Kayla was giddy. Today was a very special day. She hadn't seen her mom and sister in what felt like ages. Really it had only been a year, but it felt like much longer. Arriving at the airport she made a beeline for arrivals and waited. Pretty soon, the doors opened up and a throng of people started walking out. Kayla kept her eyes peeled, then again her sister Chloe usually stuck out in crowds. Today was no exception, and Kayla was able to find her amidst the crowd no problem.

"Chloe! Mom!"

Kayla ran up to them, her mother dropping her bags and giving Kayla a big hug.

"Oh my goodness, it is so good to see you!" She said giving Kayla a tight squeeze.

"Jesus, mom, you're gonna' suffocate her!"

"Hey, Chloe," Kayla said pulling away from her mother and walking up to her big sister.

"Hey little sis," Chloe said as she reached out and and hugged Kayla.

"Oh my god," Kayla said looking at Chloe's arm, "is that a new tattoo?"

"Yes, it is," Kayla's mom said with a disappointed tone. Kayla and Chloe shrugged it off and laughed. Their mother never liked Chloe's whole vibe, but now that they were adults there wasn't anything she could do except voice her complaints.

Which, speaking of Chloe's vibe, it was pretty much the polar opposite of Kayla's. Her look today was a perfect indication of this. She was dressed in a black t-shirt tucked into black shorts with dark tights, black ankle boots, and black thigh high socks. Dressing in all black was kinda her thing too. Their mom had tried to get Chloe to wear colors, but she wouldn't have it. Black was just her color.

Then there was Kayla's mom. At forty five, Yeon Eun-Hye, or Hana Grace as she had come to be known by after changing her name, was looking as gorgeous as ever. Not only that, but her sense of style was to die for. Even for having just gotten off an airplane, she was dressed to the nines in a dark red sweater, a beige skirt, dark nylons and a pair of low heels. She had always been like this, ever since Kayla was little. Whether it be going to the grocery store, dragging her kids to church, or just walking around town she was always dressed to impress. Kayla's love for fashion was definitely inspired by her mother.

Kayla adored her mother. She was strong, wise, and a total bad ass. She'd raised Kayla and Chloe all on her own after their father had passed away. Growing up, Kayla never realized how hard things were for her. From Kayla's perspective life was easy and carefree, she and Chloe were able to run around and just be kids. Later in life though, Kayla realized how hard things had been for her mother. Raising two little rowdy girls like that all on her own sure as hell wasn't easy, but add to that they were a brand new family in the U.S. on top of it all.

And yet, despite all of that, she'd never heard her mother complain once. She was always as solid as a rock no matter how hard things were. Well, solid as a rock on the outside. Kayla wasn't naive enough to think that meant she was solid to the core. Even still, her mother never seemed to let anything phase her and took pretty much everything in stride. It was definitely where Kayla got her own stubborn personality from.

"Well," Kayla said, attempting to redirect the conversation from Chloe's tattoo, "let's not just stand around the airport all day. Let's head back to my place and you can drop your stuff off and settle in."

Heading back to Kayla's place in her car, she caught up with her mother and sister hearing all about what they'd been up to recently. Chloe had just taken up a job as a concert photographer. Most of her clients were hardcore or metal bands which was perfect for her. She was a big fan of heavy metal, and so this gig was a perfect excuse to see tons of shows while being paid on top of it!

Kayla's mother, Hana, was a real estate agent and had been busy with that. It had been the perfect way for her to provide for her family after Kayla's father passed away. She was able to set her own schedule, and the income was great. She'd built quite the name for herself as an agent, and even late in her career was still making big sales.

Kayla was so happy to have her family in town. Even just hearing them tell her about their work lives was great. The fact that they were able to share it all in person was the most important part. Kayla loved her friends and community in Hazeldale, but it was no replacement for family at the end of the day.

Arriving at Kayla's apartment, she helped them bring their bags in and get settled in. Her mother would be sleeping in the living room on the pull out couch, and Chloe would be sharing Kayla's bed with her. Maybe for some siblings this kind of arrangement might not work, but Kayla and Chloe were close enough that it worked perfectly. It was like having a sleepover, and Kayla was all for it.

Entering Kayla's room, Chloe tossed her bags on the ground and flopped into the bed, letting out a long sigh as she did so.

