The wrong Side of the River 6

Franz Joseph Stein shared his first name with the Prince of Liechtenstein, but that was where the similarities ended. It would have been an insult to call him mentally challenged – after all, Franz had finished school, though it had taken him two years longer than his fellows, and in his job as a farmhand, it wasn’t required to read books or to calculate above 50. At least, he had a lot of free time in the winter, and an advantage of being slow in the uptake was that he didn’t get bored easily.

Today had even been an exciting day. It had started with a snowball fight; actually, with his 18 years, Franz was a bit too old for participating, but it was fun nevertheless, and there was Gerda, his neighbour’s daughter, whom he had hoped to get in »close combat«, so he could see her reddened cheeks and hold her tight, only setting her free after she had bought him off with a kiss.

During the last weeks, Franz had thought a lot about Gerda, and he knew that in the summer, he would finally dare to ask her out for the dance. Until then, however, he was alone with his wishes and desires, and though he knew how he could calm himself down, his right hand just wasn’t a replacement for Gerda.

The day had brought another excitement when one of the cottages rented to people from the »outer world«, most of them coming from neighbouring countries, had burnt down, luckily without casualties. Once the flames had died down, he and the other kids had rummaged through the debris, to find something of interest.

Here, however, Franz had been less lucky than his friends. Knowing about his mental abilities, they had left him with two magazines written in a foreign language whilst they had gotten the better loot. Max had a silk underskirt, and Egon even one of these things he had only seen in a catalogue so far: a white, lacy thing, similar to underpants, but finer, and worn by women only. Franz had secretly cut out the picture in the catalogue, and sometimes, he imagined Gerda in one of those.

The magazines didn’t hold such pictures, and so, Franz strolled through the hills when he realized he had come close to the hut where the strange Austrian woman lived on her own. He knew that she hardly showed up, and he had only spoken to her once. Then, he noticed the many tracks in the snow; obviously, she had visitors, and he now remembered she had been among the women who had shooed him and his friends from the ruins.

»I wonder what they are all doing in there!«

Whenever Gerda was with the other girls, there was a lot of giggling, and whenever they saw him or one of the other guys, they sent him away. Franz wanted to know which secrets they might have, and so, he sneaked closer, trying to listen at the door.

To his surprise, he couldn’t hear a word. Another thought came up within his mind: if they were all gone, he could have a look inside!

His brain worked overtime, for he even had the idea of knocking before entering: if there was someone he hadn’t heard, he could still pretend that he had just wanted to see if they were all right. So, he slammed his fist against the door.

»Mmhhmmmmm! Uuuhmmmm!«

Franz’ first reaction was to step back, for there was someone inside. Then, he thought twice, and he wondered why the woman inside hadn’t asked him who he was or what he wanted. He knocked again, waiting to be scolded. Instead, there was again this high-pitched mew.

»Maybe, she’s sick!«

He was about to fetch his mother, but then, another idea came up. Franz was almost surprised how many thoughts his brain could produce at once.

»If it’s me who helps her, she will be grateful, and if Gerda sees me with her, she will maybe become jealous!«

So, he tried the door, finding it locked. The fact that the key stuck from the outside didn’t bother him, he just turned it and entered the hut.

»Mhhmmmmm!«

His jaw dropped almost to his chest when he looked at the bed. There, tied to the four posts, a woman was lying – not the blonde Austrian, but the redhead from the burnt cottage. She was looking much like the women in the catalogue, with her stockings clipped to a silk belt around her waist, the cream-coloured panties with the lace trimming, and the matching thing that looked a bit like a camisole, but only covered her heaving breasts. The lower half of her face was covered by a cloth, and when he kept staring at her, she mewed impatiently.

»You are the Englishwoman! And you are bound and gagged!«, Franz concluded, earning him an eyeroll and an annoyed grunt. The young man felt for his knife, only to remember he had lost it to Max in a poker game two days previously. Shrugging, he sat down on the bed and began to loosen the knots on her ankle. He needed a bit longer than he had thought, not only because the knots were tight, but because he couldn’t take his eyes from the scantily clad redhead. Her belly button, her shapely legs in the slightly shimmering stockings, the heaving breasts, the panties-.

»Uhmm. Mhrrmmph! Ghhummm!«

»I am working as fast as I can!«, he stated. Nevertheless, she continued mumbling through her gag, and once he had freed her legs, she unruly fidgeted. Loosening her arm ties gave him an even better look on her breasts, and when he bent over the bed to free her left wrist, he could feel their soft touch at his belly.

