The Little Death 32

At Lioba`s apartment, Bao and Amy were busy with a strange kind of logistics: how could they get their captives away unseen whilst securing those they would leave behind plus providing a little surprise for Mike if he would show up early.

»He endangered my mission! So, I will take care that he won`t be able to go on any mission again! I want him to regret for the rest of his life to have crossed my ways!«

Amy glanced at Lioba, Luana and Sophia who didn`t talk back. They were lying in a row, still gagged with each other`s panties and their wrists and elbows tied. To further secure them, Bao and Amy had found a simple and yet efficient way: each had a noose slung around her neck and the ends were tied around the ankles, hogtying the girls. So, each of them had to lie on her belly, arching her back in a hideous bow and bending her head backwards, for lowering the legs would have tightened the noose. The three captives panted heavily from the straining position and tried to move as little as possible; Lioba also focused on Amy, to avoid looking at the blonde`s handbag. She hoped that she would not check her cell phone and see that she had tried to alert Mike, for that would have made the angry woman even more vengeful.

Bao, on the other hand, was busy with his own cell phone. He knew that without help, he could not follow the initial plan of getting both the data and two scientists aboard the ship. Even if he chloroformed them, how could he have an eye on both the two women and the LD samples during a passage of several weeks? So, he had contacted his colleagues in the Chinese Intelligence, trying to find a way between downplaying his issues and telling the truth.

The solution was still no picnic, but affordable: Bao had to get the damsels to Barcelona where he would find help from some contacts in the city. He checked the distance on his phone. Some 500 kilometers, meaning it would take him five hours. Since it was close to midnight and he had to get the girls into the Porsche, he would be at Barcelona at 6 am. Just a little more work until he could have some rest.

He looked at the big suitcase the three women had brought with them. He and Amy had opened the lid and after the latest turn of events, Bao had only ben mildly surprised to find Ingrid in it, thoroughly gagged and tied to a ball with what looked like 300 feet of rope. Like their other captives, she was stark naked. Amy had looked down on the helpless tall blonde and just commented:

»If you borrow me the suitcase, I will take care of the content!«

***

»12 minutes, three minutes ahead of schedule!«

Mike had reached the property of the used car dealer and parked his bike close to the small roadster he recognized as Lioba`s. So, Isabelle had indeed come here – and not left yet.

His knee still hurt and he decided that climbing was not an option. With the pliers from his on-board tools, he produced a gap in the fence and then, he tried to find the garage from the rather vague description Luana and Sistine had been able to give him. Luckily, there were only a few concrete boxes that fit the description. He drew his gun.

Since the garage was surrounded by rows of parked cars, it was quite easy to get from cover to cover, but whilst approaching, Mike more and more guessed that the garage was empty. There was no light behind the skylights and the main gate was open. Of course, it could be a trap, but when he got close, he could see that there was no real reason to install a trap. Aside from a few shelves at one wall, a hydraulic ramp and some boxes lying around, there was neither a person nor one of the mentioned cars.

»So, Elvis left the building!«

Mike entered the garage. There had been no guard taking notice of him and so, he lit his torch to give the things that had been left behind a closer look. The shelves contained the usual tools one would expect in such a garage, but there, close to one of the ramp`s post, he saw a pile of clothes. It was a T-Shirt and a pair of jeans and a bit aside, he also saw the remnants of a bra cut to pieces. Mike picked one of the cups and guessed the owner was a 32C. Like Isabelle.

»So, the scavenger hunt has begun!«

He looked around and frowned as he saw a spot on the floor, a few yards away. First, he thought, hoped that it was oil, but when he looked under the light of his torch, he saw it was indeed blood.

»Fuck!«

The combination of a puddle of blood and what Sistine had told him about Isabelle having faced a shootout with three men wasn`t appealing, but then, he thought twice: Isabelle`s clothes were some five yards away from the blood stain and they were neither bloody nor showing any holes. And he doubted that they had forced the girl to strip, only to execute her.

