Stolen (Closed for MidnightWalk)

When Janelle indicated her need for the powder room, Tobias moved around and crouched next to her. His fingers worked at the ties holding her ankles to the chair. He worked carefully, not wanting to pinch her as he got her free. "Just give me a second here." Despite his best efforts, her pantyhose or stockings to a run at the ankle of her left leg. Tobias shrugged, moving to the other leg, working on that knot. He was going to have to figure out a better way to handle things if he was going to keep her here until he was ready to head out of town.

Crouching there, he looked up at her. His name. Seemed innocuous enough, so innocuous he started, "To...Thomas...It's Thomas. And you're right, that's fair. You didn't ask to be here. And this can't be easy on you." He shrugged, getting the knots undone and standing. "If it's any consolation, it's not easy on me. It was supposed to be a simple in and out job. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we both keep our cool, this will be over in a few days."

"Anyway.... Go ahead, but keep the door open. I'll stand right here." He gestured so she could follow his line of sight. He could see the sink and mirror, but couldn't see the toilet itself from where he stood. From his line of sight, the toilet was to the right, away from the shower and its window. "You'll be fine. I won't impose on your privacy more than I have to, but you can understand why I can't have you in there with the door shut. I don't want to tempt you, with that window in there. It might end badly for you, and that's not in my plans at all, Janelle." He deliberately used her name, since she'd asked his. It seemed only...courteous. Even though he'd lied.

When the man got close enough to attend to the restraints on her ankles, Janelle looked at him intently. She sat quietly in the wooden chair, trying to memorize everything about him in that moment: the color of his eyes, the tone of his voice, the scent of his clothes. She tried to estimate his age, his ethnicity. She looked for a wedding band, distinguishing marks. Any solid details she could report to the police later on would hopefully prevent something like this from happening to someone else at his next pit stop. Maybe watching 48 Hour mysteries marathons with her grandmother would pay off for something. Janelle exhaled softly when he offered his own name. It was a small crumb, but she took it.

She lifted her hand slowly, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead as her companion moved to his feet again. “A few days? Are you sure that’s necessary?” She questioned, wondering why he couldn’t let her go sooner. Surely, someone would wonder where she was if she went missing for a ‘few’ days. Janelle rose to her feet and clasped her wrist with her own hand as she paced to the bathroom door.

“Thomas… ” she turned to him with one foot over the threshold and one out. She wanted to insist that he give her more privacy than this. It was so undignified to have to ‘do her business’ with him lurking around the corner. She’d never even let one of her boyfriends share a bathroom with her unless it was for the express purpose of showering together. Yet, when she stood there merely inches from him, she couldn’t muster the protest. “I’ll just be a minute then. I’m going to turn the water on so you don’t hear me going. I can't go otherwise.” With that disclaimer, Janelle stepped into the small bathroom and twisted the nozzle on the sink pedestal before shuffling toward the toilet. Peeking at the doorway to make sure he wasn't peeping at her, she took her heels off and rolled her ripped stockings down. She balled the them up and held them in her fist as she quickly did what she had to do. She flushed the toilet after and reappeared at the sink to wash her hands. When she finished, she turned to her captor and nudged the tangled nylons into his chest. "I guess I won't be needing these anymore."

Tobias stood, just where he told Janelle he would stand. He waited patiently as she went into the bathroom and turned on the water. That was fine with him, he really had no interest in hearing bodily functions. As he stood waiting, he found his eyes focusing on the floor just outside the bathroom, not actually looking in, but able to see any motion passing across the doorway.

Sure, he chided himself, you can rob banks, but you can't keep your eyes on the bathroom while your hostage pees? Now that's a hardened criminal. A slight smile tugged at his mouth. He wasn't a hardened criminal. He was good at robbing banks, but no one had ever been hurt and bank robbing had been the extent of it, until this kidnapping...but that was just very bad luck and Janelle wouldn't be hurt, if she just played it cool.

