The next afternoon Frank tossed his overnight bag on the bed in the sleazy motel room he had rented and sat down. He rubbed the back of his neck, willing the tension to go away but the knot remained. With a heavy sigh, he got back up, unpacked, then headed into the small bathroom.
His dad had been able to find out that the auctions were being held in a little town less than forty miles north of Mandritsara but was unable to learn any details.
Frank climbed in the shower and lathered up his hair; a pointless thing to do since he would be greasing it down before he left in less than an hour, but if felt good none the less. After a few minutes he shut off the shower and got out. He slipped into a pair of pale blue boxers then pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans. A faded black tee shirt finished the outfit before he pulled open the bathroom door and stepped out.
Before he could blink a fist crashed into his jaw sending him reeling back. Two shadowy figures rushed at him and a damp cloth was put over his face. In seconds he was out cold with not even a glimpse of his attackers.
"I told you, I can't go back," said a familiar voice. Frank tried to open his eyes but couldn't because of the blindfold. "They found out who I was."
"Relax," another voice ordered the fake Joe, for Frank recognized the voice. "We'll work something out. At least you won't have to try and fool his brother anymore."
Frank strained to listen as the two men walked away but couldn't hear anything other than their muffled voices and even that was extinguished by the closing of a door. Once they were gone, Frank rubbed his head against the floor and managed to slide the blindfold up enough to see his prison. The room was dark and it took him a minute to distinguish shapes with only the barest amount of light that crept through the cracks around a solitary window that had been painted black.
The room wasn't very large and it was sparsely decorated with a cot and a small table holding a lamp but Frank couldn't make out anything else. He began struggling with the ropes that bound his wrists; twisting and turning as much as he could, but they were too tight. Not about to admit defeat, he rolled over to the doorframe and scooted to a sitting position. He listened for a bit to see if anyone was near and, hearing nothing, began rubbing the ropes up and down against the frame.
Almost forty minutes later, Frank felt the ropes start to give. Giving a sigh of relief, he rubbed as vigorously as his aching arms would allow. A few minutes more and his hands were free. Wasting no time, he yanked the blindfold from its position on his head and pulled the gag from his mouth before removing the rope from his ankles.
Finally freed from all of his trappings, Frank got to his feet. Leaning against the doorframe for support he waited as the familiar sensation of pins and needles assaulted him as his blood flow was once again established in its regularity. When he could once again support himself, he put his hand on the door's knob and gave it a turn. Considering how well they had tied him up he wasn't surprised to find they hadn't bothered locking the door.
He eased the door open and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. He wrinkled his nose and wiggled his toes as his left bare foot landed in a puddle of spittle. He wiped the bottom of his foot on his pants' leg then continued down the narrow hallway, stopping at the first door.
He doubted Joe was here since he had been imprisoned alone but he had to check. The first door he opened turned out to be a bathroom. The next door led to a bedroom with a bit more furniture than the room he had been in although the panes were also painted black. Only two more doors before the hallway ended and opened into a foyer where Frank could see a door leading outside.
He opened the next to the last door expecting to see another empty bedroom. "Joe!" he gasped, his brown eyes growing wide in horror. There on the floor of the bare bedroom lay his younger brother, bound hand and foot, with a gag in his mouth. His eyes were shut but one was swollen and had already turned several shades.
Frank hurried over to where he lay and reached for Joe's neck to check his pulse but Joe's good eye fluttered open. First fear and then utter relief flooded the blue eye.
"Easy, Baby Brother," Frank whispered as he removed the gag. "I'm going to get you out of here." Next he reached for the ropes that bound Joe's wrists, pausing in anger when he saw Joe's thumb, ripe with infection. He finished freeing Joe then helped him to his feet.
The sound of the front door opening reached their ears as they took their first tentative steps toward the door. "Shh!" hissed Frank, rushing forward and closing the door and then back to Joe's side to catch him before he fell to the floor.
Frank eased Joe into a sitting position then stepped to the side of the door and waited. Sure enough, seconds after the footsteps had receded down the hall Frank heard the steps running back toward them. The door was thrown open and a thirty-something man with dark hair and a dark complexion stood silhouetted in the doorway less than a second before Frank's fist connected with his jaw.
Down went the man. Frank waited for two counts before returning to Joe. They edged around the unconscious kidnapper and down the hallway to the front door.
"Can you lean against the wall while I check outside?" whispered Frank.
Joe nodded and leaned against the wall for support as Frank stepped to the doorway. Seeing no one around, he returned to Joe and helped him out of the house and to the vehicle that must belong to the man inside.
There were no keys in the car but that didn't detour Frank. He popped the hood to check for the wires he needed to cross but couldn't figure it out. As he leaned in to ask Joe for help he saw his brother already fixing the wires on the inside of the car. He was biting down on his lip to keep from crying out as he used his swollen thumb to hold one wire while his good thumb and fingers worked on twisting another.
Frank climbed in as the engine gunned to life. "Hurry," Joe rasped through dry lips as his captor appeared in the doorway.
