Beloved

Something was wrong with Lindy.

My best friend was oddly distracted and even clumsier than usual, managing to burn herself not once, but twice as she whipped us up a pair of grilled cheeses paired with steaming mugs of canned tomato soup. Our usual brunchtime chatter was stilted as she hurried around the kitchen, giving such short replies to my questions that I couldn't help but wonder if I'd have more luck trying to converse with the toaster.

As we finished our meal, I caught her glancing at the clock with a nervous expression for what felt like the hundredth time and decided I'd finally had enough.

"Lin, what's going on? You're acting fucking weird today." I said, giving her a pointed look as I gathered up our dirty dishes and gave them a rinse in the sink.

She laughed, the sound a bit too loud, a little too high-pitched to be genuine.

"Nope. I'm fine. Everything's fine."

"Don't bullshit me," I said, leaning back against the counter and folding my arms as Lin squirmed uncomfortably. "Is Joe having trouble at work again? Did your mom call? Do I need to watch the kids so you can go let off some steam?"

She shook her head, fiddling nervously with her wedding ring at the mention of her husband. "No, he's great, the kids are great. Everything's fine, really."

I narrowed my eyes at her and she looked away, fidgeting in her seat.

Yep. Something's definitely up.

Before I could continue my interrogation, there was a knock at the front door. Lindy jumped up like a scalded cat, hurrying out out of sight into the entryway

I heard the door open, a low male voice saying something I couldn't quite make out, and Lin's nervous laugh as she answered, "Yes, she's already here, come on in..."

When she reappeared, there was a man with her. Tall and leanly muscular, handsome in a crooked-nose sort of way, with dark, wavy hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was dressed simply in black jeans and a matching t-shirt, but something about his self-assured demeanor and the way he was holding himself made the hair on the back of my neck stand up in a silent warning.

His lips quirked at the sight of me, dark eyes running down my figure in blatant, almost predatory appreciation. My yellow sundress suddenly felt woefully inadequate, the fabric paper-thin against my skin as a shiver ran down my spine.

Something about the man seemed vaguely familiar, but I didn't have time to place him as Lindy gestured quickly in my direction.

"There you go. Just like I promised."

"Lin, what the hell is going on?" I asked, taking an instinctive step back as the man nodded, thanking her without taking his eyes off of me.

Lindy didn't answer or even look at me as she vanished down the hall to her bedroom and shut the door. I heard the click of a lock, the sound ringing in my ears as I stared after her in shock.

What the hell?

The man tilted his head, the movement bringing my attention back to him as he studied me carefully. He extended a hand, my eyes flicking down his outstretched palm, then back up to his strangely calm expression. When he spoke the words were soft, his tone reassuring, neither of those facts doing anything to quell the panic rising in my chest.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's do this the easy way."

I was only frozen for a few seconds, pinned in place by that steady, intense gaze as he took one slow step forward, then another. By then it was already too late, the man far too close when my brain finally decided on flight.

I was caught before I made it two steps, scream muffled by his palm. He slid his other arm through both my elbows, effectively pinning my flailing arms against his body in one smooth movement. I fought ineffectively against his hold, trying my best to kick him, managing to hit the kitchen island but not my captor.

He had the audacity to chuckle at my bad luck, and I gave a shriek of anger as I redoubled my efforts, trying valiantly to break free.

Unfortunately fighting for my life was more difficult than I could have ever imagined, my desk job and hatred of cardio leaving me woefully unprepared for this level of exertion. I heaved shuddering breaths through my nose, my efforts becoming weaker and weaker until I went limp in his arms, panting and exhausted.

The man's hand left my mouth to smooth over my hair, and he pressed a soft kiss to my temple, making me flinch.

"Shhh now, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Too fucking late for that," I hissed, jerking my arms uselessly against his hold as he chuckled again. "Who the fuck are you, and what the hell do you want?"

"Both good questions," he said in a casual way that made me want to kick him even more as he began walking towards the side door, dragging me with him. I dug in my heels, protesting and cursing, calling out to Lindy for help. She didn't reappear as the man pulled me out into the dimly lit garage.

Waiting there was a large black SUV with darkly tinted windows that I knew for a fact didn't belong to either Lindy or Joe. Leaning against the back bumper was another man, my steps stumbling at the sight of him.

