This is just my second West Wing story but I’m trying my luck with some angst, I really hope you like it. Please review, it really means a lot.

Forty-Eight Hours and Counting

Josh forced his eyes up, only to find himself in complete darkness. It was freezing cold and eerily quiet. The only sounds he could make out were that of his own teeth chattering against the bitter cold and the soft hum of a car’s engine.

He tried to straighten his legs out a little whilst struggling to sit up, but his head made hard contact with what he guessed to be the inside of a car's trunk.

He fell back down; his head felt heavy and even the slightest of movements made him feel dizzy. Fear gripped tightly around his chest. He knew this was bad on so many levels and that the best thing to do was to just remain calm.

He tried to figure out where he was.The last thing he could remember was leaving the White House after a meeting had finished late. Donna, who had left work hours earlier had driven their car home, so he’d set out on the twenty minute walk home with his Secret Service agent, Paul. He remembers walking past the Lincoln Memorial, and the random homeless guy that believes he’s Martin Luther King… But everything after that is a little hazy.

Suddenly, Josh felt the car come to an abrupt stop and he could hear muffled voices outside. He listened carefully to see if he could work out who it was, but the sudden sound of a lock turning snapped him back to reality. Josh braced himself as the trunk was opened and a bright flashlight was shone in his face. Josh tried to cover his eyes, but his wrists were bound together and the rope was slicing in to his skin every time he moved.

Once Josh’s eyes had gotten used to the light, he could see three menacing looking men standing in front of him… No, it couldn’t be…was that, Paul, his secret service agent standing there.

“Confirm your name,” one of the men standing in front of him ordered in a frosty tone.

“Jo… Joshua Lyman.” He stuttered.

“Come with me.” The same man ordered, as he grabbed Josh’s arm and pulled him roughly out of the car.

Josh stumbled to his feet, trying to get used to the sudden change in position. Having been almost bent in half in the trunk of a car for God knows how long, his legs took a little longer than he wanted to, to support his body weight.

Josh was then dragged into a cold and dimly lit room and thrown down on to a chair, where they also tied his ankles together.

“Sit.”

Like he really had any choice, he thought, but now really wasn’t the time to act like a smartass.

“Where am I?” Josh asked, as he looked around the dark room.

“You get to no ask questions.” The man spat in broken English.

“But.” Josh protested.

“Be quiet. You want me to hurt you?” The man asked.

“I… I don’t understand.” Josh stuttered nervously. “Paul, what’s going on?” He asked, looking over to the man who had been protecting him ever since Santos came into office.

“I’d seriously shut the fuck up if I were you, Mr. Lyman.” He replied, sticking with the rule about calling him 'Sir' or 'Mr. Lyman.'

“But…”

Paul swung forward and threw a punch at Josh, hitting him right across the face. Tears stung his eyes, and he silently wondered if he’d ever make it home safely to Donna again.

“I did warn you.” Paul hissed. “You want to know what’s so clever about this little plan of ours? Your wife will be fast asleep by now, and probably won’t even notice you’re missing until morning. And if we don’t get what we want from you, we’ll go after her next.” He laughed evilly.

“I swear to, God, if you even touch her…” Josh shouted angrily.

“What are you going to do about it?” Paul shot back as the other men laughed at the site of Josh trying to untie himself.

“Please… Just tell me what you want?” Josh asked, trying to sound as though he wasn’t begging.

“Not yet, this is too much fun.” Paul snickered as he knocked Josh off of the chair and on to the cold, hard concrete floor.

“He needs to be taught some good manners.” The original man muttered, as he walked over and kicked Josh directly in the stomach. Watching in delight as he struggled to catch his breath before kicking him again.

“Pick him up.” Paul ordered the other men. “Let’s see if he’ll talk.”

The men grabbed Josh roughly by the back of his shirt and pulled him up in to a sitting position.

“Tonight you had a meeting with the President and Afghanistan Foreign Minister? Am I correct?”

TBC…

Please review or bad things will happen to Josh ;)