DUOS Landscaping

 

Chapter 1: The Take

The DUOS landscaping truck rumbled down Highway 54, its bed loaded with mulch and equipment that rattled with every pothole. Ryan gripped the steering wheel, his veiny forearms flexed as he navigated around a slow-moving tractor. Paolo sat shotgun, one powerful brown arm hanging out the window, the other drumming against his knee.

"Johnson's place next week?" Paolo asked, not looking up from the work order clipboard.

"Yeah, that hedge maze project. Gonna be a bitch to trim." Ryan glanced at his cousin. "But good money."

They'd been running DUOS for three years now—two cousins who could finish each other's sentences and work twice as fast as any crew half their size. Ryan at 26, all muscle and determination in his white wife beater. Paolo at 25, quieter but just as strong, his white t-shirt already stained with the day's sweat.

The black SUV had been following them for the last five miles.

Ryan caught it in his side mirror first—hanging back just far enough to seem coincidental. But when he'd taken the scenic route past Miller's farm instead of the direct highway, the SUV had followed.

"Paolo." His voice was low, controlled. "Check your mirror."

Paolo adjusted the passenger mirror and watched for a long moment. "How long?"

"Since we left the Hendricks job."

The SUV suddenly accelerated, pulling alongside them. Ryan saw the passenger window rolling down and caught a glimpse of metal.

"Gun!" Paolo shouted.

The truck swerved as Ryan yanked the wheel, but there was nowhere to go on the narrow farm road. The SUV forced them toward the shoulder, then off into the tall grass beyond.

"Fucking hell!" Ryan fought the wheel as the truck bounced and lurched through the uneven ground, finally coming to a stop against a fence post.

Both cousins sat breathing hard, adrenaline spiking. Through the windshield, they could see two men emerging from the SUV, both armed.

"They knew our route," Paolo said quietly, his military training kicking in. "This wasn't random."

Ryan's jaw clenched as he watched the gunmen approach. "Somebody's been watching us."

The first man, tall and lean with cold eyes, tapped the driver's window with his pistol barrel. "Out. Now. Both of you."

Ryan and Paolo exchanged a look—the same look they'd shared countless times as kids, then later in the service. They'd been in worse spots than this.

But as they climbed out of the truck with their hands raised, Ryan couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been planning this for a long time.

Chapter 2: Into the Ground

"In the SUV. Back seat. Hands behind your heads."

The tall gunman opened the rear door while his partner kept both weapons trained on Ryan and Paolo. The interior smelled like stale coffee and cigarettes. Ryan slid in first, Paolo beside him, both men forced to lean forward uncomfortably with their hands clasped behind their necks.

The shorter gunman took the passenger seat while the tall one drove. No one spoke as they pulled back onto Highway 54, then turned onto a series of increasingly remote farm roads. Ryan tried to track their route, but after the third turn onto unmarked gravel, he lost his bearings.

Thirty minutes of driving through Kansas farmland. Corn fields stretching endlessly in every direction, broken only by the occasional farmhouse or grain silo in the distance. The SUV's air conditioning couldn't quite overcome the heat radiating from the two men in the back seat.

Paolo's breathing was controlled, steady. Military discipline. Ryan could feel his cousin's calm spreading to him, the way it had during their deployments. Whatever was coming, they'd face it together.

The SUV finally slowed, turning onto a dirt track that barely qualified as a road. Tall grass scraped against the undercarriage as they bounced over ruts and potholes. After another mile, they stopped beside a weathered concrete structure that looked like an old storm shelter.

"Out."

Ryan and Paolo climbed out, muscles stiff from the ride. The concrete structure was partially hidden by overgrown weeds, the kind of tornado shelter farm families built decades ago when warnings meant the difference between life and death.

A heavy steel door hung slightly ajar, revealing darkness beyond.

"Down the steps," the tall man ordered.

Ryan went first, his boots echoing on concrete as he descended into cool, damp air. The smell hit him immediately: old rope, moisture, and something else. Fear. This place had seen fear before.

Paolo followed, and both men found themselves in a rectangular underground room, maybe twelve by eight feet. Concrete walls, concrete floor, a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. But what dominated the space was the far wall.

