Penitence 17

Only the blonde henchman had stayed back in the cellar, having an eye at the now seven captives, though he could actually not have his eyes on Carmen locked inside the Iron Maiden.

However, the man did not complain, as there was enough naked flesh from him to look at. Babette was the most exposed, tied to the Andreas’ Cross, whilst the others showed more movement, due to their bondage.

Both Melissa and Gabriela were forced to a perpetual kiss, bent forward and their gagged mouths pressed together. The touching of their lips was the only pleasant part of it, as they constantly felt tugs and pulls on their crotch ropes, and their gags forced them to drool on Kim who had to sit between them, constantly writhing and squirming. Her tied knees were tied to Gabriela’s crotch rope and thus even pulled on it if she was not moving, and she desperately tried to get her braid from between Melissa’s legs. Melissa would have loved if she succeeded, for the rubbing and massaging of the soft hair felt irritating, and she definitely didn’t want to have another woman’s body parts there – well, except for Gabriela.

Johanna could have been sitting more or less in quiet, but on her lap, Inga was squirming, pressing her thrust out boobs against her face as she tried to cope with her agonizing crotch rope that was fixe to her gag and forced her head back.

The door opened, and Jean appeared, mockingly scolding the blonde for not paying attention to guarding the entrance. He added some more information in the French dialect they all spoke, and the blonde showed a grin whilst Jean stepped forward and picked something from the floor. It was Inga’s discarded bikini bottom, and the Black sniffed on it with a grin before he left the room again. The blonde let his eyes wander over the captives and announced:

»Expect a few changes, Ladies – though maybe not for the better!«

***

 At the living room, Miranda was forced to wait together with Ben and the last of his henchmen. Whilst one still guarded the main entrance and the other checked the surveillance cameras, he had sent Jean downstairs and another to fetch one of the cars. Ben’s expression indicated that he had a plan that involved her, and she was sure she would either fear or hate it.

When the two men had returned, Ben allowed both to sit down at the couch and to take some Whiskey, though only a small sip. Then, he ordered Miranda to get in the middle of the room.

»Strip!«

With four pairs of eyes staring at her, Miranda would have liked to refuse, but she didn’t dare. With trembling fingers, she opened the zipper of her dress and let it slide to the floor. Since she had been forced to take off her pantyhose and panties before, she was naked except for her bra, if one didn’t count the agonizing crotch rope. Miranda blushed, but she unclasped the bra and took it off, too.

»You are really a beauty, Miranda!«

Obviously disappointed by her lack of reaction, Ben added:

»Your Master just made you a compliment!«

Miranda gulped.

»Th-thank you – Master!«

She dropped a curtsey, though this caused the crotch rope to bite her slightly more. Ben smiled and rose from his armchair.

»What do you say, Miranda – would you like to get out of this whole mess, alive and with only your dignity harmed a little?«

»Y-yes, Master!«, Miranda replied, aware that Ben surely had something devious in mind for her. The man brushed over her cheek, and she shuddered, though the gesture was gentle.

»If you do as I say, and with a little bit of luck, this can come true very soon! By a chance of, let’s say, 90 %, you will be free within one hour, and the next one after me and my men looking at your boobs will be the lucky Policemen who set you free! What are you, a 34B or C?«

»D-depends on the b-brand, Master!«, Miranda breathed, blushing all over. Ben kept caressing her cheek, but held his other hand open behind his shoulder, and Jean put something inside. When he handed it to Miranda, she recognized it was Inga’s bikini bottom.

»You know what my next order will be, Miranda?«

Despondently, she looked at the off-white garment that seemed quite substantial. She was sure that she sensed a slight fragrance.

»P-put them i-into my m-mouth?«

Ben smiled.

»Actually, that would have been my second order! Before, turn them inside out and kiss the crotch part!«

He stepped back, and he and his henchmen watched as Miranda did as she was told, retching and chortling as she worked the whole big wad behind her teeth. Jean sealed her mouth with a few rounds of tape, but except for making her ball her fists and taping her hands, he left her untied. Ben took something from the man who had fetched the car, and when he held it like a cigar, Miranda’s eyes widened: it was a dynamite stick.

»Mhhmmph! Nnnggggg!«

Jean grabbed her arms from behind, and she squirmed as Ben pushed the stick into her crotch rope. Miranda trembled like aspen foliage, and when she was led in front of the door, she didn’t dare to take big steps, in the irrational fear the dynamite would explode.

