Chapter 15: The $20,000 Hostage

 

The owner of "The Golden Lotus" was not a delicate flower. He was a mountain of a man, wearing a tight black t-shirt that struggled to contain his pectoral muscles. He had a full beard and looked like he ate nails for breakfast.

"Who is trying to eat for free?" he growled, his voice vibrating through the floorboards.

Harper shrank back. "We... we are not trying to!" she squeaked. "We just forgot our phones!"

"You forgot. He forgot." The owner sneered, flexing his biceps. "Do you think I'm stupid? Who leaves the house without a phone in 2026?"

"We have a driver!" Harper tried to explain.

"Liar," the owner barked. "Pay up, or go to the kitchen. One plate is 50 cents. You owe me $11,000. That's 22,000 plates. Start scrubbing."

Harper calculated. 22,000 plates... she would be here until she was eighty.

"Wait!" Harper had a brilliant idea. "Boss, I have a proposal."

She pointed at Sebastian. "I will leave him here as a hostage. I will go out and get the money. How about that?"

The owner looked at Sebastian. "What if he runs away?"

"He can't run!" Harper declared, patting Sebastian’s shoulder. "He's in a wheelchair! Look! If you take out the battery and step on the brake, he's basically a statue!"

Sebastian: "..." Am I a piece of furniture to you?

The owner looked skeptical. "Is he really crippled?"

"Yes! 100%!" Harper promised. "And if you don't trust him, trust the chair! This is a top-of-the-line, custom-made carbon fiber wheelchair. It's worth at least $200,000!"

Sebastian closed his eyes. First she stole his battery. Now she was appraising his wheelchair for collateral.

The owner inspected the wheelchair. It did look expensive. "Fine," the owner grunted. "But you can't leave. Use my phone. Call someone to bring the money."

Harper sighed in relief. "Deal."

She took the phone. She looked at Sebastian. "What's Liam's number?"

It was the only number Sebastian had memorized. Harper dialed. Ring... Ring... No answer.

"He's dead asleep," Harper groaned. "Zombie mode activated."

Sebastian listened to the dial tone. He didn't say anything. Instead, his hand moved to the side of his armrest. There was a small, inconspicuous Red Button covered by a safety cap.

He flipped the cap. He pressed the button.

---

[The Rescue Mission]

Ten miles away, at the Sterling Mansion.

Liam was deep in a dream about eating a giant turkey leg at the amusement park. He was just about to take a bite when—

WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO! A deafening siren shattered the peace of the estate. The walls vibrated. Red emergency lights flashed in the hallway.

Liam fell out of bed, screaming. "EARTHQUAKE! TSUNAMI! ALIENS!"

He scrambled under the bed, shivering. Then he realized. "Wait. That's... The Panic Button."

It was the emergency system Sebastian had installed after the accident. If he was ever in mortal danger—kidnapped, attacked, dying—he would press it. It signaled Code Red.

"BROTHER!" Liam crawled out, wearing his black-and-white cow-print pajamas. He didn't even put on shoes. He sprinted out of the room.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Liam screamed at the head of security.

"GPS signal is coming from a restaurant downtown!" the guard shouted. "All units moving out!"

"GO! GO! GO!"

Six black armored SUVs tore out of the Sterling gates, speeding down the highway like a scene from Fast & Furious. Pedestrians stopped to film. "OMG, is the President in town?" "Looks like the mafia!" "#SterlingConvoy is trending!"

Liam sat in the lead car, clutching a guard's phone (he forgot his own), calling Sebastian frantically. No answer.

"Faster!" Liam yelled, tears in his eyes. "Hang on, Sebastian! I'm coming to save you!"

---

[The Arrival]

Back at the restaurant.

"Still no answer?" the owner crossed his arms, his patience wearing thin. "You two are playing games with me."

"No, really!" Harper pleaded. "He's just a heavy sleeper!"

"That's it," the owner grabbed Harper’s arm. "Kitchen. Now."

Suddenly, the music stopped. The front doors were kicked open. BANG!

Twenty men in black suits and sunglasses stormed in, moving in tactical formation. They secured the perimeter in seconds.

And then, a man in Cow Pajamas ran in, barefoot, hair wild, looking like an escaped mental patient.

"WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!" Liam roared, his voice cracking.

The owner had never seen anything like this. He stepped forward to confront the crazy cow-man. "Hey! Who are y—"

Before he could finish, a bodyguard lifted the owner off the ground by his collar. Like a ragdoll.

"Whoa, easy!" the owner squeaked, dangling in the air. "I'm just a businessman!"

Liam ignored him. He scanned the room wildly. "Sebastian! Sebastian!"

Then he saw them. Harper, covering her face in shame. And Sebastian, sitting calmly in his $200,000 wheelchair, looking bored.

"BROTHER!" Liam sprinted across the room, crying. He threw himself onto Sebastian’s lap.

"Are you okay?! Did they hurt you? Did they break your legs... again?"

"I'm fine," Sebastian said, patting Liam’s cow-print back awkwardly.

"Did they kidnap you?"

"No."

"Then why?!" Liam pulled back, wiping snot on his sleeve. "Why did you press the button?!"

"They tried to make us wash dishes," Sebastian pointed at the owner (who was still dangling). "And they wanted me to pay $11,000."

"Money?" Liam blinked. "This is about... money?"

"Yes," Harper piped up from behind her hands. "We forgot our phones. We couldn't pay the bill."

Liam looked at the tactical team. He looked at the terrified diners. He looked at his own pajamas. "You called a SWAT team... because you forgot your wallet?"

"Effectively," Sebastian nodded. "Pay the man, Liam. I want to go home."

"Unbelievable," Liam sniffled. "You almost gave me a heart attack over $11,000."

He reached into his pajama pocket. His face went pale. He patted his chest. He patted his cow-print butt.

Silence.

Liam looked at Sebastian. "Brother."

"What?"

"I... I rushed out in my pajamas." Liam gave a weak, terrified smile. "I didn't bring my wallet either."

(End of Chapter 15)