Twenty hemp ropes hung from iron hooks embedded in the concrete, each one coiled and ready. Different thicknesses, different lengths. Some looked new, others showed wear from use. They hung like a merchant's display, organized and purposeful.

"Jesus," Ryan muttered under his breath.

Paolo's eyes swept the room with tactical precision, cataloging exits, weapons, weaknesses. There was only one way out—the stairs they'd just descended. No windows, no vents large enough for a man. The walls were solid concrete, probably three feet thick.

"They're probably going to tie us up," Paolo said quietly, his voice steady despite the situation.

The shorter gunman descended the stairs, boots heavy on concrete. "That DUOS logo's gotta go. Few coats of paint, maybe some new decals, and we got ourselves a nice landscaping setup."

"Yeah, thanks for the business plan, boys," the tall man said, pulling a coil of rope from one of the hooks. "And by the way, your families are gonna pay good money to get you back. Win-win for us."

Ryan felt his jaw clench. These bastards weren't just stealing their truck—they were stealing their entire livelihood. Three years of building DUOS from nothing.

Chapter 3: Last Words

"Shut up and get on the floor. Face down. Now."

The tall man pulled two dirty bandanas from his pocket, making his intentions clear. Ryan and Paolo looked at each other one more time—a long look that said everything and nothing.

"Remember how we tied each other up when we were kids?" Ryan said quickly, his voice barely carrying across the small concrete room.

Paolo's mouth almost formed a smile. Almost. "Every weekend. One of us would tie up the other."

"Bet if he could escape."

"It was always a tie."

The shorter gunman stepped closer, rope in hand. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

Ryan ignored him, keeping his eyes on Paolo. "We got pretty good at it."

"Real good," Paolo agreed. "But this is different."

"Yeah," Ryan said, lowering himself to the concrete floor. "This time it's not a game."

Paolo dropped beside him, both men lying face down on the cold concrete. The smell of old concrete and moisture filled their nostrils as they pressed their cheeks against the floor.

"This time," Paolo said, so quietly only Ryan could hear, "we're on the same side."

The tall man kicked Ryan's boot. "I said shut up. Hands behind your backs."

Ryan felt rough hemp rope loop around his wrists, then tighten. Much tighter than their teenage games had ever been. The rope bit into his skin, cutting off circulation, his fingers already starting to tingle. These weren't the careful knots they'd practiced with as kids—this was meant to hurt.

"You boys seem awfully calm about this," the shorter man said, yanking Paolo's rope so tight that Paolo's breath caught.

"We've been in worse spots," Paolo said through gritted teeth, feeling his hands going numb.

"Not like this, you haven't."

But Ryan caught Paolo's eye one last time before the tall man roughly grabbed his head and forced the dirty bandana between his teeth, tying it tight behind his neck.

Paolo's dark eyes held the same steady calm they'd shown during their worst moments overseas. The same look he'd worn as a teenager, studying the knots around his wrists every Saturday morning—but those ropes had never cut this deep.

"Yeah," Paolo managed to say before his own gag was secured. "This time it will be different."

The tall man laughed as he pulled the second bandana tight. "Damn right it will be."

But Paolo wasn't talking to him.

Chapter 4: Professional Work

The tall man pulled another coil of rope from the wall, testing its weight in his hands. Hemp, thick and unforgiving. He dropped to one knee beside Ryan, who already lay hogtied and gagged on the concrete floor.

"More gags first," he said, producing a second bandana. He forced Ryan's head up and wrapped the cloth over the first gag, pulling it tight until Ryan's jaw ached. "Can't have you working that first one loose."

The shorter man did the same to Paolo, layering a second gag over the first until both men could barely make a sound.

Then came the additional restraints.

Starting with Ryan's already bound arms, the tall man wrapped rope around his elbows, pulling them together behind his back until Ryan's shoulders screamed. More rope around his biceps, then his forearms, each binding layered over the existing hogtie. Ryan's arms were now completely immobilized, every muscle fiber stretched beyond its limit.

"Legs next."