She was made to sit down on the Audi’s driver’s seat. The crotch rope dug in deeper as she had to sink onto the leather, and she cringed and mewed. Jean produced two zip ties and fixed her taped hands to the wheel. Then, he grabbed her ankles, forced her legs into a Lotus position and fixed her ankles with some rounds of tape, so she had to keep that position. As a final security measure, a rope was tied around her neck and fixed to the headrest; loose enough it didn’t block Miranda’s breathing, but preventing her to bend forward. Ben opened the window before he closed the door, and whilst Miranda tried to cope with her bonds, he called another of his men.

»Barrot, please, prepare the car for its last ride! If you work quick, you may find time to play with Miranda’s boobs a bit before we leave!«

The man mockingly saluted, and Miranda saw him grab a roll of tape he used to obviously fix something to various places on the car’s body whilst the others went back into the mansion. Finally, he taped something to the centre of the front window, and when Miranda saw it, she screamed into her gag: it were some dynamite sticks, taped together and wrapped by coloured wires.

***

Johanna looked up when again, the door was opened and two of Ben’s henchmen entered. Without a word, they loosened Inga’s arms and forced them behind the girl’s back, tying her wrists with zip ties. One of them stepped behind her and pushed his hands through her arms, cupping her breasts, whilst his comrade freed her ankles and managed to secure them with a second cable binder. Like that, the struggling and fuming Swede was carried away, once again leaving the other captives alone.

***

Inga stared at Ben, trying not to hyperventilate. The one henchman still was groping her boobs from behind, and the other had cut the rope forcing her head backwards, but retied the dangling end of her crotch rope so it still was chaffing her soft flesh. Ben seemed to enjoy the Swede’s helpless rage as he brushed over her cheek.

»Inga, your eyes say that you consider me a criminal bastard or worse, but you will sure admit that I am also a veritable gangster boss, though I prefer seeing me as a businessman!«

His smile showed that he himself didn’t see much of a difference between both professions. Inga stared daggers at him, and he added:

»A gangster boss of course steals only from the best! So, I want to make you an offer you cannot refuse!«

When he noticed a glimpse of curiosity in the girl’s blue eyes, he explained:

»Miranda mentioned it was you who flew the helicopter when you – fetched Johanna! So, I am quite sure you can also fly the chopper to a spot I will name to you, some 200 miles from here!«

Inga’s chest heaved, but she didn’t utter a sound.

»Of course, you may refuse, forcing us to have a last stand with the Police! And sure, this will end with me and my men either be killed or arrested – an image you sure appreciate! However, if it comes to that, you will no longer be alive to enjoy it – and your last minutes will not only be painful, but if any of my men wants to have one last fuck before his demise, I won’t stop him!«

It was frightening how his friendly smile turned into a frightening grimace just by Ben’s eyes changing their expression. He meant what he said, and so, when he asked her if she could fly the helicopter, even if it was full of people, she nodded reluctantly. Ben produced a collar with a chain attached to it Inga remembered from them leading Johanna around; now, it was her turn to get it tied around her neck where it was secured by a small padlock. Whilst the man who had carried her by her feet cut the zip tie around her ankles and replaced it by a pair of handcuffs, Ben explained:

»I have been sitting on the passenger seat of a chopper often enough to know that the pilot needs both his hands and feet to operate the thing, so, they will be freed once you are there! There is, however, no need to ungag you, as you won’t have to speak to someone at the tower or so, and there’s also no need of you wearing an overall! Oh, and please, don’t forget that both my men are not only wearing guns, but also know how to use them!«

The man behind Inga gave her breasts free, but his comrade pulled on the leash, forcing her to follow him and the other gangster towards the rear exit.

***

Inspector Criminal Alvarez had read about the mixture of tedium and tension during prolonged sieges, and now, he could experience it was perfectly true. The SWAT team leader and his men, who were more experienced with such situations, seemed almost relaxed; one always kept an eye on the entrance, but his comrades either played games on their cell phones or dozed beside the van.

From time to time, they got reports from the second group via the radio: they had more or less encircled the areal, and Alvarez once again called the central, demanding more men. He sweated under his Kevlar vest, but since the others still wore theirs, he didn’t dare to take it off.

»What’s the worst that can happen – I mean, apart from them having a nuclear bomb?«, he asked the SWAT leader, trying to sound casual. The man put down his phone and scratched his head.

»Them having regular bombs whilst we have to storm the place!«

Alvarez nodded.