"Tired already?" Kayla asked as she hopped next to her sister.

"Goddamn, am I ever. Flying just wears me out, you know?"

"Well hopefully you're not too tired for dinner."

"Oh, I'll never be too tired for that. Where are you taking us anyway?"

Kayla held a finger to her lips, "it's a surprise, remember?"

"Ugh, fine...but it better be good!"

"Chloe, come on...it's like you don't even know me."

Chloe laughed, playfully nudging Kayla in the shoulder. There was a quiet knock at the door as the girls turned to see their mother standing there still dressed in her clothes from before, but she was holding a change of clothes now in her hands. A long gray dress to be exact.

"I'm going to start getting ready for dinner," she said, "I'll be in the bathroom, but just let me know if you need it and I can clear out for a moment."

"Thanks, mom," Kayla said as her mother walked off into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Kayla turned back to Chloe, a burning question on her mind that now with her mother busy she was free to ask.

"Hey," she said, "any update on...you know."

Chloe smiled, "not yet, sadly. It's still just pretty casual. We go on dates and stuff, but she hasn't asked to make anything official yet."

"Why don't you then?"

"Me?! No way! What if she says no?"

"Yeah, but what if she's thinking that same thing too and waiting for you to ask."

"Whatever, besides, I don't know how this works anyway. When it's a hetero couple it's obvious...or, I guess at least a little less confusing. Not to just assume all hetero couples are the same."

"Don't worry, I know what you mean."

"I've never done this before, but the thing is she's been out for a while now and had a couple of girlfriends already. So I was kind of hoping she'd make the first move."

"Well, do you really like her?"

"I think so! I mean I've never connected like this before with anyone. Then again, I was dating guys and well...we know why that wasn't working out now."

Kayla laughed.

"Oh and, hey," Chloe said, "please don't tell mom yet."

Kayla was shocked.

"You haven't told her?"

"No, I wanted to on the flight over, but couldn't muster up the courage to get the conversation started. I mean how do I even start that anyway? 'Hey mom, guess what...I'm fucking gay!"

"Maybe leave the 'fuck' out of it at least?"

Chloe laughed, "I'll tell her eventually I just...well I'm worried what she's going to think too. She's already up my ass about my tattoos, and my look, and she wasn't exactly thrilled when I told her about my job."

"Really?"

"I mean it's not like she would do anything about it, but I could tell she wasn't that excited. Compare that to telling her I'm going to become a nurse or some shit, you know?"

"Look, Chloe, don't overthink this. Mom loves you, and even if she doesn't understand it, that's not going to change the way she feels about you. Sure she can't shake some of the more conservative ways she was taught growing up, but at the end of the day she loves you no matter what."

"I know you're right," Chloe said, "but it's still scary."

"I get that...hey, here's a wild idea..."

"Oh my god, I know what you're going to say, and my answer is already no."

"What? Why not?"

"No, I am not telling her over dinner tonight. What if that puts a damper over the whole night, or the whole time we're here!?"

"Well, you were planning to tell her on the plane anyway."

"I know but that's..."

"Think about it, tonight is the perfect time to tell her. I'll be there right alongside you. It'll make it less scary."

"That is true."

"You don't have to do it, it's not like I'm going to force you or anything. Just think about it. In the meantime, let's start getting ready. If it happens tonight, great, if not, no worries. You'll find the way to tell her in your own time."

Chloe smiled. "Thanks. You're the best, lil' sis."

"Right back at ya', big sis."

It took the trio some time to get dressed and do their makeup and all that, but eventually they were ready to go. Their mother was the last to get ready, and by the time she was done Kayla and Chloe were waiting for her out on the couch.

"Damn, mom," Kayla said as her mother entered the room, fidgeting with her earring as she made sure it was secure.

Kayla's mother had always been gorgeous, but when she put on a nice dress and did her hair it was a whole new level of beauty. She was wearing this beautiful long grey dress that clung tight to her body, but in a sensible way. Her legs were wrapped in a pair of nylons, and her feet were tucked into a pair of nice heels.

Kayla and Chloe might have been ogling their mother for her beauty, but they too were all dressed up and looked quite stunning themselves! Kayla was wearing her go-to dress for nights out. Well, nights out to dinner that was. She had another one she liked to wear when she was going out clubbing or to more rowdy events. This was her nice dinner dress, and she didn't care that she wore it so often. She felt good in it and it looked good on her!

