12:37 A.M.

In Hotel La' More Room No. 902...

After fifteen minutes, the kidnapper who called himself Captain called again. However, this time a squad of police officers assisted Jim.

If you're wondering how they got this far so quickly, consider this: Well, his name is Jimothy Patterson, and it should be enough for everyone to do what he asks, and when Nathanial is added to the equation, the world is on their feet.

The police set all up to apprehend the suspect who was playing with them. Jim reserved a new and larger room in the same hotel where he and Nathan could hammer out the kidnapping squabble with the squad of investigators assigned to the case.

"You criminal seems to be a lot more punctual than I thought," Jim said as soon as he answered the Captain's call. He put the phone on speaker so that Nathan could easily hear him.

"And you seem to be even more confident than before. I presume that you have called the back-up to catch us." The Captain told him.

"It's just a matter of time before you bastards end up behind bars." Nathan let out a bark. He'd had it with this nonsense.

“Hello, Nathan. Nice to hear your voice too.”

“I wish I could say the same, but that’s never going to happen because the next time we ever interact will be when you and your troop are behind bars.”

“That is where you are mistaken because the only thing that will happen is that you will assist your companion and use that degree of yours for a good cause.” The Captain snarled.

“What exactly do you mean?” Nathan inquired while Jim listened intently to their discussion.

“Open the link of the image that we have sent you.” Jim followed the Captain’s instructions.

“Do you remember him, or do I have to jog your memory?” The Captain sneered, which made both the men on the other side annoyed. The guy in the image; they knew him too well for their liking—way more than they would like to admit.

“Jonathan Stone,” Jim said out aloud.

“I am glad you remember him. I don’t think I need to explain anything else to you unless you’re slow-witted creatures.” The Captain mocked them.

“What gives you the idea that we’re going to do it?” Nathan questioned him angrily.

“Your kids are here with us. I believe that is plenty for you unless you like any sort of bloodshed to show how serious I am. And don’t be concerned about the cost; we will reimburse you every penny of your professional fees. We have more integrity than you two will ever have. So, I’m assuming we are on the same page?” The Captain asked, obviously knowing that they would give in eventually, if not now.

“No, we’re not on the same page. We want to be certain that our children are safe in your care. What guarantee do you give that this isn’t a bluff and you will let them go safe even after our deal?” Jim wanted reassurance.

“Buddy, your kids are safer with us than they will ever be with you. That is only until you all do as I say.” It’s not a bluff. If you do as we ask, we will release them in one piece with no scratches. We will take excellent care of them.” The Captain provided them with the assurance they claimed to seek. “You know what, because I am feeling generous today, I will relax your nerves.” You and your little team can have digital entry to the room where Ivanka and William are locked up, with sound access, of course.”

“Why would you do that?” Nathan asked him. This time, he was a little more relaxed. Jim was rubbing his shoulder, which was keeping him in check.

“I told you I feel like doing something nice for you two fools, especially because you’ll be doing some noble work. I also like to believe that I am a man of my words, so you can see for yourself how Ivanka and William are doing.”

“We will require some time to get Jonathan’s case file.” Jim tried to play it smart in order to buy more time.

“Time. Please don’t make me turn down the chance for you to see your kids through our cameras. If you can get the goddamn cops to your doorsteps in fifteen minutes, I'm fucking sure you can get access to Jonathan's file in no time." The Captain then hung up the phone.

"Did you get the location of the kidnappers?" Nathan asked the cops and an IT tech guy who was trying to track everything.

"Unfortunately, no. These people are not rookies. They are way too smart. They had covered their location well." The tech guy named Billy said.

"Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of nonsense?" Jim gave a snarl. Usually, he is the more composed of the two, but the tech guy was getting on his nerves.

"Jim, calm down. They know their job. We just need to listen to them." Nathan told him before turning to the troop and asking what their next move should be.

"One of our guys will be continuously on the live stream that they will provide. Until then, you guys do what the kidnapper wants you to do. For the time being, we will abide by their rules. That is only till the ball is in their hands. Meanwhile, we will conduct a search for Jonathan Stone because someone close to him must have done this. Don't fret; your children will be out before you know it." This elicited nods from both Jim and Nathan.

When they saw that the officer in charge, Mr. Paul Martin, had gone to give orders to his squad, Jim and Nathan took the chance and headed to the window to get some fresh air.

"They know about us. The kidnappers know everything about us." Jim told Nathan while looking up at the black sky.

"I figured that out. But don't be so sure, Jim. Perhaps we are overthinking everything. We will make it out safely. All we have to do is play smart and be cautious." To which Jim gave him a nod. He had his lips pursed, and for a while, he was thinking hard. Nathan, on the other hand, was trying to get access to Jonathan Stone's case file."

