„The White Skull Gazette! Special Edition! What might have happened at the mine robbery?“
Both Andrea and Zenobia were quite proud about the newest edition of Andrea`s newspaper. The lead article did not accuse Cassandra directly, but it spoke of some „evidence“ and „irregularities“. They had worked on it immediately after Zenobia`s return, though Andrea had of course done most of the technical work, but shortly after midnight, some 250 copies were ready.
„Now, we will see what happens. Maybe, your work tomorrow will be a bit straining, with your fuming employer next door.“
Zenobia embraced her friend and again, they held each other in their arms a bit longer than usual.
„Time for bed now, tomorrow we have to get up early“, Andrea finally said and let Zenobia go.
***
„You will regret that!“
It was all Cuchillo had said to Arina after he had taken her by surprise. He had tied her wrists and ellbows behind her back, leaving no slack in the ropes and painfully squeezing her joints together. Then, he had grabbed the hemline of her camisole and yanked it from her with one brutal move, exposing her thrust out breasts.
„No! You bloody bastard! You – no!“
Ignoring her cries, Cuchillo pushed her on the ground and trapped her feet between his legs. Then, he grabbed the waistband of her leggins and pulled them down, together with her knickers. Arina screamed her lungs out and flailed and wriggled, but he just pulled the trousers and the knickers down her legs. Arina was sure that now he would rape her. Tears formed in her blue eyes.
However, the Apache just took two short pieces of rope and tied these around her knees, leaving an end of some 15 inches dangling. Then, holding her legs on these like it was a handle, he let her feet go. Despite her flailing, he could take the leggins and panties away from her. Arina tried to get to her feet and run away, but Cuchillo just grabbed her scalp, forced her on her knees and made her look up to him. Then, he pressed the knickers over her face with his other hand.
„Mhhmmmmmph! Uuuhhmmmmm! Mmhhhrrrrrmmmm!“
Arina could smell the scent of her own sweat and body and she clamped her jaws shut. His brutal grip prevented her from shaking her head, but she just tried to prevent being gagged with her own underwear. Not only was this disgusting and humiliating, it also was a mass of cloth, much more than the two stockings that had been stifling already.
„Mhhmmmmmm! Hhhhrrrrrr!“
Arina fought, but his grip was like iron and he pressed the cloth over her mouth and nose. Her nosrils were blocked and finally, she had to gasp for air.
„Uuuhhmmmmmmphh! Ghhhhmmmmm! Nnnnnnnggg! Gllggg!“
With vigorous fingers, he pushed the crumpled linen further and further. Arina tried to bite his hand, but it was upholstered by the knickers. Deeper and deeper, he worked the fabric, till it tickled the back of her throat.
„Ggghhmmm! Uuuuhhhnnnn! Mmmmpph!“
He still had more. Arina`s tongue got trapped under the mass of cloth and her cheeks got stuffed full with more white linen. Her moans became grunts and tetching sounds and she had to fight her gag reflex. Finally, when even Cuchillo was slightly sweating, he had crammed all the vile tasting material into Arina`s wide open mouth.
He now ripped her camisole in two and made an overhand knot in it, which he increased by tying two more knots at the same place. Meanwhile, Arina had frantically tried to get the gag from her mouth, but had only been able to work it out a few millimetres. Ruthlessly, the Apache stuffed it back between her lips before he pressed the knot over it. He then tightened the cloth straps several times before tying them off in her neck, forcing the knot firmly between her teeth. Arina now literally saw stars and felt she would choke.
„Hhhrrrrr! Ghhhhmmmmm! Mhhmmmmm!“
Cuchillo waited until the heavily panting girl had got used to breath to her nose and calmed down a bit. Then, he tied a rope to her right ankle, bent her leg and wound the rope twice around her thigh before knotting it off. Now, Arina could only flail with her other leg, but he had no difficulties in tying her left ankle to her left tie. Now, he sat her up, forcing her to kneel before him. Arina had to sit with her legs slightly open, allowing him to look at her thatch of pubic hair unimpeded. She blushed from embarrassment, but obviously, he had no intention of taking her by force – at least, not now.
Instead, he went to the brook and carefully soaked a piece of leather in the water. Arina knew what was coming now, but she was in no position to fight it. Each wriggling would only have prolonged it for some seconds. So, she did not move when he first tied the other part of the camisole over her mouth, covering her lips and further muffling her. Then, the Apache pressed the leather band over her lower face and tied that tightly over her gags. It covered the cloths bound over her mouth and went from under her nose to over her chin, focing her to close her jaws a biut and to bite down on the stifling gag. Arina knew from experience that once the leather had dried, the pressure would be immense and she would barely be able to utter a sound.