The dress was a gorgeous maroon color with long sheer sleeves and a turtleneck line. Kayla had a huge soft spot for red and maroons, and goddamn did she love the way she looked in that dress and that color. She was wearing it with black tights and a pair of open toed heels with a strap at the top around her ankle.

Chloe, who wasn't as keen of dressing up as Kayla and her mother was, still looked amazing in her little black sleeveless dress. She was wearing dark tights and her own pair of closes toe heels with a strap as well.

Together, the girls made a formidable trio of gorgeous women ready to hit the town and definitely turn a few heads or two. They packed into Kayla's car as she drove them to the surprise restaurant. She kept it a secret because she knew if she told her mother how nice it was she'd insist they go somewhere else. Even still when they walked up to it, Kayla's mother tried to protest.

"Oh, Kayla, honey, this is so nice of you, but I can't ask you to take us here."

"Mom, come on," Kayla said with a serious tone, "it's my treat, really."

"Sweetie..."

"Mom, it's fine," said Kayla, "I never get to see you guys and I wanted to take you somewhere really nice. Besides, I made these reservations like months ago, so we can't bail out now. You don't want to make the restaurant staff feel bad, right?"

There was still visible refrain on her mother's face, but Kayla could tell she was just doing all of this so as not to seem ungrateful. At the end of the day she was proud of her daughter and happy to be treated to a fancy meal. Eventually, her face softened, and a smile formed even.

"Alright," she said, "I wouldn't want to cause a scene now would I?"

"There we go," Kayla said as she reached for the door and pulled it open, "in we go!"

The restaurant was super cute inside. It was this brand new sushi restaurant that instantly made waves all throughout town. Right away they were booked out with reservations months in advance. This was in large part due to the glowing review written by a prominent food critic that was able to sample the food ahead of open. After publishing that review, people were itching to get a taste of the food. Since then, it had been packed out every night with people coming from all over to try the delicious sushi.

Kayla, a big fan of sushi herself, was very excited to try this new place out. She was equally as excited to have her family along to try it with her. She loved fancy dinner dates like this. Getting to dress up in fancy clothes, eat good food, and enjoy good company was just the best and she'd been looking forward to tonight for a long time.

"So," she said after the waiter had seated them, "what do you think?"

"Oh my god, it's great," Chloe said, "super cute!"

"Right? I mean the pictures I saw made it look great, but you know how that goes sometimes. But no, it's just as cute in person!"

It really was a cute restaurant. For being as hyped as it was, it wasn't a huge place. The dining room was sensibly sized with a few private rooms along the edges, and an open bar where you could watch the sushi chefs prepare the food. The decor was what really tied the whole thing together. Even far away from Japan, the owners had tried to replicate the feel of a what a sushi restaurant in Japan felt like.

They'd nailed it too! Stepping inside it was like you were instantly whisked away into another world, from the lighting, to the decorations, to the furniture, everything was just perfect. Kayla was very happy with her choice to dine here for the evening. Now the last choice she needed to make was what she wanted to order.

Well, it wasn't going to be a hard choice, really. Kayla had already looked over the menu already ahead of time. It was something she frequently did before visiting a new spot. She needed plenty of time to really look everything over, browse online to see what was popular, and figure out what the perfect dishes to order were. Madelyn always called her uptight for it, but Kayla didn't care. She was just prepared.

For tonight, she was going to start of with some edamame, karaage, and dumplings for the table, and for herself she was going to order the dinner course C. It came with a bunch of different types of sushi ranging from salmon and tuna, to whatever the chef's choice of the day was. In addition to this it came with a light soup and poké salad along with mochi for dessert. Kayla's mouth was practically watering already.

Her mother and sister ordered the same along with some drinks. Once their drinks arrived and everyone was feeling settled in, Kayla's mother started up the conversation again about what was going on in everyone's life.

"So tell me, Kayla," she said, "Chloe and I didn't get to hear what you've been up to recently. How are things at the Tribune?"

"They're great," Kayla said, sipping on her drink, "yeah things are going really well."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "yeah, okay, but like...give us more details, silly."

Kayla chuckled, "what do you want to know?"

"Oh my god," said Chloe, "it's literally the elephant in the room."

