The light brightened slowly in the east window of the basement, taking on a pinkish hue that strengthen with each passing minute. Weak tendrils of the new day light spilled through the dirty pane, hesitating at the thick gloom surrounding them then began to spread across the dusty concrete floor sweeping the pools of darkness ahead of them.
The light reached into a corner of the room to reveal a blanket-covered shape lay sprawled on a filthy mattress. The shape stirred slightly with a muffled moan then settled back into troubled sleep. Another moan came, stronger and more troubled as a head twitched in tormented slumber. Suddenly a pair of panicky eyes snapped open; a stifled scream leaking from behind the band of cloth embedded between the woman's teeth.
Oh God, it wasn't a nightmare, Kimberly thought as she stared around the basement, her heart pounding. Somewhere in her breast a tiny flame of hope flickered out as the truth about her captivity was reaffirmed. Bitter memories of her abduction flooded unbidden into her mind, the shock of being dragged from her apartment, the long bumpy ride bound and gagged in the back of a van. The ropes had been so constricting, her muscles burning from being forced in that tight fetal position, the thick gag in her mouth stealing even the simple pleasure of groaning. The discomfort so consuming that she'd actually welcomed her arrival at their destination.
They'd untied her except for her wrists and elbows then impatiently dragged her on cramped legs into an old house. Despite the gag Kimberly had tried to negotiate with her kidnappers, to bargain for her freedom but her entreaties had fallen on deaf ears as she was hustled down into a the basement. Thrown down onto the mattress, she attempted to defend herself as they tore her clothing from her body. Somehow she'd managed to land a stray kick between the legs of the larger man sending him stumbling to his knees in pain. Vengeance had been swift, as his accomplice had booted her brutally in the stomach. Her insides on fire, struggling not to vomit, she'd barely noticed as the last of her clothing was stripped from her. Rough, cutting ropes were coiled and cinched ropes around her ankles and thighs with savage tightness before she was rolled onto her aching stomach and hog-tied her so tight she could feel her ankles in the palm of her hands.
"You're going to pay for this, bitch" the big one had said, still bent over, his hand cradling his balls, as his partner threw a scratchy, foul smelling blanket over her, "Tomorrow."
Finished with her, at least for the moment, the two had gone up the stairs, the large one groaning with each step. At the top of the step the lights had been turned off and the door slammed shut with the sound of a deadbolt sliding home. Left alone in the darkness Kimberly struggled to control her panic as she tried to work her way free from her bonds. She'd always prided herself on her physical fitness, hours spent in a gym working on strength and flexibility but it all proved to be fruitless. Her arms tied elbow-to-elbow behind her, the legs folded back so far she could feel them resting on her thighs, she could barely rock her body making it impossible to apply any leverage on the ropes.
Sobbing in frustration, she'd finally let her weary head sag onto the mattress. Endless minutes passed as she thought about her situation while trying not to dwell on what the next day might bring. Eventually, exhausted and emotionally drained, she'd fallen into a restless sleep.
The deadbolt snapped open at the top of the stairs. Seconds later the basement was flooded in light, the unexpected brightness making her blink. Unable to turn and face her tormentors, she lay unmoving, nausea sending burning fluids into the back of her throat, listening as feet thundered down the stairs then scuffed their way across the concrete floor towards her.
Kimberly cringed as two pairs of worn shoes, badly in need of a polish, stopped in front of her nose. Seconds later the blanket was jerked off her, the chill air of the basement making her shiver. With some difficulty Kimberly lifted her head far enough to look up into the faces of her two captors leering at her naked body.
"Well honey," the tall one asked, "ready for your big day?"
Kimberly stared at them, her eyes filled with hatred.
"Geez, did you catch that look?" the big one said to the other. "That's just the way I like 'em, defiant to the end. Come on let's get this million dollar piece of ass upstairs and while you get her cleaned up I'm going to call that French fag and set up a meeting. After that it's gonna be just her and me."
