Jonas Saul - The Hostage

“Hey, asshole. I don’t know who you are, but I’ve been through a tough two weeks. Whether you really are a cop or not, I don’t give a shit about you. What I do care about is my phone. So fuck off.”

Sarah hadn’t met a man in a long time who looked as good as Drake and talked so seductively. He had potential. Maybe there’d be a day when they could spend some quality time together.

But I’d have to trust him. What he did in the CN Tower was fucked.

The car jerked to the right. As fast as they got on the highway, they were exiting. The driver acted like a madman. He plugged his police light in again, the red orb flashing on his dash. At the bottom of the ramp, he turned a hard right and then a left into a gas station parking lot.

It was all they could do to stay seated in the upright position.

The driver stopped the vehicle, got out and ran around the car to Drake’s side.

“Get ready. Here’s our chance,” Sarah said.

Drake turned in his seat and brought his feet up at the door. Sarah braced herself and got ready too.

The door lock clicked and the door opened. Drake thrust with his feet but met empty air. The driver’s head peeked in. He had something in his hand.

She closed her eyes almost instantly at the hissing sound.

Drake shouted. In the confined space of the backseat, his voice sounded deafening.

She couldn’t breathe without taking a little in.

Pepper spray.

She had to keep her eyes closed, but knowing what was happening made her open them a slit.

Drake hacked and coughed. His face was red and his eyes were running.

She tried to open her door, but it was locked from the outside. Drake’s door slammed shut. The driver got back in and drove away from the gas station, his police light turned off now. In moments, they were on the elevated highway again.

She could open her eyes a little more, but she breathed through the collar of her shirt. Drake rubbed his eyes and moaned. His phone was nowhere in sight.

Breathing became more difficult. It looked like Drake was losing his battle.

She banged on the Plexiglass.

“He’s dying back here. We need air or I’m going to die too.”

Or, is that what you want? Fuck, how do I always get myself mixed up with the worst assholes on the planet?

Both windows slid down an inch. In unison, Drake and Sarah put their noses as close to the fresh air as they could. Her nose cleared almost instantly, but she could hear Drake’s breathing still labored. She could only imagine the pain he was going through.

She knew the price of bravado, but sometime there was nothing left in life but standing up for yourself and what you believe in, at all costs.

“Defy me again,” the driver said. “And the price goes up each and every time.”

Fear creeped over her like a cloak.

Who is this guy? Where is he taking us? Oh, Vivian, I’m sorry, I know you warned me, but I need your help here…

Elmore drove the most direct route north of Toronto to Highway 27 and up to Nobleton. He turned up his driveway and meandered along the winding lane. No one bothered him in his fortified house secluded behind a thick forest.

How much luck could one man have?

Just that morning, he’d decided to remove Jackie from her cage because he knew Sarah Roberts was probably coming back to North America soon. That afternoon she was seen in Toronto, and now she was captive in the backseat of his car. He couldn’t believe it. He’d finally got her. A five-year obsession concluded.

He parked near the front door of his house. No one knew anything about him or where they were. If anyone caught a glimpse of his license plate number, it would never lead the police to him. The plate had been registered to an abandoned wreck parked for a month two blocks from his studio downtown Toronto. Two days ago, the wreck was still there.

He smiled. The time had come. The time was his to control. He had become the master and Sarah Roberts was his slave.

Elmore got out and entered his house, leaving the two prisoners in his vehicle. He walked through the main floor, turning on lights, and went downstairs to set up the basement. After opening both cage doors, he grabbed two pairs of handcuffs, one of his 9mm semi-automatic Mamba pistols and made his way back out to the car.

The back windows were still down the inch he had allowed them for air, but the male looked worse. He needed to flush his eyes and get cleaned up.

Elmore placed the handcuffs at the crack in the window and let them both fall in.

“Place the handcuffs on and I will open the door. Then we will go into the house and discuss what is going to happen here.”

“Yeah, and I’ll do a tap dance and flit around like Peter Pan,” Sarah said. “How’s that? You want to hear anymore fairy tales, dick fuck?”

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of your situation,” Elmore said as he leaned closer to the open window. He grabbed the end of his fake mustache and slowly pulled it off. “You’re mine now. There is no escape.” He pulled his Mamba out and showed it to her. “These little guys run a lot faster than you.” He put the gun back. “I know you’re strong, Sarah. But this part is easy. Put the cuffs on and come on inside so we can discuss what to do next.”

“Fuck you,” she said and raised her middle finger.

Elmore shook his head. “Disappointed in you, Sarah. No one knows where you are. No one can hear you. No one in Toronto knows me. There is nothing you can do that’ll alter your situation in any way. It’s over, Sarah. Put the handcuffs on or stay in the car all night. Your choice.”

She turned away from the window.

Fine. She’ll learn who’s tougher.

Elmore walked back into the house and entered his office. He booted up his computer and leaned back in his chair to wait. Once his news feeds had loaded he scanned them diligently. Below his desk was the cell phone jammer, which he should’ve brought with him so he wouldn’t have had to pull over and spray that guy’s face.

He flicked it on in case Sarah had a cell phone. He never patted anyone down for electronics. Too dangerous when the girls first arrived. His wi-fi jammer worked perfectly.

He wondered why there was no news about Sarah’s kidnapping or the man she was with. Sarah was a celebrity now. Why wouldn’t the media have something about what happened at the CN Tower?

Maybe it was too soon. He’d keep an eye on it overnight.

Who is that guy with her?

He’d find out soon enough. In the coming days, he’d know everything about both of them. He would get to know Sarah on a more intimate level. She’d be a good lay. If she wasn’t compliant, he’d drug her food and do what he wanted with her unconscious form for hours while the male watched from the adjoining cell. He’d prefer Sarah awake. He loved it when he pumped between a woman’s legs while she cried. He couldn’t get an unconscious female to cry, so he’d have to keep her awake for some of their trysts. Maybe he would secure her to the point where she couldn’t move any body part. That would work.

Making Sarah Roberts cry had been a dream of his for almost five years since he’d first heard about her exploits. He couldn’t believe his time had finally come. He now possessed his very own Sarah Roberts.

Elmore opened the desk drawer and withdrew the fingernail container. He uncapped it, grabbed the thickest one and placed it between his front teeth. Then he leaned back and started working on the scab.

This is the life.

He smiled, staring at the collage of images on the wall across the room. “Oh, yeah,” he said out loud. “Sarah Roberts will cry before I’m done with her. We are going to have such good time together, Sarah. You’ll see. You’ll come to enjoy me too. It only takes time, Sarah. I know you’ll grow to love me as I love you.”