»So, it isn`t her blood – but where is she?«

He looked again at the pile of clothes. In her pockets, he found the keys of the roadster and there were two more things that made him frown: a pair of handcuffs lying around and an open toolbox filled with a strange hodgepodge of small tools, tape, cloth and what looked like adult toys. In the lid, he saw a few figures of whom he could only decipher the two meaning »China«.

Mike looked around in the garage, but it was like »what you see is what you get«. There were no footprints leading away, no piece of paper with an address on it. Isabelle had been here, but he had absolutely no clue where she was now.

He left the building and looked down to the main entrance where he could see a light behind the window of the janitor`s cabin. However, he doubted that the guard could tell him more than that the criminals` cars had left, even if he would ask him a bit more forcible.

He balled his fist, oppressing the urge to yell Isabelle`s name. To canalize his rage, he kicked against one of the shelves – and regretted this idea for it sent a wave of pain through his injured knee. At least, this helped him to pull himself together again.

So, Belle had vanished into thin air – but most likely, the other girl that mattered to him was in distress, too – and at least, he knew where she was! He had to think of his time back in Sandhurst, during his military training where one of the Sergeants had told him a simple rule:

»If you can`t save `em all, try to save as many as possible!«

In the current situation, this was the best, the only thing he could do and so, Mike tried to focus on Lioba`s face instead of Isabelle`s as he limped back to his bike.

***

If Mike had yelled Isabelle`s name, she would perhaps have heard him. Or, perhaps, she would have if she had still been capable of her senses, for she was not more than some 200 yards away from the garage. However, Isabelle wasn`t sure herself whether she was still awake or captured in a nightmare without awakening.

Driven mad by her growing fear and the burning flame in her loins, she had bucked and pulled on her bonds – or rather, she had tried. In her weakened state, all she had managed was some writhing and squirming inside the trunk and her hoarse screams had echoed around her like the distant humming of a bee. The gag had caused her to get quickly out of breath and so, she had collapsed or maybe, she had even fainted. Cocooned in the clingy foil and baked in her own sweat, trapped in darkness and damned to almost complete immobility and silence, Isabelle saw no longer much difference between being awake and hallucinating. The tingling and itching between her legs had gone from stimulating over frustrating to just agonizing and the girl was haunted by vivid images of faces: Mike with Lioba`s lipstick on his mouth; Lioba, arching her back and presenting the tattoo on her pubic mound. Real memories mixed up with her imagination, showing her a naked Lioba sitting on Mike`s lap, the two of them walking into the sunset hand in hand, whilst she was condemned to her steel sarcophagus, mummified, bound and gagged.

***

Though he had been careful in the road where he had had the accident, Mike had driven fast and so, he was approaching Lioba`s house some 30 minutes after he had started at Fos. During the ride, he had forced himself to forget about Isabelle for the moment. He hated himself for this, but the rational part in him knew that if he went into the confrontation with Amy in a state of distraction, he would perhaps risk Lioba`s life, too, not to mention Luana and Sophia.

Two blocks away from the house, he stopped and checked the street on Google Maps. Mike knew that the house had two entrances: one through the main gate and another one leading to the parking lot behind the house. From the latter, it was quite easy to get on the balcony and enter the apartment. He knew for he had taken that way when he had taken Amy by surprise.

However, this time, Amy was expecting his return. All he had was the element of surprise.

Suddenly, his phone showed him an incoming call. It was Amy again.

»So much about the element of surprise!«, he thought and answered the call.

