The Little Death 22

Sistine smiled when Lan entered the room, though at the same time, she was trembling with fear.  She knew that the return of the Chinese meant that now, their trip would start – by what Lan had called »travel arrangements«.

She had explained to Sistine that it would look suspicious to her colleagues if she didn`t keep her restrained during the trip, though she had promised the girl that they would travel alone.

»The trip won`t be long – and I will take care you don`t get bored.«

For the first time in the last two days, Sistine was dressed. In fact, it had been Lan who had dressed her and as usual, the Chinese had found ways to spice things up a bit.

She had started by tying a long scarf around Sistine`s waist, continuing by tying a few additional knots into the dangling ends.

»Now, let`s take care these fit exactly as they shall! Usually, I would just get the ends«, Lan had shoved her hand between Sistine`s legs from behind, brushing over her labia and causing her to sigh, »grab the ends and place them between your buttocks.«

She had done so and Sistine had gasped as she had pulled on the ends so the scarf was snug to her pubic mound. She already had felt the familiar tingle in her womb as Lan had continued:

»However, you know what happens if a girl gets too aroused?«

She had tightened and loosened the scarf, putting a tender massage to Sistine`s middle. At the same time, her free hand had caressed Sistine`s neck.

»Wha-what would happen?«, the girl had croaked, unable to hide her anticipation. Lan had bent to her, bit her earlobe and whispered:

»Once she is wet, the scarf will slide inside her and thus become a bit loose. So, the only way to prevent this is to apply the knots once the scarf has found a way inside you.«

She had shifted her position so she was standing directly in front of the girl. Their eyes had met and Sistine`s breasts were rubbing against the cloth of Lan`s costume jacket. She had slung her arms around Lan who continued to tease her with the scarf. Lan had managed to keep a relaxed expression whilst Sistine`s cheeks were reddening and the girl had panted and gasped. Finally, she had let out a mew and closed her eyes as the scarf had found a way between her labia.

Lan took her time to make sure that her clit was trapped between two knots, so one of them would rub over it whenever she made a step. Only then, she had tied the scarf ends off.

The next item had been nude pantyhose. Sistine and Lan had the same height, but since the French was buxom, the petite Chinese`s garment felt tight on her legs and hips. A pair of shoes followed and then, Lan had brought a white blouse and a black pleated skirt.

»By a lucky coincidence, these are a bit wide for me.«

She had put the blouse on the girl, slowly buttoning it close and kissing her erect nipples goodbye before hiding them under the silky cloth. The blouse was okay at her shoulders and waist, but it was a Chinese blouse, designed for breasts smaller than her 34Ds. The material was slightly transparent and did little to hide her assets.

The skirt came next and now, Sistine had looked like a normally dressed girl, if one didn`t count the fact she was wearing no bra and looked a bit disheveled. Like that, Lan had left her alone, promising to be back before long. Whilst waiting, Sistine had experienced walking around with the crotch rope. It was intriguing and she had imagined her and Lan going for a walk, hand in hand, whilst she still wore the knotty scarf tied between her legs.

»So, you haven`t tried to run away, Sweet Sistine?«, Lan asked and kissed her. For a moment, she thought that this was a justified question, but then, she saw Lan take a pair of white panties from her pocket and hold them to her nose. Sistine sniffed and frowned.

»These are not yours!«

Sistine was amazed that she could obviously distinguish different panties from sniffing on them, but Lan just smiled enigmatically.

»Mine – got lost on the way. So, you would prefer if these were mine?«

»Yes!«, Sistine blurted and Lan kissed her. Then, she withdrew and purred:

»You know you will be gagged with them anyway, don`t you?«

Sistine nodded and Lan asked:

»And you know why?«

»Because you are an evil-«, she paused and gasped as Lan punished the last word by a slap on Sistine`s butt, »mean«, SLAP, »devilish«, SLAP,…

When Sistine finally ran out of bad adjectives, her buttocks tingled and she was breathing heavily from arousal. Lan once again kissed her and then, she gently, but firmly shoved the white panties into the girl`s mouth. Then, she cut five pieces of transparent tape.

