The Hostage and the Wanted

Louis entered back into the flat about two and a half hours later. He had been to the thrift shop, hardware, pharmacy and food store. His arms filled with bags.

Harry ran over to help, taking a few of the bags and bringing them over to the coffee table. He noticed Louis had a distressed look on his face and could only guess why.

“What’s wrong, mate? Another run in with the van?” Harry guessed.

Isabella laid there in silence, watching Louis come in with the rest of the bags, a dark and heated look in his eyes.

“Yes the bloody fucking van. I had to outrun it, finally lost the bloody thing on the main road when I went through the underpass.” Louis muttered, going over to Isabella and staring down at her, giving the poor girl a pointed look. “I want to know why you have a van following you, huh? You talk about us being bad guys for holding you hostage but I’m half suspecting you’re not so clean cut yourself.” He accused, bending forewarned and grabbing her arm, forcing her to sit up.

Her feet were placed on the ground again, putting pressure on arms, which made her cry out and try to relieve them.

“P-please, I can’t-“Tears coming to her eyes as Louis looked on incredulously.

“What the hell are you crying about? Jesus, Isabella, I’m not hurting you but I want to know why you’re being followed? I don’t think that’s too much to ask.” Louis demanded as Harry put a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Mate, it’s not that. He arms have been cramping. She’s been tied up like that for almost four hours. Did you get some stuff that she can have her hands put in front? We have about twelve flexi-ties left, those aren’t going to last long.” Harry let him know, seeing Louis sit on the other side of Isabella and reach into his pocket, taking out a pocket knife.

“Hand me two of them then.” Louis demanded calmly, guiding Isabella forward and reaching to cut the flexi-tie from her wrists.

Isabella felt relief flood through her as the tie snapped away, leaving her with the ability to bring her arms to the front. She cried out in pain as she did so but she wasn’t going to complain.

“Thank you.” Isabella breathed out thankfully but gasped when Louis grabbed them again and forced them together at the front.

“Harry? The black hardware bag over there, I bought some duct tape, get that for me please.” Louise instructed, grabbing one of the ties Harry handed him and forcing it around her wrists.

Isabella cried out as her hands were securely locked together.

Why!?” Isabella exclaimed, letting a sob go from her mouth, feeling the stiff plastic pull tightly to her skin, pinching it a little. She didn’t know why or what she did to justify this sort of treatment and it downright terrified her.

Harry pulled the tape from the bag and gave it to his friend, watching him take the plastic from around the roll and unpeel the sticky film.

That was about the time Isabella began to struggle, fighting to keep her hands away, unfortunately there was only one of her and two of them.

“Please! Please don’t do this!” Isabella begged, as Harry took hold of her hands, offering them out to Louis so he could wrap the tape around. She couldn’t let them do it. The thought of being completely helpless again scared her more than death. “Please! I have to pee, I have to go to the bathroom! I can’t do that if you tape my hands! God – please.” She sobbed, her chest heaving with heavy exertion.

“Bloody fucking –“ Louis growled, slamming the tape on the coffee table and using his knife to cut the girl’s ankle and leg restraints away before standing up and pulling Isabella with him

She yelled and fell forward onto the floor, having not been able to keep her balance due to her feet having been asleep.

“Fucking – “Louis cut himself off, kneeling down to the ground, Harry following lead a second later.

“Oh luv, are you alright?” Harry asked her gently, helping Isabella sit up so she wasn’t sprawled out on the floor like a piece of road kill.

“I want to go home!“ She sobbed, her breath catching in her throat as Louis sighed and rubber her back.

“I know, but you can’t right now so please stop asking. Come on, you said you needed to go to the bathroom.” Louis coaxed, helping her from the floor with Harry’s help and guiding her down the hall, making sure she had her balance this time.

When Louis was sure she could walk he pushed her gently into the dimly lit, windowless bathroom and shut the door.

“Five minutes,” He called through the door and sighed, glancing over at Harry. “We should have taken the till worker, at least he wouldn’t be causing so much plight.”

“It will get easier.” Harry assured with a smile, frowning when the girl’s sobs could be heard outside the door.

“I stopped by the pharmacy on my way back before ducking that damn van. If she doesn’t calm down soon I have something that will help calm her ass down. I can’t stand emotional women, bloody annoying.” Louis glowered, his temper dim.

It was well over five minutes later before Louis called out to Isabella again, becoming concerned when she went quiet. He opened the door cautiously, seeing she was sitting on the toilet. Luckily her pants were pulled up and he didn’t walk in on anything private. She had calmed down and was just sitting there in the dark, the illuminating light of the candle creating shadows on the wall, its flame flickering in a hypnotizing dance.

“Did you go?” Louis asked, Harry coming to stand beside him to observe the scene.

“Yes.” Isabella replied, her voice cracking but she didn’t move otherwise.

“Alright? Why didn’t you come out?” Louis asked passively, walking over and taking her arm while pulling her from the throne and walking her back to the living room.

