Venetian Carnival 7

The door of Shannon’s apartment stood open, and so, they stormed up the stairs to the second floor. Here, Mariko rang the door, but nobody opened. The girl pressed her ear to the wood and whispered:

»I think I can hear something!«

She rang again; then, as nothing happened, she stepped back one step.

»Kiiijaaahh!«

Mariko’s foot hit the door, but it just trembled slightly. Hilmar now tried his luck with one of his plastic cards, and after a while, the door opened. He drew his gun, and Mariko’s eyes widened. She positioned herself behind his back, and Marcus also raised his cane.

Standing at the small corridor, they heard a faint humming from the living room. Hilmar entered, holding his fake gun like a professional, but the source of the mewing could not have harmed him, even if she had wanted.

»Mhhmmm!«

It was Shannon, sitting on her easy chair in just her bra and panties. Her arms were behind the backrest, and her ankles seemed to be tied to the front feet. The lower half of her face was covered by a white bandage, and she stared at the three intruders with eyes like saucers.

»Shannon! What happened? Where’s Silvie?«

»Mhhmmm!«

Marcus and Hilmar looked into the other rooms whilst Mariko began to work on freeing Shannon. The brunette’s wrists were tied with handcuffs, and so, she started with her gag, unwrapping the bandage. She had just removed that, revealing a few pieces of duct tape that sealed Shannon’s lips, when Hilmar and Marcus appeared.

»Silvie’s not here!«

Their eyes fell on a pile of clothes, and the men realized it were not only Shannon’s, but also those of Silvana. An impatient Mariko ripped the tape from Shannon’s mouth, revealing a white wad of packing. She helped her to get the gag out, and Shannon panted, licking her lips. Mariko looked at the gag in her hand, dropping it with a sound of disgust when she realized it was a pair of panties.

A minute later, Shannon had recovered enough to talk. Marcus had freed her ankles and Mariko had fetched a glass of water for her, whilst Hilmar was trying his luck on the handcuffs with a piece of wire.

»I – it happened so fast! Someone grabbed me from behind – pressed a rag on my face – and when I woke up, I was tied up and gagged, like you found me!«

Before one could ask about Silvana’s whereabouts, Mariko suddenly bent forward.

»What’s that?«

From Shannon’s panties, she plucked a postcard, showing a motive they all knew already: Jigsaw. The message read:

»If you want your blonde friend back, you have to give me something in exchange! Further instructions at 10 am, at your hotel! P. S. Silvana has got nice boobs!«

Marcus balled his fist, and Mariko also panted from oppressed anger. Hilmar somehow managed to concentrate on the handcuffs, and suddenly, they sprang open. Immediately, Shannon crossed her arms in front of her bra-clad breasts, though all had seen her already. Then, she grabbed her T-Shirt and pressed it to her front.

»W-would you e-e-excuse me for a m-minute?«

She rushed into her bathroom, and after a minute, they heard the flush. As Shannon returned another minute later, she was wearing a silk bathrobe, and she showed an apologetic smile.

»Sorry, but-«

She wiped over her eyes, and then, she reached for her phone. Hilmar stepped into her way.

»Whom do you want to call?«

»The Police«, Shannon replied, her eyes widening at the determination in his eyes. Hilmar shook his head.

»Sorry, but we can’t risk that! They have Silvana – and Marlene!«

Shannon’s jaw dropped.

»What do you mean? I was attacked in my own home! Now, step aside, so I can call the cops!«

She stepped forward, but Hilmar grabbed her wrist. Shannon tried to free herself.

»You are hurting me! Heeeuuhhmmph!«

She attempted to scream, but now, Marcus clamped her mouth shut. Shannon now squirmed and struggled, but Marcus managed to keep his hand over her mouth whilst Hilmar tried to grab her other wrist, too. The girl flailed with her legs and mewed. Mariko now grabbed her foot, and together, they managed to force her back onto her easy chair. Hilmar recuffed her wrists behind the backrest, and Marcus got bitten into his hand, but managed to press his palm over her mouth before Shannon could scream.

»We have to gag her!«

Mariko looked around, and finally reached for the sodden panties still lying on the floor.

