Warning: The following chapter contains violent scenes which some viewers might find distressing. Don't like, don't read. ;)

November 23rd

The enclosed space of his cell was beginning to make Jamie go crazy, as was the solitude. He had not seen a single human face for a long time - how long exactly, he wasn't sure. There were no windows and the lights were turned on and off irregularly, which was very effective if you wanted your captive to loose track of time completely. Even when his captor visited, which was a rare occasion, he wore a white mask, thereby earning him the nickname Casper. Jamie had given it to him when he had heard his voice during the first days. He had kind of hoped Casper would turn out to be as harmless as Casper the friendly ghost, although that was highly unlikely. Jamie snorted, pacing, his hands clasped behind his back.

His eyes shot everywhere, lingered on the camera, the TV, the walls, the hard bed and even the toilet, just to avoid the sight of the most prominent furniture in the room. A massive iron chair war dominating in the middle of the room, its legs welded to the floor. On its armrests, thick iron cuffs were fastened. Jamie had examined them extensively, but the mechanism that made them open and close was not accessible without tools. He hated that chair, hated what it symbolized. Even though sitting down on it was the only way he received food and water. Every time he obeyed the command, it felt as if he was giving up. He hated giving up.

"Stupid chair", he murmured, relaxing when he heard his own raspy voice. His fingers loosened and he came to sat down on the bed, waiting for something to happen, for his family to finally show up at the doorstep, preferably with guns blazing. Of course his trust in the others, especially in Danny had never wavered, but as the days passed, he'd become restless. Anger had followed, days in which he had trashed the cell, throwing the bed and raging, having nowhere to go. Then hollowness had set in, though Jamie never allowed himself to despair. That was until he saw his brother weep at the tombstone with his name on it. Now the hopelessness war inching closer every second, so Jamie was almost happy when the voice from the microphone told him to take a seat.

"Fuck you", he answered, staring at the red dot of the camera. If this was the only way to fight this, to fight his personal hell, he would. Rattling laughter rang through the cell. Jamie nearly winced, stepping back from the door and readying himself for an attack. There were no weapons he could use, of course, as he'd been stripped of everything, even his belt, jacket and shoes. It doesn't matter, he told himself, us Reagans don't go down without one hell of a fight.

"Come and get me, asshole", Jamie reconsidered, sitting down. The cuffs clicked closed, but the fire in his eyes only soared higher, his fists balled. When a female voice rang out, he cringed, surprised beyond measure. His hands opened and suddenly the door flew open, giving entrance to a large woman that was carrying a handgun.

"Nice to meet you", she said in a flat voice. For a moment, Jamie stared, trying to get his bearings. She was a few years older than him. Tall, wide shoulders, light skin, flaming orange hair that was braided to one side and lots of freckles. His goddamn captor had freckles?

"Who are you?", he demanded, flexing his trapped hands uncomfortably. His bare feet were free, but what chance did he have against that lady with her gun? Anger at his predicament warred against the fear that was threatening to take over. Jamie chose to be furious.

"Who the hell are you? Get me out of... mmpf", he started until a hand was placed on his mouth, effectively cutting of his curses. He bit down hard, drawing blood.

"Ouch!" She yelped, pulling her fingers away and backhanding him, although it seemed to be more of a reflex, judging from her flushed expression. Then, inexplicably, she grinned at him.

"Quite the little lion pup", she stated almost teasingly, "This was not how it was supposed to go, you know? I'm not here to hurt you, in fact I just wanted to get a look at you."

"And why is that?", he asked, incredulous. Blood was running from his lips, tasting salty and filling him with dark pride. It might have been a girl tactic to bite, but what else was he supposed to do in his position? At least he'd done some kind of damage.

"Let's say I'm here because the landlord wanted me to check on his neighbors."

"That makes no sense at all. We're not in the middle ages."

"No, but we're in Mexico, far out and away from the cities", she answered without a hint of humor in her dead brown eyes. Jamie paused, wondering how long he'd been unconscious after the car crash. He remembered pain, a hit to his already throbbing head and then darkness descending. It might have been possible to keep him under with drugs, a little voice in the back of his mind argued. Mexico. Oh God, how was his family supposed to find him if he wasn't even in the country any longer? Unwilling to show his feelings, he clenched his jaws shut and waited. The woman watched so closely that he almost wanted to bite her again.

"How are they treating you?", she asked politely, coming closer. Instinctively, Jamie leaned back, his head reeling from all his unspoken questions.

"Aside from the fact that I'm locked up?", he quipped sarcastically, surprised when she nodded. Thinking about it, his imprisonment could have been a lot worse. The stress was mostly on the mind, he decided, remembering the funeral scenes. Of course he wouldn't tell that strange woman about it as she was very likely Casper's accomplice in some way.