They added rope around Ryan's thighs, wrapping it tight above his existing ankle bonds. More rope around his knees, each new binding reinforcing the hogtie that already held him. The additional restraints made his position unbearable, every rope working against the others.

Paolo received the same treatment. Additional rope around his elbows, biceps, and forearms, layered over his existing bonds. His legs wrapped tight at thighs and knees, making his hogtied position completely inescapable.

"There," the shorter man said, stepping back to admire their work. "Let's see you escape artists get out of that."

Ryan couldn't move at all now. The original hogtie had been tight, but these additional restraints made it perfect. Every bond reinforced the others, and the slightest attempt to work on any knot would only tighten the rest.

They'd left him and Paolo about eight feet apart on the concrete floor, close enough to see each other but impossibly far given their restraints.

"You boys enjoy your stay," the tall man said, heading for the stairs. "We'll be back tomorrow to discuss terms with your families."

The shorter man followed, chuckling. "Hope you're comfortable. You're gonna be like that for a while."

Their boots echoed on the concrete steps, then the heavy steel door slammed shut with a sound like a gunshot. The lock turned with a solid click.

Silence.

Ryan and Paolo lay on the cold concrete, thoroughly and professionally bound. The only light came from thin cracks around the rusted door frame—slender lines of Kansas sunlight that would shift and fade as the day wore on.

Ryan caught Paolo's eyes across the impossible distance between them. His cousin's face showed the strain of the layered bonds, but his eyes remained calm. Military discipline, even in the face of this.

Paolo blinked once. Slow, deliberate.

Ryan blinked back twice.

They were alone now, with nothing but rope, pain, and time

And they had fifteen hours to remember everything they'd learned as teenagers.

Chapter 5: The Long Work

The first hour was assessment.

Ryan tested each binding methodically, feeling where the rope bit deepest, where circulation was already compromised. His shoulders burned from the elbow tie, and his forearms had gone numb. But his fingers could still move, just barely.

Paolo's eyes found his in the shifting light from the door cracks.

T-E-S-T B-O-N-D-S

Ryan blinked back his response, each letter deliberate despite the pain radiating through his arms.

E-L-B-O-W-S W-O-R-S-T. Y-O-U?

S-A-M-E. B-U-T F-I-N-G-E-R-S W-O-R-K

That was something. In their teenage games, they'd learned that fingers were everything. If you could move your fingers, you could find rope ends. If you could find rope ends, you could work knots.

P-L-A-N?

Paolo's eyes studied the rope configuration around Ryan's position, then his own. The additional restraints were layered over their original hogtie, but that also meant more complexity. More rope ends. More potential weak points.

W-R-I-S-T R-O-P-E F-I-R-S-T. T-H-E-N E-L-B-O-W-S

A-G-R-E-E-D. W-H-O S-T-A-R-T-S?

They both knew the answer. Paolo had always been slightly better with his left hand, and from their positions, his left fingers had the better angle on his wrist rope.

M-E. Y-O-U W-A-T-C-H F-O-R M-I-S-T-A-K-E-S

The second hour was the beginning of real work.

Paolo started with micro-movements, his fingers searching behind his back for the rope ends. The additional arm restraints made every movement agony—the elbow rope cut deeper with each attempt to work his hands, and his bicep bindings restricted his shoulders until every breath was effort.

But he found it. The loose end of his wrist rope, buried beneath the layers of additional binding.

F-O-U-N-D I-T

Ryan watched his cousin's face contort with pain as Paolo began the delicate work of loosening the knot. Each finger movement cost him, the rope around his elbows tightening with every attempt to gain leverage. Sweat beaded on Paolo's forehead despite the cool underground air.

The work was excruciating. The professionals had used a slip knot configuration that tightened under pressure, but Paolo remembered this pattern from their teenage experiments. Pressure in the wrong direction made it worse, but the right combination of movements could create just enough slack.

Twenty minutes of work. Paolo's arms screamed, his shoulders felt like they were separating, but his wrist rope loosened by perhaps a quarter inch.

P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S

K-E-E-P G-O-I-N-G

The third hour brought breakthrough and setback.

Paolo had worked his right wrist partially free when he made a mistake—pulled too hard in the wrong direction. The slip knot snapped tight again, tighter than before. The additional pressure sent fire through his already tortured arms.