»Perhaps, I should call the Army, ask for some tanks?«

It was meant as a joke, but the other man didn’t laugh.

»They would indeed be helpful!«

***

»It’s like a pigeon loft in here!«, Johanna thought involuntarily when the door opened once again. This time, Ben entered alone, carrying a coiled rope and with two rolls of duct tape he wore like bracelets on his left wrist.

»Time to go! For some of you, this means Goodbye – and the others will at least be able to get out into the fresh air! Nico, a hand, please!«

Johanna watched as Ben and the blonde henchman released Babette from the Andreas’ Cross, only to tie her arms at wrists and elbows,  crushing the joints together. The blonde also taped the girl’s hands whilst Ben applied a crotch rope to her that was anchored to her wrist ties. To that, he tied another piece of rope that dangled to the girl’s feet.

Johanna was then freed from the chair; since she still sported the armbinder, all Ben did was tying a piece of rope to one of the straps that went between her legs and framed her labia. Whilst the men opened the Iron Maiden, the two girls exchanged a look. They then turned their heads towards the door. However, it was closed and instead of a handle had one of those knobs that had to be turned; with their fingers immobilized, they could not open it whilst the two men were busy with Carmen.

Johanna felt something touch her toe, and when she looked down, she saw a glass shard. Obviously, Miranda had overlooked it when she had cleaned up the mess from the shattered Whiskey bottle. She heard a muffled scream, as Carmen tried to avoid her crotch rope, and Ben had to assist Nico. She took the shard between her toes, trying to place it so they wouldn’t see it.

»That’s your fault for being disobedient!«

Ben tugged on the rope tied to Carmen’s crotch rope, and the girl answered with a squeal. To Johanna’s horror, it had been applied even tighter than Babette’s, disappearing from view between her labia. Carmen’s chest heaved, and her breasts were thrust out from the elbow tie. Ben forced her to stagger after him, and Nico grabbed the ropes tied to both Johanna’s and Babette’s crotch ropes.

Though each step meant pain between their legs, they had to get up the stairs fast-pace, and they were led out of the house where Ben yelled towards the man leaning into the open window of the Audi, fondling Miranda’s breasts.

»Barrot! Armageddon!«

»Aye!«

***

Forced to walk behind Ben and Nico, the three captives had no chance of seeing what Barrot did: the Audi was an automatic, and he pressed the »drive« button. With her legs tied, Miranda could not step on the gas, but Barrot pressed the cruise control, adjusting it to one mph. As the car slowly began to move, he said towards Miranda:

»The timer is set on five minutes! So, you better see to get close to the Policemen, so they can defuse the bomb before it gets off!«

He withdrew, seeing that his comrade had left his post at the surveillance monitors whilst the other just climbed down the roof. He grinned: during the last minutes, whilst massaging her boobs, he had explained Miranda what would happen if the dynamite would explode, enjoying how she had whimpered and writhed.

In fact, the girl was quite safe: dynamite didn’t explode so easy, and the wires wrapped around the sticks were just decoration. The only danger was if an overzealous Policeman would fire on one of them, and even then, the armoured car would leave the girl a good chance of surviving the detonation. However, he had wanted to make sure she would indeed approach the Police van after the automatic door had opened. Barrot pressed the remote control before he followed his comrades towards the helicopter.

***

As Ben had stated, Inga needed her hands and feet to operate the helicopter, but her hopes to maybe run away once they had reached the chopper had vanished. They had left her tied whilst removing the camo net, and once she had been placed on the pilot’s seat, the man had cuffed one of her ankles to the pedal. One of them took the place on the passenger seat, aiming at her as she turned the key and checked the controls. The henchman tapped onto one of the controls that he obviously understood: it showed how much fuel was left.

»Is it sufficient for 300 miles?«

Reluctantly, Inga nodded. She was tempted to pretend that they had to fill the tank, but she had done so out of routine after the last landing, and he could see that the indicator was close to »full«. In addition, she had no intention to delay their departure, risking the shootout of which Ben had warned her. Inga wasn’t a coward, but she wanted to live – and if that meant helping these criminals to make their getaway, so be it!

So, she tried to ignore that she was naked, gagged and crotch roped, did the routines and even put the sunglasses on her nose. When she started the engine, the man beside her raised his thumb and wavered it with a questioning look. Inga also raised her thumb and nodded, and he grinned.

They were ready for take-off.

