Her Captor

by Roxy Sinclaire

  My approach to acting for these vids was to picture a movie I’d watched, and try to copy the atmosphere and tone while using different lines so some smart-aleck didn’t track it all down to some script. Then it would be off to some profilers that would start coming up with some weird shit. Though, there were the occasional smart ones who could blow the whole thing.

  Amanda made the whole thing look so effortless that I wondered just what she had in her mind that left her so devastated. Surely, she couldn’t be this good an actor as well.

  Only my voice could be heard for the moment. I said in the background, “Michael Coventry, I have your stepdaughter. You will do as I say or your daughter will be dead by the time we are done negotiating.”

  I then let her cry and scream for help some more, only this time, she knew to use words without prompting.

  “Mom, please help me! I don’t know where I am or what’s going to happen to me. Michael, Dad, please help me! Do as the kidnapper says! He promised not to hurt—” Before she could finish talking, I shut her up loudly, with my mask blocking and changing my voice and accent, making it unrecognizable.

  “Respect my demands, Michael Coventry. I want a billion dollars; if not I will mail you parts of your daughter’s body, starting with her fingers. They will be chopped off gradually, so wait for my call and don’t try anything stupid.”

  I ended the video and put the camera away. I decided to clear the area later, instead rushing Amanda to the bathroom, where I rinsed off her eyes with milk so as to reduce the irritation caused by the onions. I then wiped her face and dug in the first aid cabinet for some penicillin ointment, which I applied on her eyes. I was so proud of her and how brave she was. The lengths she was willing to go to just protect her mother’s happiness. I’d never had a client that did something like this for such a selfless reason before.

  She started laughing as I administered the ointment.

  “What is so funny?” I asked, then teased, “Or did the onion fumes get to your brain?”

  “You,” she answered and laughed more before elaborating, “Your outfit and your fake voices were hilarious. You sounded like a talking panda. If I hadn’t been on camera I would have lost it for real.” She laughed some more.

  I laughed with her. “No wonder you couldn’t shed a tear. You were busy laughing at me, with stone tear ducts. Onions had to do it and now your eyes look like terrible.”

  We both laughed together with her trying to hit me even though she couldn’t see clearly with the ointment in her eyes. I helped her lie down so I could pack up my gear and clean up.

  “I haven’t laughed this much in a while,” she said as from her bed. “I’m always focused on my work so much that I rarely notice what happens around me at times.”

  “I hear it happens a lot with artists, so don’t worry, you’re not too special,” I teased, laughing when she made a sound of indignation at me. “You are really talented, though. I checked images of your work and I was really impressed,” I complimented genuinely.

  She hummed, “I didn’t know you were into art.”

  I paused to raise an eyebrow at her. “You know absolutely nothing about me, besides what my face looks like and the fact that I’m a shady person who makes shady deals,” I pointed out.

  She pouted but didn’t argue because it was true.

  “So, what’s next? Do you call before sending the video, or what will you do?”

  “Don’t worry your pretty head over that. I’ll take care of that in a minute. I need the environment to be calm and quiet.”

  After packing up, I dialed Amanda’s stepfather’s phone number on my burner phone, using a voice changing option, but still masking my voice. It rang thrice, then Michael picked up. I waited for a bit as I heard rustling and movement in the background. He didn’t try to speak first, so he must have realized it was the ‘kidnapper,’ and the noise in the background was probably the police trying to track me.

  Not that they could. I’d made sure of that.

  After a moment, someone spoke, “Michael Coventry on the line, who is this?”

  “You don’t need to know. I will be sending you a video in five minutes’ time. Watch and wait for my call.” I dropped the call as Michael cursed and started shouting that if I hurt her he would find me and make sure I spent the rest of my miserable life in jail.

  It made me smile, because it was such a cliché threat by this point. He might as well have been the one quoting movie lines.

  I quickly changed my VPN, secured my location, and mailed the video with an anonymous and untraceable account. I waited thirty minutes while Amanda rested her eyes before I dialed again to make sure they had watched the video. The phone was answered on the third ring, a woman, probably Amanda’s mother, could be heard wailing in background saying, “Save my baby, Michael!”

  “We can negotiate the price of the ransom. I’ll give a quarter of a billion—” Michael tried, but I cut him off.

  “A billion dollars or else I start chopping and recording. You have two days to decide, so call this number when you’re ready, and don’t bother trying to trace me using this number.”

  “I’m going to find you, bastard, and when I do you will wish you were dead,” Michael threatened.

  “You are in no position to make threats.” I hung up abruptly after that.

  It was cruel, but the man had to understand and remember what was at stake. It wasn’t like the man couldn’t afford it. I’d investigated his financials, so unless the numbers I read were a lie—impossible, since I hacked his accounts and files to get the right figures—he was really choosing money over his kid.

  Well, technically, she is just his stepdaughter. And a billion dollars isn’t exactly pocket change.

  I turned around to see Amanda gazing at me intently with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

  “How come you agreed to this? How can I trust you not to abscond with the billion dollars once the ransom is paid?” she asked me.

