The Last Ransom #1
Writing Masterlist
content: kidnapping, drugging, recorded message, carewhumper, ransom, lady whumper, multiple whumpers
so i’d originally wanted to write this whole story as a oneshot, but i ran out of time, so have a part 1 instead. this’ll be a miniseries, ending up at 2 or 3 parts total, not sure when i’ll get to part 2.
@amonthofwhump March Trope-A-Thon Day 6: Team Dynamics / Hostage Situation / Recorded Message / Take Me Instead / Rescue
Hale woke up groggy and confused.
He wasn’t in his bed. That was the first thing he noticed. He wasn’t in a bed at all, actually. He was on a... carpet?
“Morning, sunshine,” a familiar voice called sweetly. The girl from the bar. The last thing he remembered was...
Oh fuck.
“You spiked my drink?” Hale asked with growing horror, opening his eyes.
There were three women looming over him. The blonde, Tara, from the bar, had exchanged her little black dress for more comfortable lounge clothes, while he was still wearing his outfit from the night before. The other two, a redhead and a brunette, he didn’t recognize.
The brunette had a gun holstered on her belt. Hale was pretty sure he could see the outline of a knife in her pocket, too.
“Yeah. Sorry, cutie.” Tara- if that was even her real name- shrugged.
Hale tried to stand up, but quickly discovered his wrist bound to the radiator by a pair of handcuffs, letting him lie down or sit but not stand.
“Don’t try to move around,” the brunette warned. “Last guy ended up getting a nasty mark on his wrist from pulling too hard.”
Hale’s heart surged with panic. Last guy. “What happened to the last guy?” he squeaked.
The redhead elbowed her, irritated. “Don’t go telling him shit like that before we’ve even explained what’s going on. You’ll scare him, and a scared victim is more likely to-”
“What’s going on?!” Hale interrupted, voice pitching higher with fear. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Relax.” the redhead ordered firmly. She seemed to be the one in charge. “We’re not gonna hurt you. If everything goes as planned, you’ll be returned home. We’re just asking for a ransom is all. Plain and simple.”
Tara’s questions about his parents made a lot more sense now. He’d been too drunk and stupid to make sense of it at the time. But who would ever assume this?
“Don’t hurt me.” Hale put his hands up in surrender, the chain of the handcuffs jingling a bit with the movement. “They’ll get you the money. I’m sure. Can I ask... how much you’re asking?”
“We won’t hurt you,” the redhead assured.
The brunette’s hand rested threateningly on the gun. “Just as long as you don’t try any shit.”
“I won’t, I won’t!” Hale’s hands started to tremble, eyes welling up with tears.
“Jo. What did I just say?” the redhead snapped.
“I don’t like you sending Tara out to do the seducing! Who knows what kind of scumbags she’s bringing back? After last time, I feel like we’d be safer gutting these guys and selling their organs on the black market.”
Hale choked on air at the suggestion, cringing back against the radiator. “D-don’t, I-”
“I have good judgment. Trust me, he’s harmless.” Tara gave him a wink, seeming a lot less cute than she did last night.
“I’m not a scumbag!” Hale offered weakly. “I was just- I was just at a bar. Please don’t hurt me.”
“Clear out,” the redhead told the other two. Jo offered some weak protest, but both ultimately left without much hassle.
Hale wasn’t sure whether he liked that or not: he was glad Jo was gone, but even though she’d drugged him, he kind of wanted Tara here. She was the only familiar one, and she’d insisted he was harmless.
The redhead crouched down to be eye-level with him. “Hey. Take some deep breaths. In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.”
“What?” Hale asked tearfully.
“It’ll help you calm down. Come on. On with it.”
Hale did as she asked. He breathed in for 4 seconds, held it for 7 seconds, and breathed out for 8 seconds. Over and over until the woman spoke again.
“There. Feel better?” she asked, her voice gentle.
“Not really,” he admitted, anxiety tearing him apart. “You kidnapped me.”
“Technically, Tara kidnapped you,” she corrected with a smile. She sat cross-legged on the floor across from him. “My name, as far as you’re concerned, is Catherine, and I’m not going to hurt you. My associates aren’t going to hurt you either, unless you make them.”
“I’m Hale,” he offered lamely.
Catherine looked at him like he was stupid. “Yeah. I know.”
“So- so what’s going to happen?” Hale asked nervously.
She smiled again, without a hint of malice. “I’m so glad you asked. Don’t worry, we’re professionals. We’ve done this before.” Her assurance did not ease Hale’s concerns. “We’re just going to film a little video and send it to mommy and daddy, and they’re going to pay the amount we set for your release. Once we get the money, you’ll be returned, safe and sound.”
Catherine reached forward and patted him on the head. “How’s that sound, huh? Any questions?”
She was being so nice. Hale knew it was probably a front to get him to cooperate, but he was just desperate for this to work out so he could go home. “Um, I guess it could be worse. Can I ask... how much you’re asking for?”
“Just a million. Nothing that’ll break your family’s bank, right? We got lucky with you.”
She was right. Mom and Dad would pay that easily. They’d spent more on a lake house just last year, and they certainly weren’t hurting for money. Even if they were, they could just sell the lake house.
“Yeah. How, um, how long do you think it’ll be before I can go home?” he asked.
Catherine shrugged. “That depends. What’s your relationship with your parents like?”
Hale hesitated for a bit, trying to figure out the best way to word it. “Uh...”
“Kidding. But yeah, out of our hands,” she continued, as if she wasn’t the one keeping him. “You wanna talk to them and ask them to pick you up from the nightmare sleepover?”
Hale nodded. “Yes please.”
“So polite.” She took out her phone and opened up the voice recorder app, holding it just barely out of reach. She pressed the little red button to start recording.
“That’s not the phone?” Hale pointed out.
“So I can crop out anything I don’t like, and not have to worry about tracking,” Catherine explained patiently. “Go ahead. I’ll make sure it’s delivered.”
“H-hi, Mom and Dad,” Hale started awkwardly. “Um, I’m okay, I’m safe.”
Catherine shook her head. “Take two. Try to cultivate a sense of urgency,” she suggested. “I could get Jo back in here if you think it would help?”
“No!” His voice certainly took on a sense of urgency then, his tears finally falling. “Mom? Dad? I’m- I’m not okay, I’m not safe. Please just pay them so I can come home. I’m sorry.” His voice came out wobbly. “I miss you. Please come get me.”
Catherine waited a few seconds before hitting the stop button. “Very good job. I’ll have that and the payment instructions in their mailbox by tomorrow morning. I’m sure you’ll be out of here in no time.” She wiped the tears from Hale’s face. “Not a scratch. Then you can spend the rest of your little rich boy life telling everyone you survived a kidnapping. Maybe next time you could even use it to actually pick someone up at a bar. That’d be ironic, huh?”
“I think my bar pickup days are- are over,” Hale hiccupped.
Catherine shrugged. “Point is, you’ll be home. Don’t stress out about it too much.”
Easy for her to say. “Okay.”
“I’ll get you some breakfast. You like hot pockets?” she asked.
“...Will it be drugged?”
Catherine looked at him like he was stupid again. “Why would I drug you when you’re already chained to my radiator?”
Why did he feel embarrassed to be asking? “Oh. Uh, right.”
She left Hale there on the floor to wonder about where he’d gone wrong.
-
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