His chain of thoughts ended abruptly as motion brought his eyes up - Janelle at the sink, washing her hands. He thought she looked different, but didn't twig to it until she approached him, still in those heels, her legs looking paler. When she thrust the balled up stockings into his hands, he automatically took them, glancing at them. Tobias looked back at her, then dropped the wadded up nylons on the table. "I guess not," he replied. Grasping one of the chairs at the table, he dragged it a few feet over to the kitchen area.

Returning to Janelle, he took her wrist, pulling her over to the chair. "Have a seat." Sitting her on the chair, he took two of the pairs of handcuffs, linked them together. He then closed one around Janelle's left wrist, and the other end around the handle of one of the cabinets. It wasn't the most secure way to restrain her, but he felt certain that if she ripped the cabinet door off, he'd hear it. He shrugged down at her. "I really didn't plan for this. But, I have these." Reaching over her, he opened an upper cabinet, reaching inside for a stack of magazines. He handed them to her, a mix of Sports Illustrated, Maxim, and GQ...none newer than three months old. "It's the best I can offer you."

He stepped back, looking at the young woman in her pale sweater, dark skirt and high heels. "I'm going to get a nap there." He pointed at the sofa. "You behave and we'll be fine, all right?" Tobias turned for the sofa, then paused. He turned back to the dining table and grabbed Janelle's can of soda, bringing it over to her, setting it on the cabinet behind her. "Almost forgot this."

He turned again, heading for the sofa. Tobias pulled the gun from his waistband, pushing it under the sofa cushions before laying down. He faced Janelle, but quickly closed his eyes, overcome by the rush of events and the very early morning preparation he'd done. Very quickly his breathing deepened, evening out.

Janelle stood back as her captor re-arranged the furniture to accommodate his needs. She folded her arms and exhaled as he dragged the chair to the kitchen space, making a hideous scraping sound against the worn wooden floor as he did so. She looked at him with clear displeasure on her face when he reached for her wrist, but gave it over freely in fear of the alternative. When he instructed her to sit down, she complied without a word. She only watched as he linked the pair of cuffs together then fastened one end around her small wrist. If it wasn’t humiliating enough to be tied to a chair with dirty bits of curtain, then supervised while she peed, it was certainly a new level to be handcuffed to a kitchen cabinet handle.

She sighed heavily and sank back into the chair, her bound arm going limp up to the point where the solid cuff nudged into her flesh. Janelle looked up at the man, then down at the magazines he presented. She said nothing to him. She had no choice but to offer her compliance, but he didn’t have to be patronizing about it. She wasn’t at the beauty salon, looking through a magazine for a hairstyle she liked. She wasn’t going to get comfortable, even if the gesture was sort of nice. Remaining tight-lipped as the criminal placed her soda can closer to her, she wondered if she could lob it at his head hard enough to knock him out. Probably not.

At the sobering glimpse of his gun, she swallowed hard and purposely looked away from him to the stack of magazines. She’d almost forgotten all about that. She had to watch herself. She wasn’t in control here; he’d silently reminded her of that fact. Janelle grabbed the glossy issue of GQ and turned the pages as quietly as she could. Every few seconds, her gaze drifted toward the slumbering man. She doubted she'd get the opportunity to relax like that, not as long as they were together.

The day passed slowly, afternoon giving on to evening.

Tobias slept comfortably, shifting position from time to time on the sofa. Planning these heists took time and effort that could be wearying. The rest was needed.

He awoke slowly, the apartment dim in the decreasing outside light. For a moment, he was disoriented, blearily looking around. Spotting a shape where there should be none, his hand darted for his pistol. Digging it out from the cushions, his fingers wrapped around the grip just as he recognized his hostage, still sitting where he left her. Tobias relaxed, laying the pistol on the sofa cushions, pushing himself upright. Rubbing at his face, he yawned.

"Sorry, didn't expect to sleep that long, or I would have turned on some lights for you." So saying, he stood, making his way to the lightswitch on the wall, that turned on the overhead fixture mounted above the dining table. Three of the four bulbs came on. He walked over to Janelle, looking at her closely. "So, you didn't try and escape? That's good. Better for both of us."