»Bite down!«, she ordered and Sistine obediently chewed on the gag, though she tasted that Ingrid had worn these panties before. Lan helped with her fingers to get all the material behind Sistine`s teeth before she sealed her lips with the tape. Then, she cut two more and placed a kiss on each of the girl`s eyelids before taping them shut.

Unable to see, Sistine felt how Lan now placed a pair of glasses on her nose. »Sunglasses«, she guessed as a silk scarf was draped over her hair and knotted under her chin before Lan helped her in a long, but light trench coat. Then, she took the girl`s hand.

»Come!«

And Sistine obeyed, though she wasn`t restrained on her arms and legs. On each step, she felt the knots of her crotch rope massage her clit and her buttocks still prickled a bit from Lan`s spanking.

At the corridor, Lan nodded towards Bao who had just left Ingrid`s room. However, she decided not to look for the blonde now, but to put Sistine into the car first.

They walked down the stairs and Lan took care that Sistine didn`t stagger. Then, at the Audi, Bao opened the passenger door and Lan made the girl sit down on the leather seat. Bao entered the backseat, took Sistine´s arms and cuffed them behind the backrest.

»Cross your ankles!«, Lan ordered and Sistine obeyed, though it made her feel a little awkward as her skirt slid up her thighs whilst the man was still present. Lan tied her ankles with some soft rope and fixed the ends to that of her crotch scarf, forcing the girl to keep her lotus position and making sure that every move would have consequences between her legs.

»Just a few minutes and we can start!«

Lan ran through the corridor and up the stairs, happy that her heels only caused her to stagger once she had passed the corner so Bao couldn`t see it. As she approached Ingrid`s room, she slowed down and tugged her skirt smooth before she entered.

»Uuuhhmmm! Mmhhmmmm!«

Ingrid was awake already. When she had opened the door some half an hour ago, Bao had attacked her immediately and her first attempt to scream had already been stifled by the soaked cloth. The blonde had fought hard, but Lan had grabbed her legs whilst Bao had slung his arms around her and so, they had been able to wrestle her down and keep her under control until she was narcotized.

Bao had, as usual, followed her orders. Ingrid was sitting in her office chair, her arms pulled over the backrest so the upper edge dug into her armpits. From the way her boobs thrust out, it was obvious that not only her wrists were tied, but also her elbows, but since the girl was facing her, Lan couldn`t see her arm ties.

What she could see was that Ingrid was stark naked. Her legs were bent over the armrests and secured to them above her knees with several rounds of duct tape. As an additional restraint, a zip tie had been applied above the tape on each leg. With her thighs open, Ingrid could not hide her most intimate parts from view and when Lan approached, she angrily flailed with her lower legs.

»Hhrrrrmmm! Mmhhmmm!«

The lower half of Ingrid`s face was covered with duct tape and if Bao had followed her orders, her mouth was stuffed with Sistine`s panties wrapped around a nerf ball. She slowly walked around the bound woman, checking that indeed her arms were tied at wrists and elbows, double secured with tape and zip ties. A last cable binder fixed her wrists to the chair so Ingrid could not get up.

»Seems like we no longer have use for you!«

»Mph!«

»Well, for the fine tuning of LD, we have both Luana and Sophia – and for whatever else I desire, I have Sistine!«

Lan brushed over Ingrid`s ample breasts, ignoring the blondes angry mewing and grunting.

»They feel nice and firm, though. No sag. What are you, a 36D?«

For a while, she played with Ingrid`s boobs, enjoying how she protested through her gag and flailed with her calves, only emphasizing her helplessness. Then, she flexed her fingers.

»Come on, where is your sense of humor? I miss your smile, Ingrid!«

She started to tickle Ingrid`s sides. The blonde wasn`t as ticklish as Sophia, but she squirmed and squealed and when Lan let her go, her chest heaved and she was covered with sweat.

