Blonde Needles in a Giant Haystack 9

»Mmhrrrrrmm!«

The muffled scream had the effect of an alarm siren, and so, the four men had already risen from their bunks and grabbed their guns before Carmen or Dalanda had even realized that something was wrong.

Marco, in nothing but his shorts, looked at the open door where he spotted Nico light his cigarette: so, there was no attack from the outside. Another mew made him look at the two girls on the floor, and here, Inga was twitching and wriggling, forcing Babette to sway around like she was on a raft during a storm. He lowered his gun, approached and then, he burst out laughing. He kicked some sand against the two girls, and he and Ben could now see something small and black run away as fast as its eight legs would carry it.

»A spider! Nice to see you are at least fitting some cliches about girls, Inga!«

Ben laughed, and his men joined in, partially from relief that there had been no real threat. Inga panted, her cheeks aflame from embarrassment. It had been a reflexive reaction, and only now, she realized that fidgeting around wasn’t the best idea if she was tied face to crotch with another woman.

The good mood, fuelled by the men’s good-natured glee, lasted until they had prepared some coffee and sandwiches. All four girls were freed completely, and during the meal, they were left untouched, though Cory made a remark when looking at their bare breasts:

»I am not sure whether you slept well,  but at least, you must have had pleasant dreams!«

It was clear what he was referring to: due to the still chilly air, and also because of either having been constantly touched or rubbing against the unwilling companion’s belly, all four girls’ nipples stood out hard and erect.

After the meal, they had to line up side by side, sorted by alphabetical order. Ben ordered them to stand straight and with their hands folded at the back of their heads, and Ben looked at them as if he was a General watching a parade.

»Babette!«

The blonde looked at him with indistinct fear. So far, the men hadn’t done real harm – though she wasn’t sure how far Cory would go. However, the last days hadn’t been a picnic either, and whatever the grey-haired man’s order would be, it would for sure be embarrassing.

»Please, take off the pantyhose!«

The sheer black Nylon did little in covering her bareness, and so, she obeyed, holding the crumpled garment in her hand. Ben let his eyes wander over her breasts.

»34 D was it, am I right?«

She nodded, and his eyes went downwards. Babette forced herself not to shy back or to slap his hand when his finger brushed over her bald pubic mound.

»You feel a little stubbly – and it seems your legs could need a fresh shave, too! Well, we will see what we can do!«

»Where we are going, they might not have Lady shavers – but perhaps, we can get a pair of tweezers!«, Cory blurted and laughed over his own joke whilst Babette felt her cheeks redden. Ben told her to hand the pantyhose to him, and he draped it over his left arm whilst Babette was allowed to access the »bathroom«.

Carmen, the next in line, stood with her shoulders arched slightly backwards, so her breasts were emphasized, and she had also put one foot forward, making her appear self-confident. During the night, she had felt that Ben wasn’t indifferent to her charms – and if the way out of this ordeal was by becoming his Mistress, she would take that path. Ben made an inviting gesture, and she moved her hips when peeling down the pantyhose. He approached her and brushed over her cheek.

»I would show a very poor haptic memory if I could not tell you are a 34 C!«

Carmen smiled, even when he brushed through her neatly trimmed thatch of pubic hair.

»I have last been at the waxing studio four days ago – but maybe, your men can get some shampoo, combs and makeup, too!«

Ben looked up to her face.

»I somehow like the slightly dishevelled look on you!«

When she was sent to the toilet corner, Carmen wasn’t sure whether she was indeed beginning to find a way to the man’s heart, so she could at least avoid her own fate.

Ben now turned towards Dalanda who knew what was coming. After all, the pantyhose was hiding very little anyway, and so, she took it off when he asked for it. The scene reminded her of when she had infiltrated the plantation, where the head overseer had inspected her – though she had been dressed on that occasion.

»You also want to check my teeth?«, she asked coldly, and Ben raised an eyebrow.

»Do I look like a dentist to you?«

Dalanda couldn’t help that her lips trembled slightly at the unexpected joke. Ben also smiled and said over his shoulder:

»Put toothpaste and some brushes on the shopping list, Sid!«

Turning around, his eyes fell on Dalanda’s breasts.

