Chapter 22
Sunday, little later.
"Ping-slice, slice, slice. Ping-slice, slice, slice. Ping-slice, slice, slice."
I try to open my eyes, but I'm blindfolded. I continue to hear someone cutting the steak on the plate in front of me. I hear them close, moving around me. I hear bare feet on concrete.
My head goes up, and looks around. Whoever it is, she'll notice soon enough.
She finishes cutting the steak, then whispers in my ear.
"What did you mean, when you said we have something more than just the physical?"
My head turns in her direction. She's close. I can feel her just to my left.
"You don't...feel it to?" I ask, "Like, you know me...more than just what your files say...you know how I'm going to respond to all your crazy, and yet all I have is a black eye, a little starved...If this was a real abduction, I would be dead by now...You know I have no money, no family...Why else am I still alive?"
She doesn't respond for a moment. And I start to second guess my choice of words.
"Open your mouth." She whispers in my ears.
I'm hesitant, not sure of what's going in.
Then it touches my lips. A small piece of steak and the familiar A1 spicy tang hits my dry lips. It stings, but so delicious at the same time. My moan is muffled by the juicy meat and sauce. The first "food" I've had in over a day.
"You know we can't...this is a job. Just, a job."
I shake my head no in defiance. Not going to win verbally.
She waits for me to swallow, before lightly touching my lips with forkfuls of food, never responding with more. I feel her right hand on my neck, as she silently feeds me.
After a couple of moments of this intimacy, her hand moves away.
"What's your-"
She cuts me off by shushing me in my ear, and sticking another mouthful in.
After another bite, there is a pause, then the food is to my mouth. The baked potato. I taste the potato, butter, chalk.
Chalk?
Drug! No!
"No! Your-"
She shoves another mouthful in, as I try to spit it out. Her hand covers my mouth. I'm resisting, restrained, pretty much fucked.
With half a mouthful of food, I speak threw her closed hand, "You're drugging me?!"
"Mommy and mommy have some things to discuss." She calmly states in a low voice.
"You tried to lie to me, after I'm nothing but honest-"
"You need food, and real sleep. We haven't been...particularly nice to you, let's call this a night off."
"So just trust the kidnapper, and take the mystery drug she sneaks in my meal!? Tell me again which one you are? The one who punches me when we have a breakthrough or the one who ruins my career!?"
"I'm...not sorry for...a lot of things I've done in my life. What I've done for the movement. Some parts of my past, heh, some of the guys I blackmailed. I took down a four star general...but for some reason...I am sorry for punching you."
The blonde.
"I...truly am. I don't know why?! I mean, you're a man; you can take a punch, right? Why is it, this stupid-smart ass-defiant-NERD, keeps me...excited? Keeps me questioning...I don't know what this is becoming, but you're going to have to trust me... Here, last bite."
Before I can resist, it's forked into my mouth. She holds my jaw shut, and I hang my head down, chewing reluctantly.
Her words start drowning out as I start to feel a little vertigo. The blindfold isn't helping.
"I'm also sorry, but I drugged the A-1...It does a great job of concealing...You might be feeling it already."
"I'm...no. Don't...don't do this."
"Too late."
"Your...whyyou do this?"
Words not right. My heads bobbing. I'm fucked.
"Don't lemme fall in the food."
"You're fine."
"Tellme-somthinn."
"What, Mr. Slurs"
"Anyfang...yuu...yuu drugged me, makeme sleep bettrr."
My head is swimming. I swear I'm hearing the ocean. Waves crashing over and over. I can't remember if my eyes are open or closed. My pain is gone; my body is going numb, with tingles in my feet and hands.
"Your sources are still alive. No one knows yet."
In between crashing waves, I hear her.
Crash.
"I'm not sorry we took you."
Crash.
I see an ocean I'm falling towards. And my face lands on a comfy pillow.
Crash.