Cuchillo grabbed her firmly, but not brutal by her upper arms and heaved her on his horse. Now, the ropes dangling from her knees came to use. He tied these to the stirrups, helping her to keep balance with her bent legs and preventing her from falling off.
After he had stowed the things Arina had taken from him earlier, he grabbed the reins and led her through the mountains fast paced.
The naked, bound and gagged girl soon accepted that there was no give in her bonds and she just concentrated on breathing and not to choke from the massive and foul tasting panty-gag. Arina had to find out that she had indeed got lost during her escape, because after only some hour, they reached the teepee.
When Cuchillo carried her inside, bound as she was, she saw to her horror and surprise that Nascha was tied up and gagged, too, but not the way Arina had left her. She was tied up similar to the way Arina was an knelt near the post, but her knees were tied firmly together, too and ropes around her legs prevented her from rising up. Arina`s eyes widened with horror when she saw that Nascha`s long hair had been bound to a ponytail and then tied to a string dangling from the ceiling, forcing the woman to sit upright and keeping her from lowering her head. She looked pleadingly at Cuchillo, but did not utter a sound. But this would have been a fruitless task anyway for her mouth was covered by an extremely tight broad leather band, too, and Arina guessed that a copious amount of cloth was stuffed into her mouth and tied over it.
„I told her to take a look at you“, was all Cuchillo said.
When he sat her opposite Nascha, Arina could see that the Indian woman now was stark naked, too. Her red and black knickers had gone.
„Maybe, he forced them into her mouth, too“, Arina thought with some glee, but her thoughts got distracted when Cuchillo took the ropes that were still tied around her knees and pulled her forward, forcing her to enclose the bound legs of Nascha with her own. Despite her faint moaning, he only stopped when Nascha`s knees were brushed by Arina`s pubic hair. Then, he tied the ends together, forcing Arina to press her thighs against the other women`s.
He then rose up and reached for something at the ceiling. Arina saw that Nasha`s head sunk down for a moment, but got pulled up by the rope around her hair again. Cuchillo had loosened the string`s other end and brought it down. Before Arina could move, he grabbed her scalp and tied the thin rope around her hair. When he let her go, both Arina and Nascha found out that none of them could lower her head now. In addition, every movement of the head now had severe consequences on both women`s hair. They had to sit perfectly still and had to look each other directly in the eyes. The tops of their thrust out breasts were only some three inches apart from each other.
Drawing by hugues66
„Just think about if it`s not better to obey my orders. You have all night to think. Tomorrow, maybe I will release you“, Cuchillo said before he got undressed and lay down for sleep.
***
„Will you see her today?“, Malcolm asked Winona who was just getting dressed for breakfast. He did not touch her, but otherwise, they lived together like a couple and they had more than once changed clothes in front of each other. Winona first had been a bit awkward, but he had already seen her completely nude before anyway and so, she had got used to that.
„Not today, but tomorrow, she wants to show me the whole bank. Maybe, she has forgotten to put away a decisive piece of evidence.“
„I doubt that“, Malcolm laughed, „But maybe, you can find a way for us to get inside during the next few days. I`m getting bored by the town`s leisure offers.“
„Oh, my poor, poor husband!“, Winona mocked. She had finished dressing and they went down for another strengthening breakfast after a long honeymoon`s night.
***
Cassandra had read the special edition of the „Gazette“ at about nine o`clock, but, half to Zenobia`s disappointment, half to her relief, she had not fumed at all. She had only left the room for a few minutes. When she came back, she looked as friendly as ever.
„Miss Zenobia, I know that yesterday`s evening must have been quite an ordeal for you, but-“
„Y-yes, Madam?“, Zenobia said. Her heart was beating, fearing that Cassandra would ask her something about Andrea. However, all Cassandra said was
„Would it be possible for you to work during the noon break, too? These robbers have left quite a mess in my documents and if we won`t work all day, we won`t see any success soon. I will tell Peter to get us something to eat and will of course pay you for the extra work, but-“
„Of course, Madam! It was my fault to let the window open and so, the least I can do is to help reducing the damage.“
Smiling, Cassandra thanked her and both women went on with their respective work silently.
***
City Marshal Eric Penn was still trying to find a clue in yesterday`s assault on the bank`s secretary, when his deputy Zebulon Harris pointed to the window.
