The Little Death 21

The first ferry to the Chateau d`If started at 9:30 am, but Mike had gone there earlier, finding a place at a café where he could observe the ticket counter. He hoped that his disguise would be convincing enough so Cassandra wouldn`t recognize him if she showed up.

Beside English and French, he was also fluent in German and so, he had changed in something that almost too loud cried »German tourist«. Not only was he wearing white socks to his sandals, but also a breast pouch. He felt a bit like a walking cliché, but together with the baseball cap and the sunglasses, he hoped it would blur Cassandra`s memories. After all, they had only been colleagues for a month and whilst the beautiful Cassandra had caught the eyes of all the male Service members (and of some of the females, too), he had been just one of the guys.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. In an old spy movie, he would have raised his newspaper, but instead, he took a sip from the water bottle in his backpack.

The approaching girl wasn`t Cassandra; she was a blonde who was sporting a baseball cap and had her shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail. Her height was average and she wore sneakers, khaki shorts and a tight sleeveless top. The straps of her small backpack framed a pair of ample breasts and she was randomly taking photos with her cell phone as she was approaching the ticket counter.

»So, if my idea was wrong, I am not the only one who had it!«

Mike had not been working together with Amelia Thorne for long, but enough to recognize »Amazing Amy« at once. In addition, Bishop had sent him a current picture of her whilst Amy had last seen him three years ago. Nevertheless, he sank deeper in his seat and lowered his head as the blonde obviously bought a ticket to the famous prison island, too.

»So, are we fighting o the same side or not, Amy?«, he thought. According to Bishop, Amelia had gotten a hint that Cassandra had been more than just his affair, but didn`t know exactly what she was up to. However, she had been able to find her tracks, not only at Nice, but she had also followed her to Marseille whilst Bishop`s man had failed.

He feared that she would come over, but Amy sat down at a wall from which she could look at the sea, though Mike was sure that she was more interested in the ticket counter. He let his eyes wander over the area that now began to fill with early tourists who wanted to get on the first ferry, too – and then, he saw her.

Cassandra Parker had only been in the Service for a few years. Obviously, she was good, for she had been able to play the naïve secretary that would sleep with a superior just for some advantages so convincing that she had now enough information to endanger a dozen agents and to also force Britain to sell the Virgin Islands to the USA. However, she was, as one of Mike`s colleagues at the time had put it, »too beautiful for field service«. Though this was maybe an exaggeration, it was true that Cassandra was easy on the eye and made no attempt of hiding it.

Now, she was wearing a bright red wrap skirt, together with sandals and a black sleeveless shirt. Her sunglasses were pushed up her head and Mike could even see a hairpin with a flower in her open black curls that fell to her shoulders. Somehow, she managed to walk gracefully whilst she was balancing over the uneven cobblestones.

She hadn`t come alone. The CIA or whoever was responsible for her protection had been thoughtful enough to send a black agent who could have passed as her boyfriend if he had acted a bit more subtle. He wasn`t wearing a black suit with a treacherous bulge under his left armpit, but he just didn`t behave naturally. The tall, muscular man showed some distance towards Cassandra and the way he always kept an eye on the area around them showed that he was not just her companion.

Mike screwed his bottle shut and stowed it in his backpack. The CIA agent might lack in his ability to disguise himself, but he knew that the US agents were usually skilled fighters and would not hesitate to kill if necessary. Since he had come to just observe, Mike had left his gun at the hotel, but he didn`t want to risk a shootout anyway.

»At least, I know who they are whilst the girls have maybe forgotten about me!«

It was still some 15 minutes until the gate to the ferry would be opened, but Mike reminded his role as a German and queued up in front of the door to be the first in line. He oppressed the urge to look over his shoulders all the time, but he had noticed that Amy had left her post and obviously, Cassandra and her bodyguard had bought tickets to the Chateau, too.

»The game is afoot!«, he thought.