When her captor began to wake, Janelle pushed the magazines aside and sat upright in her chair. In the time that he’d spent sleeping, she’d thumbed through the whole stack of mens’ magazines. Try as she might to read through one full article, she kept losing her place. It hardly mattered. Most of the articles contained columns on sex, the farthest thing from her mind right now.

She watched him closely as he stirred on the couch, making certain that this wasn’t another false alarm. He’d proven to be a restless sleeper over the last few hours, though that could probably have something to do with her unwitting interference in his plans. When he drew his weapon on her, Janelle startled and jerked backward into the cabinet.

Her heart leapt into her throat and she stiffened as he approached. She'd bruised the knuckles on her cuffed hand, but the ache of the impact was muted by her overwhelming fear of him. She was tired and uncomfortable and she wanted to go home. She'd been a damn good hostage in her opinion, yet he could've ended her by accident within the span of a yawn--one measly second.

“S-Sorry? That's what you're sorry about? A fucking light?!” She squeaked, perspiration at her temples, skin clammy. Was he that callous or just fucking stupid? She was beginning to shriek, panic making her throat swell, her eyes welling with heat. “You could’ve blown my head off! Are you crazy!?”

Tobias approached the young woman, hands held outward, palms toward her. "Listen, calm down. You're getting hysterical! I don't want to gag you again, but I will if I need to." Moving closer, he went down on one knee, making himself less of a threat to her, hands still held outwards. He gestured back toward the pistol on the sofa.

"I couldn't have shot you like that. I'm not a moron, I keep the safety on. I'd just forgotten that you were here. I keep telling you, you weren't part of the plan. I'm sorry that you're here, that you got caught up in this, but a couple of days and you'll be free and clear to go, with one hell of story to tell. That story alone will keep you in drinks when you're out with your girlfriends, flirting with the guys who no doubt flock around you."

He took a breath, sighing. "Listen, I'm going to uncuff you, but i want you to promise that you're not going to do anything stupid, ok? I know that's got to be uncomfortable." Taking the key to the handcuffs out of his pocket, he held it up for Janelle to see. "Just tell me you're going to be calm about this and not force me to do something drastic."

With every step he took in her direction, Janelle pushed herself more tightly against the cabinets. She wanted to make herself as small as possible, a target nearly impossible to strike. Perhaps if she was lucky, she’d vanish all together and wake up somewhere else. Anywhere else. Her nice, warm bed would be nice. It would be lovely for this mess to be a terribly, vivid nightmare. She closed her eyes and turned her face from the man as he extended his hands. “Please—I’m doing what you want—I’m doing everything you want—” she whimpered, fingers balling into fists as he sank to her level, the enormous pressure of this situation breaking her.

She took no solace in his words. There was no magical number of free drinks that could soothe this offense. How could she tell anyone about this experience without incriminating him? She still didn’t trust that he’d let her go in a few days as he promised he would. Even if he did, would she be safe to go on with her life as normal? What if he tracked her down to dispose of her later? How could she live like that—always looking over her shoulder?

Janelle started to cry as these thoughts consumed her. She looked at him through blurry eyes, tears sticking to her muddy mascara as she tried to focus on the key in his hand. She swallowed thickly and nodded her head, unable to speak without bursting into sobs.

Tobias knelt there in front of her, hands held uselessly out in front of him. "Aw damn." Obviously, Janelle didn't believe what he told her. And there was no way for him to prove his relatively benign intentions. He couldn't let her go, and there was no real way to sooth her.

Shaking his head, Tobias leaned in, unlocking the cuff from her wrist. "Listen, Janelle. I know you don't believe me, but I'm not going to hurt you. Hell, I'm only keeping you here so you don't report me. I mean, I know you would, whatever promises you might make. And that's fine. I don't blame you in the least. I just need a couple days for things to get to the point where i can get out of town. At that point, you're free to go, to get on with your life. With as little emotional scarring as possible." He smiled. "I know you don't believe me, but I don't want to hurt you. I just need to keep myself safe, and to do that, we have to be roommates for a while. And after that, you're free to do whatever you want."