  I’d expected the question to come at some point, and I was kind of surprised it took her this long.

  “You have every right to be mistrustful, but I’m a professional and I already stated my price. Plus, running away and hiding will be too much work.”

  There was no point, anyway. I had enough money and I wasn’t one of those people that was always looking to get richer. I’d take the million she was paying me over the billion that I’d have to go through extra work over.

  I could see she didn’t quite believe me, but I liked that. At least she was cautious as well as intelligent.

  “Then how will you escape the police after this? How will you escape being found?”

  I shrugged. “It’s my job. I can take care of everything. So, don’t worry about things that don’t really concern your pretty head.”

  “That is the second time you’ve called me pretty,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Are you laughing at me, are you flirting with me, or do you mean it as a compliment?”

  “What if I told you I was flirting with you?” I asked, tilting my head a little.

  “I’ll say I’ve never learned how to flirt. I’ll tell you that I’m out of my depth in that area.” She got up and walked past me, heading to the shower, where she locked the door.

  I smiled then, because I was already enjoying myself, and this vacation seemed more promising as the seconds went by.

  Chapter Seven

  Amanda

  “Good morning, Johnson,” I greeted as I walked out of the cabin.

  I woke up that morning slightly late and I didn’t feel guilty at all. It had been a while since I relaxed or rested the way I did yesterday. Johnson was a really good captain, sailor, and navigator. He glanced at me as I moved in beside him.

  “Good morning, Mandy. I can see you’re well rested and your eyes look better,” he replied.

  I smiled up at him. He was so huge with the darkest hair I had ever seen, and although his size could be intimidating, he really was a
handsome guy.

  When I first saw him clearly our first day on the boat, I was shocked by how handsome and gentle he was that I stared at him like an idiot. My shyness and nervousness came back full force as it always did around an attractive guy, and he noticed. I saw through his move to annoy me, and I knew that he did it so I could feel comfortable around him immediately, and I thought it was sweet. Whether he knew the reason for my reaction or not, I’d never had a guy do that for me before.

  Then later, after we’d done the video, the manner in which he took care of me surprised me, making sure my eyes fully recovered. I would have been fine after a while if I’d just washed my eyes out with water, but his method had me fine in a matter of minutes. He also wouldn’t let me do anything the next day, saying my eyes needed rest, and that was quite funny.

  Maybe it was wrong of me to try to stereotype him based on movies and fiction. I was already attracted to him, but this soft side was making me really like him.

  “It’s been a few days, and you made sure they would, didn’t you? They wouldn’t dare hurt again after all the care you showed me and them.” I laughed, still looking at him. “Who knew a guy like you could be such a softy,” I added, touching his arm.

  I felt my hairs stand on end as electric sparks went through my body. I pulled my hand away and looked into his eyes and there was a glint there that made me excited. After a few moments of us just staring at each other, though, he took a deep breath through his nose and continued.

  “I’m no softy, so get that thought off your mind and your head out of the gutters. You’re playing with fire, you know,” he said, and turned to look over the horizon.

  “Oh, are you scared, Johnson?” I tried to flirt, though my voice shook a little.

  This was really new for me as I’d never done anything this bold with a guy before. Just going to stand next to him willingly was a big achievement in my book. He looked down at me and laughed instead. I should have gotten mad, because he was probably laughing at me, but he looked so good. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs of desire, remembering what really brought me here. What brought the both of us here.

  “Since you took such care of me, I’ve decided to cook you a sumptuous brunch as a thank you. What do you think?”

  “Hmm, a rich working girl who can cook… a man never turns down good food, especially when a pretty lady asks so nicely,” Johnson replied.

  “Okay, could you anchor the boat in two hours’ time? So you can focus on eating instead of sailing?” I asked.

  “Sure, we’re not far off from an island.”

  I left him and went down to the kitchen to start preparing ingredients for a sandwich and salad. Then I started mixing other ingredients to make a pie that would be the main ‘thank you’ food. It was a masterpiece of mine that I’d made for my family more than once and even Michael, with his many well-paid chefs, loved it. I rushed back to ensure he had no allergies before I went back to my cooking.

  After setting the table on the deck and placing an ice bucket with a bottle of wine chilling in it, I went to get Johnson, so we could start eating.

  He opened the wine and we toasted and started eating. I was nervously waiting for him to approve the cooking. He had a huge appetite and seemed to be enjoying everything, including the pie. I watched him demolish his food and get seconds before I’d finished half of what was on my plate.

  “This is the best thank you I have ever received. It was delicious, just like you.” He winked at me.

  I couldn’t help laughing out at his outrageous statement.

  “What’s your favorite dish or meal?” I asked. “I could make that next time.”

  “I love a good steak, with some sauce and baked potatoes. But I really love eating healthily, mind you.”

  “It shows from your awesome physique, trim belly, muscular chest, and those yummy thighs in those jeans,” I added in a low voice without thinking as I ran my eyes over him. But then my mind caught up with my mouth, and I blushed furiously, wondering what the fuck had come over me.

