The Little Death 23

The flames now blazed higher and Lioba helped Isabelle to quickly pull the chair away from the burning building. They withdrew behind the car when Lioba suddenly patted Isabelle`s shoulder.

»Listen!«

Isabelle concentrated to hear anything over the roaring of the fire and then, she got it: it was the sound of a siren; faint, but growing louder.

»The fire brigade – and, most likely, my colleagues!«

She had no idea how far away they were exactly, but it could be hardly more than a minute until they were here. And then, she and Lioba would have to answer quite a lot of questions.

»We must go! Help me to get her into the car!«

Lioba hesitated.

»Don`t you think she`s a bit – noticeable?«, she asked, pointing at the naked woman that was still gagged and tied to the office chair. Ingrid stared back at her, obviously nervous about whether the arrival of the fire brigade would improve or worsen her situation. Isabelle looked around.

»Get me the suitcase!«

This caused Ingrid to mew and squirm and Isabelle grinned maliciously:

»You seemed to have no problems in ordering to transport Sistine that way!«

She saw that it took Lioba considerable effort to pull the suitcase closer.

»You should really quit smoking!«, she joked, but Lioba just grunted:

»It`s fucking heavy! As if-«

She stopped and began to fumble on the suitcase`s lock. It sprang open and the content rolled onto the gravel, turning out to be a naked woman in a fetal position. With a barely audible groan, she stretched her legs.

Isabelle could only see the woman`s back. Her hands were tied in what looked more than uncomfortable: forced together in a kind of Nelson so her hands were at the back of her head whilst the elbows were tied together at the small of her back. From her elbow ties, a rope disappeared between her buttocks and Isabelle knew all too well where this rope ended. The woman`s legs were tied with several straps and her head was covered by what looked like a pair of pantyhose.

»Oh my God, that`s Luana!«, Lioba, who was standing in front of the woman, gasped. At the same time, Isabelle heard that the sirens had become louder.

»Help me! Quick!«

She darted for the car and rummaged through the glove compartment where she kept a pocket knife. As she approached Ingrid, she hissed:

»One false move and I will finish what your accomplices started!«

Obviously, the blazing fire behind her helped Isabelle to look threatening, for Ingrid didn`t flail as Isabelle cut the zip ties connecting her to the chair. Lioba, who seemed to have read her thoughts, had already brought the open suitcase close to them.

Ingrid was eight inches taller than Luana and quite buxom, but with combined forces, Isabelle and Lioba managed to squeeze her into the suitcase and to close the lid. They then heaved it into the boot. Isabelle slammed the lid down.

»Get Luana, I start the car!«

A bit rough, Lioba grabbed the Taiwanese`s shoulders, pulled her to the car and opened the back door.

»Sorry, Luana!«, she apologized as she pushed her inside and then jumped on the passenger seat whilst Isabelle drove on. From the right side, she saw the approaching fire engine and so, she steered to the left and rushed through the open gate only two seconds before she would have collided with the red truck.

»So, this is what you call an ordinary day at work?«, Lioba shouted, giggling hysterically. Isabelle, who was in a similar mood, yelled back:

»And it`s not even a Monday!«

***

At his hotel room, Mike had put the SIM card into his reserve phone and checked if all data was safe. Then, he had showered and changed clothes. Since he now was on war path, he took his gun and some other things a Police Officer would have demanded an explanation for into his jacket. Seeing no point in waiting, he decided to get to Isabelle`s flat.

Whilst riding there on his bike, he thought about the latest events. So, Amy had recognized him, despite she hardly knew him, had last seen him a few years ago and he had been wearing a cap and sunglasses. And now, she was probably best friends with Cassandra whilst he still had no idea where his target was lodging.

