Zero Gets Kidnapped (M/m, M/mf)

[Redman]

Been a while, folks. So, here's a request from Zero! Enjoy!
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The house was dark except for one tv. That complicated the robber's plans. The house was supposed to be empty. But his information was mistaken.

The crook sighed and crept up to the back of the house. He'd have to subdue whoever was in there. But first, he'd pick the lock. He managed that with ease, then slipped silently into the kitchen.

A roll of duct tape was handy, so he grabbed it. He could hear a tv in another room, so he went there first. Up the stairs, first door on the left. He could hear some horror movie playing, and saw the flicker of a tv light.

The crook pushed open the door to find a young boy, about 12 years old, lounging on his bed in a pair of shorts. The boy jumped and looked at him in shock.

"What the... Who are you?!"

The burglar crossed the room and grabbed the boy. He clamped his hand over his mouth. "Not a sound. Is there anyone else in the house?"

The kid shook his head.

"Good. Now, get on the floor. I'm going to make sure you don't go anywhere."

The kid complied, and the burglar began taping his hands behind his back.

"My sock drawer is the top one" the kid said softly.

"What?" The burglar asked.

"My sock drawer. So you can gag me."

The burglar stopped and pondered this a moment. It wasn't the first time he'd heard about this phenomenon. Why, a team of burglars across the pond were infamous for tying up homeowners and the kids enjoying themselves. The Games Player, the media called him.

But he'd never encountered a willing captive like this before.

After securing the boy's ankles and knees, he stood and found a reasonably clean pair of socks. He rolled one up and knelt before his captive.

"Open up." He said.

"Yes sir," the boy replied meekly, and he complied.

The burglar stuffed the boy's mouth and then wrapped duct tape around his head to gag him. A quick tickle on his foot proved the gag worked.

The burglar began moving around the house, searching for valuables. No appliances, as was his rule. Jewelry and cash were his forte. And the kid was telling the truth: nobody else was home. It seemed the mother had taken the girl wherever she was going, leaving her son home alone.

And then, he had an idea.

If a boy enjoys being tied up by a burglar, perhaps he would enjoy a more intense game. And the large amount of stocks and bonds that he found in the house gave him a more valuable prize.

"Okay kid." The burglar said. "How about we go for a little ride? Sound fun?"

The kid's eyes widened. A mix of fear and excitement. The burglar placed another sock over his eyes and used the tape to blindfold his captive. He hauled the kid out of the house like a sack of potatoes, to his van in the back.

And the kid didn't struggle even once! Now he had to make a ransom demand...

[Ducttapemouth]

OMG!!! I loved this story. I can't wait for the other part.

[bondagefreak]

Welcome back to the league of writers [mention]Redman[/mention]!

First thing I gotta say is that this story deserves a better title.

Lovely little plot.
How generous of our young captive to help out his clueless captor like that!

Great writing. Looking forward to reading whatever else you have in mind for our kidnapper and his volunteer-victim

[Zero]

I love it! Thanks for accepting my story request!

[lepangolin]

I love it, more please!

[squirrel]

Great story. I hope the burglar will keep the kid tied up as his hostage for several days; this way both the kidnapper and the victim would have a lot of fun together

[David Han]

Nice beginning to the story. Looking forward to the next part

[alkaid_]

wow... a nice hostage...

Fantastic story... and I'm think it deserves a new and great title

[Redman]

Y'all gotta give me a bit! Lol. I'm in the middle of a special project for the board!
@Zero what should the story be titled, since you are the prisoner in it?

[MrGagged]

This story is already off to a great start, and I want to read more of it.

[Zero]

Y'all gotta give me a bit! Lol. I'm in the middle of a special project for the board!
@Zero what should the story be titled, since you are the prisoner in it?

How about...House Robbery Successful? Or Robbery turns into Kidnapping?

[Redman]

At last! Part 2 is here. Frankly, I got preoccupied with a non-tugs story, so that's what took so long. Basically, my other characters sort of insisted that I keep working on this one, and wanted in. (You'll meet them later.)

Chapter 2

The kidnapper took the boy to his hideout. This wasn't what he'd had in mind at all. But now he was in it for the long haul. The boy - who surely had a name - stayed quiet in the back of the car. Thankfully.

Reaching the abandoned house he was using as a hideout, he carried the kid inside and dropped him on a matress in the basement. "Stay here and don't move. I'll be back."

