The Kidnapping of Natalie Woodward (M+F+/M+F+) - Conclusion (Apr. 22, 2023)

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Which main character in this story was your favorite?

Natalie
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Charlie
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Emily
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Frank
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Nick
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Fix-It
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Total votes: 1

AlexUSA3
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The Kidnapping of Natalie Woodward (M+F+/M+F+) - Conclusion (Apr. 22, 2023)

Post by AlexUSA3 »

This story began on the old site, and unfortunately I am unable to recover two of the chapters I had written, it seems. This doesn't matter, as the original story was begun many years ago and needs some updates in places. I intend to rectify these and rework the story. Back when I first began this tale, it had a decent enough following, and it got many positive comments some years ago when I attempted to resume on a now-deleted account here. Natalie's story was supposed to begin at Christmas time and finish in the wintertime, so let's see if I can finish this screwball adventure in which a bunch of youths have to save America.

Here's mud in my eye! :lol:
Last edited by AlexUSA3 11 months ago, edited 30 times in total.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Looking forward to it!
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

01: Kidnapped

For Natalie Woodward, life was ordinary and hum drum. Her job was working as a chef in the kitchen of an Olive Garden in Boise. The boring was made easier by the fact that she worked there with her two roommates, Emily Perkins and Charlotte (Charlie) King. Now the thing that made Natalie different was that she was 6' 3" and a former basketball star in high school.

This day was no different. It was the usual wake up, eat breakfast, walk to work with her roommates, and walk home alone. They always walked home alone because the three would almost always get the same starting time but not the same ending time. In fact, on this night, Natalie was working from 12 to closing.

In appearance, Natalie looked like the other kitchen workers. She wore the company required jeans/black pants and black polo shirt. She kept her brown hair in a braided pony tail, covered by a red kerchief bandana, for a little Christmas-y color. To add to the festive mood, Emily wore a green kerchief bandana to make them look Christmas-y and friend, but she didn't have a pony and she was a blonde, so they didn't fully match. Charlie was an ordinary African-American girl with dark curly locks who usually wore the more typical hairnet.

Every so often, one girl was the "lucky one" in that she sometimes got to wait tables.

The kitchen featured other employees, including Jonathan Field, Bruce McDonnell, Frank Riszt, and Nick Thompson. On this night, Natalie had to close the kitchen. She put on her black jacket, her gloves, and her fleece Christmas-themed scarf, and began the trek home, through snow and all. Emily had left at 9PM, and Charlie at 11PM. But Emily and Charlie would be waiting. They had to worry about tomorrow's night out with their boyfriends at the bowl game!

As Natalie walked homed, she heard an unusual sound rustling behind her. She turned to investigate, and instead found a cat meowing. As Natalie kept walking, she heard the sound getting closer, and increased her walk to a trot. After 5 minutes, she was at the apartment building she lived in and entered the building. When she got to the third floor, the steps continued. She hurried in a panic.

Natalie looked both ways and proceeded to open the door. As she opened the door, she noticed that the lights were off.

Strange, Charlie and Emily normally would still be up, she thought as she was taken by surprise by the person coming from behind.

Even though she normally would overpower a person like as she spent much time at the gym and was probably as strong as some football players, she was not ready for this. The smell of chloroform (or something similar) put her to sleep.

When Natalie came to, she could tell she was riding in a pickup truck, probably an F-150. She felt a bit dizzy, but not more. When she looked, all was still there, except now she was under a large quilt. Then she heard a voice.

"You woke up finally," he sounded familiar.
"Huh?"
"You were out for 11 hours. That's pretty good. Oh, don't try to escape, because you can't."
"Mmmm?" her response was again muted

This was when Natalie realized what was wrong. She was completely restrained. Her hands and ankles were both handcuffed, and her arms were held at her side with a belt. In the mirror, her head seemed like normal with the two scarves both in place, until her captor pulled her winter scarf off, revealing the gag underneath.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!" Natalie shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Natalie began thrashing about the truck as tears came to her eyes.

"NNNNN! HNNNNN!!! UGHHHHHHH!"

She had a 1.5 inch black leather ball gag in her mouth which was then covered by a few strips of tape so that the ball was hidden even though the straps weren't. She sank in the seat of the truck. At this point, her captor set the truck in cruise control so that he could put her scarf back on to cover her face.

"Don't you know who I am?" her captor said.
"Uuuuuuuu?!" Natalie looked into the face of Nick Thompson her co-worker.
"Yes. In fact, we are on our way to Buffalo at the moment. We have to make a stop for the night in Bismarck when we get there. I can't tell you anything right now, so here's something to relax to," he said as put on a classical music CD.

When the truck got to Bismarck, Nick stopped the truck, got out, walked around, and let Natalie out. He uncuffed the cuffs on her legs. She traipsed through the cold snow at his command.

"Get moving," he said gruffly and led her into a house which was occupied by what appeared to be some kind gangster. There were weapons everywhere.
"Mmmph!" Natalie was swearing under her breath.
"In here," Nick said.

He pulled Natalie into an empty room. The other man came in as well. Nick uncuffed her and together they held her down.

Her arms were pulled behind her back and twisted so that one arm was on each shoulder. They tied her arms like this, and then used ropes to make a rope harness with rope above her breasts, below, and more rope coming from around either side of her neck so that her breasts stuck out. These ropes were cinched tightly and left her immobile. Never had she experienced bondage, especially reverse prayer.

Her thighs, knees, and ankles were each tied thoroughly. A rope also went under her crotch, and this rope was tied in a such a way so as to cause pain if she pulled to hard on the ropes. Her legs were bent at the knees and a rope was run from her ankles to her arm bindings.

This was how they left her. Natalie tried to squirm around, but as night fell she knew she was losing energy from lack of food. She tried to let out a cry for help, but she could barely make anything intelligible out, and the tape quietened her.

Why are they doing this to me? There must be some reason, she thought to herself.

Natalie didn't know what was happening, so she just lay on the floor and tried to sleep.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Caesar73 »

That is quite the experience Natalie is going through. We don´t know yet why she was kidnapped. Her captor surely did not take any chances ....well done!
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago That is quite the experience Natalie is going through. We don´t know yet why she was kidnapped. Her captor surely did not take any chances ....well done!
No chances are taken when it's winter time. Someone might mistake her for a present otherwise!
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Post by Mr Underheel »

[mention]AlexUSA[/mention] Great job! I look forward to the next chapter!
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

Mr Underheel wrote: 1 year ago @AlexUSA Great job! I look forward to the next chapter!
They'll be a bit faster to come out at first just because I'm reworking the originals. But then it'll slow. :lol:
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

02: Hogtied

Natalie Woodward awoke from her slumber when she felt a sharp jolt of pain go through her head. Someone had pulled on her braid. She had been kidnapped over 24 hours before, and she had been gagged for all that time. In short, her jaw ached. She felt disgusting as she was dressed exactly as she had been when she had left for the restaurant two mornings prior

Nick Thompson, her kidnapper, started to loosen some bonds. He undid all but her wrists. This was when the other man came in and helped Nick reapply the handcuffs in front of her.

"Get up," he said, giving her hair a tug, "It's time for us to leave."
"You're a pretty girl," the other man said, "Maybe you can stay longer."

Natalie quickly squashed this. She may have been gagged and handcuffed and weak from hunger, but she balanced on a wall so that she could kick the man between the legs. While he was reeling, she kicked him to the ground, which was easy for someone her height.

"You go girl!" Nick said, "You earned that, pervert. Let's go."

Before going outside, Nick again used Natalie's scarf to hide her gag and wrapped the quilt around her. Natalie again was led into the pickup truck passenger seat as before. It was another cold day, probably -20 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Once in the seat, he again cuffed her legs, but this time he didn't belt her arms together.

After they had been driving for a few hours, Nick spoke up.

"I owe you an explanation and an apology. I am sorry I had to kidnap you, but there's a reason. My employers demanded it. Well, my boss and his son demanded it. You see, we're a mafia syndicate, and you work for one of the front businesses. I'm a Toreno, not a Thompson. My boss, the lieutenant, is in Chicago and his son is in Buffalo. The big boss, the commander, is in New York. That's all I can tell you right now, but our next stop will be in Chicago, where maybe we can treat you better."

Buffalo sounded interesting to Natalie, as she had spent the first 10 years of her life there before she and her mother moved to Boise so her mother could teach at the university.

This is confusing, she thought, Why would this be happening?

She found she could write on the windows, but despite writing "Help" on the glass, no one noticed her predicament. They couldn't see her gag through the ice on the window.

