Proof of Life (Patreon)

He recognized the phone taking photos of him. Not by name, and certainly not well enough to operate, but conceptually he knew that other people could see him through the device. Like a long tube with mummy and daddy looking at the other end. That made him happy, excited even, but he also realized that bad people could look into the tube as well. That made him change direction and inch away from it.

The man holding the phone wrote a little note. "Don't make any attempts to find him and you'll have him back unharmed within a week." He wouldn't send it until he had driven an hour away. Rich people have access to the good police work, and CEOs also have the drive to hire outside people. Former military. Former intelligence. Current criminals. In particular when their son had gone missing. But that was also why it was important to give clear instructions they can make a good cost-benefit analysis on. Sit on their hands and things will resolve themselves with low risk and no cost.

And the unharmed part was almost true as well. He'd have no memory of being abducted. Nothing that would help any police investigation. All they would know is that someone somewhere would have a stack of excellent blackmail material and that he somehow developed incurable nocturnal incontinence.