"Chloe," their mother said, "don't talk so loud."

"Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying..."

"Elephant in the room," said Kayla.

"Yes," Chloe said, "thank you, the elephant in the room."

"Which is...?" Kayla said egging her sister on.

She had a pretty good idea what she was getting at, but watching Chloe squirm was funny.

"Getting tied up all the time!"

Kayla's mothers eyes narrowed as she reached over and gave Chloe's arm a reprimanding slap.

"Chloe Grace!"

"What?! I mean are we just not going to talk about it?"

"No it's just...I mean..."

Kayla could tell her mother was struggling to come up with the words to say. She'd told her mother a little about her job and the...perils...that went with it, but she'd never really gone into that much detail about what exactly that meant. Perhaps tonight was the night.

"It's fine," Kayla said, "Chloe's right, it kind of is the elephant in the room I guess. I mean how many other people have jobs where you end up in that kind of spot that often?"

"It's just...are you okay, sweetheart? I mean, you're not getting hurt or anything, are you?"

Kayla felt bad. She could tell her mother was genuinely concerned.

"No, no, it's not like that. I mean I've definitely had some people try, but you know me...I can hold my own out there."

"I worry about you, that's all."

"I know, mom," Kayla said, seeing the concern in her mother's eyes, "but trust me, I'm fine. A little rope and tape never kept me down!"

"A little...?" Chloe said.

"Okay, maybe it's a lot, but you know what the more it happens the better I get at getting out of jams like that."

"Well, if you never got into jams like that in the first place you wouldn't need to know how to get out of them."

Kayla sighed at her mom's snarky remark. She had always been protective of Kayla, and after hearing about how many times Kayla had been tied up on the job well...her mother was worried to say the least.

"Mom," Kayla said, "It's not like I can just...not get into trouble, that's not how it works. I can try to stay as peril free as possible, but I have no control over other people. If I rub someone the wrong way in an interview, or eavesdrop on the wrong conversation, or publish a piece that outs somebody...that kind of puts a target on my back. It's unfortunate, but it's part of the job."

Kayla's mother pressed her lips together, picking up her drink and taking a few sips. She knew Kayla was right, that this whole business of getting...bound and gagged wasn't her fault. She shouldn't be blaming her daughter for the actions of others. And that's exactly what she told Kayla.

"You're right," she said, "I'm sorry for putting the blame on you. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"I know, mom," Kayla said reaching out and giving her mom's hand a squeeze, "but trust me, I've got a fighting spirit in me. Lowlifes and thugs can't get me down!"

Chloe rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"God, you're so cheesy," she said.

"You say that like I don't already know," Kayla quipped back.

Before long their food arrived, and god did it look amazing. Kayla was sure to at least take a few pictures to post online later. The taste was just as good as the presentation and the smell, the flavors were rich and complex, and everything tasted super fresh. It had definitely earned that glowing review for sure.

As dinner went on, and the trio continued making small talk, Kayla was starting to wonder if Chloe was going to break the news tonight after all. It was starting to feel like she wasn't, but then again it didn't really matter to Kayla. It was Chloe's choice, and as much as Kayla's type A personality wanted to push Chloe to do it she knew that wasn't right. Chloe needed to do it on her own time and in her own way.

"Hey, so mom...I wanted to talk to you about something."

Oh shit! Maybe she's actually going for it after all!

"Yes, Chloe? What is it?"

"You know that friend I have...Maisie?"

"Yes, you've introduced me to her once I think...how is she?"

Kayla glanced at Chloe, who was very obviously blushing and shifting around in her seat uncomfortably. Kayla silently cheered her on. She could do this!

"She's good," Chloe said, "yeah, we've been hanging out a lot and...well...sometimes it's like more than just hanging out for us you know...it's like more special than that."

"Ooooh," Kayla's mother said, "you've made a new best friend, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Kind of," Chloe said, "but we're...we're kind of more than friends...if that makes sense."

Kayla turned toward her mother now, watching her reaction. At first she wasn't quite sure what Chloe meant, but the more she sat there and thought about it the more it sunk in and before long she knew exactly what Chloe meant.

"I...I see."

There was a very awkward silence at the table after this. Kayla just kind of stared down, waiting for either her mother or Chloe to finally say something. It felt like an absolute eternity before finally, Chloe spoke.

