Chapter 80: Message Fail

The message bounces back. She tried sending it again, but once again she got an error message. Avery doesn't understand what has happened—she can receive messages without a problem, but she can't seem to send them. She turns her phone off and then turns it back on again but the message still fails to send.

She sits on the bed and tries to calm her rising anxiety. Suddenly, she remembers that Evan caught her sending messages to Charles the day before. It seems like too great a coincidence that her phone would suddenly stop sending messages to him altogether.

"No wonder Evan agreed to return the phone to me," she thinks, "I should never underestimate Evan Howel."

She looks at her watch and takes a deep breath. Then she opens the colorful floor-to-ceiling windows and jumps.

"Mr. Howel, something has happened," Robert says nervously.

Evan emerges from the bathroom after washing Avery's makeup from his face. In spite of her attempt to humiliate him, Evan has never looked so happy. As soon as Robert speaks Evan's smile fades.

"Does it have to do with Mrs. Howel?" he asks.

"Yes, it seems she jumped out of a window and escaped from the estate."

Evan presses his lips together and finishes buttoning his shirt.

"The black business card made me suspicious, and I had my doubts about the jewelry as well," he thinks, "I suspect she just wanted it so she'd have something easy to sell. I never thought she'd have the courage to escape from me, though."

"Mr. Howel, would you like the bodyguards to capture her?" Robert asks.

"No, that's not necessary," Evan says coldly, "Is her phone still turned on?"

Evan glances at himself in the mirror.

"No—it's not," Robert says.

Robert's phone rings and he answers it on the first ring. His expression worsens as he listens to the voice on the other end, "Mr. Howel, your wife suddenly altered her route and she lost the bodyguards. They have no idea where she went."

Evan punches the mirror and the glass shatters and crashes to the floor. His eyes are lit with a raging fire, and Robert feels scared just by looking at him.

"Idiots!" Evan hisses, "How can one woman escape from thirty highly-trained people?"

"The head of security believes that Dr. Meyer helped her. Dr. Meyer was asking around, trying to find women who fit Avery's general description. I expect he wanted them as decoys."

Evan purses his lips. Though his expression is one of cold rage, something else lurks in his eyes.

"Damn woman!" he thinks, "How could I underestimated her again?"

"Where did they last see her?" Evan asks, trying to keep his voice calm.

"In the mall," Robert replies, "They lost her among the crowds."

Evan nods. The mall is a good place to lose a pursuer. It has multiple entrances and exits, plenty of hiding places, and crowds of people creating diversions. Avery's choice to go to the mall shows just how carefully she's planned her escape, confirming that it wasn't a spur of the moment decision. Evan has to admit to himself that he's impressed.

"We've sent people to monitor the airport, but no one has seen Mrs. Howel," Robert announces.

"Do you think she's careless enough to board the plane with her ID?" Evan asks dryly.

"Every member of airport security has been shown a picture of Mrs. Howel and Dr. Meyer. As soon as one of the guards sees them, they'll be detained and you'll be notified. If they don't board a plane, it means that they're still in the city. As long as they stay in the city, it will be easy to find them."

"They can't escape the city," Evan says confidently.

He knew that Avery might try something like this. As a precaution he ordered the police and security forces at every train and bus station to look out for her. Now airport security is watching too.

"The only way she can escape is if she grows wings," Evan thinks with grim satisfaction.

In the suburbs, a helicopter waits. The propellers turn, raising dust from the ground and blowing leaves from the trees. Avery hands a few bills to the driver and then jumps down from the truck. She raises a hand in front of her face to protect herself from the dust, but the wind whips her hair around, tangling it. Just seeing the helicopter makes Avery feel safe.

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Avery became suspicious when Evan allowed her to tie him up and put makeup on him, and she became even more suspicious when he agreed to return her phone so easily. Ever since the moment he saw the business card, she'd been devising a backup escape plan. She knew that the business card was too unique—it's all too easy for a man like Evan to trace it.

According to the original plan, she was supposed to wait another day before leaving, but after Leonie started meddling she realized she couldn't wait another minute. Although it was difficult to rearrange everything so quickly, she feels relieved that it will be harder for Evan to track her.

Avery approaches the helicopter and the pilot hops down to greet her. 

"Who are you?" she asks.

"Dr. Meyer asked me to come get you. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make it here himself," the man explains.

Avery nods and hurriedly climbs into the cabin. Suddenly a heavy hood drops over her head. The rough fabric scratches against her cheeks, and she tries to pull it off. Strong hands seize her wrists and snap cold, metal handcuffs around them.

"Do as we say, or we'll kill you," a rough voice threatens.

A strong arm pushes her town into a seat and she feels someone wrapping a rope around her ankles. She hears the drone of the propeller and she tries to squirm, but she's too tightly bound.

"Who do you work for? Who sent you? Where are you taking me?" Avery demands, trying to keep her voice from quivering.

"Shut up!" the voice says, "I swear if you aren't good, I'll personally throw you out of the helicopter."

When the helicopter touches down, the man with the rough voice grabs her and carries her. She can smell jet fuel and she hears the sound of a powerful jet engine. The man climbs a set of metal stairs and deposits her into a seat on a jet. Though she can't see anything, she can feel the plane shaking with turbulence. Gradually, she feels the plane losing altitude—her ears pop and her stomach drops.

"What's happening?" she asks.

"I told you to shut up," the voice says threateningly.

The plane lands with a jolt. The man pulls Avery from the cabin and carries her into a building with hard floors. She hears a door open and close and feels the bouncing motion as her captor carries her up a set of stairs. She has no idea where she is; she strains her ears, but she can't pick out a single distinct sound.

She doesn't dare to ask her captor another question. The only thing she's sure of is that the man seems to be working alone. This scares her—the man's boss doesn't want more witnesses. Avery wracks her brain trying to think of an escape plan. Suddenly a hand grabs her bound wrists and slides the ring off of her finger.

"Stop!" Avery protests.

"It is a nice ring," the man says appreciatively, "Looks expensive."

"You'd better give it back,"Avery threatens, "That's my wedding ring, and my husband is Evan Howel. If he ever finds out you took that ring, if he even suspects you were involved in kidnapping me, he'll kill you. Brutally.'

"I never thought I'd live long," the man says, unperturbed.

Avery doesn't know how to respond. If the man doesn't care about his life, how can she threaten him? She knows he has a gun, and she suspects he's more than willing to use it on her.

"This is a green diamond ring and I have many others more valuable than this," Avery says, "If you let me go, I'll have some of them sent to you."

Avery uses a charming tone, but she scowls underneath the hood.

"If I manage to escape, I can't wait to give this ring back to Charles," she thinks bitterly, "It's brought me nothing but trouble."

"You're quick to make promises, but I'm not stupid," the man says, "I'll never see you or the ring again if I let you go."

He drops her onto the floor and examines the ring with greedy eyes. Avery gasps when she hits the floor. In spite of the pain, she's grateful to the man for dropping her. She can feel rich, soft wool beneath her cheek.

"Only someone very wealthy can afford such a high quality carpet," she thinks.

"I think you might be quite stupid; you're an idiot if you don't fear my husband," Avery says, trying to struggle to her feet, "I promise, if you let me go I'll force him to pardon you."

"Don't talk," the man growls, jerking her to her feet and pushing her onto a sofa.

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