»34 D, just like Babette! Well, I think I can distinguish you two nevertheless!«

Hidden by her dark complexion, Dalanda blushed when he stared at the lower part of her body. She had lived either as a plantation slave, as a captive of nomads or on the run for months, and though she had taken a long shower at the hotel, there hadn’t yet been time to shave her legs, and Dalanda had never before trimmed her pubic hair.

»Someone will be very busy until you are nice and smooth again!«, and Dalanda shuddered at the implication who this »someone« might be.

Ben finally approached Inga, and before she could say something, he raised his hand.

»I know, we are all bastards, you hate us, yada yada! Can you just cooperate now, or do I have to see whether Mr. Spider and his 400 big brothers are somewhere around?«

Inga felt the humiliation of their captors now knowing about her weakness, but she managed to stand straight and to not lower her head. She took off her pantyhose and almost aggressively slammed it into the man’s hand. Then, she quickly rose her knee, and when Ben reflexively jumped back, ready to block, she smiled sardonically. Inga raised her leg and placed the heel on Ben’s shoulder, swallowing her embarrassment about how she was exposing everything.

»36 C – and everything freshly shaved and trimmed down below!«

Ben’s expression showed some admiration for her defiant self-confidence when inspecting her body, and Carmen scoffed faintly, not appreciating the fact that the Swede was also trying to pull the man on her side.

»All right, Ladies, time to get you ready for the next part of the trip! According to our maps, there’s an abandoned post of the Spanish some ten miles out of Haousa! It looks as if it is half covered with sand and by no means better than this place, but it’s suitable for meeting after me and those accompanying me on the Jeep have organised a guide and equipment! The Land Rover will get you there directly, so we can avoid exposing you at Haousa!«

Ben himself would have to go to Haousa, as the guide perhaps wanted to negotiate with the boss himself. Also, he would need Sid and Jean, as they spoke Arabic.

»Since this is a place with enemy troops, too, I think four men are better than three!«

He let his eyes wander over the men and decided for Barrot. Marco exchanged a quick look with Dalanda, and Babette oppressed a sigh at the idea of being transported by Cory with his superior not being around to control him.

Nico now walked along the line of naked girls, handing each of them the dress she had worn the day before, plus a pair of panties. These had dried over night, but the girls were very aware that these had been used as a gag to one of them. Babette had gotten Dalanda’s black cotton panties, and she looked despondently at the definitely well-worn garment. Carmen had gotten one of the pairs that had gagged Inga, Dalanda the other one, and the Swede got the red French Knickers that had gagged Carmen. Inga’s own panties remained in the hands of Barrot who, like the others, watched with interest as the girls reluctantly put on the panties, followed by the dresses.

»You will now be bound and gagged! And you better be calm and cooperative, for every disobedience by one of you will lead to punishment for all!«

Their wrists were tied behind their backs, followed by their elbows, though here, the men left some four inches between the joints, so the tie wasn’t too inconvenient. Ben then picked one of the pantyhose from his arm and approached Dalanda whilst balling it up. She saw it was a black pair, and she protested:

»Tha-that’s not mine!«

This time, Ben’s smile was cold as ice.

»I know!«

And, sounding almost bored, he added:

»Barrot, Nico, make their elbows meet!«

Babette ached when they started with her, and Dalanda stared at Ben. She had suffered from some acts of arbitrariness before, but her simple protest could not be called an act of defiance!

»I just wanted to-«

»Add crotch ropes, too!«, Ben ordered, and Dalanda fell silent. She opened her mouth, allowing Ben to stuff the pantyhose inside, retching at the vile taste and panting through her nose as she tried to block the thought that these had been worn by another woman before – for the entire night, and without panties.

Her gag was secured with five rounds of tape that went all around her head, and Dalanda could see Babette whose breasts were now thrust out even more by her elbow tie, and whose skirt was pulled up by the tight rope between her legs. She glanced at her, as if it was entirely Dalanda’s fault that the bonds had become more inconvenient.