He went to figure out his next move. So he started with the ransom note. "I have kidnapped your son. I want the million dollars in stocks, or you'll never see him again. No cops."

Simple. To the point. Perfect. He decided to take a picture for good measure, so he returned to the basement.

To his horror, the kid had gotten untied.

"What the... Hey! FREEZE!"

The kid smirked at him. "You have got to tape better. My sister does a better job."

Okay. That was a new one. "This ain't a game, kid. Get on the floor."

The man went over and started taping the kid's arms across his back.

"Ooh a box tie! NOW we're talking!" The kid was WAY too in this.

"Shut up. What's your name, anyway? Mine's Jim."

"Alex" the kid replied. "And MAKE me."

Jim shook his head. "No problem." With Alex's hands tied, he wouldn't be much trouble. Jim stuffed the sock back in his mouth and taped it securely in place. He then taped Alex's ankles, knees, and upper arms. He tossed the kid onto the matress and took a picture of him for the ransom note.

Jim needed to get that back to the kid's mom, so he left to deliver the note and picture. This would be a piece of cake... Hopefully.

[Killua]

I love this kid. He plays with the kidnapper as if they were best friends Great story!

[Socksbound]

Love Alex, he’s hilarious and way too into being kidnapped. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out

[squirrel]

It seems that Alex is having great fun being kidnapped and tied up. Let's hope his partents won't pay the ransom too quickly

[Redman]

Thanks for your feedback, everyone! Here's the next part!

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Chapter 3

Alex squirmed and rolled around in the basement. This time, his captor had tied him way better. This would be a hard one to escape. Not that he minded. He and his sister had been playing tie up games for a while, and he had grown to enjoy the feeling.

So he'd arranged a meet with somebody from a certain Tie Ups message board to "kidnap" him. He hadn't expected him to be so antsy though. Or for the guy to leave him alone like that. That made it a little scary. But still exciting!

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The house was active. Damn it. Jim hung back a ways, keeping out of sight. He'd never planned on taking the boy like that, or doing a ransom demand. He cursed his own impulsive actions, and scrambled to think of a plan.

I could mail the note? Or toss it through a window? Or... Damn it! I don't know what to do!

A knock on his van door broke him out of the brainstorm. There was a blonde girl in capris and a t-shirt holding a picture outside.

"Hey mister." She said calmly. "Have you seen my brother?"

Jim glanced at the picture he held. It was Alex. And her. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes. Jim's heart began to pound. Until she surprised him.

"Are you the TUGgerhe asked to come tie him up?" She winked and smirked.

Jim went pale. "I... Well..." Then inspiration struck. "Yes. Yes I am."

"Sweet!" She said. "I'm Carmen. He wasn't supposed to do it alone. Mind if I join the game?"

Jim smiled. This was TOO perfect. Maybe he shouldn't have done it, but he nodded. "Yeah. Hop in."

Carmen jumped into the van and he started the engine. He decided to avoid any questions from her and grabbed his duct tape. He instantly taped her mouth and hands, and laid her on the floor.

Great, Jim thought. Now I have two prisoners, and I'm in over my head. I officially can't do this alone.

He returned to his hideout and walked Carmen down to the basement and sat her next to her brother. She seemed surprised that Alex wasn't wearing a shirt or shoes. He taped her ankles and knees, then taped the twins back to back.

Jim confiscated her phone and sent a text to their mother, saying they were at a friend's house for the night and not to worry. But this would only buy him a little time. Soon he'd have to figure something out.

He called a contract of his for advice. It wasn't tasteful, but he had to do it.

"Hey Bart. Got a proposal for you..."

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Samantha had been on the phone with a friend when the text from her daughter came through. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least her kids were safe.

"It's okay, Paul" she said. "They're having a sleepover someplace."

"Kids." Her friend Paul said. "Hope you have a good night. Let them have it for scaring you though."

"I would, but they didn't say where they went." Samantha said, a tight feeling building in her gut. "I'll find out."

The unleasy feeling grew stronger when Samantha's texts to Carmen were sent, but aparrently not delivered. And why would Alex have left his phone behind? This didn't make any sense.

She said as much to Paul, who grew silent for a few moments.
"Let me see what I can come up with." He said, then hung up.

Samantha tried not to worry. But she couldn't help it. "What is going on?"