Whilst he was still fighting with the last knot, Fiona had ripped the cloths from over her mouth and spa out the dreadful sock. She coughed and licked her lips and was about to tell this boy a thing or two about how to  quickly free a woman in distress when she thought different. Once her arms were free, she hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

»Thank you!«, she breathed, and the dimly grin on his face told her what she already had assumed: this guy wouldn’t be able to multiply seven by five. Fiona let her hands brush over his arms and asked for the name of her saviour. Franz needed two attempts to stammer his name, and Fiona smiled again, straightening her shoulders so her breasts stood out a bit more.

»Franz, my hero! Could you do one more favour for me? Even if I can only pay with a kiss?«

She had then kissed his lips, and if she had asked him to remove the Alps between here and the Swiss border, he would at least have tried. Instead, she begged him to search the box with the clothes for her, something he did a bit reluctantly for it meant leaving the hut. Fiona rewarded him by letting hi watch as she put on her trousers, socks and boots. Before she put on her sweater, too, she put her arms behind her back, so her boobs were thrust out. With a hoarse voice, she asked:

»Do you have a gun, Franz?«

Had he been a bit less confused or a little smarter, he would have made a remark about the gun in his pants, but now, he just stammered:

»A-a sho-shotgun!«

That was better than nothing, and when she unclasped her bra, letting the cups slide down a little, and asked him to get it for her, he stumbled away quite fast, though he was walking a bit bow-legged. Even in her impatient state, Fiona knew it had taken him just ten minutes to get the shotgun. Fiona, who still hadn’t put on the sweater, let her bra sink down, allowing him to see her breasts. He was still panting when she had fully dressed. When she had closed her coat and put on a cap and gloves, she kissed him a last time.

»I have to go now, Franz, but I am sure we will meet again! In the meantime, you may look inside the box if you find a souvenir!«

She had gone before his mind had formed a reply. Franz blinked; then, he bent over the box. It was filled with all kinds of clothes, including-

When he left the hut some time later, he grinned like a Cheshire Cat, and his pockets bulged from a bra and no less than three pairs of panties. Franz had no idea these actually were Eva’s, not Fiona’s; in his eyes, he had found the pot of gold, and if the redhead had told the truth, he would even meet her again!

***

After a whispered communication with Romy, the brunette left the house, and Trixi positioned herself in a way she could have an eye on all five captives. She told Lilly to get the knife and the coiled rope, and to cut several lengths of about two yards. Lilly held the knife in her hand, and she thought of a desperate attack. However, it was just a pocketknife, and Trixi not only was the better trained fighter, she also had the advantage of a gun. So, she obeyed and prepared the ropes, knowing they would be used to restrain them further.

They waited in silence, if one didn’t count the French whispers of Nesrin and Marguerite, or the occasional grunt or whimper from Eva who still was coping with having to chew on another woman’s used panties. Lilly knew that none of this had happened to the blonde if they hadn’t used her as a payment for Daisy, and to know that in Germany, things would only get worse for her made her feel even guiltier.

A hum came from the outside, and Marguerite, to whom the sound was new, gasped. The others, however, recognized it as the sound of a motorcycle, most likely the BMW from the barn. Little later, Romy entered, her face reddened.

»Phew, I had to shuffle the snow from the barn until here! Next time, we use our captives to do the heavy works!«

She wasn’t really angry, though, and she had even found the time for a prank. She took two small icicles she had broken from the gutter, and she pushed her hand between Nesrin and Marguerite, placing one in the front of each of their panties. Immediately, the girls squirmed and squealed, trying in vain to shake off the cold intruders. Trixi chuckled.

»Maybe, it will warm you up to think of something to keep these four entertained once we are gone! I currently ran out of inspiration!«

Somehow, the sweet, girlish smile on Romy’s face made Lilly shudder even more than Trixi’s cold one. The brunette seemed to ponder, letting her eyes wander over the four damsels and finally ending up with the naked Daisy. She picked a bunch of the ropes Lilly had cut; then, she also took the stick, swinging it as she approached the Black.

»A stick to keep you docile!«, she joked. To Lilly’s relief, she didn’t hit Daisy. Instead, she pushed it between Daisy’s neck and the pillar she was leaning against, tying it in that position with one of the ropes.

