Blackmailed! Daughter Kidnapped!

Across the top of the picture, someone had written, "If you want your daughter home for Valentine's Day, safe and sound, cancel the exposé on corruption in city hall and the police department."

Someone had stripped, bound, and roughed up her child. A look of disgust appeared on Meadow's face. She turned the photograph over, looked up to heaven, and prayed, "Please God, save her!"

Her peripheral vision noticed that there was writing on the back of the picture.

" Gather all your notes and evidence. We will contact you and tell you where to bring it. Do not go to the police!"

^^^Meanwhile across town - Before Meadow arrived at her apartment and opened the pink envelope^^^

"Oh, you dirty old man," the goth coed cooed. She closed her elaborately painted eyes as the college professor penetrated her.

"Mmmm," Crawford moaned as he plunged his dick into the petite, dark-haired woman.

He smiled at her and noted the thick line of black eyeliner below her eyes and the full, fluffy, fake eyelashes above her baby blues. Her eyelids shimmered. Luna had put a base coat of silver on them and followed up with a top coat of black, matte eyeshadow.

Crawford slid in and out of her. He smiled, shook his head, and thought, "Punk. Sneakerheads. Emo. Goth. Cybergoth. The trends change but thank God, there are always attractive, young women with low self-esteem and daddy issues."

"Ohhh. Nice," Luna gasped. She opened her eyes, smiled at the older man, and moaned soulfully as he boned her. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

Crawford fucked her in a steady, controlled manner. He admired the pretty, young woman and her lean, fit body. The woman didn't have an ounce of fat on her body. The lack of fat meant that this twenty-year-old was flat-chested and had no junk in the trunk, but she was still attractive.

Crawford told her so, "Luna, you're a pretty, little thing. Sexy, a great fuck, and a damn fine student. You'd be acing my course even if you didn't participate in these extracurricular activities."

His words disrupted her rhythmic moans. She guffawed and protested, "Stop talking. More fucking."

He did as he was told and fucked her. Slowly. Not because she was slight and delicate or couldn't handle his equipment, he did her that way because he knew that's how she liked it. He planned to make her body tremble, simmer, boil, and, finally...explode.

"Oh. Oh. Oh!" she cried as her wee, lithe body was overcome with bliss.

Crawford watched her face contort as her pussy clenched his cock. He grabbed her slim hips and held her close to him as he pounded the coed.

"Ahhhhh!" he cried as he came.

His cum was safely and securely captured by the prophylactic he wore. He rolled off her. They enjoyed their bliss. She climbed naked out of his bed and went into the bathroom. He yawned, stretched, and sprawled on the mattress while avoiding the wet spot.

His phone rang. He saw the caller was his estranged wife and that she had enabled the video chat app. He answered using the same mode. He said, "Hello, Meadow."

"Crawford, Gwen's been kidnapped!"

"What?" He sat up in bed.

"I got this letter with a picture of her tied up and a threatening message."

"Oh my God! We have to call the police."

"We can't. The kidnappers said not to. They're blackmailing me to kill a story."

"I'm coming over."

Luna, still naked, wandered into the bedroom. She overheard the conversation and was caught by the cell phone's camera.

"Jesus Christ!" Meadow shrieked when she saw her. "Crawford, have you run out of college women to fuck and now you're sleeping with twelve-year-olds?"

"What are you talking about?" her husband asked.

"There's a nude girl behind you! She's so young that she doesn't have any pubic hair or boobs. You pedophile! Stay away from me. I'll deal with this."

She hung up.

Luna looked at Crawford and said, "Sorry! Did your wife say your daughter's been kidnapped? What are you going to do?"

"Get my daughter back," he answered. He put his phone down and began to dress.

"How?"

"I don't know. Meadow could kill the story. If that doesn't get Gwen back, maybe I can figure out who has her or where she's being held."

"Your wife sounded pretty pissed. I don't think she'll let you help."

Crawford sighed as he sat shirtless on the bed, "You're right. She's angry. I don't know what to do." He started to cry. He brought his hand to his face to hide his tears.

She sat beside him and held him. After a minute, he stopped crying and said, "You know I'm separated from my wife. I have been for three years. Since Gwen went to college."

"My marriage has had its ups and downs. Meadow and I hit it off the first time we met. It was a whirlwind romance. She got pregnant and we had a quick wedding The first five years we were together were wonderful."

