All participants are over 18. There is some very mild violence.
*****
When Geoff opened the door, Wilson rabbit-punched him and shoved his way across the threshold. Geoff fell in a boneless heap on the floor and Wilson heard a call from a woman somewhere else in the house. Wilson set down the duffel bag that hung from a strap over his left shoulder. He shut the door behind him and bolted it. He kicked Geoff and the little man grunted; he was still conscious, just stunned. Wilson picked him up by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. Geoff was confused but standing on his own.
"But you knocked," he said stupidly, unable to wrap his dazed mind around the fact that he had innocently admitted a home invader.
"Shut up," Wilson said softly.
"Geoff? What was that noise?" The wife was descending stairs from the upper floor. "Geoff, why do I have to check everyβ"
She never finished the sentence because Wilson knocked her out with a single well-placed sock to the head as she turned the corner from the staircase. She collapsed with no sign of grace.
"You hurt Miranda." Geoff said it in a strange matter-of-fact tone. Wilson noted that the little man made no move to help her.
"I'll hurt you too," Wilson said. "Unless you do exactly what I say."
Geoff wasn't built of the sternest stuff. "What do you want me to do?"
"First off, there's her. Do you have any duct tape?"
Geoff and Wilson went to the kitchen. Geoff found a roll of duct tape in the cupboard under the sink. The men went back to where Miranda lay at the bottom of the stairs. They carried her together and set her on a sturdy wooden office chair. Under Wilson's watchful eye, Geoff taped his wife's arms to the arms of the chair and her legs to the legs of the chair. He used much more tape than was necessary, but there was still plenty left for later, so Wilson raised no objection.
"Now what?" Geoff asked.
"Now pull all the drapes and blinds on this floor. Lock the back door."
Geoff did it. He was not out of Wilson's sight for more than ten seconds.
"Now it's your turn." Wilson directed Geoff to another strong chair and he held up the roll of duct tape.
Geoff took one step toward the chair when there was a hard knock at the door.
Wilson held up a silencing finger at Geoff. With his other hand, he pulled a gun out from under his jacket.
"It'll be a cop. He'll ask you if you've seen any strangers in the neighbourhood. For yours and Miranda's sakes, convince him you haven't." He walked Geoff over to the door and after a few long seconds to prepare, Geoff opened the door. Wilson stood behind it. The visitor was a young policewoman. She introduced herself as Officer Banks, then began asking Geoff if he'd seen any strangers, heard any noises, noticed anything suspicious.
"No, Officer," Geoff lied. "Nothing strange at all."
"Is there anyone else at home?"
"No, my wife has gone to work."
"What's in the duffel bag, sir?" The officer pointed behind Geoff and the little man turned around and saw it for the first time.
Wilson cursed under his breath. That was a stupid mistake to make, leaving the bag of loot in line of sight of the door.
"Hockey equipment," Geoff said. Wilson blinked; Geoff didn't exactly look like a hockey player. The policewoman didn't pursue it.
That was all there was to it. Officer Banks thanked Geoff and walked away, and Wilson gently pushed the door shut.
"Good," he said. Geoff basked in the praise. "You did good. Now we had a chair waiting for you."
When they came back into the living room, Miranda was waking up. She saw Wilson, who still had the gun in his hand, and she started to scream. Wilson had his hand over her mouth in an instant. She tried to bite him, so Wilson wound up and slapped her across the face hard. Miranda was stunned.
"If you stay quiet, I won't cover your mouth. If you scream or call out, I'll tape it shut. Or I'll kill you. I don't care which." She nodded her head in agreement and he backed off.
Wilson wasn't really a killer unless he needed to be. He was a thief; he considered killing unprofessional. Sometimes the threat of violence was necessary in his line of work; it either worked or it didn't. Intimidation had worked on Miranda and Geoff.
The wife might not talk back to her captor, but there was nothing stopping her turning her attention to her husband.
"Did you see what he did to me? And you just stand there?"
"Take it easy, Miranda," Wilson said. "He can't do anything about it."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Never mind my name," Wilson said.
"Why isn't that pussy tied up too?"