»Will you be obedient?«, Romy asked, and Trixi assured:

»Oh, she definitely will be!«

She grabbed Lilly’s hair and pulled her close to her, forcing her to watch the scene. Lilly shuddered when something entered her panties, and she mewed when she realized it was the barrel of the Luger brushing over her pubic mound.

With her friend threatened, Daisy offered no resistance when Romy loosened her handcuffs and forced her to stretch her arms to her sides. Then, she tied her arms to the stick, starting at the wrists, and also tying her above and below the elbows and at her shoulders. When Daisy looked like a sitting crucified woman, she slung another rope around her neck, crossed it and brought the ends behind the pillar. When she tied it off, Daisy’s upper body was pressed against the pillar, and the harsh rope uplifted her breasts a little whilst also adding discomfort to her ribs.

»Give me your foot!«, Romy then ordered, positioning herself behind Daisy’s right arm. Trixi pushed the barrel a bit harder against Lilly’s private parts, and so, Daisy raised her leg until Romy could grab her ankle and tie it to the stick, taking care the knots were out of reach of her fluttering fingers. When the procedure had been repeated to her other foot, Daisy sat with her legs splayed, a position not only inconvenient, but uncomfortable.

»Phew, I can smell her pussy from here!«, Trixi crowed, and Daisy’s chest heaved from embarrassment as only her dark skin hid her blushing cheeks. Whilst the blonde still played with Lilly, Romy slung a doubled rope around Daisy’s waist. The Black tried to steel herself for the expected crotch rope, but the brunette just left the ends dangle over her pubic mound. She rose and went upstairs, only to return with a wicker basket she placed on the table. Humming, she collected a few items she hid under her sweater when she approached Daisy again.

»Do you know the story of Ham?«, she asked, and Daisy looked at her with contempt. Of course, she knew the story of Ham, the sun of Noah who had laughed when his father had been sleeping in the nude, drunk. Ham, the forefather of all Blacks, who had been condemned that his offspring would be lumberjacks and water-carriers for all eternity. For centuries, this story had been one of the justifications for slavery, or, later, to deny Blacks qualified jobs.

»Well, since you are meant to be a washwoman anyway, you can also continue what you have begun!«

Having said so, she stuffed the black pair of panties into Daisy’s mouth that had been there before, when Tiny Tim had gagged her. They were Trixi’s, who preferred black because it allowed her to wear them longer without them looking dirty. They were still damp, but the gag had grown bigger, as Romy had wrapped the panties around one of Trixi’s sweaty socks. Daisy retched, but Romy forced the wad as deep as she could and then tied a stocking tightly between her victim’s lips. Obviously not satisfied, she produced a scarf, a piece of rope and another stick, some ten inches in length and with metal rings on both ends.

»I found this in the barn, maybe, it belongs to some bridle! Well, that fits!«

She tied the scarf over Daisy’s mouth and nose. Then, feeling for her mouth, she wedged the stick between her lips and used the rope to force it deeper, tying the ends off behind the pillar. Now, Daisy was not only gagged even harder, she could hardly move her head.

»You bastards!«, Lilly blurted. Romy shook her head.

»Oh no, she’s loving it! Listen, she’s even laughing!«

Romy grabbed one of Daisy’s ankles and started tickling her sole. The poor black writhed in her unyielding bonds, twitching and trembling whilst grunting and squealing from forced giggling. Lilly pleaded her to stop, and Romy withdrew.

»Well, if you will help me a little, I will give her a break!«

She bent over Daisy’s foot again, and Lilly agreed. Romy pointed at Marguerite and Nesrin who were still trapped in their involuntary embrace.

»If you manage to get their panties without untying a single knot, I promise that neither Trixi nor I will tickle your friend anymore!«

It was a terrible choice, but looking at Daisy, seeing her so helpless in her tight predicament and still fighting to catch breath, she approached the other two, examining their bondage. Their legs were unbound, but the rope between their legs, forcing them to remain standing, would be a challenge.

She started with Marguerite, gently taking her arm and telling her to stand straight. The difference in sizes mean that now, there was some inches between the rope and her crotch. Lilly pulled the panties down to the rope, and Marguerite let out a fluttering breath when her buttocks were exposed. Lilly brushed over her back.

»Sorry, Dear!«

Marguerite nodded and with a forced smile, she whispered:

»I hadn’t gotten used to these things anyway!«

Lilly also had to chuckle. Being born and raised in the 18th century, Marguerite hadn’t been used to panties at all, and since then, she had more often been gagged with them than wearing some.

