Blonde Needles in a Giant Haystack 4

Time passed slowly as the three girls were in their hotel room, waiting for Sato’s call. Johanna had left shortly to organize a rent car, and they had ordered some drinks and snacks, but most of the time, they just stared at the two cell phones lying side by side, or they checked them for any new messages.

»Now I know how my first boyfriend must have felt when I promised I would call him and let him wait!«, Melissa sighed, and though Gabriela chuckled, she reached for Melissa’s hand, as if to assure herself that she was no longer longing for the young man.

It was about 3 pm when finally a message arrived at Gabriela’s phone:

»Low batt, therefore short message: meet me at where we made movie, prepare for trip. Regards, S.«

»Sorry, Johanna, not even a heart emoji for you! You really should think twice about dating him!«

Johanna produced a sound between a scoff and a gasp.

»We are not dating! Actually, if he hadn’t left me bound and gagged in his room, I could still be on the cruise ship and work on my next novel!«

Melissa giggled.

»I hope that binding women isn’t his way of asking out, for if so, you would feel less unique than you think!«

Johanna, who was not sure about her feelings for Sato, changed the subject:

»He sounds as if he has got something to tell us! So, what does he mean with ›where we made movie‹?«

Gabriela informed her that their plan of saving Johanna whilst faking to offer Babette in exchange had included them making a video clip showing Babette’s »features«. She shuddered.

»Phew, this video was disgusting! I mean, we all knew that it was just fake, but – eww, just eww!«

To Johanna’s surprise, her first reaction on Sato filming other women had been a sting of jealousy. To hide her confusion, she clapped her hands.

»So, let’s get to the mall and spend some more of my hard-earned money!«

When they entered the car Johanna had rented little later, a person in a car parked on the opposite side of the road looked at them over the rim of her sunglasses.

»So, all three of them are going for a ride! If they just want to see a movie, I will follow my mother’s wish and become a lawyer!«

Ana Cardinal was just I the rank of an ordinary Police Constable, but she had absolved the Police Academy with best marks and knew that a great career was lying in front of her. At least, she had thought so until a few hours ago.

The Japanese had caught her completely off-guard, and despite him wearing handcuffs, he had knocked her out before she even knew that he had risen from his chair. Not only had he escaped whilst she had been on duty – he had also left her bound and gagged and taken off her pants. Ana still felt the embarrassing rage about her colleagues having gotten a look at her panties and seeing her in a state of helplessness.

Ana had quit the service for the day, but after having done her report of the escape, she had begun to think twice about what had happened. Had Sato really overpowered Johanna, too? The two had seemed quite familiar before the attack – perhaps, the blonde had just distracted her?

The suspicion had been a pain in the ass, and so, Ana had decided to observe the hotel where Johanna and the other kidnapping victims of their currently hottest case were staying. If they were innocent, she hadn’t wasted more than a few hours in a hot car, but if there was something rotten, she could clean the slate, and her colleagues would be impressed by her skills as a Policewoman, not by her choice of underwear.

So, she followed the car, and though she did not want things to escalate, she patted her reserve gun she had taken from her home and that was now in her holster.

***

Not sure whether anyone had seen Dalanda or even called the Police, the van’s driver had left the highway and steered the car over the gravel and behind a hill. They were out of sight from the street now, but it had come at a cost: two of the wheels had fallen victim to the sharp stones, and the criminals had found out that they only had one reserve tire.

»What keeps me from killing you here and now?«, the man with the gun shouted at Dalanda. She couldn’t answer, for he had crammed the damp nerf ball back into her mouth and secured it with tape with which he had also taped her hands behind her back. Her feet were still tied, and she sat in the load, with two of the men standing in the open door whilst the third examined the wheels.

Wassim! Dalanda now remembered the name of the angry man with the gun. He had been one of the nomads who had kept her prisoner for a few days, trying to deliver her to an ominous »Sheikh«. The other two men, one of them little more than a boy, she hadn’t seen before, but from their talking, she at least knew that the boy’s name was Ali whilst the driver was Ayoub.

Said Ayoub now appeared, in his hand a wrench.

