picked was five minutes away from the private gate that led to the neighborhood where wealthy supernaturals owned mansions with acres of land.
"We...should be there..." I trailed off, the world spinning like I was on a twirling ride. The music volume increased, making the pounding intolerable as my eyes rolled back.
I slouched over to the side, my body hitting the leather surface before I let out a weak groan.
"Don't worry, ma'am." The driver's voice seemed far away now. "We'll make you feel right at home."
My last thought was of Otis's eyes and I wondered if I could get over this betrayal.
Psycho Kidnappers And Unknown Captivity
"She's just a human?"
"That's impossible. She responded to the music."
"She could have drunk a tonic or something and it finally kicked in?"
"At that exact timing? I doubt it."
"Maybe she has a glamour on?"
"Nope. Not a hint of magic on her. No aura. No shifter scents. She's human to her very bones."
"What now? We kidnapped an ordinary human. She won't sell in the black market. Even if she has a cute face."
"Got curves. Some old douche would spend big dollars for a little sex slave."
"We don't want a few thousand bucks! We could have gotten millions if we'd caught a supernatural. She's just like us. Such a waste of time and effort."
"We can't kidnap someone else?"
"The tape only plays once. That damn leprechaun screwed us!"
"You said for sure she was a supernatural when you saw her enter the restaurant earlier."
"Obviously! She was with that elite group. The supernatural bros or something."
"I heard she was human."
"Why would a group like that hang with a human girl? If they ain't getting laid every night, then there's clearly no point in having her around."
"One of them is an incubus, isn't he? If they were just after sex, they could get anyone they wanted."
"So you think the rumors are true. That they hang with a human girl for shits and giggles? I can't believe this!"
"Well, I can, and we better think of something fast before they find her and kill us."
"They won't be able to reach this place. The ocean scent is strong. Tracking her will be too difficult. Plus, she's a human. No aura or magic to trace. We did ourselves one favor by fucking up. If she wasn't a human, those guys would have been here by now."
"What's the plan?"
"The guys we're supposed to exchange the money with will be here in fifteen minutes. Let's go down and wait for them. The magic should keep her knocked out for twenty-four hours. It gives us enough time to get the money and ditch."
"What if they sense she's human? There's no way they're going to give us the money once they see her."
"We can tell them who she is. Something Thorn. We can say she's the secret heiress of that rich family and they've been hiding their supernatural daughter or some shit. We'll think of the perfect excuse."
"Argh, this sucks. What if we say the guys put a seal on her so she appears human or something?"
"Hey. That may actually work."
"Let's go with that. We have a picture of her from the internet. Take a quick picture so we can prove we have her."
"Why don't you take the picture?"
"Your phone is the latest one. Mine's the old, crappy, flip phone shit. If we get this deal, I'll finally be able to get the latest iPhone Z18. We can get out of this city and go all the way to Dubai, where the rich live."
"You dream big, man. This deal better work or my heart will be broken as we rot in jail."
"We'll be good, man. Trust me. If they don't believe us, I got the backup plan with the black market. She'd sell in an hour, tops. If these lab dudes know what's good for them, they'll take her. Last resort, we drop her in the ocean."
The sound of a picture being taken made me mentally cringe.
"Got it. Are you bringing that brick of a phone?"
"Nah. It's charging. Leave it there. Let's go down and get ready to be millionaires."
"Let's do this." There was a clapping sound before two sets of footsteps began to fade until the door shut.
Silence followed, but I kept my breathing even, afraid there was a third party in the room watching me continue to fake-sleep the evening away.
I did my best to keep calm, but as I continued my unconscious act and the silence stretched, my heart began to race as I confronted what was going