"Things changed. She was overwhelmed by depression. It took years to convince her to see a doctor and another year for her doctor to get her medicine right. For years she wasn't my wife. I wasn't her husband. I was her caretaker."

He sniffled, looked Luna in the eyes, and said, "I missed having a partner. I missed having someone to talk to, to share things with, and, yes, I missed sex."

"I've had a series of sexual encounters with women. Most were with my students because they were the only women I was meeting. My life was teaching computer technology at the college and raising a daughter practically single-handed.

"Meadow got better. She discovered I'd been unfaithful and became upset. We stuck together for Gwen's sake. We were parents, but no longer husband and wife. When Gwen left for college, she threw me out."

"And that's when you began helping at the women's shelter? Where we meet?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Crawford answered. "I began volunteering at the center. I couldn't atone for my bad behavior to my wife so I decided to do something to help as many women as I could."

"I gave money and time to the shelter. I prepared and served meals. The administrator who ran the place asked me to speak to the women. She wanted me to give them a man's point of view on sex and how men take advantage of vulnerable women."

"I told the women how some lowlifes target women with daddy issues and low self-esteem. These men have learned that they can get sex without making meaningful commitments, being faithful, or treating their sexual partners well. They get away with this behavior because the damaged women don't think that they deserved to be treated better."

"I clued them in on this game and the part they played in perpetuating it. Their internal dialogues and poisonous beliefs set them up to have unsatisfactory relationships. They sabotage themselves. They were the reason why they repeatedly had poor partners."

A stiff nipple brushed his bicep as she hugged him. She said, "Your talks were instrumental for me to get better. I had allowed my flat chest and general lack of curves to define me. You taught me that I deserved to be treated well, to be loved, and to live a happy, fulfilled life."

He stopped crying, looked at her, and said, "I'm glad I was able to help."

"I'm going to help you. Let's get dressed and go see your wife," Luna said as she stood and reached for her clothes.

"She doesn't want to see me."

"She doesn't want to see me either, but after I explain that you're not bedding under-aged females, she'll let you help. She'll probably tell me to get out of her sight, but at least she'll let you help."

^^^

They drove over to Meadow's apartment and stood at the door.

"Let me handle this," Luna whispered. "Stay out of sight until I call for you."

He nodded, stepped out of sight, and Luna rang the bell.

Meadow opened the door and saw Luna in her red crop-top and skinny blue jeans. She said, "You've got some nerve coming here after fucking my husband!"

"Is he your husband? You don't treat him like one. You don't live or sleep together. He wouldn't be having sex with me if he could have sex with you. Oh, and for the record, I'm twenty-years-old."

Meadow pushed the door closed. She said, "I don't have to listen to you."

Luna slid her wooden clog forward to prevent the door from closing and said, "Someone needs to tell you that your husband is a good man. I know he cheated on you. He's sorry about that. We all know how guys are. They have a strong sex drive. The good ones can keep it under control if their needs are met in their marriage. Crawford loved you and only you in the early years of your marriage. When you stopped sleeping with him, he struggled, and strayed."

"If he's such a good man, why is he sleeping with you?" Meadow challenged the brunette.

"I begged him. I got down on my hands and knees and begged."

Those words surprised Meadow. It showed on her face.

Luna took advantage of her pause and said, "Do you know that he volunteers at a battered women's shelter? I met him there when I attended his class about how damaged women allow assholes to walk all over them, use them for sex, and, in some cases, put up with physical abuse. I was one of those women."

She patted her chest and said, "I didn't feel I was a real woman. I'm short. I have no breasts. Before I met Crawford, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I fixated on my flaws and thought no man could desire me. No man would ever marry me.

"My lack of confidence was a magnet that attracted assholes. My self-esteem was so low, I didn't feel I deserved the attention of even these miscreants. When some douchebag fucked me, I was grateful. No matter how badly he treated me. And the men I was with treated me badly.

"For them, I was a hole. A cum dumpster. They'd fuck me and pass me on to their friends."

Tears began to flow from Luna's eyes. "I considered suicide."

Meadow was still behind the door, but she was no longer angry. She was listening intently.

"Crawford got me to see myself as someone who deserved happiness and love. I am not my bra size. I'm a human being with gifts and talents who can make a positive impact on the world.

