Ebony and Ivory 9

»So, they have a head start of some three or four hours, we don’t know any details about their car, and we also don’t know more than their approximate direction!«, Hilmar concluded, and Annika nodded grimly.

»That about wraps it up!«

Of course, Marcus had opted for wasting no time, but the others had convinced him that a few minutes of planning might be more useful, and so, they had started an improvised powwow at Marlene’s living room. Of the five people present, however, only three had participated in the discussion. This wasn’t surprising in Nabia’s case, as she was thoroughly gagged and bundled up on the floor, but Marlene also sat there, staring at the ceiling and barely noticing the world around her.

»What have I done? And what has it done to Hilmar?«

Nabia had assaulted her, but in the end, she had willingly responded to her caresses, and Hilmar had seen her in the throes of passion when Nabia had licked her pussy. She had seen the expression in his eyes, and then, he had picked her panties to gag Nabia. Marlene shuddered when she remembered how he had dabbed her middle with them before cramming them into the Black’s mouth; as if her juices were something disgusting.

Marcus had also been rather silent, but now, he said something:

»Annika, you called us with the phone of one of the kidnappers! So, did you check if Karl’s number’s on it?«

With little hope, she scrolled through the last calls, seeing unknown numbers, and one person called »Al’Ahmaq«. She shook her head.

»Maybe, it’s just their favourite Kebab dealer.«

She then read the name loud, which caused a strange sound from Marlene. She then raised her head, though she still avoided looking at Hilmar, and said:

»During my apprenticeship, I was at a school in Nuremberg, with many kids from all different backgrounds. I learned a few Arabic words there – and ›Al’Ahmaq‹ was definitely among them! It means ›asshole‹!«

»Well, then it is Karl for sure!«, Annika scoffed, and Marcus stared at Marlene with a glance of new hope. Hilmar also glimpsed at Marlene, but he said:

»Well, if we phone him, all we achieve is that he knows we are after him!«

Marcus ignored him:

»Annika, can’t you track the phone? I mean, without telling your colleagues?«

The Policewoman sadly shook her head.

»The least I would need is a permission from the prosecutor, plus a specialist who-«

»Mhhhmmph! Uuhhmmm!«

A surprisingly loud grunting from Nabia, who had remained silent so far, interrupted them. For a second, they thought she was choking, but when she continued moaning, rolling her eyes and squirming on the floor, they understood she was trying to say something.

»Shut the fuck up!«, Hilmar barked. Marcus, however, got up and bend down to her.

»Do you have something helpful to say?«

»Mmhhmm!«

Nabia did her best to nod, despite her gag fixed to her big toes. Annika reached for the gun, and Marcus began to loosen her gag. Hilmar glanced at the Black:

»If you scream, or tell nonsense, you’ll get my socks into your mouth, too, and then, we will tickle you until you faint!«

Nabia held his look, only closing her eyes for a moment when the panties were removed from her mouth. She licked her lips and gulped; then, she said in a hoarse, but calm voice:

»I know person who can track«, she said in German. Nabia had understood enough of the conversation to understand what the others needed, and after all, it was in her interest that Karl got caught, too. Changing to English, she continued, telling her captors about her contact man at the Ghanan Secret Service.

»I don’t know if Yawo can track a phone simply by knowing the number, but if someone we have access to can, he’s our man!«

Nabia was still lying on the floor, hogtied and naked, but at the same time, she expressed confidence, and not only Annika noticed she had spoken of them as »we«. In a slightly drawling voice, Marcus asked her:

»Could you contact him?«

Showing a glimpse of a smile, Nabia replied:

»If you don’t mind dialling and holding the phone to my mouth!«

Both Annika and Hilmar were concerned that Nabia could use the opportunity to call for help, but Marcus had already drawn his phone and had his finger at the display. The Black gave him a number, and after the second ringing, they heard a male voice that showed a slight accent:

»Black Pearl Transporting?«

Nabia said something in a strange idiom, only to change into English after a few sentences.