'Intimidating' didn't do this new stranger justice, but it was the only word my fear-addled brain could conjure as his cold coal-black eyes met mine. The one holding me was tall and strong, but this man was

huge.

His shaved head gleamed faintly and his mouth was set in a stern line, a stoic air about him that made him seem like a marble statue come to life.

Muscles bulged underneath his t-shirt, the sleeves straining against his massive biceps as he folded his arms and surveyed the way I was struggling impassively.

"That was quick." His voice was a low, rumbling baritone that fit him perfectly. The depth of it echoed off the walls as the man holding me chuckled.

"To be fair, she's a tiny little thing. Pop the trunk for me?"

The giant grunted, pulling out a keyfob and hitting a button that made a beep sound out. The back hatch slowly swung open, my brunch threatening to reappear when I spotted what was inside.

A cage. The same size as a large dog crate, but with bars that were thicker, further apart, and I knew instinctively that this was designed to hold a human. The top and three sides were covered in a thick black blanket, and beside it were two pairs of leather cuffs, along with something I'd only seen in porn -- A large, sinister-looking ball gag.

I threw myself backwards with every ounce of strength I had left, breathlessly begging the man holding me to let me go as he forced me over to the car. The giant's huge hand found the back of my neck, forcing me to bend at the waist as my upper body was pressed down beside the cage.

My arms were suddenly freed. I tried frantically to push myself up, arms flailing behind me in a useless attempt to push this new captor away. I might as well have been trying to fight a brick wall for all the ground I gained, the rattle of cuffs filling me with a new wave of dread as the giant spoke.

"Hands behind your back."

I shook my head helplessly, words failing me completely as I buried my face in my hands and broke down into panicked, choking sobs.

The scratchy carpet of the cargo hold grew damp with misery as I lay there for what felt like an eternity, drowning in wave after wave of overwhelming panic that made my whole body shake with the force of it.

I was far too aware that my captors could at any moment tire of my theatrics and force the point, but both men stayed silent, patiently letting me wear myself out again. The hand on my neck didn't ease up the pressure, but the giant's thumb smoothed tiny, soothing strokes over my racing pulse, not stopping until I took one last shuddering breath and stilled.

He gave a small squeeze, and though he didn't say anything I knew what he was waiting for. I slowly put my wrists together behind my back, all the fight drained out of me as the giant murmured approvingly.

"That's my girl. Hold still."

It took no time at all for him to slip the leather cuffs around my wrists, tightening them until they were secure but not painfully tight and fastening them together. I tested the give, finding barely any space between them as I gave a tiny, hopeless hiccup.

A hand gripped my ponytail, and I was pulled back to standing with a sharp tug that made me wince. Something hard pressed against my lips, a tight grip on my jaw forcing it open to slide the rubber ball behind my teeth. It felt foreign in my mouth, my jaw already aching from the size of it as I fought down the urge to gag, forcing myself to breathe deeply through my nose.

I was spun around, suddenly face-to-face with my abductors. The one who had first grabbed me grinned down at me, cupping my face with his hands and pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead as I cringed away from his touch.

"Now, was that so hard?"

I gave a disbelieving snort, glaring up at him. Are you fucking kidding me? He grinned, tucking an errant strand of hair behind my ear and eyeing my mutinous expression with delight.

"You might disagree now, but I have a feeling you'll be much easier to train than I anticipated. Quite the pleasant surprise - I honestly expected more of a fight."

I chose this moment to kick at him again, but he dodged it easily, turning to the larger man.

"If you wouldn't mind?"

The giant picked me up with ease, tossing me unceremoniously through the open door of the cage. The breath whooshed out of me. I struggled to catch it through the gag, blinking away stars as he quickly cuffed my ankles as well and attached both sets of cuffs to the bars. I whined pitifully, tugging desperately at my limbs as the cage door swung closed.

The first man snapped a lock onto the latch, then pulled the blanket all the way over the front and tapped the top twice.

"Sit tight, pet. We'll be home soon."

