This Cat Has Claws

29: Held Captive

They brought out the big guns this time. I don't really know why it didn't occur to anyone before to drug me, but this was miraculously the first time anyone had used their small brains to think. The second I felt odd I knew something had been put in my drink. That was the only thing that Landon and I hadn't shared since it was just plain water. I'm sure they would have drugged Landon as well if I had ordered something other than water and shared it with him. I was glad he wasn't, but I did see him get punched pretty hard right before I passed out.

I knew Jillian wasn't behind this attack; it felt a little too personal for her to do it. It was just too bad that I hadn't gotten time to look at the files yet, but I guess that wouldn't do me much good to know my attacker beforehand if I never got the time to tell Mom and Dad about it. So, here I was. Wondering who the hell thought it was a good idea to kidnap me.

They had me chained to a chair in the middle of an empty warehouse. From the smell and sound of things, I wasn't in Eugene anymore; the air was lacking that hint of weed that would waft in your nose from time to time. I hoped I wasn't far from home, but I had no idea how long I was out and there were no intidactors to give me clues. I kept my head hanging low so the guards i was assuming were watching me couldn't see I was awake. I might as well get as much information as possible while they think I'm asleep.

"Dude, when do you think she'll wake up?" one guy asked.

"How the hell should I know? I wasn't the one who gave it to her so I don't know how long it's supposed to be in effect," guy 2 said.

"Yeah, but, like, it's been a day already."

"Then she'll probably wake up soon, genius."

So it had already been a day. Maybe that was part of the reason my head felt so groggy, besides the fact that I was drugged. I figured I might as well stay and find out who wants what with me for now. I could always escape by transforming, though I didn't want anyone here to know about me, but if the situation called for it I'd transform.

"Mack really has something against her, huh?" guy 1 said again. I guess he didn't care for the silence guy 2 was clearly trying to maintain.

"I really wouldn't know, man. I don't ask him questions and just follow orders."

"Like a dog."

Guy 1 said this under his breath, but since they were the only ones in here making any noise, guy 2 heard him loud and clear. There was no use whispering in a big open room when you're the only other person here.

"The fuck did you just call me?" guy 2 yelled.

"You heard me man! You're a dog. A little bitch that takes orders," guy 1 retorted.

"Like you're any better, you piece of shit. You're just the same taking those same orders or else you wouldn't be here now would you?"

This was going nowhere and all I had learned was the name of who kidnapped me. I guess that was a start, but the name didn't ring any bells, so I was still as much in the dark as I was before any of this. The bickering continued for far too long until another person came in. A short woman walked in through a door I didn't even notice existed and shouted at the two idiots to quiet down. I guess beyond those doors was where everyone that wasn't guarding me was meeting or something. Was it smart to have your headquarters next door to your prison room? No, probably not.

I lifted my head and looked around the room they were keeping me in. just what I'd expect from an abandoned warehouse. It was grey and dreary and cold. Guy 1 and 2 still hadn't noticed that I was awake, even while I was looking around, until the chair moved along with me on accident. Both their heads turned swiftly in my direction and they made their way closer to me, but keeping enough distance so if I did somehow break free I wouldn't be able to touch them so easily.

The people guarding me were on shifts. After a few more hours with guys 1 and 2, they left and were replaced with new people. I didn't have the energy to even give these new two nicknames, so it was safe to assume I was pretty out of it. It had been over a day since I had eaten anything, and I was starting to feel it. I was becoming hangry.

"Will you assholes give me some food, or are you just trying to starve me to death?" I yelled. They didn't answer. "Where in the fuck is the guy who kidnapped me anyway?"

I was curious to find out who took me and found it weird that they hadn't shown themselves at all yet. Isn't the point to show themselves early on and try to make their captive scared? Because I wasn't scared, I was just hungry at this point.

It felt like another twelve hours passed, though I'm sure it was only around four hours or so, before anything happened. The two new guards watching me were a little more professional and managed to not say a single word, or even make a sound, while they guarded me. But once they left, guys 1 and 2 didn't return like I assumed they would. Instead a middle aged man walked in. his head was shaved clean and there was a little scar on the bridge of his nose. There was something familiar about this man. The way he carried himself when he first walked in through the door was oddly familiar, but once he saw me a sadistic smile spread across his face and that feeling of familiarity disappeared. I wracked my brain thinking of where I could have seen him, but his face itself was not very distinct so it was hard to place to a specific place and time.

The middle aged man said nothing as he stalked over towards me and stopped just two feet away. He then walked in a circle around me, keeping that same two foot radius the whole way. I didn't like the way he looked at me. It made my skin crawl and that feeling of doom swept through my body. This was definitely the guy who kidnapped me, now I just needed to know why.

He went about another twenty minutes just pacing back and forth and around me. I wasn't quite sure what he was hoping to gain from all that since he couldn't gauge my threat level while I'm tied to a chair. I was surprised he hadn't said anything yet either. I knew that there was something personal about this, it was more serious than a business deal, so that's why it made no sense why he hadn't said anything yet. He hadn't accused me of doing him any wrongs or screamed and spit in my face while losing control of his emotions. This man was fully in control of his emotions, which was a real surprise since most men I encountered in these situations were not.

"How are you liking your stay here, sweetie?" the middle aged man finally said.

"Can you not call me 'sweetie?' It's really gross," I fired back.

"Oh, I was just asking a simple question. No need to go on the defense already."

"So sorry about that, man. I get a little irritable when I'm hungry." I gave my best fake smile. It was really too bad my hands were literally tied or else I would have flipped him off, too.

"This simply will not do. I'll have someone bring you some food. Well, it was nice seeing you again, sweetie."

And with that the man left. There was something about the way he called me sweetie. And the sound of his voice. I recognized both, but I still couldn't place his face. I thought back to the last couple years all the way until now. What could I have done that was so horrible to this man that he needed to get revenge? There was nothing that I could think of. I knew that he couldn't have been there when I killed those three guys years ago because I saw everyone involved while JayJay and I were held captive. He must be someone related to those three guys. But I met all the members that were in related businesses and knew the truth behind the matter. They didn't care much that I killed them; it was all part of the job and everyone involved knew the risks. So then how would he know I killed them? And how exactly were they related? None of my questions could be answered by myself, and now I was left alone so I couldn't even ask anyone for answers.