[Killua]

Maybe the kidnapper should make plans before doing something like that I'm curious how those two react if they find out that this isn't a game.

[Socksbound]

Jim is in way over his head here. Will be interesting to see how the twins react when they discover it’s real not a game. Wonder what this Bart fella is going to be like??

[Redman]

Jim is in way over his head here. Will be interesting to see how the twins react when they discover it’s real not a game. Wonder what this Bart fella is going to be like??

Oh, absolute scum. You'll hate his guts. I already hate him and I've only written one scene with him.

Maybe the kidnapper should make plans before doing something like that I'm curious how those two react if they find out that this isn't a game.

Yeah, Jim isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

[Zero]

Loving it! Cant wait to see what happens to us next!

[Redman]

Well here we go! You'll all get to meet Paul Ciampi, aka Champ. A character from the non-tugs combat - procedural story I'm writing.

Also, this is going to get more intense, so brace yourselves!

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Chapter 4

Jim moved the children the next morning. Bart had advised him to send the ransom demand on Carmen's phone, since he'd botched the physical note. But when he did, he'd have to leave. So that's what he did.

Jim posed the twins on the bare matress, took a picture of them, and sent a ransom demand to their mom. He then bundled both of them into the van and drove off. Bart had a place for them to lie low. But there was a price; he needed to be cut in on the ransom. Desperate, Jim agreed.

He took the kids to the new site, which was a large warehouse in an industrial park. He parked and met with Bart at the entrance.

"About time you got here." Bart said. "You left the phone at the house?"

"Yeah." Jim said. "Help me get them inside?"

"Yeah."

They opened the doors. Bart grinned at the bound and gagged kids, and grabbed Carmen. Jim grabbed Alex, and followed him inside to a dark area of the warehouse. They were dumped Inna corned and hogtied.

"You two thirsty?" Bart asked.

Both of them nodded their heads.

"Okay. Jimbo, go get them some water."

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Samantha's world fell out from under her when she got Carmen's text.

True, her kids played tie up a lot. And she had even joined them on occasion. But seeing both of them tied up with the message attached destroyed her.

"Ms. Zero. I have your children. If you want to see them alive you will do as I say. Cash in your stocks. You will receive further instructions. No police."

She nearly fainted. Were they watching? Would they know if she did call the police? She didn't dare test that theory. She gathered up her stock certificates and prepared to cash them in. She called her friend Paul to help her with that, and met him at a coffee shop.

"Well this is sudden." Paul said. He stroked his salt and pepper beard thoughtfully. "All of them?"

"Yes." Samantha said hoarsely. "All of them."

Paul narrowed his eyes. An expression that unsettled her. The man may have been 52, but his eyes were ancient. And when he squinted, it was as if he could gaze into your soul while blocking his own from view.

It was his own version of the "thousand yard stare."

"Samantha." Paul said coldly. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Just help me cash these in, Paul." She said, trembling.

Paul leaned forward. His voice was sympathetic, but his face was hardened. "This has to do with Alex and Carmen's sudden sleepover."

It wasn't a question. Paul just knew. Samantha couldn't hold together any longer and broke down.

Paul took her hand gently - as gently as a retired Delta Force Operator could be - and squeezed. "Tell me everything. Let's get those cashed in, and we'll handle this. You have to trust me. I'm your company's security consultant, and your friend. Tell me everything."

So she did. About Alex being gone when she got home. About Carmen's text while she'd been speaking to him. How guilty he felt now, having slept soundly the night before. And how he awoke to the ransom demand. She showed him the text.

"All right." Paul said. "I have to make a call." He took his own phone out and waited a beat. His whole demeanor changed into a tough, icy exterior.

"Sparky, it's Paulie. Get the team together. We have a case. I'm forwarding you some info." He forwarded the ransom text and hung up.

"Paul." Samantha sobbed. "I can't. He said no police."

Paul grinned. It was an uncomfortable sight. His eyes still looked hollow and there was still a shadow across his face. Combined with the mirthful expression, it made him look almost evil.

"I know." He said coldly. "My security team AREN'T cops."

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While the two men gave the kids water, Alex tested his new bonds. He and Carmen had been re-tied with ropes. Wrists, elbows, ankles, knees, and finished with hogties that drew their hands all the way to their feet.