»The front wheels are fubar! If I put the reserve wheel and one of the back wheels to the front, we could make it to the next town, but-«

»But only if we use the road!«, Wassim grimly finished the sentence, glancing at Dalanda. Had she not been gagged, she would have asked him why he, being the descendant of nomads, could not understand her wish for freedom.

Ali was checking his cell phone, and he seemed a bit shy when he told the men that they were just a few miles away from Sidi Ifni.

»So?«, Wassim asked, but he seemed rather curious than angry. A bit haltingly, Ali suggested that one of them could try to get a new tire there, maybe even a new car. Wassim just shook his head, and Ayoub patted the boy’s shoulder.

»Good idea, boy, but do you want to carry the tire all the way back? If we haven’t risen suspicion already, this would sure set someone on our heels!«

»We could get a Jeep!«, Ali defended his plan.

»From which money?«, Wassim grunted, and Ali, gaining confidence, showed a grin.

»I didn’t actually mean buying one!«

This caused a prolonged debate among the men. None of them had moral issues with stealing (at least, they were no hypocrites, Dalanda had to admit), but Wassim feared the risk of getting caught or that the Police would follow them. Dalanda hoped that they would exact their plan: even if they were successful, they would either  have to take her with them, to the city, or leave her here, with only one of the men guarding her. In each case, her chances of escape were increasing!

She could look through the open door, and there was a blue, slightly blurred line on the horizon: the Atlantic Ocean. Obviously, they had followed the coastline on their way so far.

Finally, Wassim agreed upon them stealing a car which led to the question of who should go. Ayoub insisted that he was the only one of them who could not only drive a car, but also get it started without a key, and so, either Ali or Wassim would have to accompany him. Wassim insisted that the job was dangerous and therefore he should go, but he also didn’t trust the boy in having an eye on their captive, fearing she would try another escape. For a while, they discussed leaving her behind, trussed up like a turkey and placed inside the box again; to Dalanda’s relief, this idea was dropped, and in the end, Ayoub and Ali went on to walk to Sidi Ifni whilst Wassim stayed with Dalanda.

»Good Luck!«, Wassim said to the leaving men.

»Get arrested!«, Dalanda added in her thoughts.

***

Ben had only absolved the mandatory service in the Army back in the days, but when he approached the small bay ahead of them, he felt like a General during an invasion. According to the yacht’s navigation system, the city about two miles to the North was called Sidi Ifni, and according to Wikipedia, the city was suffering from poverty and high unemployment since the only major factory had closed down some years ago. To Ben, this was synonymous to potential for yet another business, though right now, he would have to concentrate on his original plan.

When entering the shallow waters of the bay, they scratched the yacht’s hull on the rocky ground, and like a General, Ben sent out Jean and Nico with the lifeboat to clear the area. Not that there was much to clear, as the bay consisted of just some 100 yards of beach and a few rocks, with steep hills separating it from the land. Nico climbed up the hills and looked around, and the two men came back for their report little later.

»No road, just an old goat’s path, and according to the waste, there haven’t been any people for the past few months!«

Ben ordered to drop anchor and then quickly decided whom to send to the city. Since he had been operating in Central Africa for the past few years, all of his men spoke some French, but only Jean and Barrot could also speak Arabic. Jean, however, was black and therefore couldn’t blend in as easily as Barrot to whom he put Sid who had the best sense for dubious situations. From his bag with cash money, he handed each of them 10.000 Euros.

»That should be enough to get two off-road vehicles! Have them fuelled up and get some provision, too! The rest’s for you, but don’t waste it in bars and brothels, at least not today!«

The two men left, taking only pistols with them. Ben gave order to line up the captives who were still bound and gagged.

»We are having a leisurely afternoon at the beach now! It’s on you whether you may enjoy it a bit – or stay packed!«

He let his eyes wander over the three girls. Inga was still wrapped inside the coffee sack, with ropes encircling her body, and he could see that she had difficulties in standing. Beside her, Carmen was also exhausted, for Cory had continued to tease her soles with the vibrator until the batteries had ran out. To her embarrassment, the constant tickling had also left her with hardened nipples and a wet spot at her panties. Babette looked the most relaxed, but she felt even more naked than the others, as the pantyhose was still around her ankles. Ben looked at her with a surprisingly friendly smile.