Natalie was just thankful she had overdressed for the weather in Boise because it was much colder now. Since she had the ability to do so even with her limited mobilities, she began tidying her disheveled hair. Then she noticed the sharp pain. She motioned to Nick, who understood and pulled off into a rest area.

"No funny business. I have operatives, and we WILL find you," he said as he removed the handcuffs and gag.

It was the first time in almost two days she had gotten to use the bathroom or speak.

"Thank you very much," she said as she got out to use the restroom.

She felt her pockets as she walked: no cell phone. Natalie took her time in the restroom. As she washed her hands after using the toilet, she felt relief through every inch of her body. Before leaving, she stopped at the mirror and tidied herself up. She was glad for her head and neck scarves because they kept her head warm as her jacket had no hood.

As soon as she was back in the truck, Nick handcuffed her wrists and legs, but didn't gag her. They continued to Chicago at a clip. Nick continued to play his preferred classical music to create a relaxing environment.

"Where are my friends?" she finally asked.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean, 'I don't know'?! Are you incompetent or something?!" Natalie's anger could quickly flare and subside.
"Look, if I knew I'd tell you."
"I could eat a horse," she put her hand on her stomach.
"Well, I'm sorry about that, but you can't eat until we get to Chicago for the night."

When the truck stopped in Chicago, Nick made changes to Natalie's appearance. For one, he took off the handcuffs and reapplied them behind her back. He then took the ball gag and reused it on her and then taped her mouth with fresh tape. Natalie groaned at this. Together, they walked in.

Immediately, Natalie noticed a difference. This place had security guards. Two stood in the entry mudroom, and then there appeared to be two on the first floor. Nick opened a door that led down a staircase. All the walls in this basement and the stairway were white. It was pristine and clean, but obviously old as some color had worn out. At the bottom of the stairs there was a right turn which led into a little hallway.

Again, the floor was pristine, but it was concrete. The white walls were clean but discolored from age. The length was about 10 feet, and there were two doors on each side. Each door had a 1'x2' glass window and was locked from the outside: prison cells.

"In you go."

Nick opened the cell. This time a guard was with him holding a .38-caliber gun. Natalie gulped as Nick undid the cuffs and ungagged her.

"There's a window there to let in light, and a light switch, but don't ask for help. No one comes by here, and if they did, that's one way glass: they'll just see a wall. You can take a shower, too. We're not a prison; just holding you to make sure you don't escape and don't kill yourself. When the lieutenant calls, we'll come for you. Hell, the lieutenant, from what I've heard, would give you a Playstation if you asked nicely. I'm not sure why though. Anything you need?" the guard said as he tipped his hat.
"Food," was all she uttered.
"OK, I can do that," he said.
"This is strange, 5-star hotel service," she wondered what kind of maniacs she was with.
"We have our motives."
"See ya, girl," Nick said as he and the guard left, locking Natalie in the cell. It was no use trying to escape. The door had 6 dead bolts, and a guard was at the top of the stairs.

Natalie sat on the bed and cried her heart out, wondering how she had come to be kidnapped by the mob.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Caesar73 »

That chapter was very intriguing: We learn at least who kidnapped Natatalie, even if we do not learn yet why. And one have to say that her kidnappers are treating her at least with some respect.That Natalie cannot hold herself together at the end is quite understandable. She handled herself very well so far. Excellent stuff!
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago That chapter was very intriguing: We learn at least who kidnapped Natatalie, even if we do not learn yet why. And one have to say that her kidnappers are treating her at least with some respect.That Natalie cannot hold herself together at the end is quite understandable. She handled herself very well so far. Excellent stuff!
Natalie is a tough cookie... but even tough cookies can be soft underneath. We're going to find out just how tough she can be in due time.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

03: Imprisoned

[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]

Natalie inhaled the hot chicken soup as soon as it was brought to her. She had been handed a standing eating tray, a bowl, spoon, and thermos, and away she went. It seemed cruel though to give her soup, so she strained out the broth for fear of having another long trip between bathroom breaks. After eating, she took a long shower, which based on her watch was about 30 minutes. Natalie went to bed at this point as it was already 10:30 PM. She undressed to her underwear (and said a long prayer that someone would come for her) and went to sleep in the bed.

The next morning she awoke at 7:30. She got up and put back on her jeans, socks, shoes, and work shirt. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself. Her clothes were filthy, but what could she do? She spent a long time re-braiding her hair, and again tied the red bandana kerchief onto her head. Around 10 o'clock was when she got called.

"Time to go up," the guard said, "But the lieutenant said you aren't to see his face."
"What? Why?!" Natalie demanded an answer.
"Don't question it!" his tone quickly drew submission from her.

The guard handcuffed her behind her back. He took out a strange leather-coated metal ring with leather straps on either side and gagged her with it. Finally, he used a black bandana to blindfold her. This equipment was surreal.

Once they were there, which was definitely on the second floor, Natalie was pushed into a chair. She waited about 10 minutes before the lieutenant came in.

"I have little to say to you right now. I ordered your kidnapping, and I ordered your friends' kidnappings too. You will find one friend in Buffalo. I'll be waiting. Nick, take her out of here. You have all your things?" she heard a familiar voice.

Natalie nodded as Nick helped her up to lead her back into the pickup truck. Together, they went to Buffalo. En route, Nick removed the handcuffs. Natalie took off her blindfold and stuffed it in her left pant pocket; she may need it later. She held up the strange gag and looked at it with confusion and disgust.

"What is this?"
"That is a ring gag. It's a bondage item. Y'know, tying up people? Sometimes even kids or couples do it for fun."
"That's disgusting," she screwed up her face.
"Sure made you helpless now didn't it?"
"Don't act like a creeper."
"I'm not trying. You asked a question," Nick shrugged.

Natalie didn't know. The closest the 20-year old had come to bondage was when she had annoyed her boyfriend one time so he tied her up and gagged her with tape for a few hours so he could study. Upon hearing that, she stuffed the ring gag in her coat pocket and zipped the pocket shut when Nick was pumping gas in Toledo: she may need that, too, should she escape.

A girl like her should be able to escape, right?

The rest of the journey was more of quality time than anything productive. Nick was firm in not revealing anything. So, instead, they talked about how they would certainly get fired from their jobs and other such things. Natalie felt safe talking to him as he seemed intent on keeping her from harm.

Once in Buffalo, she was again led into a house with guards. Strangely, the layouts were identical. Here, though, when she went in her cell, she saw a flash of blonde and green in the cell as they put her in an identical cell to the ones in Chicago.

"My work here is done," Nick said, "Good luck."

Yes! It was Emily! She recognized the face and the hair. Her green kerchief was now replaced by a knit winter hat, and the bandana was now on her left wrist. They immediately started to talk about how they got here. Emily told her story to Natalie.

Emily had been grabbed by a strong man and tied and gagged with a panel gag. At that point, she was forced into her apartment and her clothes raided because they knew she'd likely need them for what they planned to do on the long car ride. Then, the girl was further terrorized with a blindfold.

"Whoever kidnapped us seems to want us comfortable and not to suffer," Emily shook her head.
"You've got that right," Natalie was practically spitting.
"Our kidnappers seem to be want us alive, but we're clearly not hostages either."
"It's like some sort of freaky spy movie."

Emily described in words how ropes were tied at her wrists, elbows, ankles, knees, lower thighs, and upper thighs along with a breast harness and a waist/crotch rope. The girl was put into a ball tie and then had her wrists and ankles cuffed on top of this binding.

"Somebody was having too much of a bondage fantasy, weren't they?"
"Tell me about it. The crotch rope thing, as they called it, caused me to wet myself... sexually!"
"Gross! Sorry, continue."

Emily never got a break and instead was in the trunk of a Ford Fusion for the entirety of those days in the car. Naturally, she was sore from being left that way so long, and her muscles ached terribly. Worse, she had been left to soil herself as well, which was completely humiliating. Natalie got the knots out of Emily's muscles with a combination of love and strength.

"I was kidnapped by Nick Thompson," Natalie told her friend.
"Mine were Bruce McDonnell and Franz Riszt. Get this, Franz Riszt is a fake name. He's really Frankie Catanzaro!"
"So we both were grabbed by co-workers."
"Bingo."

Both girls were surprised to learn they had been practically given the equipment that had been used to gag them and bind them. Natalie even had her knife still. Things just made no sense.

"I had to shower and change my pants and underwear... because I had to wet myself during the journey. Oh, Natalie... it was so embarrassing, and I smelled so bad!"
"Strange," Natalie responded, "See what they left me with," Natalie said, pulling the black bandana and the ring gag out of one of the many pockets in her black jacket.