As he talked, almost stream of consciousness, he unlocked the cuffs from the cabinet and from each other. He tossed them over to the sofa, near his gun and pocketed the keys. "I may be a criminal, but I'm a criminal who has never physically injured another person. Yes, I rob banks, but I've never hurt anyone and I'd really rather not start now. And if you'd just start believing that, this could go a lot more smoothly for both of us. I wouldn't need to take such extreme measures as cuffing you like this if I could believe you weren't going to freak out and try and run."

Backing up a bit, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a travel pack of tissues. He held them out to Janelle, and when she didn't take them, he laid them on her skirt, on her lap. "You might need those."

Rising, he took one of the chairs and wedged it under the knob to the apartment's door, collecting the pistol and tucking it behind his belt. He then glanced over at the distraught woman. "Nature calls. Don't peek."

Walking into the bathroom, he left the door open. A moment later, Janelle could hear a strong stream hitting the toilet bowl, followed a moment later by the flushing of the toilet. Then Tobias moved to the sink, looking at her in the mirror as he washed his hands.

Janelle’s legs shook as her captor unfastened the handcuffs. She bit down on her lip to keep from whimpering as he spoke. It took nearly all of her focus to comprehend what he was saying. Whether she believed him or not, she had no choice but to pretend as if she did. It was the only way she could gain his trust enough to stay out of her restraints.

When he smiled at her, there was an uneasy churning in her stomach. It was infuriating that he dared to make such a gesture toward someone he’d abducted, but also oddly comforting to see that glimmer of humanity. Maybe he wasn’t a complete monster.

Roommates? The idea seemed so bizarre. This was certainly a fucked up living arrangement then; far worse than what she had to deal with in college.
When the cuffs released her arms, Janelle instinctively rubbed her wrists. Thin pink lines circled them, but she hadn’t been hurt apart from her own clumsiness. She sniffled and sank back into her chair, blinking up at the man as he offered a package of tissues. She was too frightened to move just yet, so she sat stone still as he left the tissues on her lap.

She could only imagine how dreadful she looked—eyes red, cheeks ruddy, and makeup running down her face. Only when he retreated to block the door did she peel the travel-size package open and take a tissue to blot the wetness from her face. She didn’t dare move from her spot by the cabinets as she wiped tears and smudged makeup from her flushed skin. Janelle focused on taking deep breaths and quieting herself. As she heard the sink running in the bathroom, she reached for her soda and downed a few sips to relax her swollen throat.

Tobias stepped out of the bathroom, glancing at the curtained windows, the darkness outside. Plenty of squatters in this old hotel, so the light shouldn't draw any attention. That's what made this location ideal. Near the bus line, on the outskirts of town, near enough to businesses for there to be some foot traffic but not so heavy as to make discovery likely.

He stretched, looking at his unwilling guest. She looked pretty distraught. He tried, again, to reassure her. 'Listen Janelle. If you'll just promise to not try and escape or signal anyone, I have no problem with you moving around, stretching, even watching movies or shows on the computer." He indicated his laptop. "This isn't a Russian gulag, I think we can get along if you'll just believe what I'm telling you. I'm not going to hurt you and you're going to go free in a few days." He studied her face, unable to tell if anything was getting through. He was getting frustrated. It was understandable that she was frightened, having been abducted at gunpoint, but he really wasn't violent and meant what he said. Tobias just had no idea how to convince her. Looking at her, he decided it was her issue. He could only do what he could do. Pretty girl, though, he wondered briefly if there was a boyfriend that would be missing her. No wedding ring, so likely no husband. Oh well, no help for it now.

Tobias walked toward the dining table, giving her some room. "So, do you shower in the evening or the morning? I'm sure you're feeling a need to freshen up. I have plenty of toiletries, though they tend to be men's products, so no fancy shampoos or conditioners." He shrugged, smiling. "And only one safety razor. Plenty of towels and washcloths, though. You're welcome to freshen up. We just need to coordinate."