»Mmmhhrrrmm! Nnngggg!«

Shannon again tried to break free, but now, with her arms tied, she had no chance. Marcus withdrew his hand, and Mariko forced the damp wad between her teeth. Shannon twisted her eyes and screamed into her gag, but Hilmar now had found a scarf and tied it between her lips. Then, they looked down on the fuming American. Shannon’s bathrobe had opened, revealing one bra-clad breast and her black panties. She stared daggers at them, and Hilmar cleared his throat.

»Excuse me, but we can’t risk you are calling the Police – at least, not now! Once Marlene and Silvana are free, we will release you, and then, you may accuse us! I will accept any punishment, but only after we have freed our girls!«

Shannon mumbled something through her gag, but remained calm for the moment. Now, Marcus looked at his watch.

»9:15. That means, we have to be at the hotel in 45 minutes!«

Now, the question was what to do next. They didn’t want to leave Shannon alone, but of course, they didn’t want to miss the next message from the kidnappers. Mariko found a solution:

»I’ll stay here, if you promise to come back immediately after you got the – the next puzzle piece! After all, I can have an eye on the pier from the balcony!«

The others protested, but Mariko pulled them towards the corridor and whispered:

»Shannon’s okay, after all, she helped us so far! However, you two didn’t make the best – first impression! I will talk to her whilst you are gone, and with a little bit of luck, we will have another ally on our side when you return at 10:30!«

It sounded like a glimpse of hope in the whole mess, and so, they hugged the girl and left. Marcus tactfully left Mariko and Hilmar alone for a minute, waiting on the corridor for Hilmar.

»What do you mean, will she be able to persuade Shannon?«

Hilmar shrugged.

»You better pray she is! If it takes me going to an Italian prison for a few months to get Marlene and Silvana free, I will do so, but I definitely prefer if we all return to Germany in my car on Monday!«

***

Shannon felt some saliva run down her chin. It was embarrassing, but she couldn’t have gulped and swallowed – not with Silvana’s panties in her mouth. She had forced herself to gag herself with those, trying to make the assault on her even more convincing, when she had tied herself up to await the three, but now, she knew what Silvana was going through.

The men and Mariko had surprised her by their willingness to break the laws, and to leave her tied and gagged. Shannon hadn’t planned that, but now, she thought that it would even open another way to play the game.

The handcuffs would  be no match, even if that guy had maybe damaged the lock with his wire. So far, Shannon had played the harmless tourist, but now, she had to drop her mask – at least, towards Mariko who was sitting opposite to her, doing her best to explain her friends’  behaviour.

»They are desperate! I mean, Hilmar’s girlfriend, and now, Marcus’  ex – they are good men, both of them! Please, Shan, do you see a chance we can get over this without you calling the cops?«

Shannon mewed, and Mariko took a deep breath.

»You promise not to scream?«

The brunette nodded, and Mariko bent over her to remove the scarf tied between her lips. Shannon looked into her eyes – and a second later, she hit the girl’s carotid arteries with the edges of her hands. Mariko let out a strange sound; then, her eyes twisted and she collapsed on Shannon’s lap.

»As promised, I didn’t scream!«, Shannon thought. She got up and removed her gag, wiping her lips. Then, she looked at the clock on the wall. 9:55 – highest time to send a message to the two men before she did her next step!

***

»At least, these bastards are on time!«, Hilmar scoffed when punctually at 10 am, he received a message from the number he now knew by heart. Marcus looked over his shoulder as he opened it.

»Oh!«

It was a picture, showing a pair of ample boobs and parts of a belly. The woman’s belly button was adorned by a sapphire, but Marcus would have recognized Silvana’s breasts anyway. Next came a short text message:

»As I said, nice boobs! Now, to what I want in exchange!«

Another picture followed, showing another woman neither Marcus nor Hilmar had ever seen before. It looked like a snapshot, but they could clearly see the face of a woman with blonde curls and blue eyes. She looked as if she was in her late 20ies and had the appearance of a TV star from the 80ies. What followed read:

»Debra Fuoco, runs the boutique ›La Bella‹ at 23 Piazza Napoli. Send a picture of her once you have her. If you are successful, we swap 2 for 1, if not – well, my customers love big boobs, too!«

Hilmar and Marcus exchanged a look.