She watched as the others were gagged like her one by one, and she guessed that none of them had gotten her own pair of pantyhose as a packing. For some reason, she was spared last to get her elbow tie tightened, but Dalanda was more worried about the crotch ropes both Inga and Carmen were now sporting, too. So far, she had been spared such an experience, and she could imagine it wouldn’t be pleasant.

It was Marco who applied it to her, and to Dalanda’s surprise, her fear was accompanied by some embarrassment when he now also got a close look at her unshaved legs when he lifted her skirt.

»Uuhmmph!«

She reared up when the rope was tightened between her legs. Marco wasn’t brutal, but it chaffed her soft flesh and bisected her pubic mound. When he had slung it over her wrist ties, he went the way back between her legs with the ends, knotting them off below her navel.

When walking the few yards towards the Land Rover, Dalanda felt that walking with a crotch rope was even more irritating than standing. Ben looked at them and stated:

»Seems that Inga and Carmen are the tallest!«

Inga was 5’11’’, Carmen 5’8’’, and both Babette and Dalanda 5’6’’. For some reason, this qualified the Swede and Carmen to sit in the middle row whilst the other two had to stand outside and wait whilst Barrot tied Inga’s left knee to Carmen’s right, forcing both women to sit with their thighs slightly open.

Now, Dalanda and Babette got their ankles tied, and they both mewed anxiously when another rope was tied around their necks. Both ropes had long dangling ends, and the men started with Babette who was forced to kneel in the small space between Carmen’s seat and the backrest of the driver’s seat, forcing her between Carmen’s open legs.

»Another time, another fragrance!«, Cory joked and groped her breasts before threading the end of her neck rope through Carmen’s crotch rope, forcing her to bend forward and bury her face in the other’s lap before tying it off. Babette panted; this time, the neck rope was tied in a way it couldn’t tighten, but she could only separate her nose and Carmen’s crotch by a few inches. However, worse was to come.

Cory took the end of Babette’s ankle tie and grabbed Carmen’s neck, forcing her to bend forward, until Babette’s upper body was trapped. The straining arrangement was fixed by tying the rope around Carmen’s neck, again with a rope that couldn’t tighten, but prevented the blonde from raising her upper body.

Reflexively, Dalanda bucked when she was pulled towards the car. Ben shrugged.

»I think the others will forgive me if this time, only you get punished!«

Inga’s panties were pulled over her head, with Ben taking care the crotch part covered her nose. Like that, the mewing and panting girl was stashed in the foot room in front of Inga and soon, her neck was fixed to the Swede’s crotch rope. Once Inga had been forced to bend forward and had the end of Dalanda’s ankle tie tied around her neck, the doors were closed and Cory and Marco also tied Inga’s right knee and Carmen’s left to the handles. Finally, a blanket was draped over the four damsels, making the whole lot even more stuffy and inconvenient.

»Think positive, it spares you the blindfolds!«, Cory announced, and little later, the Land Rover drove off, swaying and shaking on the uneven underground.

***

At around noon, the next message came, telling Sato and his companions that Davenport’s men wanted to meet with him at a place that turned out to be the parking lot of an abandoned factory in the outskirts of Agadir.

»There could be a sniper behind any of these windows!«, Sato commented, pointing at the withered office building. He didn’t really believe that Davenport intended to kill them, but he also didn’t trust the American in the slightest. He felt for his gun, and Melissa did the same on the backseat. Beside her, Ana had taken her head down, so she couldn’t be seen. She had done so deliberately, as Melissa, knowing Davenport, had told her:

»These guys are not on your side of the law! So, it’s better if they don’t see you!«

Another car was parked in the shadow, a small Renault with a Hertz logo on it. A man was leaning to it in a leisurely pose, smoking a cigarette. Sato relaxed a bit; at least, this wasn’t Jeb.

He stopped some 30 yards away and left the car, telling the girls to stay behind and to keep their heads low. The man dropped his cigarette and kicked it out. He was rather tall, blonde and Sato was sure that most women would have considered him handsome.