»Babette, what’s it going to be? Some swimming and sunbathing, or do you prefer staying below deck? Thrust out your boobs for swimming and kneel for staying on board!«

Babette felt embarrassed by having to push her breasts against Ben – but the idea of being unrestrained, at least for a while, definitely beat having to be stowed in the sack again. So, she took back her shoulders and didn’t twitch back as Ben brushed over her nipples.

Her wrists and ankles were uncuffed and ben ordered her to completely step out of the pantyhose and drape it over the railing.

»You may ungag yourself, too – just put the panties beside the pantyhose!«

Babette followed that order eagerly, and when she was offered some water, she greedily drank. Ben ordered Jean and Nico back to the beach, where one climbed up the hill to look out for potential passers-by and the other had an eye on the bay. Only then, he allowed Babette to slide into the water that felt indeed refreshing. In addition, she was neither bound and gagged, and the reflexion offered a little protection from the men constantly looking at her naked body.

She swam away from the yacht for a few yards, examining the area. Quickly, she realized that there would be no escape, for if she tried to swim for the end of the bay, they could easily stop her before she even reached the rocks marking the end. She was still a captive, they had just given her a break.

Carmen also opted for a swim; in her case, Ben insisted that she needed protection from the sun, and so, she had to wait until Cory and Marco had creamed her entire body. Only then, she was left into the sea where she kept a little distance from Babette.

Ben took a knife and carefully cut away the sack from Inga’s head. A pair of blue eyes glanced at him, and she grunted angrily as he brushed over her cheek. With a smile, Ben pointed at Babette and Carmen.

»They were bright enough to accept that there is no escape, at least not now! How about you, my Scandinavian beauty?«

»Mph!«

Everything in I ga revolted against being submissive to be allowed a refreshing bath. However, she also didn’t want to get to her knees, and in the water, she at least stood a chance, as tiny as it might be. So, staring daggers at Ben, she thrust out her breasts.

Ben stepped back and watched as Cory and Marco freed Inga from the ropes and the sack. He seemed to be indifferent and relaxed, but Inga remembered all too well how he had defeated Kim in a hand-to-hand combat. The Korean had held a brown or black belt in Taekwondo, and yet, he had won with ease, and the other two men were also still there. So, she stood motionless as Cory undid her ankle cuffs, oppressing the urge to kick him. Her wrists were not freed, but cuffed in front of her.

»Just a little extra precaution, consider it a compliment! Now, raise your arms!«

Her chest heaving with rage and embarrassment, Inga obeyed, allowing Ben to untie her crotch rope and to peel down her thong, draping it over the railing. Marco then cuffed her ankles again, and whilst Inga removed her gag, the two men creamed her body with sun oil.

»Rövjävel!«, she snarled, and Ben mockingly bowed. She refused his aid and managed to jump into the water. Inga was a good swimmer, and so, the cuffs didn’t bother her too much, it just required some more writhing and moving to stay above water until she had reached a spot where she could stand. After a short while, both Babette and Carmen approached her. They were some yards away from both the yacht and the beach, allowing them to speak freely.

»What is this about?«, Babette asked Carmen, »I mean, you know this Ben and-«

So far, their captors had taken some advantages, but not raped them, though they could have done so easily. Also, it seemed that they took some care for their captives’ well-being, albeit not of their dignity and modesty.

»I have no idea«, Carmen replied, staring at a point on the Atlantic Ocean. Then, after a few deep breaths, she added:

»Enrico once said that the word best describing Ben is ›Conquistador‹!«

Both Babette and Inga frowned, as history wasn’t their strong suit. Carmen explained that Conquistadores were men like Cortes or Pizarro, who had conquered South and Central America for the Spanish Crown in the 16th century. Men that were without scruples, both cunning and brave.

»The only difference is that Ben is serving no Government! He is serving himself, but he is not just after the money – in a gruesome way, you could call him an adventurer!«

Inga scoffed, and Babette looked at the ship where Ben stood, obviously watching them. He could indeed have been some ruler looking over his realm and his subjects. The question was what part she and the other two should play in this game. Were they supposed to be his concubines, slaves for his men or just pawns in his gamble for wealth and power?