»My new comrades will otherwise think I am trying to send an army after them!«

In silent fascination, the others overheard Nabia tell the man that she had found a trace of Abina, but needed a phone of which she only had the number tracked. Yawo told them to wait, and they heard him use a keyboard. Then, he asked for Karl’s number. There was more typing, and after a while, Yawo said:

»All right, I’ve got the signal. Just send me your IP address, and I can send you a link, so you may follow the signal!«

Again, there was a short hesitation; they all knew that, if Yawo really had access to an advanced tracking device, he could also follow each of their moves. However, Marcus gave him the IP of his laptop, and shortly after, he got a message. The link led to a map, similar to those of Google Maps, but with a red point on it, positioned somewhere close to Ingolstadt.

»Well, let’s go!«, Marcus said, raising from the floor. However, Annika reminded him that she and Marlene would need a few minutes to get properly dressed. Nabia cleared her throat.

»After I helped you, you may consider setting me free and borrow me some clothes, too? I want to bring down Karl, too – and once I’ve got Abina, you’ll never see me again!«

Both Hilmar and Marlene said nothing, but Annika scoffed:

»Well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend! Who said that?«

»Karl Liebknecht«, Marcus automatically replied. With a thin grin, he added:

»A German communist. He later got murdered by the Government!«

***

Silvana strained her muscles against her tight bonds, causing them to cut even deeper into her skin. It was to no avail, just to cause some pain – for pain was the only weapon she had against the growing fire in her loins.

The constant massage of both her pussy and anus had not left her indifferent, and the girl had felt how the slight tingle had grown bigger. Her breath had accelerated, causing her to hyperventilate through the panties stuffing her mouth, whilst those hooding her clung to her sweaty skin. Silvana had writhed, only increasing the teasing of the electric toy between her legs.

It had become a terrible routine: whenever she felt the wave of arousal rise, she fought against it with all her might: by focussing on her fear, or by thinking of Marcus being on the rescue; by pulling on her bonds and biting down hard on her gag, tasting its bitterness; by repeatedly telling herself that her dignity was the only thing she could defend right now.

So far, it had worked, but it was like delaying climax whilst masturbating. With each tidal wave, it became harder to fight her arousal down, and in addition, she grew weaker as time in her tight bondage passed. Silvana was exhausted, getting only just a sufficient amount of air through her hood and gag. The vibrator didn’t feel bad per se, and the voice inside her that told her to just enjoy the relief of orgasm was getting louder and louder.

She desperately hoped that the trip would come to an end, despite knowing that there would be no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.

***

»If you press the right pedal harder, we might drive faster than the average truck!«

»And if we get into an accident, we will lose track completely!«, Annika replied. She was driving the van, for Marcus had to concentrate on the laptop. He could only guess the distance between them and Karl, but at least, they were catching up. Obviously, Karl wasn’t in a hurry.

On the third seat, Nabia was either using her soldier skills to sleep whenever possible, or she was just pretending to have dozed off. Like Annika, she was sporting a weird collection of Marlene’s clothes.

An obviously still angry Hilmar had reached the sodden panties she had been gagged with to her once Annika had freed her, and the Black had put them on, grimacing as the damp cotton clung to her loins. She had then chosen a pair of tight sweatpants that looked like leggins on her muscular legs, together with socks, a pair of sneakers Hilmar had once left at Marlene’s apartment, and one of Marlene’s bras, together with a long-sleeved T-Shirt. Annika, who had been too petite for Marlene’s wardrobe, still sported Judith’s panties, a wrap skirt and a T-Shirt under the sweater that looked oversized on her. At least, Marlene’s socks and sneakers had fit more or less.

To distract Marcus from constantly staring at the moving dot on the map, she had given him her personal access code to a Police site where they got information that at least, the two thugs Annika and Lisa had escaped from had been arrested successfully. One was currently at the hospital whilst the other was in pre-trial detention.