***

For an hour or so, the observation of the clinic had been quite intriguing. Whenever a car had passed the street, Lioba had sunk deeper into her seat and even held her breath, causing Isabelle to smile. She decided to drop her plan of fattening Lioba and took one of the other doughnuts. Lioba heard the rustling of the bag and asked:

»So, that`s what you do for a living?«

»If I am not busy writing reports, yeah!«

Lioba yawned and stretched her body. Isabelle was unable not to look at her breasts and to compare them to her own. She packed away her doughnut and though she knew that she shouldn`t do it, she asked:

»Why did you break up?«

»Ozzie and me?«

Lioba sighed. The reflexive gesture told she was trying to grab her handbag. Isabelle handed her the doughnuts instead, but Lioba shook her head.

»Well, there wasn`t that one big quarrel or a single incident that tore us apart. After High School, he went to the Royal Marines and I started studying. We saw lesser and lesser and that was that. If that is what you want to hear, except for the alumni meeting, our contact during the last ten years consisted of a few phone calls and postcards on Christmas and our birthdays.«

Though said alumni meeting was the source of her jealousy, Isabelle felt indeed a bit relieved. Then, she had another question:

»And how did you two get together? I mean, you don`t seem to have that much in common and you sure had a bunch of boys to choose from!«

She remembered how Mike had literally bumped into her own life: he had knocked her out and left her bound and gagged. In addition, he had stolen her panties. However, she doubted that this was Mike`s usual M.O..

Lioba smiled wryly.

»At school, I was a bit of a nerd. Always good marks, not because I was such a genius, but because I learned hard. I mean, I came from a poor family and a good exam was the only way to gain a scholarship. So, I wasn`t the most popular girl in my class. Add braces till I was 16 and you will believe that the boys only approached me when the exams came nearer and they wanted to crib.«

»Poor Cinderella – or rather poor Mary Sue?«, Isabelle joked, but she also felt interested, for Lioba was partially telling her own story. Good genetics had spared her braces, but she knew what it meant to work hard for a good exam and to get mocked by her richer classmates.

»Anyway, when I was offered to skip one class, I didn`t hesitate much. I was the nerd girl anyway and it would allow me to start a new life at University one year earlier. And so, I attended Ozzie`s class.«

»And when you entered the room, did the spherical music start and the clouds part so a single ray of light fell on you?«

Lioba chuckled.

»At least, I made sure that all eyes fell on me. Good advice: if you are entering a room and want to look cool and confident, make sure there is no doorstep in your way!«

The image of a clumsy Lioba amused Isabelle and she asked:

»So, did you spill your drink all over your white blouse?«

»I spilled it indeed – but over Ozzie. Over his sacred football scarf!«

»You desecrated the Owls? How could he ever forgive you?«

»Well, I saw him look at the stained blazon and offered to wash it for him. At that point, I didn`t know that this would have been an even bigger sacrilege! 20 seconds in class and I already had established myself as both clumsy and a Blade!«

Isabelle grinned. The two Sheffield clubs, Wednesday aka Owls and United aka Blades had an old rivalry. And since Mike and Lioba had been at the Hillsborough High School, Isabelle guessed that it had been a stronghold of Owls supporters.

»So, what did he do? Did he cry, slap you or demand a virgin sacrifice?«

»He invited me to the next match!«

Isabelle raised her eyebrows and Lioba continued:

»He told me that if the Owls would win, he would forgive me and see the coffee stain as a good omen. I mean, I stood there, already nervous by entering a new class and I had just introduced myself quite miserable. And so, all I could do was staring at him and ask what would happen if the Owls lost.  Fuck, I was so confused my lips trembled and for a moment, I thought that mentioning a loss was just the next sacrilege, but he suddenly smiled and said: ›Then, I at least had a date with a beautiful girl!‹. Beautiful! I mean, I had just left a class where I had been the nerd and now, someone called me not just pretty or cute, but beautiful! And there was no irony in his eyes! He fucking meant what he said!«

Isabelle felt the sting of jealousy at Mike calling her rival beautiful, though he hadn`t even known of her existence at that time and in addition, she had been a little girl. But she could imagine the scenery: Mike had a talent of making otherwise corny compliments in a way that felt good.