She walked over to the sink in the cell and washed the ring gag. While she did that, Emily got off the bed and stretched her muscles carefully. As they finished, the door opened.

"Sarge wants to see you both in his office," a guard said, "Turn around."

The guard took away their jackets, handcuffed them, and used two black bandanas to blindfold them. He led them out and up the stairs and up to the second floor, where the Sergeant was.

"Don't worry; we're just fixing up your coats a little. You have little choice, girls; you can join us, or you can take a quick, permanent dive up in one of the many local bodies of water. We have Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, the Finger Lakes... how old are you, Natalie?"
"20," Natalie responded to a second familiar voice.
"And you, Emily?"
"19," Emily said fearfully.
"Yes, you would make fine operatives. Take Emily away and give her back her jacket!"

After Emily left, he spoke again.

"I'm taking you away personally. You're smart; you'll know what to do; I'm on your side. We need you as an operative. Don't lose it all. I even made sure that my operatives supplied you with what you will need. Go find your friend, Charlie. I also made sure you got your wallets back. Go."

They walked in silence. As they walked down the stairs, Natalie's arm caught a sharp part of the metal rail and was slashed, but she didn't feel this. Before opening the cell, he whispered into her ear.

"I want you to escape. I will bring you back up here and make it easy for you to do so. In you go!" he said as he tossed a key on the floor behind her.

"Natalie! What'd he do?" Emily asked.
"I'm fine. Why?" Natalie asked.
"Your arm is bleeding profusely!"
"I didn't notice from the cold. Must have been the metal on the railing."
"Good thing I have a scarf. Give me that," Emily said, and began wrapping her long white scarf around Natalie's arm. She wrapped it like a pro.
"Emily, you're good at this!"
"Didn't I ever tell you? I am saving money to try to get into medical school. I want to be either an ER nurse or a surgeon."
"We've been roommates and co-workers for 7 months and I didn't know that! I'm saving money for college, too, should I wish to go!"

Natalie opened her jacket. She found all of her bandanas in one pocket, and a bunch of socks and undies in the other pocket on the front left of her jacket. She opened another pocket and surprisingly found three pairs of handcuffs in it. Another pocket had three pairs of handcuffs as well, and they appeared to have one key. In her other three pockets (she had four on the outside, two on the inside) she found two ring gags, two ball gags, and two panel gags. The jacket was now quite heavy.

Emily had only three pockets, but in one were the same articles of clothing as her pockets were deep. In the second were a several gags, and in the third was three pairs of handcuffs with a single key.

"I feel like a cop," Emily said, "Natalie, we're going to be OK. I don't know how, but we will be."
"Yes, but why?" Natalie asked in genuine confusion.
"Go with the flow for now."
"Is Charlie OK?" Natalie had worry mixed in.
"Hopefully as fine as we are," Emily maintained hope.
"They're expecting us to encounter many enemies."
"That doesn't sound good."

The girls passed the time talking to each other and getting to know each other better. They were both ashamed to have basically passed each other over for friendship, especially as they both knew Charlie so well. Three hours passed when a guard came down.

"Natalie will come with me."

Natalie stepped forward, and the guard tied her hands behind her back with rope. With a gulp, Natalie went with him, fearful of whether this really was part of a plan to escape or a trap to kill her. As she looked back, she saw tears pouring down Emily's face.

They were both scared stiff.
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Post by Mr Underheel »

This is a great, interesting, different approach! I love the girls describing their own bondages! And the story arc is one that I don’t recall seeing before. Keep it up!
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Post by Caesar73 »

Mr Underheel wrote: 1 year ago This is a great, interesting, different approach! I love the girls describing their own bondages! And the story arc is one that I don’t recall seeing before. Keep it up!
Nothing to add on my part :) I agree on all accounts! I surely did not expect this.
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Post by GreyLord »

This is a very different kind of story, [mention]AlexUSA3[/mention]. Well done!

It is a fine kettle of fish that Natalie and Emily have gotten into. The picture is still murky. I'm looking forward to clarification as you continue.

And, WOW, a reverse prayer for Natalie's first time tied up. That sets a standard.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]

04: Broken-Hearted

Together, Natalie and the guard went back to the sergeant's office, where the sergeant was writing on a pad. He was familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it just yet.


"Leave us alone," the man ordered the guard.
"Yes, sir!"
"Natalie, I'm going to help you a bit. When the guard comes back, escape," he said, loosening the ropes a bit.
"Why? What's going on?" Natalie asked.
"You know what to do," he said opening a drawer to reveal handcuffs and a gag. "Take her away!"

The guard returned. As he started to put his hands on her, she got the ropes off. Natalie, with her size, turned and punched the guard with excessive violence. The gym time and her size helped as she, at 6'3," was taller than anyone else in this building of tiny mafiosos. She quickly seized the knocked out guard and grabbed his gun. She pointed it at the sergeant. He seemed extremely familiar, and his face sent a chill down her spine. Where had she met him?

"Good work, girl! Here!" he said as she cuffed and gagged himself.
"Whoever you are... thank you."

The sergeant gave Natalie a handcuffed thumbs up. She deposited the unconscious guard in the closet and shut it. She looked at the piece of paper on his desk. It said: Chicago, Boston. Natalie understood immediately that she must go to Chicago and then Boston.

"Thanks!" she said as she left.

When she got to the first floor, she had to deal with another guard, whom she quickly punched out and took the keys from. Natalie then flew down the stairs to the basement.

"Emily, grab your things, quick!" Natalie shouted as she opened the cell.
"Where are we going?!"
"Chicago! Just go!"

They ran up the stairs. When they got to the top, they found Nick Thompson. Natalie pointed the gun at him.

"Move, you son of a b-tch! I have good mind to let you die right here, but I know you didn't mean harm," she hissed at him.
"Such language!" Emily said.
"In the truck, now!" Natalie ordered.

Another guard came over, but Natalie just threw him across the room into a wall. She may have been a girl, but her gym time and basketball gave her the arm strength of a 6' tall man. Before leaving, she took the man's gun. They herded into the truck. Natalie saw a pair of handcuffs on the floor of the truck.

"Emily, use these on Nick!" she moved quickly.
"What are you two doing?" Nick asked as Emily quickly cuffed him.

Natalie slowly drew up the gun.

"The three of us are taking a nice little ride to Chicago. Any mistakes, and I may just kill you for getting me in all this danger."

They threw Nick onto the back bench as Natalie took the driver's seat with Emily in the passenger's seat.

"We're gangsters, now," Emily said, observing their actions with wide eyes.
"To the max! Let's get out of here!" Natalie said, starting up the truck and driving off.

She handed Emily the gun. It would be much too late for anyone to follow, and if they tried Natalie knew the sergeant would send them the wrong way. Once in Chicago after a day of taking turns driving and fueling up, Natalie needed some way to get inside.

"Emily, you stay here! Guard Nick!" she explained.

Natalie approached the building. The guard was there. Natalie walked right up to him, and he didn't seem to recognize her. Instead, he stared coldly at her.

"You have business with the lieutenant?" he asked formally
"Yes," Natalie responded.
"Not just anyone gets in."
"May I? I am supposed to be here."
"Not at all! Wait, I know you! You're the one Nick brought, and that's his truck! Hey!" the guard reaction.
"Sorry, scum!"

Natalie slugged the guard before he could grab his gun. She threw him down the three steps onto ground, which knocked him out cold. This was violent even for her.

"Ohhh," Emily fought tears as she watched from the truck.

Natalie walked into the building, where she quickly over powered the guard there too. She just punched him once and then used his own handcuffs on him before grabbing a nearby towel to gag him. After she did that, she charged up the stairs. The last guard just stepped aside and let her enter the "lieutenant"s office without a question.

"Where's Charlie?" Natalie demanded of him.
"Don't you know?" he asked with a smile.
"Actually, I do, but I need the address in Boston,"
"Don't you know?" he asked again.
"Know what?" she asked him.
"I'll give you the address. If you answer me."
"Why?" Natalie was getting angry.
"Natalie, I want to help you. I think you and your friends could be the greatest workers. In fact, you and Emily could be something special... Made Women, which is something unheard of in mafia circles. Don't you know?"
"What don't I f-cking know?! You keep asking that same damned question time and time again!" Natalie shrieked, her anger boiling over.
"Natalie, you don't seem to understand," he said.

