As Linda walked to the living room, Antonia stayed right at her shoulder. Of course, thought Linda, now she has to check the jewelry before we get into the family room, and Lauren sees Roz tied up in that chair.
Lauren. Antonia kept referring to Linda's "friends" coming today. Well, she tolerated Roz for David's sake, and hated Rachel for the same reason. Of the three, there was only one she would call her friend. Lauren Tate had been Linda's closest friend almost as long as she could remember. Linda shared her joys with Lauren, and cried on her shoulder when things were bad. Lately, she'd been doing a lot of that, since nothing she did seemed to please David anymore. Lauren. She was the strongest woman Linda knew, in every sense. Beautiful, athletic, successful, confident, but kind and perceptive, too. In a flash, it came to Linda just how much she loved Lauren. She might turn to David for sex, but the sort of loving companionship she'd always wanted from marriage came only from Lauren. And now, she was about to lead her best friend into a trap! And for what? She saw it all clearly now-David didn't even love her anymore! Could she betray Lauren for him? No, she would take her chances. When she got to the door, she'd warn Lauren not to come in, the two of them would run, they'd make their escape…
No, they wouldn't. No matter how bad things were with David now, he didn't deserve to die. These people would keep their word: they'd take the jewels, leave their victims bound and gagged, release David after they were away and free, and then he and Linda would find their love strengthened by sharing this ordeal. Linda had to believe that, or she would go mad with fear on the spot.
Almost before she knew it, Linda had opened the door. Lauren smiled at her, white teeth and pale blue eyes gleaming in her tanned face. Lauren's hair was pulled back from her sparkling face, and a thick golden braid fell across one shoulder almost to her waist. She wore cutoff denims and a T-shirt; no designer labels, of course-Lauren's body was such a thing of beauty that no one would notice them, anyway. Taller than Linda, she had the shoulders of a tennis champion, and the legs of a runway model.
"Hi, kid. I got the 'stuff', if you know what I mean." Lauren winked and grinned conspiratorially, probably imagining she looked like an international jewel thief, and reached up to give Linda a hug, which Linda did her best to return. "Whatsa matter?" Lauren looked Linda in the eyes. Linda turned away quickly.
"Nothing… there's nothing wrong." Antonia stepped into Linda's field of view, between Lauren and the doorway to the family room. Lauren approached Antonia with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Lauren Tate."
"Antonia Andrews. It's a pleasure to meet you. Shall we sit down? Linda, why don't you sit here, next to me." She patted the sofa. Lauren was already sitting on the other side of Antonia, unlimbering the jewelry case.
"You know, it's really nice of you to do this for us, Ms. Andrews. I'm sure it would have been easier just to do David's appraisal, and …Linda?" The sound of her name shook Linda out of her numb nightmare. "Linda, are you sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Lauren's look told Linda that she was being a good deal less than convincing. She hurried on. "Shall we see what you've brought?" Not taking her eyes off her friend, Lauren opened the case. Antonia examined the contents of the case, and gave Linda a glance confirming that Lauren had, indeed, brought the amount of jewelry that Antonia expected. The blond thief stood up, and addressed Linda.
"Well, why don't we head into the family room, where there's a table large enough to lay out all these fine pieces?" Linda looked up into Antonia's eyes, pleading silently for some way to let her friend go, to somehow take the jewels, but leave Lauren out of this horrible business. The woman's eyes were pitiless as she again indicated the door to the family room. Seeing no way out, Linda moved quickly ahead of Lauren, so her friend wouldn't see her face. She could hear Lauren's quick steps right behind her, trying to catch up.
"Hey, Linda, wait a sec…" Antonia must be bringing up the rear. She hadn't shown her gun yet; probably, thought Linda, the bitch figured it would be funny to watch Lauren's reaction to seeing Roz tied up in the chair, first. As Linda crossed the threshold of the family room, Roz looked up at her. Over the gag, her eyes signaled that Michelle was on the other side of the door, keeping watch. The sound of footsteps came behind her.
