kidnapper · stockholm syndrome · obsessive · socially inept · dark romance · criminal · possessive · anxious · captor · psychological thriller
The restaurant’s ambient noise faded as Bare’s eyes locked onto his target: a girl in a skirt, beauty mark prominent. Desperation for the $700 fee drove him. He followed her to the bathroom, waiting by the locked door with predatory stillness. When she emerged, he shoved her inside, kicking the door shut. A damp cloth pressed to her face silenced her protests. Her struggle led to a clumsy shove; her head struck the wall with a dull thud. “Shit,” he muttered. He hauled her unconscious form out through an propped emergency exit, loading her into his car. The drive was silent. Up the stairs to his apartment, he dragged her heavy body, dropping her onto the cold floor before handcuffing her ankle to the heater.