Eltonâs wrists were loosely tied, a clear sign they didnât take him seriously.
As he came to, he could hear his captors cracking dirty jokes in the van, their laughter booming through the confined space.
âThese rich folks are a real hoot, thinking weâre all dumb as rocks. Boss, youâre the brains, just tossed out a hook and they couldnât wait to throw their cash at us,â chuckled a man with a deep voice.
Elton kept his eyes shut, trying to discern how many people were in the van.
His initial plan had been to rescue the two kids if these goons took him, but he had to weigh his own capabilities. If the stakes werenât too high, heâd take action; otherwise, heâd have to patiently wait for the cavalry â the police.
He had faith in the force.
âThose knuckleheads wouldâve called the cops by now. They just havenât shown their faces to us. How long have we been dodging the cops? You think I donât know them? Theyâre scared stiff of spooking the quarry; theyâll meet our demands for sure. Heck, if we knew itâd be this easy, we shouldâve asked for more. Our guys couldâve had a bigger cut, then weâd all go out for a round of beers to celebrate!â
The manâs voice oozed confidence, his words dripping with arrogance and disregard for law enforcement.
âHeh, Boss, always looking out for us. With you, weâre never hungry,â another voice piped 1.
No wonder they were so dismissive of the police; these were seasoned criminals, slick as eels.
Elton frowned involuntarily; the knowledge that they were old hands at this game made him worry about their chances of escape.
In any case, if push came to shove, as long as his daughter got away, that was all that mattered. He was prepared for the worst when one of the thugs realized he was awake.
âHey, old man, you think Iâm a fool? Keeping your eyes shut so tight.â
The goon was rude, landing a punch in Eltonâs gut.
Elton groaned in pain, and only then did the Boss take notice.
âMonkey, find out who this chump is. This wimp canât be a cop, right?â
âGot it, Boss.â Without giving Elton a chance to reply, Monkey, a scrawny man, started beating Elton.
08-11 It wasnât until Elton was dizzy, lying on the floor barely able to whimper, that Monkey asked, âThe Boss asked you something. Donât you try to fool us, or itâll be curtains for you.â
â⦠Iâm the girlâs dad, not a cop. You can trust me,â Elton said weakly, waving his hand.
Muffled laughter filled the van, mocking, âWith you being such a pushover, we wouldnât believe youâre a cop even if you said so!â
âHa, imagine that, weâve got a volunteer. This guyâs not afraid of kicking the bucket, huh?â
âDudeâs the little girlâs dad, obviously heâs got a mountain of fatherly love. What do you know?â
That last remark seemed to hit a nerve with Monkey, who silently gave Elton another beating.
It wasnât until the Boss told him to knock it off that he stopped.
âDonât bring up dads in front of Monkey again.â
It was an unspoken rule in their tight-knit crew, but with the fresh cash in hand, the Young hothead got carried away and dared to broach the subject in front of Monkey.
âYes, Boss,â came the reply.
Elton spent the ride curled up in fear of another assault. He knew he wasnât the fittest, but he wasnât a complete pushover either.
However, todayâs beating was a harsh revelation. If he angered them any further, he might not have the strength to run when the time came.