»As much as I would love to play with you, I am afraid we have to go now. But soon, you will be found!«

»Hrrmmmph!«

Lan went for the door and then, as if she had forgotten something, she came back. Whilst she checked Ingrid`s bonds, she said:

»I hope you aren`t putting your hope on Greg. He is still loyal to you, but I am afraid, he has just reached a small resort in the Camargue where he will be waiting for you to come.«

She looked down on Ingrid and before she left the room, she added:

»Don`t worry if you smell something funny! If you are lucky, the flames will alert someone before it is too late!«

***

In her hideout, Isabelle had to oppress her urge to jump up and to force the criminals at gunpoint to raise their hands. However, she had only spotted the one standing by the door and she guessed that the second one was in the janitor`s closet where he could operate the iron gate. That meant that at least one man was still around somewhere.

She had seen three people get to the Audi, though the car had hidden most of them: the man who was now leaning at the entrance and two women of whom she had only seen the heads. One had had black hair in a tight bun and she had looked Asian whilst the other one had sported a colored headscarf and dark sunglasses. Isabelle had wondered if that had been Sistine, even more as they had all entered the car, but only the Asian and the man had left it shortly after.

Now, she could see henchman number three. He was pushing a pink suitcase towards the van whilst the other man yelled something towards the part of the building that was close to the entrance. A screeching sound indicated Isabelle that the door was opening and a few seconds later, the third man left the house and also approached the cars. At the same moment, the Asian woman left the building, too.

It was now or never! All four were visible and none of them was holding a weapon.

»Freeze!«, she shouted and jumped from her cover, aiming at the criminals. The man closest to her reached for his belt and Isabelle fired a warning shot over his head. If someone heard the shot and called the Police, that would be just to her advantage.

»On your knees! And put your hands behind your head!«

The woman raised her hands and looked at her and also at a point somewhere behind her.

»Isabelle? Dr. Karnstein?«

It was an old trick, but it worked. Isabelle quickly looked over her shoulder to see if Lioba had appeared behind her and was distracted for the fraction of a second. In the corner of her eye, she saw one of the men move and she threw herself on the ground so the shot missed her. She rolled over her shoulder and when she saw that the second man had drawn his gun, too, she ran for the building. Another shot was fired, then, she had reached the current safety of the entrance.

Isabelle heard the sound of steps on the gravel and she aimed at the corner as she tried to open the door. It was unlocked and she stumbled inside. Two seconds later, two of the men appeared at the corner and fired. Isabelle kicked the next door open and jumped inside the room behind it. It seemed to have been an office, for there was an old desk standing in it. She flew over the plate and then, she positioned herself, the gun ready to fire.

»At least, I now have my back free!«

However, the attack didn`t come. Instead, she heard the sound of starting engines. A few moments later, she saw the van. Isabelle ran into the lobby, only to be stopped by a shot fired. She threw herself to the ground and through the glass door, she saw the man who had shot run for the van and enter the passenger seat. With one hand on the doorframe, he turned around and pointed at Isabelle with something small, a grin on his face.

»What the-«

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The cracking sounds were somehow muffled, as if someone had lit a fire cracker on the yard. But in the second the man let himself fall into the van and Isabelle came to her feet, she suddenly realized what had happened. The man had triggered a bomb – or rather a series of many small bombs, placed all over the building.

BOOM!

The next explosion came from the janitor`s closet and, following her instincts, Isabelle jumped back into the office and hid behind the desk. Another explosion followed and when she dared to raise her head, she saw what had happened: the bombs had obviously been placed beside some inflammable liquids, for the lobby had already turned into a sea of flames. Behind it, she could see the Porsche and the Audi leave through the gate.

»Fuck!«

As if it was an answer, another explosion could be heard. At the same time, the flames had reached the tattered carpet and Isabelle realized she would not be able to reach the door.