»Mr. Sato, I presume? I am John Atticus Beauregard, representing Mr. Davenport!«

He showed a broad, open smile, but Sarto could see that he also carried a gun in his belt, and he could see that despite behaving relaxed, this man was ready to react if he tried something. For a few seconds, the two men stared at each other like two duellists on the High Street of some western town. Then, John broke the silence:

»I see you haven’t come alone! May I beg your companions to leave the car, too?«

He stood with the sun in his back, and Sato could assume that he had seen there were three more people. All he could hope was that this wasn’t a trap. On the other hand – if there was indeed someone with an assault rifle behind one of the windows, he could also sieve the car with bullets.

»You heard the man, Ladies!«, he said over his shoulder, hoping that Ana would stay hidden without someone beside her. He stepped one step to the right, so his body was between him and John.

Though they had been on the same ship for a few days, neither Melissa nor Johanna had interacted with John, though Melissa vaguely remembered him. John seemed a little surprised, but not appalled by the fact that Sato was travelling in the company of women.

»Ladies!«

He slightly bowed, showing his smile again. Then, focussing Sato, he said:

»Since you, like me, have been working for a businessman, you know that in business, cooperation and being good friends don’t come necessarily hand in hand?«

»Actually, I was not going to hug you«, Sato replied, and John laughed.

»I was referring to my companion!«

There was a movement inside his car, as someone who had obviously kept bent down rose on the passenger seat. The door opened, and they could see the silhouette of a tall, bulky man with a shorn head. It was a man all except Gabriela already knew: on their last encounter, Melissa had considered him to be disgusting, Johanna had been forcibly stripped and groped, and Sato had tried to break his bones.

»Jeb!«, Sato murmured, and his hand wandered to his gun. John raised his hands like he was a priest giving a sermon and stepped between Jeb and the Japanese.

»As I said, this is about cooperation, not friendship! Once this mission’s over, you are free to do whatever you have to do to get it out of your system!«

»Oh, we can do that here and now!«, Jeb stated, »It won’t take longer than a cigarette!«

The two opponents went into fighting position, and John spun 90 degrees, as if he was to stop each of them by the palm of his hand.

»We are here for business, not private issues!«

»I am not cooperating with a man who tried to rape my girlfriend!«

»Girlfriend?«, both Johanna and Melissa asked in unison, distracting Sato for the fraction of a second. Jeb countered:

»I found her at your cabin, bound, gagged and in her underwear! What were you about to do to her? Playing Rummy, I guess!«

They kept encircling each other, and John in between suddenly thought that he hadn’t chosen the best position if the two decided to shoot it out instead of starting a fight without weapons.

»Shut the fuck up!«

The order, shouted with a shrill voice, caused both Sato and Jeb to startle. Johanna stepped forward, her hands at her hips.

»If you stop acting like two dogs fighting for the same bone, you may realize that in this metaphor, I am the bone – and I have got something to say, too!«

The outburst of the usually rather shy and calm blonde made both men and women stare at her, some with their mouth open. Johanna felt herself losing her impetus, and in a less aggressive tone, she continued:

»This man«, she pointed at Jeb. »was about to do horrible things to me! And«, she turned to Sato, softening her tone, »I appreciate that you were trying to protect me! However, you have to admit that without you, I wouldn’t have needed protection at all!«

Having said that, she realized that this wasn’t true: the men who had finally kidnapped her had neither been connected to Sato nor Jeb nor their employers. However, she forced herself to keep up the determined expression. Jeb mumbled something about »just wanted to see what she’s got«, and Sato also lowered his fists. Johanna took a deep breath.

»For as long as it is necessary, and as long as Jeb will not be left alone with me or any of the other girls, I would accept a cooperation, to save Carmen and Babette!«

John, who had taken the opportunity to step aside, frowned at the last name. If this wasn’t, by a strange coincidence, another woman of the same name, the whole affair was also linked to his recent past, and he would have to be careful, too.