She then pulled one side down, testing both the seams and Marguerite’s litheness to the limit to get them over one knee. Then, getting them from one leg was easier, and once she had managed that, she could slide them down the other leg and place them on the floor, as Romy demanded.

Nesrin still wore the panties she had been wearing during her first abduction, cotton panties with white and purple stripes. They had elastics in them, but since Nesrin was smaller, she still was more or less sitting on the rope. Lilly pulled them down, exposing her butt and pubic mound, and she heard the oppressed gasp when Marguerite felt Nesrin’s pubic hair touch her upper thighs. A bit clueless, Lilly thought how she could get the panties.

»Eh bien, pour Désirée!«

Marguerite suddenly squatted, and for a moment, Lilly thought she wanted to place a kiss on Nesrin’s private parts. However, she tightened her arms that were tied around the other and then, she lifted her from the ground.

»Aller!«, she ached, and Lilly quickly pulled down the panties and had just pulled one leg out of them when marguerite had to lower Nesrin down, panting heavily.

»Don’t you dare telling me I am fat!«, Nesrin breathed, and the three girls laughed, for a moment forgetting the direness of the moment. However, Romy’s order to place the panties beside Marguerite’s reminded Lilly of that.

»Right! Now, we can make sure these two lovebirds will be even closer!«

She told Lilly to do exactly as she did. Then, she handed her some of the ropes and stepped behind Marguerite. Reluctantly, Lilly went behind Nesrin’s back.

The brunette now tied Nesrin's left and Marguerite's right elbow together, and Lilly did the same on the other side, apologizing whilst doing so. She knew that now, they no longer would be able to part their boobs, even if they leaned back, on the cost of pressing their pubic mounds together. In addition, they would still be helpless, even if they somehow managed to free their hands.

»No, no, no!«

Romy examined Lilly’s ropework, considering it too loose, though their elbow joints were tied together . She removed the rope and retied it, this time making the joints crunch against each other, causing Nesrin to whimper.

»I told you to do exactly as I did! Now, I have to punish you!«

She told Lilly to bent forward and grab her ankles. Then, stepping behind her, she pulled down her panties and spanked her exposed buttocks, ten times, slapping her hard.

»Next time, I take my belt – and your Gypsy friend gets it, too!«

Lilly wanted to pull the panties up, but Romy had stepped on them, leaving her no choice but to step out of them, her butt still tingling.

»Aww, how naughty!«

Trixi had discovered her narrow strip of pubic hair, and now, both her captors examined it, in a way Lilly was almost glad when she was ordered to tie Nesrin’s knees. Not wanting to get the treatment again, she pulled the ropes tight this time. When she was finished, she noticed that Romy hadn’t tied her knees together, but only fixed a two foot stick to one knee. She examined Nesrin’s bonds and seemed pleased this time. Then, she told her to grab Nesrin’s ankles whilst she took Marguerite’s.

»All right, on three, we both pull! One – two – three!«

As they pulled, both Marguerite and Nesrin landed on their knees. Since the carpet was thick, it didn’t hurt much, but now, the rope between both their legs that held them to the ceiling beam had tightened and dug deep into both girls’ clefts. In addition, their pubic mounds now no longer merely touched, but they constantly grinded against each other. At least, they did as Romy had adjusted the stick and tied Marguerite’s other knee to it, so her thighs were splayed, bringing her and Nesrin’s breasts and crotches in line.

»Good girl!«, Romy purred, patting Lilly’s back before unclasping her bra with one finger, »Now take that off!«

With her being stark naked now, too, Lilly was given her »reward« by Romy:

»You may choose which of you gets which gag! However, none of you is allowed to take her own panties!«

To the two panting captives, she said in French:

»You may kiss now – or get spanked, whatever you prefer!«

For about a minute, there was no sound but an occasional chortle from Nesrin and Marguerite who had had an easy choice, and the slight rustling from Romy who did something behind Lilly’s back. Her choice took a little longer.

Nesrin’s panties were quite substantial, and they had been worn or used as a gag not only by her. In addition, they had joined them, so to say, on all of their adventures. However, Marguerite would easier be able to cope with Nesrin’s used underwear than her own, though these had only been worn by her for a few hours. With a sigh, she balled up the white and purple garment, but Romy interrupted her, throwing her three sweaty woollen socks.

