Her Captor

by Roxy Sinclaire

  “Hmm, my timing couldn’t have been better. This will certainly get more attention,” I murmured, already thinking ahead to the plan.

  “Can we move to a more private environment to talk about this?”

  “Yes, let’s go to my study. Nobody goes there.”

  Mom and I went to her study, where I started reminding her of the role she would play in this plan of ours.

  “You remember what you have to do, right? You need to alert him just before dinner starts so he will ask for security checks, then you need to show how scared and worried you are. Make sure to contact the police and to involve the media,” I instructed. “The media needs to be your friend, give interviews about your worry and ask for public assistance. Use them to pressure Michael.”

  “I’ll do my best, but do you trust this guy you’re paying to kidnap you? Plus, I’m not sure of my acting skills. What if something goes wrong?” Mom fretted, twisting her hands together.

  She was really worried about this, I realized, considering how quickly she’d taken to the plan in the first place.

  “This is for your happiness, Mom, and I don’t mind doing it so long as you’re happy. So just help me make you happy,” I pleaded.

  There was no way we could back out of this after how far we’d already gotten with the whole plot. The guy had already agreed, I already owed him money. And I had a feeling cancelling last minute, no matter how much I paid him anyway for bothering him, would ruin his image of me.

  Not that it’s important, anyhow, I told myself.

  “If you say so,” Mom said reluctantly.

  She was so obviously still nervous, but I was proud of her regardless of going ahead with this thing.

  “Mom, just think of it as being real, or imagine Michael leaving you again. Or better still imagine how you felt when you heard Dad died in the war—” I said excitedly, forgetting for a moment how painful that was for Mom, until I caught the sorrow in her eyes. I winced, feeling guilty for getting carried away. “Sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean…” I trailed off as she waved a dismissive hand at me.

  She didn’t even try to smile, though.

  “It’s okay, sweetie, I understand. I’ll try to do as you say so this doesn’t fail. Just be careful. Be very careful.”

  I nodded. I’d planned on it, of course. There were so many flaws with my plan that I hadn’t thought of before. Like what kind of man I would be spending the next few who knew how many days or weeks with. I knew how to protect myself, of course, but I wondered just how good I could be against a professional.

  “What does the guy you hired sound like?” Mom asked.

  “He sounds cold, strict, and professional. I just hope he knows his job well. I couldn’t see his face properly when we spoke on the phone because it was shrouded in darkness. Wherever he was, the whole room was dark, so there wasn’t really much to see besides a bunch of shadow.”

  We sat in contemplative silence, me wondering what this mystery man would look like, Mom probably still stewing in her worries, but trying to get herself to continue.

  “Okay,” Mom finally said, pulling us both from our thoughts. “Use this time to rest. You work too much, my dear.”

  “I will; let me go change into my joggers. I’ll go for a run, and before you know it…” I smiled, and she mirrored it nervously.

  I hugged Mom and went to change. When I got back, she was waiting in the foyer and we hugged each other tightly, one last time.

  “Please remember, Mom,” I whispered urgently in her ear. “We really need this to work for you.”

  I could feel her nod slightly against me, and it was enough for me. I pulled away and gave her a smile. It hit me just then that this would probably be the last time I got to see my mom in a while. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and turned away from her.

  You’re doing this for her, I reminded myself. No mistakes.

  Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any on her side, either.

  I jogged down the long drive way and out past the gates. The house was located in the suburbs with a lot of private properties mostly surrounded by a large mass of forest. I jogged for about a couple hundred meters and turned back after checking my watch for the time.

  As I approached the gate and stopped to stretch a bit, a black van pulled over quickly and a huge guy jumped out of it, his face masked, and he grabbed me from behind. It was all so fucking real I didn’t even have to fake my reaction. I screamed out and shouted, hitting, fighting and biting him, but he wasn’t budging. I kicked, and he threw me over his shoulder, swatting my ass and making me yelp indignantly.

  I glanced at the cameras on the gate, screaming some more for help and twisting as he threw me into the van, locked up, and drove off quickly.

  I was breathing heavily in the dark van. I wasn’t tied up or anything, at least, and there was no one else in the back. I tried to stand, but the van was going so fast I could barely find my feet or any balance. After he took a curve still going at high speed, I tried standing again, just to hit my head and get knocked out from the impact.

  Chapter Six

  Jason

  I got to the port after changing cars twice and cleaning off any prints in the van and the other sedan I stole. I got her hair off all surfaces and any evidence of her being in both cars. She was knocked out cold and still unconscious when I reached the port, so I sprinkled water on her face to wake her up quickly, so she could point us to the boat she had bought.

  I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I got an uneasy feeling. I was pretty sure I was being watched by somebody. It couldn’t be her father having already tracked us down. I’d felt the same way for days now; I just kept ignoring it.

  “Hey, princess,” I hissed. “Wake up.”

  I shook her shoulder lightly, trying to be gentle. I’d heard her hit her head, she’d probably been trying to do something stupid, like stand in a fast-moving vehicle. It worried me a little that she’d stayed unconscious this long, but I didn’t want to take the time to check over her here while I still felt uneasy.