"Hey," the shorter one replied, "you know the deal, touch her and the money's gone."
"Relax asshole. I'm not going to fuck her although I'll bet she's got one sweet little pussy. All I'm going to do is teach her about pain, she owes me that after last night."
An evil light seemed to glow in his eyes as he looked back down at the woman sprawled by his feet. Kimberly shivered again, the chill in the air having nothing to do with them.
Jan had spent a marginally more comfortable night. Terrified about what was her kidnappers might do to her, unbelievable relief and just a bit of guilt had flooded through her when she saw her boss being dragged from the room in her stead. Even after they were gone, the luxury penthouse empty she'd laid unmoving, listening intently, afraid he was going to come back for her. It was almost an hour later before she'd actually dared to believe that they were gone and she made the first efforts to free herself.
When Jan was growing up her brothers had tied her up a few times, once or twice as part of a game but mostly just to make her stop pestering them. Their rope work had been loose and sloppy and most of the time it hadn't taken her long to squirm free. This was much different, the ropes tight and expertly positioned. Unable to move much except to roll onto her side, she'd been reduced to twisting her fingers around, trying to find a knot she could attack. She'd taken her time, searching methodically but in the end truth was evident, she was not going to be able to get free by herself. Resigned to waiting for someone to find her, not a pleasant prospect, as she had no idea how long that would take, she'd finally relaxed as best she could on the love seat and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
It was almost 9:00 a.m. when a soft scratching noise from the apartment door woke her up. The noise, like someone having trouble with their key in the lock, stopped and she heard the door open slowly. Jan began to call for help, the gag reducing her to cries to impotent grunts when an unpleasant thought crossed her mind. What if it's him coming back for her? Her throat in frozen in fear, heart racing, Jan lay on her side and stared towards the hallway, barely breathing.
The figure that slipped out of the hallway, dressed completely in black was obviously male. His features obscured by a hood, a gun held in a two-handed grip pointing towards the ceiling he surveyed the room then stopped at the sight of the bound woman on the love seat. Staring at her for a moment, he raised a finger to his lips, he moved rapidly past Jan to search the rest of the apartment.
Jan waited for a moment or two then, her patience worn out, began to squirm, tugging at her bonds and grunting demands to be released. She'd just begun to wonder if something had happened to him when he reappeared, tucking his weapon back into a holster slug under his arm.
"How many where there?" he asked looking down, his eyes running up and down her body. Jan, suddenly conscious of how tight her blouse pulled across her breasts and how far her skirt had climbed up her legs, flushed at his gaze.
"How many were there? One? Two?" he asked again, spacing the numbers out.
Jan nodded her head at the second option.
"Did they take Dumont?"
Again Jan nodded her head.
"Too bad. Now what?" he said to himself, staring away in space. Jan stared at him, still puzzled by his inactivity, whimpering a little. Finally he seemed to come to a decision and looked back down at her.
"I'm sorry you had to get involved in this but there's not much I can do about that now," he said extracting a small box from his pocket and laying it on the coffee table. Opening it he took out a hypodermic needle and a bottle, half full of a clear fluid. Expertly filling the syringe, he squeezed it slightly sending a spray of chemical into the air, then stepped towards Jan.
Jan didn't grasp the significance of his action until she felt needle plunge into her buttocks. Gasping with pain, she jerked in panic as he emptied the syringe into her. Shocked, Jan began to struggle with a panicked intensity. It didn't take long for the drug to take hold, her struggles slowing as a lassitude swept over her until finally an all enveloping blackness closed over her.
The stranger looked down on the unconscious woman then pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Hitting a preset number he waited patiently while the phone buzzed several times.
"Allo," a cool voice answered, a French accent evident even over the phone.
"Emil," he said without preamble, "we've got problems. Someone else had joined the game and grabbed the merchandise."
"What?" the distant voice gasped, its coolness broken, "who could this be?"
