Page 2

M olly and I passed out on her couch, and I had forgotten about my idea after a few more rounds of shots last night.

Clearly, one too many.

Waking up with the worst hangovers, we make a beeline for the coffee machine. “Ugh! My head is fucking killing me!” Molly groans, wiping her hands over her face as we stand in the kitchen eagerly waiting for the machine to do its thing.

“Fuck, no kidding… I feel like shit. I’m never letting you mix cocktails again! Thank fuck for coffee and aspirin,” I laugh, groaning as I stretch my back.

That couch is comfortable, but the position I passed out in wasn’t.

Wait, didn’t I have an amazing idea last night? What the hell was it?

After our first steamy cups of coffee, my memory starts flooding back in.

We each take a quick shower and get dressed for work.

When we meet in the kitchen, ready to leave, I ask her if she knows where you could hire actors to kidnap you.

Since I don’t think I will find someone to do everything from my fantasy, I’ll settle for the kidnapping and then booty call my sexy coworker afterward…

That seems like a reasonable plan, right?

She tells me that she’s read about places like that and that they were totally safe and provided a fun way to experience kidnapping without the real danger associated with it.

“Hmm,” I mumble to myself, pouting.

I want to feel the danger of it all. That’s kind of the point.

“Apparently, people do this all the time. Who knew? People usually hire these ‘kidnappers’ for events like bachelor parties,” she says, shouldering her purse and unlocking the front door.

I am intrigued and ask her more questions as we walk to our cars. She agrees to look into it if I help her get a date with Joel, my cousin.

I still think it’s gross for them to get together, but if I get my crazy experience out of it, hell, I’ll even plan their wedding.

The next morning, we decide to go for it—Molly will set up the fake kidnapping, and I will do whatever it takes to get Joel to go out with her.

He is always going on about having adventures, so this seems like a perfect opportunity for him.

Molly is fun, outgoing, and even more adventurous than my pain-in-the-ass cousin.

The plan is in motion, and I feel excited as we start preparing.

Molly immediately dives into her research.

She’s like a detective on a mission, and I can tell she’s really into this.

I can’t help but feel a little guilty about all the work she is putting into this, and all I have to do is convince Joel to go out with her.

Molly told me this morning that she has sent the company an email asking all sorts of questions about the kidnapping service.

We agreed on a realistic experience for me, but she insisted on nothing too dangerous or scary.

Damn… The company assured her that they could tailor the experience to our needs and would be in contact with her regarding their availability. Meanwhile, I’m working on Joel.

I decide to shoot him a text during a trip to the store because he never answers his phone during the day, and I am sure as hell not going to drive all the way into the city and try to get his attention at Hell’s Playground.

That place is wayyy too loud and crowded, plus he always half-listens to anything coming out of my mouth while he’s working. I need to get his full and undivided attention. Molly will drop her end of our little deal if I don’t make this happen for her.

Almost thirty minutes pass without a response from Joel and I start getting annoyed since I can see he has read my text. Molly would have blown up my phone by now if he texted her so he is definitely ignoring me. Asshole.

I smile as I walk around the grocery store, picking up food for the week.

I feel like the best matchmaker, having successfully convinced him to take Molly out on a date tonight.

I know it will be a great night for her, but it sucks that it is raining.

It’s been pouring down for days, but she wouldn’t mind if they got takeout at Joel’s place…

It might lead to the other part of her fantasy, and since he lives in an apartment above Hell’s Playground, they’ll surely get shit-faced too. That could lead to an interesting evening.

The gloomy weather might be in Molly’s favor tonight. It still grosses me out but fuck it! If she’s happy, I’m happy. Joel will be a lucky man if they do end up together.

I grab the items I need, but my mind is still excited for two of my favorite people. Since we started our plans, I have grown used to the idea of them together. Honestly, they would make a perfect couple.

I peruse the items on the shelves as I make my way to the checkout point. Grabbing a few extra things, I wonder about how it’s going on Molly’s side. She said she wouldn’t tell me when the staged kidnapping would occur.

I guess that makes sense since I wanted it to feel as real as possible, but what if they get me on a day when I look like shit? What if they take me on laundry day, and I wear an oversized T-shirt with holes and my comfy bleach-stained sweatpants?

I suddenly feel the eyes of strangers watching me as I walk through the supermarket.

God, did I say that out loud?

Every footstep is deliberate, and every item is carefully placed into my cart. I have an unnerving sensation of being watched, but I don’t catch anyone’s gaze when I look around. It makes me uneasy, but I shake off the feeling and finish shopping. I pay for my groceries and make my way to the exit.

Molly texts me as I wheel the cart to my car.

I giggle as I read the text, feeling the unease from inside the store slowly dissipate as I type my response with one hand and load the bags into the trunk of my car.

I load the rest of the grocery bags into the trunk of my car. I am eager to get home and escape the rain, but something feels wrong. I have a distinct feeling that I am still being watched. I hurriedly get into the car and start the engine, determined to get home as soon as possible.

On my way home, the dreadful knotting feeling in my stomach only seems to worsen.

What the fuck is going on? Is it just nerves? Do I feel this way because Molly fulfilled her side of the deal without telling me, and I’m up next?

Snapping out of my uneasy thoughts, I blink through the heavy rain.

No one else seems to be on the road. My foot slams on the brake as I approach the red light.

As if blocking out the sound of the water pelting the car harder and faster by the minute, an eerie stillness follows, and then something in the backseat stirs.

My eyes dart to the rearview mirror just in time to see an ominous silhouette lurking in the shadows of my backseat.

O h my god! There is someone in the backseat! What the fuck is happening? Is…. Is this…?

My body reacts of its own accord as fear takes over.

But before I can react or make a run for it, a large black van speeds up beside me, stealing my attention away from the figure behind me.

I can barely make out anything outside the car.

The windows are foggy as the rain pelts down on the vehicle, drowning out most of the sound from the outside.

The van screeches to a halt inches away from my passenger window. The driver, a large man in a black mask, reaches toward the window with something clasped in his hand, shattering it in an instant. All the air rushes out of me, and my heart sinks as icy fear grips me.