A Life in Hell

I heard the sound of a car pulling up and a smile curled over my lips. I'd told that dumbass Sidney not to come back until he had the red-haired man, and I knew he wasn't stupid enough to come back empty-handed. Sidney called me over the intercom.

"Hey Cliff. It's Sid. I've got what you've asked for."

"I'm opening the door now."

I flipped a switch and the industrial door creaked to life. It crawled open, and a navy panel-less van pulled into the warehouse. It stopped, and Sid jumped out, with a smile plastered on his face. I followed him to the back of the van. He opened the door, and my prize was crumpled in a cage, blindfolded. I slapped Sid on the back.

"You did good. I'll get you your money. In the meantime, lets get him out of there."

Together, we carried him from the cage in Sid's car to my shop, which was located in front of the warehouse. We undressed him completely. Sid promised to take his phone and throw it in some river hundreds of miles away from here. Before locking the door, I removed the boy's blindfold and slipped a leather collar around his neck, clicking a tiny padlock into place.

Notes