»Well, by coincidence, I had been introduced to my new class on the last day of the semester which was a Friday and so, the match was on the next day already. It rained and we went there by bus, but believe me, I had spent hours considering what to wear. I even thought of buying an Owls shirt. So, we went to the match and 105 minutes later, some idiot had poured his beer over my head and it had ended in a draw!«

»Sounds better than my first date!«

»It was wonderful! I mean, I had no real idea of football rules and I sure asked a million of silly questions, but I had had fun! And so, I asked him whether a draw meant we would have to go to the next match, too, to see if the scarf was cursed! Well, Ozzie looked at me and said: ›If I have to wait two weeks for the next date with you, I`m gonna burn the bloody thing!‹ Well, that was the last thing he said before we first kissed!«

Lioba had turned her head away when she had said the last sentence and Isabelle had also looked at the clinic to avoid eye contact. Suddenly, she sat up and grabbed Lioba`s arm.

»Look!«

It took Lioba a few seconds to see it, but then, she also recognized that behind one of the skylights in the second floor, a light had went on. So, there was indeed someone inside right now!

***

The room where the light had been switched on was in fact Ingrid`s and she had withdrawn there with Lan to argue with her.

»Your henchmen have packed my laptop to the van, without my order or even asking about my permission! And when I confronted them, they pretended not to understand me, neither in English, French nor even in Chinese! Are you fucking kidding me? I am the scientist on this project!«

Since they were about to leave within the next few hours, the blonde had undone her lab coat and, feeling embarrassed by even looking at it, she had also changed the corset for a more modest attire. She now sported black jeans and a sweater, unusual for a showy woman like her.

Lan had also put on civilian clothes, in her case a grey costume dress with a white blouse that looked almost as strict as her uniform. She would have passed as a governess or a worker of a rather conservative bank.

»I gave order to pack all things necessary! My men know how to take care of fragile things, there is no need to be afraid your data`s lost!«

»That`s not what I mean! It`s lost to me for the moment – and I don`t want anyone to touch my property!«

»Well, you allowed Luana to touch your – property!«

Lan looked down at Ingrid`s crotch and Ingrid fumed from anger and embarrassment. She knew that she had been foolish in allowing their captives to overpower her and once they were at their new hideout, she would teach Luana to never try such things again!

»My data only belongs in my hands!«, she insisted. Then, she though that it would be a good idea to put Lan in her place:

»After all, I am the scientist! Without me, you would still have to rely on what your pharmacologists worked out – which was almost nothing!«

Lan nodded slightly; for Ingrid, it was impossible to say whether she was admitting her defeat or just registering that Ingrid was no longer the obedient coworker she had been. She put on a smile and placed a hand on Lan`s shoulder.

»Come on, let`s not be like that! There is enough honey in the pot for both of us! «

Lan stiffened.

»I am not doing it for the money!«

Now, Ingrid raked over Lan`s shoulder with her long fingernails.

»I know, you are also interested in one special – honeypot! Does your Government approve your way of – letting off steam after a hard day at work?«

Lan`s expression became even more stern as she answered in a toneless voice:

»Are you implying something, Ingrid?«

Ingrid withdrew from Lan`s shoulder and put the tips of her fingers together.

»Well, I was just wondering what your superiors would say that one of their most loyal and devoted female employees doesn`t belong to the – potential customers of LD. After all, this is not meant for fun only!«

Lan managed to hide her emotion behind a stone face. She turned for the door.

»I will give advice that your laptop will be separated from the other baggage and brought back to you!«

Ingrid raised an eyebrow.