»Wrap the panties around these! And turn them inside out first!«

She even repeated the order in French, so Marguerite would know what was coming, too. Lilly knew that all delay would only make things worse, and so, she wrapped Nesrin’s panties around the sock that looked the smallest and cleanest before she approached the French. Marguerite kissed Nesrin’s lips one last time, and when she caught the fragrance of the panties, she whispered:

»At least, the sock has got a sweet coating!«

She opened her mouth wide, and Lilly tried to be as gentle as possible, but it took her some effort, and Marguerite couldn’t oppress some retching as the gag was pushed deeply into her oral cavity. Next was Nesrin, who tried to accept the gag consisting of Lilly’s (or rather Romy’s) white lacy panties and one of her socks with the same dignity as Marguerite.

Romy secured the gags with stockings she used as tight cleave gags, pushing the panties even deeper. Then, she produced two ropes she had tied to an »X«.

»Since you love kissing so much, you may do so for your entire captivity!«

»Maybe, even for the rest of your life!«, Trixi added with a chuckle. She aided Romy in tying the connected ropes between Marguerite’s and Nesrin’s lips, placing the knot in between, so they could force their lips close to a permanent kiss. When the knots were tied at their napes, the two Nazis turned towards Romy who felt very naked and vulnerable under their prying eyes.

They worked together, quickly, but efficiently. Romy slung a doubled rope around Lilly’s waist, threading the ends between her legs, but not tightening the crotch rope yet, whilst Trixi tied her wrists palm to palm, even tying her thumbs with a shoelace. Then, Romy tied her victim’s legs at the thighs, above and below the knees, and at her ankles, whilst Trixi tied her elbows together, crunching her joints, and using two ropes, one forcing even her upper arms closer together. Lilly whimpered, but Romy finished her job by tying her big toes with the second shoelace. Her whimpers became groans and squeals of pain as the crotch rope was tightened repeatedly, until it had disappeared from view where it went between her labia. The ends were pulled over her wrist bonds and then brought back to the front again, fixing her arms and pulling her hands into her cleft. Again, there was much pulling, tightening and adjusting, accompanied by Lilly now whining, the tears running down her cheeks, until the rope was finally tied off.

»Phew, how can a little girl be so loud?«

Lilly, who stood there, her chest heaving, expected to be gagged with Marguerite’s panties now. However, Trixi picked those that had hooded Daisy before. They were the same size, but they had soaked the Black’s sweat, and they came from the dirty laundry instead of the clothesline. Trixi turned them inside out and wrapped them around a big sweaty sock.

»The panties are Romy’s, the sock is mine – so, you have got a reminder of both of us!«

The massive gag was stuffed into Lilly’s mouth and before a stocking was tied between her lips, Romy pulled Marguerite’s panties over her head, so her lips touched the silk, and she had to smell her scent. Above the cleave, she tied a knotted cloth and finally wrapped a few rounds of tape over the whole lot. Trixi ensured the efficiency of the gag by a pull on the crotch rope, and then, Lilly was ordered to hop over to Daisy, several slaps on her buttocks accompanying the short, but strenuous trip.

»Close friends, even closer now!«

Romy now grabbed the loose ends of the noose around Daisy’s waist and brought the knot to her back. Then, before threading the ends through her rope belt, she pushed them through Lilly’s toe tie. When she pulled, Lilly, who was pushed by Trixi, slid forward, her feet pushed under Daisy’s exposed middle, and when the crotch rope was pulled between her labia, accompanied by a throaty groan from Daisy, her toes were trapped in her middle. Romy tied the knots off and rose.

»It’s only fair, since you kept her toes warm, too!«

Lilly was still coping with the line of fire between her legs, but now, she felt another touch down there, soft, and accompanied by small blows of hot air. She realized it was Daisy’s nose, now forced to touch her pubic mound. Romy looked there and with an almost gentle gesture, she peeled the cloth from Daisy’s nose, so she had direct skin-to-skin contact with Lilly. Then, she took one last rope and threaded it through Lilly’s crotch rope before tying the ends off behind Daisy’s neck. This rope was loose enough not to hurt, but now, Lilly could only slightly lean back, and even then, she was still so close that her pubic hair tickled the tip of Daisy’s nose.

»Just for one last thing! I am not sure if you have noticed, but there is a slight draught in here! Nothing too bad, but if we would light a candle, it would flicker occasionally! Or, it could cause a light piece of wool to move in the breeze!«

She produced a ball of wool and cut ten pieces, each some four inches long.