***

At the mall, Johanna sacrificed some more of her money to give it to Melissa and Gabriela as they tried to follow Sato’s rather cryptic advice to »prepare for a trip«. What did he mean, a day trip to an adjacent town, or a straining expedition in the Jungle?

She chose for a gym bag and bought a few sets of casual clothing and some underwear, together with toiletries. After some short hesitation, she also bought some clothes for Sato, chuckling when the saleswoman asked for the size of her husband.

Melissa and Gabriela had also gotten bags, and after they had also bought some food, water and wine, they left for the abandoned barn where Sato had hidden together with the two Policewomen and Babette a few days ago. Gabriela giggled when Johanna refreshed her makeup after they had parked the car.

»I think he might prefer a rather dishevelled look!«

Johanna smiled enigmatically, but she felt a bit nervous as they entered the barn. On first sight, it looked empty, but then, they could see a shadow on the hayloft, and a few moments later, Sato lowered down the ladder he had taken with him. They reached their bags up to him and then climbed up; once the last girl had reached the hayloft, Sato raised the ladder again. He bowed to them, and though he didn’t touch her, Johanna felt his eyes rest on her, and she couldn’t help blushing slightly.

»Excellent you could make it!«, he said, as if it wasn’t him who was on the run and had reached the barn on foot. He looked at their bags and asked:

»Did any of you think of a power bank, my phone’s completely empty now!«

Johanna slapped her forehead. She had thought of getting herself a new phone, but forgotten about Sato’s need to recharge his. Melissa rummaged through her bag and held up a power bank, but when Sato reached for it, she raised her arm.

»Don’t you think you owe us to tell us if you achieved something? I mean, did you reach your employer, and-«

»How do you think I emptied the battery, by just playing ›Tetris‹?«, Sato replied, and with a quick move, he plucked the power bank from Melissa’s hand. Impatiently, they waited until he had plugged in his phone and sat down.

»Unfortunately, I wasted some time because I didn’t remember Mr. Conradi’s number by heart and therefore had to phone his office where it took me half an hour to persuade the secretary to give me the number!«

With a gesture, Gabriela told him that he should skip the preliminaries and get to the point. Sato told them that Conradi was still aboard the »Mauretania II«, obviously being able to revive his marriage. So, he hadn’t asked too much about what had happened to Sato, and why he had to escape from the Spanish Police.

»I left out some of the details, but he knows that someone that matters to me is in the clutches of a men he could, by the few hints you gave me, identify as a Benjamin Keane, a businessman from South Africa. According to the internet, he’s in the diamond business, but also has his fingers in other branches, most of his business being in Africa!«

He interrupted his report by asking for a drink, and Johanna handed him some water. Whilst Sato quenched his thirst, a disappointed Gabriela blurted:

»So, you narrowed it down to one continent? Don’t get me wrong, but-«

Sato gave her an enigmatic smile.

»Mr. Conradi admitted that his former business partner Davenport most likely knew more about Keane – and so, I did something unforgiveable!«

»You pleaded?«, the also impatient Melissa asked, and Sato sighed.

»I lied to my employer, by telling him that I had found evidence of Keane wanting to do a deal with Davenport, and that by interfering in that, I could perhaps Davenport lose a Billion Dollars. That’s why he gave me Davenport’s number – but it stained my loyalty!«

Gabriela could not see how much this burdened Sato who lived after the codex of the ancient Samurai, and she joked:

»I am sure Johanna will hold your hand and give you some solace, but now, continue! What did this Davenport have to say?«

Johanna glanced at Gabriela as she felt her cheeks redden. She got up and ostentatiously took Sato’s hand. The Japanese frowned, but didn’t pull it back as he continued:

»Mr. Davenport was a bit grumpy as I phoned him; obviously, in his part of the US, it was shortly after 6 am. However, he woke up quickly when I told him that Mr. Conradi would forget about his grudge against him if he would give us some information about a certain Benjamin Keane. It seems that Mr. Davenport wishes for Keane’s demise, so, he was quite collaborative! Keane has spent the last years in Central Africa, dealing with diamonds – but he also has his fingers in a business much closer to here!«

He sipped from his bottle once again, and for the few seconds this lasted, he enjoyed the feeling of Johanna’s hand holding his. Perhaps, he would indeed survive that he had more or less betrayed martin Conradi.