Panting as if he had run a marathon, Sato spat:

»If he apologizes to Johanna-San, I accept temporary cooperation!«

Jeb focussed him with an angry glance, but he managed to bow towards Johanna and to sound more or less contritely:

»Sorry, I won’t try again!«

»Well, I won’t insist on the two of you shaking hands!«, John stated, trying to regain his agency in the negotiations. »May I suggest that we get in the shadows and we bring together the information we have? At least we have some vital information – thanks to Jeb!«

»If I am not distracted by a pair of tits, I am almost a detective!«, Jeb added with a grin, and Sato was about to slap him, but stopped when Johanna gently touched his arm.

»At least wait until we know what he has got to say!«

When Sato’s tension relaxed a bit, she showed a small smirk.

»Your girlfriend, hm?«

Sato hid his confusion by clearing his throat, and he was grateful when Gabriela tipped on his shoulder and asked in German:

»What about – you know, her?«

She pointed over her shoulder at their car that was parked in the bright sunlight.

»I mean, we can’t just leave the window open a bit and say it will be fine! She will suffocate in that heat!«

Both Jeb and John who had withdrawn into the shadow stared with disbelief as Melissa and Gabriela helped a bound and gagged brunette, clad in just her bra and panties, to hop towards them. Jeb licked his lips, and Sato hissed:

»Keep your thoughts inside your head, and your fingers by yourself!«

They helped Ana to sit down a bit away from Jeb, but close enough they could have an eye on her. The two new men looked at her, but finally, they decided that it was more important to negotiate with the other party. Since they spoke English, Ana could also listen to their conversation.

»We know«, John opened the talk, »that Benjamin Keane and his men, accompanied by some female captives, hijacked a yacht on the Open Sea, not too far from here! They abandoned the previous owner, and Jeb accidentally met one of them that night!«

To Sato’s group’s disappointment, the yacht owner had not known who exactly the captives were, but it was unlikely that they were anyone but Carmen, Babette and Inga.

»At least we know that he is indeed not too far from Agadir! And a man like this Keane has got something more in mind than just the obvious when he kidnaps some pretty girls!«

John nodded. He was a bit distracted from the fact that one of the abductees was indeed Babette whom he had used as a pawn in his scheme. So, he would perhaps see her again, and he wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.

»That’s why Mr. Davenport wants to know what this is all about and it is also the reason we are here! We even have one more important hint – but before we tell you, we have to know what exactly your part in all this is!«

 Sato gave a short summary, beginning by Johanna’s abduction from his cabin. He reduced Melissa’s and Gabriela’s role to having found help on his way to find Johanna, and neither of the two insisted on him giving the embarrassing details, too. Sato also put Babette’s role to her being their partner in a failed rescue mission, omitting that originally, he had wanted to use her in exchange for Johanna.

»So, Ben Keane now not only has Babette, but also the former kidnapper of you«, John pointed at Johanna, »plus one of her henchwomen! I have to admit, that’s quite an exclusive collection! And yet, I doubt that Keane wants to get his foot into the White Slavery business!«

The mentioning of White Slavery sent a shiver down Johanna’s spine, but she pulled herself together. During the trip, she had googled the region, and she now stated:

»Western Sahara has an uncleared political status, so, someone without scruples and enough money could pull a few levers in his interest! Also, the area has the World’s richest phosphate deposits! Maybe, that’s what he is after!«

»Phosphates«, Jeb repeated, and Sato looked at him with a contemptuous smile:

»They are needed to produce fertilizer, moron!«

»I knew, fuckhead!«, Jeb snarled and was about to raise. Melissa intervened, and the two calmed down again. Jeb let his eyes wander over Melissa.

»Now, I remember you! You were the security girl on the ship, the one who tried to find evidence against Mr. Davenport! You may not have been successful, but you definitely look hot in uniform!«

»Creep!«

She sat down again, and Gabriela took her hand, whispering:

»You look even hotter without it!«

John was still pondering about the information.