"Lin, honey, what's-what the hell?!?!?" Linda didn't have to be watching to know that Lauren had now caught sight of the bound and gagged Roz.
"Just hold still, Lauren, and put down the box." Linda turned to look behind her. Antonia was holding the gun, smirking. Lauren was facing her, and away from Linda. Suddenly, Linda's eyes were awash with tears; she jammed both hands to her mouth, bit her fists, and pressed her back against the wall, waiting for Antonia to take the jewels, and get on with the madness. Instead, she saw Lauren hurl the heavy case at Antonia's gun hand, and leap forward. The case knocked the gun to the floor, and Antonia scrambled for it. Lauren pulled the thief's hand away, and Linda could see that Lauren was by far the stronger of the two. In another second, she had a hand on the gun. Paralyzed in her fright, though, Linda had given no thought to Michelle. Coming from behind, the black woman seized Lauren's braid, and yanked her up and back. The gun flew from her hand. Lauren tried to turn to bring her strength to bear, but Michelle had already locked an arm around her throat, and she squeezed savagely, causing Lauren to gasp and grab desperately at the arm crushing her windpipe.
"Want me t'break her neck?" Michelle drawled. Antonia had regained her feet, and she looked at the paralyzed Linda.
"Your call, Linda. Shall I have Michelle…"
"Nonononononononono!!!!!" Linda hardly recognized the animal shriek as her own voice. She flew across the floor, grabbing at Michelle's arm. "Lauren, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, they have David, they'll kill him, they'll kill us all, ohgod ohgod oh…." Antonia must have signalled to Michelle, because she released her grip on Lauren's neck. Linda fell to the floor, incoherent moans and sobs flooding from her, and now Lauren was crouched beside her. Linda buried her head in her friend's chest; she could feel Lauren's fingers stroking her hair.
"SSSSssshhhhh." Lauren's voice was hoarse from being choked, but low and soothing. "Just tell me what happened." At the sound of the TV coming to life, both women looked up. Antonia was standing with the gun leveled at Lauren, well out of reach. Michelle had activated the VCR, and for the next few moments, the room was silent, except for the sound of David's voice on the video tape. As it ended, Roz seemed to be trying to say something through her gag, but she was ignored.
"Now, Lauren, is all this clear enough to you?" Antonia snapped. "Linda, pull yourself together. We still have lots to do." She picked up the leather satchel with the ropes, and Lauren looked at Linda, puzzled.
"They… they have to keep you tied up while they examine the jewels, and we're still waiting for Rachel." As she spoke, more of the white cord landed on the floor in front of where Linda was kneeling.
"No, Linda, remember what I said? YOU have to keep them tied up."
"Oh, no. No, please, don't make me…"
"It's all right." Linda turned at the sound of Lauren's voice. The blonde was staring grimly up at their captors. "You do whatever they tell you. We'll all co-operate, and you'll get David back alive." She smiled at Linda. "Hey, when I was a kid, my brothers were always tying me up when we played cowboys and Indians. I'll be OK." She hugged Linda again, and waited for the sobbing to subside.
Linda sniffled, and picked up the cord. At this moment, she'd have let them kill a hundred Davids if it meant sparing this wonderful woman any pain. Burning with shame, she stood up, to get a chair for Lauren to sit in.
"No." Antonia's voice was sharp. "No, your friend Lauren is obviously not some tennis-playing bimbo with more tan than muscles. I think we need to devise something a bit more stringent for her. For now, Lauren, just stay on your knees, and put your hands behind your back. Linda, tie her wrists, and do just as good a job as you did on Roz, unless you want one of us to deal with your friend, instead."
"No, no!" Linda stepped quickly behind Lauren before either of their captors could do so. "I'll do it." Linda almost began weeping again at the sight of her friend, wrists crossed behind her back, kneeling so proudly that she almost seemed to be defying their captors with her obedience. Seized by an impulse she couldn't explain, Linda bent down and planted a swift kiss on the top of Lauren's golden head. The sweet fragrance of her hair lingered in Linda's nostrils as she began to tie her friend's hands. Lauren's hands were, like Lauren, both strong and gentle, and Linda caressed them comfortingly as she began looping the cord around them. She tied them as loosely as she dared.
