The only times Victor had ever been blindfolded was as a kid, playing birthday party games. Even then he hated the experience of not being able to see. This time it was more unpleasant because plastic cuffs had been placed around his hands. The only thing missing was a gag. He hoped that these people hadn’t put one on Piper. Not that it would stop her from giving them an earful of colorful words.

He and Piper had been placed in separate vehicles. Judging by the height of the seat back and the amount of legroom he had, Victor surmised that he was in one of the SUVs. The seat was made of leather and it squeaked every time he or one of the others sitting next to him moved. For the most part it was a comfortable ride, since they cuffed his hands in front of him, but it didn’t take long for Victor to begin getting antsy.

He began moving his hands around and feeling around. Immediately in front of him, his hands hit the back of the front seat. He moved his hands to the right and found nothing but air, and then moved his hands left where his knuckles met the plastic interior of the car door. Victor felt around the door trying to find the handle, until his hands were yanked violently by the plastic cuff and forcibly placed back in his lap.

“That was rude,” Victor said.

“Sit still and be quiet,” a man’s voice replied.

By Victor’s estimation, they rode for several hours. Eventually they turned on to a dirt road which made the vehicle rock and threw Victor into the door a couple times. When they finally stopped, Victor was yanked out of the car by his arm, nearly tripping as his legs tried to find the ground. He was then pinned to the car and had his blindfold ripped off.

They had driven to a small wooden cabin in the middle of the woods. The kind that a family would rent out for a weekend getaway. Despite the situation, all the lights of the house were on and it looked inviting. The cabin was the size of a small house and had two windows out front. The yard had a single oak tree with a tire swing. A small set of steps led up to a porch with a wooden railing, an old-fashioned porch swing and a bald man with sunglasses in a black suit leaning against the rail.

“Hello Mr. Lancaster,” the man said. Victor blinked at the use of his last name. “Would you please join me?” The man gestured to the porch swing.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Victor didn’t get a chance to answer. He was pushed up the stairs by two guards and thrown into the swing. As he sat, the swing moved back and hit the back of the railing with a dull thud. Victor braced his legs on the porch to avoid falling off. After the swing had settled, he looked up at the man.

“Where’s my daughter?”

“She’s safe.” The man said in an even tone.

Victor scoffed. “And who are you?”

“Funnily enough, my name is also Victor. But to make it less confusing, you can call me Vee.”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, real funny. Give me back my daughter.”

Vee took off his sunglasses, and hung them from his suit jacket. “Not until our business is concluded.”

“What business? You already have what you want.”

“This is true, but it isn’t going to stop our mutual friend from his machinations.”

“Who? Gene?”

Vee smiled. “Exactly. This delivery was another attempt of his to kill my employer.” Victor made a motion to speak, but Vee put his hand up. “My employer’s name is Carl Lucien. He and Gene Taylor, your client, used to be business partners. They had a falling out, and Gene Taylor has tried to kill Mr. Lucien multiple times.”

“So what caused this blood feud?” Victor asked.

“For you, the exact details aren’t important.”

“Okay, then why not go after Gene?”

Vee shrugged. “We’ve tried, but he’s well protected. But with you, he has unwittingly granted us an opportunity to finally end this.”

“I don’t want anything more to do with this.” Victor lifted his cuffed hands in a pleading gesture. “Let us go. We’ll let you two finish your fight in peace.”

“Sorry Mr. Lancaster, but we need your help to finish this, and, well not to sound cliche, but we’re not asking.” Vee paused. “Now according to sources, Gene Taylor’s plan is to have the captured smogger take a small airplane and gather enough smog to attack Mr. Lucien’s home from the sky using a powerful shockwave.”

“So, why not move him?”

“There are a few reasons. Mr. Lucien is a reclusive man and doesn’t like to be outside his home. It’s easier to protect him in a single place. If we move him, Gene Taylor will try to attack. As I said before, this is a chance to end this for good. And…”

“If I don’t do this,” Victor interjected, “I won’t see my daughter again.”

“Well, yes, but,” There was a hint of annoyance in Vee’s voice, ”I was going to say, we will pay you handsomely.”

Victor sighed. “Alright. Just tell me what I need to do.”