»So, I could narrow it down to a certain part of the continent – to Western Sahara, to be precisely!«

Unfortunately, he hadn’t known more, and so, Sato had spent the last capacities of his phone battery on some research on Western Sahara. Since the others also knew a bit about it, they could collect the most important facts:

Western Sahara was a former Spanish colony; after the Spanish had left in 1976, Morocco had demanded the country and occupied it, leading to a war with Mauritania, and later a prolonged civil war with the Frente Polisario, the Western Saharan independence movement. Currently, the Frente Polisario controlled a part of the territory, most of it desert, and Morocco had accepted the status quo by building the Berm, the Moroccan Western Saharan Wall, an unofficial border between the free Western Sahara and the part of it occupied by Morocco. The official status of the country was still unclear, and the reason why Morocco was so keen on keeping the area was not just historical issues, but also the rich phosphate deposits.

»So, we have rich natural resources, worth Billions, plus a power vacuum, or at least an unclear situation! In other words, a place where someone like Keane could make a fortune if he plays his cards right!«

»Oh my God!«

All looked at Johanna, and Sato, who had sensed that her fingers grew cold and trembled, held her hand in a steady grip. She took a deep breath and forced herself to speak:

»Carmen, Babette, this Inga – and I, we have one thing in common: we are all blonde, a-and«, she lowered her head, »well endowed!«

»And beautiful«, Sato added, but Johanna wasn’t in the mood for flatteries. Could it be that Ben Keane was trying to get a foot in the door by some local powers by offering them some pretty blondes? It sounded like a story from a 60ies crime flick, but on the other hand, she had also learned the hard way that White Slavery was still a thing.

»Western Sahara«, Melissa murmured, »it’s not too easy to get there, especially without ID cards, and with one of us being a wanted criminal!«

She, Gabriela and Johanna at least had provisional documents from the Ferrol Police confirming their identity, but Sato could not allow himself to show in public, let alone trying to board a plane.

»Maybe, I’ve got an idea!«

It was Gabriela, and when the others looked at her, she reached for Melissa’s hand.

»It’s a nuclear option – but as they say, desperate situations acquire desperate measures!«

***

In the nearby village, Ana sat in the only café and had a snack, but kept an eye on the display of her phone. She had sneaked towards the barn, but not been able to overhear the conversation held in German and with the targets being at the hayloft. She had considered trying to climb up the wall, but then decided to place a tracker on the girl’s rented car. So, if they would try to leave and maybe smuggle Sato over the border, she could still call her colleagues as soon as she was sure.

***

For some hour, both Dalanda and Wassim had sat in silence, one of them enforced, the other not talking deliberately. Only when Wassim had finally fetched some water for himself from the driver’s cabin, he had given his captive a closer look. Dalanda didn’t need to speak to show she was exhausted and dehydrated from the time in the stuffy closet.

With a grunt, Wassim grabbed her shoulders and pulled her out of the van, making her sit leaned against the tire at the shadowy side of the van where a mild breeze made the temperature tolerable. He held up the half empty bottle.

»You promise not to scream?«

Weakly, Dalanda nodded. Since the other men had left, she had heard nothing but the sounds from the highway in their back, or an occasional bird. She could thus easily make a promise, for there was no one to hear her anyway.

Wassim removed the tape from her lips, not too gentle, but also not deliberately rough. He then waited for her to push out her gag with her tongue, but since the nerf ball had expanded and she was weakened from thirst and her tongue was parched, he finally reached for the sodden gag and pulled it from her oral cavity. Dalanda panted and, partially to blur his alertness, partially from sheer, simple gratitude, breathed:

»Th-thank y-you!«

He grimaced and held the bottle to her lips. The water was lukewarm and stale, but she greedily drank. Wassim produced a creased pack of cigarettes and lit one.