"Is that all you're going to say?"

"No I just...it's..."

Kayla's mother was fumbling over her words, clearly not sure of what to say and how to react. Perhaps it was because she didn't want to say the wrong thing and offend Chloe. That was Kayla's guess. Meanwhile, Chloe took it another way, assuming her mother was upset and unapproving.

"Sorry, I need to go the bathroom," she said, tossing her napkin onto the table and walking off in a hurry.

"Chloe, wait!"

Her mother called out, but it was no use. Chloe was gone and didn't bother to turn back. Kayla looked over at her mother, a sad look painted across her face. Clearly, there was more she wanted to say, but she just wasn't able to find the words in the moment. She looked at Kayla now.

"Is she okay?" Her mother asked earnestly.

"I don't know," Kayla said, "let me go check on her."

"I didn't mean to upset her I just...

"It's okay," Kayla said, getting up and resting a hand on her mother's shoulder, "I'll go talk to Chloe and see how she's doing."

Kayla felt bad for her mom. She felt bad for Chloe too! She could tell her mother was trying the best she could to understand, she saw it in her eyes. She was just shocked by it. Kayla was confident that given enough time she'd find the right words to say. This was just all new for her.

Walking over to the bathroom, Kayla gently pushed the door open to find Chloe standing by the sink. She was gripping the edges of it as she leaned over and took deep breaths.

"Hey," Kayla said walking in, "you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said, "that was just...I mean at least she didn't flip out!"

"You did great," Kayla said, "I'm proud of you."

"Well thanks," Chloe said, "cuz I'm a fucking nervous wreck now."

Kayla laughed, "it's okay."

"She didn't even say anything," said Chloe, "she just sat there and...god it was so awkward. Does she hate me?"

"No, god no! She was just a little shocked, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Kayla said, "and when she's ready, I'm sure she'll find the words to tell you how much she loves you and supports you no matter what. It's just going to take her a little bit to get there."

"I hope you're right," Chloe said. "In any case, we should probably get back now."

"After you," Kayla said, stepping aside and letting her sister pass.

Together they headed out, Chloe leading the way and Kayla at her heels. As they rounded the corner from the hallway bathroom, a waiter was also doing the same from the other direction nearly colliding with them. Thankfully he wasn't holding a tray of anything breakable, just a bunch of chopsticks and serving utensils. As he collided with Chloe they spilled all over the floor.

The waiter was apologizing profusely as Chloe and Kayla bent down to help him clean up. Kayla couldn't help but notice that he was pretty attractive. He looked to be around her age, maybe slightly older. His accent sounded Japanese, and he looked it too. His natural black hair was dyed with light highlights running through it, and he was wearing these gorgeous dangling earrings. He smelled great too for working in a restaurant...he definitely had on some kind of fancy cologne.

And yet, despite all of that there was something else that caught Kayla's eye, completely erasing everything she had been feeling about him. Tattooed on the side of his neck, hidden underneath his collar, was a dragon with some words and other symbols underneath it. To anyone else, perhaps this would be go unnoticed, but not for Kayla Grace. She was always on the lookout, and this was something she noticed almost immediately.

It was a tattoo that belonged to the Red Tigers gang. It was pretty fresh too and this guy was pretty young meaning he'd joined the gang pretty recently. That or earned a higher place in the gang by killing someone. Either way, it was strange to see a member of the Red Tigers working at a fancy restaurant like this. Kayla figured a job like this would be too high profile with way too many opportunities to be noticed, like he just had been.

The Red Tigers were an elusive group, causing all kinds of trouble around the city but never actually getting caught. To find one like this just casually working at a high end sushi restaurant was nuts.

"I'm so sorry," he said standing back up with everything he dropped back on his tray.

"It's fine," Kayla said.

He gave them a slight bow and then hurried on his way. Kayla watched him walk off, pretty sure he hadn't realized he'd flashed his tattoo at her. She breathed a sigh of relief, for now at least...

"Hey, Chloe," Kayla said, "do you mind heading back without me, I need to make a quick phone call."

"Oh, you good?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah I'm fine I just...I need to check up on something."

"Oh my god...it's about that guy...you're gonna go ask him out!"

Kayla immediately began to flush, her face curling up into a frown.

"No, it's not like that," she said.

