“Josh I have to show you something” Dan said
walking into the kitchen where Josh was eating lunch with Matt sitting next to
him with a cup of coffee between his hands. Josh gazed up from his food slowly
turning his attention towards Dan and Dan almost let out an amused chuckle, he
was going to enjoy this he thought while he looked Josh in the eye.
“What?”
Josh asked uninterested.
“Let’s
go to the living room, shall we?” Dan said gesturing towards the room behind
him. Josh put his fork down and slowly stood up while Matt did the same. Matt
followed the pair to the living room and stood against a nearby wall. He was
still required to follow Josh everywhere he went. He did his job well, a little
too well as far as Josh was concerned.
“Have
a seat” Dan said pointing towards the couch in front of the TV screen. Josh
looked at him suspiciously.
Matt
had released the ankle cuff the next morning but that had been three days ago.
He was actually still waiting for the punishment he would be receiving for the
incident earlier in the week. And he had a hunch that Dan was going to give it
to him now, however he didn’t understand why he needed him in the living room
for that, he could have just beat him up in the kitchen. He could have
threatened him in the kitchen as well and he could have taught him a lesson in
the kitchen; Josh had a hunch that this would be bad.
Dan
nodded his head towards the couch and Josh cautiously sat down, waiting for
what was going to happen, he just hoped it wasn’t going to be too bad.
“Good,”
Dan said while he lowered himself on the couch, sitting next to Josh who
instinctively scooted away from the man beside him.
“Put
the tape in” Dan ordered one of his men who stepped forward and shoved the tape
in the VCR.
“What
are we going to do? Watch a movie?” Josh asked tentatively.
“Real
life soap” Dan said looking at Josh who was looking him over trying to find
some clues as to what the older man was up to. Matt snickered in the background
at his boss’ comment and Josh grew more worried at what he was going to see.
When
the picture came on he unconsciously scooted to the edge of the couch. After a
few seconds he saw someone sitting in a chair in the center of a room. His eyes
bulged out as soon as he recognized the man heavily struggling against the
bonds holding him against the chair in the middle of the room. Moving his head
from side to side to release himself from the gag while twisting his arms in
the ropes holding them together behind his back.
“Ooh
no” Josh whispered seeing his younger brother trying desperately to get out of
the straining bonds. Josh shot up wanting to get to the TV as if he could help
Justin once he would get there.
“What
have you done to him?! Let him go!” Josh yelled while struggling against the
hands that pulled him back down on the couch. His anger disappeared at once
when he looked at the TV-screen again. Justin’s gag had been removed and he was
yelling at the men who were in his face.
“Say
something to the camera Mr. Chasez”
“Who
are you people! How do you know my name? What do you want? Where am I? Why am I
here? Let me go!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, the men only laughed in
return.
“Is
this for money? Just take what you want and let me go please!”
Josh
dropped his head and put his hands in front of his face, sobbing quietly.
“Why
are you doing this?” he whispered his voice muffled by his hands.
“Because
you decided to go against the rules, not to mention punch me when we stopped
your little plan. I warned you not to tell anyone…”
“Let
him go…. please he has got nothing to do with this! I swear… please I’ll do
anything… please let him go… don’t hurt him” he said while raising his head
looking at Dan with tears in his eyes. Dan almost felt sorry for him, almost.
He definitely found his weak spot Dan thought grinning inwardly.
“I
won’t as long as you corporate with us”
“I
will I promise I will…” Josh promised desperately.
“Alright
then, release him” Dan instructed a couple of his men while he stood up.
“Can
I come? I want to see him, he’ll need me” he pleaded standing up as well ready
to follow the men who were going to release Justin, hoping they would give him
at least the opportunity to comfort his brother.
“No,”
Dan said harshly turning towards him. “Louisa needs you more”
“Louisa
can wait!” Josh spat out without thinking.
“Really?”
Dan asked rhetorically.
“Don’t
give me a reason to hold him a while longer, I’ll be…”
“Alright,
alright” Josh interrupted holding up his hands in a way of surrender, not
wanting to wait any longer for them to release Justin.
“Just
release him please, promise you won’t hurt him”
“I
won’t, you have my word”
Josh
looked suspiciously then nodded in acceptance although he didn’t really believe
him.
***
Justin’s
eyes fluttered open and he blinked heavily at the invasion of the lights over
head. He looked around the room recognizing his own apartment; unconsciously he
let out a sigh of relief. He tried to sit up right but didn’t get far. The
pounding in his head was too severe to fight. He fell back on the couch.