He looked at her and smiled in a loving way. It made her shake a little. That face in Buffalo. That face before. Buffalo. Buffalo, where she had been born and raised. HER CHILDHOOD. The face came roaring back as she remembered that family... The Napolitano's. What did they want with her?

"I guess your mother never did tell you the truth. I'm your father."
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

05: Devastated

Natalie hit the chair behind her like a rock. She didn't believe her ears.

"You can't be my father. You're an a Italian. My last name's Woodward, and my mom's last name is Woodward. Last I checked a woman got the last name of the man she married," Natalie corrected this man she assumed to be confused or an imbecile.
"Your mom's not Woodward; it's Anderson."
"How did you know that?"
"That's her husband's last name, isn't it? That is, your father?" he knew too much.
"I'm a literal b-stard. How do you know these things?"
"You see, Natalie, you were conceived out of wedlock," he continued.
"My mom always said she was r-ped. She still has my birth certificate, and I have never seen it," she denied his words.
"To bear the shame herself, she gave you her maiden last name, Woodward. My last name is Napolitano. Natalie Emanuela Woodward, right?"
"How the f-ck do you know my full name?!" the words came off her mouth forcefully and viciously.
"Fortunately," he ignored her, "you look just like your mother but taller, so I got saved from the blame. Remember the Napolitano children?"
"Yes, they were my best friends before we moved from Buffalo to Idaho when Mom got the job at Boise State."
"After you were born, your mom and I got married. We had two kids: your brother and your sister," he was reminiscing.
"Those were my siblings?! What the hell?!" Natalie started to cry.
"But we divorced when she was pregnant with your brother."

Natalie got to hear a new version of her life story. How she was raised in Buffalo; how her mother would bring Natalie to visit her friend Cheryl Napolitano. How her parents divorced. Why they really visited. And, of course, that her mother and step-father took Natalie to live in Boise. Now these long lost friends... were her brother and sister.

"So," Natalie nodded, "That's why I knew the man in Buffalo but didn't know why."
"And your sister is in Boston right now. Your sister's hair, as she became older, became blonde like your friend Emily's, and you didn't recognize her it seems. I understand Emily is with you, though I don't understand why."
"Why did you take Emily and Charlie?!"

These explanations were tiresome. Some of it made sense, other parts didn't. Was it too hard to get direct answers to her questions? So what if Jessica was her sister. She didn't need to sell Natalie and her friends to the mafia! Was it really necessary to terrorize her in this way and basically coerce her into a criminal gang? More and more, Natalie felt a mixture of boiling anger and cooling reminiscence building inside her.

"This is all so confusing. I have two siblings both within two years of me?! Are you telling me the truth!?"
"Your mother and I were quite the couple, but she didn't want to deal with this lifestyle. Go to Boston; save your friend Charlie; Jessica will be waiting there with open arms. I won't tell her a thing; tell her yourself."

Natalie was processing all this. Father, brother, sister, cousin. How did this all work like this?! Either it was all a lie to lure her in... but she remembered those children!

"Michael! Michael! That's his name... I remember that! Who's the cousin? TELL ME PLEASE!" Natalie asked, but suddenly she realized who it was.
"You know who the cousin is. Now, let me explain. Time is precious here."

He explained the Luchtler watch and its three customizable time zones: local time, Rome, and New Zealand. The third designated a member of the Napolitano sub-family. In other words, this was an independent gang within a gang. This did nothing to calm Natalie's nerves, and in fact it only piled stress on top of stress for her as she knew she had no choice.

"But how do I know who is who?" she asked with concern.
"Just ask. No one should be loath to tell you if they're friends. These are name watches, a tier below a Rolex."
"I don't know if I want to do this though," she shied at this.
"The Don has plans to kill some important figures. You love your country?" his question was sharp.

This "Father" told her everything she needed to know. Where to find Charlie. What was happening within the mafia. He made it clear that this would be violent and that their purpose was known. In short, Natalie had clearance by nearly everyone including possibly the President. But why her? Why couldn't some CIA or FBI agents be used instead. He briefly explained the way they used legitimate business to hide the illegal activity and urged caution.

"I will think about it," Natalie groaned.
"Good luck, Natalie. It's been so long. Maybe, just maybe, we can be a father and daughter finally after this is all said and done."
"Thank you."

Natalie walked back to the truck. She climbed in next to Emily in the driver's seat.

"Nick, let me see your watch," Natalie manhandled Nick to check out his watch settings.
"Hmmm?" he grunted while unable to resist.
"Here Emily," Natalie said handing Emily a Luchtler watch while freeing Nick Thompson.
"Natalie, what are you doing?!!" Emily didn't understand why she'd free an enemy.
"He's on our side. We're mafia spies... worse... CIA or FBI now."
"What the hell have you done to us?!" Emily shrieked.
"Just saving the world before bedtime," she said with a forced grin as she started the truck. Her sleeves were rolled up, showing her wounds.
"Oh, that was a good scarf too," Emily grimaced at the bloody mess.
"Where are we headed?" Nick asked.
"Boston, to save Charlie, and continue the family reunion..."
"Family reunion?"
"Emily, is your last name... Napolitano?" Natalie asked as she drove off into the unknown.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by GreyLord »

You are continuing the excitement, [mention]AlexUSA3[/mention]. i am probably confused by the family relations, but that is just me. Go girl, save the world.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

06: Reunited

"Natalie... I... No, I can't answer you... yes, I can. I am not. I am indeed related to you, your cousin, but I am not a Napolitano... that's my mom. I'm sorry... Natalie... I couldn't admit it. I recognized you, but you didn't recognize me."

"Why?" Natalie asked, her tone conveying that she was personally hurt by this.

"I've seen pictures from old Christmas cards. I did it for your safety. My mom moved out here to get away from mafia, and instead we found them. I felt if you were just my friend that no one would hurt you. I know from Jessica, and she didn't want you to get hurt either. I know nothing except that they're mob. But they did hurt you, and I've been dying inside the last three days. It's all my fault for not admitting it sooner," Emily looked away from Natalie, but the single tear that rolled her cheek was apparent.

"I never knew we were cousins. But here we are. You were already my roommate, but now you're more than my roommate. We're flesh and blood. I was 10 when my mom moved to Boise. How did you know?"

"Like I said... I knew Jessica was a cousin," Emily's eyes remained fixed outside the vehicle, "We talked a little. She convinced her husband to move because of my family already being there. All she told me was that she knew you were her sister and that it was too dangerous to say anything because of her family issues."

It was horribly confusing. Here Natalie was 20, almost 21... she never knew her roommate was her cousin. Her 19 year-old sister was here with her and did "family business." Her 18 year-old brother was a professional mobster. They were all so young... too young for such horrors to he happening. Natalie stopped questioning because she didn't want to hurt Emily, and it was apparent the girl was in a ton of mental anguish.

Natalie gunned the truck onto the freeway. Boston was far away, and she tried to figure out how her younger siblings had already gotten where they were in life. That "sergeant" in Buffalo didn't look 18 with that beard and early-age baldness. So much confusion. Why had her Mom lied? Natalie thought deeply on these things.

"Natalie, look out!" cried Emily as Natalie nearly ran over a motorcyclist.
"Whoa! I guess I wasn't paying enough attention."
"You OK?" Emily asked with a frown.
"No, Emily, I'm not. This has been a shocking time for me. But we need to keep going. Besides, we need gas, and I need the ladies' room."

Natalie pulled over into the right lane and took an exit with a Shell. Once there, she started the pump and went to the restroom. Suddenly, she got a text from Emily.

"Sum1 is w8ting for u. Creepy. Looks like attacker."
"Where?" Natalie responded quickly.
"Behind door."
"Gotcha."

Natalie washed her hands and opened the door to the restroom. When she did so, she swung it wide and then jumped into it. She heard a man cry in pain as she did so.

Flinging the door shut, Natalie slugged the man in the stomach and face quickly with an uppercut and a jab. She swiftly kicked him between the legs, forcing him to the ground. Natalie took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the mans wrists behind his back.

Natalie knew she had to move fast. Where there's one, there's more. She quickly ball gagged the man and tossed him into a nearby dumpster. Nick had the truck ready to go, having finished the fueling. Natalie jumped in, and Nick took off before she was belted in.

Sure enough, a black car began following them. Natalie plugged her phone into the AC adapter and fired up the GPS to find alternate routes. The black car was gaining on them.

"How stiff is your suspension?" Natalie asked Nick.
"Pretty stiff, why?"
"If we cut off a vehicle, would we spin?"
"I don't know."
"Well, my plan is that you cut across its front bumper when it starts to come alongside you. Smash it."
"We could die!" Nick was indignant about this.
"Either way!"

