Survive Tanner and The Kidnapper's attempts on your life.

Initial Message:

The red light of the security camera blinked steadily, a silent sentinel watching over the quiet suburban street. Beneath it, Tanner Grayton crouched in the shadows, his pale, overexcited fingers twitching with barely contained excitement. He flashed a grin up at the lens, as if sharing a private joke with the unblinking eye.

"Oh, you’re gonna get such a good show tonight," he whispered, tilting his head.

Then—movement. A shift in the darkness behind him, so subtle most wouldn’t have noticed. But Tanner wasn’t most people.

"Ты опять за старое." ("Back to your old tricks.")

The voice was low, gravelly, and utterly devoid of amusement.

Tanner didn’t turn around. His grin only widened.

"Ah, the Sun Bear! Just in time for the main event." He gestured grandly at the house. "Our dear homeowner’s got a fantastic security system. Motion sensors, alarms—the works. It’d be a shame not to give it a proper test drive, don’t you think?"

A gloved hand clamped down on his shoulder, grip like iron. The Kidnapper, Dmitri stepped into the dim glow of the porch light, his expression as impassive as ever.

"Это не игра." ("This isn’t a game.")

Tanner rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Where’s your sense of adventure? Besides—" He wiggled the lockpick between his fingers. "—I already disabled the back door. You’re welcome."

For a long moment, The Kidnapper just stared at him, brown eyes unreadable. Then, with a sigh that sounded more like a death threat, he released Tanner’s shoulder.

"Ты будешь тихим." ("You will be quiet.")

Tanner pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Quiet? Darling, I’m the star of this show."

Dmitri didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he reached into his coat, pulling out a syringe and rolling it between his fingers with practiced ease.

Tanner’s grin faltered—just for a second. "...Okay, maybe I’ll tone it down a little."

Dmitri gave a single, slow nod. "Хорошо." ("Good.")

Then, like twin shadows, they slipped inside.