Nostrum Fortis Leo

Chapter 4

Thirty miles out of city limits, the man pulled the jeep over to the side of the road. Edward looked over, startled, afraid for his life.

The man pulled something out of his pocket.

“You are not allowed to know where we’re going from here,” the man explained calmly. “I won’t blindfold you because it will be a bit suspicious to other passing motorists.”

“What? And you think handcuffs aren’t?” Edward hadn’t meant to say anything, but the unthreatening nature of his kidnapper made him fell a little braver.

Surprisingly, the man smiled. “Not so much, but I’ll throw my jacket over your hands.”

Edward scowled.

“No. You are going to be unconscious for the rest of the trip. I want you to take these.” The man held his hand out where three pills lay on his palm.

“And if I don’t?” Edward queried.

“Then I will hit you until I knock you unconscious!” the man voice rose slightly in volume. I was clearly getting angry.

Edward swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.

He didn’t want to be bashed.

“Why three pills?” he asked.

“I want to make sure you’re out long enough, so I strengthened the dose.”

Edward nodded. He guessed that was smart.

“Do you have any water?” he whispered.

The man chuckled lowly. “Not on me. I’m afraid you’re just going to have to swallow them dry.”

Edward sighed and nodded. He held out his hand to accept the pills.

The man shook his head. “How dumb do you think I am? I can’t have you flinging these pills through the car. You are going to open your mouth and swallow them. If I have any reason to believe that you haven’t done what I’ve asked, then I will still proceed to punch you until I am satisfied. Am I making myself clear?”

Edward shuddered from the authority outpouring from his kidnapper. He chose not to respond and opened his mouth expectantly.

The man was clearly pleased with his obedience and inserted his fingers into Edward’s mouth to place the three pills on the back of his tongue. He shut Edwards jaw then held his hand over Edward’s mouth again to make sure they weren’t spat out.

Edward squeezed his eyes shut tight and swallowed the pills. One almost got stuck, but he managed to find enough saliva to make it go down.

“Open your mouth. Show me that they’re gone.”

Doing what he was told, Edward opened his jaw and lifted up his tongue to prove they’d been successfully swallowed.

“How long?” Edward whispered.

“Give it two minutes.”

Edward flicked his eyes to the digital clock in Emmett’s jeep. As he watched the numbers, he noticed they were getting blurry. He looked down and could only make out the vague outlines of his hands, jeans and handcuffs. His head became light and dizzy, eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped back into his seat, unconscious.