And that was when he knew this wasn't a game. Bart began explaining things.

"You two need to stay still and quiet, or I'll have to hurt you. Better pray your mom comes through or you'll never go home."

He laughed. It was scary, the way he laughed so naturally at threatening them. When he was done letting them drink, he came behind Alex first and pulled a hard, round object into his mouth.

"Wait. Please don't... Arrmmph!"

Alex could feel something like a belt being buckled behind his head. Then Bart moved to Carmen. He watched as the man used a ballgag to muzzle his twin sister. Both of them were made to lie down on the cold floor again, and they squirmed.

Now it was scary.

[Caesar73]

It's Paul to the rescue

[Socksbound]

Bart seems far more calculating than the bumbling Jim. You can feel the shift in intensity within the story change from fun and light to a much more dark seriousness. Great writing as it has happened seamlessly.

Let’s hope Paul and his men can rescue the kids, before Bart does anything too cruel to them.

[Redman]

Whew! I did some crazy writing this afternoon. Here, you'll get to meet the team. I would note that Paul and his team are the characters that I write about more often than not. And what you're about to read is what I'm best at writing. Better even than TUGs! So anyway...

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Chapter 5

Ciampi Security Solutions met in a garage near an office park. Paul Ciampi and his brother Anthony had formed this independent security firm some 8 years earlier. After a long stint in the U.S. Army special forces, he had retired, achieving the rank of Captain.

Anthony, his younger brother by 5 years, had also enlisted... In the Navy, as an Intelligence Anylyst. Yes, you can imagine how heated their family gatherings would get.

Anthony, or Sparky as he was known to the SEALS he worked with, had not left voluntarily. He'd lost a leg to an IED in Afghanistan, and suffered permanent nerve damage as a reault. Now, he worked as Paul's tech expert. They had recruited a group of people they felt were the right fit for their firm.

Tyrone Washington, or "Rone," was former Delta, and a natural leader.
Karl Burns, or "Boomer," was a former Marine and close quarters expert, as well as a demolitions guy.
Jennifer Long, or "Hawk," was a sharpshooter with no military backround. But she was a better shot than any sniper Paul had ever seen.
Lenny Simmons, or "Reaper," was former Army Infantry, and a hacker.

While Paul was with Samantha, Anthony gathered the team and gave them the briefing.

"Okay folks," Anthony said from the front of the room beside a projector screen, "We have an off-book operation today."

Anthony tapped his on his computer. An enlarged picture of Alex and Carmen came up, along with the ransom demand.

"These are Samantha Zero's twins. Alex went missing last night between 1900 (7pm) and 2100. (9pm) Carmen followed at 2140. At 0600 this morning Ms. Zero received this from her daughter's phone. Obviously, given her position as a financial officer at Kent Oil, this could be a move to extort the company. We are going to have to handle this delicately, since we don't want this in the news."

Tyrone spoke up. "Boss, I don't mean any disrespect, but why her stock certificates? I mean, it seems a little small potatoes for an organized snatch and grab."

"I know." Anthony said. "The fact that both kids went missing at different times also suggests disorganization. If that's the case, we don't want the kidnappers to catch on to who they are."

Karl jumped in. "So we ping the phone and see where it is. Easy as pie."

Lenny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like Sparky didn't think of that already."

"I did." Lenny said. "That's where you'll be starting. But only the dumbest of the dumb keep a phone like that on them."

"Which is why you thought of it, Karl." Jenn said with a smirk.

Karl made a rude gesture as Anthony went on. "I don't need to tell you how tight this is. We want those kids home safely. Track them down. Paul will stay with Samantha, and I'll be coordinating from here. Suit up and roll out."

The ground team imediately went to the lockers and grabbed their gear. In minutes, they were in their 'Blazer and on the way to the coordinates.

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Jim and Bart sat in another room of the warehouse eating takeout. They could hear Alex and Carmen squirming and "mph-ing" nearby.

"Okay." Bart said. "From the top. How does a cat burglar like you upgrade to kidnapping and ransom?"

Jim sighed. "The boy was there. He let me tie him up and cooperated with me. Then I saw the stocks in the master bedroom. I can't cash those in, so I had an idea. Mom would pay for her kid, so I took him."

"And the girl?" Bart said.

"I went to deliver the ransom note and she approached the van. She seemed to think I was playing a game, so she came willingly."

