Here is chapter 2, let me know what you think :) .

They were led back down the stairs all the way to the second floor and entered a large living room. The lights were on now. Apparently their captors weren't worried about being caught.

He watched as Illya was pushed in a massive chair, they tied his ankles to the feet of the chair, and used another length of rope to tie his wrists and ankles together at the back of the chair.

Not good, Napoleon thought.

He himself was forcibly seated in another chair opposite Illya's.

"So, now that we are all warm and cozy, are you prepared to tell us what you did with our file?"

The leader kept addressing Solo, as if he was the one in charge, but his eyes were lingering on the Russian. This made Napoleon feel uneasy.

"I told you we don't know anything about your file, but if you would just release us, maybe we could help you look for it?"

Napoleon's voice was calm, his face composed, but he could feel that his pulse had quickened.

The leader smiled pleasantly.

"I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. Now let's see exactly what your partner means to you." He gestured to one of the two men who were standing behind Illya, "Cover his mouth".

The man produced a roll of duct tape and started wrapping it around Illya's head, covering his mouth.

Napoleon frowned. What were they doing? Was that to muffle Illya's screams? But why bother? The house was completely isolated. No one lived nearby. Gaby had told them that the owner rarely used the mansion, and he was away on a business trip so he wouldn't be coming here anytime soon.

They finished wrapping several layers of tape over Illya's mouth and chin. The Russian had struggled a bit and was now breathing rather heavily through his nose. The leader mockingly cocked his eyebrows.

"Now, now, what a noisy breather! We can barely hear ourselves think. I'm pretty sure that you will need some peace and quiet to be able to remember where you put our file"

The man raised his hand to Illya's face and that's when Napoleon put the pieces together.

He watched in horror as the leader pinched his partner's nose shut. The breathing sounds stopped. Illya immediately started struggling but the duct-tape man was behind him, firmly holding his head up, preventing him from moving.

"So, is your memory returning now?"

Napoleon looked into Illya's eyes, they were focused on him. The Russian was frowning and attempting to shake his head. Napoleon got the message "Don't give in, I can take it".

He gave an imperceptible nod and answered,

"To be honest, I find that his breathing helps me concentrate. Mind turning it back on?"

The leader smiled and turned his attention back to the Russian whose face was turning red and who was now struggling even harder.

Illya was starting to panic. He knew the man was not going to kill him just yet. He was only playing with him. He needed him as leverage to make Napoleon talk. But knowing that was little consolation. His chest was hurting, he could feel his heart jackhammering against his ribcage as if angry that Illya was not doing his job of supplying his body with enough oxygen. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe!

Napoleon was looking at Illya. He saw the flash of panic in his partner's eyes. How long had this been going on? 2? 3 minutes? How long could his partner hold his breath? The leader looked unconcerned, he was smiling, enjoying himself. Napoleon needed to make it stop. The man was capable of 'accidentally' killing Illya. He needed to buy them some time…

"You might want to be careful or you'll break your new favorite toy", Napoleon said coldly.

"Oh don't concern yourself, I know what I'm doing, he's not even passed out yet, we're just getting started. Anything else you want to tell us now?"

Napoleon remained silent.

The man finally let go of Illya's nose and the Russian immediately started inhaling desperately through his nostrils, his chest heaving. In a mock affectionate gesture, the man patted Illya's sweat matted hair.

Solo let out a small sigh of relief. His relief was short lived though.

"Come now, your turn, just give it a try, you'll enjoy it"

The gun was back against Solo's back, encouraging him to get up and move closer. Napoleon felt his heart sink but managed to keep a calm voice.

"I'm pretty sure you're doing fine on your own"

The leader smiled.

"I insist. Or we can just shoot him dead right now, your choice"

One of the men standing to the right of the chair produced a gun and placed the muzzle against Illya's forehead.

Napoleon felt a drop of sweat trickle down his spine.

"You won't shoot him, or you'll lose your leverage"

"See that's where you're mistaken. I'm merely having fun here, but if you don't play along, I'll dispose of our big friend and take my chances with you"

Napoleon didn't know what to think, he had a hunch that the man was bluffing but he didn't want to risk Illya being shot on the spot.

Then he heard the leader's voice "Shoot him"

"Wait!", Napoleon shouted, struggling against the men holding him. The leader raised a hand, delaying the execution.

"Wait…", Napoleon said again, having composed himself, "I'll tell you where I hid the file".

He glanced at Illya, his partner's brows furrowed. Napoleon could almost hear the Russian's indignant tone "What do you think you are doing, Cowboy?"

The voice of the leader had him look away.

"Good. I'm glad you're finally coming to your senses. You will show us where you hid the file…after you've played with your partner for a while"

With a sadistic smile, the leader gestured for him to position himself in front of the chair.

Napoleon grimly complied. There was nothing else he could do. He was seriously hoping that Gaby would be there with help soon.

The man who had been holding the gun to Illya's head took a few steps back. The gun was now trained on the Russian's heart. No choice…

He raised his bound hands to his partner's face and hesitated. Illya's eyes seemed to be telling him "Do what you have to do, it's okay".

No it was not okay, it had taken some time before he'd started considering the Russian as a friend. He didn't want to torture his friend.

His eyes shifted again to the gun aimed at Illya's heart. Come on Gaby, hurry…

Then he pinched his partner's nose shut.

End of chapter 2