Read Smarter (an Ell Donsaii story #2) for Free Online Page B

them!? Are you in a safe location?”
    “Well… All four of my attackers are disabled and cuffed. I’m staying with them so far. Shouldn’t I stay with them, at least until the police arrive?”
    The chief choked out a laugh. “I guess I forgot who I was talking to. I don’t know what they were thinking, taking on Ell Donsaii without an army. I’ve had my AI start re-contacting the Boston-Cambridge area police so I can brief them on your situation, but first describe it to me in more detail.”
    Ell told him what she knew. Allan, Ell’s AI, confirmed that she’d been in their hands for about six hours but Allan’s GPS said Ell was now about 120 miles from Boston, in Hartford Connecticut, at the Berford Arms Hotel. The chief took Ell’s room number and said he’d get back to her after reaching the police in Hartford.
    Ell continued her search of the rooms without finding anything else of significance. While she searched she listened to a series of more and more frantic messages from her mother, then Phil, then Chief Bowers, then the Cambridge police. Listening to the messages she was touched that so many people cared about her. To Ell’s amazement Phil’s last message said he was currently waiting at the RDU airport in Raleigh for the next plane to Boston! Ell said, “Allan, call Mom.”
    Kristen’s voice came on breathlessly, “Ell! Are you OK? Chief Bowers said you were kidnapped!”
    “I’m OK now. They drugged me but I escaped. The police should be here soon. Don’t worry too much and try to get some sleep, I’ll try to catch my scheduled plane back to RDU in the morning.”
    “You escaped? Are they still looking for you?”
    “No, they’re in cuffs. I’m keeping an eye on them until the police arrive to take custody.” Ell talked to her mom a little longer and hung up when Kristen seemed calm.
    Then she said, “Allan, call Phil.”
    Phil sounded sleepy when he said, “Ell?”
    “Hey, I’m OK. I escaped. Thanks for helping my mom last night.”
    “You escaped? Damn!”
    Ell snorted, “What, you wanted me in captivity?”
    “No! But I was looking forward to rescuing you for a change. You can’t imagine how embarrassing it is for a big guy like me to have been saved twice by l’il ol’ you.”
    “Well boyo, I guess you’re just gonna have to wait a while longer to rescue me. Hey, Mom told me you’re at the airport in Raleigh waiting to fly up to Boston, but I’m going to fly back down there in the morning. Maybe I can buy you lunch for your trouble?” Ell’s heart leapt into her throat. It felt like she’d just asked him on a date or something. She really liked the big lunk and would love to go out with him, but worried the feeling wasn’t reciprocated. She steeled her heart against rejection.
    To Ell’s relief Phil enthusiastically said, “Great! It’s a date! Just let me know when your plane is arriving.”
    The police arrived so Ell had to hang up, the words, “It’s a date,” still rolling happily around in her head.
    The Hartford police took custody of “Chin, Chang, Wong and Lau”. After interrogating Ell’s and Chang’s AIs they took a statement corroborating the record on the AIs from Ell and released her. When they learned that she was scheduled for a Boston to Raleigh flight in the morning they assigned one of their young officers to deliver her back to Logan Airport.
    As Ell was about to leave the senior officer stopped her. “Ms. Donsaii?”
    “Yes sir?”
    “We’ve been interrogating Chin’s AI and its records showed them arranging a charter flight leaving Newark’s Liberty Airport tomorrow afternoon. These guys were very serious about taking you somewhere far out of our jurisdiction. I urge you to be very, very careful.”
    Heart sinking Ell said, “Yes sir.”
     
    Sitting in the police cruiser on the way back to Boston, Ell had time to think about the implications of what had just happened. These people wanted her, and they had tremendous resources.