„Oh, look, another visit from Sarge Brockovich!“
The man called „Sarge“ had never been in the Army, but it was a nickname to his first name Sergei. He had a small farm outside town and was just working in the mine to get enough money for him and his niece. In addition, he was a drinker and whenever he thought that someone had done him injustice, he spent a visit to the Marshal`s office.
„Oh no, not again a quarrel over a spilled drink“, Penn groaned.
Harris smiled: „This time, it could be more amusing. He is waving a dress in his hands!“
However, what „Sarge“ Brockovich had to say was not amusing at all. He had come home late last night after he had gotten fired after a drunken brawl at the mine and had not found his niece Arina. When he had searched the area, all he had found had been her dress and her shoes, lying by the brook.
„It must have been these savages! You must call the Army immediately!“
Penn tried to calm him down: „Mr. Brockovich, the Apache are on friendly terms with us for morte than five years now. I don`t think they will provoke a war just for nothing.“
„Nothing?“, the man blurted, „It?s my niece you are talking about!“
„Sorry, Mr. Brockovich, but I am sure that Chief Paco or his men have nothing to do with your daughter`s disappearance. They have always been liable during the years and-“
„Liable! These savages?“
Harris tried to save the situation: „Sarge, the Apache`s village is some three day rides from here. Why should they leave their territory for commiting a crime? Maybe, it were the mine robbers.“
Penn frowned: „They have never harmed anyone. They are behind money, so why should they abduct a poor man`s relative? But-“
Sarge grabbed him by the shoulders: „But what, tell me or I will-“
Harris grabbed the angry farmer`s arm and pulled him down on a chair. Penn scratched his head and said:
„Some weeks ago, someone told that an Apache renegade is in the mountains. A wanted criminal, at least down in Mexico. His name is Cuchillo.“
Sarge rose and yelled: „Well, what are we waiting for then? Let`s gather a few man, find this Cuchillo and save my niece!“
Penn had to choose between two equally inconvenient possibilities: either going on a manhunt for at least a few days during the hottest time of the year – or provoking a new war with the Indians if Sarge or one of his incited colleagues would shoot at any Indian who just passed their way.
„Get to the Saloon and ask for some men. I will have to pack a few things. We will ride in half an hour.“
***
Being a strong and tenacious man, Cuchillo had been awake by dawn, though the last day had been quite straining. But he had stayed in bed until noon, just to make the women suffer a bit longer. They still had not moved much. Whenever one of the girls had fallen asleep and had lowered her head, the sharp pull on both`s hair had woken them again. Now, they looked at each other with tired eyes, obviously totally exhausted from being in the stringent position for such a long time. Cuchillo guessed that it were some twelve hours for Arina and four or five more for Nascha now.
The girls had looked at him pleadingly and mmphed through their horrible gags when he had yawned, but Cuchillo had ignored their attempts to get his attention. Now, he could tell from the film of sweat on both their bodies and from their slightly trembling that obviously nature was calling now, too.
Suddenly, a distant shot could be heard. Cuchillo rose and looked out of the teepee. The shot had been some mile away, but it was quite unusual to have hunters in that area – one of the reasons why he had his hideout here.
„It`s either a group of hunters, or these robbers I`ve heard of – or a posse that hunts for me to get this white girl back!“, he thought.
Anyway, all these possibilities could mean trouble and so, he decided to leave. With a quick move, he drew his knife and cut the rope fixing Nascha`s and Arina`s hair to the ceiling. With a surprised squeal, both women slumped, their leg ties preventing them from falling to the side.
Cuchillo cut their legs free, grabbed each girl by the arm and led them outside. They staggered and Arina immediately landed on her backside when he let her go. Nascha tried to keep balance a little longer, but her legs cramped from being bound together for so long and so, she collapsed, too.
Cuchillo let them sit for the few minutes he needed to pack his belongings. The teepee was made of deer hides, quite precious to him, but he did not have the capacity to take it with him. However, he decided to load a few tanned hides on his horse.
When he came back to the women, both had managed to sit in an upright position. He said to them:
„We have to leave. But before, you may pee.“
He stepped between Arina and Nascha, took an arm of each and pulled until both were crouching beside him. Then, he sat one yard away, directly face to face with the girls, and waited.
Arina groaned from sheer humiliation. Did he really await for her to-? But when she tried to rise up, he pulled his knife again. So, she remained in her crouching position and looked at him. Then, her eyes fell on Nascha.
