The Kiss that Sparked it All

“Heh, stick with you, and we’ll be living the high life, no worries in the world!”

Just next door, they’d already pocketed their first share of the ransom-a few grand each, no less!

It was a sum they could hardly dream of back when they were grinding away at dead-end jobs. The thought of even more cash coming their way had everyone looking up to Jaxon with starry eyes.

They’d all wanted to turn over a new leaf after finally getting out of the slammer, having served hard time and yearning for a fresh start. But the lure of easy money was too strong to resist! This line of work paid way too fast.

Out there, breaking your back in odd jobs, you’d get nothing but disdainful looks, and after a year of toiling, you’d be lucky to have two pennies to rub together.

Sending some extra cash home, hoping to buy your folks a new set of clothes, was a pipe

dream.

But kidnapping? That was a different story.

And this was only the first haul, raking in big bucks.

Not to mention what they’d squeeze out of the Howard elders to get their precious grandson back.

Just the thought of it was enough to make them giddy with delight.

The other three were sloppy drunk, staggering as they propped Jaxon up and took him to the neighboring house to sleep it off.

Only the two men remained, each hefting an iron bar. They approached with a menacing gait and gave them a thorough scare.

“Hey, I’m warning you now, it’s our turn to keep watch tonight, so don’t get any funny ideas. You ain’t gonna get far even if you try to run. If you value your sorry lives, you’ll keep that in mind, got it?”

Elton curled up, nodding vigorously. “Got it, we got it!”

“Good, at least you’re not completely blind,” he said, standing up to address his buddy, “Let’s get out of this icebox. I can’t stand it in here.”

Although their voices were clear, the reek of booze was heavy on them, not something. you pick up in just a moment.

The two guards didn’t stay inside; instead, they lit a fire outside.

The room was frigid, the door left ajar, with only a thin wire mesh at the back.

1/2

The draft was chilling them to the bone.

“God, it’s freezing,” Victoria whispered shakily, and Elton shuffled closer and said, “Move over here, huddle up, we’ll keep each other warm.”

If the cold didn’t let up, they’d surely fall sick by morning.

Already injured, sickness would be like salt in the wound, making escape utterly fanciful.

The three of them huddled in a corner, trying their best to avoid the draft.

The kidnappers outside caught sight of this and shared a chuckle, “Heh, look at them, scared stiff.”

“Scared, yeah, but it’s that fear that’s filling our pockets with all this sweet cash.”

Today, each of them had pocketed a good chunk of change, so spirits were high.

One felt a rare pang of pity and threw a couple of ragged cloths, used for who-knows-what, over them. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Here, don’t want you all to freeze to death. No designer blankets for you, make do with

this.”

The rags stank, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? Despite the smell, the cloths were thick enough.

Elton bit down on his desperation, stacking the cloths atop one another over them with his teeth. It was instantly warmer.

“Feeling better now?”

The man outside tending the fire snickered, “Aren’t you the tough one, not minding the stench. Those were dog bedding before, soaked with dog piss, and you’re biting them with your teeth.”

“Hahaha.”