  I looked around, but just like every other time I checked, I saw nothing. Everything looked normal.

  But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone out there. I’d been in this game long enough to know that fundamental rule. Very little was ever as it seemed.

  After sprinkling more water and slapping her cheek lightly, her eyes slowly opened and looked around as she tried to get her bearings.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, though I kept my worries to myself.

  She blinked her clear blue eyes up at me, and I was tempted to fall into them again. Only I knew this would be the worst timing possible.

  “Yeah, I guess,” she said slowly. “How long have I been out?”

  “For about three hours. That must have been quite a fall, I hope you don’t have a concussion.” Spreading out my fingers in her face, I asked, “How many fingers do you see?”

  She kept staring at me as with a confused look in her eyes.

  “Do we need to go to the hospital to have you checked?” I was growing even more worried.

  She blinked and then said, “You have five fingers held up, no I don’t need to go to the hospital, and wow, you really look different than what I expected.” She shut her mouth, as if she had revealed something she wasn’t supposed to.

  Instantly, I was relieved that it wasn’t a problem with her head. But almost immediately after, my mind jumped to other thoughts. Like just what she said about my face, and what she’d expected me to look like. I cut those thoughts off when I started to wonder if she liked my face. That shouldn’t matter, with everything else we had to deal with.

  “Where are we?” She was looking around us again, having trouble placing our location, probably because of the dark.

  “At the docks. Where is your boat moored?” I asked.

  She looked around the docks with clearer eyes. She held her hand out to me, and I took me a moment to realize she wanted me to help
her stand up. I did, and she did a slow spin, before pointing off in one direction.

  “At the far right of the dock. The only yacht without a name, painted white and gold.”

  “Let’s hurry up. I don’t want us to be noticed.”

  With her awake now, I finished the clean-up in the car and got the few supplies I had purchased so we could head out. Toward the far end of the dock, I saw a beautiful, expensive yacht moored to a gangway all ready for sailing. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the exterior. This must have cost them quite a lot. The boat had beautiful lines, sleek and was quite large for two people.

  Hopefully, with all that space, we won’t get sick of each other too quickly; it’s been known to happen, after all. But then I glanced at her out the corner of my eye and had a thought. Our problem might be of a different kind, though. I like looking at her way too much.

  “I’m impressed,” I said, deciding she deserved the compliment. “You both chose well.”

  She smiled a little. “Thanks. We got lucky to pick it up on such short notice.”

  We got into the boat, and I looked around to make sure we weren’t followed or being watched by anybody. It could have just been paranoia, it came with the territory really, but I trusted my instincts never to lie to me.

  Once I was sure we were alone, I looked around the boat. It had a wide sole and cockpit, which was carpeted. One could sunbathe or even have lunch here. The deck was equally wide with gold-plated bowl railing. The cabin was the best part of the boat, large with two medium-sized beds, a kitchen at one corner, a small lounge or probably a relaxing area, and a large shower cubicle. There was a closet filled apparently with disguises that Miss Coventry had gotten for the trip and for occasions on which we had to leave the boat to tour a town.

  Again, I was impressed. Clearly, this wasn’t something they just thought of on the fly. They put some real thought to this and planned it out. I’d worried about stopping somewhere to buy more supplies to add to what I’d brought, but with all this, we wouldn’t have to. It looked more like a plan thought up by professionals, not two desperate women.

  I went up to the flying bridge to pull Miss Coventry down, so we could check for information online to know what was happening before we started preparing our first ransom video.

  “Come, we need to discuss other plans. I’m through admiring your boat.”

  “Uh, sure,” she said with a smile, and I was starting to realize I was growing addicted to those smiles. “You know, I’ve always wanted to own a yacht or a boat, so I could sit on the deck and paint at sea, while the breeze blows my hair,” she told me as we entered the cabin. She took a seat on the small couch, and I sat facing her.

  “I think we should start with introductions, I’m Keith Braddock and I know you’re Amanda Coventry. I hope it will be a pleasure doing business with you.”

  My eyes followed her form as she folded her legs yoga style, stretching her jogging pants tight across her sexy legs and thick thighs. She seemed unable to meet my eye, as if she was intimidated.

  It made me frown. From the little I’d seen of her, from the video chat up to that moment, it was unlike her and the impression she’d left on me. I tilted my head a little, staring at her and waiting for her to speak, more confused the longer she stayed quiet. Then I thought of annoying her, like before, to make her respond and be more comfortable.

  “Amanda isn’t a good name for an artist, you know,” I said slyly, smirking. “Just from hearing it I would never peg you for one.”

  She looked up quickly when I mentioned her work, and her blue eyes immediately had an angry glow to them. She was too easily riled up. I wondered if she knew just how big a weakness that could be, but I figured it would be too amusing, so I wouldn’t just tell her.

  “And Keith is the name of a criminal to you?” she countered, sneering. “Spare me that. I’m not so stupid to believe that’s your name. So, what is your real name?”

  I shrugged, unapologetic. “Rules of the job. You can’t know my real name, it’s a liability for the both of us. No offense, I don’t want to get caught and locked up if this somehow backfires. But since I already know yours, I will call you Mandy.”

