“Dr. Graysen, are you awake?”
Fucking yes he was awake.
Axel sat up and the gun moved with him, never once leaving his forehead. He was unable to look anywhere but at the gun on him not even at the man holding the gun.
“W-who a-are you? W-why are y-you in my apartment?”
“I need you to dress up,” the answer came. “I need you to fix up someone important.”
“No.” Axel closed his eyes, forcing his brain to engage in thought. He needed to negotiate…if he left his apartment there was no way to know what would happen to him. He might end up dead in a ditch. “I’m not leaving with you—”
“I know my gentle tone gives you the idea that I’m giving you a choice, Dr. Graysen. This is my fault. I apologize for the oversight. Let me be clear. I am not giving you a choice. You do not have a choice, Dr. Graysen. The gun pressed to your forehead is very real. I will pull the trigger and make you hurt if you do not cooperate. I need you to come with us. You present an immediate solution, so you will not be able to escape us. I would prefer it very much if you cooperated. Time is of the essence. Nod if you understand what I have said.”
Axel closed his eyes, his fingers bunching his sheets, and he nodded.
“Good. Now, get out of bed. I have pulled out comfortable clothes from your closet. They are at the foot of the bed. You will dress, and then we shall leave your apartment. Don’t try to run. The five determined men with me will stop you if you try. I hope you choose not to try. I would like it very much if I didn’t have to hurt you. Do you understand?”
Axel bunched his sheets tighter. He truly did not want to be shot.
He needed his phone. If he could just get to it, he could call for help.
Axel glanced at the bedside table and panicked when he only saw the remote for the blinds.
Where had he left his phone?
Shit! His phone was in his book bag. He remembered walking in and dropping his book bag on the living room floor next to the stupid coffee table.
Damn it! Why? Why was he so stupid?
“Dr. Graysen?”
Axel opened his eyes and winced when the gun on his forehead pressed harder.
“I need you to dress. Nod if you understand what we’re doing next.”
Axel cursed under his breath and nodded.
“I’ll dress,” Axel said.
“Good man, shift to the side of the bed.”
Axel started moving to his left, but the gun pressed into his forehead, irritating him. He swallowed down his anger and glanced at his kidnapper.
“Right side. Put your hands up.”
Axel lifted his hands up as he shifted to the right side of the bed until his feet were planted on the carpet. His assailant held out dark briefs.
Axel wore them without fuss. He then pulled on a pair of dark sweatpants, and the black t-shirt he was handed. Black socks followed, and his newest pair of black sneakers.
Axel wore each item like armor. It felt better to be covered than naked in a clear home invasion and kidnapping.
A black zip-up hoodie came last.
Axel pulled it on with shaky hands. The man with the gun helped him zip up and helped fold the sleeves to his wrists.
Axel had no chance to ask more questions as two men entered the bedroom and grabbed him by his arms. He wanted to scream, but the man with the gun smiled waving his weapon at Axel.
“Don’t think of shouting. I’ll punch your neck hard and it will hurt.”
Axel breathed in working to control his anxiety levels.
“Slow and steady, guys. We don’t want to attract too much attention in the hallway. Now to the next step.”
Axel was led out of his apartment with no real chance to protest or call for help. They walked down the hallway of his apartment building. Axel’s panic doubled as they rode the elevator. The elevator doors opened when they arrived at Basement Level 1. A dark hood was pulled over his head.
Axel was then pushed into the backseat of a huge black SUV waiting for them the moment the doors opened. Handcuffs were placed on his wrists and fear wrapped around him tightly as they took off.
****
The ride to their destination felt long though it was only five turns around the city. The SUV came to a stop in the back of a business building. The back doors opened. Axel was pulled out of the backseat, and the two men holding his arms steadied him as they dragged him into a quiet hallway and into a private elevator.
Axel bit his lip hard as the elevator started a fast ascend. The doors did not ping as the elevator stopped; instead, they opened with a fast swish. He was forced into a fast walk, a series of turns, and doors opened and closed.
“Did you find him?”
Axel frowned.
The voice sounded familiar. The memory of it was just out of reach.
“Yes.”
“Bring him in.”
Axel’s arms were grabbed and he was forced into a brisk shuffle walk.
“Damn it! Why is he cuffed?”
“Just in case he tried to escape.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Can’t help it,” the answer came with a soft chuckle. “Ryan said your life is very important.”
The hands holding Axel’s arms disappeared and the cuffs were unlocked. Axel rubbed his wrists and started to reach for the hood over his face. Only to have it pulled off.
Axel blinked at the bright lights in the room and brought his hands up to cover his eyes.
“Dr. Graysen, I’m Ryan. I’m sorry about the cuffs and the hood. They were not part of the plan.”
Axel frowned when the man named Ryan stopped before him. He dropped his hands and stared at the taller man.
“You have a patient who needs your help,” Ryan said.
“Take him or her to the emergency room,” Axel said, hating the tremble in his voice. “I can’t help you here.”
“You’ll find every medical tool you need here,” Ryan said.
He shifted to his right, allowing Axel to have a good look at the room.
Axel realized he was standing in a fully equipped medical room. There was a man lying on a stretcher a few feet away behind Ryan. All Axel could see were the red soles of the man’s very expensive shoes.
Sui Writes 