New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 266

The weather was completely awful. It was the kind of night that made you just want to curl up under a blanket with a hot drink and pretend the outside world didn't exist. But Abigail, unfortunately, didn't have that luxury. She was on her way out of the door of her friend's apartment after a much-needed evening of catching up, and she needed to get home. Tomorrow was Monday, and work wasn't going to wait for her to nurse a lazy Sunday night.

Pulling the jacket tightly around her, Abigail went outside into the freezing cold. The wind was icy and nipped at her face. Just as she turned onto the main street, the rain came on, too. Of course, that would just complete it all. Almost December and the weather was playing games already.

Great, she muttered, her handbag held out in front of her like an umbrella, useless given its minuscule size. Within seconds the rain had soaked through her shoulders and hair.

She let out a deep sigh. “One stupid taxi, that's all I need.” She peered up and down the street, her hand out hopefully to hail any cab that might be on its way down.

But no such luck. Every taxi she tried to flag down was full. It was late; people were on their way home after night devotions, so finding an empty taxi was like finding a needle in a haystack.

“Why is it all taxis are packed?”

She thought for a second longer and thought she might have to call her dad to come and pick her up. In crossing the street, Abigail fumbled with her phone. Her frozen fingers make it difficult for her to press the button. The rain certainly didn't help matters, making everything slippery. Just when she was about to make the call, three men approached her.

It was nothing, nothing in the first place. They were just walking on the same sidewalk; that is all. Then, as they got closer, one of them started talking with her. Not good talking either, the kind that makes one feel all sorts of uncomfortable.

“Well, hello there, sweetheart,” said one of the men in a greasy type of charm. “What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone on a night like this?”

Abby's skin crawled. She looked up at them; their grins were too wide, their eyes too interested. She knew precisely where this was going. She quickened her pace, not wanting to make a scene in the hopes of getting away from them. She pulled out her phone again, planning to call Alexander instead of her dad, but before she even had time to press his name, one of the men snatched the phone right out of her hand.

“Hey!” Abigail yelled, whirling. “Give me my phone back!”

They laughed alike as if to make it prominent just how much fun they were having. The one who took her phone was, by now, playing with it, juggling it in his hands almost like it belonged to a puppet. “What's the rush? We just wanna talk,” he said, walking closer. “Right guys?”

“Yeah, just talk. Don't be scared of us.” the man with a blonde hair lip curled into a wicked smirk that sent a shiver down her spine.

Abigail's heart was racing, though she tried to stand her ground. “I don't want to talk. I want my phone back.” Her voice shook, but she tried to sound strong.

“Ah, come on,” another joined in, stepping forward. “Tell you what, sweetheart, why don't you give us your purse too, and we'll think about giving your phone back.”

Abigail's brows furrowed in frustration. “No! I'm not giving you, my purse.”

Her refusal only seemed to amuse them more. One of the men leaned in closer, his grin getting wider. “Feisty. I like it.”

Panic swirled through her veins. She had to get out of there. Her eyes flitted desperately around for an escape. It was then that she saw the lid of a garbage can lying nearby. Without any second thoughts, she picked it up and slung it at them with all her might.

It caught one of them off guard and hit him in the stomach, and Abigail quickly took her chance. She sprinted past their feet running across the slick ground as fast as they could. She heard their angry shouts behind her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

She continued to run, her mind and legs going a mile a minute as she glanced over her shoulder to see if they were still after her. That was the mistake. The moment she did, her foot slipped on the wet street, and before she knew it, she fell forward, the world spinning around her.

Everything went black.

The three men froze, stopping in their tracks and staring down at her lifeless body in the middle of the road. They looked at each other as panic instantly set in. "What do we do?" one, his voice shaking, asked.

“We gotta get outta here. Now!” the leader yelled. “Leave her shit. Just go!”

They threw Abigail's belongings in a nearby trash receptacle and ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Gone were the trailing laughs, replaced by the frantic scramble of these kids disappearing into the darkness.

And there lay Abigail, unconscious and alone in the pouring rain, cold, uncaring streets being her only companion.