He considered her. "Clothing, of course, will be a bit more problematic. I didn't bring a lot, but I'll share what I have since you can't wear that" he indicated her outfit "for several days running. Well, you can, but it would be terrible of me to make you do so." He quirked a smile. "Pretty girl like you, I'm sure has high standards about your grooming and appearance.

"So...evening or morning?"

While the man was in the bathroom, she’d done a good job of calming herself down. Her throat still ached from the anxious knot she’d put there, as well as from the effort of choking back hideous sobs, but the soda she’d consumed had helped a little. Not seeing him for a few minutes had also helped to ease her mind some. When he stepped out of the next room, she didn’t look up at him right away but she also didn’t flinch back in fear. That was progress enough.

She listened as he loosened the restrictions on her further, trying to gain her compliance no doubt. When he mentioned that she could freely move about the apartment, she sniffled and turned her gaze to his face. She made no effort to speak to him though; she wasn’t ready for that yet. It was a huge relief when he turned and walked away for the time being.

Janelle continued to blot the makeup from her face, but managed to keep track of her captor’s movements all the same. His comments about her freshening up made her wonder if she looked like a mess. She certainly felt like one. A warm bath with lilac –scented bubbles would be heavenly—though not in this place. A hot shower would have to suffice. If there even was hot water.

When he gestured to her outfit, she looked down at herself. A clean pair of panties was definitely something she would need if she was to be stuck with this man for several days. It seemed ridiculous to make that request though. She definitely didn’t want him even thinking about her undergarments.

She pushed a small pile of wadded up tissues to the edge of the kitchen counter and resisted the urge to agree when he suggested she would care about her grooming. She decided to overlook the fact that he’d called her pretty too.

“Evening.”

Janelle couldn’t go to sleep without having a shower to soothe her shattered nerves, not in this state.

Tobias nodded. 'That's fine. I've slept, so I'm good, so we can get you some sleep." He wandered back and forth, aimlessly, keeping at least 10 feet away from her. He noticed that she responded better if he didn't approach too closely. "Like I said, there's plenty of stuff in there for you to use for your shower. Feel free to use what you need and take as long as you like." He watched her as he walked.

"While you're in there, I'm going to insist that you keep the door open..." he held up a hand, placating..."just a little bit..a couple inches only and I'll sit where you are now. I don't need to see in there, but I have to be able to hear, clearly. You understand. I don't want to encourage you to do something silly and dangerous for both of us. But I will respect your privacy as far as I can." He started to smile, and then realized how badly she reacted to that. "I will not peek in on you, unless something happens. Ok?"

"You go on and get your shower, Janelle, and I'll wait out here." Tobias stepped to the side, toward the windows, and gestured toward the bathroom with his hand. He watched her, wondering if she would actually do it. She was understandably skittish, and he hoped a shower and something resembling normalcy would settle her down. Three or four days of this with her so highly strung would be very stressful. He gave Janelle a small reassuring smile.

It wasn’t surprising anymore when the man insisted that they keep a bare minimum of privacy between them. She understood his reasoning; she wasn’t in the mood fight him on it. At least she could draw the shower curtain closed once she was inside of the tub. Janelle listened as her captor spoke, but she offered very little in the way of response. That tiny bit of defiance was all she could muster for now. When he moved toward the apartment window, Janelle followed him with her eyes. She combed her fingers through her hair and slowly pushed up from the table.

The bathroom door seemed farther away than she remembered, but she kept her eyes on him as she made her way to it. She disappeared inside swiftly, her fingers touching the door’s edge out of habit. But she left it open, as per his instruction. Janelle stepped out of her heels then nudged them against the wall. The bathroom tiles felt cold beneath her feet, causing her to hop from one to the other until she could acclimate. Janelle turned her back to the bathroom doorway and unzipped her skirt, carefully pushing it down and catching it before it fell around her feet. She didn’t want her clothes to touch the dirty floor, so she draped her skirt over the ledge of the sink. It was a small and silly comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

Janelle removed her blouse and her delicates, resting them on the edge of the sink as well. She hurried into the shower and pulled the vinyl curtain to conceal her nakedness, then she turned the water on half-expecting it to be brown when it came pouring out of the faucet. Luckily, it wasn’t. She adjusted the temperature to her liking, then turned the lever to start the downpour from the showerhead. She stepped beneath the warm spray and exhaled. For a moment she could close her eyes and pretend that she was home.

