Here it is chapter 2 of The Ransom.
Patrick Jane begins regaining conciseness with a slight headache and a slightly fuzzy brain, Where am I? He thinks. Memories start flooding into his brain and play out like a movie in his mind. The dead girl, him going for a walk to cool down, the creepy white van, and lastly him getting knocked out. Okay well that helps a little but still, where am I? he thinks curiously.
Jane slowly opens his eyes, having to blink repeatedly to clear his blurry vision. When it finally clears he observes his surroundings carefully. He's in a big open space, an abandoned warehouse, with empty crates and chains hanging from the ceiling.
He tries to move but finds his hands and legs bound to a hard metal chair, securing him tightly to it. Well that makes it easier to escape, He thinks sourly already tugging at the rough, itchy ropes.
"Ah, Mr Jane your awake," A gruff voice says from behind him. The voice is followed by multiple footsteps, approaching him, making Jane slightly nervous. They finally pass him and the 5 big men stand in front of him, their faces all covered with masks.
"Why am I here?" Jane asks, not really liking the fact that there are 5 giant men in front of him while he's tied to a chair. "Well Mr. Jane you will just have to find out as soon as we contact your boss?" The man in the middle with the best posture says, he is obviously the leader.
Jane watches carefully as the men set up a tripod with a camera and a table holding a laptop. "Blind and gag him," The leader instructs casually like those 4 words are the most common to say. "Oh, you really don't have to do that," Jane says nervously. "Shut up!" One of the men snaps tying the gag and then the blindfold onto Jane. "Okay Mr. Jane time to talk to your team," The leader says, followed by a very creepy very sadistic laugh.
The team arrives back at the station and head to their respective desks, so they can start working on the awful new case. When Cho arrives at his desk he notices a link to a web chat on the lit up screen. "Boss!" Cho yells, having a bad feeling about the link. "What is it Cho?" Lisbon asks appearing behind the man at the desk.
"There's this link to a web chat, I don't have a good feeling about it," Cho explains turning slightly to his boss. "Well the only think we can do it open it," Lisbon says ignoring Van-Pelt, who appears beside her, curious about the commotion.
With a sigh Cho clicks on the link and after loading for a minute it opens to a video link. What appears on the screen makes the three agents gasp in absolute shock. The video is of 5 men covered in black and wearing masks, all of them surrounding a gagged and blindfolded Jane, who is bound to a heavy metal chair.
The man standing in the middle with a in charge posture is the one to speak.
"Hello Agents as you can see we have your friend Mr. Jane here. You're probably wondering why he's here, David Arch. I want him released from jail in exchange for your consultant," The leader says, authority running in his voice.
"Van-Pelt run a background check on David Arch, Now!" Lisbon yells quickly. "Ah, Lisbon, always quick with what to do," the leader jokes with a laugh. "Boss, David Arch, a 23 year old man, charged with the death penalty for the death of 13 woman two months ago. His death will be carried out in 4 days, Boss this man is a serial killer," Grace says in shock.
"You want to prisoner swap for a serial killer?" Lisbon asks in shock. "Well of course, I mean he is my brother," The leader says with slight attitude. "I-it's not possible, the man is already convicted he's in jail," Van-Pelt says, Rigsby now appearing at her side. "As Van-Pelt said sir we cannot prisoner swap with a man in jail, it just doesn't work that way," Lisbon says to the man.
"Ah well in then, perhaps in 6 hours you will change your mind. Until that time the video feed will be kept active but communication will not, anyways enjoy the show," The leader says sadistically before approaching the computer and hitting a button, that obviously ends communication.
Jane listened to the whole conversation nervously, I mean who wouldn't be nervous. They want to do a prisoner swap with a serial killer, even Jane knows that isn't possible. What makes it even worse was the vague ending about them changing their minds and the show.
The blindfold and gag is ripped off him roughly and he quickly says, "So this show? Is it like, oh I don't know, Looney Toons or something?"
"Oh no Patrick, a much better show, one me and my friend here will enjoy much more," The man says with a small laugh. "James string him up," The leader says, waving to the biggest guy in the room. James then comes up to Jane and roughly unties him, being anything but gentle.
Once Jane is untied James grips him roughly by the hair and moves the chair while another man goes to one of the walls and hits a lever lowering one of the chains. When the chains are lowered far enough James pulls out a pair of handcuffs and hooks Jane to the chains. Once the handcuffs are on tightly, a little to tight if you ask Jane, the man near the lever hits it and the chains begin to rise.
The man lets go of the lever when Jane is only on the balls of his feet, the handcuffs digging into his skin roughly. Fear grows inside Jane's chest, like a fire getting stronger and bigger with the more fuel applied.
"Sam, Billy, John!" The leader yells, "Go outside and stay guard, we don't want any unwelcome guests," The leader says. Jane watches as the three men leave, even against there own want. Now the only people in the warehouse are Jane, the leader, and James.
James reappears in front of Jane holding a knife and cloth. "Oh well, the knife really isn't necessary," Jane says nervously. "Shut up!" James yells punching Jane in the gut roughly, causing him to lose his air for a couple seconds.
James takes the knife and cuts off Jane's vest and shirt, leaving him shirtless. James then throws the knife onto the ground and straighten out the cloth. James takes it and puts two pieces of it in his ears which makes it so can't hear anything. Next James blindfolds him. Great now I'm blindfolded and I can't here, Jane thinks sourly.
Jane waits fearfully for the next thing to happen, he gets the blindfold and cloth in his ears. It makes him scared, he doesn't know what's gonna happen or when it's going to happen, these men want him to terrified.
That's why the awful white hot pain across his back surprises him so much. When the pain comes again Jane can't help but let a scream escape his lips.