Chloe laughed, "I'm just teasing. Yeah, do your thing, I'll see you back at the table. Oh god...wait this means I have to be alone with mom. Oh shit..."

"You're fine," Kayla said giving her a slight nudge, "just hurry back. I'll be right there."

"Just be fast."

"I will."

As Chloe headed off, Kayla returned to the restroom. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Toby. Her main concern was that there was no way there was just one random Red Tiger working at this restaurant. They stuck together, keeping out of the public eye and evading any kind of police interactions. If there was one Red Tiger here, that meant there were more.

Perhaps the whole restaurant was run by them! Oh god, what a thought that was. One of the most powerful gangs in Hazeldale just casually running a sushi restaurant. Then again, as Kayla thought about it, that would make for the craziest story! The craziest story that she would get to write. She was almost giddy with excitement just thinking about it.

Sending that text to Toby, she told him what she'd found and that as soon as she could she'd meet with him and figure out where to go from here. The only other question was would she need to get more proof tonight? If not, she'd have to come back again and gather more evidence. Would coming by again be too suspicious? What if the Red Tigers moved on by then?

All these questions and more swirled around Kayla's mind as she tried to figure out how to go about this. She'd let her thoughts get away from her before realizing she'd been in the bathroom far too long! She needed to return to her mother and Chloe and just set this aside for now. She'd done her part, texted Toby, and for now that was all she needed. She'd get to the bottom of this later...

Pushing the bathroom door open, Kayla stepped out ready to rejoin her family. Or so she thought...

"Going somewhere?"

Standing right outside the bathroom door were two tall Japanese men, dressed in chefs coats and chefs hats. Standing behind them was the waiter from earlier. Kayla cursed under her breath...he had noticed her staring after all!

Before Kayla even had the chance to say or do anything, one of them pulled a bag over her head while the other one scooped her up and carried her off. Kayla kicked and thrashed but the men were strong and held her tight as they carted her away...

So much for a peaceful dinner night with her family...

Kayla was brought to a secluded storage room and then tossed inside like a bag of produce. Her attackers closed the door before once again bearing down on her, forcing her onto her stomach as they wrenched her arms behind her back. Crossing her wrists over they wrapped them together with a bunch of coarse rope ...convenient of them to just have tons of it lying around...

At the same time they tied her legs together too with lots of rope wrapped around her ankles, around her knees and upper thighs. They'd even been so kind as to give her a chest harness, passing rope above, below, and between her chest.

Kayla's dress wasn't too short by any means, but short enough that in this position she could definitely tell she was flashing them. Thankfully she'd worn a pair of spandex shorts to prevent this!

"Here, hand me those scissors."

*SNIP! SNAP! SNIP!*

Or...well...she had been wearing a pair of spandex shorts. With a few cuts the men freed the shorts from her, pulling them up and exposing her panty clad rear underneath her tights. Kayla was fuming as they turned her over and sat her up, pulling the bag from over her head.

"Why the hell was that necessary," she said in reference her pilfered shorts, "you two are a ripe couple of nasty pervs!"

"Quiet, unless you want me to stuff these shorts in that obnoxious mouth of yours."

Kayla rolled her eyes, "why do I get the feeling you're going to do that either way."

"Listen here you little..."

"Enough you two!"

The other man cut in. He was clearly much more in charge given his age compared to the waiter Kayla had bumped into.

"Now look," he said, "I don't know what the infamous Kayla Grace is doing poking her nose around here..."

"I was having dinner you asshole."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you heard me. I was having a nice dinner with my mom and sister until you two punks dragged me in here and tied me up!"

"So you weren't here on some kind of mission to try and infiltrate our operation?"

Kayla was astounded. For as fearsome as the Red Tigers had been made out to be, her first impression of them was pretty lackluster. She had only a hunch that this was a large scale operation, but no evidence. And yet here they were, admitting the whole thing to her! Incredible.

"Truth be told," Kayla said, "I was literally just trying to enjoy a night out with my family. Guess I can't go anywhere these days..."

"Shit...looks like I overreacted a bit."

"You think?! Well...actually, maybe this isn't all that bad after all."

The older Tiger had a glimmer in his eye as he stared down at Kayla. He had gotten an idea, and Kayla had a bad feeling about it.

"Perhaps we can capitalize on this blunder," he said turning to the younger Tiger.