»Perhaps, I can at least be helpful in Belle`s case!«

As he had just parked the bike and wanted to light a cigarette, a car drove on the parking lot. He had just identified it as Isabelle`s Peugeot when the doors sprang open and for the second time within 24 hours, two redheads flew into his arms. However, he noticed that none of the two wanted to allow the other to get too close. A strange smell caught Mike`s nose and le looked down on Isabelle:

»Have you been at a barbecue or did you allow Lioba to smoke inside the car?«

»We did something productive whilst you were chilling at your hotel!«

»I also had a bath in the sea!«, Mike thought, but Isabelle interrupted him:

»Now that you are here, you can help Lioba with the suitcase!«

Without further explanation, she rushed for the house. Mike looked at Lioba.

»Something tells me that you didn`t just come from a shopping tour.«

Lioba gave him a strange look before she replied:

»Quarrel with me!«

»Why? Because you didn`t call me after you tried to seduce me at the alumni party?«, Mike asked in a mocking tone. Lioba stepped to the car and opened the boot`s lid. Quite loud and in her specific accent that was a product of having spent her youth in Romania, Germany and then Sheffield, she shouted:

»I don`t care! If you need, think that I became a Blades supporter! Just make some noise!«

»If you are even thinking of becoming a Blade, I will do fucking more than just making some bloody noise!«, Mike shouted whilst he went to her and helped her to lift a pink hard shell suitcase from the boot. It was quite heavy and from inside, he could hear some muffled screams. Now, he understood why Lioba wanted him to shout and on the way to the lobby, he and Lioba yelled at each other in a way that would have made any Chav blush or bow with admiration. A few passers-by shook their heads, but none of them recognized that the content of the suitcase was trying to make herself noticeable. Only when the lift door had closed behind them, they paused and Lioba let out a deep breath.

»Phew! Forgive me to have insulted the Owls, but it had to sound convincing!«

With a grin, Mike replied:

»That was not bad, Mircalla! You showed less emotion when we separated!«

At the sound of her former pet name, Lioba let out a fluttering breath and their eyes met. Despite a moan coming from inside the suitcase, There was a growing erotic tension and perhaps, it was just the »PING!« of the lift that had reached the third floor that prevented a kiss between the two of them. To their surprise, Isabelle stood in the corridor with some clothes over her arm.

»Get her inside, I will follow soon!«

Mike and Lioba pushed the suitcase inside Isabelle`s apartment. When he had closed the door, Lioba jumped to the couch and grabbed her handbag. Only now, Mike remembered that he still had her key, but the girl just grabbed her cigarettes and hasted onto the balcony. Mike went towards her.

»So, you girls had an exciting morning? BTW, is there a naked woman on the backseat because you had only one suitcase or am I getting things wrong?«

Lioba greedily inhaled, but before she could answer, the door opened and Isabelle entered. She was aiding a black haired woman to stagger inside and Mike saw that she was dressed quite oddly in what looked like a silk nightgown and a hoodie. She was barefoot and once Isabelle had led her to the couch, she sank down on it, obviously completely exhausted. Surreptitiously, Isabelle placed a plastic bag in the corner and from it, Mike could see a leather strap and a bit of pink cloth protruding.

Mike, recognizing the girl was Chinese, bowed slightly.

»Dr. Wu, I presume?«

She croaked and Isabelle quickly fetched a glass of water. Then, she held it to the woman`s lips and though she seemed a bit embarrassed, she accepted the help and greedily drank. Then, she looked at Mike and breathed:

»You may call me Luana!«

She tried to smile, but it seemed to take all her strength to keep up a sitting position. Mike introduced himself and pointed at the suitcase.

»I guess that`s Ingrid or one of her henchwomen?«

Before Isabelle could answer, Luana made an attempt to get to her feet, but failed. Lioba helped her up and led her to the bathroom. When she had closed the door behind them, Mike let the key slide back into Lioba`s handbag when suddenly Isabelle came closer and slung her arms around him. Mike wanted to make a joke that he hadn`t tried to steal Lioba´s panties when he felt that the girl was trembling and fighting to keep back her tears. As he drew her closer, she breathed:

»Can you do something to make me look tough again before they come back?«

Mike suddenly understood: she and Lioba had somehow managed to free Luana and to also take a prisoner – but it had been three missing girls and there was no sign of either Sophia or Sistine. And somehow, Isabelle was blaming herself for that.  He gently lifted Isabelle`s chin.