Slowly the car started to pull alongside. It was a black Cadillac with dark window tinting. When its nose got up to the truck's door, Natalie noticed the sign: bridge ahead.

"We have a bridge. Time this correctly," she advised.
"Get ready. Hold on for dear life!" Nick yelled as he pushed down the gas a little more.

After 8 seconds, Nick jerked right. He started pushing the car. He kept doing so until the bridge barrier gave way.

"Look at that!" Nick said looking in his rear-view mirror.

Natalie and Emily looked backwards as the car, thoroughly smashed, twirled a little as it plunged into the river below.

"We have more company," Emily said as another black Cadillac like the other emerged from behind some SUVs that were getting a front-row seat to this .

Suddenly, they heard gunshots, and one whizzed by Emily's head as she let out a scream.

"Duck, Emily!" Natalie ordered as she put the window down.

She took her gun, aimed, and shot at the car. The bullet hit right into the car's tire, sending it spinning and barrel rolling. Natalie let out a sigh of relief.

"We need to stop in Buffalo," Nick said.
"Why?" Natalie asked.
"I know someone unaffiliated with these guys who can give us a car. It'll probably be loaded with weapons too."
"Your phone's probably tapped though."
"Hence why I have two phones. Besides, this guy is well-connected with government people."

Nick called his friend, "Fix-It," and explained it all. The friend said he had an Impreza "with full add-ons" ready. Nick smiled to his passengers.

Once Buffalo came, Nick turned off the highway. He trailed some back roads until he was 30 miles out of the city. He turned into what seemed to be a regular driveway. The garage was open and Nick pulled in with a burst of speed.

"Nick, are you trying to kill us?!" Emily said covering her eyes.
"No way! Watch this!" he said.

Suddenly, the road dropped off into the garage and the door shut behind them like a normal garage. Nick turned on the headlights as they were in a strange tunnel. After about 10 seconds of a long right turn, the tunnel gave way to a large garage that was fully underground and ventilated.

"What is this?" Natalie asked in amazement.
"The underground," Nick said with a smile enjoying his own pun as he parked the truck and got out.

Natalie and Emily followed him. Those Schwarenegger movies and FPS video games were based upon... reality?! This was almost too much for the young ladies to process, but they accepted it and moved on in the interest of not causing delays..

"Fix-It!" Nick shouted.
"Nick Toreno, is that you?" a voice returned.
"It is, and I brought friends."
"What is the problem?" the man said as a tall black male with thick grease-covered fingers came toward them. He had obviously been working.
"We're running from the mob," Nick explained.
"You rip them off or something?"
"No, insurrection. We're in a hit list and need something to fight them with. Government work, for real."
"I knew the day would come. Many of your colleagues come to me, but no one knows anyone else comes here. My systems are so secure. I hack them, not the other way."
"Anonymous?" Natalie asked.
"No, I am independent. Come. I have something for you. Time to save the world before bedtime."

That phrase appeared a lot. He led them to a corner with a blue Subaru Impreza. It looked newer, maybe 2016 or 2017.

"Here it is!"
"Sweet! What'd you do to it for us?"
"It's a Batmobile, we'll say."
"And?" Nick prodded, and Fixit took a breath.

It had everything. Bullet proof legally tinted glass. Several layers of kevlar and carbon honeycomb steel paneling in all the bodywork. Braced simple collapse chassis for collisions. Reinforced suspension for maintaining traction and safer spins. Specially formulated slow wear tires with high grip for speed. Tires are reinforced to be bullet resistant.

In the arm rest, there was bullet magazine feeds into this with controls here to fire off two different machine guns with max mobility to allow more directional control. With three people, it was possible to maintain all the weapon systems. There was a safe in the back, and overall it was more bada$$ than even a video game machine. It even had oil slick capabilities, with recycled oil even provided. There were a grenade drop, smoke screens, and even a button to push spikes out the sides.

"It's a 0 to 60 of 2.43 seconds. Six speed transmission. Max speed of 165 mph."
"COOL!" Natalie blurted knowing what those numbers meant even though she wasn't into cars at all.
"That's a fantastic package, Fix-It," Nick marveled.
"In short, I always have two or three like this around for government folks like you. They are usually actual CIA/FBI paycheckers though," Fix-It explained why he had this ready.
"Cost?" Nick asked.
"For you? None. This is serious business for a friend. I miss the days when you worked with me. You always knew where to shag a part."
"Maybe in a little while, Fixit, if all goes well," Nick said in a much more hopeful tone than his eyes conveyed.
"Maybe so. Here are the keys. BTW, if you lose the keys, enter the door code. You know it, Nick. The usual," Fix-It gave Nick a pat on the back.
"Thanks for saving our lives."
"You're welcome."
"You ARE the best!" Natalie said getting in the passenger seat.
"Don't mention it," Fix-It said as they got into the car and started it up.
"Thank you," they said waving to him.
"Best wishes," Fix-It said waving back, "And kick their asses to Las Vegas and back!"
"He is the absolute best!!!" Emily said in amazement.
"He really is," Nick smiled.

Nick drove the car down the tunnel, out of the secret entrance, and back to the highway. The adventure was only just beginning.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by GreyLord »

Nice complexity.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

07: New Family

Author's note: This chapter is mostly dialogue just to show the process of Natalie, Emily, and Jessica coming to terms with the situation at hand.

As the group rode along, Natalie meditated on the events of her life to this point. Her relationship with Emily had taken a very different tone for sure. Overnight, her best friend had become family, yet in becoming family she had become like a stranger in some ways but a precious ally in others. Now they were on their way to piece this puzzle together.

"You're brooding, Natalie," Emily tried to comfort her.
"My life was a lie," the girl shook her head.
"I'm sorry you got involved in this... Mr Napolitano, I guess he thought you'd be best for this," Nick was quite apologetic.
"Yeah... I'm...," Natalie paused.
"I just did what I was told to do," he stated plainly, "When I tried to resist, they threatened to kill me for being a rat."
"Why couldn't he just write a letter instead of arranging for his own child to be kidnapped and terrorized?!" Natalie spilled her true feelings.
"You like football, right?" Nick asked her.
"Bills Mafia!" Natalie responded with a hint of pride in her fandom yet sadness in that word "mafia."
"This is the playoffs... Every game we must win... Or die."
"That's shitty lucky if we're the Bills," Emily deadpanned.
"Ha ha ha!" Natalie was sarcastic and bitter.
"Where's Charlie?" Nick asked, "Is that our goal?"
"In f-cking Boston! Yeah!" Natalie spat the words out.

Natalie was full of bitterness. What kind of scumbag was her dad? Why would she want a dad who was a high ranking criminal? Online FPS games had suddenly become her reality, but at least there weren't game modders running around,

"We have company!" Emily said in a fearful tone.
"Well, Nick, I see some more black Cadillacs! What treatment do we give?" Natalie deferred to his expertise.
"Shoot 'em up!"
"We're--?!" Emily froze when she heard gunshots.
"Screw this! Die, motherf-ckers!" Natalie loaded a magazine into the rear cartridge.

Natalie winced as her humanity surfaced. With gritted teeth, she fired the gun at one of the car's tires. The car suddenly lurched and, to everyone's relief, collided with the other, causing it to barrel roll spectacularly. Then, the rolling car exploded.

"WHYYYYYY?!" Emily buried her face in her hands.
"That just...," Natalie's voice shook.
"You get this sinking feel in your guts like I did?" Nick asked.

Silence dominated the rest of the trip with Nick and Natalie trading places at the wheel. For Natalie, the machine was a wonder like the fanciful ones in her games. It distracted her from the guilt of having committed murder even if in self-defense. The entire trip, she focused on talking about football and the car lest she just have a total nervous breakdown.

"This is it," Nick parked the Impreza.
"Do we go guns a-blazin', or do we sneak?" Natalie asked.
"Emily?" Nick asked her opinion
"You need me in there. Nick, stay out here. We can't lose a friend on account of family matters," Emily shook her head.
"Roger."

Natalie's height, strength, and bandana made her appear more intimidating than she really was. She still was dangerous though. The guard watched her as she walked up the stairs and right up to him.

"Do you have business here?" he stared right at her.
"I do, but you don't," Natalie liver punched him.
"Guh!" was the best response he gave.
"Ems!" Natalie ordered her friend to move.
"On it!" the cousin responded.