"You're unhurt." It was more a statement than a question, because she'd been lifting up his shirt to look at his pale, smooth chest. And the woman was right, except for his injuries from the car crash he hadn't been touched. The blood on his shirt was dried, days, maybe weeks old.

"Good", she said impassively before stepping back and turning to go, leaving him at the mercy of whoever was behind that camera. Not even looking back once, not caring whether he would die.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" Now Jamie struggled against his bonds, trying to get up and reach for her. Although he still had no idea what this visit had been about, he knew things weren't going to get better once she was gone. But slowly the door slid shut, blocking his view from the woman. What the hell?! Patiently, he waited for the clicking sound that would release his wrists. Nothing happened and after a while he got agitated, frowning at the camera in annoyance. If this was meant to intimidate him, it would not be working. Danny had told him all about scare tactics and ways to screw with the mind, actually tried a few on him when he was younger. From there on, he was not flustered as easily. When the door opened again, Jamie kept his face carefully blank, recognizing the white plastic mask as the one of his captor.

"What a day, two visits", he commented snidely, balling his fists, only now noticing that the man wasn't carrying food as usual. Jamie's insides turned cold, his breath quickening in anticipation. He'd always known that just keeping him contained would not be the end, dreading and dreaming about the next step, maybe a chance for escape. Both men remained silent, sizing each other up. The man was circling him like a shark, but Jamie refused to be prey.

Suddenly, the man grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back. Jamie cried out, more from shock than pain, which made Casper conceal a smile under the mask.

"Say hi to your family, little Reagan. We're live", he hissed into Jamie's ear before he let go to point at the camera. Things finally fell into place as Jamie understood how fragile his position really was. He wasn't even the target of his captor's wrath, just and instrument to torture his family. Somehow this was even worse than being kidnapped by a random psycho.

"Danny is gonna rip you to pieces", he uttered, grinning a little as he pictured the scene. When the man only laughed and patted him on the cheek roughly, Jamie realized he'd done exactly as the man wanted him to. Fine, then he was not going to say anything from now on.

"Wrong answer", the man said with delight, rounding the chair once more and coming to stand directly in front of Jamie. His open hand whipped back and connected with Jamie's cheek.

"You hit like a girl", Jamie remarked, faking bravery by thinking of Danny. His brother wouldn't have been afraid, so neither would he. His captor's face reddened in anger and the next blow was faster, the fist closed. Immediately, Jamie's eyes watered from the sting, but before he could brace himself, a vicious kick to his unprotected ribs tore the breath from his lungs. The world went all hazy and black for a moment, then the pain hit him like a wall of cold water, bringing him back around. Jamie gasped.

"Smile for the cameras", the man said, again sitting Jamie up straight by pulling his head back. Drama for the audience, Jamie realized and with a start, he remembered what possibilities the recording presented. If that camera indeed sent a live-stream to his family, he had been given the key to his quick rescue. The young police officer frowned, thinking hard. Then he did smile, but not at the camera, but at the man holding him hostage.

"I'm in Mexico", he said loudly and clearly. Rage didn't even begin to cover what happened then. The man literally went berserk, kicking and punching and aiming for all the painful places he could reach. At some point, Jamie gave up his act of invincibility and screamed in agony as he was hit over and over.

"Tell them what will happen if they come looking for you! Tell them I will kill you long before they'll be able to get here!", Casper shouted, kicking out. Jamie looked up, his nose bleeding heavily. "Wouldn't that be redundant since you already told them?" He spit on the floor, pain and fear colliding with his reluctance to give in. For a heartbeat, Jamie considered to keep insulting Casper, but in truth there was nothing to gain other than a more severe beating. Would that madman eventually kill him if he didn't get what he wanted? No need to find out, Jamie thought and winced when his head was knocked against the chair by a powerful blow.

"Don't search for me! Just don't. I'll be okay." Which was the biggest lie he'd told yet. But as he stared up at his tormentor with growing dread, he knew nothing he said would matter. Danny, Frank, Henry, hell, even Erin, Nicki and Linda would go out of their way to find him. This was far from over.

Casper nodded, satisfaction written all over his posture. He refrained from punching his victim any further, seeing that his primary goal had been achieved. None of the Reagan's would dare to come close, thereby risking sweet Jamie's health - or what was left of it, anyways. Dark memories rose like bile in his throat, scenes from his own ordeal so many years back. It felt different today, less depressing now that he was finally enacting his revenge. And revenge he would get. He would destroy his enemies like they had destroyed him, only this time he would be thorough.

"Stay tuned for the next episode", Casper said with a wink in the direction of the camera before he abruptly left the room. Jamie collapsed as soon as his bloody wrists were released, choking on his own blood. He barely made it to the toilet before the heaving began. One thought kept echoing through his muddled brain. The next episode.