My Kidnapper's brother

Emily was roused from her slumber by the persistent sound of two men engaged in a heated argument, their voices resonating through the walls. Grogginess weighed heavily on her body, slowing her movements as she struggled to shake off the remnants of sleep. However, as she blinked and peered through the haze of drowsiness, a peculiar sense of unease settled upon her. Something was undeniably amiss within the confines of the unfamiliar room. For starters, the bed she found herself in was a foreign entity. This wasn’t the bed she retired to every night. Its expanse was adorned with plain white sheets, lacking the comforting familiarity of her own bedding. Directly across from her stood a towering wardrobe, its imposing frame crafted from rich, dark brown wood. It certainly wasn’t her wardrobe. Surveying her surroundings with growing trepidation, Emily’s gaze traveled upward to the ceiling. She realized the old white wooden ceiling board in the room was certainly not the same ceiling board she stared at every night before resigning to sleep. To her right, an office chair lay partially tucked beneath a desk, both appearing out of place in this unfamiliar setting. Perched atop the desk, a computer monitor and tower seemed incongruous with her expectations. Puzzlement mingled with her growing apprehension, intensifying her desire to unravel the mystery enveloping her. She slowly lifted herself and sat up, wondering what was happening and where she was. After a moment, when her head stopped swimming, she slowly pushed herself from the bed and walked to the medium-sized window embedded in one wall. Emily stood by the window, gripping its frame for support and trying to get her first glance at her unknown environment and determine where she was. Her heartbeat increased, and she blinked furiously as she took in the long stretch, as far as her vision could penetrate, of a towering wire fence separating the house from an expansive countryside. The vast expanse was punctuated sporadically by clusters of trees and dry grass, painting a desolate portrait. Emily’s heart sank as she realized the absence of any human settlement within a twenty-mile radius, leaving her feeling hopelessly isolated and helpless. A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind. How had she arrived in this secluded place? Why had fate conspired to bring her here? And what was the nature of the argument she had overheard? Gripped by a potent blend of fear and foreboding, she resolved to gather information, dragging her feet toward the door, desperate to eavesdrop on the commotion unfolding in the adjacent room. *** Ryan’s voice sliced through the air, laced with an urgency demanding immediate answers. “Who is that lady? And what is she doing in my bedroom?” The sharpness of his tone mirrored the knot of unease tightening in his stomach, urging his brother to disclose the truth. Yet Keith seemed surprisingly unperturbed, his nonchalant demeanor contrasting with Ryan’s mounting anxiety. “Ryan, calm down,” he responded, his voice carrying an air of casual assurance. “She is only here for a few hours. Well... maybe a day, and then she will be gone.” “Is she your girlfriend?” Ryan pressed, desperate to get a clear idea of what was going on. Something already told him there was something he was missing. Keith’s chuckle rang out, accompanied by a dismissive wave of his hand. “Hell no!” he retorted, the laughter lingering in the space between them. “Let’s just say she is a commodity.” Ryan’s brow furrowed, a mix of confusion and concern etching lines across his face. “I never knew you were involved in something as sinister as human trafficking,” he accused, his gaze locked with Keith’s. Another brief chuckle escaped Keith’s lips as he gently patted Ryan’s shoulder, seemingly amused by his brother’s suspicions. “Nothing like that, brother,” he clarified, his voice taking on a more somber tone. “I am still a simple city mechanic, working on city cars.” He paused, allowing the weight of his words to hang in the air. “By the way, what are you doing here? I thought you had finally moved into your own new house. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” “Don’t change the topic, Keith. Who is that woman? And what business do you have with her? Why did you have to bring her here?” Ryan demanded. Keith softly snickered, clearly amused and enjoying his brother’s growing irritation. “You really don’t give up, brother. Well, since you are already here, I guess it is no use keeping you in the dark.” He paused. “That lady in that room is worth over three million US Dollars.” He paused and looked his brother in the eye. “Do you have any idea how that amount of money can transform your miserable life?” *** Emily’s arms instinctively wrapped around her, seeking solace and protection. The saying, “Nothing good ever came from eavesdropping,” echoed in her mind, proving its veracity in this moment of harrowing revelation. Dread coursed through her veins as the word ‘commodity’ reverberated, sending shivers down her spine. Panic clawed its way up her throat, leaving a bitter taste akin to bile. But the rest of what she heard made the room spin dangerously. Three Million Dollars? This is not what Emily was expecting to hear. She could now feel her heart pounding against the walls of her rib cage, blood rushing in her ears. She felt her legs trembling with genuine terror. *** Ryan’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation unfolding before him. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice tinged with bewilderment. Keith turned abruptly, his gaze fixed on the outside world, as if seeking solace in the distant horizon. “That lady is the daughter of one of the city’s millionaires,” he began, his voice laced with a mix of bitterness and sorrow. “Her father possesses an abundance of wealth. Too much, in fact.” A surge of rage swept across Keith’s face, intermingled with a profound sense of grief. His voice quivered with a raw intensity. “He can evade the consequences of his actions, no matter how heinous, simply because of his wealth,” he uttered, the words dripping with indignation. Ryan shook his head in disbelief, struggling to connect the dots. “But what does that have to do with you? So the man is rich, but why are you involved? Is this some kind of k********g?” Ryan inquired, hoping he was wrong, but already fearing he wasn’t. Scratching the back of his head, Keith responded, “Well, you can call it that. I want to see if the old man can use part of his money to redeem his daughter.” Ryan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had his brother gone mad? “But if her father is as powerful as you put it, don’t you think he will use his money to track you, kill you, and get away with that murder?” Keith chortled briefly before replying, “Don’t worry about that, brother. I have thought through this. To start with, I will not use my cell phone to contact him. I will use random payphones from different cities. In that way, there is no way I could be tracked,” he said confidently. Ryan stared at his brother with a mix of worry and disbelief. The depth of Keith’s delusional plan unsettled him deeply. He frowned, his voice tinged with apprehension. “And how do you intend to orchestrate the exchange?” he probed, hoping to uncover any hidden flaws in the audacious scheme and perhaps make Keith see reason and end the whole thing. This was crazy. “Don’t worry about that, too,” Keith said assertively. “But I don’t understand why you feel the need to punish the same man for whatever crimes he gets away with. I mean, why you? Since when do you go around acting like a vigilante?” The muscles of Keith’s jaws stiffened. His face was once again a mixture of rage and grief. “Because if I don’t make him pay,” he said, his voice weighted with determination, “then no one else will.” He averted his gaze, his eyes clouded with a burden that seemed too heavy to bear. *** At this point in time, Emily thought she had heard too much, and she didn’t want to hear any more for her own good. She quietly walked away from the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Confusion and terror intermingled within her, creating a turbulent storm of emotions. Still in a daze, her mind grappling with the nightmare she had unwittingly entered, Emily’s gaze fell upon a mirror attached to one of the wardrobe doors. Something peculiar caught her eye, demanding her attention. There, hanging around her neck like a twisted necklace, was a damp and pungent mutton cloth. As she cautiously touched the fabric, a surge of recognition coursed through her. It bore the unmistakable scent of chemicals, hinting at its nefarious purpose. At that moment, a vivid memory resurfaced, weaving its way through the labyrinth of her thoughts. She recalled parking her car at the bustling Brime City Mall, and walking into the Miya Executive Boutique to get herself some new clothes. When she walked back to her car, she dumped her package in the trunk of her car, and then entered her car. She had just grabbed the seatbelt when she suddenly heard movement from the back seat. She only had a second to look at the masked man before the man covered her mouth and nose with a moist cloth. Within seconds, she had passed out. ‘Someone drugged me and brought me here while I was unconscious.’ She thought. *** “And what brings you here, brother? And how long do you plan to stay?” Keith inquired, striding toward a small table tucked in a corner to retrieve a backpack. “I just came to gather a few belongings that were left behind, and I’ll be gone in a day or two,” Ryan responded. “So... you’re finally moving out of this place?” “There isn’t much holding me here. You were the only reason I stayed. But when you left for the city, I saw no reason to remain,” Ryan remarked, his gaze fixed on the landscape beyond the window. “Perhaps it’s time we consider selling this farm. With you moving out, there’s little reason to hold on to it,” Keith suggested, his hand delving into the backpack. From within, he casually produced a pair of gloves and two black 3-hole Balaclava masks. “You know I can’t allow that. This place has carried our name for centuries. Our grandparents are buried right on this farm. Our parents are only ten years in the soil on this farm. One day I would love to be put to rest next to our parents’ grave,” Ryan said, focusing on a big green tree rooted about fifty meters from the house. “Do you still miss them?” Keith probed as he slipped his fingers into the gloves. “What?” “Our parents. Do you miss them?” “Of course,” Ryan replied. “Don’t you?” “For the past ten years, not a single night has passed without the weight of that accident, the tragedy that took our parents from us, plaguing my thoughts,” Keith confided, extending one of the masks toward Ryan. “What’s this for?” Ryan questioned, eyeing the mask with a furrowed brow, hesitant to even touch it. “That lady mustn’t see your face. I’m heading to the city to make a call to her father. Ensure all the doors are securely locked.” Keith pressed the mask into Ryan’s hand and shoved his own mask over his head. “Are you certain about this plan of yours?” Ryan inquired, studying the mask that resembled a headpiece, his doubts surfacing. “Do I appear as if I’m joking?” Keith’s tone held an edge of determination. “I hope you truly know what you’re doing.” Ryan shook his head. “Though I want no part in this. I merely wish to pack my belongings and depart from here by tomorrow.” “Brother, you worry too much. Everything will fall into place. Now, put on that mask and follow me. The lady must be awake by now.” With resolve, Keith headed toward the door leading to the adjoining room. Reluctantly, Ryan donned his mask, the weight of uncertainty hanging heavily upon him, and trailed behind his brother.