I
didn’t drink last night did I? he asked himself. His
eyebrows furrowed as he thought of an answer.
“No,”
he answered his own question.
What
the hell happened? he wondered trying to remember something
from the previous night but it was blank. He closed his eyes while he brought
his hands up to his temples massaging them while he scanned his brain for
anything. He looked up at the ceiling catching a glimpse of his wrists. He
focused in on them and saw red marks on them; it was slightly irritated and
scraped. His eyes widened in shock and he shot up causing him to moan slightly
when the pounding in his head increased with the sudden move but he didn’t give
it much attention.
Those
men!
They
had kidnapped me but….
Then
what am I doing here?
I
haven’t even been gone for a day! he realized as his eye
fell on his stereo against the wall, it was only a day later, late in the
afternoon yes but he’d only been gone for a day. He didn’t understand, he
quickly looked around again checking if the men really weren’t there anymore.
When he saw they weren’t he only got more confused.
What
would it have been about?
They
hadn’t stolen anything, they hadn’t hurt him, they hadn’t done anything!
Ooh
they made a videotape!
What
was that about?
Question
after question popped in his head but no answers came to him. He grabbed his
phone calling the first person that came to mind: Josh.
***
Josh
was sitting on his bed, absentmindedly picking at the bed spray while he saw
Justin still struggling in that chair in his mind. He tried to push it out of
his thoughts but it wasn’t working, he kept seeing him, writhing his body to
free himself from the ropes, kept seeing the fearful look on his face as he saw
the men approaching with the camera he still heard him yelling frantically in
his mind and he couldn’t get rid of it.
Josh
jumped slightly when the phone rang that stood on top of the nightstand. They’d
put it back just yesterday, Louisa had complained to Dan that she couldn’t
reach her friends like this and no one could reach her and so eventually Dan
gave in and Louisa, as usual, got her way. He ignored it and fell back on the
bed, thinking it would be someone for Louisa. Nobody ever called for Josh
because no one knew this phone number except for one; Justin.
*beep*
“Josh?”
a shaky voice came through. Josh immediately shot up when he heard the voice,
recognizing his little brother in the small, shaky voice.
“Are
you there, please pick up, I need your help” he asked uncharacteristically
insecure.
Josh
quickly scooted to Louisa’s side of the bed and reached for the phone ready to
reassure his brother and comfort him since he didn’t get that chance before.
But before he could answer the phone the door swung open revealing Matt who
heard the noise of the phone and apparently the first part of the message
Justin was leaving on the answering machine. Matt was still around him
everywhere, making sure he didn’t cause any more trouble, Josh didn’t realize
they were constantly keeping an eye on him.
Josh’s
hand lay on top of the receiver, ready to pick up the phone as he glanced at
Matt with a pleading look in his eyes, practically begging Matt to let him take
the call. With a simple shake of his head Matt crushed Josh’s hope, supporting
the shake of his head with a warningful look in his eyes. Josh immediately shot
up, standing next to the phone eyeing Matt.
“Please
let me pick up… please he needs me!” Josh pleaded with the man.
“Please!”
he begged, Justin still talking softly, it cut right through Josh.
“I
beg you Matt, please, Dan won’t even have to know I won’t tell him anything, I
just want to comfort him… please”
“I
can’t do that Mr. Chasez, besides I don’t like lying to my boss”
“Why
can’t you just do this for me? You follow me around all the time and fine I
accepted that but can’t you just allow me to talk to my brother for five
minutes? Just to tell him that everything will be okay, please” he tried to
convince the man but his features never softened. Matt once again shook his
head.
“Sorry
no can do”
Josh
slumped back on the bed, watching the answering machine’s light blink at him
while his brother’s soft voice kept pleading with him to pick up. He felt tears
fill his eyes and he tried once more to convince Matt by looking at him, the
most heart wrenching look Matt had ever seen but he was immune to it, due to
Dan so he kept his strict face in place. Josh dropped his head in his hands as
he realized it wouldn’t happen, he wouldn’t get to talk to Justin.
“Where
are you Josh?” Justin’s small voice called desperately before the dial tone
sounded. Josh’s sobs started as he rolled away from Matt and curled into a ball
on his side. He hardly heard Matt unplugging the phone again before the door
shut behind him. The click seemed Josh’s sign to let go and he heavily sobbed into
his hands. He cried for quite some time, why didn’t they let him talk to his
brother? Why couldn’t they let him talk to him for five minutes? Why couldn’t
he reassure him? Why wasn’t he even allowed to do that? Why?
“I’m
so sorry Justin” he whispered in the silence of the room.
“I’m
sorry”
