Happy New Year people! I'm sorry for the long wait but the holidays got in the way and finishing this chapter was a bit harder than I thought. Never the less, I welcome you back to the story with this next chapter.
The last chapter ended with Alex getting a call from someone about Vict being kidnapped. He was asked to go to a certain location alone. Of course, our Alex didn´t hesitate and slipped through Eagle´s watch in order to meet this person.
I asked if you guys wanted to read a chapter from Vict's PoV and you were down with it so here it is! This chapter takes us back in time a few hours before the phone call between Alex and the bad guy.
WARNINGS: considering I've written much worse sttuff, the violence in this chapter is pretty mild but it is there. Also, some psychological terror is in play. Our poor Vict is in for a tough time.
Again: Happy New Year and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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Chapter 7: Would you say he cares about you?
Victor wasn't a stranger to pain.
He once broke his arm when he was six years old and he thought climbing up trees was fun. He'd scraped his knees countless times when running around the park, just like every other kid his age had.
Then he'd learned what a fist to the stomach felt like and how much colliding with a wall could hurt. Of course, the occasional black eye wasn't out of the equation.
So no, he wasn't a stranger to pain. But even he had to admit that getting his skull almost cracked opened hurt. Like. Hell.
Victor woke up with his face already hidden in his pillow to muffle the groan he couldn't quite suppress. Even though he didn't think his head could hurt worse than the first night at the hospital, that morning was a close second.
Morning or afternoon? He had no idea how much he'd slept after his brain had finally decided to give him a reprieve from the constant flow of information being bombarded his way.
Alex being a spy. The crash not being an accident. Alex being a spy. Him lying about it. The secret service guy. Alex being a spy. Alex being a freaking spy.
It'd been hard falling asleep once the blond had left because his head wouldn't stop pounding. The fact the pain hadn't lessened after who knows how many hours of sleep was worrisome. And annoying.
Victor hoped he'd had enough presence of mind the night before to leave his phone charging. He honestly couldn't remember if he did.
It was mid-morning, the clock on his nightstand said, so he hadn't slept as much as he'd thought.
God... my head.
He needed painkillers. Now.
His phone showed no messages and just a couple of missed calls from the night before. Nothing since then. He was disappointed but not surprised. Alex usually wasn't one to start dificult conversations and Vict knew they needed to talk. About a lot of things.
He didn't want to think he'd overreacted, but how could he be expected to just asimilate that kind of information without a precessing period of time? He hated the way he'd kicked Alex out of the apartment but the pain in his head had been clouding his judgement and the suddennes of the situation didn't give him much room to be reasonable.
He yawned and against everything that screamed at him to just go back to sleep, he got up off the bed and made his way into the bathroom, the world spinning as he did so all the way there. At least he didn't throw up once he got there. The doctors had adviced for him to go back to the hospital if he started vomiting again like he'd done the first night.
After that, he debated between a light breakfast or just passing out on the couch. He wanted to avoid upsetting his stomach and risking another trip to the hospital, so he decided to pass out on the couch.
No bright lights, he remembered from the night before. The shutters on the windows were almost all the way down, something Alex made sure of whenever he stayed the night. Alex… could that be catalogued as paranoia? He knew the blond had trust issues amongh other things but he always attributed them to the abuse he'd suffered at the hand of that ucranian man. Could it be that there was more to that story? Was that story true at all?
Don't go there, he reprimended himself. Whatever was really going on in Alex's life, or double life or whatever, Victor was sure no one could fake reactions like the ones Alex had had when they met, the first few times they'd started to become intimate and the oh so slow process from then to where they were now. He wasn't sure how much of what the other boy had told him about his life was true or not, but at least of that, he was sure of.
Victor turned on the TV and set it at a low volume, not really focussing on the channel he`d chosen.
How could he know what was true and what was not? Did Alex love him? Did he not?
Victor rested the crook of his arm over his eyes. He somehow didn't want to know. If Alex didn't love him, if everything was a lie, he just didn't want to know. At least not right now. As long as Alex didn't deny it, as long as they didn't talk, there was still a chance this was all a nightmare and their relationship wasn't a lie.
Victor wasn't sure how much time he could get away with ignoring his phone and the outside world.
At least one day, he thought. He wanted to pretend that nothing had happened for at least one day.
The doorbell ringing brought his attention back in an instant. Was it Alex? The other boy had a key to his apartment but maybe he didn't feel confident enough to use it now. Did that mean he was coming over to end their relationship? Victor didn't want to find out. He could admit that he was angry, but he wasn't that angry.
The bell rang again and he got off the couch to see through the door peephole. The fact it wasn't Alex was a relief to him.
"Who is it?" He called out loud. There was a man on the other side of the door wearing a baseball cap and holding a small brown box in his arms.