The two quickly handcuffed and gagged him, tossed and then entered the building that was strangely empty yet identical to the others. Instinctively, Natalie charged down the stairs with Emily behind without nary a thought about checking the building for other goons. There were three cells. Two had glass doors and were empty. The third had doors like an elevator with a big crank lock of some sort. Natalie opened the crank and peered inside.

"Charlie!" she yelled
"Mmmm!" the bound and gagged girl wailed from a chair tie.
"I'm so glad we found you!" Natalie said as she forced the door open.
"Mmm!"
"Let's get her and...," Emily started.
"Die!" a male voice ordered.
"Oh, shit," Natalie felt the color drain from her face.

In their excitement and adrenaline, they had failed to watch their backs. At all. Now, two mafiosos had heavy machine guns pointed at the trio, and they meant business. The taller one had a perpetual frown and greying curly hair and a full beard. The shorter one was all black haired and had a receding hairline.

"You nosy b-tches. Tony, tie them up!" the smaller of the two ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the goon complied.
"Who are you?" Natalie asked.
"Every hero vs. Mafia story has a bad guy, no? I'm the bad guy," the short one was proud of himself.
"You're a f-cking d-ck!" Natalie muttered under her breath.
"I have that. Want me to use it on you?" he cackled.
"No!" Natalie gave him the middle finger.
"Shut up, Natalie!" he personally jammed a 2 inch blue ball gag into Natalie's mouth.
"Mmm!"
"Please no!" Emily quietly cried.
"This is the end of the stupid Napolitano revolt!" the gangster announced.

Natalie's wrists, elbows, chest, ankles, and thighs were tied, and she was seated on the bed. Charlie was tied to the chair in so many spots it wasn't funny; a black bandana held stuffing of some sort in her mouth. Emily was bound hand and foot and hogtied before being suspended upside down and gagged with one of the ring gags in her coat. Then, after all these three were secure, Jessica was pushed into the room.

Jessica was the average one of the lot. She was blonde, average height, 10 pounds overweight, and perpetually in long pants of some sort. Duct tape was wrapped around her wrists, breasts, ankles, and thighs. She was seated next to Natalie and gagged with something under the duct tape.

"In 20 minutes or so, this place will be sky high! 11:45 AM, Natalie Woodward and her friends passed away in an explosion!"
"EEEEEEEKKKKKK!" a couple of the quartet hrieked as the door was shut and locked.
"Mmm!" Natalie realized she still had her knife, the one she always carried.

Natalie had little time to deal with these games. She quickly hacked the tape binding Jessica's wrists as that was easier than hacking her own bindings. Jessica then sawed at Natalie's ropes and together they freed Charlie from the chair. Looking at her watch, Natalie knew they had no time to spare. There wasn't even time to ungag themselves really. They instead cut Emily down from the ceiling and carried her out while she was still hogtied. Natalie undid the ball gag on herself as they climbed into the car.

"Don't wait! Get us as far away from here as possible! PEDAL TO THE FLOOR!" gasped Natalie.
"On it!" Nick said as he put the pedal to the floor without waiting even for seat belts to be fastened.

As they drove away, a loud "BOOM!" rattled them, and behind them they saw an inferno where the house had been. Charlie, who was riding shotgun, and Jessica quietly removed their gags. Natalie comforted a crying and whimpering Emily by removing her gag and slowly untying her.

"Nat, what's happening to us?" Emily wailed.
"We're making it out," Natalie said, then looked at Jessica, "So... you're my sister."
"I'm sorry, Natalie. I didn't think it would be this way. It seemed so simple when Mike and I planned it out... And it sure as hell isn't," Jessica refused to make eye contact.
"I'm sure in a spot... I'm in a car with three gorgeous single ladies and not one of them will let me bone them!" Nick joked.
"Shut up, Toreno, or I'll hang you by your clusters," Jessica ordered him.
"WOW," Natalie was impressed.
"Toreno. Isn't he Thompson?" Charlie asked all.
"Guess who had an alias?" Natalie teased her a little, trying to maintain some of her sanity in a stressful moment, while helping Emily get seated.

Now it was time for Nick to explain his name, put up with some jokes.

"My real last name is Toreno. Laugh at me! Franz Riszt is really Francesco Catanzaro. Bruce is really a Salerno. We get it. Got to hide somehow."

For those who don't know, "Mike Toreno" is a character in the video game "GTA: San Andreas" and plays a pivotal role in the story from his position as a government secret agent.

"Ha ha! We ridin' with a Ford Torino!" Charlie flexed some car knowledge, "How many horses you got? None, cuz you're a jackass!"
"Oh, brother," he rolled his eyes.
"You think you gonna flex all CIA cuz you a Toreno?" Charlie continued.
"Ugh," he rolled his eyes yet again, still unimpressed.
"Toreno in an Impreza is un-Imprez-ive if I do say so myself."
"OK," he admitted," that's a good one."

To the tune of that banter, Natalie tried again.

"You... You really are my sister? I'm so much taller than you... My hair is different."
"But our faces are the same."
"Yep," Natalie put her face in her hands and sighed as she fought a thousand emotions.
"I'm sorry our mother didn't give you the justice you deserved. It sucks for me too... Never knowing my biological mom," Jessica said, revealing that she carried her own pain.
"All my life, I thought I was the child of a r-pe victim. I'm not upset that it's not true, but that Mom deceived me about it out of some strange spite and hatred for her own son and daughter," Natalie groaned.
"It's hard for me too, especially since the woman who did consider me her daughter died," Jessica spoke of her step-mother.
"So," Natalie thought, "You have no one. I've been blissfully unaware and just loving a step-father who really loves me, but you knew the whole truth and then lost the one who did care."
"Yeah."
"Can I just pause and marvel in the fact that you two are both my cousins?" Emily asked.

Natalie still was confused how Jessica knew yet the Lieutenant didn't. She needed this part rectified.

"How did you know Emily is a cousin?"
"Well, it's more that I knew who she was. We just act more like friends as it is, and so we never mention it much. Her mom and our dad are siblings."
"So this is Uncle Manny in all this," Emily shooked her head in disbelief, "Mom pretty much said he was a bad guy, but so aren't all her brothers."
"Emanuel is his name?!" Natalie couldn't believe it... that's why she's Natalie Emanuela.
"Yeah...," Emily shrugged.
"When your dad is a powerful gangster, sadly you basically grow up with a stranger," Jessica said sadly, "He's always traveling, or hiding, or something. I can't believe I let him talk me into all this. It's my fault for talking about my friendships with you two... He thought bringing in unknowns would upset the apple cart."
"It's upset mine all right," Natalie groaned.

How are they supposed to live now? Everyone's family was now in danger. Emily and Natalie were family, but why Charlie? Here they were now the source of internal mafia espionage at the behest of the U.S. government. This was the only chance they had to end this criminal organization, get out of it alive, and potentially get their dad out of it alive as well.

They had no clue how deep this was going to get before they would find their ways out, but at least questions were being answered finally.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by GreyLord »

I love the complexity of this tale. Although I am not sure that I understand all of the relations. Natalie is a neat protagonist. Great off the wall reactions.
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

GreyLord wrote: 1 year ago I love the complexity of this tale. Although I am not sure that I understand all of the relations. Natalie is a neat protagonist. Great off the wall reactions.
To be honest, I kind of just dove into this without caution, made everything horribly complex, caused a giant mess, left a web of confusion, and then decided "Let's bring these threads together in a coherent way," and now we'll start seeing some loops close and see the results of all the deception that's been going on up to this point. I'm making this up as I go and hope to be able to get more TUGs in the action as we go along. But there should be less confusion and utilization of all the previously introduced "weapons" from a bundle of rope all the way to a machine-gun-equipped-Subaru.
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AlexUSA3
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

08: Experience

PS: if you want to be tagged to know when chapters are posted, let me know here or in a PM

A long car ride back to Idaho gives plenty of opportunity to understand what role each of them had to play in all this. Between Jessica's knowledge and Nick's connections, the picture of their purpose because clear.

"OK, here's what I know," Nick explained while Natalie drove, "Franz and Bruce and I are all on the same team. Now, here's where things get scary... Charlie, your kidnappers, I suspect, are double agents. They took the orders when I relayed them, but they seem more cushy with the guy who just tried to kill you all."

"What Nick is saying is that only some of the Napolitano goons are on our side in this mission. We sometimes employed underlings of other wise guys in the business, but mostly we use our own. Nat, you three girls are among 10 or so total employees at the restaurant who weren't already part of our mafia, and this restaurant schtick is national for the entire gang."