»Guess who got free!«, she warbled. Then, she became serious and added:

»You might guess who is not free right now. Anyway, I need one last favor from you and I am sure you will do it if the alternative will be being responsible for a dead ginger!«

Again, there was the image of Isabelle whom he was neglecting right now, but he forced himself to answer calmly:

»Why haven`t you left already? Are you too weak to carry Cassandra to your car?«

»As said, I need one last favor. Your confession in exchange for the life of Lioba! Your choice!«

»I`ll be there in 30 minutes!«, Mike sighed and ended the call. Even with his injured leg, he would not need more than five minutes to reach the house, but he needed some time to think. What kind of confession did Amy want from him? He stared down on the handlebar of the Triumph. There, the cable of the brake was fixed to the chrome handle by a zip tie. He frowned.

When he had tied up Amy, he had used zip ties, too, even tying her fingers before taping them, too. So, how had she managed to get free? He had chosen for that method of restraining her for it was impossible to get rid of it without help.

»Who could have helped her? Has she got another member of the Service on her side?«

However, if so, why had she needed him to get Cassandra into her clutches? It would have been easier to arrange a trap with the help of a colleague who was helping her deliberately. On second thought, he was sure that Amy had gone on her mission alone.

»But who the fuck has helped her to get free?«

He stopped and lit one of his last cigarettes. Then, he did what he hadn`t done for some 15 years: he coughed when inhaling.

»Wait a minute!«

Ten yards in front of him, a car was parked: it was a red Porsche. Of course, there were more than one in a big city like Marseille, but this one had a German license plate.

»SL-IM-69!«

Mike had no idea about which city was meant by »SL«, but Sistine had mentioned that the criminals had had a Porsche and Ingrid was from Germany and her initials were I and M. Mike wondered whether her birthday was on the 6th of September or if she was indicating her  sexual preferences.

»So, given the fact that the last time I saw Ingrid, she was in no position to drive and also given the fact that this car was last seen in the garage, this might be one of the biggest coincidences since Belle and I met!«

He forced himself to calm down as he again had to think of Isabelle. On second thought, this wasn`t that much of a coincidence: the Chinese had observed Lioba´s apartment for days and so, they knew about this place. So, if they were on the run, they had perhaps thought of the apartment being a save place.

»Maybe, Belle`s with them! On the other hand, there are now maybe three more enemies waiting for me!«

He now was quite sure who had freed Amy and obviously come to terms with her. Mike could see no sign of a white van and he just hoped that the blood stain in the garage had meant that at least one of his potential opponents had been put out of action by Isabelle before – before something had happened.

»Focus, Dunbar!«, he scolded himself. Then, he felt through the pockets of his jacket, looking for something that could help him to move the scale on his side down a bit.

***

»I told you he would not be able to resist!«

Amy had placed a chair in the living room from which she could observe the corridor. Now, the bell had rung, just as she had predicted. Bao took his gun and placed himself behind the door whilst Amy only crossed her legs and waited.

»He´s alone!«, Bao, peeping through the door viewer, hissed. He raised his gun and slowly opened the door. A second later, it sprang open and he found himself wedged in the gap between the wall and the door.

»Did you really think it would be that easy?«

Amy, still sitting in her chair, pointed her gun at Mike who stood leaning against the door. He stepped back and Bao stumbled forward, staring daggers at Mike who just handed him his gun, holding it by the barrel.

»Next time you hide behind a door, turn off the light! I could see your movements through the door viewer!«

The Chinese grabbed the gun with his left. In the next second, he slammed the handle into Mike`s stomach. Mike coughed and squirmed. He had expected such an attack and tensed his stomach muscles, but his opponent definitely was no weakling.

»Boys! Stop playing like two puppies and close the door!«

She crossed her legs in a perfect copy of Sharon Stone`s famous scene, though Mike could see that she had put her colored panties back on. The gun was still pointed at him and in his back, he felt that of Bao.

»Take off the jacket!«, Amy ordered and Mike obeyed. He held it to Bao.

»Could you please put it on a hanger?«

This time, the Chinese hit his face and Mike tasted blood on his lips.

»So, you are the good cop?«, he asked Amy, raising his eyebrow. The blonde rose from her chair and smoothed the skirt of her dress.