"I've had two good relationships since meeting Crawford. My boyfriends and I respected and cared for one another. We recognized that we weren't soulmates and moved on.

"When I'm not dating anyone, I beg Crawford to have sex with me. He's a wonderful, considerate lover who I trust completely. We both know it's a temporary 'friends with benefits' relationship until I find the love of my life and he can get back together with you."

Meadow slumped against the door. Her face showed that she was touched by the woman's story.

Luna waved to Crawford to come forward. She said, "I understand Crawford's actions hurt you, but I bet you've never doubted that he loves Gwen. Let him help you get your daughter back."

Crawford looked at his wife in a timid way. She nodded, opened the door, and said, "You both can come in."

They followed her into the living room where Meadow handed him the picture and said, "This was in my mailbox today in a large, pink envelope. I thought it was a giant Valentine's Day card."

"What kind of person could do this?" Crawford said as he looked at the photo of his nude daughter tied to the posts. His eyes were drawn to his daughter's breasts and her naked, spread pussy.

Luna looked at it, gasped, and said, "Those rotten motherfuckers!"

Meadow held up her phone and said, "They emailed me this video."

"How did they know your email address?" Luna asked innocently.

"It's on the paper's website. As a reporter, I solicit stories."

She pressed play. Luna and Crawford saw Gwen naked and tied up. She was sitting astride something. At first, it wasn't clear what was happening. Gwen was crying. Tears ran down her face. She moaned and groaned. Her hips moved. Then, she shrieked, but not in terror or pain.

They saw her eyes closed. Her face contorted and became red as her body shuddered. She moaned, "Oh. Oh. Ohhhhh!"

Luna and Crawford realized that they were watching Gwen orgasm.

Luna said, "That thing. The box under her. It's a Sybian."

"What's that?" Meadow asked. She paused the video.

"It's a machine designed to get women off. It has a dildo that goes inside you and a vibrating ridge that massages your clit."

Meadow pressed play. They heard a deep, male voice off-camera say, "See, Mom. I'm taking very good care of your daughter." He laughed maliciously.

In quick succession, they saw Gwen climax three more times. As Gwen lay quivering on the floor, in a stern voice the man who had spoken earlier said, "Give me your notes. Give me everything! You don't want this video to go viral, do you? You want your daughter back, right?

"Tomorrow at noon, bring everything to 'Charley's Place'. It's a dive bar on the east side of town at the corner of Hull and Pulaski Avenue. Put your stuff on the bar and walk out. If I'm satisfied, your daughter will be released. If you double-cross me and the story sees the light of day, you're dead and your precious daughter is dead."

The video ended. Crawford stared at the screen and then closed his eyes, shook his head. "We've got to do as they say."

^^^February 14th^^^

Crawford and Luna drove to Meadow's around eleven in the morning. She let them in.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where the bar is?"

"Yes."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. I'm supposed to go alone. I'm just dropping the stuff off. I'll be okay. You wait here."

Meadow loaded her car and drove to the east side of town. She parked by the seedy saloon in a bad part of town. She carried the boxes inside. The place wasn't clean or well lit. She walked up to the bar and put the boxes down.

There were six people in the establishment: the bartender, an old man nursing a beer at the bar, and four men talking in quiet voices in a booth. Four glasses and a bottle of rye sat on their table.

No one looked at her. No one acknowledged her presence or asked her about the boxes. She turned and walked away. As she neared the door, Big Jake grabbed her. Irish put a cloth with chloroform over her nose and mouth, and she lost consciousness.

They dragged her down the hall past the bathrooms and out a door that led to the ally. They shoved her into a black SUV and drove her to where Gwen was being held. When she awoke, Meadow discovered that she was naked and tied to a pole.

"Mom! Mom, are you okay?" Gwen asked when she saw her mother move and open her eyes.

The women were five feet apart. Each was naked. Each was tied up. Gwen was tied to the crux decussata. There was a puddle of pee on the floor beneath her.

"What's going on? Gwen? Where are we? What happened? Are you okay?"

Gwen hesitated. She decided not to tell her mother how horrible her experience had been. She said, "I'm okay. You?"

Meadow shivered and shifted her body. "My...my arms, I can't move them." She looked up and saw her hands tied over her head. "There's something between my legs...I can't lean over to look down," she said as she strained her neck.

"There's a piece of rope high in your crotch. The guy pulled it up to split your outer labia and butt cheeks. He joked about giving you a wedgie in the front and the back."