"Who the hell knows! For a cool million it could be anyone. Either way they'll be contacting you soon to arrange a buy."
"That is true, mon ami. This is most unfortunate for you to be losing the prize but my employer will still be pleased."
"Listen asshole, you fuck me over by buying from them and you can forget ever obtaining any future merchandise in his country."
There was a long silence on the other end. "You present a most compelling case. While there are other markets my employer has many request for women from your country. I am sure he would not want to lose the services of such a successful supplier. What do you want me to do?"
"Simple, when whoever has the Dumont broad calls you arrange a meeting with them. Afterwards you let me know where and when and I'll arrange a little surprise for them."
"Very well," Emil replied after a moment's hesitation. "Good bye, my friend."
"Wait, just a minute."
"Oui?"
"I've got another piece of merchandise you might be interested in," he said looking down at Jan. "It's Dumont's secretary. She's gotten involved in this and now she's got to disappear. Perhaps your employer might find her useful, she dresses a little mousy but there's lots of potential."
"This is most irregular, my dear friend, but for you exceptions can be made. Bring her to the usual place by and let me have a look at her. Based on your recommendation I'm sure my employer will find her acceptable."
"Excellent, see you shortly."
Putting away his cell phone, he looked at Jan again. "You better pray he finds you acceptable. Where you'll be going isn't much of a life but it's a lot better than the other option," he said, tapping the pistol slung under his armpit.
Stan Barrens, Major (Retired) sat at his desk and stared at his computer screen, lost in thought. Late of the British Army, he'd spent fifteen years learning to trust his instincts and those same instincts were telling him that there was something wrong, something very wrong.
Three months earlier Stan had accepted a job as Head of Security at Empire Investments. While he disliked leaving England, it had lost its charm since the death of his wife in an accident and so he accepted relocation to New York. A well-educated and courteous man, New York with its teeming streets full of honking horns and rude people had come as a shock. Still Stan had seen a lot of the world in Her Majesty's Service and adaptability was a key element in survival.
Three weeks ago Stan had made a security inspection of the upper level where the company executives kept offices. It had gone well, that is until he got to the office of Kimberly Dumont. A strikingly beautiful woman, Stan had found her arrogant and uncivil. Completely unwilling to discuss his concerns with him, she ordered him out of her office like some kind of errand boy. The whole episode would have been a total disaster if it hadn't been for Dumont's Executive Assistant, Jan Linksman. She'd gone out of her way to be kind to him afterwards and this, combined with her simple good looks and reserved manner that was so very much like his late wife, had struck a chord in him immediately. Ever since then he'd found regular excuses to visit that floor just to chat with her and flirt a little. Yesterday he had invited her out for dinner. It had been a disappointment when she told him she was going to be working late but then had sent his heart soaring by suggesting this evening.
When he arrived at 7:00 a.m. he'd immediately spotted her car in the parkade. Not wanting to waste a golden opportunity to finalize everything before Ms. Dumont arrived, he taken the elevator to her office level only to find it empty. Figuring he must have stepped out for coffee or to meet with friends, he'd returned to his office and started on the morning paperwork.
Most of the morning had passed before he got the opportunity to check on Jan again. Nothing had changed; both Jan's and Ms. Dumont's offices were still empty. A couple of quick inquiries with some of the other staff on the floor turned up nothing.
Back in his office he accessed the security log files on his computer that show the use of employee access card. The log showed Ms. Dumont had used her card at 6:34 p.m. to summon the elevator that had been locked off for the night. Jan, in turn, had used her own card at 7:58 p.m. A quick check of the video tape on the security camera has shown her getting into the elevator alone. Somehow, Jan seemed to have disappeared somewhere between there and her car. Unfortunately the camera feed did not extend to the parkade despite his appeal to management. Too bloody expensive, the fools! he raged internally.
"Come on Stan," he muttered to himself as he rose to his feet, "quit dawdling. Let's go shake a few trees and see what falls out."
e-mail: jemej@rocketmail.com