»If you want to put it that way!«

She pointed to her side and Mike now could see the two women lying on the floor, side by side. Both, he had seen in the nude before. Luana and Sophia were both hogtied, a rope securing their ankles to their necks both were gagged with duct tape that held packing in their mouths. There was no sign of Lioba, but Mike could see the suitcase standing in a corner.

»So, Dr. Müller is not part of your unholy alliance?«

Faint noises were coming from inside the pink suitcase, indicating that it wasn`t empty. Amy smiled.

»Oh, she had to make room for Cassie! But you may see her right now – and also Dr. Karnstein, if you want! After all, I saw that she tried to invite you here!«

She demanded his cell phone from him and Bao, obviously reduced to being the henchman, smashed it to the ground and stepped on it. Amy let his eyes wander over Mike, with his ripped jeans, the bandage on his knee and the T-Shirt stained and showing a bullet hole.

»You don`t look so fine now!«

She opened the bathroom door and stepped aside so Mike could have a look. His eyes fell on Lioba and for the first moment, he thought that she was standing in the bathtub. Then, however, he saw the arrangement Amy and Bao had prepared.

Lioba, once again stark naked, was facing him, the way her breasts were thrust out indicating that not only her wrists, but also her elbows were bound behind her back. A very tight rope had been tied around her waist and from it, an even tighter one disappeared between her labia and from the way this rope slightly moved, he guessed it was fixed to her wrists. Lioba wasn`t standing, but kneeling – not on the bathtub`s bottom, but on the belly of Ingrid who had been put in a rigid hogtie. Her big boobs were pointing towards the ceiling and she was still sporting the same gag and the pantyhose hood they had applied on her back at Isabelle`s apartment. Lioba was gagged with tape and packing underneath and whilst Ingrid was moaning and squirming, she was looking at him calmly, but with a strained expression on her face. Now, he could see what helped Lioba to keep balance: a rope had been tied around her neck and was fixed to the ceiling.

»If she manages to keep cool, she might stay like this for another two or three hours – however, I don`t want to keep you occupied for so long!«

Amy pushed Mike aside and bent over the bathtub. Bao again pressed his gun into Mike`s back and Amy turned on the water. Ingrid screamed through her gag and Lioba also trembled and gasped.

»Now, I guess it`s some ten minutes until the water reaches Ingrid`s nose! And then, I am afraid Lioba`s last dance will not be saved for you!«

Mike was directed out of the bathroom and Amy closed the door. Then, she took her cell phone.

»Of course, I am not acting like I do out of sheer sadism! As said, I want one last favor from you!«

She paused for a second so Mike could hear the muffled rushing of the water slowly filling the bathtub. Then, she continued:

»I want your confession – a confession that it was Bishop`s fault that Cassie almost was able to endanger Britain`s safety. It will help me to persuade a few people that someone younger should take his job!«

»Is that all?«

Amy nodded as if he was a pupil who had asked a good question.

»Of course not! You will also confess that your clumsy attempts to cover up Bishop`s indiscretion not only endangered our country`s security, too, but almost caused a conflict with the USA!«

This was a slight exaggeration, but it was just close enough to the truth that it would work. The heads of the Service would fire Bishop – and he would have fallen from grace, too. Perhaps, they would not send killer commands, but it would better for him to keep his head low for the next decades whilst Amy would rise to power and make sure that he would have to look over his shoulder for the time being.

»And I always thought it is just a saying that you`d go over dead bodies for your career!«

Amy chuckled.

»It`s on you whether there will be dead bodies or just a ruined reputation! I guess the water has risen some two inches since we started chatting!«

Mike sighed. He wiped over his mouth and turned towards Bao.

»Is there blood on my teeth?«

»You want some?«

He then looked at the camera of Amy`s cell phone, took a deep breath and gave a confession like she had demanded. She hadn`t given him a sheet to read from, but obviously, she seemed satisfied. She put the phone back into her handbag and then, she went into the bathroom and turned the water off. Mike could see that it had risen rather three or four inches. Ingrid`s neck was now almost covered and she was fighting to keep her head above water whilst Lioba was covered with sweat from her efforts to keep balance.