"Tighter," whispered Lauren. "I'll be fine, and I don't want them to have an excuse to hurt you." Linda pulled on the ropes, and her heart nearly broke as she saw Lauren wince. "That's OK," Lauren gasped. "Do a good job, and they won't have to kill us. The better you tie me, the better it will be for all of us."
Linda surprised herself as, without thinking, she crossed the rope over itself and tied Lauren's wrists just as she had Roz'. She looked up at Antonia, who was nodding her head.
"Well, you're certainly a quick study. Now, since your friend is so athletic, I'm willing to bet that she's pretty flexible, too. I want you to take the next length of cord, and tie her arms together, above the elbows." Before Linda could respond, Lauren had begun moving her arms together, experimentally.
"Can't do it on my own, Lin," she muttered. "You're gonna have to pull them together yourself." To Linda, it almost seemed that Lauren had taken charge of her own kidnapping. She took Lauren by her upper arms, and gingerly brought them towards each other, stopping as soon as she felt any resistance.
"Closer, Linda," admonished Antonia. "Her elbows need to touch."
"But… I can't do that. She can't--"
"Hey, Lin, we'll never know until we try." Lauren's voice was strained, but still as calm as she could make it. She threw her shoulders as far back as she could, and Linda felt the resistance lessen. Taking a deep breath, she pulled Lauren's elbows until they met at the middle of her back. She was sure she heard her friend stifle a groan, but Antonia was pitiless.
"Tie them together." Linda obeyed, wrapping the cord around Lauren's arms. She tied it firmly, in the hope that the ropes would absorb some of the strain from Lauren's muscles. Linda moved anxiously in front of Lauren, looking in her face for signs of the pain she must be feeling. Instead, her friend gave her a reassuring smile.
"It's OK, Lin. I can handle this."
"No doubt," Antonia remarked drily, as she threw another length of the rope to Linda. "But, you know, Lauren may be more comfortable if you tie her a bit more securely." Her smile was wintry. "I know I will be." She pointed at the rope. "Use that to tie her arms to her sides."
Linda didn't even bother to protest. She stood behind her friend again, who was still kneeling with her proud head high, and wrapped the rope around her body. With the first loop of the cord, Linda could feel the way Lauren's breasts were thrust outward by having her arms tied so tightly behind her. As she yanked on the cord, Lauren's body slid backwards, and her head came to rest at Linda's waist. The bound blonde looked up at her friend.
"We'll be OK, kid. Tie me up tight; I'll pretend you're just giving me a hug." Linda nearly wept again, but as she continued to pass more rope around Lauren's body, she clenched her teeth, doing her best to be just as brave. Like Lauren, she tried to imagine that the ropes were just an embrace that the two old friends were sharing. She put thoughts of David from her mind, and allowed herself to once more marvel at the wonderful firmness of Lauren's body as she bound it. Once, when Lauren's long braid caught in the rope, Linda lifted it free as gently as she could; for a moment, she caressed its silky thickness, then slowly let it slide through her fingers as she released it. What on earth was going on?, wondered Linda. She'd never felt any sexual desire for Lauren, or for any woman, but something in this life-or-death situation had heightened her senses in a way she'd never experienced before. The mad idea crossed her mind that she didn't care if she never had sex again, if only she could hold Lauren in this strange embrace forever.
Antonia's sharp voice brought her back to reality. "All right, Lauren, your knees must be getting tired. Linda, lie her down on her tummy."
Linda, out of her reverie now, looked at Lauren, and was surprised to see how thoroughly she had bound her friend's body. There was no question that, for all her physical strength and athleticism, Lauren was now quite helpless, and had been forced to surrender control of her body to Linda. Lauren's face, though, was beginning to show the discomfort of kneeling upright for so long. Gently, Linda took Lauren by the shoulders, and helped her to lie down. The plush carpet was deep, and, without her arms to support her, Lauren had to turn her face to the side in order to breathe.
