I woke up late the next morning, groggy and confused. It was almost as if...... "THAT BITCH!!" Natalie had drugged me! When I tried to move, I discovered I was cuffed to the bed with one pair attached to my wrists and another connected to the frame. At least I still had my boxers on. I look to my left and see Natalie''s laptop open with a word document on the screen. I read it silently at first then aloud for confirmation. What I read goes a little like this:


    "Dearest Jason,"


    Off to a wonderful start. Anyway.


    "Dearest Jason,


    When you liberate yourself from the little surprise I left you, please meet me in the basement for your first contract.


    Sincerely,


    Natalie


    P.S. The key to the cuffs is under this computer"


    ''Great....'' I think as I quickly begin dislocating my left thumb. After a minute or two, I hear a sickening pop. Thanks to the Academy, my pain receptors are only functioning on a high enough level to alert me of life threatening injuries. I pulled my hand free from the cuff and relocated my thumb, picking up the computer and setting it beside me. Not surprisingly, there was no key. It must have been a test of my ingenuity. She was trying to get me to Macgyver my way out. "Alright. I have two options. Dislocate the other thumb or break the bed. Let''s try the bed first." I grabbed the chain of the cuffs attached to the bed and pull as hard as I can. This only brought disappointment. "Plan b then...." Just as I was about to pop my thumb out of place, I saw a slightly used toothpick on the nightstand where the laptop once sat. With a raised eyebrow, I took it and picked the cuff on my right wrist. In less than half a minute, I was free. I spotted my suit and gear on a chair in the corner. Beside it was a closet full of street clothes that, when I checked, were exactly my size and style. Against my better judgement, I quickly dressed myself in a pair of black jeans and a black tee with a white, winged cross on the back. I did, however, arm myself with my pistol and the three full magazines beside it before heading downstairs to find the door to the basement. During my search, I came across two master bathrooms, a supply closet, two guest bedrooms, an empty room and a few other rooms that didn''t look very promising. I then think about the wallpaper in the first guestroom I found. There was something unsettling about it and with that in mind, I decided to go back and take a closer look. When I reached the room, I entered and upon a second look around, I found a secret panel. Upon moving the panel, I found a switch which I flipped and stood back as a section of the wall lowered into the floor. With a raised eyebrow, I stepped into the darkness and nearly fell, almost breaking my neck. I had stepped into a stairway which I followed down for what seemed like an hour before stepping into a well lit space big enough to comfortably hold a few hundred people and that was with all of the technology and equipment. There was even my own forge. In the center of it all was a group of computers and sitting in a chair in front of the computers, smirk on her face and tablet in hand, was my partner. I took a deep breath and walked towards her, trying hard not to draw my pistol and fire a few rounds into her. She must have guessed my desire because she simply smirked more and stated, "Whoa there cowboy. You need me alive and well so while putting a few rounds in my chest might seem appealing, it is not highly recommend." My only response was, "Fuck you. I just want the goddamn contract."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.