"I have a package for Victor Allen?" a delivery guy then. He didn't remember ordering anything online but maybe Alex had before their fight. Maybe even before the movie. It wouldn't be the first time.
He opened the door.
The moment he unlocked it, the door was pushed in making him stumble a step back but he lost his footing altogether when the first thing he saw wasn't the box the man had thrown on his way in. It was a gun.
Victor tripped over his own feet in the hurry to get away from the weapon. He kept backing up because he was sure the man was going to fire at any second, just any second he's gonna shoot, he's gonna shoot me, he's gonna shoot. His heart was beating faster than it ever had in his life and he was sure if he breathed any louder he would start wheezing at any time.
The fact that the man holding the gun wasn't the only one only made things worse. Someone else walked into the apartment and closed the door behind them but Victor hadn't registered him in the first place because his mind had been solely focussed on the barrel of the gun being pointed straight at him.
It was the second man who walked purposefuly towards him and janked him up the floor by hauling his arm up.
He was surprised he found the courage to speak first.
"Y-you can take whatever you want" he offered in a trembling voice. The smirk the man holding the gun gave him was enough to confirm his worst fear.
"In that case, we're taking you with us" Victor instinctively tried to take a step back but the man holding into his arm prevented it by pushing him forward closer to the gun. He couldn't even take his eyes off the weapon. The man with the gun had shoulder length black hair and he was as tall as him, maybe even a bit more. He was strong too, because the way he was squeezing his upper arm to keep him in place was painful and would surely leave a mark. Then the man turned to his partner "Shoes. Phone" he ordered and the man dissappeared into his room.
Things were happening so fast he was having a hard time believing they were happening at all. He couldn't let himself get kidnapped. If he left the appartment and no one knew then he was as good as dead. No one would miss him, no one would even notice his dissappearance for a while, not when Alex was gonna keep his distance and he knew the other boy was going to take his time to reach out. If he got taken now, he was doomed. But what could he do? He couldn't fight his way out. He was no fighter, he was no Alex.
"Listen" he tried using the only thing he was good at: words "You don't have to do this. You can just walk away. I won't say anything"
"Shut up"
"Just take whatever else you want but leave me alone. You-"
"I said shut up!" He fell silent inmediately when the gun was jammed into his forehead. He screwed his eyes shut and held his breath because he was sure he'd just signed his death warrant but opened them again when the other man walked back into the living room and threw a pair a shoes his way "Put them on" he was ordered and he complied.
"I've got the phone" Victor glanced up from his hunched position on the floor where he was slipping into a pair of trainers and, sure enough, the man was waving his cellphone triumphantly above his head. He was ordered to hurry up and he finished tying the laces. The other man hadn't been kind enough to bring him a pair of socks as well.
But any thoughts of comfort fled from his mind when he was confronted by the sight of the gun being pressed unto his forehead again. He gasped.
"This is how it's going to work. We're going to walk out of here together and get into our vehicle downstairs and you're going to act like everything is normal. You make a sound or try to run or call someone's attention and you get one of this right between the eyes. Understood?" He finished tapping the gun against his head a couple of times. The man's proximity and the level of viciousness in his eyes were enough to turn his knees to jelly, and that's not even counting the threat he'd just been dealt with.
"Ye-yes" he couldn't make his voice stop trembling. After the words left his mouth he had just enough time to see the man's smirk before a fist collided painfully with his stomach, driving all the air out of him and making him drop to his knees. He gasped and clutched an arm around himself while the other one kept him from kissing the floor.
"I told you not to make a sound and that starts right now. Do you understand?" Victor was breathing heavily and it was the lack of air that saved him from making the same mistake twice. He wanted to argue with the man that he'd merely been answering a question, but he figured there'd be no reasoning with a man like this. So he swallowed hard and nodded his head. He didn't make a sound.
Again, he was hauled to his feet. The man hid the gun under his leather jacket and his partner put an hand at the back of his neck to guide him. How they thought they wouldn't look suspicious walking down the street like this was beyond him. After all, he was still wearing the clothes he'd slept with, a t-shirt and sweatpants.
As it turned out, the men didn't have to worry if they looked suspicious or not because no one was there to watch them. They descended the stairs without coming across anyone and the people on the street were just too far away to see anything clearly. For all they knew they were seeing three guys getting into a car. It wasn't even a van or an SUV. It was a plain model in a dull color. Completely normal.
What wasn't normal was the amount of fear coursing through Victor's veins at the moment. When once inside the backseat of the car his hands were secured behind his back with a zip tie he lost all hope.
He wondered why on earth had these people chosen to kidnap him. He didn't have any money, no family to vouch for him or pay a ransom, not really. He was pretty sure his uncle hadn't become suddenly rich with his new job and they hadn't even spoken for more than a year now.
And then it hit him. Alex.
