed groaned to the car. Abby just groaned wordlessly back.

 

Kai. He hadn't even considered how this would affect his brother, or his girlfriend. He was pretty sure Kara hadn't intended him to do this. Of course, it wasn't like he or Abby had ever revealed the whole, unvarnished story to everyone. That had been part of the reason why he'd plead guilty. He knew Abby had no desire to be forced to testify against him, and there was no reason why their personal stories needed to be thrust into the limelight like that.

 

If this somehow made national news, he and his brother would be thrust right back into the spotlight. And, if things didn't go well, this wasn't exactly the same as exposing a massive drug fraud case. He doubted he'd garner as much sympathy for this stupid move.

 

He didn't know what he was thinking. But, at least this time, no one else's life was on the line besides his. This was his stupid decision to make, and no one else’s. But, when everything was said and done, at least one thing would be true. He could at least finally unburden himself to her and force her to listen to the thoughts that had kept him alive in that jail cell from one day to the next.