Amy turned back towards Mike and said:

»Now that you are here, you might also be helpful! After all, both Bao and me want to get away from here safely – and we both have some excess baggage!«

Amy`s plan was simple: first, Mike would help Bao to stow the suitcase with Cassandra in it in the Peugeot Amy planned to take for the Audi would perhaps raise suspicion. Whilst they were away, Amy would wait by the bathtub.

»If you are taking more than five minutes, I will turn on the water again!«

After their return, he and Bao should get Luana and Sophia ready for transport and get them into the Porsche whilst Amy would leave.

»Three minutes after you and Bao have left the apartment, I will once again turn on the water and then leave myself. So, the faster you help him, the more time you have to get back in here and save your girlfriend`s life!«

Ostentatiously, she then looked at her watch and so, Mike helped Bao to get the suitcase to the elevator. On their way through the corridor, he asked:

»May I take my cigarettes with me?«

Bao answered by once again pushing the barrel painfully into his stomach and Mike shook his head.

»I would have offered you one, too!«

At the corridor, they could hear indistinct talking and laughter from downstairs and Mike whispered:

»If we meet these merry people, we should talk, too. Otherwise, they might listen to – other sounds!«

He pointed at the suitcase. From inside, they could hear moaning from Cassandra who desperately tried to make herself noticeable. Bao glanced at Mike, but then, he hissed:

»Choose a topic!«

And so, the couple returning from a happy evening at a bar witnessed two men, one of them Asian, pushing a huge pink suitcase towards the exit whilst being in a heated discussion whether China would stand a chance in the next Football World Championships. The woman wondered why one could get so excited about such a topic, but none of them noticed anything but the two men speaking and the sound of the suitcase`s wheels on the floor.

Once they had reached the street, Bao fell silent, but in his eyes, Mike could now read a glimpse of reluctant gratitude. So, when they were maneuvering the suitcase on the Peugeot´s backseat – the huge piece of luggage didn`t fit into the trunk –, Mike asked:

»Didn`t you have a van, too? And also two colleagues?«

On their way to the Peugeot, they had passed the Porsche and since Bao knew that Mike knew about Sophia`s and Luana`s escape, he could show that he knew about their cars and their original number. Bao scoffed:

»There were – complications!«

»Yeah, they told me that you had some problems with a Policewoman.«

Suddenly, Bao showed a grin.

»Isabelle! The little redhead with the nice titties! So, you know her?«

Mike slammed the car`s back door shut.

»A bit!«, he snapped. Then, he listened whether Cassandra`s moans could be heard outside the car. Bao once again pushed his gun into Mike`s ribs.

»The little bitch is paying right now!«

Mike spun around.

»What have you done to her?«

»Not much! Time will do it for me – time, thirst and heat!«

Mike stared at him, panting. His plan had worked for the man had told him a bit about Isabelle`s fate, but his concern about her well-being was real. He snarled:

»If you hurt her, I will hunt you down to fucking Peking if necessary!«

Bao answered by kicking against his injured knee, causing Mike to stagger and to exhale sharply whilst oppressing a cry.

»It`s spelled ›Beijing‹, actually. Maybe, you will find her in time – but I doubt that!«

He forced Mike to follow him to the house, all the time grinning in a way that made it harder and harder for Mike to hold back his urge to test if his elbow was harder than this bastard`s teeth. At Lioba`s apartment, they were greeted by the sound of running water.

»Almost seven minutes! You don`t seem to care much about your girl!«

Not moving fast, she turned off the tap and now, the water was so high that Ingrid`s breasts protruded like two hills from it. The blonde was desperate to keep her head above water and Lioba now had increasing difficulties in preventing her aching knees to slip from Ingrid`s wet belly.

