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Ouch. Her head was killing her, and there was the dull ache of what was going to grow into a bruise, if it hadn’t already started. Layne attempted to assess how much of a bruise she was going to have with her fingers but immediately came to the realization her hands were bound at the wrists in front of her by some standard zip ties.Fucking fabulous.
She gave a quiet groan in response to the pain while her eyes slowly opened up. Swallowing hard, Layne tried to focus her vision. Things were moving, and it wasn’t immediately clear if it was a byproduct of getting struck on the back of her head or if the movement was legitimately occurring. As her eyes began to adjust and process the surroundings, it was evident that much time couldn’t have passed since she had been jumped in the parking garage.
Things were still cloaked in darkness, but now she was noticing the coming and going of street lamps to her right. Warm glows that approached and then passed by at semi-regular intervals. She was in a car. The scent of cigarettes, cheap air fresheners, and old takeout containers filled the air around her.It was nauseating to breathe in, or maybe that was due to a potential concussion.
When she began to shift in her seat something jabbed into her side. Looking down, it was a gun being held by one of the men who had attacked her. Baldy to be precise. The other man, Squishmallow, was at the steering wheel transporting them all to their next destination, wherever that was.
She thought about the speed they were going and how likely it was she could jump out of a moving vehicle without getting killed.
“Don’t even think about it you stupid cunt.” Just to be a brat she thought about it again anyhow, not that they had to know that. After assessing the precarious situation, there were too many unknowns for her to attempt to flee.So, Layne sat still and didn’t say a word. It was a rare occasion indeed.
After what may have been the longest five minutes of her life, the sedan slowed and pulled in behind a small grey building by some docks. Once it came to a complete halt, her backseat chaperone tugged her out of the car with him. Her feet stumbled on the gravel while trying to keep up in whichever direction he was heading.
All three of them approached the dimly lit building that looked like it was some sort of administrative office that was no longer actively used. The one with the big belly opened the door. “Ladies first.”
Once inside, it was confirmed this place wasn’t currently being used and required some dire repairs. The walls had water stains, the carpet was fraying and torn in multiple places, what little furnishings were in there looked like they were from forty years ago, and the musty smell was overpowering to the senses.
The driver of the car followed inside just a few steps behind them, shutting the door and looking out through the window to make sure they had all the privacy they required.Mr. Clean gave her a shove towards a metal folding chair facing away from the door they had just come in from. “Sit.”
“Where’s your ‘please’?” Layne remained standing.
That was the wrong question.The back of his hand went flying across her face. Layne stumbled and lifted her hands to feel her cheek which was now on fire. Her eyes began to water involuntarily and she did her best to blink the tears back. She didn’t want to look weak and rattled.When in fact, it was quite the opposite, the pain was only adding fuel to her fire that was flickering in her murderous glare.
Defiantly, she remained standing there refusing to take a seat just because he told her to.
“Sit, or else I will give you something better to do with that smartass mouth,” he sneered lecherously at her.
Layne begrudgingly sat while she thought about which battles she wanted to pick right now in her position. The driver was still standing by the door peering out the window. “Where is he? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
The bald one didn’t take his gaze off of her when he answered back to his partner. “I say we give it two more minutes before we take the lead on the job, Victor.” So, the fat one had a name, wonderful. Layne now had at least one piece of useless information that she didn’t have before. She wasn’t sure what he meant by finishing the job but was certain she did not want to find out.
The silence in the room wasn’t just uncomfortable but felt like it was growing louder with each second that passed.
Even though she didn’t have any visibility of the window behind her, she knew a car had just pulled up in front of the building. There was the crunch and roll of gravel sounding off underneath the tires, and then it came to a stop.
An authoritative pound came against the door.Victor looked at Mr. Magoo with a curt nod, confirming their expected guest had arrived before opening the door for the newcomer.
The door swung open and a seemingly lofty figure stepped inside. With her back to the entrance, all she could rely on was the dancing of shadows against the floor and walls. The sound of heavy-duty boots thudded against the floor, Layne was willing to bet it was the man of the hour.
Conflicted on whether she should have felt a sense of relief that this third individual had arrived to join the party or not, Layne found minimal comfort that at least she didn’t have to worry about whatever sick thoughts Baldy was having. Or, maybe she was just being delusional.
After she assessed what was around her, and knowing her hands were mostly unavailable, the options were very limited. The upside was she still had her feet. The downside was right now it was three against one.
She heard a few husky whispers going back and forth behind her. Then, the heavy footsteps drew nearer. The sound stopped directly behind her, creating an overwhelming sensation of dread spilling over her.
A new voice broke the silence. “Is this the girl the boss was talking about?”
“Yeah. A real pain in the ass, too.”
Layne couldn’t help but scoff at her attacker’s personality assessment of her.
“You think something’s funny?” The hairless man began to step forward to make another move at her. Before he could jump on the opportunity, the newcomer reached out and stopped him with a hand bracing against his chest.
“Go get some fresh air with Victor.” There was a long pause before the man at her side reluctantly left. Then, there was a light click of the door latching shut moments later.
Layne sat in the cold and rigid folding chair willing herself not to show any signs of frayed nerves. She had been in some shit before, but never on her own and never at this level of seriousness. She took another hard swallow when she felt the man’s hands settle on top of her shoulders from behind and squeeze them firmly.Now it was just the two of them there.
She jerked her shoulders to attempt shrugging off his grip. It was a failed attempt as he pulled her to sit back in the chair. He didn’t have to say any words, instead, it was clear that he was trying to ensure she was intimidated.Knowing all about the effective use of intimidation tactics, she knew that he was doing a decent job of using them.