»According to Mr. Davenport, Keane is a diamond dealer, operating in Central Africa for the last few years. He also has his fingers in a lot of other businesses, but somehow, I can’t imagine him as a fertilizer salesman!«

He focussed Sato, and his eyes narrowed:

»However, I can imagine your employer, Mr. Conradi, as being into the phosphate business! Are you really just here because of some friends of your – girlfriend? Or do I have to worry about Mr. Davenport’s interests not only being thwarted by Keane, but also by you?«

Being more than occupied by his hunt for Johanna, Sato had never thought about how his relation to Conradi had developed, and if he even still was his right hand.

»Currently, I am not working for Mr. Conradi! So, if there is money to earn, as long as Babette and the others are free, it’s all yours!«

John nodded, and Jeb slow-clapped with a scornful grin:

»So, instead of a White Knight in shiny armour, we have a Yellow Knight in slimy armour!«

»I would praise your eloquence«, Sato replied, »but then, I had to spell it for you, so you can look up its meaning!«

»You said you have further information«, Melissa interrupted. »As it seems, the faster we get Keane, the sooner this lovely joint venture comes to an end!«

John smiled at her, and he ostentatiously slowly lit another cigarette before he told them that in the morning, during a late breakfast, they had again seen Rochus Stuyvesant, the owner of the hijacked yacht, together with his wife and the other family that had been on board.

»They were quite excited, for the man had called the Police first thing he got up and was sober enough to dial, to ask whether they had heard about his yacht! And believe it or not, it has been found! More or less intact, and not too far from here!«

He inhaled, enjoying the growing impatience of his audience.

»Seems they have landed near Sidi Ifni – some 100 miles South of here!«

Sato and his group exchanged looks. They all felt tired and sore from the continuous driving, but that additional trip would just be tolerable. Before any of them could rise, however, John had one more point to discuss:

»What about her? I mean, I can see that she’s not your willing partner, but why are you travelling with a hostage? Are you intending to offer Keane a swap?«

This was close enough to Sato’s failed plan to save Johanna to make him not knowing what to say, and both Melissa and Gabriela also looked at the sky. Johanna shrugged:

»We just could not leave her behind! However, she’s the most innocent of us all, and we actually don’t want her to get harmed!«

She gave Jeb a glance, and the man indeed didn’t say a word, though it was obvious that he liked what he saw when he looked at the bra and panty-clad Ana. John also looked at her, but his smile was surprisingly friendly.

»Seems that we will have to delay the decision about your future fate, unless your – company decides to leave you here! The place looks pretty abandoned to me, perhaps, it would take months until somebody found her!«

His tone left it ambiguous whether he would prefer such a solution, but Johanna immediately said no, and the others didn’t say otherwise. John bowed towards Ana.

»So, you will remain our guest for a while!«

Ana remained calm, and John turned towards the others.

»So, let’s go to Sidi Ifni – who of you wants to join Jeb and me in our car? I mean, except for Sato, I don’t think putting him and Jeb into the same car would be a good idea!«

»Why would any of us want to join you?«, Melissa asked. John explained to her that he wanted an assurance that they didn’t go their own ways now, and after a short discussion, both Melissa and Gabriela decided to accompany the two men.

»I have a gun, we are both Policewoman, and in addition, you two finally have some time together!«, Melissa said towards Sato. They insisted that they had the backseat for themselves, so Jeb could only ogle them via the inside mirror. Ana, who accepted that being left behind at the abandoned factory was the worse option offered no resistance when she was stowed on the other car’s backseat, and so, Sato and Johanna followed the other car.

»Some time together!«, Johanna stated, more to herself, but loud enough Sato could hear it. Of course, there was a lot to talk about – what Sato had meant by calling her his girlfriend, if there was something between them, and what exactly, and thousands of other questions that burnt on her tongue. However, all she said was:

»Maybe, we should fight one battle at a time!«

Sato looked at her, and she continued:

»I mean, we have just formed an unholy alliance to free Carmen and the other two, not talking from our – guest on the backseat! Maybe, we should bring all this to a hopefully happy end before we decide whether we want – some time together!«

»Deal!«, Sato said after a few moments of hesitation. He reached over to her, and she expected that he wanted to shake her hand to fix the deal. However, he brought her hand to his lips, and when he didn’t let her fingers go afterwards, she didn’t protest.

***