*****

In the Bossman’s den…..

The Captain turned to see the Bossman, who gave him a thumbs up. Everything went according to plan. True to their words, they gave the link to Jim and Nathan. Those two were in for a long haul, and the Bossman knew it, as did the other men in the hotel.

This is going to be a lot of fun than he expected.

After a few minutes, the Bossman signaled JM to go and remove Ivanka’s blindfold. They kept her in the dark much longer than he wanted her to be. 

*****

1:10 A.M

"I am back, Ivanka. It's time for you to see the world again." He commented and quickly removed my blindfold.

True to the kidnapper's words, he returned about an hour later. I wouldn't have known about it if there hadn't been a clock in front of the wall, a few centimeters from the ceiling. It was 1:10 in the morning.

All was hazy at first. With a frown on my face, I tried to blink several times. After a few seconds, I could see everything. That was a big relief.

"Do you want my help with sitting upright?" The kidnapper asked, and I nodded. He was wearing a beanie and had his face hidden by a black mask, so the only thing I could see was his mouth and eyes, which had been tainted by the grey transparent glasses he was wearing.

However, aside from his clothing, which was all black, including a black hoodie and black jeans, he did not seem to be a criminal. But who does? If they did, there would be absolutely no violence in this universe.

"Smart Girl." He commented. Of course, I won't refuse his help. I am not tough, so I might as well get help from him. He assisted me in sitting comfortably, just like the other guy where the room's wall was supporting our back. 

Once I was sitting comfortably, the kidnapper took a position in front of us. He started giving us instructions.

“Now that you have both settled down, there are a few things I am supposed to inform you about. To begin, there is a sipper beside you to keep you hydrated. We will be here for a long time so that you will need plenty of water. It is right beside you, so you can reach it even though your hands are tied. If you need to use the bathroom, just call out, and one of us will come to get you. Don’t try to play smart because there is no way out for you two.”

“Why the hell are we here?” The new guy who was kidnapped just liked me asked again.

“I would have told you, but my Bossman wants to address you two personally. So, you guys need to wait.” The kidnapper was about to leave, but he stopped to warn us. 

“Don’t try anything funny. We’ve got cameras and a microphone here.” He then walked away.

“God, that’s just what I wanted in my life. A god-awful kidnapper. But at the very least, you’re alive.” He commented. He had a light complexion and blonde hair. He was dressed in light blue denim, a yellow sweatshirt, and red sports shoes. He had soft features that made him look charming.

All the while, I was looking around the room; he kept on blabbering to himself about how he was stuck in this terrible situation.

The room where they confined us was nothing but bland. It seemed that the tainted wall in the room could have been cream in color before it was left to be tarnished. On the left wall, there is a small opening. It was, though, far too little for anybody to fit.

True to his words, there was a sipper beside us, as well as a large water tank on the front wall beside the door for refilling. On the right side of the wall, there was also a restroom. The guy was sitting on my left side and was still muttering to himself.

I took the liberty of the moment and tried to reach for the sipper. My throat was dry, and I was thirsty.

“Are you seriously going to drink that? They might have poisoned it.” He said, pointing at the bottle filled with H2O.

I drank it while ignoring him. It felt incredible to have liquid passed down my throat. Too good, in fact. I genuinely doubted that they contaminated the water with anything deadly as they needed us alive. For what? The Bossman will inform us as the kidnapper mentioned. So I had a strong hunch that they didn’t want us dead. At least for now.

“Your name is Ivanka, right?” The guy asked, and I nodded in agreement.

He fixed his eyes on me for a few seconds, waiting for me to say something. When he saw that I was not going to speak, he introduced himself.

“I am William Anderson, but everyone calls me Willy.” I smiled at him, but that was it.

“Why the hell are you not speaking anything? Can’t you speak? Are you mute?” This guy asks lots of questions.

When I pursed my lips and looked down to avoid any eye contact, he muttered ‘shit.’

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” His sincere apology made me look up. I felt a sense of gratitude towards him.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, is there a problem with your vocal cord?” He asked softly.

I nodded my head sideways in disapproval. “So, you are mute. As in you can speak, but you chose not to because you just lost the meaning of speaking?” This made me smile because it was true.

“Ah… So you are mute, and you smile. So we are good. I doubt these people are going to let us go anytime soon, so we might as well get comfortable with each other. Well, it’s a bummer that you don't talk, but I can do the talking for both of us." And William started talking again, nonstop, calling incoherent words to the people who kidnapped us for reasons still unknown to us.