The car crash had been a first attempt to kill them. Was this the second one?
Victor couldn't help the wave of resentment he was feeling towards the other boy even though it pained him to admit it. If he was being targeted now it had to be because of his involvement with the blond, because of his other life.
Victor had no idea how to actually feel about Alex right now.
The car took them to a construction site that looked more abandonned than not. It was a building that Victor wasn't sure if it was being demolished or constructed. There were no workers but the place didn't exactly look run down either. All he could make of it was that the buildings around it looked the same and they were alone in there.
He was guided through the ground floor around some crates and rubble until they reached a door on the first hallway they encountered.
The door was opened and he was lightly shoved inside what looked like a storage closet though it was completely empty. There were no supplies or cabinets, no shelves or furniture, there wasn't even a window.
"Hey" the man with black hair called to him making him turn around to face him "Boo!" Victor flinched involuntarily and his heart jumped in his chest. The man simply laughed and shut the door closed after him.
He was plunged into darkness. He remained rooted to the spot, his breathing tight and fast. He was so on edge that he'd let himself be scared of a children's game. These people were going to have a field trip with him.
After a few minutes though, he walked farther into the room and away from the door careful not to ram into the wall but waiting for his back to come into contact with it to let himself slide all the way down to the floor. He tried not to put too much weight on his tied arms but no matter what position he chose, his shoulders still suffered through the restraints. His wrists were also already irritated by the tight material.
He sighed in relief when no one inmediately came back onto the room. He needed some time to collect himself and think about his situation, not that there was actually anything for him to do except wait and pray no one would barge in and hurt him to get whatever the hell they wanted, which Victor had no idea how he could help them get.
He rested his head against the wall and started counting the minutes.
He lost count after 46.
Hours passed and all he knew was that he was thirsty, stiff and hurting. It was when the novelty of being locked inside the storage room had passed that his headache came back to the surface after having been ignored in favor of worrying about guns and scary thugs. The pulsing in his skull came back so viciously that he was sure his vision was blurred though all there was around for him to see was black.
There was a fine slit of light coming from the underside of the door but it was taking forever for his eyes to adjust to the barely there ilumination.
How much time had it been? Did he really want someone barging into the room to do who knew what to him?
But even if the prospect of facing that horrible man again was making his insides want to rebel, the idea of being stuck there forever was worse. What were they planning on doing with him?
As it turned out, he didn't have to keep waiting all that much to find out.
However calm he'd managed to remain in the hours he spent alone, the moment the sound of rattling keys reached his ears, Victor's heart renewed its relentless pace.
He opened the door and smiled at him devilishly. The man with the black leather jacket and shoulder lenght hair. Victor didn't know his name, nor did he actually want to because he was pretty sure he wouldn't forget a smirk like that any time soon. He didn't need to add the man's name to his future nightmares.
"Get up" he didn't wait to be ordered twice and with some dificulty he got back on his feet using the wall as support to counter the lack of balance from having his arms tied behind him. He was gestured to walk forward and out of the room but, instead of stepping back and giving him space, the man stayed were he was occupying at least half the threshold. When Victor walked by him he felt chills all over his body. He expected to be hit at any second and having the man at his back now only intensified the feeling. He flinched when a hand was put at the back of his neck to guide him along.
This man looked like he was enjoying his suffering, like making him flinch and threatening him to death was all he got up for in the morning. Victor was ashamed of even admitting to himself that he was scared of the guy.
He was guided to a wider office like room that held nothing but a dusty wooden table pushed to the side of it. The second man that had helped kidnap him was also there, but there was someone else too. A man in a navy blue shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows was pacing back and forth apparently waiting for them.
"So this is the boy" said the man to which the other two nodded. Victor noticed the man was joggling his phone from hand to hand.
The person handling his phone so carelessly was different from the other men Victor had had to deal with so far. He looked less intimidating, better dressed and definitely more sophisticated. The two men that had abducted him looked like hired muscle. This man looked like he was in charge. Was this the man who was after Alex? Victor didn't dare speak his question out loud. The heavy grip at the back of his neck reminding him of the consequences.
"You know Alex Rider, yes?" The man asked. His voice held an accent, Victor would even say it was southamerican, judging by the man's features, though he failed to see how that knowledge would be of help in his current predicament "Would you say he cares about you? That you're important to him?" Victor remained silent. He was sure the man knew the answer to those questions. He wouldn't have sent someone to kidnap him otherwise. But the man looked like he was waiting for an answer, which he would've given if the man at his back hadn't made his point so clear earlier.
But then the hand on his neck moved halfway towards his shoulder where the fingers squeezed a certain point that made Victor shout out and drop to his knees. The pressure was so great he was sure he would've dropped completely to the floor if the grip hadn't prevented it. The man's hair brushed against the side of his face when he spoke near his ear.