His eyes squeezed shut in pain, and Ryan saw his cousin's entire body tense against the restraints.

S-T-O-P. B-R-E-A-T-H-E

Paolo forced his eyes open, blinking away sweat and pain. His military training kicked in—controlled breathing, mental compartmentalization of pain. He'd endured worse. They both had.

R-E-S-T F-I-V-E M-I-N-U-T-E-S

But even in rest, the rope configuration punished them. The additional restraints were designed to cause increasing discomfort over time. What had been painful in the first hour was becoming unbearable by the third.

R-E-A-D-Y?

Paolo's response was immediate, despite the agony etched in his face.

A-L-W-A-Y-S

This was their grit. Their determination. Twenty years of shared challenges, from childhood games to military service to building their business from nothing. They'd never quit on each other, and they wouldn't start now.

The rope might be cutting into their arms, their shoulders might be screaming, their fingers might be going numb—but they had work to do.

And they had all the time in the world to get it right.

Chapter 6: Breaking Point

Hour four brought a different kind of pain.

Paolo's fingertips were raw and bleeding from working the rope fibers, but he'd managed to loosen his right wrist enough to rotate his hand slightly. The movement sent lightning bolts through his shoulder, compressed nerves screaming in protest.

Q-U-A-R-T-E-R I-N-C-H M-O-R-E

Ryan blinked encouragement, though his own situation was deteriorating. The elbow restraints had cut off most feeling in his arms, and his bound legs were cramping. But Paolo's progress gave him hope.

H-O-W M-U-C-H M-O-R-E?

Paolo tested his bonds carefully, feeling for give in the complex knot system.

T-W-O I-N-C-H-E-S M-A-Y-B-E. T-H-E-N E-L-B-O-W R-O-P-E

Two inches. It might as well have been two miles. Every fraction of movement required perfect technique and willingness to endure agony that would break most men.

Hour six brought the first real breakthrough—and the first major problem.

Paolo's right hand slipped free of the wrist rope. The relief was instantaneous—blood flow returning to his hand, fingers tingling back to life. But when he tried to reach his elbow restraints, reality hit hard.

C-A-N-T R-E-A-C-H E-L-B-O-W-S

The angle was impossible. His free hand could barely touch the rope around his biceps, let alone the tight elbow binding. The professionals had known their work—each restraint protected the others.

S-A-M-E P-R-O-B-L-E-M H-E-R-E

Ryan had been testing his own bonds, trying to follow Paolo's techniques. Even if he got one hand free, the elbow and bicep ropes would remain untouchable.

N-E-E-D H-E-L-P. B-A-C-K T-O B-A-C-K

The decision was unanimous. They'd have to get to each other, positioning themselves back-to-back so Paolo's free hand could work on Ryan's restraints while Ryan worked on Paolo's. It meant giving up their eye contact—their only form of communication—but it was their only chance.

Hour seven was agony in motion.

Paolo began the torturous process of turning himself around, his body still bound at legs and partially at arms. Every movement sent fire through compressed nerves and rope-burned skin. Ryan did the same, inch by agonizing inch across the concrete floor.

The journey that should have taken minutes stretched into an hour. When they finally positioned themselves back-to-back, both men were exhausted, gasping through their double gags.

But Paolo's free hand could now reach Ryan's elbow rope.

Hour eight brought unexpected progress.

As Paolo worked on Ryan's restraints with his freed hand, Ryan managed something neither had expected. The angle of lying back-to-back, combined with Paolo's movements, had loosened his outer gag enough that he could work it free with his teeth and tongue.

The first gag came loose, then the second.

"Jesus," Ryan whispered, his voice hoarse and cracked. "Can you hear me?"

Paolo made a muffled sound of acknowledgment through his own gags.

"I can reach your elbow rope," Ryan said, his freed hands working behind his back. "Hold still."

For the first time in eight hours, they could coordinate without the slow process of morse code. Ryan's voice, even whispered, was like a lifeline in the darkness.

"Almost got it," Ryan muttered, working Paolo's elbow binding. "These bastards know their knots, but they're not magic."