The gun still in her hand, she took the only open exit and ran up the stairs.

***

In the barge that brought them to the island of Chateau d`If, Mike had taken one of the seats in the back, allowing him to look at the heads of Cassandra and her bodyguard. He was too far away to understand what they were talking about. Amy was sitting on the other side and seemed to be busy with her cell phone.

At their destination, he remained on his seat until the others had exited the boat, so he could have a look at their faces. Still, the bodyguard didn`t really play the boyfriend convincingly, though he now was holding Cassandra`s hand. Amy looked at him, but it didn`t seem she recognized him. So, Mike also followed the group.

For a while, he walked along the corridors and visited one of the cells before he went for the platform from which in earlier times the corpses of prisoners had been thrown into the sea – the »cemetery of Chateau d`If«, as it was described by Dumas. Mike wasn`t sure if it really had been used that often, but since Cassandra was a fan of the book, she would come here sooner or later, though the modern railing and coin-operated stationary binoculars ruined the Monte-Christo-vibe a bit.

He took a few pictures and then, the fake couple really appeared. Cassandra posed at the railing and the bodyguard took some photos of her. Mike pretended to also take pictures when suddenly, he heard a loud female voice:

»How dare you?«

It was Amy, her hands on her hips. She turned towards Cassandra and the man and, not lowering her voice, she shouted:

»This pig was trying to film underneath your girlfriend`s skirt!«

The bodyguard came closer and, unseen by him, Amy shortly blinked and grinned. Then, she repeated her accusation.

Mike stammered some explanations, trying to sound like a German who spoke English since Amy had done so, too. The bodyguard demandingly put his hand forward.

»Gimme your phone!«

Sticking to his role, Mike would have accepted to do so. After all, he had not done what Amy had pretended (though he had tried to get a glimpse when Cassandra had sat on the railing). And he would also not matter if the man deleted his photos he had taken of Cassandra and him. However, he could become suspicious that it was quite a few. Or, he could play the jealous boyfriend too convincing and throw the phone over the railing.

»No! I haven`t done anything!«

Now, the bodyguard fully rose, showing that he not only was four inches taller than Mike, but also quite muscular. Mike silently cursed Amy. He would perhaps be able to defend himself until one of the guards arrived, but then, his cover would be blown.

»Gimme! Your! Phone!«

Mike found himself cornered between the railing, the adjacent wall and the approaching man.

»Well, after all, I am a Marine! And therefore, my natural element is waiting right behind me!«

With his left foot, he peeled down the strap of his sandal. Then, he let himself fall back against the railing and let his right leg snap up. He missed the man, but the sandal came off his foot and was catapulted into the bodyguard`s face. The man waved it away with a reflex, but this gave Mike the opportunity to get over the railing and jump.

»At least, I am not sewn into a sack, like poor Edmont Dantes!«

He hit the water and quickly, he removed his backpack whilst he kept the phone tightly grabbed. It would be ruined, but the important data was on the SIM card and would have survived the bath. At the hotel, he could put it into his reserve phone.

When he came back to the surface, he could spot the faces of Cassandra, the bodyguard and Amy some 30 feet above him. Cassandra seemed a bit dismayed and the man also showed a bit of a »I didn`t want that to happen«-attitude. Amy, however, waved down to him.

Mike raised his fist and shouted some German swearwords at them. Then, he swam over to the landing pier. A guard helped him out of the water, but it seemed that Amy had told the man her version of the pervert who had tried to get upskirt photos, for he seemed more amused than worried. After all, Mike was well and alive. He told the man he was okay and withdrew to the boat that would soon get back to Marseille.

»So, Amy still knows who I am! Maybe, I should feel flattered! Well, it would have been too easy otherwise!«

So far, his losses were manageable. The backpack had only contained his water bottle and neither the cap nor the sunglasses had been precious. However, his situation hadn`t improved: Amy had her own interests concerning Cassandra and so, she wouldn`t tell her and the man who he really was. But whilst she could now make some small talk and get information like in which hotel they were staying, he had to keep some distance to avoid being recognized.

