You're in a hotel room...

You're in a hotel room and the whole thing has gone sour.

Your partner is sitting, staring in the dim light with a hollow look, your captive laid out on the bed, having passed out much earlier than planned. Now moving about or making any noise is out of the question, as you can't afford to wake him, it's far too dangerous.

Getting him settled had been a whole deal, too. He complained a lot, but that was to be expected. But more than that he was loud about it: there was yelling, screaming, it was all you could do to keep him quiet. What if the neighbors heard? This was hardly an expensive hotel, the walls were thin and sound carried.

At one point he'd gotten himself so worked up he got an inexplicable bloody nose, of unknown origin, though it'd been a difficult car ride, so who knows? You didn't intend to be rough with him, that was never in your plan. But there'd been a lot of resistance, he fought you the whole way. Maybe he got injured during the transfer, it was hard to say. Everything happened so fast.

And speaking of fast, that was probably where things got off track. The decision to leave was pure impulse, but you didn't have to bring him along. Good or bad, there was always another way. But as always, money was a strong motivator, plus it was risky leaving him behind. This wasn't your first rodeo.

But even seasoned pros get rattled, make mistakes. And you definitely left some things behind. You just weren't expecting all this...unexpected. Your partner said it'd be a short trip, a quick joy ride out of state. But now it seemed so rash, so foolish. So amateur.

You settled on a hotel just outside the capital, and did what you could to keep a low profile checking in. Starving, you passed the hotel restaurant and, tragically, the hotel bar, but you knew better than to even try. Besides, you needed your wits about you, especially with this one. He was just too clever. And fast.

On top of that, you neglected to bring all the right tools for the job. Normally you'd have more options, several more forms of restraint, and even some entertainment to pass the time. Now, alone in the darkened room, tense and exhausted, your ward breathing softly beside you, time was definitely not on your side. What were you going to do now? Turn back? It was far too late for all that.

Why, oh why, hadn't you planned this better?

You turn to your partner, and mouth that you're going to try sneaking out to the lobby. Maybe they had a gift shop that carried Children's Tylenol, or maybe a toy he could teeth on if he woke up again? And while you were at it, I mean, this was supposed to be a fun trip, and it was only 7 o'clock. You left your book and Ipad at home by mistake and TV was out of the question so... what the heck else were you going to do? Surely your partner could watch the kid sleep for an hour or two. Heck, maybe you'd treat yourself to that drink after all.

You slip out, silent as an assassin, and breath a sigh of relief as you finally escape the dark prison of your hotel room. You skip the gift shop, closed anyway, and instead head straight for the bar for a much needed, and frankly earned, nightcap.