»Send a picture of her once you have her – what the fuck is this? Did I accidentally take some drugs, and now, I am hallucinating?«

Marcus also couldn’t believe it. He once again read the message, stared at Silvana’s bare front. Her boobs looked as if she was thrusting them towards the camera – or as if the kidnappers had tied her elbows together. Reflexively, he googled the boutique »La Bella«.

»It’s just 700 yards from here!«, he whispered. Hilmar frowned.

»So, you really want to play these madmen’s game?«

He didn’t sound really appalled, though, and Marcus said:

»We could at least get there and have a look, before we return to Mariko and decide what to do next!«

***

Shannon checked her watch. If the two men would come back to her apartment immediately, she would have some 20 minutes, but if they would have a look at the »La Bella« before, it would be more. Either way, she had to hurry now.

She looked down on Mariko who still hadn’t regained her consciousness. Shannon had gleefully stuffed Silvana’s used panties, now wet with her saliva, into her mouth and taped over it before quickly tying the girl with zip ties on her wrists, elbows, ankles and knees. She had also taped over her eyes so she would need a few seconds to orientate herself if she woke up again.

»Now, time for you to see your friend again!«

She went for her corridor, where the one unique feature of her apartment was located: the secret hideout. She opened a few hidden locks and then removed the big mirror from the wall. When she leaned it against the opposite wall, she was greeted by a considerably loud mew.

To call the space behind the mirror a room was a bit of an exaggeration, for it had the size of a two door cupboard, and the thick padding of the floor, walls and ceiling further reduced the place in it. But it had been sufficient for Shannon to hide her loot, and now, with some applications, it was even appropriate for her less willing guests.

»Uuhhmmm! Mmhhmmmmm!«

Silvana was standing in front of her, strapped to the back wall by several belts that pressed her against the padded surface. One went over her shins, the second over her thighs, whilst number three was at her waist level. The fourth belt was below her breast, the fifth went over her neck, strapped a bit less tight so she could breathe without problems, and finally the last belt went over her forehead, forcing her to remain absolutely still. In addition, the girl was tied like Mariko was, with the difference that Silvana had been stripped naked before.

The lower half of Silvana’s face was covered by an entire vet wrap bandage, under which her mouth was sealed with some tape strips and stuffed with two pairs of Shannon’s used panties. A third pair had been pulled over her head before Shannon had applied the bandage. Two blue eyes stared at her through the leg openings, and Silvana’s chest was heaving. When she spotted the unconscious Mariko, she once again moaned.

»It’s getting a bit crowded in here now, I hope you don’t mind!«

She leaned Mariko against the wall and secured her in position with belts, just like Silvana. Since the petite Japanese was smaller than the blonde, the belt meant for her neck went over her mouth, and she had to leave out the last one over her forehead, but Shannon was sure that it would go.

»Now, today’s your lucky day, for you are not only reunited with your friend, but you will also be able to see and hear your two male buddies!«

The mirror was a one-sided one, allowing Silvana to look at the corridor. When Shannon had put the mirror back in place, the glass pressed against the tips of her thrust out boobs, flattening them a bit. Once the locks were closed, Silvana could only hear her and Mariko’s breathing. Since it had some air supply, the hideout wasn’t completely sound-proof, but Shannon knew that one had to concentrate on the faint mews that emerged from behind the heavy glass to notice them.

She checked Mariko’s phone, telling her indeed that the men would come at 10:45, for they had to check on something. She answered with a »thumps up«; then, she decided to flatter herself a bit and added:

»Talked to Shan, she’s great! No more problem here!«

Mockingly, Shannon held the cell phone to the mirror, so Silvana and maybe Mariko, if she had regained her consciousness, could read the message. Then, she went to the living room to check for any treacherous traces before the two men would come.

***

Erik’s torturing of Marlene followed a kind of routine, with him pausing after each attack on her. She wasn’t sure whether this was a glimpse of mercy, or if he just didn’t want her to faint.