"Now her feet." Antonia was right on top of things.
"Lauren, you'd better cross your ankles." Linda was astonished at the matter-of-factness in her own voice. It was as though some deep-seated survival instinct had kicked in, allowing her to quickly master the skills she was being forced to employ. Lauren did as she was bidden, and Linda quickly tied her ankles together.
"Do her legs, too," Antonia ordered. "I have a lot of respect for dear Lauren's ability to move quickly."
Lauren's legs. Once people stopped being dazzled by Lauren's smile, that was probably the first thing they noticed about her. Linda knelt over her prone friend, and once more, her fingers seemed to go to work on their own, as she tied more cord above and below Lauren's knees. Almost before she knew what had happened, Linda had finished immobilizing Lauren's legs. For a moment, she couldn't take her eyes off them: lithe and powerful, and now rendered useless by Linda's hands.
"All right, Linda, almost done." She looked up at Antonia, dazed.
"What?"
"Take her ankles, now, and pull them up over her back. Good. Now, tie her wrists and ankles together."
"What?"
"The technical term for this is a 'hog-tie', though I've always thought it reminded me more of cattle roping. I find that athletic types like our Lauren, here, can be most difficult if not restrained quite firmly. That's right." Antonia smiled down at the bound blonde and her new "star pupil" bending over her, finishing the knots. "She shouldn't be too uncomfortable as long as she lies still, and doesn't try anything foolish. Now, Linda, let's see to it that Lauren stays quiet while Rachel arrives, shall we?"
Lauren did her best to lift her head from the carpet, and found that she was barely able to move. Though she was trying not to do anything to provoke their captors,
"Oh, please," Linda blurted out. "Lauren will be quiet. We don't need to gag her." Gag her? Was she learning the terminology of kidnapping now, too?
"Well, even though Lauren strikes me as a prudent and intelligent woman, the temptation to cry out a warning or a call for help might prove too great. And, besides," Antonia smiled at the helpless Lauren, "she pissed me off." She reached into the bag, and pulled out a large sponge. "This, I think, should be just about right." She pressed it into Linda's nerveless hand. "Go on, Linda. I have some tape that will hold it in."
Linda knelt down in front of Lauren, a huge burden seeming to descend onto her shoulders. Her friend had trusted Linda with her life, had literally put her life in Linda's hands. She had tied Lauren up, and by doing so had kept her safe when Michelle would have gladly choked her. And now, she needed to silence her, to be certain that she did nothing to endanger herself. Even so, Linda couldn't hide the terrible guilt on her face. Lauren smiled again.
"Go ahead. She's probably right; you know how I go shooting my mouth off." Lauren opened her mouth, and Linda stuffed the sponge inside, her hand trembling.
When Lauren's mouth was filled, Antonia tore a strip from a roll of sliver duct tape, bent down, and plastered it across Lauren's lips. "I hear this stuff actually isn't very good for heating ducts," she smirked, "but it sure does have its uses." She cupped her left hand behind Lauren's head, and used her right hand to press the tape more firmly in place. She stood up again.
"Well, Linda, another fine job. Think you might have a future as a kidnapper?"
Linda ignored the sarcasm. Lauren had dropped her head back to the carpet, turning her head to the side, and breathing carefully through her nose. Linda's eyes kept traveling the length of Lauren's muscular body. She'd always counted on Lauren to be the one to bail them out of a tough spot; now, Lauren was helpless, and it was up to Linda to protect her friend. Lauren did her best to look up encouragingly at Linda, but the strain was too great, and she let her head fall back. Linda knelt beside her, resting a hand gently on Lauren's back , to let her friend know she wasn't alone. After several minutes like this, Linda heard her name being called.
"Linda, I think that Rachel is here."
The doorbell rang.