Tobias watched the young woman as she stood, then shifted his gaze to the refrigerator. He pointedly did not look directly at her as she moved across the room, merely keeping her in his peripheral vision. Making sure she didn't clonk him over the head was a good precaution, but he could also give her the illusion of privacy.

When she entered the bathroom, he turned toward the window, pulling the faded curtains aside just a bit, enough to look out onto the street. Tobias could hear Janelle moving around in the bathroom, doing whatever she was doing. It didn't sound like escape, so he continued looking up and down the street and at the backside of the hotel that the apartment complex fronted. He briefly considered the next job, or at least the next town the next job would take him to. His was a very mobile life...performing a job here and then moving on to the next town, and so on. It wasn't glamorous or stable, but it had kept him out of prison so far.

When the water started, he moved over to the sofa, pulling out a couple duffel bags. Opening one, he rooted through, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a tshirt. He held up the tshirt, looking at it, considering the build of the young woman who was his 'guest'. He shrugged. It might fit her...it might not. She could always decline wearing it. Tobias gave the pants and shirt a quick fold, and moved to the bathroom door. Steam was already starting to fill the room.

Quietly stepping inside, he noted the young woman's clothing hanging on the sink. He cleared his throat. "I've brought you some things you can wear, so you're not wearing the same clothes as earlier." He placed the sweatpants and tshirt on the sink next to her clothing. "I'm stepping out of the room now."

He moved back the main room, resuming his place by the window, looking out onto the street and listening the the water run in the shower.

Janelle stood beneath the cascading water, relying on it to soothe her tense muscles. This day hadn’t turned out like anything she would have predicted, but she was trying not to ponder too deeply on her circumstances. She breathed out through her nose, doing her best to actually clear her mind of all the ways this day had gone wrong, to clear to mind of everything. The moment she heard her captor speaking to her from inside the bathroom, the illusion of her safe space was obliterated. She covered her wet breasts and turned away from the curtain, stiffening in place until he announced that he was leaving.

When she realized that the telltale shutting of the bathroom door wouldn’t serve as a signal of his departure, Janelle inched toward the curtain and gently peeled it back just enough to peek out. She exhaled with relief and retreated into the shower, grateful that he’d been true to his word. Actually he hadn’t gone against his word since she was unfortunate enough to meet him in the alleyway, but that didn’t make him a good guy. Not by a long shot.

Janelle washed her hair and lingered in the shower until the water started to run lukewarm. Her fingertips were pruny when she reached forward to twist the nozzles into the closed position. If it wasn’t for the draft creeping in from the doorway, she would’ve hid out in the shower for several more minutes. With nothing else to do, she stepped out onto the cool tile and scurried to the sink to retrieve the fresh pair of clothes left for her. She slipped the t-shirt on, then the sweatpants. She didn’t bother with her underwear. The less time she spent naked around this man, the better. Janelle picked her folded garments up from the sink ledge and crept out of the bathroom, soaked hair dripping down her back, making her shirt stick to her skin. “Um… I’m done I guess.”

Tobias listened to the water for what sounded like a very long time. Women just seemed to linger in the shower. He shrugged internally...it wasn't like this was normal and he could understand why she'd want to hang out where she felt even marginally safer. He tensed a bit when the water finally shut off and he realized that the situation was a little wearing on him, too. Taking a breath, he told himself, 'Treat it just like bank job. Relax, be cool, and it'll be over soon.'

He heard Janelle moving around in the bathroom, though she came out surprisingly quickly. Tobias turned to look and caught his breath. The sweatpants were tight on her round hips, long on her legs. Her wet hair hung down, plastered to her back. But the thin tshirt clung to her damp breasts, emphasizing and putting them on display. He blinked. He'd known she was attractive, but....