"I'm a mafioso's daughter now helping that mafioso murder all the other mafiosos and all with the approval of Donny or Barry or Joey or whichever President blindly signed off on authorizing us to commit mass murder! Delightful!" Natalie was extremely bitter about the entire thing, more than the other four combined.

"Girl, why'd you order those two goonies to nab me anyway?" Charlie asked, "I am not mafia. Clearly I am not! Do I like Italian to you?! I'd like to twist your ears off your head!"

"Aren't you the Charlotte Sullivan that was in the news about 18 months ago?" Jessica asked a very personal question.

"You know that, huh?" Charlie knew she was cornered now, "I try not to talk about that."

"What is it?" Emily asked.

Charlie took a deep sigh and knew he wasn't a easy experience. Her ex-boyfriend, Jerome, was a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and about 10 years her senior. The PTSD had become too much, and he kidnapped Charlie, tied her up in an abandoned house, and had a standoff with the cops and SWAT. She had never seen so many cops, infantrymen, choppers, cruisers... Or so many guns, grenades, tear gas, and other such weapons. She could only get out... by shooting him. Now, Charlie was wracked with guilt that she had missed the signs of his distress and not gotten him the help he needed.

"Charlie's a tough girl," Jessica nodded and turned to Emily, "I was putting you in more danger by not having you kidnapped though. But, we don't want you on the front line. Michael is odd like that too; he can dish orders and stuff, but he can't handle the sight of a paper cut."
"So what am I? Daphne from Scooby-Doo just looking cute and useless?" Emily asked indignantly
"No, we need someone making sure the rest of us stay safe and doing some of the dirty work," Jessica tried to explain.
"Like?"
"Like communicating with our allies. IDing the safest way through something. You care so much about people and want to help them. People will get hurt and need you then as well. You will be the one scanning around looking for suspicious people and cars. You're going to be the contact person through whom everything else happens. You'll be the one sneaking around planting a car bomb."
"CAR BOMBS?!" Emily shrieked and then recouped her senses, "I have skills even if they don't involve fists and weapons. Heck, I'm like a bookie or something?"
"What's my role?" Natalie asked.
"Muscles and brains. You think a lot before you act, like a chess player, except when you let your emotions get the best of you. You're something really special in that sense. If things get crazy, you'll be the reason we'll come out on top. But only if you learn to control yourself."
"Is that a joke? I'm a bloody meathead, Jess, and often times just attack without a thought."
"Now that's the joke, Nat," Nick took her down, "You're actually really clever with this kind of thing but have this complex that's frankly annoying at times."
"Fine," Natalie shrugged and mouthed a streak of swears under her breath.

Jessica laid out the most basic summary possible. Clean out their home city of Boise. Then clean out all the other mafia outlets, including their businesses. It was going to be ugly, and in some regards it would be costly. The parent company in it all, Olive Garden, was going to receive a lot of bad press most likely because of their chains being used as a front for gangsters. The important part was getting rid of the Don and his most powerful allies; the rest would scatter if they saw the situation was hopeless.

The trip home took two days, and while they got to know each other better Charlie's kidnapping became more and more concerning as Jessica and Nick realized they couldn't account for what had happened or put their fingers on who had even done it with 100% accuracy. This mean they were going to return to Boise and have to be extremely cautious when they returned to work because they had at least a handful of enemies in their midst, if not more.

"Nats, now that we're home, can I level with you?" Emily asked her while Charlie took a shower.
"Go ahead," Natalie responded cordially.
"Ever since that day what now 6 months ago? When your boyfriend tied you up to shut up? I've wanted to try being tied up, too, but been afraid to say it. What a sucky way to get introduced."
"You're fine, Ems. You're fine. I can get what you're saying, and it's OK. Maybe we can learn together and make some fun in this sea of terror."
"Going back to work will be nice, too," the naïvety of Emily knew no end sometimes.
"Will it? Or will they be putting a hit on us? I just went from a regular American to a f-cking guidette in a week," the scowl on Natalie's face was apparent.
"Nat...," Emily knew Natalie was bitter.
"Be quiet and let me spill my guts for a change! We're all stressed and scared, but, Emily... I've got a massive target on my back. Not only is a ton of responsibility on us, but now your lives are in my hands. Even if we are successful, if something happens to either you or Charlie I will never be able to face life again."
"What about yourself?" the tone in Emily's voice showed her concern.
"I apparently never had a life to begin with," Natalie's response was cold, "Maybe I should just shoot myself and end it."
"Natalie... I want to be your friend. I care about you and hate seeing you stressed."
"Then just make sure I stay alive," Natalie shrugged and walked into her bedroom.

After so much stress, Natalie went out like a light as she flopped on her. She had no idea how long she was out because it was a fitful sleep haunted with many nightmares.

"Wake up!" Emily shook Natalie awake.
"GET AWAY!" Natalie lunged at her, then stopped, "Oh, it's you, Emily. Sorry."
"Let's go out for breakfast. Get cleaned up and look like you weren't kidnapped," the smile on Emily's face was encouraging.
"All right all right," Natalie smiled back to show that she was feeling a little better.

Charlie was the one of the trio who was most confused. What did the Italian mafia want with a black girl? Someone who was desperate enough to survive that she killed her boyfriend? They figure if they forced her into a deadly situation with some crazy gangsters that she'd blow their brains out too?

A nice diner breakfast was a welcome break for the moment. Emily, ever the innocent one, had a stack of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Charlie and Natalie were famished from not being as well fed in their imprisonments and had large plates with sausage, eggs, biscuits, and pancakes. As they were finishing eating, Charlie made an observation.

"Those two people over in that corner are the sh-ts that kidnapped me."
"I recognize them from OG. A girl, really?" Natalie was surprised.
"Yeah. Let's go and see if they get up too. If they do, then they're after us," Charlie explained.

The girls acted natural and left the restaurant. Not only did the others follow, but it meant they left without paying.

"Perfect," Emily said.
"Why?" Natalie asked.
"I just tipped off Jess, asking for help," Emily was oblivious to the realities of mafia.
"This could get ugly! You fool!" Natalie wanted to grab her and shake her.
"We could get killed. Those two are definitely out looking for blood," Charlie explained Emily's foolishness.
"I'm not packing any heat. Or any other weapons for that matter," Natalie was getting agitated.
"So...," Charlie was cut off.
"We have company. HIDE!"

Natalie grabbed Charlie and Emily and dashed behind a bunch of cars as a white Chevrolet Camaro skidded into the parking lot. Suddenly, gunfire filled the air.

"EEEKKK!" Emily shrieked.
"If we live through this, I'm going to tie you to the kitchen table and spank you!" Charlie hissed at her.

Emily didn't care much about that statement. Tears poured down her cheeks as she had gotten herself and her friends caught in the middle of a mafia shootout. As bullets whizzed by in both directions, the girls tried to think as a team but failed to do so.

"If we escape this, I'm going to f-cking shakedown that Jessica!" Natalie was enraged.
"Oh, Natalie! I'm so sorry!" blubbered the troublemaker.
"I'm packing, Nats!" Charlie said, "I didn't get to say that before you grabbed me.
"I can tell one of them is down. I hate doing this, but...," Natalie took the gun

Natalie crawled between cars carefully, all while maintaining a low profile. She looked back at her friends, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she took aim and fired. She had a specific goal, but she closed her eyes and scrambled back to her friends. She didn't care that the gunfire had ceased for the time being.

"Did I?" she asked Charlie.
"You shoot her hand?" Charlie asked her back based on her observations.
"Yeah."
"Then you did it!"
"Cops! Scram! Besides, we have to visit a friend!" Natalie again grabbed her friends.

The girls dashed through an alleyway and back to their apartment. Natalie grabbed her car keys, a couple other things, and the "supply bag" Charlie had prepared with all the combined binding and gags they had been given.

"Where we going, Nats?" the look on Charlie's face showed confusion.
"To visit my sister!" Natalie responded through gritted teeth.

It was time to start tying up loose ends in all this.
Last edited by AlexUSA3 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.
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GreyLord
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Post by GreyLord »

Lots of great action. No dull moments. Promise of tugs to come. Keep up the good work.
ImageA List of my stories:
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
AlexUSA3
Millennial Club
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Post by AlexUSA3 »

09: Interrogation

Natalie planned to go to the restaurant after her unfriendly visit, and to add some menace to her already intimidating figure she put on a red bandana headscarf and her black jacket. She meant serious, rough business this time. Natalie Woodward was on a mission, and it wasn't a good thing either.

"Natalie? What is going on here?" Charlie asked as they got into the car.
"I have questions to ask her... BIG questions," Natalie said through gritted teeth.
"Nats, that attitude," Emily cautioned as the car they shared moved forward.