Bart nodded, then slapped Jim. "You're an idiot, you know that? You don't just IMPROVISE a kidnapping. There's details you need to work out. A million things can go wrong. You do realize you can't let these kids go, right? They've seen our faces!"

"What." Jim said. "You want me to kill them? I don't think I can..."

Bart slapped him again. "You don't think PERIOD. But... I may have a better idea. I know some people that may help us... UNLOAD these two after the ransom. It could be very profitable. They'll never be seen again. That's for sure."

Jim went cold. "That's messed up."

"It's either that, or waste them. Your call." Bart said. He grinned evilly. "But trust me. We can get 6 figures for them in certain circles."

Jim lost his scruples and saw only dollar signs. "Okay. Who do we have to call?"

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In the other room, Alex and Carmen struggled until they were exhausted. The realization that this wasn't a game anymore had slowly sunk in, and now they genuinely wondered what would happen to them. Most likely for ransom, since they only took a couple pictures.

Alex's mind began to wander. He thought of how worried mom must be. And how his TUGS meetup hadn't happened. Did that guy show up and leave, thinking he was stood up? Or did he get arrested? Hopefully not. He seemed like a nice guy. Not at all like their captors.

Even though they were enjoying the hogties and gags, they were both very scared. Carmen had started to cry at one point, and Alex did too.

'I just hope they let us eat something' Alex thought. He was very hungry.

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Paul and Samantha sat in her living room. She had cashed the stocks in as requested, and was now awaiting the next contact. Paul kept his earpiece in and listened to the radio chatter from his team.

< Strike team reporting. In position, over. >

< Base reading you, Rone. Execute, over. >

Paul could hear the crack of a door and listened as the team sounded off. As expected, it was four different reports of "all clear."

< Base, Reaper. I have the phone, over. >

Paul chimed in. "Link it up. Rone, any clues?"

< That's affirmative, Champ. We have lots of trash. Whoever was staying here wasn't very clean. Over. >

< Hawk here. I have a sleeping area. This was a one man op, over. >

"Any indication as to where they went? Over." Paul asked.

< Negative. Over. >

"Damn it." Paul said. "We'll have to trace the next ransom call."

< Hold on. I have a receipt over here. I have a name on a credit card. James Bard. Over. >

From Anthony's end, a computer keyboard started tapping. < I'm running his name now. Stand by, over. >

Lenny started laughing. < More good news. Idiot took a selfie by mistake. Sending it to you now Sparky. Over. >

< I have confirmation. The kidnapper is James Bard. No priors, but he keeps some questionable company. Over. >

The phone rang in Samantha's house. Paul had to stop her from answering right away until Anthony could get the trace going. But that only took three rings. Three very, long, rings.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Ms. Zero. Do you have the money?" The voice asked.

"Are my children okay?" She asked.

"They're fine. Do you have the money?"

"Yes." Samantha replied.

"Good. Drop it at the park at 5 pm. Leave the park for one hour so we can collect. Then return. No tricks or you'll never see them again." *Click*

"Wait wait wait!" Samantha shouted. But it was too late.

"Did you get it?" Paul asked, as he comforted Samantha.

< Confirmed. It's from Bard's phone. I have a location in the industrial district. >

< We're on our way. Send us the location. Over. >

Paul breathed out. "Its almost over, Sam. It's almost over."

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STAY TUNED FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION!

[Redman]

Okay! Here it is! All wrapped up, in a nice little bow.

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Chapter 6

"You did WHAT?!" Bart bellowed.

"I called or ransom while you were out," Jim replied. "That's what we're doing, isn't it?"

"I WAS BUYING THE BURNER PHONE, YOU DIPSHIT!" Bart shouted. "THEY CAN TRACE THESE!"

"Only if mom called the cops. Which we told her not to." Jim retorted.

"Oh yeah. People ALWAYS do what the kidnapper tells them to!" Bart began to pace. He had a Glock 17 in his hand, which he waved around animatedly.

From where Alex and Carmen lay, this was getting way too real. Dread filled their stomachs. This wasn't a fun game anymore and they wanted to go home.

"Great. We gotta move. Now." Bart said.

"But what about the money?" Jim said.

"We're not GETTING the money!" Bart said. "Hell, we may not even be able to sell them anymore! Unless... Okay. Give me a hand."