Clearing his throat. "You know, there were a number of towels in there. You didn't have to use just one." Moving from his place by the window, without thinking, he passed by her closely, walking into the steamy bathroom and grabbing another towel. Coming out, he held the towel out to her. "Please, that can't be comfortable...having wet hair like that. Use this to dry it." From behind he could see how wet the tshirt was in the back and that wetness was moving down to the sweatpants. "You don't want your clothes to be completely wet, do you? That would be even less comfortable." He smiled slowly. "And I have a very limited supply of clothing that might fit...that might be good for you.

Janelle was uncomfortable standing outside of the bathroom doorway in borrowed clothes, but it wasn’t because of the damp chill running down her back from her wet hair. She regretted her haste in leaving the bathroom now as she could feel the draft in the apartment causing her nipples to stiffen beneath the thin material of the plain white t-shirt. She was certain that he had seen, but she didn’t move in an abrupt manner to conceal the taut buds. Why draw further attention to her unintentional arousal?

She shifted awkwardly, moving her pile of folded clothing to her chest and holding it there as a makeshift shield. “I guess… I wasn’t thinking,” Janelle murmured, side-stepping the man as he suddenly came waltzing in her direction. When he disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, she quickly set her clothes down on the kitchen counter and folded her arms over her chest. She eyed him with a cautious curiosity when he returned with what seemed like a peace offering. His smile was still a strange sight, but it was more favorable than a scowl, she supposed. “Okay,” was all she mustered, approaching to lift the towel from his grasp before retreating to the kitchen area. Janelle turned around, deliberately facing away from him, to dry her soaked locks.

"Is there anything to eat?" One could hardly get through the day on a measly can of soda.

Tobias noted the nipples poking through the thin tshirt, tipping her heavy breasts. Just as quickly, he attempted to push the image from his mind. Another complication. Still, as she took the towel from him and turned away to dry her hair, he couldn't help noticing how tight the sweatpants were across her hips and bum, particularly as the fabric was somewhat wet from her dripping hair. He didn't need to be ogling his hostage like that. No matter how pretty and sexy she was.

Fortunately, she asked a very practical question. "Oh, yes. There's quite a bit of food in the cabinet there. Mostly boxed and canned, but plenty for us both for a couple days. I planned to leave a note for the residents of this building...those who squat here, to come and get anything that was left." He wasn't sure why he was explaining his plans to Janelle.

To cover, he moved around the young woman, opening the aforementioned cabinet. Inside were boxes of macaroni and cheese, cans of soup and beef stew, boxes of Pop Tarts and the like. "You can help yourself."

Stray droplets of water splashed against her neck and shoulders as she tousled her hair thoroughly. It would take more time and effort to get her thick mane completely dry, more than she was willing to expend right then, so she settled for pulling the towel down around her shoulders like a cape to keep the dripping hair off her back in the meantime.

She glanced in her male companion’s direction, slowly turning around to face him when he provided an answer to her question. It was a relief to learn that she wasn’t expected to go hungry until he decided to release her from captivity. She wasn’t a talented cook by any means, but she could certainly boil a pot of macaroni without trouble. “Oh.” Her lips twisted as she listened to his plans to help the less fortunate once they’d moved on elsewhere. What did he have some kind of Robin Hood complex? If he was looking for accolades, she wasn’t in any state to give them. She swallowed thickly when he came to stand by her again, quietly tucking herself out of his way as he opened the cabinet.

“Thank you.”

When he gave her room to do so, she tip-toed and reached into the cupboard to pull down a box of mac n cheese. Pop tarts would be great for breakfast, but right now she needed something warm in her belly.

“I could make enough for you too… if you want.”

Tobias strove to keep his eyes off Janelle's breasts. She seemed like she might be warming up a bit, or at least accepting that he had no ill designs on her. Staring might just undo that warmth. Coughing, he moved around where he couldn't see them, head on, gesturing at the cabinet.