»Yesterday, we didn`t even have a clue where the criminals` hideout was and now, we have already freed one third of the captives and also someone we can interrogate. That`s not half bad. And in addition, you still look stunning and smell like a smoked ham!«

Isabelle chuckled.

»Are you comparing me to smoked ham?«

»Hey, I love smoked ham!«

He kissed her lips, grinned and added:

»All salty meat and fat!«

»Rot in hell!«

The toilet flush interrupted their kiss and a minute later, Luana returned. Lioba still held her arm, but she looked better and seemed to have recovered a bit. Mike withdrew from Isabelle.

»Now, how about a coffee whilst you are telling me what has happened? Seems that my morning was a bit boring in comparison!«

***

 When they had left the abandoned clinic, Lan and her henchmen had known that the fire would alert the Police and therefore, a convoy consisting of a van, a Porsche and an Audi would look suspicious. Therefore, they had separated and agreed upon getting to their new hideout on different times.

Kang and Feng had taken the direct way; not only was a van of a company that offered repair services quite unsuspicious, but they would have to do the strenuous job of unloading the equipment stored in the boxes.

They spoke little. For the first time, their mission had not worked out completely as planned. So far, no one was after them and they seemed to have all they needed to develop an aphrodisiac ready for mass production once they were back in China.

However, this Policewoman that had forced them to accelerate their retreat had come out of nowhere. How had she been able to find them? Had they made a mistake? In addition, there was the fact they had left behind Ingrid. If she wasn`t found in time, they had just added murder to their criminal record. And finally, in the commotion of their hasty retreat, they had left behind Luana. Sure, she wouldn`t be able to tell much, but it was a risk anyway.

»It should be here somewhere«, Kang interrupted the silence. They had reached a more crowded part of Fos` industrial area and though they had to register at a guard at the entrance, it seemed that the man wasn`t suspicious and just showed them the way to a garage.

»We are closing the door at 8 pm! Then, you have the night to get ready for transport. Boarding starts tomorrow at 6 am!«, the guard informed Feng who did the formalities. He signed the paper and answered:

»No problem, we are expecting just two or three more cars!«

They steered the van into the garage and Kang closed the door. It was rather large, with enough room for five or six cars, but it lacked all comfort above running water and a small toilet.

»Luckily, this will be over by tomorrow!«

***

The radio brought a report about the burnt abandoned clinic. The Police suspected arson, but they hadn`t given further details so far.

»That sure means that they have found traces! Soon, Luana and I will be free!«

Sophia had thought that the last days had been enough of an ordeal to harden her, but then, hell had broken loose. She had been sitting in the Porsche`s backseat, her arms trapped in the armbinder and her ankles tied to the headrests of the front seats. From her position, she had not been able to see much, but suddenly, there had been shots and shouting and then, one of the men had jumped into the car and started the engine. The last thing Sophia had heard had been a series of explosions.

After a few curves, the car had slowed down and the man had been driving through the streets. He had feigned to be relaxed, but in a terrible way, his nervousness had shown to Sophia. He had reached for her left foot that was close to his head and, whilst steering the Porsche through the streets, he had massaged and kneaded it, brushing over her soles and even pushing his fingers between her toes. Sophia had twitched and bucked and screamed through her stifling gag, but to no avail. Mercilessly, the man had continued to trigger her sensitive nerves, seemingly deaf to her gasping and mewing and to the spasms of her tied foot. Only when he needed both his hands on the wheel, he interrupted the gruesome massage and soon, Sophia was clad with sweat, her chest heaving and she was praying for curvy roads and green traffic lights so the man would have less opportunity to touch her foot.