The two captors approached them and the twins went cold with fear.

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The Blazer came o a halt near the location given. The four occupants grabbed their rifles and ran towards the warehouse.

"Jenn, take the top." Tyrone said. "Karl, on the door with me. Lenny, watch the side."

"Hoo-rah!" Karl shouted.

"And shut up." Tyrone said. "We hit hard and fast and quiet."

The team took up positions around the warehouse. As soon as Karl and Tyrone hit the wall, they crept to the door. Jenn went for a ladder to a second floor window, while Lenny disappeared around the corner.

From inside, they could hear shouting. Two voices. So two kidnappers. Tyrone's heart started to pound. When he laid his left arm across Karl's back, he felt the Marine's pulse through the vest.

"In position." Lenny said over the radio.

"Ditto." Jennifer said. "I have visual contact with the targets. Ready on your go."

Tyrone could see his watch, set to military time, reading 13:31:44. "Solid copy," he said. "Karl, all you."

Karl inhaled deeply. "Okay. Three... Two... And boom shacka-lacka."

Karl threw open the door. Tyrone stepped in behind him and pushed off to the right. Two men were standing near an open storage area. One had a gun. A window shattered above as Jenn entered. A door on the right was open and Lenny was storming inside. All had their weapons raised. On the floor of the storage area, the twins were laying hogtied.

"FREEZE!" Tyrone and Karl shouted.

"ON THE GROUND! NOW!" Lenny bellowed.

"DROP THE GUN" Jenn added.

The way they spread out, Tyrone was closest to the targets. One turned to face him. It snarled and raised it's gun.

A million things ran through Tyrone's head at that moment. He saw himself playing on the streets of North Philly as a kid. His graduation from high school. Army basic training in Fort Benning. His deployment to Iraq. Fighting in Fallujah in operation Phantom Fury. The Delta recruiters. The numerous classified operations.

He thought of all his character flaws. The girl who left him because he married the Army first. His excess drinking. The fact that he dehumanized people into inanimate objects, simply called "threats" or "targets" or even "objectives." It made pulling the trigger easier for him.

He also realized he never once used a racial slur to refer to his enemy. They were simply targets. Less than human. Inanimate objects. He didn't hate them. They weren't WORTH his hate. And neither was the one in front of him.

All of this flooded his mind in a split second. And after that split second was done, Tyrone pulled the trigger.

The other target dropped to its knees while the one with the gun fell backwards. Tyrone moved up and kicked the gun away, but he knew the threat was down.

Lenny secured the live one while Karl ran to untie the objectives. They weren't the team leaders. They could afford to be emotional. Tyrone couldn't.

"Base, Rone. We have secured the objectives. One target in custody. One eliminated. Over."

<Confirmed. Bring them home, folks. Base out.>

"You heard him" Tyrone said. "Saddle up."

Karl, although usually a bit of a smartass, was good at caring for frightened folks. He calmed the kids down and carried them out of the building.

At that point, Tyrone checked his watch. It was 13:32:12. They were in and out of the building in under 30 seconds. Perfectly executed.

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Alex and Carmen were thrilled to see their mother. The whole thing had been one great adventure for them. The only REALLY scary part was right at the end. But it was over.

So Alex was a little embarrassed when they climbed out of the black SUV at home and his mom came running to them in tears.

"Mom, we're fine." He said.

Mom couldn't speak. She was just so overjoyed to have her kids home safe. He only hoped she hadn't gone snooping through his phone while he was away...

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Paul was grim as he met with his brother that night. True, he kids were safe. It turned out that James Bard had simply improvised the whole thing. But it's what he'd said about the dead man that forced an investigation.

"Well?" Paul asked. "Who was he?"

"His name was Bart Flowers." Anthony said, taking a long drink of Crown Royal. "He was involved in some human trafficking ring."

"Shit." Paul said. "Good thing we got there when we did."

"Yeah." Anthony said. "But you know we have to go break this thing up, right?"

"Of course. Thankfully, the kids won't have to relive any of this." Paul said, taking the bottle.

"Yeah, Jimbo knows he hasn't got a prayer at a trial. He'll plead out. The kids are okay?"

Paul laughed. "Yeah. They think it's a game. And I'm okay with letting them think that."

Paul began thinking up how he was going to get Kent Oil to deploy his team in areas that they could deal with the cartel.

THE END

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