»You want one, too?«

It definitely was an improvement from calling her »Bitch« and implying the breaking of horses, and so, Dalanda nodded. Wassim didn’t free her wrists: instead, he placed the cigarette between her lips and lit it. Dalanda drew and coughed, and he prevented the cigarette from falling.

»Careful, you don’t get another one!«

He sounded rather grumpy than angry, and he held the cigarette for her, so she could smoke without her hands. Encouraged by his gentleness, she asked:

»Wassim – may I ask one question?«

She had forced herself to sound calm, and he just raised an eyebrow.

»I will not untie you – and if you need to pee, you’ll have to wait for the others to come back!«

Dalanda smiled wryly and nodded before she gulped and looked at the man’s eyes.

»Why? And why me?«

»That’s two questions«, Wassim stated.

»They are connected«, Dalanda replied with a smile, and she could see an amused sparkle in his eyes, too.

»Why you? Well, when me and my men first caught you, it was just an unexpected opportunity. In our part of the world, not many pretty girls stumble through the desert, alone and helpless!«

Dalanda ignored him reducing her to a damsel, but she had definitely heard him call her »pretty«. Or, on an earlier occasion, he had referred to her as »precious«.

»Then, after a few days of our hospitality, you escaped – and then, it also became a matter of honour! No good hunter can allow his prey to escape!«

His words somehow contradicted with the gentleness with which he plucked the finished cigarette from her lips, touching them for a moment. Dalanda remembered a name, or rather a title, Wassim and his comrades had mentioned during her first captivity.

»Are you bringing me to your so called Sheikh?«

Wassim nodded.

»He isn’t a so called Sheikh, but a real one, though he also possesses a house and a car beside his tent and camels! And this also answers the question why we took you!«

It was hardly a satisfying answer, but when Dalanda opened her mouth to speak, Wassim just reached for the nerf ball, and she swallowed her question, not wanting to ruin the détente between them.

In her mind, however, she tried to get a meaning to her kidnapping, and she didn’t like the associations of Wassim’s Sheikh and him calling her »pretty« – especially when she added his earlier metaphor of the horse-breaking.

»I have to get out!«, she thought with new determination and tried to pick on her wrist bonds without Wassim noticing.

***

»Are you sure we shall not accompany you, Gaby?«

Gabriela shook her head.

»Felipe already knows me, and so, I think it’s better if I talk to him alone!«

They had parked beside the place where helicopter flights were offered – the very place where Felipe, one of the pilots, had flown Babette and Gabriela over Carmen’s estate – in exchange for some kissing and fondling from Babette, and a topless photo of her. She didn’t want to face the man again, and Melissa felt protective, too, but they knew it was their only chance.

»They have planes, too – and planes have a greater range than helicopters! Perhaps, he will fly us to Morocco! Don’t worry, Lizzie, I won’t go too far!«

They hugged and exchanged a kiss before Gabriela left for the pilots’ barracks. To overplay her worries, she scoffed towards Johanna:

»Maybe, we all have to strip naked to pay him off! After all, we know Felipe loves blondes, especially the busty ones!«

Defensively, Johanna crossed her arms over her breasts.

»I prefer paying the old-fashioned way, with money!«

»Also, a look at you would be overpaid for just a flight to Morocco!«, Sato added, and Johanna couldn’t help smiling. They were sitting in the back seat of the small car, and his leg touched hers through the thin cloth of her skirt. Johanna was tempted to either grab Sato’s hand, or to ask Melissa to leave the car for a while.

The latter was achieved in a way when Melissa, in a thinly veiled attempt to see if Gabriela was okay, told them to see whether there was a toilet at the airfield. She didn’t ask Johanna whether she wanted to accompany her, and so, she and Sato sat there, both looking at each other and feeling a little awkward.

»I – I bought you some clothes for change«, Johanna began, just to break the silence. Sato smiled and wanted to thank her when the front door suddenly opened. They thought it was Melissa, but instead, they looked into the barrel of a gun, and though they had only met once, they both recognized the face of Police Constable Ana Cardinal. She looked at them with a cold smile, and she held the gun with both hands.

»Well, well, what do we have here? A fugitive gangster, together with his accomplice! I hope you enjoyed your freedom, for it ends here and now!«

***