Let me be your captive

Sophia Patel

The thin sliver of dawn barely pierced the window, casting a dull, metallic light across the room. Sophia lay curled on the mat, a knot of raw nerves and exhaustion. Every breath was a struggle against the tight cloth gag, every twitch of her bound wrists a futile protest. She hadn't slept, the very idea of closing her eyes in such a place, under such circumstances, a terrifying prospect.

The heavy thud of the door being unlatched jolted her. It was them. Leonardo entering first, followed by Ryder. The air immediately thickened, charged with hostility and Sophia’s profound vulnerability.

Ryder, carried a metal plate laden with something that smelled vaguely of toast and eggs. Leonardo strode over to Sophia, his gaze raking over her bound form. He stooped low and with a surprisingly gentle but firm motion, he reached out and untied the gag from her mouth. The material scraped against her dry lips, and she gasped in a ragged breath, the immediate relief almost overwhelming.

"Ryder, untie her hands," Leonardo instructed, his voice low, gravelly. Ryder moved with practiced ease, his fingers quick on the knots. Sophia winced as the ropes chafed her wrists, leaving angry red marks. She rubbed them instinctively, trying to restore circulation to her numb fingers.

Leonardo remained crouched, his eyes fixed on her. "Eat," he ordered, gesturing to the plate Ryder now held out. "Eat, before you die of hunger. Your survival depends on it."

Sophia stared at the plate, then at Leonardo’s unyielding face. Her stomach rumbled in protest, a betrayal of her resolve, but her mind was a steel trap. She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly, and snatched the plate from Ryder’s hand. Sophia brought the plate close, feigning an attempt to eat, her gaze darting between the two men. Then, with a sudden, forceful shove, she thrust the plate sideways. It clattered against the wall, overturning with a dull thud.

A sharp, stinging slap cracked across Sophia’s cheek. Her head snapped to the side as she brought a hand to her throbbing cheek, her jaw tight.

"Worth," Leonardo snarled, his voice a low growl, "do you know the worth of that food you just spilled? Eh? Do you?"

Sophia, her cheek throbbing, spat defiantly. "I’m not eating anything," she choked out, her voice hoarse but firm, "not a single morsel, until you let me go!"

Leonardo leaned closer, his face inches from hers, his eyes burning with an almost feral intensity. "Then be prepared for either survival or death, girl," he hissed. "Because your survival, your very breath, depends on how quickly your father pays the ransom."

Sophia scoffed, a dry, humourless sound. "I’d rather die," she declared, hatred burning in her eyes, "than have a penny of my father’s money soil your filthy hands. You hear me? My father… he’ll make you pay! You’ll regret this, both of you."

Another sharp c***k echoed in the room as Leonardo’s hand connected again, this time across her other cheek. Her head snapped sideways again, the impact sending dizzying stars behind her eyes. "You’re making a hell of a noise, aren’t you?" he muttered, his voice dangerously low.

Sophia ignored the stinging pain, her adrenaline surging. "My phone!" she demanded, her voice trembling but unbroken. "Give me my phone! One call to my father, and you’re done for. You think you’re clever? You think this is a game? Let me go now, before he even knows I’m gone. Now, while I can still forgive you, while I can still decide to keep quiet." She knew it was a lie, a desperate, flimsy plea, but she clung to it.

Leonardo’s jaw clenched. "Keep your mouth shut," he commanded, his voice tight with barely contained rage. "Must I hit you to instill sense into that thick skull of yours? It seems you’re strong-headed, aren’t you? And it seems you’ve forgotten where you are. You’ve forgotten that you’ve been kidn*pped. This ain't some game"

He grabbed her wrist forcefully, his grip like iron. Sophia gasped, trying to yank her hand free. He pulled her closer, his gaze dissecting her, as if trying to assess the worth of his prize, the extent of his gamble. "What’s your name?" he demanded, his eyes boring into hers.

Sophia struggled against his grip, twisting her wrist, but it was futile. She glared straight back at him, defiance warring with a sliver of fear. "Sophia Patel," she spat, the name ringing with an unexpected resonance in the silence of the room.

The words hung in the air, a silent bomb. A shockwave went through Leonardo. His grip immediately loosened, then dropped completely. His face, usually a mask of hardened indifference, contorted. He looked at her, truly looked at her, as if seeing her for the first time, and the gravity of their monumental mistake slammed into him. Sophia Patel. The target was meant to be insignificant but not her.

Sophia, still rubbing her wrist, saw the shift in their expressions. A surge of perverse satisfaction went through her. "Does the name ring a bell?" she taunted, a triumphant, almost manic edge to her voice. "See? I told you. My father’s going to deal with you. Once he finds the tiniest piece of information about this, you’re done for."

Leonardo’s face darkened, the brief moment of shock replaced by a fresh wave of fury. He lunged forward, his hand shooting out to grab her neck, fingers pressing hard against her windpipe. "Shut the hell up!" he growled, his voice a ragged whisper of pure venom.

Their eyes locked, a fierce, primal confrontation. Sophia’s face flushed, her breath catching in her throat, but even then, her green eyes blazed with an unyielding anger. She grumbled, gagging slightly, her hands coming up to claw at his arm, struggling to yank his hand from her throat.

With a sudden, violent shove, Leonardo released her, sending her stumbling backwards, before catching herself just before she fell. He turned sharply to Ryder, his voice clipped and cold, devoid of emotion. "Gag her. Tie her up again. Now."

Without another word, Leonardo turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Ryder stood rooted for a moment, his eyes on the closed door, then on Sophia. The mischievous gleam in his brown eyes was gone, replaced by a flicker of something she couldn’t quite decipher – concern? Guilt? He took a hesitant step towards her. "You want to go home, right?" he murmured, his voice softer than she'd heard it, almost conspiratorial. "Look, I can help you, but you need to listen to me…"

Before he could finish, a sharp, urgent call echoed from outside the door. "Ryder!" Leonardo’s voice, though muffled, was laced with impatience.

Ryder flinched, his eyes darting to the door, then back to Sophia. She stared at him, silent, unblinking, her expression unreadable. Whatever fleeting offer he had considered, it dissolved under the weight of Leonardo’s presence. His face hardened, the brief vulnerability vanishing. He moved quickly, almost frantically. "Right," he muttered, grabbing the gag and the ropes from where they’d been discarded.

Sophia, despite her exhaustion, wrestled against him, twisting, kicking, making it as difficult as possible. She wouldn’t make it easy for them, not ever. But Ryder was stronger, quicker. In moments, her hands were bound again, tighter this time, and the suffocating cloth was back over her mouth, clamping her protests into muffled grunts.

He didn’t linger. As soon as the last knot was secure, Ryder scurried out, closing the door softly behind him, leaving Sophia alone once more in the echoing silence.

She lay on the floor, her body trembling, her cheeks burning from the slaps, her throat aching from Leonardo’s grip. Her eyes fell on the spilled food, a messy accusation on the floor. A wave of hunger, sharp and undeniable, washed over her, twisting her empty stomach. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to rip the gag from her mouth and curse them all to hell. Muffled by the cloth, a string of incoherent, angry sounds escaped her, a guttural growl of frustration and pure, unadulterated rage.

The anger, however, was quickly overwhelmed by a profound weariness. Tears pricked at her eyes, then spilled over, tracing hot paths down her temples. She was tired. The fight drained out of her, replaced by a heavy, crushing despair. Eventually, with a shuddering breath that hitched in her chest, Sophia curled into a tight ball, her body aching, and succumbed to the dark, exhausted embrace of sleep.