»Threads like these!«, she added, handing five of them to Trixi. One by one, they tied them to Daisy’s toes, and the Black let out an oppressed pant as they brushed over her soles. Lilly understood the perfidy of the arrangement: if daisy got tickled, not only would she suffer, but Lilly would get an extra dose of humiliation when her friend would scream and sputter into her crotch. It reminded her of her role as a »human vibrator« in India, and she shuddered.

Trixi and Romy now put on their coats, shawls, caps and gloves before they grabbed the ball tied Eva, placing her inside the side wagon. Trixi mounted the bike and started the engine when Romy returned for one last time.

»We don’t want you to freeze – at least not immediately!«

She filled the oven with new logs. Then, she admired the four naked, bound and gagged captives for a last time.

»Have fun!«

Romy deliberately slammed the door shut, knowing it would cause some turbulences in the air. Then, she climbed on the seat behind Trixi and they drove off. The snow didn’t allow them to drive faster than some ten mph, but their goal was less than 20 kilometres away. So, they hoped they would be there within the next 60 to 90 minutes.

***

»I think that must have been every tear I held back since I was abducted from Africa!«

Sayana was lying in Tiny Tim’s arms, and all the time she had cried her heart out, he had held her tight. He hadn’t spoken, but caressed her, making her feel warm and safe, and allowing her to finally melt the iceberg of unresolved problems lasting on her soul. Now, Sayana felt exhausted, but at the same time, she felt as good as she hadn’t done for a long time.

»Maybe, for decades«, she thought and smiled. Tiny Tim saw it and bent forward, kissing her. It turned into a passionate kiss, and then, she felt his hand on her breast, and she withdrew slightly.

»So, me crying turns you on!«

He grinned and pinched her nipple, so she gasped. Then, with a more tender expression, he looked at her and stated:

»It turns me on that I could help you finally get these tears from your soul!«

With a sigh, she sank against him, and then, she felt his hand on the scar at her back. It no longer hurt when he touched her there, but it sent warm, blissful tingles through her body. Sayana felt how her nipples grew hard, and when he kissed them, she moaned with pleasure. To her surprise, the Gurkha then left the bed, and she saw him pick up one of the panties and the silk stocking.

»What’s that for?«, she complained, and he reached for the scarf he had used previously and tied her wrists behind her back, firmly, but not too tight. Then, he balled up the panties.

»Well, I thought that you are no longer a sad witch now, and that you would like to celebrate your newborn happiness with me!«

His finger wandered over her body, playfully poking into her belly button before he brushed over her pubic area.

»And it seems that after all these tears, you haven’t dried out completely, sweet Sayana!«

He began to massage her clit, and she let out a fluttering breath. Then, she looked at the panties he still held in his left.

»You want to gag me!«

»Only for your own safety!«

When she wanted to ask how that was meant, he pushed the balled up garment into her mouth and secured it with the stocking. Then, he continued to caress her, and whilst biting her earlobe, he whispered:

»We are in the high mountains – at least, what the Europeans call high mountains! And loud noises can cause avalanches!«

***

Fiona had avoided the path and approached the house from behind. So, she had only seen and heard the motorcycle when Trixi had started the machine. She cursed. Her hideout was too far away to cause real damage with a shotgun, and before she had worked herself to the high snow, the bike would have left.

She turned around, storming back to where she had come from. The path made a curve she could avoid, and if she ran as fast as the ground allowed, she would be at the crossing before the bike. There, on the turn to the right, was a bush behind which she would wait. It was the road leading to the Austrian border, or the German border, since last year. They would run directly into her shot.

Fiona felt her lungs ache, and she panted heavily, but she indeed reached the crossing when the bike was still fighting over the last hill, and she slid in the ditch behind the bush, placing the barrel on a branch and aiming at the approaching bike. The crossing was some 40 yards away, and once they had taken the turn, she would have to wait a few seconds until the double load of shot would be as lethal as a bullet.

She put a bit of snow into her mouth to hide her breath as the bike became visible. In the side wagon, she could see a head wildly moving and turning, and despite the headscarf, shawl and sunglasses, she guessed it was Eva Heyden. Fiona cocked the rifle. 20 seconds, and the German Abwehr would have some losses.

Then, she watched with disbelief as the bike, having reached the crossing, turned for the right and then accelerated, moving away from both the Austrian border and the waiting Fiona.

***