***

»There!«

Once the door started to open, the SWAT team manned their positions. Alvarez also drew his gun and tried to find a place where he would be protected, but also not look cowardly.

»If they are coming to us, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?«

The team leader just grunted something, and now, a black Audi very slowly approached the door. It moved slower than a granny with a crutch, and Alvarez was getting even more nervous. Then, one of the Policemen said just one word:

»Dynamite!«

Alvarez felt a shiver run down his spine as he now could also spot the several bright red packs taped to the car’s body, with one at the centre of the front window. One of the men who was looking through the scope of his rifle said calmly:

»The woman’s behind the wheel! Looks as if she’s gagged! Shall I – stop her?«

It was clear what he meant – killing her, to stop the bomb rolling towards them. The team leader examined the car that was now just 30 yards away. After two seconds, he barked »Cover!« and approached it.

A minute later, the car had stopped, and the man grinned to his colleagues:

»It’s just decoration, the wires aren’t connected to anything!«

He waited for his colleague to give the dynamite a closer look, but he was sure that there was no booby trap – just a pair of boobs that now drew his attention.

Miranda shuddered from relief, and only the tight crotch rope prevented her from peeing onto the seat. Whilst she started to sob, she heard one of the men ask:

»What was that for?«

At that moment, they heard the distant sound of an engine. It wasn’t that of a car, but all except for Alvarez recognized it immediately!

»Fuck! The helicopter!«

***

Since they were travelling with no bigger luggage than their weapons, the two henchmen arrived faster at the helicopter and attended it whilst Ben and Nico were still on their way, pulling on the leashes so the girls staggered behind them, occasionally whimpering as the ropes sent strays of pain through their loins. Nico, struggling with two captives, had fallen a few steps behind.

Johanna’s heart sank as she saw the helicopter with its rotors already running. The last time she had been taken away, they had crossed the border and avoided the Police. In the open side door, Jean was standing whilst the other men, except the one on the passenger seat, were already cramming themselves in the passenger room behind the two seats.

»Hurry up, Boss, there’s no time for breaking horses now!«, Jean shouted over the engine’s noise when Carmen bucked at the sight of the helicopter and landed on the grass as Ben pulled on her leash. Since time was on the agenda, Jean jumped out of the chopper and helped Ben to get the struggling girl inside whilst the others reached out, more than willing to keep the naked Carmen under control.

With the others busy in the door, Nico stopped, and Johanna desperately looked over her shoulder. Above the roaring engine, she was sure that she had heard something else – maybe, the Police was approaching!

Something poked her big toe, and she felt that she still had the shard between her toes. She looked at Nico who was watching the struggle at the helicopter’s door. Since he had been pulling his unwilling captives behind himself, he rope was still taut. Johanna raised her foot and brought the shard close to it.

»I must at least try it!«

Desperately, she moved her foot back and forth, ignoring the pain in her muscles and her getting more and more out of breath. She was thoroughly gagged and wearing a tight corset, both didn’t help her stamina, but Johanna persisted.

In front of her, the men had meanwhile managed to grab Carmen and pull her inside where the men took advantage of her nudity when keeping her in a vice grip. Nico stepped forward, and he angrily yanked on Babette’s crotch rope as the girl tried to buck. Johanna had to jump forward, and she felt the shard fall to the ground. The rope looked shredded, and in a last desperate attempt, she threw herself backwards.

»Uuuhmmph!«

The rope tore, and Johanna landed on her backside. Nico, now only having to break the resistance of one captive, staggered forward, but since he had slung both ropes around his wrists, he didn’t lose the grip on Babette’s leash. The girl stared at Johanna, and now, Ben and Jean also realized what had happened.

»Sorry, Babette!«, Johanna thought and somehow managed to get on her feet and run in a swift move. Her lungs burned, and she knew that she could not run fast pace for long, but she persisted. At least, she could cause a short delay, she could-

In front of her, at the top of the hill, a man in a Kevlar armour and a helmet appeared, holding a rifle, but not daring to shoot as Johanna was directly between him and the escaping criminals. Ben shouted an order, and Nico threw Babette over his shoulder before jumping towards the chopper where the others pulled him inside whilst Inga, forced by the man on the passenger seat, brought the helicopter up.

Johanna had reached the Policeman who pulled her to the ground and aimed at the helicopter. He had seen that there was at least one hostage on board, and so, he didn’t shoot and also waved to his comrades not to do so. One man accidentally fired a shot, but only hid the skid of the helicopter that quickly gained height before it began to disappear.