"How?"

"This isn't just any lousy snoop...this is Kayla Grace. Think of how many people stand to gain from her...permanent disappearance. We get rid of her, and then cash in on the fact that it was the Red Tigers who finally got the best of that meddling reporter, Kayla Grace!"

Kayla was starting to get a bit worried...these were the Red Tigers she'd heard so much about. They'd quickly shifted gears from the blundering thugs they were just moments ago, and now they were devising a serious plan to dispose of Kayla! She only hoped that her mother and sister noticed her absence in time to save her!

"We can iron the details out later," the older Tiger said, "for now, let's just keep her here until we close up for the night."

Kayla was about to mention the fact that there was no way their plan was going to work given the fact that her family would surely notice her gone by then, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe they were blundering criminals after all and had totally forgotten! If so, that was her ticket out of here...

"Oh, and we'll need to make sure we nab the mother and sister too...it's unfortunate to have to rope them into all of this, but we can't leave any loose ends!"

There went Kayla's last hope of getting out of this mess!

"Look," said Kayla, "you can do whatever you want with me, just leave my family out of this."

The older Tiger bent down, placing his face inches from Kayla's.

"Here's how this is going to work," he said, "we make the rules of this game, not you. Your days of sticking your nose in other people's business are over, got it? It's time you learn a permanent lesson about what happens when you mess with the wrong kinds of people. Now, it's time for you to just sit there and do nothing while the Red Tiger's show you just how sharp our claws can be."

If the situation wasn't so grim Kayla would have laughed at how stupid and cheesy that line was. For as goofy as these two goons were, they weren't playing around.

"So," the younger Tiger said, "what now?"

The older Tiger stood up, facing his friend.

"Now, we figure out a way to get the other two members of the family subdued. In the meantime, let's finish tying this one up lest she wriggle her way out and ruin our plans."

Kayla huffed as she was rudely pushed over and forced onto her stomach. Grabbing her legs, the younger Tiger lifted them up and started unbuckling her heels.

"Can't leave these on," he said, "don't want to leave you with any sort of advantage."

He was right. By peeling off her heels and leaving Kayla in just her nylons, she was definitely limited. Folding her legs he pushed her feet down toward her rear. Taking more rope he proceeded to hogtie Kayla, but not by connecting rope from her ankles to her wrists. Instead he pulled the rope up toward the back of her chest harness and passed it through there, pulling the loop tight.

Kayla winced as he pulled the rope as tight as it would go, forcing her back to arch and her thighs to be lifted off the ground. She wasn't going anywhere like this...

"There, that should hold her," he said standing up.

"Gee, you think?" Kayla said as she flexed around a bit testing the ropes. They were pretty damn snug.

"God, you just don't shut up do you?"

"Don't worry about that," the older Tiger said as he stopped down near Kayla's head, her cut up spandex shorts in his hand. "I have just the thing for that."

Grabbing a handful of Kayla's hair, he held her head steady as he stuffed the shorts into her mouth.

"Mmmmmmmph!"

It was quite the mouthful, but then again Kayla had quite the mouth on her! He managed to get nearly all of it in, leaving Kayla's mouth wide open as she chewed on the stretchy material, her cheeks bulging under the mass.

"How's that taste?"

"Fmmmmph ymmmph!"

The older Tiger laughed as he grabbed a roll of duct tape and started winding it around the lower half of Kayla's face.

"So, feeling nice and comfortable yet?"

"Nnnnngph!"

He laughed at Kayla's muffled response, tossing the duct tape aside. Grabbing her bound body, he spun her around on the floor so that her body was perpendicular to his. Using both of his hands he grabbed her ass, giving it a rough squeeze.

"MMMMMPH!"

"What's the matter? Not a fan of that?"

"Hmmmmmmmph..."

He laughed, giving her butt a few good slaps before standing up and joining the younger Tiger.

"Okay, there's no way she's getting out of that. Not any time soon at least. Let's go nab the other two."

'MMMMMPH! NNNNNNNPH!"

But Kayla's garbled shouts fell on deaf ears. The Red Tigers left here in the storage room, hogtied and gagged on the floor as they slammed the door shut behind them. Kayla huffed into her gag as she flopped around in her back arching hogtie. She was worried about her mother and sister who were completely unaware of the peril about to befall them...