He had started by brushing over her bare soles with the feathers, soft as a breeze, but of course, Marlene had writhed and squealed, helplessly trying to shy away from the tickling. Involuntarily, she had moved her head, thus moving the anal hook inside her, too, but she had been unable to hold still. She had screamed into the vile tasting panties, grinded her nude front against the plank she was lying upon, and when he had let her go for the moment, she had panted, already sweating profusely, and had thanked the Lord she had at least not wet herself.

He had then put the feathers away, but only to massage her feet, in a way that was less terrible, but still irritating. She had felt his thumbs brush over her soles and when he had licked her toes, she had cringed and mewed.

The less intense tickling allowed her to concentrate more on the anal hook. It still didn’t hurt, due to the oil and to its smoothness, but she felt its presence very, very much, and each time her head moved the slightest, it moved back or forth.

So far, Marlene had never allowed any man to enter her backdoor, but she had once and awhile experimented with a toy meant for that, and the feeling had not been unpleasant, though she had not replaced the small vibrator when it had gone defunct.

And now, she once again had the stimulation there. Marlene tried to call it by other, less harmless words, but she couldn’t deny that the steel ball moving inside her rear sent some shivers through her nerves she would have enjoyed under other circumstances – a little bit, she even enjoyed them now.

As if to distract her from coping with the hook, Erik let her feet go and reached for the feathers again. She pleaded through her gag and shook her head; then, she bit down hard on the panties and tried to resist it, but when he touched her armpits, she trembled, and when he brushed down her flanks, she writhed and mewed like mad.

Again, Erik stopped before she could get out of breath or lose control over her bladder. And again, he then caressed the spots he had tickled with his fingers, still sending shivers through her, but he was tender enough she could relax a bit – relax and concentrate on the anal hook.

»It really isn’t that bad!«, Marlene thought, and for a few seconds, she closed her eyes and slightly nodded her head whilst Erik’s fingers massaged her armpits.

»Uuhmm!«

The sound came out high-pitched, and Marlene blinked nervously.

»What am I doing?«

However, she couldn’t deny it: the penetration felt good, despite it being one of Erik’s perfidies, and the tingling in her squeezed breasts told her that not only were her boobs chaffed by rubbing over the wooden plank, but her nipples had also grown hard. In addition, she felt another tingle further down.

»Oh my God, what is happening to me? If he would touch me down there, he could feel that I am wet!«

As if he had read her thoughts, Erik now stepped beside her hip. She mewed as he shoved his hand between her legs and cupped her pubic mound. Then, he grabbed her foot with his other hand and once again massaged her soles whilst his hand remained between her legs. When he intensified the foot massage, Marlene once again writhed, and when she felt that his fingers were inside her, she just thrust forward and let out a deep groan.

For a while, Erik continued the game, but then, after both he and Marlene had accelerated their moves, he suddenly stopped and withdrew. Marlene moaned with protest, and he whispered:

»Do you want me to continue?«

And though the remaining ratio inside her cried »No!«, Marlene nodded, accompanied by small grunts as this had effects on the hook. Erik went to her head, took it between his hands and placed a kiss on each of her eyes.

»Well, Marlene, I am glad you are giving up your resistance, but I am afraid I will have to leave you alone for a while. But to show you that I can be generous, I will leave you hooked until I am back – quite literally, so to say!«

Laughing, he left the storage room, leaving Marlene’s increasingly frantic mews behind.

***

The Piazza Napoli didn’t really deserve its name, for it had the size of a Volleyball field. So, finding the boutique »La Bella« was a matter of seconds. It looked like many other Venetian shops, having just one display window with two mannequins in it. Neither Marcus nor Hilmar knew much about haute couture, but as they strolled by the boutique, they could guess from the price tags that the »La Bella« was offering clothes for women who wanted to look fashionable, but could not pay the equivalent of a small car for a dress. So far, so unspectacular.

»Could you get a look inside?«, Hilmar asked, and Marcus shrugged. They had withdrawn behind a corner before their interest in the boutique would become apparent.