The Apache woman responded her view seemingly calm, but Arina could tell from her strained look and from her reddened cheeks that she needed to pee as badly as she did. Arina`s bladder felt as if it would burst, and Nascha had been tied up for several more hours.
„If it will be a little longer, i won`t be able to hold it back any more, even if this savage is watching!“, Arina thought, blushing from embarrassment, „I just wonder what her problem is!“
It sure was not a sense of modesty, since she was familiar with the man and Arina was a woman, too.
With pleading eyes, she turned again to Cuchillo to at least turn his head, but the Apache just sat there and waited, only waving his knife when she tried to turn away herself.
„Mmmmph!“, she moaned through her mouthfilling gag.
„Nnngg!“, Nascha responded, not taking her eyes from her.
Suddenly, Arina understood. It had nothing to do with modesty for the Appache woman – it was a competition of endurance. If Nascha persisted, she had proven to be stronger than her rival. It was ridiculous! But suddenly, Arina thought twice: if she once again proved to be a weak damsel in distress, the man would never show any respect to her. And respect was perhaps the key to his heart. Maybe, she could persuade him to let her go if he respected her more. Maybe-
„Nnnnnnngggggg!“
The pain in her bladder and urethra had become maddening. Arina was sure that she would literally explode during the next seconds. Sweat pearled from her forehead, despite the fact that she had not had something to drink for some 15 hours now. She panted heavily through her nose.
Cuchillo watched like it was a strange kind of a duel, made for his entertainment. He even seemed to smile at his suffering victims.
„This bastard, I just can`t, I-“
„Uuuhhhhnnnnnnnggggg!“
With a deep frustrated groan, Nascha suddenly shuddered and peed. She lowered her head in shame and defeat, blushing even deeper.
„Victory“, Arina thought before she lost control over her bladder, too.
When both girls were finished, Cuchillo tied a noose around each of their necks, knotting it in a way that it could not tighten around the throat. He used the other ends as leashes, forcing the girls to stand up and walk over to the horse.
When he had tied the ropes to the saddle, he took two pairs of leather boots and put them on their feet. Arina thought of kicking him, but then, he sure would have left her barefoot.
When both girls were wearing boots – although nothing else - , he mounted his horse and rode on in a slow pace. With no other choice, the two naked, bound and gagged women followed him.
Drawing by hugues66
***
It was seven o`clock in the evening when Zenobia was finally allowed to leave the bank. Tired, she entered the little pressroom that lay behind the main door – and nearly bounced back. The printing press lay broken and the whole fittings looked as if a bear family had tried to dance inside the little room.
„Andrea? Oh my god! What has happened?“
There was no answer. With growing fear, Zenobia rushed over into the kitchen. In opposition to the pressroom, it looked like they had left it in the morning, but it was empty, too.
„Perhaps, she has discovered the damage just recently and went for the Marshal“, she thought, but she was sure that Andrea would have left a message then.
„Andrea? Are you here somewhere?“
Zenobia looked into the small boxroom, but her friend wasn`t there. Zenobia rushed up the stairs to the second floor. In the sleeping room, she could see the bed looked more than messy and there were clothes lying all over the room.
„Andrea?“
„Mhhmmmmmm!“
Now, she heard a faint noise. But where did it come from? Zenobia looked into the cupboard and under the bed. No sign of Andrea.
„Mhhmmmm!“
Now, Zenobia looked at the clothes chest that stood under the window. The sound came from inside, but it was way too small to contain a human being.
„Mhhmm!“
Zenobia wanted to raise the lid, but it was locked and the key was missing. Looking frantically for something to open it, she took the candlestick and finally managed to break the lid open.
„Mhhhmmmmmmmm!“
When the lid sprang open, Andrea rose like a box devil. Zenobia first was relieved, but then, she was horrified. Her friend was gagged with a cloth that covered her mouth and nose. The way her bared breasts pointed at Zenobia told her that Andrea was not only tied at her wrists, but also at her elbows.
Drawing by hugues66
When she bent over Andrea, she could see that she was only wearing her knickers, garterbelt and stockings. She was covered all over with traces of what seemed to be printing ink. Two handprints were directly on her breasts. The way they were smudged showed that, whoever had done that to Andrea, had kneaded her boobs whilst colouring them.
„Mmmmhmmmm!“
Zenobia ripped the cloth from Andrea`s mouth and nose, only to find another one tightly tied over her mouth. When Zenobia had removed that, too, she could see that a third cloth with a big knot in it was tied between Andrea`s lips.