When Paolo's elbow rope finally gave way, his muffled groan of relief echoed off the concrete walls.

They were far from free, but for the first time since this nightmare began, they were truly working together.

Chapter 7: The Breakthrough

Hour nine changed everything.

With Ryan able to speak and coordinate their movements, they worked with newfound efficiency. Paolo's freed hand loosened Ryan's elbow binding while Ryan worked on Paolo's bicep restraints from the opposite angle.

"There," Ryan whispered as Paolo's second arm came free. "Both arms. How do you feel?"

Paolo worked his freed arms slowly, wincing as circulation returned. Blood flow brought sensation—and with it, the full extent of the rope burns scoring his skin from wrists to shoulders.

"Like I've been hit by a truck," Paolo said, finally able to remove his own gags. His voice was raw, barely above a whisper. "But I can move."

Hour ten was dedicated to legs.

Paolo, with both arms now functional despite the pain, could reach the rope around his thighs and knees. The additional leg restraints were tight, but not impossible—the captors had focused their expertise on the arm bindings that would prevent exactly what was happening now.

"Thigh rope's loosening," Paolo said, working methodically. "Give me another twenty minutes."

Ryan remained still, letting Paolo work uninterrupted. They'd learned patience in their teenage games—rushing led to mistakes, and mistakes led to tighter knots.

Hour eleven brought Paolo's complete freedom.

He slipped out of the last leg restraint and sat up slowly, his body protesting every movement. Eleven hours in the same position had left him cramped and stiff, but he was free.

"Your turn," Paolo said, moving to Ryan's restraints with steady hands.

Hour twelve was Ryan's liberation.

With Paolo's full mobility and Ryan's ability to communicate, the remaining restraints came off systematically. Elbow rope, bicep bindings, forearm restraints—each one loosened with the expertise of someone who understood rope from both sides.

"Last one," Paolo said, working on Ryan's thigh binding. "Then we get out of here."

Hour thirteen found both men free but barely able to stand.

They'd been bound for nearly half a day. Their bodies were stiff, muscles cramped, circulation compromised. Rope burns covered their arms, and both men were severely dehydrated.

"The door," Ryan said, looking up at the steel barrier that separated them from freedom.

They climbed the concrete steps slowly, supporting each other. The door was locked from the outside, but it was old—rusted steel with a simple mechanism. More importantly, the door frame was rotted wood, weakened by decades of weather.

"Together," Paolo said, both men positioning themselves to push.

The door held for three attempts, then the frame gave way with a crack of splintering wood. Sunlight flooded the stairwell, temporarily blinding them after thirteen hours in near darkness.

Hour fourteen was their first taste of freedom.

They emerged into a Kansas afternoon, corn fields stretching endlessly in every direction. Their truck was nowhere to be seen—their captors had taken it, along with their livelihoods and their sense of security.

But they were alive.

"Which way?" Paolo asked, stripping off his rope-burned shirt. The fabric was soaked with sweat and blood.

Ryan did the same, his torso showing the same pattern of rope burns. "Sun's to the west. Road's got to be that way," he pointed north.

Hour fifteen began their trek to civilization.

Two men, shirtless and exhausted, walking through corn rows toward an uncertain destination. Their arms were a mess of rope burns and dried blood, their bodies dehydrated and weak.

But they walked with purpose. They'd survived thirteen hours that would have broken most men, and they'd done it together.

Behind them, the concrete shelter sat empty, twenty coils of rope still hanging from their hooks—waiting for the next victims who would never come.

The kidnappers' truck, it turned out, was wrapped around a tree three miles away, its occupants unconscious and bleeding. In their haste to reach the ransom calls, they'd taken a curve too fast on the gravel road.

Ryan and Paolo would learn that later, in the hospital, while giving statements to police officers who could barely believe their story.

But first, they had to find that road.

Chapter 8: The Road Home

The corn was taller than they'd expected.

Ryan and Paolo pushed through the dense rows, green stalks brushing against their rope-burned torsos. The sun beat down mercilessly, and their bodies—already dehydrated from thirteen hours of captivity—began to fail them quickly.

"How far you think?" Paolo asked, his voice cracking.