»And?«

She looked expectantly at Lan who, after a short pause in which she took a deep breath.

»And I beg for your forgiveness for having been overzealous!«

She slightly bowed. In a condescending gesture, Ingrid reached out and held her hand under Lan`s face. There was another short pause, but then, the Chinese kissed Ingrid`s hand.

»You may go now! Just knock when you bring the laptop, to make sure you are not disturbing me!«

She turned to the wall, enjoying how the feeling of triumph she had missed since Luana`s attack flooded through her body. She heard the door close and smiled. Once she had punished Luana whilst Sophia had to watch, she would be her old self again!

***

One floor below, Greg and the three Chinese were drudging to get the necessary equipment packed whilst also preparing the destruction of what should be left behind. Sophia was still sitting on her stool, watching the men walk in and out, though at least one of them was always present to have an eye on her.

She looked at one corner for the hundredth time. There, the pink suitcase was still standing. The sounds the men made drowned all faint noises that might come from inside and it hadn`t move the slightest, indicating that either Luana didn`t try to wriggle or that she was too stringently bound to cause the suitcase to even tremble. So far, none of the four henchmen had either removed the suitcase or taken notice of her.

Now, the other door opened and Lan entered, now dressed in a grey costume dress. She saw that Greg and Feng were lifting a big steel box together and she just nodded. Without looking at Sophia either, she waited for Bao`s return and waved for him to come close. Sophia didn`t understand the conversation held in Chinese, but it seemed to be something else than a small change in plans, for the man asked several questions and Lan`s answers also took more than a few words. When Greg and Feng came back, Lan addressed the first:

»Greg, a word, please!«

The bulky man frowned and stepped closer whilst behind him, Bao pulled Feng with him, obviously whispering to him what Lan had just told him. Sophia felt a shiver run down her spine and she shifted on her stool. Something was going on!

»Greg, I just had a conversation with Ingrid – I mean Dr. Müller. We agreed upon a small change in plans and that also involves you.«

She made a gesture and Greg bent forward so the petite woman only had to whisper, though only Sophia was around to hear.

»It seems that Dr. Müller fears my Government will no longer feel obliged to the agreements we have made and therefore wants to retire to a save place until she has gotten some additional securities. You got me so far?«

Greg nodded. He still was a bit overwhelmed by the events: not so much the retreat from the secret laboratory, but the moment when he had found Ingrid, bound, gagged and with her naked pussy right in front of his eyes. How her boobs had tried to escape her tight corset, how she had squirmed and moaned when-

»Greg! Here is your part in this! Dr. Müller wants you to follow her orders exactly as she had said in this!«

She handed Greg a brown envelope that rustled slightly, indicating it didn`t just contain sheets of paper. The man took it and looked at Lan who forced a slight smile on her face.

»I have no idea what her new orders are. Maybe, she is still feeling a bit strained from the latest events.«

Greg stepped into a corner and opened the envelope. It contained a key ring with three keys, another smaller envelope with some 2000 Euros in it and a short, handwritten note:

»Dear Greg, I no longer trust these Chinese! Please, go to the place described below and wait for me there! Take the bike, I will follow later by car! Yours, Ingrid Müller!«

The description was an address of what seemed to be a small hotel. Greg took a deep breath. So, Ingrid wanted to hide and wanted him to be her private bodyguard! He twitched when someone touched his arm. It was Bao, holding a small nylon briefcase to him. It was a laptop case and the Chinese said:

»It`s Dr. Müller`s laptop! She wants you to take it with you! Now, follow me, I will open the door for you so you can drive on!«

Three minutes later, Greg sat on the fast BMW, the laptop securely stowed behind him. He slowly rode over the yard, around the corner to the main entrance where he could see the iron gate and the street behind it.

In front of him, he had a transparent bag with his cell phone in it. The navigation unit told him that his destination was 57 kilometers away, somewhere in the outskirts of the Camargue National Park. Obviously, it was a remote holiday resort where he would be alone with Ingrid.

