The Lawson Cousins discover their true worth

 

The Lawson Cousins

Chapter 1: The Basement

The Lawson cousins sat in the dank dark brick basement where their abductors had taken them. Sons of the three Lawson brothers, they too were like brothers, all 18, growing up together. The dampness seeped through their white t-shirts, which clung to their skin and offered no warmth against the chill.

"What the fuck do you think they want?" Ryan whispered.

"I don't know, ransom?" Marcus replied, his voice tight with fear.

"Uncle Jake and his brothers don't have lots of money, could it be something else?" Danny added.

"We're fucked. We're in deep shit!" Ryan's voice cracked.

"Well at least we're not tied up or something. Just locked in here."

It was then that the steel door groaned open, and three men entered carrying coils of thick rope and rolls of duct tape. Ryan's last coherent words escaped as a strangled whisper: "We're fucked. We're in deep shit."

Chapter 2: Bound and Helpless

Within minutes, their arms were wrenched behind their backs, the coarse rope biting deep into their wrists. The men forced their elbows together, wrapping the rough hemp around and around until their shoulder blades nearly touched. Above the elbows, more rope circled their biceps, binding them together with exactly two inches of separation—close enough to strain their shoulders but far enough apart to prevent any leverage for escape. The rope ripped at the fine hairs on their forearms, each strand burning as it was pulled tight. Coil after coil wrapped around their chests, pinning their bound arms against their bodies until every breath became a struggle against the constricting bonds.

The worst came last—thick nooses dropped over their heads, the rope settling against their necks like a burning collar. The cousins were forced to stand at rigid attention, the slightest slump forward making the noose tighten against their throats.

Strips of duct tape sealed their mouths, trapping their terror behind muffled sounds—desperate whimpers and panicked breathing through their noses. Sweat began to soak through their shirts as the reality of their situation set in, the damp fabric now clinging to their bodies for entirely different reasons.

As they stood there, helpless and terrified, Ryan's mind flashed back to when they were 12 and 13, playing games where they tied each other up. Back then, it had been so hard to get free, even when they were just playing. Now, with professional knots and their lives on the line, escape seemed impossible.

Chapter 3: The First Call

The first phone call came an hour later. The cousins could only listen in muffled terror as one of their captors spoke into a cell phone.

"We have your boys. They're alive, for now." A pause. "Two million. Each."

The cousins' eyes widened above their gags. Six million dollars? Their families didn't have that kind of money. Their fathers were always complaining about bills, about struggling to make ends meet.

"You have twelve hours," the man continued, then hung up.

The cousins exchanged desperate glances, sweat now pouring down their faces, the nooses chafing against their necks with every labored breath.

Chapter 4: Revelations

Three hours later, the phone rang again. This time, the captor put it on speaker.

"We need more time," came their father Jake's voice, clear as day.

"Time for what? To transfer the money from your offshore accounts?" the captor laughed.

"Look, six million is a lot, even for us. We need to liquidate some investments—"

"Even for us?" The captor's voice was cold. "Cut the shit, Jake. We know about the casino holdings. We know about the sports book operation. Pay up or your boys die."

The cousins stood frozen, the words hitting them harder than any physical blow. Casino holdings? Their fathers had money—serious money—and had been lying to them their entire lives.

Chapter 5: The Truth Unfolds

Over the next several hours, more calls came. Each one revealed another piece of their fathers' hidden empire. Real estate investments, gambling operations, money laundering schemes dating back decades. The Lawson brothers weren't struggling—they were millionaires who had built their fortune on the backs of broken families and gambling addicts.

The cousins stood there, muscles cramping, sweat soaking their clothes, the ropes cutting deeper into their skin with every hour. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional agony of learning their entire lives had been built on lies.

Their fathers negotiated like businessmen, not desperate parents. They discussed their sons' lives like a financial transaction, haggling over the price as if the boys were merchandise.

Chapter 6: The Wait

"Fine," Jake's voice finally came through the speaker. "Six million. But it'll take several more hours to get the transfers arranged."

Several more hours. The cousins felt their legs shaking with exhaustion, the nooses burning against their necks as they struggled to maintain their rigid posture. Every muscle in their bodies screamed in agony, but they had no choice but to remain standing.

The sweat had long since soaked through their shirts completely. Dark stains spread across the white fabric as they endured the psychological torture of waiting—knowing rescue was coming but not knowing if they would survive long enough to see it.

Chapter 7: Freedom's Price

When the final confirmation of payment came through, the cousins felt no relief, only hollow exhaustion. The nooses were removed, but instead of freedom, their captors forced them face-down on the concrete floor and pulled their ankles up to their bound wrists, hogtying them with ruthless efficiency.

The rope bit even deeper now, their shoulders screaming as they were trussed like animals. Blood seeped from where the coarse hemp had rubbed their forearms raw during the long hours of standing.

They were loaded into a van like cargo, their muffled groans lost in the engine noise as they were driven through the night.

Chapter 8: Abandoned

The abandoned railroad station was a monument to decay—rusted tracks disappearing into overgrown weeds, broken windows staring like dead eyes. The cousins were dumped on the platform like discarded freight, their captors disappearing into the darkness without a word.

For what felt like hours, they struggled against their bonds, their fingers numb and useless, their arms screaming in agony. The ropes seemed to tighten with every movement, the knots professional and unforgiving.

Gradually, through patience and pain, they began to work loose the bonds. Danny's smaller hands were the first to slip free, and he frantically worked to untie the others. When the gags finally came off, they could barely speak, their voices hoarse and their throats raw.

Chapter 9: The Walk

They helped each other stand on shaking legs, their arms hanging uselessly at their sides as feeling slowly returned. Blood caked their forearms where the rope had torn away skin and hair. Their necks bore angry red marks from the nooses.

Without speaking, they began walking along the abandoned railroad tracks, the parallel lines stretching endlessly into the dawn. The rhythmic crunch of gravel under their feet was the only sound as they processed what they had learned.

"They had the money all along," Marcus finally whispered.

"Six million," Danny added, his voice hollow. "Like it was nothing to them."

"We've been living like we were poor while they were sitting on millions," Ryan said, anger creeping into his exhaustion.

Chapter 10: A New Path

As the sun rose over the tracks, the three cousins made their decision. They would not return to their fathers' lies. They would not pretend that everything was normal after learning the truth about their family's blood money.

"We have each other," Ryan said, and for the first time since their ordeal began, his voice held something other than fear or anger—it held hope.

They had survived the ropes, the terror, and the betrayal. The bond forged in that basement, strengthened by shared suffering and disillusionment, was stronger than any family tie they had known before.

The railroad tracks stretched ahead of them, leading away from everything they had believed about their lives and toward an uncertain but honest future. Together, they followed that path, leaving behind the sons they had been to become the men they chose to be.

Behind them, the abandoned station grew smaller in the distance, along with the memory of who they used to be—before they learned what their freedom was really worth.