»If they spill the beans that it was me they had kidnapped, I’ll get my ass whipped by my superiors!«

Once it was out, Annika shuddered, for her words reminded her of how Ahmed and Brahim had spanked her – and how she had responded to it. To change the topic, she pointed at the rear wall and said:

»I just hope Hilmar and Marlene come to terms!«

These two had to travel in the load, together with the still bound and gagged Judith. When they had approached the van, they had more or less remembered their captive, and had decided to take her with them, since they didn’t want to leave her behind at Marlene’s apartment without knowing when (or if) they might return. The girl now rested on the floor, whilst Marlene and Hilmar shared a narrow folding bench. Their hips touched, but they just stared at the rear window in silence.

»You mind?«

Marlene twitched, not because Hilmar had yelled, but because it was the first time he had spoken at all. She looked up and saw him holding a crumpled pack of cigarettes. Marlene shook her head, and Hilmar lit a slightly warped cigarette.

»I thought you quit«, she said, and Hilmar scoffed.

»The last days have been a bit straining!«

Marlene let out a strange mixture of laughter and a cough; then, she reached for the cigarette, and Hilmar handed it to her. She inhaled, causing her to cough, and Hilmar took the cigarette back from her. When he drew from it, she remarked:

»So, you are no longer appalled by me?«

Hilmar just looked at her. His expression was hard, but when Marlene reached for his hand, he didn’t pull back. Shaking his head, he murmured:

»It’s just – it seemed as if you were enjoying it!«

He sounded rather confused than accusing, and Marlene gulped. Then, she forced herself to confess the truth, for whatever the future would bring, Hilmar deserved honesty:

»I – it didn’t just look like! I-I was-«

Her cheeks burned, and she lowered her head. Hilmar said nothing, but he opened his hand, so her fingers were covered by his. Marlene dared to lean her forehead against his chest as she continued:

»I was enjoying it! Hilmar, I am almost certain I love you, but at the same time, I was enjoying it! And if you had arrived a little later, I-«

She oppressed the urge to sob, as she didn’t want to make it look as if she was trying to emotionally manipulate him. However, the tears ran down her cheeks, and her shoulders trembled. Hilmar now grabbed her fingers tighter, and she felt his other hand touch her shoulder. As she looked up, he whispered:

»In Venice, I slept with Mariko – and I didn’t have the excuse of being tied up!«

Marlene sniffled.

»What does that make us? A slut and a billy goat that deserve each other?«

Hilmar still held her in his arms, but he made no attempt to kiss her. Instead, he said with a voice that sounded both sad and determined:

»For the moment, it makes us two allies trying to free Silvana! And then, we will see! Until then, we just focus on our rescue mission!«

It wasn’t a reconciliation, just an armistice. However, Hilmar was right, and when he pulled her closer to keep her warm, Marlene cuddled against him, considering that things could be worse.

***

For obvious reasons, Karl hadn’t stopped at regular resting areas, but had just used a drive-in on the way. Two times, he had also followed nature, but now, having just crossed the border, he once again stopped to check the map. Karl was on a side road, and only the slightly different traffic signs told him he was in Austria now.

»Now, where are you, Erzherzog?«

He enlarged the picture, finding out that the parking lot was obviously the starting point of some rambling route through the mountains. It would be lonely in the midst of the night – good for clandestine activities, but also a bit dangerous. After all, he knew nothing about his customer, and he no longer had Ahmed and Brahim as a backup.

Karl could hear some faint moaning from his captives who had noticed the car had stopped. With a grin, he patted the box containing Abina.

»Soon, girls, soon!«

Carefully, he drove through the night, following an unpaved path for some mile, until he had reached the parking lot that made him calm down a bit. Obviously, either he had arrived early, or the Erzherzog was late, for there was no car parked on the gravel.

From two sides, the lot was surrounded by rocks, and once he had parked, Karl saw he had a good view on the road he had just used. Now, if the Erzherzog would seem suspicious, he could shoot his way out. Karl placed his gun on his lap and waited.

Again, the girls got unruly, but Karl focussed on the road where he had seen an approaching light. Then, he heard a car’s engine. He grabbed the gun, and a minute later, a Land Rover entered the parking lot. Karl switched on the flashlights, and the other car stopped, still some 30 yards away.