  I was an artist. At least that was the excuse I used for noticing things about people, like their body shape. My shy nature was a part of it, too, though, since I tended to watch people instead of being the first to initiate a conversation often. But I’d never spoken it all aloud before, not even unconsciously.

  Did I somehow do that on purpose? I thought to myself with a gasp. When did I become this bold?

  Normally I would stammer and rush off in embarrassment. I was still blushing, but I kept to my seat and kept my mouth shut. It was minimal improvement, but I was beginning to like this new Amanda. Otherwise, life on a boat with him for weeks would be too fucking awkward. Mom would be so happy if she were there with us.

  “Workouts contribute more, but I need to eat well,” he answered, either not noticing—impossible—or simply ignoring my embarrassed reaction. “My workouts are usually intense, and I drink less alcohol than most guys around my age. I like to remain focused.”

  I glanced up, picking up his cue and deciding to act normal, only to find him smiling sexily at me. His smile reached his eyes, and there was this glow in them that set butterflies in my tummy. I’d never felt like this with any guy, it was like my usual nervousness multiplied, but with a touch of bold, and I couldn’t take my eyes off his.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for what happens next,” he said, his voice husky, eyes going dark.

  My mouth opened and closed a couple of times as I was at a loss. It was probably the wine, I thought.

  I stood to pick up our plates to carry to the kitchen, while wondering why I felt this way. Well, I knew of course, from what I’d heard and read in romance books, but with my ‘kidnapper’ of all people… I couldn’t possibly…

  I was so focused on my thoughts that I hit my knee on the table edge and fell directly into Johnson’s arms. He couldn’t save me and the dishes at the same time, though, and they tumbled to the floor. I didn’t hear anything break, not that I could have anyway.

  Our eyes met as I landed in his lap, and again, I couldn’t look away. This was like a movie and my heart was beating so fast. After long moments of just staring at each other, him not making any move to release me, I tried looking away. But his hand went to my chin, holding me still as his mouth descended to mine.

  The second our lips touched, I forget everything else. His lips were so soft and gentle that I felt like I was floating and forgot to participate. It was so unlike his image that it took me by surprise. I had been kissed a few times, but never like this. He pulled away slightly with a worried look in his eyes, and I groaned in protest.

  My hands snaked around his neck and pulled him down for a real kiss. The kiss the second time around was hot and had us both moaning. He pulled me closer and stood up with me, setting me down on the table top so my legs wrapped around his waist. He rolled his hips against mine, and I gasped. He took advantage, sliding his tongue into my mouth to deepen the kiss, but part of my attention was already elsewhere.

  He was really hard. Curiously, I rocked against him slightly, not entirely conscious of my movements. He groaned and started pulling off my tank top when his phone started ringing. He stilled for about a second, then continued kissing me, but the incessant ringing made him pull back slowly, his mouth coming back for one last kiss until he realized it was the burner phone ringing. He cleared his throat and answered so coldly that I was shaken out of my kissed reverie. He turned away from me as he spoke.

  “Are you ready to pay the billion dollars?” he asked coldly.

  “I have half a billion now. That’s the best I can do for right now.”

  I was close enough to just barely make out the words on the other end. I felt a little guilty, because even over the phone, my stepfather sounded so tired. But I firmed my resolve. We had gotten this far already, after all. Just a bit longer, and my mom would suffer a little less each day, hopefully.

  “Then you wi
ll see your daughter dead. Prepare to receive a gift from me tomorrow. Maybe when you see your daughter’s finger, you will start taking me seriously. Do not call me again if you do not have a billion dollars to pay.”

  He sounded so cold and mean that I got scared and whimpered in fear. Before he dropped the call, I cried out, “Michael! Dad, help me, please! I don’t want to die!”

  I could hear Michael swearing as Johnson ended the call and turned back to look at me, his expression so unlike the voice on the phone. I was still weary of him, but I couldn’t help being intrigued by that side of him. It made me wonder just how long he’d been doing this to create an entirely different persona of himself, and if there were more. What shocked me was that I was interested, not for my art, but I was intrigued by him as a person.

  I knew better than to use him as a muse for my paintings, though. It could only end in disaster, after all, when I had to keep our association a secret.

  “If that call didn’t scare Michael, then I don’t know what can. I was even scared, though I was sitting here with you the whole time,” I said with a shudder.

  He approached me slowly, as if he was scared to touch me. And said, expression and voice deadly serious, “I would never hurt you, Amanda. Just know that, and if you believe nothing else about me, believe only that.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jason

  It had been a few days since the last call from Amanda’s stepfather, and we had been sailing using Captain John’s Caribbean navigation, using the inside route, and had just passed Miami where we stopped over to get some supplies.

  That evening, I invited Mandy to dinner on the boat’s deck. I had ordered some food from the motel since it wasn’t safe for us to be seen around, although we were both disguised. She was wearing a brunette wig and brown contacts, and a large amount of makeup. I went for the surfer look with a flowery shirt and shorts, and a blond wig. Our looks were really funny and we both adopted southern accents. I enjoyed seeing this playful side of her, and I realized she was really smart. It had taken me a while after I started on this path to get the acting right, but she seemed to get it right away.