Beside him, he heard the boat´s Captain laugh and playfully wave his finger towards him. Obviously, the guard who stood beside him and grinned had told why he had taken an involuntary bath. Mike grabbed a flyer from the seat beside him and hid his face. Then, he saw a small glimpse of hope.

The flyer told him that there would be a 90 minutes documentary show at 12:00: »The Count of Monte Christo – truth and fiction«. Quickly, he calculated:

It was 10 am now, and it would be some 20 minutes until he was back in the city. Getting back to his hotel to change clothes and get his other phone and also his gun would cost him another 40 minutes.

»With the help of Amy, Cassandra sure has calmed down now and she sure wants to see the documentary. That means she and her gorilla won`t be back in Marseille before 2 pm. That gives me some time to get to Belle and maybe figure something out!«

He took off his other sandal and offered it the guard as a souvenir. The man, who obviously thought that he had suffered enough for his minor offense, brought him a coffee in exchange and so, Mike sipped from it when the boat left for the city.

»Round one went to you, Amy! But as long as the fat woman is singing, the opera isn`t over!«

***

Whatever the criminals had used as accelerators, it worked, for as Isabelle reached the second floor, the staircase was already filled with smoke clouds. Nevertheless, she wasn`t panicking: there was a sign telling her that the emergency exit was right ahead and in addition, she still had her gun and could shoot one of the skylights to get out if necessary. So, she passed the corridor fast pace, but was still aware of what was going on around her.

»Mhhmmm! Uuhhmmmmm!«

The sound was barely audible, but Isabelle had heard it once too often that it didn`t trigger her mind: it was the high-pitched mewing of a gagged woman. She raised her gun and spun around, but the corridor was clear, except for the fact that now, there was smoke at the end where she had come from.

»Mmhhmmmmmmm!«

She looked at the doors. All looked the same and some were closed, some weren`t. Isabelle knew she didn`t have much time, but she concentrated and when the next moan could be heard, she darted towards the door where she thought it had come from and pressed her ear against it.

»Mph! Uhhmmmmmm! Hhrrrrrrrrmmmm!«

Isabelle tried the handle. It was closed, of course! For a second, she thought of shooting at the lock, but then, she remembered what her instructor at the Police Academy had told her about such scenes often depicted in movies:

»You better play Russian Roulette! The result is the same, but you don`t endanger the people around you!«

So, she went back to the other side of the corridor and slammed against the door with all the impetus she could develop. Her training helped her to avoid getting hurt, but Isabelle felt that her 105 lbs. were no match for the solid door.

»Mmhhmmmmm! Uuuhmmmmph!«

»Relax! Maman told me to knock before entering a stranger`s room!«

As if to remind her that time was on the agenda, she saw the glimpse of a flame coming from the staircase. Isabelle looked around and saw a red lid at the wall, marked with a flame pictogram.

»The fire hose!«

She ripped the lid open. Instead of a fire hose, it contained a bucket and an axe. Better than nothing!

As she grabbed the axe, Isabelle felt a bit like Lizzie Borden, but she raised the heavy thing and slammed its blade against the door, causing a scratch.

»Well, that looked easier in ›The Shining‹! Okay! Here! Comes! Isabelle!«

Collecting all her strength, she accompanied the last three words with strikes from the axe and finally, the door cracked and swung open.

»Hhhrrrrrrrmmmmm! Uuuhmmmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmm!«

Panting, the axe still in her hands, Isabelle stared on the woman in front of her. She was stark naked and tied to an office chair, her knees tied to the armrests. The tall blonde pulled desperately on her bonds and flailed frantically with her lower legs. Her blue eyes were wide as saucers and she screamed through her massive gag at the sight of the petite redhead with the big axe.