Natalie at this point refused to talk to anyone on the short trip to Jessica's half of a duplex. The trio walked up to the door, and Natalie rang the doorbell and then banged on the door twice. She was red-faced with anger.

"Glad to see you three are all right. What happened back there anyway?" Jessica quickly ushered them indoors.
"My attackers were looking to kill," Charlie answered her straight and with no chaser.
"What the hell?"
"Look, I want to talk to you... in private," Natalie interrupted them.
"Well, all right... Girls, wait upstairs for us, please?"
"OK," Emily said as she and Charlie went without a fight.
"That bandana matches her face," Charlie added.

The girls waited upstairs for a while. They expected some privacy was natural, but then it got concerning. Finally, a scream pitched the air.

"Stop it!" Jessica yelled at her.
"Talk! Tell me the truth!" Natalie responded angrily.
"OOWWWWWW! Quit doing that!"
"I SAID TELL ME THE F-CKING TRUTH, B-TCH!" Natalie shrieked.
"Let's go!" Emily said.
"Right behind you!" Charlie followed her.

They arrived in the dining room to find Jessica bent over a bar stool with her ankles taped to two legs and her wrists taped to the legs on the opposite end. Her pants were pulled down, and Natalie was spanking her with a wooden spoon. As the two entered the room, Natalie had just fastened the final strap on a red ball gag with black straps and a chin strap. Natalie took another whack at Jessica's exposed bottom.

"You f-cking liar. I'll get the truth out of you!" Natalie was in total rage.
"EEEK!"
"Now, take 15 minutes to suffer, and we'll go for round 2!"
"Natalie Woodward, you psychopath!" Charlie yelled and grabbed her.
"You really believed all that stuff about her being my sister and whatnot?" Natalie was breathing heavily.
"Why not? You did as of yesterday!"
"Yeah, but then I realized none of this makes sense. The most logical one to be lying is her. Even if she isn't, at least I'll know for sure."
"Natalie, I'm sorry," Charlie said ruefully.
"For what?"
"This."

Charlie punched Natalie in the stomach and then gave her an elbow slam from behind, knocking her down enough for Charlie to handcuff her with ease for the time being. Natalie groaned in pain from the punch, and Charlie was unapologetic.

Jessica was genuinely heartbroken and crying as Emily got her off the bar stool. The victim's butt was red and tender from being slapped with the wooden spoon, and the pain in her soul was just as great. Emily removed the gag and hugged her cousin.

"So, Natalie, you're calling me a liar, too?" Emily asked.
"Of course not!" Natalie grunted through the pain of Charlie's attack, "Just that I want information."
"But I'm your cousin. If Jessica isn't your sister, then I'm not your cousin!"
"Then maybe you aren't."
"You know what?" Emily was highly insulted, "I think we should just let you be kidnapped and killed by those people."
"You'd be doing me a favor as long as my death is quick!" Natalie's doubts momentarily overpowered her reason.
"Get real!" Charlie lightly kicked Natalie, "You so stupid to think we're all out to get just you?!"
"No! I don't know who is and who isn't. I can believe she's my sister and Emily's my cousin. But why is this all being piled on me like this?!"
"Wake up then you freaking mookette! Jessica could have recruited anyone, but she chose you because she missed you and wanted to finally have a special relationship with her big sister and to see her family be reunited! If it wasn't about that, she'd have kidnapped some schleps off the college football team. Don't you see?! She chose you because she felt that this was a less dangerous route than letting you be a victim of mafia crossfire. Your dad was bound and determined to find you, but that would have guaranteed your death."

Charlie's words couldn't be topped at this moment. Natalie felt like a fool and also scared. Total shame came over her, and she slowly stood up. It was true that her father, Manny Napolitano, was in deep crime, and Natalie was a perfect target for anyone who wanted to hurt him through his family. The target on her back wasn't a new thing... it was just finally visible to her. A moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one, and Natalie knew she had wronged Jessica.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Jess... For hurting you and not trusting you," Natalie looked at her feet.
"Look at her and say that," Charlie grabbed Natalie's hair and pulled her head up.
"OW! Jess, I'm sorry," Natalie repeated, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Natalie's eyes showed a deep pain in her, and the mixture of emotions was clearly stealing her reason. The girl was being torn to pieces by the events of the past week, and she got more confusion every time she sought answers. Charlie removed the handcuffs, and Jessica walked over to Natalie without any fears.

"You think I don't forgive you, but I do. Even before you knew I was your sister, you saw me as a good friend," Jessica said.
"Can we even be sisters?" Natalie asked, "After what I just did to you?"
"We are. It's our choices to make this count though."
"Let's start," Natalie grabbed her in a tight hug that Jessica returned; Natalie was now willing to try at least.
"All right, that's better," Emily said.

After a little time, the four decided to go to the restaurant as a team. During those minutes, Natalie and Jessica did their best to understand things and to reach a more amiable situation between themselves. Today was Natalie's turn to wait tables, and she got some peculiar customers wearing those Luchtler watches. They seemed very uptight about things, and their countenance was unnerving. She explained her concerns to Nick who began doing his own spying.

"Say, Natalie, have you seen Gina and Willy today?" their manager asked her.
"No clue where the hell they are," she answered discretely, "Nice watch!"
"Ha ha! Thanks! You got the same one!"
"Yeah, my daddy got it for me for my birthday," she faked a smile while secretly hating the thing.
"Nice! For my birthday, I want to visit New Zealand."

Suddenly, Natalie realized the power of this thing in a situation such as this one. With a deep breath, Natalie responded to her boss with a new hint of trust.

"I like that thought myself," Natalie nodded in understanding.
"Are you?" he whispered, "Napolitano's long lost girl?"
"What are you talking about?"

This was sketchy territory, and she knew she had to be careful lest this was a scheme to entrap her.

"I work for him. He's like a brother," he explained.
"I am his girl. The 'long lost girl' if you will."
"Welcome to the family," he took her hand and shook it.
"When you're here, you're family."
"Gina and Willy are dead?"
"Willy for sure; Gina probably got busted by the cops."
"Natalie! Get out here!" Nick called from the front.
"Gotta go!" said the waitress.

Natalie couldn't believe it! Her car was ruined! It was a firebomb! Those men she waited on were enemies. She knew trouble was beginning, and immediately she heard an explosion.

"EEKKKKKKKKKK!" Emily shrieked from the kitchen, and gunshots rang out.
"Natalie!" came from Jessica.

Natalie ran into the kitchen to find it ablaze. A fire bomb. Just what she needed. She watched a bullet go by her, and she saw Emily pinned in a corner. Natalie ran to her friend and cousin and grabbed her supply bag, taking a gun from it as they sought an escape route.

"Take my hand," she said to Emily, and together they walked out of the inferno.

It seemed to be all OK until they turned a corner and were face-to-face with one of those mini mafiosos. Natalie instinctively decked the guy with her fists and quickly grabbed tape to secure his hands behind his back and his legs to a table.

"Let's go!" she and Emily ran out the door.

In another 10 minutes, police and firemen were everywhere, but the building was a total loss. Natalie saw that Nick appeared to be devastated, so she approached him.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.
"They got my boy Bruce!" he was in an odd display of real emotion, upset over the murder of his friend.
"Oh, gosh, Nick, I'm so sorry!"
"Best friends for over 10 years!" never had Natalie seen a man cry.
"Damn."
"It's time, Natalie," he said ruefully, "Make these f-ckheads pay!"
"The war has begun?" she asked concernedly.
"Yep."
"They bombed my car. The restaurant will be back someday."
"Natalie, this sh-t is deep," Charlie came over to them.
"How deep?" she asked.
"I just was talking to a cop, and he seemed completely cool with what I said. Then, worse came."
"What? OUT WITH IT!" Natalie lost her patience.
"A man in a black suit and sunglasses wished us luck on our mission!" Charlie seemed dumbfounded.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Natalie wondered.
"Time to get the Subaru," Nick fought his emotions, "And begin terrorizing the I-90 corridor."
"So this is it. Uncle Manny has done it now," Emily shook in fright.
"Let's roll. Bruce... this is for you," Nick muttered under his breath.

The girls walked back to the apartment to get the things for the journey. It was like packing your bags for a long vacation... only you might never go home and never need your clothes again. It was far, far from a pleasure trip for sure. Natalie was the last one out the door when she was grabbed by two pairs of arms.

"Hey, what is this? Let me GOMPH!" she cried out.

Natalie was kidnapped again, and this time by people who wanted to murder her.
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