I yelled garbled curses at him as the back of the SUV shut, leaving me alone and helpless in the trunk. I heard them both getting into the front seat as the engine purred to life, music suddenly blaring through the speakers, covering up any sounds of conversation and perfectly masking my frantic cries as the car began to move.

I had no way to see out beyond a thin strip of light around the bottom of the blanket, no way to know where our destination lay as we backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the road. Hopelessness filled my chest as the SUV picked up speed, and I curled up into a ball of misery, sobbing silently as I was carried off to god only knew where.

~~~~~~~~~~

The journey was hellish.

It was difficult to tell how long we drove, but it felt never-ending as what little light showed under the thick blanket slowly dwindled and then vanished entirely, leaving me laying shivering in the dark. I ran out of tears after the first few hours, but my mind wouldn't shut off, a never-ending parade of increasingly improbable -- and in some cases, physically impossible - potential horrible endings to my miserable life swirling in my mind.

The position I was tied in offered just enough give to wiggle slightly, but it didn't take long for my muscles to scream at me no matter how I tried to adjust. Every bump in the road just made it worse, the purr of the engine rattling my bones, the air within the cage stale and far too warm for comfort. My bladder ached, pangs of hunger growing more and more intense as my stomach grumbled, demanding sustenance.

I was almost thankful when the car finally rolled to a stop, the engine dying as car doors slammed. The back hatch opened and the blanket was pulled off the cage. I sucked in a greedy lungful of fresh, cool night air as the man who had grabbed me in Lindy's kitchen leaned down to give me a warm smile, the harsh glow of the auto lights casting shadows across his face.

"How's my sweet girl doing? Did you have a good ride?"

I was too exhausted to do anything but glare at him as he swung open the cage, lifting me out carefully and putting me on my feet. I winced as my body protested, closing my eyes and swaying as the blood rushed back to my extremities.

He unclipped the cuffs on my ankles from each other, freeing me to stumble along beside him and the waiting giant on shaky legs as he pulled me by the upper arm past towards a modern-looking ranch house, the exterior all huge windows and sleek lines. The porch light was on, golden and inviting. As we stopped under it my head whipped around, looking for any neighbors or landmarks.

My heart sank at the sight of sprawling, darkened farmland as far as the eye could see, the only object of interest a huge black truck parked next to the SUV. The road that led to the house was just gravel, long enough that I couldn't make out the end of it from where we stood. I'd moved to the city after college, but I'd grown up in farmland like this, knew all too well the likelihood of there being anyone close enough to hear a scream for help was slim to none.

My attempt at recon was interrupted as the giant man typed a code into a keypad beside the door and I was pulled inside. I barely got a glimpse of a large living room decked out in creams and blues before the dark-haired man dragged me away, taking me down a flight of stairs into a shadowy basement hallway.

This is it, this is how I die,

I thought numbly as we stopped in front of a large black door.

Lindy, I am going to haunt your ass so goddamn hard after I get murdered, I swear to god...

There was another keypad on the doorframe that he quickly typed a code into, a beep sounding out as he swung it open. As I was pulled through into darkness, my bare feet were suddenly cradled in soft, plush carpet, and I blinked in surprise as the lights flickered on.

I'd expected a torture room or some flavor of sex dungeon, but this looked more like a mid-tier hotel room aside from the glaring lack of windows. The carpet was a delicate sage green, the walls a deep cream with some sort of texture to the finish that made them appear matte. To the right was an open door, the counter and sink beyond hinting it was likely a bathroom.

There was a king-sized bed with fluffy pillows and crisp white sheets sitting against the middle of the far wall, inviting and comfy looking. A leather armchair sat in one corner, a tall dresser and a pair of nightstands that matched the wood of the bedframe filling out the furnishings.

The comfort level of the room stood in distinct contrast to my current circumstances, and I stared around in confusion as my abductor closed the door behind us, a firm click telling me it was locked again.

He guided me to sit on the bed, leaving the cuffs wrapped around my ankles and wrists, but unhooking my arms, my shoulders protesting loudly as I rolled them with a wince. As he slid the gag from my mouth, I worked my aching jaw, massaging it gingerly.