"I feel sick," Meadow said. "I have a splitting headache. I guess from whatever it was they used to knock me out after I delivered the documents they wanted."

"If you gave them what they wanted," Gwen whined, "why are you here?"

^^^

"Why isn't she back or at least called? It's been over two hours," Crawford asked worriedly. He and Luna were sitting in Meadow's living room.

"I'm worried too," Luna said.

"I can't sit here and do nothing," Crawford said. He went to his wife's computer and turned it on. Luna stood behind him. The machine asked for the password.

"Do you know it?" Luna asked.

"Maybe," he said as he punched four number keys. "After Gwen was born, Meadow began to use the numerical equivalent of her name for all of her passwords." The device unlocked.

Crawford was silent as he opened Meadow's email. He focused on the kidnapper's video. When was it sent? From where? Whose name is attached to the account? Where is the computer located?

The computer expert blew passed the subterfuge and the firewalls the sender had employed hoping to keep his identity a secret.

"I've got a name, Nico Fanelli," Crawford said.

"Fanelli? Isn't that the name of the city's crime boss?" Luna asked. "The one who's often indicted, but never convicted."

"You're right, " Crawford said but didn't look up from the machine. He was busy typing, opening, and reading files.

"I'm in his computer. The dope has no security to speak of. Just the lame stuff it came with when he bought it."

He rooted around. He said, "This guy is part of a criminal enterprise. He's their accountant and he's keeping two sets of books."

"Do you think he's skimming money?" Luna asked.

"It looks that way," Crawford said. "I've got an address. I'm going to check it out."

"I'm going with you," Luna said.

Crawford saw the determined look on her face and didn't argue.

^^^

They arrived at the address. From the outside, there was nothing special about the old industrial building. It was like many other buildings in this part of town that had been renovated into apartments.

Luna said, "The guy probably knows who you are. He'll never let you in. Let me knock on the door."

Crawford said, "Luna, are you sure about this? You saw what he did to Gwen. He's dangerous."

"I know. I'll get him to let me in. I'll unlock the front door so you can follow me in or I'll bash him over the head with a lamp. We'll find your wife and daughter."

They both got out of the car. Luna went into the building. Crawford paced on the sidewalk. He grimaced as he thought about the fate of his wife and daughter. He unlocked the trunk, reached in, and took his Glock 26 out of a Vaultek biometric handgun safe.

He said out loud to himself, "This is why I own a handgun."

Luna found the unit number she was looking for, and she rang the bell.

Nico peered through the peephole. "Who's this?" He saw a small female standing in the hall. The goth makeup piqued his curiosity. He recalled Irish recently telling a tale about having a wild night of sex with a goth chick.

Luna rapped on the door again and called out, "Nico! Nico!"

He opened the door and asked, "Do I know you?"

Luna said, "I'm a friend of a friend."

Before she could say anything, Crawford ran to the door and kicked it. The momentum he gained by sprinting increased the power of his kick. The door slammed into Nico, disorienting him and knocking him to the floor.

Crawford stood over him and pointed the Glock at him, and shouted, "Where are they?"

"Who? What are you talking about?" Nico answered.

"I know you have Gwen and Meadow."

Luna said, "Meadow agreed to kill the story. She gave you her notes. You were supposed to release her daughter."

"Oh. Those two. I was about to release them." Nico lied with the ease of a career criminal. "I just got word that the boss is satisfied with what she turned over. Wait here and I'll bring them to you."

"Get up," Crawford ordered. He kept the gun pointed at him. "We'll all go."

Nico led them down the hall to a locked door. He opened it and went down the stairs to a secret room in the basement. Nico unlocked that door and swung it open.

Luna and Crawford gasped when they saw them. The captured women were naked, tied up, and appeared to be out of it. Their mouths fell open and they stared. Luna's head swiveled from one to the other. Crawford stared at his daughter.

Gwen's head was down, and Crawford couldn't see her face. Her spread-eagle stance drew his eyes to her hairless pussy. He thought, "You sick fuck. You're looking at your daughter's vagina."

Crawford shook his head. His eyes re-focused, this time on her large, protruding breasts. He had a flashback to a day about two weeks after Gwen had started seventh grade. He had walked into the laundry room and it was festooned with padded bras in a rainbow of colors.