  She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her chin out. “I haven’t given you permission to call me Mandy. Amanda will do, and I will call you Johnson, since it goes against the job to tell me your real name,” she quickly replied, looking me straight in the eye.

  I almost dropped my fierce look, but I just smiled coldly and got up to start unpacking my gear.

  “Check the TV so we can know what’s happening right now,” I told her while I unpacked.

  She switched on the TV and there was nothing about the kidnapping yet as she flipped through channels and all news stations.

  “I can’t believe they haven’t mentioned it yet,” she muttered.

  I rolled my eyes, because she was actually pouting. Yeah, she was important, but she had to realize the world didn’t revolve around her.

  “It is still early,” I pointed out. “I drove fast, though I had to take a couple different routes, so we wouldn’t be tracked easily, but it’s still barely been three hours.”

  “Three hours is still a lot of time, though. Especially for someone like Michael.”

  Since there was nothing yet, I decided that we should set sail, and make the first video at a secure port or cove that would prevent the boat or location from being noticed. I couldn’t have them realizing we were off shore so early in the game, after all. It would narrow down their search immensely, and there were no escape routes surrounded by water.

  “I think we should set sail now, before it goes public, so we can shoot a video in a secure location. I will set everything up once we get there. I’ll be going up, and I advise that you don’t leave the cabin till we reach somewhere secure.”

  Without waiting for her to reply, I went back to the deck, closing the cabin door behind me. I moved to steer the yacht out of port and into the water, so we could start our vacation.

  I steered the boat into a secure cove about three hours later. It was a beautiful and quiet spot with water that would be bluish green in the sunlight. It was probably a hot spot for divers and a romantic spot for couples with boats to hang out.

  Amanda joined me on the deck to admire our surroundings before we started with the first phase of our kidnapping plan.

  “It’s so beautiful out here. One can be lured into a false sense of peace where you ignore the real world,” she said.

  I sighed. “I don’t think it will be a false sense of peace. Peace comes from within and if it’s genuine, I don’t think it’s false. Besides, only idiots ignore reality; just because you do, doesn’t mean reality will ignore you, right?”

  She smiled and commented under her breath, “Who knew a kidnapper could be this wise.”

  I heard, whether she meant for me to or not. I laughed.

  “It’s shocking, right? But I’ve seen and done enough to appreciate and believe when I get the chance to. Anyway, let’s go into the cabin and make the video, you can come admire the sea some more after that or even swim.” I headed for the cabin as I said this with her following me closely.

  In the cabin, Amanda turned on the radio, so we could get an update on what was happening. It was now all over the news that she had been kidnapped, but nothing had been heard so far and the police were already investigating, although no information had been gathered yet.

  Good. It’s all going according to plan, so far. Better to be cautious from the get go.

  I started preparing the room for the video shoot. I pushed the sofa to the side and placed a dark cloth on the wall behind it. I set the cameras opposite the wall, focusing the lights on the wall so our environment wouldn’t be given away. Once Amanda was ready, I switched off the lights and closed the cabin’s windows so light from outside didn’t infiltrate.

  Amanda scattered her hair and applied some dark makeup to make her face look dirty.
She smudged her lip balm and applied blush under her eyes to make them look red and swollen from crying. I watched the whole time, admiring just how good she was with makeup. Most women knew how to make themselves look beautiful with makeup, not miserable, so on the occasion I worked with them, I had to do it for them.

  “Now, this part is going to be unpleasant,” I tried to explain. “You already look the part for this, but you need to act the part. We can do as many takes as we need, but we need to get this just right.”

  She just rolled her eyes, though I could see she was a little apprehensive. “It’s fine. I just have to make it believable, right? Trust me, I’m motivated enough, so that won’t be a problem.”

  I gagged her and tide her to a chair. She tried crying before I turned the camera on, but she couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to rough her up a bit so she could cry, so I went in search of menthol or some onions. I found an onion in the kitchen. I went back and held it up for her.

  “Sorry, I wish I could say we don’t need this, but you need to cry for authenticity, and it can’t be fake.”

  She looked weary, but she nodded. I could see her brace herself as I peeled some layers off the onion and squeezed so the fumes from its juices could get into her eyes. Almost immediately, she closed her eyes.

  “Don’t do that,” I commanded. “Let the fumes get in your eyes or I’ll have to juice them and use that. Trust me, that will be much more painful.”

  She glared at me, but I could see her make an effort to keep her eyes wide open. A few seconds later, tears started trailing down her face. After waiting long enough to make sure there was a steady stream of tears, I nodded and threw the onion away, wiping my hands on my t-shirt. I turned the camera on and pulled the gag down so she could talk. I made sure everywhere was dark as I made the video. I’d put on a thick mask with a large black t-shirt, so my form couldn’t be made out when I spoke in the video.

  I began shouting with Amanda crying out for help.

  “Shut the fuck up with the crying already!” It only made her cry harder, and I was impressed with her acting, too. “I’m going to fucking gag you, so zip it!”