To her horror, her squirming and writhing had had the side effect of causing the Ben Wa balls to slightly vibrate inside her, sending small blissful tingles through her loins. In a quiet minute, when the man had adjusted the radio as the car had stopped at a red light, Sophia had found time to look at herself in the inside mirror. It reflected her head, looking like that of an alien as it was covered by the pantyhose, her thrust out breasts, glistering from sweat, and the fact that her nipples were once again hard and erect.

Suddenly, the car stopped and the man stepped out. He had left the door open and Sophia could hear him make a phone call. He spoke Chinese, but she heard that he was obviously talking to Lan, as he sounded as if he was getting new orders.

Sophia raised her head and looked out of the window. She could see the sea and also a few ships and boats in the distance and she guessed that they had reached one of the small viewpoints on the hills. She could hear no sound except for the man talking and she guessed that they were alone.

Now, he finished the call and to Sophia`s dismay, he knelt on the seat and put his hands on both her feet, looking down on his victim. His face showed a grim smile.

»Seems you have just raised your value! You may not have noticed, but we had to leave your friend behind!«

»Mmhhmmph?«

Sophia`s eyes widened, not knowing how to react. The radio definitely hadn`t mentioned that anyone had been found, neither dead nor alive. She was torn between fear and relief. The man seemed to have read her thoughts.

»The Major has listened to the Police radio. So far, they are investigating arson and it seems that they are presuming they have found a meth lab or something like that. But nobody has mentioned any corpses so far.«

What Sophia couldn`t know was that Bao was also thinking of Ingrid whom they had left behind in the fire. He hadn`t been happy with the idea, but Lan had persuaded him that the blonde had become unreliable.

Bao scoffed. Lan had not been happy about the loss of Luana, the most skilled of the scientists. But her orders had been clear:

»Get to the meeting point in two hours! I will get there by dusk! Take care of Dr. Chabrol`s well-being, but make sure she doesn`t have the slightest chance of escaping. You may play with her, but not hurt her!«

The last order had sounded as if he was a child or a dog, but Bao could ignore the insult as he looked down on the naked woman, clad with sweat and slightly trembling. He brushed over her soles, just so she reared up and let out a groan.

»As far as I can tell, your friend is well and alive – at least, the latter. We no longer have her and the Police have found no dead bodies. Maybe, they are keeping her a secret and she`s in a hospital now whilst they are trying to find our tracks.«

Bao tried to sense his victim`s feelings by her reactions as he still held her feet. He could see Sophia calm down a bit, obviously relieved that Luana most likely wasn`t dead. However, there was also something else. Hope.

»So, you may think that soon, everything will be over for you, too. But we can`t let you go now – you have just risen from important to essential!«

He said it as if it was a compliment and at the last word, he brushed over her soles again. Sophia twitched and mewed, but was obviously too exhausted to really buck and squirm.

»You know that whilst you will go to China, me and my two comrades will stay behind for a while?«

He kept his hands on her feet, but remained motionless, waiting until he could be sure that Sophia was waiting for him to continue.

»Of course, we will have to keep our heads low, but we sure will find time to look for your friend and to spend her visit. Would you like that to happen?«

»Nngggg!«

Sophia shook her head. She knew that now, the man would demand something in exchange for him and his accomplices leaving Luana alone, but she was willing to pay that price. It was all she could do for her friend now.

»I thought so«, Bao said with a wolfish smile. Then, he seemingly changed the subject completely:

»That`s a nice car, isn`t it? Actually, I am thinking of keeping it. It will go to China anyway and sure, the Major won`t deny me a little extra reward.«

Sophia blinked at him through the nylon of the pantyhose covering her head. She could literally feel that now, he would demand something very mean from her.