Alvarez, who had meanwhile reached the spot, too, looked down at the nude woman whose ample boobs seemed to point directly at him. Forcing himself to concentrate on something more important, he barked:

»Johanna Müller?«

Johanna managed to nod, but then, exhaustion, relief and at the same time shame of her being the only one rescued took over, and she fainted.

***

Some 20 minutes later, two ambulances had arrived, and Johanna sat beside Miranda. Both had been freed and were provisionally covered with blankets by the medics who had left them alone for the moment as the Policemen had called them inside the house. Clearing his throat, Alvarez approached, trying to ignore his memory of having seen both women naked.

»Excuse me, Senoras-«, he began, and Miranda suddenly sobbed. Obviously, she had realized that, whilst the Officer definitely wasn’t as bad as Ben and his henchmen, her own role in the last days’ events would get her into serious troubles.

Johanna used an edge of the blanket to clean her glasses and wiped her own eyes before she spoke to Alvarez. Miranda had deserved to be put in jail; after all, she had participated in her own kidnapping and humiliation. However, she flet an urge to ask something:

»Officer, there is a man, a Japanese-«

Alvarez scoffed.

»Are you talking about this Sato guy? Well, he’s currently in one of our cells, and according to me, he will only leave it to be transferred to the regular prison!«

»You – you arrested him?«

»He literally stepped into my office and threatened me with a gun – only to hand himself to justice, after he had told me about you being kept prisoner here!«

The last sentence sent a turmoil of feelings through Johanna’s mind. She had to lean against the van, and when Alvarez bent down to her, asking whether she was okay, she looked at him with a strange expression.

»May I – may I talk to him?«

***

Aboard the helicopter, once they had reached altitude, Ben had bent towards Inga and told her to fly directly to the West, heading towards the open sea.

»Originally, I wanted to spend the night at Vigo, to wait for one of my freight ships arriving there! However, I will now contact the Captain! Do you think you can land the chopper on top of a row of containers?«

Inga nodded. As long as these were able to carry the weight, this was quite an easy task, as long as the sea was calm and there wasn’t too much wind. She heard Ben talk via the radio, but since he once again spoke French, she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Once he had ended the call, he told her:

»Just go course 260 degree for some 50 to 70 miles, until you spot a container freighter with the Mauritanian flag!«

***

A few hours later, at the hospital of Ferrol, Melissa rose from her bed. Once she and Gabriela had been rescued, a medic had given her a sedative, and either, he had overdosed it, or she had been in greater exhaustion than she had considered, Melissa had passed out and when she had woken up, she had been at the hospital. Some kind souls had washed her, and she was wearing a clean nightgown and a pair of fresh panties. The nurse had assured her that Gabriela was okay, and that they could see the next day, but Melissa couldn’t wait, and after two or three attempts, she managed to get out of the bed and stagger to the door.

When she stepped at the corridor, she saw the adjacent room’s door open, and Gabriela, also clad in a nightgown, stepped out. They fell into each other’s arms, and since exhaustion and relief kicked in, they sank to the floor.

»What will the nurses say, if they see us?«

Gabriela shook her head.

»Madre de Deus, after these men finding us, it can’t be worse!«

Melissa chuckled. The Policemen who had rescued them had tried to be professional – but they had obviously been overwhelmed by the presence of so much female nudity, and she was sure that at least one of them had taken photos, too. None of them had been rude, but the mixture of clumsy chivalry and staring had nevertheless been embarrassing.

»I really wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or to cry!«

Gabriela cuddled closer and breathed.

»I almost cried when-«

She hesitated and her cheeks blushed. Melissa caressed her chin.

»When what? If you can tell anyone, it should be me!«

Gabriela gulped.

»When they freed us from the gags, and our lips separated. Their touch was the only thing that prevented me from collapsing before and-«

She was unable to continue, and Melissa bridged the silence by kissing the Portuguese’s lips.

»Better?«

Gabriela looked at her, her eyes sparkling, her lips moist.

»I am not sure – maybe, we should kiss again!«

***

Sato had been lying on his bunk, trying to stay calm whilst he felt the urge to walk up and down like a tiger in its cage. He knew that no matter what the Police had achieved at the mansion, he would not be informed before the next day. So, he was surprised when the door was opened by late afternoon and Alvarez entered, accompanied by two Policemen.