"Can't be more than a mile," Ryan replied, but he wasn't sure. The corn stretched endlessly in every direction, and without their shirts, the sun was cooking their already damaged skin.

They walked in silence, conserving energy. Their military training helped—they knew how to push through exhaustion, how to keep moving when their bodies wanted to quit. But this was different. This was the aftermath of trauma, the crash that came after survival.

After thirty minutes, Paolo stumbled.

"Need to rest," he said, dropping to one knee between the corn rows.

Ryan looked at his cousin—really looked at him. Paolo's face was gray with exhaustion, his arms covered in rope burns that were starting to blister in the sun. His own condition wasn't much better.

"Five minutes," Ryan agreed.

But when they tried to stand again, Paolo's legs gave out completely.

"Can't," he whispered. "Just need a minute."

Ryan knew they were in trouble. Dehydration was setting in fast, and they were still lost in miles of corn with no idea which direction would actually lead to help.

That's when they heard it.

The distant rumble of an engine. A truck, by the sound of it, somewhere beyond the corn.

"Road," Ryan said, hauling Paolo to his feet. "Come on, we're almost there."

They pushed through the last hundred yards of corn on pure determination, Paolo leaning heavily on Ryan's shoulder. When they finally burst through the last row of stalks, black asphalt stretched before them—a county road cutting through the farmland.

They'd made it.

Both men collapsed on the hot pavement, utterly spent. The asphalt burned their skin, but neither had the strength to move. Ryan managed to lift his head long enough to see a pickup truck in the distance, growing larger.

"Help," he tried to shout, but his voice was barely a whisper.

The truck was slowing down. Someone had seen them.

Ryan's vision blurred as exhaustion and dehydration finally claimed him. The last thing he remembered was the sound of boots on asphalt and a voice saying, "Jesus Christ, what happened to you boys?"

---

Ryan woke up to the sound of machines beeping and the smell of antiseptic. Hospital. Clean white sheets, IV drip in his arm, bandages covering the rope burns on his torso and arms.

"You're awake," a voice said. Ryan turned to see a sheriff's deputy sitting in a chair beside his bed, notebook in hand.

"Paolo?" Ryan's voice was hoarse.

"Next bed over. He's fine. Dehydrated and banged up like you, but he'll live." The deputy leaned forward. "I'm Sheriff Martinez. We need to talk about what happened to you."

Ryan looked around and saw Paolo in the next bed, also awake, also hooked up to IVs. His cousin managed a weak smile.

"We told you it would be different," Paolo said.

Over the next hour, they told the whole story. The truck hijacking, the underground shelter, the rope work, their thirteen-hour escape. Sheriff Martinez took notes, occasionally shaking his head in disbelief.

"You boys are lucky to be alive," he said finally. "But you'll be interested to know—we found your kidnappers about three miles from where you were held. Their SUV wrapped around an oak tree. Driver was unconscious, passenger had a broken arm. Looks like they were speeding on those gravel roads."

"Our truck?" Ryan asked.

"Impounded as evidence for now, but you'll get it back. Might need some work though—they banged it up pretty good getting it off the road."

Paolo laughed, then winced as the movement pulled at his bandages. "Time to buy a new truck."

"Hell yes," Ryan agreed. "Something bigger. Maybe with better security."

Sheriff Martinez closed his notebook. "You boys rest up. We'll need full statements later, but right now you need to heal. What you did in there..." He shook his head. "Most people wouldn't have made it out."

After the sheriff left, Ryan and Paolo lay in their hospital beds, IV fluids slowly rehydrating their battered bodies.

"So," Paolo said after a long silence. "Still think it was always a tie?"

Ryan grinned, the first real smile he'd managed since this whole nightmare began. "You got free first. Guess that settles it."

"Damn right it does."

Outside their hospital window, Kansas stretched endlessly under the afternoon sun—corn fields and farm roads and the kind of wide open spaces where two cousins could build a landscaping business and learn that sometimes, the games you play as kids prepare you for battles you never saw coming.

DUOS would be back in business soon enough. With a new truck, better routes, and one hell of a story to tell.

But first, they had some healing to do.