»Now, it seems that you have trenched the backseat with your sweat, Dr. Chabrol. So, whenever I drive the car in the future, there will be your fragrance in the air.«

»Mph!«

Even if she had not been forced to chew on two pairs of used thongs, she wouldn`t have known how to answer. Did he expect an apology?

»However, I am sure you can leave a more – personal note!«

He again caressed her feet, but this time, he took care that the tickling was just soft enough Sophia only squirmed and wriggled a little and could just handle the excitement.

»Now, you have these balls inside you – whenever you move, they do also, sending small waves of pleasure through your inside!«

He started to softly kiss her right sole and Sophia mewed and reared up. At the same time, as if the man had summoned it, she felt the steel balls vibrate and the tingle wasn`t unpleasant. Sophia`s breath accelerated.

»So, here`s the deal, Dr. Chabrol: if you leave a more personal note to my upholstery – a lovelier fragrance –, we will leave your friend alone. That, I promise!«

Sophia knew what he was considering. Her cheeks burned from the mere thought, but there was no other chance for her – and Luana. If at least her dear friend would remain unharmed, she could stand a little more humiliation.

Sophia nodded. Then, she closed her eyes and as the man continued to massage her soles and toes in a way that was just still tolerable for her, she concentrated on the tingling in her womb and began to wriggle her hips to the rhythm of the Ben Wa balls.

***

The shots had frightened Sistine, but it had been another sound that had hit her in the guts: a familiar female voice shouting »Freeze!« and then Lan addressing her as Isabelle. Isabelle, her superior for a few hours – and also a woman she had developed quite sympathy for during that short time. Suddenly, the memory of her being a Policewoman, too, had flooded back into her mind and she had felt guilty, though she couldn`t have done much to help Isabelle.

Then, there had been shots, shouting and the row of explosions. Sistine had screamed through her gag, feeling helpless with her eyes taped, unable to even see what had happened to Isabelle. During their ride, Lan had switched on the radio and the reporter had only spoken of a case of arson, but not mentioned any dead people. Nevertheless, Sistine felt worried. What if the Police had kept some of the details secret? Or what if Isabelle was wounded and struggling for her life in some hospital?

»What have I done? I betrayed her!«

She could only partially excuse herself with having been unable to do something or having done everything just to stay alive. Instead of even trying to escape or to sabotage her captors otherwise, she had willingly allowed Lan to seduce her and even fallen in love with her.

She shifted on her leather seat and the scarf tied through her crotch moved, causing the knots to rub over her clit. She shuddered from embarrassment and sobbed into the panties filling her mouth.

»Hey, Sweet Sistine, what`s up?«

She felt tender fingers brush over her cheek and turned her head towards the door. Lan`s hand wandered to her neck and Sistine moaned with unwillingness as the touch sent familiar tingles through her nerves.

»If you are worrying about your former colleague – I have not seen her getting hit by a bullet and I am quite sure she has made it, well and alive!«

It was what Sistine wanted, needed to hear, but she heard a slight hesitating in Lan`s voice, as if the Chinese was holding back parts of the truth. Suddenly, Sistine could think very clearly again:

»I have to be sure what has happened and if Lan is just determined to save her country or if she`s also able to go over dead bodies to reach that goal!«

She slowly turned her head towards the driver`s seat and though she felt the urge to cringe, she held still as Lan pulled her closer and her right hand pushed into her coat and blouse, between her breasts. The tips of her fingers moved a bit, a touch she would have enjoyed just an hour ago.

»Soon, we will be able to stop and relax for a while. Then, I might help you to calm down – or to get even more excited, though in a different way!«

It was the same friendly voice and the same promise of erotic bliss that reached her ear, but still, Sistine felt the small voice of doubt in her head. And suddenly, she knew that she could not live another day without even having tried to figure it out.

Her heart bumped and she knew that Lan could feel it, but as she made a remark on it, Sistine just sighed and put her head on the other`s shoulder, indicating that she was just anticipating their halt. She doubted that she could fool Lan, but she was determined to try.