He grinned under his helmet and played with the gas, to lose no second once the door would start to open.

***

 Isabelle and Lioba had just spoken about the difficulties of finding an affordable apartment in Marseille, just to avoid talking about Mike again, when they saw that the automatic door was starting to move. At the same time, a motorbike drove around the corner of the building and approached the widening gap between the gate and the fence. As soon as the opening was wide enough, the bike accelerated and rode off.

»Shan`t we follow him?«, Lioba asked, feeling like electrified. Isabelle shook her head. She had reached for her gun, but now, she forced herself to calm down.

»Until I have started the car, he has too much of a head start! And the license plate was covered with mud! But we now know two things for sure!«

Lioba looked at the empty street where the bike had disappeared. The rolling gate was still opening: obviously, the mechanism couldn`t be stopped in between.

»We know that indeed someone is hiding in there«, she started and Isabelle added:

»And we know that Sistine and the others are still inside if this is the hideout of our criminals! I mean, the man definitely was none of them and he had no passenger!«

She also looked at the door. The opening mechanism could obviously be operated from the inside, for she could not see anyone. She knew that she was about to make one of those mistakes that always got her into trouble, but she asked Lioba:

»Bored of just sitting around and doing nothing?«

She had opened the door and half left the car already. Lioba asked:

»What do you have in mind?«, she asked, the look in her eyes showing she was rather intrigued than frightened.

»Just get on the driver`s seat, I will tell you!«

One minute later, the small Peugeot quickly drove towards the entrance where the gate was just about to close again. Speeding too fast and whirling the dust, the car maneuvered around on the door`s slide, causing it to beep. Only after some minute of driving back and forth, the car speeded up and drove off again. Some 30 seconds later, the gate closed again.

Isabelle ducked behind a bush. Once Lioba had started her distraction, she had sprinted towards the fence and climbed over it at a point where a close tree allowed her to get over the barbed wire and to jump down on the other side. She checked her gun and looked at the yard where a van and two cars, an Audi and a Porsche, were standing side by side. Right now, she spotted a man carry a box towards the van. As Isabelle looked closer, she could tell it was an Asian who showed some resemblance one of the men that had assaulted her and Lioba.

»Just cause some confusion and then wait for me around the corner!«, she had ordered. »I just want to have a closer look! Don`t worry, I am a Policewoman!«

Now, she hoped that she was right and this would really be just the first step to victory – and not the beginning of a scenario where Lioba was reaching for Mike`s hand whilst they were both grieving at her grave!

***

»Who was that lunatic? I mean, I know what they say about French behind the wheel, but that idiot really was-«

Kang, who had watched Lioba`s stunt at the monitor shook his head. At least, the car had left and whoever the driver had been, he had not even been able to spot their cars. Bao patted his comrade`s shoulder.

»Just keep your eye on the monitor. At least, we are almost done! It`s just the pink suitcase, the French doctor – and our Major`s new batwoman!«

Kang scoffed. Like his accomplices, he was sure he knew what Lan and the French Policewoman were doing. But since in his eyes, women who chose a military career over founding a family were lesbians anyway, he didn`t really care. Perhaps, he would have if his superior had chosen Luana, but girls where he would have needed both his hands to fondle one of her breasts weren`t his glass of Whiskey.

Quickly, Bao returned to Feng who stood beside Lan. The Major had put her hands on Sophia`s shoulders and the naked, bound and gagged girl just stared at him. Lan nodded towards Bao.

»Let`s get to Ingrid. Feng, please, do as I told you!«

She had spoken Chinese, but Sophia`s eyes widened as she went for the door to the corridor, followed by one of the men. The other one grabbed her shoulder, firmly, but not brutal.