In the bright light, he could see the man on the passenger seat get out. For a second, Karl thought he was carrying a gun, but then, he noticed it was a walking stick. The driver got out, too, but he remained by the car, ostentatiously showing his empty hands, whilst the man slowly approached Karl.

»He should have bought a third, so the girls match his age!«, Karl thought as the man came closer. He was indeed old, and it seemed that even the few steps from his car were exhausting him. Karl had never been to Vienna, but this man indeed looked like what he would have imagined sitting in one of the traditional coffee houses, dreaming of the good old times of the Austrian Empire.

»That’s close enough – your Highness!«, Karl said and left the car, his gun loosely in his hand. The man stopped and looked at the silhouette of the Arab.

»Ah, the man named after our last Emperor!«, he snarled, showing a smile and wiping his forehead with a white handkerchief. Then, he asked:

»I presume you are having with you what I am asking for?«

He leaned heavily on his stick, and Karl feared he would collapse if he saw the two girls in their naked beauty. However, the man’s stamina was not of his business. What did concern him was that the Erzherzog didn’t carry any bag or suitcase with him.

»You understand that I can’t accept a cheque!«, Karl began, and the Erzherzog once again smiled.

»I might be old, but I am not senile! The money is in my car, and once I have checked you are not selling me lemons, I will tell my chauffeur to get it for you!«

Karl didn’t want the other man to get close, but since he had him on display, he could tell him to place the suitcase somewhere between the two cars. Not taking his eyes from the chauffeur, Karl opened his car’s back door and waited for the Erzherzog to stumble closer.

»That definitely doesn’t smell like lemons!«

The Erzherzog bent over the box Silvana was in and playfully waved his hand in front of his nose. With a chuckle, he croaked:

»Seems that the girls are anticipating to meet me!«

In the corner of his eye, Karl watched the old man cut a peephole into each of the boxes. Then, he took a torch the size of a pencil and looked inside. Obviously pleased with what he had seen, he nodded and staggered towards the Land Rover, waving his hand.

Now, Karl raised his gun. The old man wasn’t a problem: even if he was carrying a weapon, he would be sent to the ground by the recoil. So, his main concentration was on the chauffeur who, moving slowly, took a gym bag from the backseat. As if he knew what was expected of him, he hung the bag over his shoulder and then approached with raised hands.

Karl looked at the approaching chauffeur, and suddenly, he frowned. Instead of a chauffeur’s uniform, he sported cargo pants, heavy boots and an anorak. However, the wide clothes could not hide the fact that this was a woman.

Before Karl could mention that fact, before he could even think whether this changed anything, he heard a sound from behind: it was a »PLOP!«, as if someone had fired a gun through a mattress.

»Or as if someone was using a silencer!«, was his last thought when the bullet hit his back, sending him to the ground.

The Erzherzog hadn’t twitched when the shot had been fired, and now, he slowly turned around, looking down on Karl who was lying on his belly. From behind him, another woman stepped out of the dark, clad in a black catsuit and sporting a black hood. Like that, she had been waiting motionless for some hour, but it hadn’t diminished her aiming.

The Erzherzog straightened. His age hadn’t been feigned, but he wasn’t as ailing as he had pretended to be, to lure the man now lying to his feet. He once again smiled: his ancestors had gotten to their position by defeating their enemies and taking their wealth, not by wasting their own money!

»Good shot, Valentina! Now, you and Louise get everything prepared while I drive back the car! We will meet at the castle!«

***

They had stopped once at a petrol station for refuelling, also taking the opportunity to use the bathroom and provide themselves with coffee and some snacks. None of them had thought of having an eye on Nabia and indeed, the Black hadn’t made any attempt to run away.

At some remote parking lot, they had also allowed Judith to relieve herself, leaving her bound and gagged, and now, they were approaching Reutte. According to the signal – that hadn’t moved for some time now –, they had just another 3,7 kilometres between them and Karl.