„Oh my god, who did this to you?“
„Mhhmmmph! Uuuhmmmm!“
Zenobia loosened the cleave gag and helped Andrea to work no less than three handkerchieves from her parched mouth.
„Than you“, the reporter breathed and looked grateful at her friend.
Half an hour later, Andrea was sitting in her bathtub whilst Zenobia brushed the printing ink from her body.
„They came some two hours after you have left. Three men, all of them masked. They dragged me up here, tore my clothes from me and then-“
Zenobia gulped: „D-did they-“
Andrea smiled weakly: „No. But they had a camera with them. Two of them held me whilst the third took a photo of me with nothing but my knickers on. They said they would send it to everyone if I would go to the Marshal. Then, they bound and gagged me and stowed me in the chest. Phew, I really thought I would choke! Where have you been so long?“
„Miss DeRainier told me-“
Andrea beat on the water with her hand.
„Cassandra! I knew it were her henchmen! She has kept you longer at work to make sure I would have to suffer longer! That bitch! She wanted to take revenge for the article. By the way, I think my breasts are clean now.“
Zenobia had absentmindedly rubbed the washcloth over Andrea`s boobs again and again. Now, she withdrew her hand as if she had touched a red hot iron, but Andrea grabbed her arm and smiled:
„It`s okay, dear, and I am very glad to have you here.“
Again, Zenobia was more than tempted to just kiss her friend, but this was hardly the time for such things. Instead, she asked:
„But, what now? Will you call the Marshal?“
Andrea shook her head.
„And get laughed at by any man whom I have to tell the sleazy details? No, I will strike back like I can do best. Tomorrow, I will publish yet another article, now even more offensive than the last one!“
„But how can we do that? They have destroyed everything!“
Smiling bitterly, Andrea shook her head.
„I don`t think so. I have looked over it already when you prepared the bath. They have thrown the letters everywhere, but we can just collect them, one by one. And they have broken the rollers and spilled the ink. But I had similar problems when I was still in New York. So, I always have some reserve rollers and extra ink in the boxroom. If you help me, we can start to print in three hours!“
***
At about eight o`clock, Cassandra was disturbed in looking through a difficult insurance treaty, when she heard the bell ring. It was her private bell that lead to the side stairway, lewading directly to her rooms. It was used by her cleaning women, delivery boys and sometimes from private visitors.
Who could it be at that time in the evening? She took her gun and went to the window. If it was that journalist bitch that wanted revenge, she would be ready. But instead, it was a woman she had never seen before. She had raven hair and was wearing a threadbare blue smock. In her hands, she carried a bundle wrapped in paper.
„Laundry service!“, the woman shouted.
„Why didn`t you come earlier?“, Cassandra asked angrily.
„S-sorry Miss, but two employees are ill. I-I w-will come back tomorrow if you whish“, the woman stammered.
Cassandra snorted: „No, just wait, I will come down!“
One minute later, she opened the door and took the bundle from the black haired woman. She wanted to close the door, but the woman interrupted her.
„P-please, Miss DeRainier, y-you h-have to pay directly. Mr. Wong will beat me, if I will not bring the money!“
As if to emphasize, she raised her left arm and revealed a bruise. Cassandra was not a very pitiful person, but she just said:
„Well, all right, just wait here and I will get you your dollar! But tell your Mr. Wong that I will do my laundry by myself if he keeps on behaving as if he is in the position to command me around.“
She closed the door behind the woman and told her to wait. Then, she went upstairs to fetch some coins.
When she left her private office, she could see that the woman had followed her. Now, Cassandra became angry.
„I told you to wait downstairs!“, she scolded.
She expected the woman to cry, run away or apologize a thousand times, but instead, she smiled and drew a gun from behind her back.
„Shut up if you want to see the next sunset!“
Cassandra was no coward and there were the two guards patrolling round the house. One cry would alert them. However, the look in the woman`s grey eyes told her that she would pay this cry with a bullet in her chest.
„What do you want? The money is in the safe and it is time-locked. I have some 50 dollars up here, you can have these, I promise I want call for help before five minutes after you have left.“
The woman laughed: „I have not come for your small money. I want the key for the safe and then, I will make sure that you won`t call for help for the next twelve hours or so.“
Cassandra still showed no fear: „The key is not here. Mr. Ross, the clerk, has got it.“
„Oh, of course, you would never give access to thousands of dollars to one of your employees. Instead, I am sure you have the key somewhere where you have access to it 24/7. I am sure, you are hiding it somewhere on yourself, maybe on a necklace or even in your underskirts. And there is only one way to find out!“
***