Frank threw the jeep into gear and hit the gas as a bullet smacked into the side of his door. More bullets followed as he took off down the road.
His dad had been able to find out that the auctions were being held in a little town less than forty miles north of Mandritsara but was unable to learn any details.
Frank climbed in the shower and lathered up his hair; a pointless thing to do since he would be greasing it down before he left in less than an hour, but if felt good none the less. After a few minutes he shut off the shower and got out. He slipped into a pair of pale blue boxers then pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans. A faded black tee shirt finished the outfit before he pulled open the bathroom door and stepped out.
Before he could blink a fist crashed into his jaw sending him reeling back. Two shadowy figures rushed at him and a damp cloth was put over his face. In seconds he was out cold with not even a glimpse of his attackers.
"I told you, I can't go back," said a familiar voice. Frank tried to open his eyes but couldn't because of the blindfold. "They found out who I was."
"Relax," another voice ordered the fake Joe, for Frank recognized the voice. "We'll work something out. At least you won't have to try and fool his brother anymore."
Frank strained to listen as the two men walked away but couldn't hear anything other than their muffled voices and even that was extinguished by the closing of a door. Once they were gone, Frank rubbed his head against the floor and managed to slide the blindfold up enough to see his prison. The room was dark and it took him a minute to distinguish shapes with only the barest amount of light that crept through the cracks around a solitary window that had been painted black.
The room wasn't very large and it was sparsely decorated with a cot and a small table holding a lamp but Frank couldn't make out anything else. He began struggling with the ropes that bound his wrists; twisting and turning as much as he could, but they were too tight. Not about to admit defeat, he rolled over to the doorframe and scooted to a sitting position. He listened for a bit to see if anyone was near and, hearing nothing, began rubbing the ropes up and down against the frame.
Almost forty minutes later, Frank felt the ropes start to give. Giving a sigh of relief, he rubbed as vigorously as his aching arms would allow. A few minutes more and his hands were free. Wasting no time, he yanked the blindfold from its position on his head and pulled the gag from his mouth before removing the rope from his ankles.
Finally freed from all of his trappings, Frank got to his feet. Leaning against the doorframe for support he waited as the familiar sensation of pins and needles assaulted him as his blood flow was once again established in its regularity. When he could once again support himself, he put his hand on the door's knob and gave it a turn. Considering how well they had tied him up he wasn't surprised to find they hadn't bothered locking the door.
He eased the door open and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. He wrinkled his nose and wiggled his toes as his left bare foot landed in a puddle of spittle. He wiped the bottom of his foot on his pants' leg then continued down the narrow hallway, stopping at the first door.
He doubted Joe was here since he had been imprisoned alone but he had to check. The first door he opened turned out to be a bathroom. The next door led to a bedroom with a bit more furniture than the room he had been in although the panes were also painted black. Only two more doors before the hallway ended and opened into a foyer where Frank could see a door leading outside.
He opened the next to the last door expecting to see another empty bedroom. "Joe!" he gasped, his brown eyes growing wide in horror. There on the floor of the bare bedroom lay his younger brother, bound hand and foot, with a gag in his mouth. His eyes were shut but one was swollen and had already turned several shades.
Frank hurried over to where he lay and reached for Joe's neck to check his pulse but Joe's good eye fluttered open. First fear and then utter relief flooded the blue eye.
"Easy, Baby Brother," Frank whispered as he removed the gag. "I'm going to get you out of here." Next he reached for the ropes that bound Joe's wrists, pausing in anger when he saw Joe's thumb, ripe with infection. He finished freeing Joe then helped him to his feet.
The sound of the front door opening reached their ears as they took their first tentative steps toward the door. "Shh!" hissed Frank, rushing forward and closing the door and then back to Joe's side to catch him before he fell to the floor.
Frank eased Joe into a sitting position then stepped to the side of the door and waited. Sure enough, seconds after the footsteps had receded down the hall Frank heard the steps running back toward them. The door was thrown open and a thirty-something man with dark hair and a dark complexion stood silhouetted in the doorway less than a second before Frank's fist connected with his jaw.
Down went the man. Frank waited for two counts before returning to Joe. They edged around the unconscious kidnapper and down the hallway to the front door.
"Can you lean against the wall while I check outside?" whispered Frank.
Joe nodded and leaned against the wall for support as Frank stepped to the doorway. Seeing no one around, he returned to Joe and helped him out of the house and to the vehicle that must belong to the man inside.
There were no keys in the car but that didn't detour Frank. He popped the hood to check for the wires he needed to cross but couldn't figure it out. As he leaned in to ask Joe for help he saw his brother already fixing the wires on the inside of the car. He was biting down on his lip to keep from crying out as he used his swollen thumb to hold one wire while his good thumb and fingers worked on twisting another.
Frank climbed in as the engine gunned to life. "Hurry," Joe rasped through dry lips as his captor appeared in the doorway.
Frank threw the jeep into gear and hit the gas as a bullet smacked into the side of his door. More bullets followed as he took off down the road.