Page 96 of Mr. Perfect

“I think your friend has lost his mind,” Jude whispered.

“Excuse me,” Three said, pulling their attention back to the dangerous men with guns. “On. Your. Knees. Now.”

Felix, Rocky, and Jude unceremoniously dropped to their knees. Four turned off the light once they complied.

“Bend your arms and lace your fingers behind your heads and keep them there,” One said.

Felix complied without hesitation. It was better to live to fight his way out of this when the men didn’t have scary-looking guns aimed at them.

“Now you other two do it too,” Four commanded. “We don’t have all night to be dicking around with you idiots.”

“If you have someplace you’d rather be, we won’t hold it against you,” Rocky said.

“I’m not doing another thing until you identify yourselves,” Jude added.

“Jude,” Felix hissed. “Do what they say. I just got you back, and I want to hold on to you longer.” Felix breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Jude moving. “You too, Major. You’re my best friend.”

“Fine, damn it,” Rocky groused.

“This is so sweet,” One said. Felix expected the man to taunt them, but he didn’t say anything. Goons One, Two, and Three holstered their weapons and advanced on Felix, Rocky, and Jude.

Felix flinched when Two yanked his arms down and behind his back before securing his wrists with zip ties. Felix heard Jude struggling beside him.

“Get your fucking hands off him,” Jude snarled.

“I’m fine, Jude,” Felix assured him.

Two yanked Felix’s NVGs off before tugging a hood over his head, pitching Felix into total darkness. That’s when panic really started to set in. Blood rushed to his ears, making it hard for Felix to hear what was going on. A cold sweat broke out all over his body, and he found it hard to breathe through the cloth.

“Hey,” Two said. “Focus on your breathing. Inhale a deep breath and push it back out through your mouth.”

“Is this the latest trend in meditation?” Felix found himself asking.

“There you go, buddy. Get pissed. It helps calm the fear,” Two said before patting Felix on the shoulder.

Felix tried to flinch away from Two’s touch, but the bigger man hooked a hand beneath his armpit and yanked Felix to his feet like he weighed nothing.

“Who are you?” Jude asked again.

“Your worst nightmare if you don’t shut up,” Four said.

Next thing Felix knew, the henchmen were frog-marching them through the woods. Felix tripped over limbs and undergrowth and would’ve planted face-first in the dirt if not for the steely grip Two had on his bicep. He heard the familiar slide of a van door opening, and Felix dug his feet into the ground. People who were thrown into vans rarely escaped and lived to tell about it.

Jude and Rocky must’ve drawn the same conclusion because he heard them scuffling with their escorts too.

“Settle the fuck down, Ford,” One said.

Ford?

“Who the hell is Ford?” Jude asked.

“None of us are named Ford,” Felix said. Relief flooded his body, and he stopped struggling against his escort’s hold. “This is just one big misunderstanding.”

Rocky’s laughter bordered on unhinged, and it ratcheted Felix’s anxiety again. “Asher, is this your idea of foreplay?” Rocky asked.

Asher? Is that Goon One’s name?

“Who the hell is Asher?” Jude asked. “Are you losing your shit, Jacobs, or are these assholes friends of yours?”