"He asked you a question" he spat between his teeth. Victor released a gasp when the pressure on his shoulder was removed. So he was allowed to talk now? He looked up and glared at the man in charge.
"Yes" he said, his voice carrying just the tiniest bit of anger. He knew there was no room to show an attitude around these people. The man made a hand gesture for him to continue.
"Yes you know him or yes he cares?" Victor hoped it was both.
"I know him" he answered instead. The man nodded and signaled his phone.
"Password?" Victor sighed in resignation. He wouldn't accomplish anything more than a beating by keeping it a secret. The hand still loosely gripping his shoulder was proof of that. He blurted out the four digit password and watched as the man began going through his phone.
"You know, the thing has been ringing all day. Can you guess who it was?" Was this a question he was supposed to answer? He had no clue. The man showed him the screen where he could see a few text messages displayed "Can we talk… I can explain better… please s'more" the man laughed when he finished reading the texts "Well that answers my question" Victor dropped his gaze and looked away. There was no doubt the messages came from Alex. He had reached out. Apparently he had been reaching out all day.
"What do you want?" he didn't even think before whispering his question. Thankfully no pain followed his slip up.
"Let's give him a call"
The man put the phone against his ear and waited for the call to go through. Victor felt a light kick on his foot and he looked up at the man behind him. The man put a finger against his lips in the international sign to be quiet.
So it was back to not talking, he thought with annoyance. The smirk behind the finger was enough to let him know there'd be consequences if he did.
"Not quite" the voice of the man in charge brought his attention back to him. Alex had answered the call "He says hi though"
Victor wanted to scream out to Alex so bad. It was like an irrational impulse to let him know he was there, to ask for help. He bit his tongue though.
"We'll get to that…We'll also get to that" there was no way of knowing what his boyfriend was saying and Victor could only guess through the half way conversation.
"I see patience is going to be an issue with you, Rider. Or can I call you Alex?"
Rider. Everyone kept calling him that.
"He's close by" the man made eye contact with Victor. A small smile playing on his lips "I could but he wouldn't be able to speak through the gag"
Victor frowned. What gag? He certainly hoped no one would give him one.
"Oh, I could make him scream through it, if you like" this time, Victor could hear a shout coming from the other end of the line. It wasn't loud enough to actually understand what was said, but the meaning was clear.
Victor's breathing fastened a bit. What the man had said was clearly a threat, one that he had no doubt Mr. Leather would love to make true. But it was also a russ. He wasn't gagged and he wanted Alex to know that they were lying to him, but he didn't dare break his silence. They're manipulating him.
"First, I want you to not tell anyone about this particular situation. Then, I want us to meet… I'll text you the adress. Be there in half an hour. Remember, no cops, no friends, no uncles or dear little s'more here gets burnt"
S'more. He had no right to be using that word! That was between Alex and him, he couldn't just- half an hour? He was going to see Alex in half an hour?
"30 minutes" the man ended the call as if to clarify that yes, he was going to see Alex in half an hour.
Part of him felt guilty at wishing Alex came to the meet, knowing that these people probably just wanted to kill him and be done with it, but the other part, the scared-out-of-his-mind part needed to see him, to see anyone other than the men trying to hurt Alex and hurting him in the process as well.
For a second there, Victor feared they were going to trick the other boy by not even taking him to the place they'd set up the meeting at, but an order from the man who had spoken to Alex made his two thugs drag him to the same car used to bring him here.
Whatever small relief he'd felt at tagging along died quickly when he remembered what they actually wanted Alex for. They wanted to kill him and they were using him to lure him to their arms.
Then his thoughts went back to that morning, when he was kidnapped in the first place.
The men hadn't covered their faces, they hadn't covered his eyes on the way to the building. He didn't know their names but he knew what they looked like.
Victor wasn't naive. He'd seen the movies and he'd read the books. More importantly, he'd seen the news. He knew a really high porcentage of kidnap cases never turned out well for the victim.
No matter what these people wanted, wether Alex showed up or not, they were going to kill him either way. He was going to die.
I'm gonna die.
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This chapter turnoed out to be shorter than I had meant, but at a certain point I felt like I was dragging things along and I didn't want to compromise the integruty of the chapter just to make it longer.
More chapters are coming. I promise! I sometimes may take a little more time than usual to update bu you know I always finish my stories. I'm in love with these two (Alex and Vict) and I won't stop writing about them for a very, very long time.
Next chapter: Alex meets the bad guy! Does the bad guy merely wants to kill Alex and then Vict as collateral or is there a hidden agenda somewhere? You'll find out soon.
Thenk you to everyone who's reviewed this story and the last chapter. I'm really looking forward to reading your comments on this one. You know reviews always get me to just drop everything I'm doing at the moment and just get back to writing the story, even when I should be studying for my exams.
See you later guys!