»I could see one person inside, serving a customer. Could have been that Debra, but I am afraid one of us has to feign an interest in Lady’s fashion!«

It was an easy choice: Hilmar was better dressed, and he also looked more the part of a man who would surprise his wife or mistress with a new dress. In addition, he spoke Italian and could perhaps do some small talk with Debra. Hilmar took a deep breath.

»I can’t say I like spying on an innocent woman like that!«

Marcus patted his shoulder.

»Getting into a shop and ask for a nice dress isn’t illegal. And maybe, we can figure out something that will allow us to look into the mirror even after tonight! At least, Mariko managed to persuade Shannon that we are no thugs!«

Hilmar grunted and went for the boutique. As he had guessed, it was small, and beside him, there was only one woman talking to the shop owner in French. Hilmar went to a clothes rack and pretended to look at some summer dresses whilst he tried to examine both the location and Debra.

Now, he could see that she was actually a dyed blonde, quite pretty and obviously charming, for the French woman now laughed and then followed Brenda to the cash register. Hilmar tried to unobtrusively look for spy cameras when he spotted something else: Beside the changing cabin was a door that most likely led upstairs, and in the corridor behind the ajar door, Hilmar could see a man. He went for another rack and when he looked again, the man was still there. It seemed as if he was examining the shop, like a bodyguard.

»Prego, Signore?«

Hilmar twitched. Obviously, Brenda had finished the French woman and now turned her attention towards him. Only now, he noticed that he had been rummaging through some flimsy silk bodices and lacy tops. With an apologetic grin, he told Brenda that he was looking for a present for his girlfriend. He paused shortly before the last word, indicating that in fact he meant his mistress. Brenda smiled and asked for the size of the Signorina.

Hilmar actually didn’t know, Marlene’s size, but he knew of course that of his ex-wife he had been married to for eight years. However, when he answered, he had another body in mind: Mariko’s:

»I-I think she’s a size 34 or 36 in German sizes, I don’t know what this is inn Italian!«

Brenda laughed politely, telling him that Italy and Germany had the same sizes, and that if he wasn’t sure, she would recommend something light without sleeves where an inch or two wouldn’t matter. She was just kind enough Hilmar hated himself for what he was actually there for.

Five minutes later, he left the shop with a lacy top that had spaghetti straps, and when he had held it in his hands, he had noticed it was quite transparent. Again, it was Mariko he could imagine wearing the garment.

»She’s not alone«, he reported to Marcus, »there’s a man in the back of the shop, and it doesn’t seem that he was there just accidentally!«

»Well, you didn’t expect it to be easy?«, Marcus scoffed. They looked at the boutique for one last time before they walked towards Shannon’s apartment.

***

To their surprise, the door was opened by Shannon herself. She had changed for a black linen dress with a belt that reached to her knees, and she seemed less awkward then the two men who tried to apologize to her.

»Mariko told me what you were going through! I can’t say that I have forgotten what you did to me, but I can sure forgive, and I am trying to help you finding your beloved ones!«

She had let them in and closed the door, but now, she was leaning beside her corridor mirror, as if she wanted them to look at themselves, as they stood there like two schoolboys that had damaged a window with their football. Marcus checked his appearance and, to change the subject, he asked for Mariko.

»Oh, she’s went for the Piazza Adolini. After we – had come to terms, she persuaded me to have a look on the pier of the house we were observing, whilst she would watch the other entrance. I will send her a message that you are here now!«

Shannon texted on her phone and told Hilmar and Marcus to feel at home as she walked into her living room. The two wryly grinned towards each other, feeling relieved that obviously, Shannon didn’t hold much of a grudge against them.

»Mariko really deserves a medal for diplomacy!«, Hilmar said and followed Shannon into the living room. Marcus had detected a pimple on his eyebrow and checked on it in the mirror.

»Hhrrrrrmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmmmmm! Hhrrrrrrr!«

»Uuhhmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmm! Mph!«

Inches away, both Silvana and Mariko screamed into their gags, trying to raise his attention. However, though Marcus frowned once, he then shook his head and left the corridor, too.