»Sorry, I will say something witty once we are out of here!«

Isabelle jumped towards the woman, only to find out that her bonds were secured by zip ties connecting her to the chair. She looked around in the room that looked as if someone had lived in it for a while.

»Is there a knife? Scissors?«

Instead of an answer, the blonde kept on squirming and flailing and let out a hoarse moan. The air now smelled of smoke and she could see greyish clouds in the corridor. Isabelle knew she had only one chance.

She grabbed the chair`s backrest and pushed. The chair nearly toppled over and with a curse, Isabelle kicked on the brake locking the rolls to loosen it. Now, she could finally push the chair with the bound and gagged blonde forward.

»Ooops, sorry!«, she said as one of the blonde`s knees hit the doorframe when they entered the corridor. She felt a bit like Marie Antoinette who had apologized to her executioner for stepping on his foot, mere seconds before her head came off.

The side where she had come from, the side where the bigger windows were, had turned into an inferno of blazing flames and smoke that made her eyes water. Isabelle wondered how a building that mainly consisted of concrete and glass could burn up like a pyre, but this was not the time to wonder about such things.

At least, the corridor`s floor was smooth and so, she could easily push the bound woman on her chair towards the green iron door marked with the pictogram of a person running away from flames. She stopped, avoiding slamming the helpless blonde against the door, and pushed it open. Isabelle felt a wave of relief – only to fall back.

The emergency door opened to a small platform made of an iron grid. From it, stairs of the same material led to the ground. It was a typical fire exit, but Isabelle saw that the ground had caught fire, too.

Panting, she looked at the scenery. It was just the area close to the building. Perhaps, if she hasted down the stairs, she could make it without getting hurt. A frantic scream behind her reminded her that perhaps she could make it, but not the woman bound to the chair.

»Isabelle?«

For a second, she thought it was just an illusion, but then, she saw the figure running around, shouting her name.

»Lioba! Lioba, I am here!«

The clouds had become thicker and in addition, the roar of the fire was remarkably loud, but finally, Lioba looked at her direction – and ran away. Isabelle`s jaw dropped.

»No! Lioba, you bitch! Don`t let me-«

Before she could offer Lioba that she could have Mike in exchange for her life, she came back and despite her growing panic, Isabelle felt guilty as she saw that Lioba was carrying the small fire extinguisher from her car.

»Are you ready?«

»Ready when you are!«

Another horrified gurgle from the blonde made Isabelle turn her head and she saw that the flames in the corridor were coming closer. She looked at the stairs that had turned into a grill. But at least, since it was only one floor, they made no turn.

»Ready for a ride, Blondie?«

She grabbed the chair´s backrest and pulled it towards her, so it rested on only two of its rolls. Then, she carefully turned around so the backrest rested on her shoulders. She was sure that the bound woman would get a few more bruises, but it was the only way they could both make it.

Lioba got as close as the flames allowed and then, she started the extinguisher, concentrating the jet on the stairs and the ground beneath. It was only a small bottle, designed for cars, and it emptied after a few seconds, but as soon as the flames ceased, Isabelle started. The chair bumped down the stairs and Isabelle almost staggered, but then, she felt the ground under her feet and then, there was Lioba, helping her to pull the chair a few yards away from the fire.

Panting and coughing, Isabelle caught breath before she could croak:

»S-sorry for the bitch – and thank you!«

However, Lioba was just staring at the blonde. Miraculously, the chair was still standing and the woman was also panting and making occasional retching sounds.

»That`s Ingrid! Ingrid Müller!«

Isabelle answered with a strange sound. So, she had managed to save the life of one of the criminals they were after! She looked around. On the yard, she saw her car; Lioba had left the door open and stopped it as close to the burning building as she could have dared. Beside it, something else caught her eyes: the pink suitcase one of the criminals had been pulling when she had entered the scene was still standing around. She gulped and then, she nodded towards Lioba.

»Please, help me to get her over to the car!«, she croaked, putting her hand on Ingrid`s chair.

***