“I needed to think, I needed to stop crying.” Isabella said, another sob escaping her throat as the tears still ran down her cheeks.

“I hate to break it to you, love, but you’re not doing too well with that one.” Louis smiled, bringing the back of his hand up to wipe away the stray droplets.

Harry watched Louis sit Isabella back down on the couch, using the other spare flexi-tie he had handed him to zip her feet back together but left her thighs free.

When that was done he picked the tape up, seeing the girl start to get upset again. He sighed and tossed it back on the table, obviously not in the mood for Isabella to start up on the hysterics again.

“I got you a few things from the thrift store since you’ll be staying here and we can’t have you wearing the same thing the whole time,” Louis told her, grabbing a larger white bag and dumping the clothing on the table. “I think these are your size.” Louis said, holding up a knee length red dress before showing her an ankle length elastic waist black skirt and white off the shoulder peasant top. The next thing he picked up was two long light blue and teal scarfs but quickly tossed them to the side before taking hold of a long floral dress, the neck a long shaped V neck. The last thing in the bag appeared to be a pair of pajama pants and top that looked two sizes too big.

“Why would you bother to care if I stayed in my clothes or not? I can’t – you can’t possibly expect me to stay, I mean, you said it was only for a few days.” Isabella stammered, becoming upset again.

Harry dug through the bags himself, seeing the food bag mixed among the others. He pulled it out and rivaled through it.

“Supper?” Harry asked, taking the plastic tins out.

“I don’t know how long you will be with us, ok? Stop asking and to be honest, it’s important to maintain good hygiene. I got you a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant and a hairbrush as well and expect you to make use of them.” Louis explained, tossing the bag with those items off to the side.

Isabella was in shock at Louis’s directness. She didn’t want to stay with these men. She didn’t even know how she came to be a part of this situation anymore.

Harry uncovered the tins from the bag and set them on the coffee table on top of each other. He was letting Louis handle Isabella, he was not getting involved in those affairs if he could help it. Louis was much stronger willed in what he needed and had it just been Harry, he probably would have cut the girl loose with a handwritten letter of apology long before getting her to the flat.

“You see these?” Louis asked with a hint of warning in his tone, picking up the scarfs when Isabella started to protest, her eyes watering again.

Isabella eyed the scarfs and went quiet, knowing perfectly.

“These will go in your mouth if you don’t stop. I’m trying to be understanding, love, but you’re not making this very easy on anyone, yourself included. You won’t tell us what’s going on with that van and you’re getting so worked up that-“He closed his eyes for a second before setting down the fabric and digging through a smaller bag, pulling out three different medical bottles, coming to the one he was looking for and popping the top open.

He fished out two small white pills and held them out for Isabella to take, grabbing her discarded water from earlier.

Isabella swallowed hard, neither of them speaking for a moment.

“I don’t want-“She started weakly but Louis wasn’t hearing any of it.

“It’s not a request, Ella, you’ll take them or I’ll shove them down your throat. You want to prove to me that you can be trusted? Take the pills and I’ll untie you. Those are your options. If you make me use force then I’ll not only leave you tied up where you are, I’ll put your hands back behind you.” Louis explained calmly, seeing Isabella’s eyes go wide.

Harry was quietly observing the battle of wits between he friend and the girl and all he wanted to do was eat.

“So are these all the same or?” Harry asked, feeling like he was talking to himself as Louis was preoccupied at starting down the girl. He shrugged and contently took the top container, removing the lid and began to dig in to the fish and chips, watching the intense stare down continue between the other two occupants.

Finally Isabella broken contact, her eyes going to the floor submissively as she opened her mouth to accept the pills in Louis’s hand.

Louis popped them in and uncapped Isabella’s water bottle, allowing her to wash the pills down.

“Good girl.” Louis praised sardonically, grabbing the second tray of food and uncovering it, setting it on Isabella’s lap. “Your wrists stay tied.” He said with finality, standing up and taking his own tray with him down the hall, leaving Harry to deal with a now very upset hostage.

“Thanks mate!” Harry called sarcastically, now trying to calm down Isabella.

Louis didn’t hear anything else as he took his tray and climbed out through his bedroom window onto the fire escape, sitting down on the flight of stairs and taking in the view before him, uncovering his food and beginning to eat.

He was out there for about an hour, just enjoying the setting sun. Unfortunately just before the last of the light hide below the tall condemned buildings, a shadow caught his eyes. It was a vehicle – a very familiar looking vehicle.

“Fuck me.” Louise muttered, spotting the van making its way around the corner. He jumped back inside the safety of his flat, his eyes hesitantly looking to see what their next move would be. His stomach dropped when the van stopped at the end of the street and shut its engine off, the back doors opening.

“Fuck me.” Louis repeated, hightailing it down the hall to the living room but stopping short just inside at the man clad in black clothing, a gun pointed at Harry and Isabella’s unconscious bodies.

Notes