In the drawer, Abby heard Brooke's betrayal and her heart went through the floor. She began to shout and scream, praying Dr. Carl could hear her, but of course he couldn't. She was too small, and the distance was too great. Besides which, the little whore kept on talking, making sure there was no chance he could pick up her desperate screams.
Damn the bitch! She just had to try to ruin this, didn't she? Well, Abby wasn't sure what Brooke's game was, but it was going to backfire, that was certain. All Abigail had to do was find some way to get the rescue team's attention when they showed up. Hell, even if that failed, all she had to do was escape again and get herself rescued. As soon as she told her story to Dr. Carl, or anyone else, they'd have Brooke arrested for withholding vital information, aiding and abetting a crime, and hopefully a lot of other things, too.
The thought of watching the trial put a smile on Abigail's lips, despite the desperate situation she was in. One way or another, she was determined to get the better of Brooke, no matter what happened in the next few minutes. Regardless of whatever tricks her rival pulled, Abby was sure she'd be the one to win in the end.
Then she heard the muffled sound of distant footsteps approaching. The conversation on top of the desk came to an abrupt halt, and something slammed down with a loud clatter. Without needing to see, she knew what just happened.
Logan was back.
Brooke was shouting into the phone in response to one of Dr. Carl's questions when the footsteps sounded. She froze and looked up as a tremendous hand passed overhead, seized the handset, and yanked it away from her. An instant later it slammed down on the telephone, cutting off the connection, and she looked up into the angry face of Logan.
However, instead of cowering in fear, she merely smiled and crossed her arms in satisfaction. He seemed taken aback by this and hesitated, biting off the harsh words he was about to bark at his little prisoner. "What the hell are you so happy about?" he demanded. "There's nowhere to run now, Brooke. I've got you now. Come on, it's time to go home."
He reached down to pick her up, but to his surprise, she didn't move at all. In fact, she just looked even more satisfied. "Go on," she yelled as he hesitated. "Go ahead, take me out of here. When the police show up and start trying to figure out where I am, the first place they'll look is towards the guy who's not here."
His eyes widened, and then he seemed to realize what she was saying and his shoulders slumped. "Then you got through," he replied sadly. "It's all over, then, isn't it? They're coming to get you, aren't they?"
"Yeah," she answered with a grin. "I'm afraid so, Logan. They traced the call here. It won't be long now."
He was silent for a few moments, mulling over his options. Finally, he walked around the desk and pulled out the chair, sitting down to look at her tiny form in the middle of the table. At chest level, just out of his view, Abby stared out the drawer at him, waiting silently and fearfully to see what would happen next.
Finally, Logan spoke. "I've always worried about this," he told her. "I've always been afraid I might lose you two someday, but I never thought it would actually happen."
"Aw, don't cry," Brooke replied in an insulting tone. "It won't be so bad, not having me around. You'll get by."
He sighed sadly. "It's just that I've come to depend on you girls so much," he admitted. "I look forward to every night with you, and you're all I think about. I love you both, you know."
"Oh, please!" chuckled Brooke, looking up at him with a bemused expression. "You don't know the first thing about love, Logan! If we were really pets, maybe you'd be right, but we aren't, and you never seemed to get that through your thick skull. You're such an idiot!"
He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Watch it, Brooke," he growled. "I can still crush you with my thumb if I want to! Better yet, what if I just picked you and Abby up and made a run for it? I could be in the next state by the time anyone figures out where I went. I could set up somewhere else, with a different name, maybe even leave the country--"
For the first time since Logan's return, Brooke seemed fearful of him again, and of the power in those massive hands that lingered just a few inches from her tiny form. Then she recovered and grinned at him, and there was an evil glint in her tiny eyes. "There's no need for that," she insisted hastily, before he could let his thoughts meander any further down their current path. "I have an idea you might be interested in that'll give us both everything we want."
He just stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "All right," he said dryly, "I'm listening."
"Well," replied Brooke, pacing along next to his colossal fingers, "the way I see it, I want my freedom, and you want to have a tiny little pet woman to come home to every night."
"Yeah," he agreed, "that about sums it up. What are you getting at?"
"It's simple," she told him. "When I was on the phone, I never mentioned you, and I don't plan to, as long as you just walk away and pretend like you never saw or heard of me before. I'll make up some story about hitching a ride on a fire engine or something and having no idea where I was being held. They probably won't even question anyone here--hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't just show up, grab me, and leave without ever bothering you at all."
"Okay," he agreed with a doubtful frown, "that sounds good to me, but what's in it for you? Why would you do anything for me, and why would I believe you'll keep your word?"
"Oh, that's an easy one," she answered. "Because I hate Abigail more than I hate you, and as long as I keep my mouth shut, she'll be your prisoner forever. I can think of nothing better than the idea of you torturing and abusing her every night, without me there to interfere in your fun. You see, the alternative is that Abby gets out of this safe and sound, and I'd much rather see you go free than her."
Logan stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. "You know," he said after a moment, "you're a truly evil woman. I don't know if I ever told you that before, but you are."
"Thanks!" Brooke replied, looking very pleased with herself. "I try. It comes with practice. But, all that aside, do you know what the best thing about this whole plan is?"
"What?"
"It's self-sustaining," she answered. "You see, both of us have every motivation to keep our mouths shut. If you ever say anything, you lose your pet girl, and probably go to jail for kidnapping. Meanwhile, if I ever tell anyone about you, then Abby gets free, and I wind up arrested for hiding information about her location. So you see? We both just keep quiet and we all win. Well, everyone but Abigail." She gave a satisfied laugh at that.
"Yeah," Logan replied after a moment, nodding thoughtfully. "Yeah, I see what you mean. You're right, Brooke, this is a perfect plan. I agree to everything you said. I'd shake your hand, but, well, you know."
She laughed again, somewhat amused by the thought of his monstrous hand reaching down to shake her tiny one. "We'll just say it's a deal," she told him. "Now go on, take her and get the hell out before the cops show up. Oh, and Logan, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope to God I never see you again."
Now it was his turn to chuckle. "How could I take that the wrong way?" he asked wryly. "Goodbye, Brooke. It's been fun."
"Not really, but that's all right," she replied, moving over to the phone and sitting back against it to await rescue. "Oh, and be sure to say goodbye to Abby for me, too."
Logan smiled, stood, and retrieved his coat from the rack. He stuck his head out the door and yelled out to the men upstairs that he had to run an errand, but would return. A muffled response from a co-worker signaled assent, so he turned back to the desk, opened up the drawer, and scooped out Abigail for the return trip home. She made no attempt to resist, not even to shout or cry out at being picked up in his massive hands.
Instead, she spent the ride home weeping miserably.