***

Luana had always been a tough woman and so, she had been able to give a short, factual report about her captivity. She had kept the details about the experiments with the aphrodisiac to a minimum, but Mike, Isabelle and Lioba had understood that the criminals had repeatedly tested the efficiency of LD on her and Sophia. In addition, her appearance told its own story: Luana looked physically unharmed, but there were signs of exhaustion in her face and the way she cuddled against Isabelle`s couch pillow showed her mental disarray.

Isabelle would have loved to hear more about Sistine´s whereabouts, but Luana could only tell that one of their captors, a Chinese Officer she only knew as Lan, had taken her with her. Luana herself was more worried about Sophia and Lioba could for the first time since she knew the Taiwanese see tears in her eyes and noticed that her hands trembled. Without asking, she went for the desk, filled half a glass with Gin and handed it to Luana. The Taiwanese shook her head, but now, Isabelle whispered something into her ear. Luana chuckled against her will and then, she grabbed the glass and emptied it in one draw, shuddering from the effect.

»What have you told her?«, Mike asked when Lioba had then taken Luana with her to the balcony where they shared the redhead`s last cigarette. Isabelle grimed wryly.

»That the alcohol helps against the aftertaste of used panties!«

»There is only one thing that helps even better«, Mike admitted and kissed her. Isabelle responded to his kiss, but then, she withdrew and grabbed his ear.

»If you offer that to Luana, it will go on the list of ›famous last words‹!«

»What kind of man do you think I am, Belle? Since I met you, I only kissed gingers we both have seen naked!«

Isabelle giggled against her will. She felt the now familiar sting of jealousy, but there had also been another side of Mike about half an hour ago. The phone had rung; it had been Colonel Beranger, who, in a mixture of worry and anger, had asked about her whereabouts. Isabelle had served him an improvised lie about health issues, implying that he would feel disgusted if she told him any details. During the phone call, Mike had been close to her, holding her hand and thus helping her to get through betraying her superior without sounding suspicious. After the talk, Mike had not let her hand go and Isabelle had not tried to withdraw.

It was not just that she had lied to Beranger to have another one or two days off; it was that she was continuing to break the law she had sworn to emphasize. Now, she looked at the pink suitcase she hadn`t dared to open yet. A faint sound indicated that Ingrid was still alive, but of course, they could not keep her inside forever.

»What shall we do with her?«

Mike thought about it for a few seconds before he answered:

»I guess you prefer a solution without blood stains on your carpet?«

»Well, I am not that fond of the pattern, but – yes!«

»Okay, but we have to put her somewhere. And since we need this room for our powwow, the balcony for smoking breaks and the bathroom for physical needs, only your bedroom remains!«

Isabelle took a deep breath. She didn`t like the idea of having a criminal suspect tied to her bed, but even if she had already crossed a bunch of lines, letting Ingrid suffocate wasn`t an option. Trying to overplay her concerns, she joked:

»Just promise me not to kiss her!«

»Hey, she`s blonde and besides, I won`t ungag her now. And if you let me grope you a bit, I will even keep my fingers from her boobs!«

»Nice try!«

She stepped back, but whilst doing so, Isabelle arched her back to thrust out her breasts and Mike licked his lips and twinkled at her. Then, he went for the bag that contained the restraints used on Luana and took it before grabbing the suitcase`s handle and steering it into the bedroom, ignoring the mmphing from inside.

Together with Lioba and Luana, Isabelle looked at the door of her bedroom.

»If he needs some help, I could do it!«, Luana hissed, the glance in her eyes indicating that she had no amicable treatment in mind. They heard some moans and also Mike`s voice, but they could not understand what he was saying. Then, the door opened. Mike came back and through the gap, they could see one of Ingrid`s feet, strapped to one of the bed posts.

»It seems that after the time in the tiny suitcase, she has developed a bit of an urge to move. However, I could explain to her that we have a few things to talk about before interrogating her.«

***