"How're you feeling, Kate?" he asked. I resisted the urge to punch him, settling for giving him my best saccharine-sweet customer service smile.

"Oh, just peachy. How about you? Did you have a good drive? How was the front seat? Was it nice up there?"

His lips quirked at my ill-advised bravado as he nodded slowly.

"It was, actually. How was the trunk? Cozy?"

I just glared at him, and he laughed, gesturing in the direction of the bathroom. "Go get cleaned up, sweetheart."

I didn't move, glancing from him to the darkened doorway suspiciously. He seemed to sense the reason for my hesitation, giving me a wink as he helped me to my feet, giving me a little push toward the doorway.

"You'll be happy to learn I'm not that kind of pervert. Go on, now."

I didn't wait for another invitation, moving past him as fast as my shaky legs could manage and shutting the door quickly. There was no lock, but he left me in peace as I took care of my bathroom needs, downing a few mouthfuls of water from the tap before wiping away the worst of the mascara streaks and trunk dust with a fluffy white towel hanging by the sink.

A quick exploration found nothing but a few extra towels and rolls of toilet paper in the cabinet over the back of the toilet. In fact, the entire bathroom was bare aside from the hand towel, lacking even hand soap at the sink or a shower curtain hanging on the bathtub.

I guess he doesn't expect me to be able to strangle him with TP?

It was difficult to force myself back out into the main room, but I had a gut feeling that lingering too long wouldn't do me any favors. After a few deep breaths and one false start, I finally stepped out to find the dark-haired man sitting in the armchair, brow furrowed as he read something on his phone.

The giant was still nowhere to be seen, the sound of heavy footsteps from overhead giving me an idea of his whereabouts. I hovered by the doorway, fidgeting nervously as my abductor tucked the device back in his pocket and raised an eyebrow, beckoning me forward.

"Come here, pet. I'm not going to hurt you."

I muttered my doubts about that under my breath but obeyed, stopping far out of arm's reach. He pointed at the floor at his feet, his calm eyes leveled on me.

"Kneel."

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him, a disbelieving laugh escaping before I could catch it. "No fucking way."

He repeated the command, the word laced with a hint of something dangerous that made my neck prickle in warning. I didn't move, shaking my head as defiantly as I could muster.

"No, I don't want to-"

He moved quicker than I'd expected, fingers grazing my shoulder as I stumbled backwards across the room. Dizziness rose, my head spinning as my body reminded me that I hadn't eaten since my ill-fated brunch as I braced myself against the wall, pressing my back to it to steady myself as the man advanced.

I wasn't sure what would happen if he caught me, and I ignored the annoying little voice in the back of my head pointing out that being locked in his basement meant he already had as I looked frantically around for any avenue of escape.

The bathroom was a dead end, and the door didn't lock anyway. I could tell from here that the nightstands were fucking bolted to the floor, so throwing one at his head was out.

Maybe I could get the towel over his head?

I thought frantically.

Unlock the door, get past the other guy, make it outside and then...

And then what, exactly? Run until my feet were bloody? Spend days wandering through open farmland in hopes of stumbling across another house? Die in the middle of a cornfield from dehydration?

I tried desperately to focus, exhaustion and hunger making thoughts slip through my fingers like sand as the man stopped about six feet away. He cocked his head, eyeing me as if I were a tricky puzzle he was determined to solve as he reached into his pocket, pulling out something small and rectangular.

I recognized the wrapper, my stomach giving a traitorous gurgle at the sight of the chocolate protein bar. He held it up pointedly, indicating the floor at his feet.

"I'd rather you didn't pass out, if it's all the same to you. Kneel."

Goddamn it.

I bit my quivering lip and stared down at the carpet, wishing I could sink into it and disappear. My stomach made another noise, hunger cramping it painfully as I took a shaky breath.

It won't help to starve myself,

I reassured myself silently, trying to excuse my own weakness as I took a step forward and dropped stiffly to my knees before him.

The wrapper crinkled, and his hand appeared palm-up in front of my face, a bite of protein bar laying in the center of it.

I looked up at him in confusion.

Surely he doesn't expect me to...

He absolutely did, his expression was firm as he waited patiently for me to swallow my pride. I blinked back tears as I leaned slowly forward and took the bite of food with my lips, humiliation making the sweet chocolate taste bitter as I forced myself to chew and swallow convulsively.