Here, he spotted both Shannon and Hilmar on the small balcony. Suddenly, Hilmar jumped back and dodged, pulling Shannon backwards, too.

»Fuck, there!«

Marcus jumped forward, keeping his head low. Now, he could see what had startled Hilmar: the door of the house had opened, and now, a man stepped out onto the pier. They could not say for sure whether it was the same man that had been on the boat the evening before, but it was one of the inhabitants of the house where maybe both Marlene and Silvana were kept!

The man was alone, and he seemed to be in a good mood, for he was throwing up the keys and catching them before closing the door and locking it. Then, he began to slowly unmoor the boat.

»Do you have a gun? A real one, I mean?«, Hilmar asked whilst Marcus thought whether he should storm down the stairs and try to catch the man. Shannon shook her head, but then, she reached for her handbag.

»I could offer you that instead. It could be helpful, and it is not illegal!«

She handed a key with a cork ball tied to it to Hilmar. Then, she explained to them where they could find her boat.

»I will tell Mariko where you are!«, she yelled after the two as they stormed out of her door. Shannon closed it behind them and then, she turned towards the mirror.

»You may have heard it already, Mariko – the boys are playing Cops and Robbers on the canals! Well, that gives us some time to play our own games, doesn’t it?«

She held her hand to her ear and looked at the mirror. From behind the glass, a barely audible humming could be heard.

***

»Don’t you think we better should try to get inside?«

They had found Shannon’s boat, even smaller than that of the kidnapper, and Hilmar steered it towards the house. The other boat had just left and was vanishing behind a corner.

Hilmar shook his head and accelerated the speed a bit.

»Have you seen the camera above the door? Also, these guys are at least two, and I doubt that they have both left. So, unless you can get us some real guns, and teach us how to use them, I prefer following a boat in plain sight to entering some criminals’ lair!«

Marcus spat into the water. He knew that Hilmar was right, but he felt like a coward for leaving Silvana behind. Perhaps, she was just behind this door, a few yards away from him!

»Luckily, I am a history student!«, he grunted.

»Eh?«

Marcus stepped beside Hilmar who had just passed the corner and entered a bigger canal on which they could see the other boat some 70 yards ahead. With a grim smile, he explained:

»Well, I at least have a theoretical knowledge of all kinds of torture method we can use on that guy once we have got him!«

***

Shannon checked her appearance in the mirror, not only to mock Silvana and Mariko, but also to see whether she looked anything but the harmless tourist. She had tied her hair back with a red bandana, and also pushed her sunglasses up her forehead. She now sported sandals with flat soles that would allow running and even climbing if necessary, and she was wearing a leather bum bag that looked fashionable enough. It contained not only her own cell phone, but also those of Mariko and Silvana, plus the one she used to send her mysterious messages to Hilmar and Marcus. Also, it contained a few things that would have been a bit difficult to explain to a Policeman, but that would come in handy if she would encounter something unpredictable.

»I won’t be long, girls! If I see Marlene, I will tell her some greetings from the two of you! Now, just relax, the next part of the game will be more entertaining for you!«

She renewed her lipstick and blew a kiss towards the mirror. Again, she could hear the faint mewing when she concentrated on it, but as she opened the door to the staircase, the sound was drowned by those from the street.

Soon, she would either face a little problem or get an important step further. If the man had recognized her having been at his house, or if he had just randomly changed the alarm code, she would maybe trigger the alarm. And if he really had an accomplice, she would also perhaps have some difficulties in eliminating the guy soundlessly.

However, Shannon doubted on both scenarios. In her eyes, the man was an amateur, and since he was obviously obsessed with his beautiful captive, she doubted that he had an accomplice.

Shannon reached the small piazza and lowered her sunglasses. Then, avoiding the shop adjacent to Erik’s house, she went to the door and looked at the keypad.

»Now, let’s see if you are a worthy opponent!«, she thought and typed the code. After a second, there was a hum, and the door unlocked. Quickly, Shannon sneaked inside.

»So far, it was almost too easy! Maybe, he was at least a bit imaginative when it came to hiding a damsel from view!«

She listened closely if she could hear a sound and then, she began to search the empty house, room by room.

***