»Senor Sato, you’ve got a visitor!«

Sato frowned and looked at Alvarez’ face. The Inspector had a slightly strange expression, and he wanted to ask him how the mission had ended, but the two men insisted that he came with them immediately. They escorted them to a room where on one end, a row of seats, separated by boards, was placed along a large wall made of acrylic glass. On the other side was a similar row of seats, and on one of them, a person was sitting: it was Johanna, looking tired and dishevelled, and wearing a pair of sweatpants and a T-Shirt without a bra.

He staggered towards the opposite chair and sat down, reaching out for the glass. Johanna raised her hand, and, separated by an inch of acrylic, their fingers met. A small opening allowed conversation, and with a hoarse voice, Sato stated:

»You are free!«

Johanna nodded, and with a glimpse of the smile he so much adored, she breathed:

»Thanks to you – somehow!«

Sato chuckled.

»Thanks for not blaming me for my failure, Johanna-Chan!«

For a few seconds, they just looked at each other. Then, Johanna took a deep breath and said:

»The criminals escaped – and they took Babette, Carmen and Inga with them!«

Sato had no idea who Inga was, and he didn’t care much about Carmen Vega, but the mentioning of Babette added a bitter taste to his relief about Johanna’s rescue. Even when she told him that Melissa and Gabriela were save, too, he still felt regret.

He wanted to say something, but now, a woman in a nurse’s uniform entered and insisted that Johanna accompanied her. She looked at Sato and before she left, she asked:

»May I come back tomorrow?«

Sato nodded with a sad smile.

»I am afraid that it is not me to decide – but I will wait for you, Johanna-Chan!«

***

Ben had kept up the contact to the ship’s Captain, and so, he could direct the chopper towards his position some 40 miles off the Spanish coast. The sea was calm, and once the ship’s engines had stopped, Inga landed without difficulties.

Minutes before, the men had hogtied both Carmen and Babette and draped a blanket over them. Now, the man on the passenger seat covered both Inga’s breasts and her gag with his jacket, and before Ben, two of his men left the helicopter and stopped the approaching Captain.

»Sorry for interrupting your passage, Yussuf! However, business sometimes forces a man to throw his initial plans overboard!«

The Captain took Ben’s hand, feeling a little flattered that the rich businessman remembered his name – flattered, and also a bit frightened, for he knew that though  his freight just consisted of coffee and cocoa, this man had his fingers in less unsuspicious business, too.

»Yussuf, I need your help! Can you get me and my men to Agadir?«

The Captain hesitated, and Ben added:

»Of course, we will pay you for the delay! How long do you think it will be? Two days to get there, another two to return to your original course?«

Yussuf nodded.

»I haven’t got a freight that can spoil easily, but the problem is that I am afraid we can’t anchor at the harbour of Agadir, for it’s too small for the ship!«

Ben smiled and put his hand on Yussuf’s shoulder. His grip felt like the claw of a dangerous animal, though the gesture was gentle.

»All you have to do is to get us near the coast, so we can get on land by boat! Oh, and for the time we are on board, I need a cabin for myself, plus an empty container where my men can stay, together with my – luggage!«

Yussuf nodded, and when Ben added that he wished his men to be undisturbed, he promised that he would give orders to leave the container alone. Ben’s smile turned considerably warmer, and he shook the Captain’s hand.

»I hope that 10.000 Dollar will compensate you and your crew for the delay and the unpleasantries! That’s 10.000 per day, of course!«

Yussuf nodded, and he left to give orders and talk to his first mate. 40 Grand would be more than five times what they would earn on the regular trip – and yet, he would do everything that his men avoided the guests, and he would feel as if a heavy weight had been taken from his chest once Ben and his henchmen had left, together with their chopper and their ominous »luggage«.

Ben returned to the helicopter and gave order to his men to put Inga in a hogtie and place her on the chopper’s floor, too. When she protested, he said:

»Oh, you thought that I would really let you go after you flew us out! I really intended to do so, but unfortunately, I lost Johanna, and as I just said, business sometimes forces a man to throw his initial plans overboard!«

His shrug showed not the slightest regret, and Babette had to oppress a hysteric giggle when the Swede was placed beside her.

»At least, I am not the only naïve one around here!«

***

Back at his cell, Sato decided to do some exercise, and since he had little choice in what to do, he started by doing push-ups. In front of his eyes, he not only saw Johanna, but also Babette, and he knew one thing:

He had helped in rescuing Johanna, but that didn’t mean his penitence was over. On the contrary, it just had begun.

The End