»Why isn’t he moving on? Has he recognized we are behind him, and is preparing a trap?«

Annika reached for her gun, and Nabia replied:

»Maybe, he has just thrown away his cell phone!«

Neither was encouraging, but then, they noticed something else: a flickering shine between the trees. It looked like a bigger fire.

Marcus felt as if a hand made of ice was gripping his heart. It would be a horrifying explanation why Karl didn’t move along: that he had had an accident, with Silvana still on board! His fear wasn’t diminished when they drove closer and they could see the rotating blue lights of an ambulance.

»What the-«

Annika stopped the van, and before it had come to a halt, Marcus jumped out, approaching the parking lot. Here, he could see the source of the fire: a Volkswagen that had turned into a lump of metal. There was also the car of a fire brigade, but the men just stood aside with their fire extinguishers, watching the car burn out completely.

Marcus hid behind a bush and saw two more cars, a Police car and an ambulance van. The latter’s side door was open, and he could see a figure lying on a stretcher whilst a paramedic was doing something with his arm.

»Silvana!«, he croaked, but then, he could see more: the arm of the person on the stretcher had a dark complexion, seemed muscular and was covered with black hair. It was a man’s arm.

He gasped when someone touched his arm, but it was just Nabia. She also observed the scene, and, pointing at the man on the stretcher, she just hissed:

»Karl!«

They could hear one of the firemen say something. The car had burned down, and it seemed that they wanted to withdraw, since there was no danger that the surrounding forest could catch fire. Once they had entered their car, the Policeman spoke to the paramedic, and though they couldn’t understand the conversation, it was clear that the ambulance intended to leave the parking lot, too, to get Karl to the hospital.

»Where’s Silvana? We must-«

Nabia grabbed his arm, pulling him back. She hissed:

»Come! I’ve got an idea!«

***

Two minutes later, the ambulance drove carefully down the hill. Patrick Seiler, the driver, had passed his driver’s license just a few weeks ago, but Georg Vahn, his more experienced colleague, was in the load, trying his best to stabilize their patient.

Patrick was nervous and excited: no wonder, for this had been a veritable crime scene, with a burnt car and a man looking like an Arab having been shot. Neither he nor Georg were doctors, but they had seen that the bullet had injured the man’s lung and only missed the heart by millimetres.

Now, it would be just some 200 metres more before they had reached the asphalt where he could accelerate the car to get their patient to the hospital. Then, he saw something and he stepped onto the brake.

»Dammit, I nearly pushed the needle through his eye!«, Georg shouted, pushing his head through the curtain separating the load from the driver’s cabin. Patrick just pointed at the road in front of them.

»Fuck!«

One minute later, the two men left the car, each holding a Maglite like a club. On the road, a woman was lying. She was squirming, but they could see that she was hogtied, and the lower half of her face was covered with tape. Her head looked a bit like that of an alien, for she was staring through the leg openings of a pair of panties hooding her. However, the men were more distracted by the fact she was stark naked, except for a pair of black boots.

»Are you okay?«

»Mmhhmmm! Uuhhmmm!«

Neither Patrick nor Georg were trained for such situations, and so, they did the obvious: crouching beside the woman and working on her bonds.

None of them noticed the man opening the side door and sneaking inside the ambulance. Marcus bent over Karl and rudely grabbed his collar.

»Where is she, bastard?«

Karl was conscious, but it seemed that he wasn’t all by himself. He tried to focus Marcus, and his lips tried to form a word:

»E- Erz-«

»Where is Silvana?«, Marcus repeated and slapped the man. Karl groaned. Then, he seemed to pull all his remaining strength together, and he breathed:

»Erzherzog! He’s got her!«

He sank back, and for a moment, Marcus was tempted to either beat the shit out of him – or to go even further, giving Karl the punishment a German or Austrian prison wouldn’t give him. Then, however, he heard one of the paramedics say:

»What the fuck takes the Police so long?«

It reminded him that every second, the Police car could approach, and if they spotted him, he would have a lot to explain. So, he let the now unconscious Karl go and slid out of the ambulance. Murdering Karl would not get Silvana back to him, and if God wanted to do justice, the Arab would succumb to his wounds.