When she pulled a box down, Tobias smiled. "Sure, I could eat. Breakfast was a very long time ago. So if you're willing to make it, I'm willing to eat it." He walked to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a soda and bottle of water, setting them on the middle of the table.

He then straightened the chairs, sitting in one to watch Janelle work with their dinner. Despite himself, his eyes kept being drawn to her buttocks as she worked. It was fairly apparent that she'd not worn her panties under it...there were no lines.

"Listen, I don't want to get personal, so don't answer, if you don't want, but...what do you do for a living? I mean, we have to talk about something, right? Otherwise things are going to get uncomfortable." Tobias gave a brief, sardonic smile.

Though it wasn’t any less uncomfortable to be standing near the man who abducted her at gunpoint several hours prior, Janelle was now able to cringe inwardly rather than let him see how frightened she was of him by jumping out of his path. She even looked at him directly for several seconds at a time. He wasn’t all that bad looking—for a criminal.

She tried to ignore the sensation of his eyes on her as she opened the blue box in her hands. Cooking a meal would provide a nice distraction from this warped scenario, much like the hot shower she’d taken had. Maybe exchanging some pleasantries with him would further separate her from the fucked up reality that she was in this place against her will.

Janelle certainly wasn’t going to take the lead in that regard, however. She found a pot and filled it with water, setting it on the grimy stovetop. She watched the water bubble and carefully opened the package of macaroni within the box as he posed a question about her personal life.

“I think we’re well passed uncomfortable,” she murmured, tossing a glance over her shoulder. Of course he was trying to make light of things, but she wasn’t quite there yet. She turned back to the stove and poured the macaroni into the pot.

“I’m a waitress. I guess I already know what you do, Thomas.”

Nodding, Tobias took that in. "Yes, I'm a professional criminal." He shrugged, smiling. "So, a waitress, that seems like you'd meet all sorts of people. Maybe even a criminal or two? Though I suppose the situation would be different in your restaurant."

He watched her working with the food, the easy way she moved around the kitchenette. This young woman shouldn't be here, but he couldn't release her, no matter how nice she seemed. It would be too great a risk, any normal person would go straight to the cops and that would wreck his plans.

Tobias frowned, looking away from her, down at the table where shortly before she'd been counting his money. Remorse wasn't a feeling he was all that familiar with and it was bothering him badly.

Professional criminal. Janelle suspected as much of him. This clearly wasn’t his first robbery, considering how he’d made arrangements for himself before she entered the picture. But was it his third or fourth? Had he committed other crimes? Violent ones? She was afraid to ask.

“I don’t work in the nicest place, honestly,” Janelle replied mirthlessly, stirring the curvy noodles in the boiling water. “I wouldn’t be surprised if criminals came in all the time. I just try not to get myself involved.”

She didn’t think it necessary to inform him that she was a cocktail waitress at a gentleman’s club. That would probably put all sorts of unsavory ideas about her into his head. She’d never stripped and had no intention to, but the tips were a lot more generous than she could get at the local family-friendly restaurant. She wasn’t going to work there forever, of course.

“So… you’ve really never kidnapped someone before?”

Tobias sighed. They'd been veering in the right direction. "No, as I told you earlier, I don't kidnap people. This was a fluke." He tried to inject patience into his voice. This had to be worse for her than for him, by a wide margin. "I rob banks. That's it. This was an accident. So, I'm working through it just like you." He paused, considering. Then changing tracks....

"So, you work in a place that isn't very nice?" He smiled at her backside as she continued working on dinner. "Does that mean a greasy spoon or a Chili's? I mean, either way...." Tobias waggled a hand in a balancing motion. Trying to add humor might work, and it might not. Couldn't hurt to try. And at least her cooking allowed him to study her backside in his sweatpants. It was certainly nicely formed and rounded. He shook his head. Not the kind of thoughts he needed just now. Things were complicated enough, and she sure as hell had no interest in him whatsoever.

A thought struck him, a thought that shouldn't have eluded him for this long. "Janelle...is there someone, family, boyfriend, someone, that is going to miss you for a couple days?"