»Now, time to get the next load ready!«

Bao bent over Sophia who anxiously looked up to him and told Mike:

»Get to Luana and do exactly as I do!«

He loosened the rope around Sophia`s neck and with a sigh of relief, the girl lowered her legs and lay there panting whilst Mike loosened Luana`s hogtie. Then, they both made the captives stand on wobbly legs. Luana was the tougher of the two, but her soles still hurt from the previous spanking.

Bao reached between Sophia`s legs, grabbed the dangling rope and pulled. Sophia reared up and mewed when the ropes cut into her middle. Bao once again tightened the rope and then knotted the ends off at her nape. Mike apologetically smiled at Luana.

»Usually, I wait for the second date for such things!«

He also pulled the ropes between Luana`s legs. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but Luana´s chest was heaving and the ropes had literally disappeared from view when he finally could tie the knots at the back of her neck. Bao inspected both crotch ropes with his hands, causing the two girls to mew and pant as they were trying to cope with the line of fire between their legs.

They then tied their captives` legs right above the knees so they could still stand and make small steps, but no longer run or try to kick them. Mike looked at Bao:

»What do we use as a distraction this time? I mean, this is a quiet house and maybe, there won`t be anyone in the lobby, but just in case-«

For a moment, it looked as if Bao wanted to hit him again, but he had to admit that Mike was right: smuggling a naked, bound and gagged girl out of the house whilst she was stowed in a suitcase had been quite easy, but two girls in plain sight would become a problem even if someone just peeked out of his window. He looked at Amy who also seemed a bit indecisive. Mike took a breath.

»I have an idea – but it comes at a cost!«

»You are not in the position to negotiate!«, Bao shouted and raised his gun. Mike just looked at him calmly and after a few seconds, he asked:

»What do you want?«

»Let the water out of the tub! You may turn it on once we get started, but my plan will take some ten to fifteen minutes!«

Sophia stared at him in disbelief whilst Luana seemed to suspect that he had something in mind that would help them. Mike noticed their views in the corner of his eye, but kept focused on Bao and Amy. Finally, the latter shrugged and went into the bathroom where she pulled the plug, but put it back in once the water had drained away.

»So?«

»Lioba and the others – they must have come with an Audi. It is bigger than the Porsche and has a nice big trunk, plus tinted windows. I guess it is parked on the lot behind the house?«

He looked at Lioba whose situation hadn`t improved much. With a grunt, Amy grabbed her arm and helped her to keep her position. Lioba panted and then, she nodded. Mike continued:

»If we use a torn bed sheet, we can lower them down the balcony and then, you can get them from the parking lot and get them into the car. With a little bit of luck, nobody will see you!«

»Me?«, Bao asked with a frown. Mike pointed at his knee.

»I am afraid I am not that good in carrying heavy loads – no offense, Ladies! But my arms are okay and so, I can let them down to you!«

Bao, who didn`t like the fact that he appreciated Mike´s idea, complained:

»I have important stuff in the Porsche!«

»Well, go and drive it to the parking lot then! Meanwhile, I will prepare a bed sheet and Amy may polish her nails!«

»I think I prefer taking care that you are not wasting too much time!«, the blonde said and went into the bathroom again. A few seconds later, a splashing sound, accompanied by some muffled squeals, indicated that she had turned on the water to the fullest extent.

»You better go!«, Mike insisted. Bao answered something in Chinese that’s sounded not very nice, but then, he left the apartment and Mike went for the bedroom. Amy watched him at gunpoint as he pulled the bed sheet from the bed and tore it into long stripes. Then, he braided them into a makeshift rope and then limped towards the living room.

»Shouldn`t you tie it to the balcony`s railing?«, Amy asked. Mike, staggering against the door frame, panted with a forced smile:

»There`s a hook in the ceiling! If it can carry my weight, it should be strong enough. If not, you may at least have a laugh when I land on my butt!«

***