Francis Travenbolt paused and waited for the nod from his two bodyguards before entering the hotel room. He was not supposed to be here. Today had not been what it was supposed to be. He wasn't sure what he would find inside the room, but the only thing out of the ordinary was the sight of his assistant standing beside the en suite desk. The young man shifted his weight nervously, his thin frame emphasizing every fidget. A laptop was sitting on the desk, a black cord connecting it to the flat screen tv on the wall across from the bed.
"What is this?" Francis barked, his usually cool demeanor shattered from the events of the day. It didn't help that he hadn't taken the time to change out of his tuxedo, and the damn thing was hot as hell.
"It appears to be some kind of message, Mr. Travenbolt." His assistant had to clear his throat several times before he was able to finish the sentence.
"I figured it had to be since my daughter clearly isn't here, Vince."
"Right, of course you did sir. It's a - it's a video message though. Left specifically for you."
"Some kind of ransom note?" Francis was already calculating how quickly he could get a large sum of cash together, which of his subordinates would be best to handle the counter-ambush when he pretended to give into the kidnapper's demands, and who among his enemies was most likely to be behind the kidnapping.
"Something - something like that sir."
"I need you to just tell me what the hell is going on Vince! Spit it out!"
He'd always known his assistant was nervous around him - and he had good reason to be, as Mr. Travenbolt was the largest property owner in the major metropolis of Turismont. And though he presented himself to the public as a purely legitimate businessman, it was widely understood that he and his wife had acquired most of their power and wealth through illegitimate, even brutal, methods.
"Miss Julia was apparently taken by Roderick Castleton, the eldest-"
"The eldest boy of that swine Charles Castleton, yes I know who you're talking about."
The Castleton family was not among his first guesses, and he did not want to admit that he was surprised to hear they were the ones behind his daughter's disappearance. He thought they had reached a stable, if uneasy and unspoken, truce, as their lines of business were no longer in direct competition.
"Yes, him. He has her, and he left you a message with instructions on how to get her back, but he put them into a code."
"Why use a code to demand a ransom?"
Michael Weatherly, one of Francis' direct subordinates, had entered the room without a sound and came to stand beside Mr. Travenbolt, his face emotionless to anyone who did not know him. But Francis did know, had practically raised the man, and could see the pulsing vein in Michael's forehead that hinted at the violent fury building out of sight. Francis was already looking forward to watching Michael go to work on this Roderick bastard.
"It's not a secret code exactly - he claims that Mr. Travenbolt will know exactly what the instructions are. But only Mr. Travenbolt."
"Thinks I'd bring in the Feds?" he asked incredulously.
"No, sir. He wants to make you...to force you to watch the video, I think." Vince winced at the words, and Francis' scowl deepened.
"What aren't you telling me Vince?"
"It's -" Vince hesitated, looking at Mr. Weatherly and the two bodyguards still standing by the door. "I - I don't like to say in front of these men, Mr. Travenbolt. It's about your daughter, Julia."
"You two, get out!" Francis gestured for the bodyguards to leave. "Michael, you stay. You were supposed to marry her this morning, and the wedding is still on as soon as we get her back."
"Sir, I'm not sure it's a good idea-" Vince's voice was so strained he could barely get the words out, but the expression on Mr. Travenbolt's face made him silent, and he adjusted his glasses to ease his nerves.
"The - the code isn't easy to catch sir, they've superimposed them after it was recorded, and they nearly blend in with the background. It might...take several viewings. And I tried to write down the ones that I saw, but I have a feeling he made them purposefully hard to catch to try and make sure you would see the whole video."
"Why wouldn't I watch the whole video?" Francis growled, reminding himself that his assistant was usually very good at his job, and that strangling him to death now would result only in short-term relief.
"Because - he- Roderick... he's done things to her." Vince swallowed and hit the play button, stepping away from the screen as the video began to play. Francis and Michael sat on the bed, facing the laptop and bracing themselves.
There was his daughter, still in her wedding dress and veil. His beautiful eldest daughter. Bound with her hands tied behind her back, crying and her face contorted with terror as she stared into the camera.
A young man, not much older than Julia, walked in front of the screen and stood beside Julia. He smiled and rested a hand on Julia's lower back. The man might have been considered good looking, with a toned frame and fine clear facial features - but there was a cold look in his eyes and cruelty in his smile.
"Hello Mr. Travenbolt, it is an honor to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from your daughter. I've heard a lot about many things, actually. You see, I've been dating your daughter for the last four years, pretending to be a fellow student at Turismont Tech. She's not very bright, Julia, is she? Despite that computer science scholarship."
His hand slowly moved up Julia's back, and Francis felt a fury he was famous for begin stirring in the pit of his stomach. Julie flinched as his hand reached her head, his fingers burrowing into the elaborate knot beneath her veil that professional stylists had so carefully designed that morning. He pulled, forcing her head back, the position making her cleavage strain against the low neckline.
"Beautiful, but not bright. Just the way you wanted your daughters to turn out, right Mr. Travenbolt? Beautiful, dumb virgins who can be given away as beautiful, dumb wives for your lackeys. Well, not many mobsters can really be considered modern men, can they?"
Francis barely heard what the man was saying, he was too busy staring in horror as Roderick pulled Julia backwards, away from the camera and towards a low bed behind them. They were in a richly furnished room, but it was apparent that the video did not take place in the same hotel where they were now.
Roderick shoved Julia onto the king-sized bed, her dress' yards of silk and lace billowing up around her.
"In case you're wondering why your pretty princess isn't fighting me tooth and nail or trying to run away, don't worry - she would defend her virtue with her life if she could, but I gave her something to help her relax. I want her to enjoy her first time."
He grinned into the camera as he began to unbutton his shirt.
Francis realized he was holding his breath in anger.
"Now, you may be thinking about turning off this video, or having your most trusted men watch to catch the code I discussed in my note. But I'd advise against that. You have a very short amount of time to reach the destination I describe in the code. Once that window of time closes, your daughter becomes the newest pet for the highest bidder in the middle east or Russia and you'll never see her again. Well, unless no one wants her after I'm done with her, then she might end up on a street corner, a little closer to home. So pay attention, Mr. Travenbolt, watch the symbols closely. Your daughter and I put them together very carefully, so you shouldn't have too much trouble figuring out the location - as long as you pay close attention."