He didn’t look at the two men still working on Judith’s bonds and gag and withdrew to where they had parked the van. Their plan of using their captive as a distraction had worked, but Marcus had gotten little information.

»Erzherzog? What Erzherzog?«

A quick Google search brought too many entries to even consider looking through them, and so, Hilmar made a decision:

»It’s 4 am now, and I am sure that there is some bakery that opens at 6. So, one of us that looks the least suspicious will get there and see what he can find out.

»Or she«, Marlene added, and Hilmar nodded, showing a smile. Marcus had no other choice than to accept, the horn of the ambulance reminding him that now, he no longer would get access to Karl, no matter if he survived or not. He looked out into the dark.

»Where are you, Silvie?«

***

With her ears still plugged, Silvana wouldn’t have heard him, nor would she have been able to reply, as she was still thoroughly bound and gagged.

The girl had just been able to fight down another tsunami of arousal, knowing it would be the last time to do so, when the car had stopped once again. She hadn’t heard the silenced shot, but then, there had been hands moving the boxes, and she had mewed. However, those who after some time ripped open the cardboard didn’t bring the desired relief.

Strong hands had removed her from the box and placed her on some gravel. They, and there had been two, had then removed her bonds. They had pulled the vibrator out of her, but none of them had touched her panty hood, let alone removing the gag or the blindfold. Instead, another hood had been pulled over her head, and though this wasn’t airtight, it made breathing even more difficult for the exhausted girl.

Her captors had then brought her arms behind her back and pushed her hands inside something made of stiff leather. »An armbinder«, Silvana had thought when the sheath was pulled up her arms and secured by two straps going over her shoulders and through her armpits. Then, one of the two had tightened the laces of the armbinder, until her elbows were crushed together. Silvana’s shoulders ached, and she knew how this position forced her to thrust out her boobs.

Meanwhile, the other thug had been busy with her feet. To her amazement, socks had been put onto her feet, followed by laced boots that seemed heavy, but were quite comfortable to wear. However, this seemed to be the only comfortable thing she was about to get, for then, she had been made to stand on her wobbly legs. One had kept her upper arm in a tight grip, to prevent her from slipping. The other one had tightened a belt around her waist. It was fixed to her armbinder, pulling the sheath to her back, and though the belt had been pulled tight, Silvana had felt relief that at least, this armbinder came without an additional crotch strap.

Next, a leather collar was tied around her neck, and when the other criminal let her go, a tug on the collar told the girl she was now leashed. She staggered forward, trying to adjust to walking after having been bound for hours. At least, the boots had no heels and seemed indeed designed for walking on uneven ground.

Her shoulder touched something warm and soft, and she realized that this was most likely Abina. Though Silvana could neither see nor hear, she guessed that she was trussed up similar to her, and she mewed, though she was only able to feel the vibration in her throat.

There was a gust of warm wind, and then, it became really hot. Silvana moaned with alarm, but before the flames could touch her, a pull on the leash made her stagger forward. This time, the one leading her didn’t stop, and the exhausted girl refused to go on.

»Mhhrrmm!«

There was a sharp pain on her buttock, and before she had even fully realized what was happening, it was followed by an equally painful slap to her other buttock. Finally realizing she was getting spanked, Silvana stepped forward, following the lead of the leash in a slow pace.

She had no idea where she was going. The road was uneven and steep, and more than once, she threatened to slip and fall. However, before this could happen, there was always a strong hand on her arm or side to assist her. The unknown aid, however, was most likely the same man who slapped her butt whenever she threatened to slow down too much.

On and on, they walked, following the curvy and steep path. From time to time, Silvana bumped against her fellow captive, but Abina was most likely as helpless as her, and as unaware of where their involuntary trip was heading.

The trip was strenuous, but despite her fighting to catch breath, and her skin being covered with sweat, Silvana more and more realized another detail: the air was getting colder, telling them they were on their way up the mountains.

***