»Will you behave or do I have to carry you?«

»Mph!«

Sophia`s heart was pounding, but she saw no point in flailing and so, having one last look at the suitcase that contained Luana, she followed the man outside. Her eyes fell on an asphalted yard that was covered with potholes and dandelions. Some three yards away, a red Porsche was parked. Except for the front window, all windows were tinted. Feng opened the door and then folded the backseat to the front. Sophia groaned as he forced her to enter the narrow backseat. To get inside was a bit difficult without being able to use her arms and the chilly leather on her bare buttocks made her cringe as she sat down. The deep seat also caused her crotch strap to tighten and the Ben Wa balls slightly tingled inside her.

Bao produced a silk scarf from his back pocket and bent over Sophia. She mewed and squirmed as he slung it around her neck and then tied the ends off to the two headrests at the backseat. Now, she could no longer rise and though the cloth wasn`t pulled tight, she feared what would happen if the driver had to brake abruptly.

The man now grabbed her left ankle and put her foot on the top of the driver`s seat`s backrest. With a piece of rope, he tied her ankle off to the headrest. Then, her other foot was secured to the headrest of the passenger`s seat. Now, Sophia had to sit with her legs raised and bent, her thighs open, but not obscenely splayed. Nevertheless, when she looked at the inside mirror, she saw her breasts, thrust out by the way the armbinder forced her shoulders back, and her triangle of pubic hair, bisected by the crotch strap. The man, kneeling on the passenger seat, grinned down on her.

»Like that, we can make sure that you will be entertained though the driver has to concentrate on the road!«

He brushed over Sophia`s soles, causing her to squirm and mew. Smiling, he placed a kiss on each of her soles and then, he left the helpless girl alone. Sophia shifted on the seat and pulled on her bonds, but she quickly realized that she would have to remain like that until someone entered the car. She wriggled her feet and once again, she felt very exposed and vulnerable.

***

»Fuck!«

In her cover, Isabelle could not see very much of the Porsche that stood closest to the door inside. But she had seen that the indicators had flashed once, indicating that someone with the key to it had approached the car. So, someone was entering the Porsche, or stowing something in it.

»Or rather someone!«

She tightened the grip on her gun.

***

Lan didn`t like walking with high heels and though she had chosen a pair with only moderate heels, she still felt a bit uneasy as she and Bao approached the door of Ingrid`s room. Nevertheless, her face showed a smile.

She had considered that the German was no longer reliable when she had heard about her having allowed Luana to overpower her. Sure, she had also risked that Sistine would try anything, but in Ingrid`s case, the two most important captives had nearly escaped. And in addition, Ingrid had tried to threaten and to humiliate her.

Her plan had begun to develop when Ingrid had forced her to kiss her hand, had become more tangible on her way down and had been ready when she had been at the small janitor`s cabinet that acted as her office.

The first step had been to get rid of Greg. Of course, she could have ordered Bao to kill him, but this was much more elegant. The small holiday resort Greg was heading towards really existed. It had been booked under an alias months ago, when they had prepared their mission. If the landlord had followed his orders to the point, Greg would even find the fridge filled and so, he could have a cold beer whilst waiting for Ingrid.

Sooner or later, even a dimwit like him would find out that he had been fooled, but then, it would be too late. And if he would try to go to the Police, he would find out that he had just the case of Ingrid`s laptop, but it contained only one of the reserve computers with no relevant data on it.

»I am just following my orders! Taking the important stuff with me, and leaving behind the expendable!«, Lan thought and turned towards Bao.

»Are you ready?«

Bao nodded and took a transparent plastic bag from his jacket`s inner pocket. It contained a cloth soaked with some clear liquid and when he opened the zipper, the strong odor of the narcotic tickled his nose. The man positioned himself beside the door, ready to dart forward and to press the rag on Ingrid`s face once the blonde opened.

Lan took a deep breath. Then, she knocked at the door and stepped one step back so she would not stand in Bao`s way once Ingrid would open the door.

***