Law and Order
Another visitor had knocked on the door of the house earlier that afternoon. Straining her ears, Cody had just managed to hear a stiff creak as it was opened, followed by a murmur of thanks as the visitor stepped inside.
She had struggled frantically the whole time, fought to make herself heard so that the visitor would know she was down there, in the cellar. The gag, a thick wad of white jammed between her red lips, a stark contrast to her fey, tanned features, stifled her cries into muffled gurgles, barely audible from right beside her, let alone upstairs, the tight strip of cloth knotted behind her neck preventing her from forcing out the packing, a dish cloth that had been balled up and stuffed between her teeth.
As a conversation began to form in the hall above, footsteps thudded carefully down the narrow stone staircase. An almost stunningly attractive woman, probably about thirty years old with brown hair that ran in a ponytail down her back, stepped down onto the wooden boards, walking stiffly in the tall heels that could be seen under her cream- colored slacks. Also wearing a white blouse, she appeared casual - yet somewhat more elegant than Cody would have expected from her kidnapper.
The second of her two mysterious captors, the woman strode over to the chair to which Cody was tightly bound. Pursing her lips, she reached around to the large knot at the nape of Cody's neck and pulled it tightly, watching with satisfaction as the cleave-gag was pulled taut, the white cloth digging into her lips and face, so tight that she couldn't even close her mouth. She tried to turn her face away, but the woman's grip was vise-like and the ropes around her body held her to the chair.
Satisfied that Cody was gagged securely, the woman ran her eyes over the rest of the bonds, spun on her heel, and walked back over to the staircase. Cody struggled wildly, fighting to free her hands and her feet, moaning into her gag and wriggling her neck to try and force it down over her chin. Her protests went ignored and the door at the top of the stairs shut, allowing only a stream of light to spill through underneath.
Cody sighed resignedly, then settled back into the chair. She'd been tied like this for hours - she did not know how many, but it felt like a hell of a lot. Cramp was building up in her mouth from it being forced open; she tried to work her tongue around the gag for comfort. The cloth inside, however, had been stuffed as far into her mouth as possible, making this anything but easy. Cord had been wrapped stringently around her wrists and ankles, binding her arms behind her and her long legs in front, and below her breasts to hold her in place. It dug into her skin, chafing it every time she tried to wriggle free, etching red marks.
She had tried, once or twice, to break free, or at least to get the gag off to enable her to shout for help, but it had become apparent that her captors knew what they were doing. She could barely move a muscle, and neither the ropes nor the gag had any slack. Her struggles seemed only to make her bonds tighter. She could barely even begin to find any knots, the tight cord around her chest preventing her from craning her body around far enough, and the cord around her wrists not allowing her hands any movement at all, thin enough to hurt her skin even if she could find any slack.
Sinking her teeth down onto the cloth that filled her mouth, she waited. Eventually, she once again heard the tap of high-heels as the woman descended the stairs. She twisted in her bonds, trying to pull away from the chair, but her struggling forced the bonds tighter against her chest, digging them in further so they pushed forward her breasts. The cord around her wrist was so tight that pulling on it would only cut off her circulation completely. The stone cellar created an image of a dungeon, almost - but the room was clean and well-lit, furnished with a wooden desk in one corner and a strip-light along the ceiling. She had a sudden flash of lying handcuffed and gagged on her boyfriend's bed, only the gag was just a single strip of tape and the handcuffs loose and plastic. She'd tried to tickle him into submission over an argument about a TV program, only to find herself trussed up for the next half hour while he watched the second part in peace. But the gag had barely kept her quiet, and being secured like that by the man she loved was almost comforting. This didn't compare.
Wriggling her head in an effort to force down the silencing gag only made it more stringent still, until it threatened to cut off the blood supply to her head. Having tested her gag as much as she could without making herself breathless, she decided to make it as painless as possible, using her tongue to push the packing forward and chewing down on it, sitting there in her enforced silence as her captors emerged into the basement. If she sat back, not fighting against any of her constraints, she could almost ignore her aching limbs.
Both the women were here, this time. The first had flowing dark hair, covering the top of her short, gray dress. A black jacket, buttoned at the front and black, classic patent courts with stiletto heels that looked to be about four inches high, complemented the refined, elegant image. As she marched effortlessly across to where Cody was bound and gagged helplessly, a gliding grace to her steps that was enhanced rather than restricted by her clothing, Cody felt she would have envied her, if she hadn't been her captor.
They stopped a couple of metres in front, looking down at her with slight smiles. Despite knowing that she would never work them loose, Cody found her figures scrabbling instinctively for the knots at her wrists.
"I wouldn't even try if I were you," the dark-haired woman said matter-of-factly, her voice soft and smooth. "Julia here is quite the expert at knots."
The brown-haired Julia, who had checked her gag when the visitor had arrived earlier, laughed quietly as she strode around to the back of Cody's chair, bending down to check the bonds, the tapping of her heels against the stone floor echoing after her in the small, stone chamber. "My boyfriend wouldn't have it any other way."
Cody shook her head furiously, pleading into her gag, her mouth stone dry and her tongue aching from having to constantly push against the packing that made her cheeks almost bulge. Her eyes were wide over the thick white gag, pleading. She didn't even want to shout for help - she knew that was impossible - just a moment's relief from the dry cloth filling her mouth. Barely a murmur emerged though. This Julia definitely knew how to silence people.
"Take the gag off, Julia. Let her have some comfort."
Julia looked up and nodded.
Cody shivered, the fact that her captors obviously didn't want her dead doing little to reassure her, since they certainly wanted to hold her securely, but grateful and longing for the gag to be taken away. She felt it pull tighter as Julia's lithe fingers worked at the knot, gasping into the packing so saliva rolled down her chin; she tried to stay still as Julia fiddled, until at last the cleave-gag was loosened. Julia then stepped away, leaving Cody to tilt her head forward and wriggle frantically from side to side, until the cloth was slowly forced under her chin.
The captors watched with amusement as she waggled her head, mmphing quietly but wildly as she fought to push out the packing. It came slowly; and she tipped her head forward, so the saturated dish-cloth tumbled out to land at her booted feet. She gasped for breath, slowly but surely, gratefully taking in each lungful of air, her mouth as dry as a lizard left out to cook in the sun.
"Don't try to speak," said Abi, as she walked over to the tap in one corner. "You've been gagged for nearly five hours now. You'll need a drink." Quickly, she poured a small glass of water and wandered back to Cody, holding the glass low so that she could drink from it. Julia seemed to take some amusement in Cody's efforts to lean forward, against the bonds around her chest, water dripping down her front as she gulped eagerly, breathless as the cool liquid trickled down her parched throat. Abi withdrew the glass and stepped back, muttering a stern warning: "Remember, if you make one attempt to shout for help, Julia can easily fix you up with a gag that makes that last one look loose."
"No… I - I won't shout," Cody murmured, each word taking an effort to form. She could still feel the pressure of the cleave-gag digging into her skin.
"You're probably wondering why you're here right now - well, apart from the ropes not giving you much of an option, of course."
Cody pursed her lips, trying not to appear frightened. Despite how tightly they had her bound, the women seemed calm and not too unkind. "It's about the court case, isn't it?"
Her lips curling into a smile, Julia stepped forward. "It might be…"
"Who do you work for?"
Abi tutted. "Tell her, Julia. It's not like she's going anywhere." "Very well." Julia chuckled softly. "We're lawyers."
Cody frowned. "Lawyers don't normally kidnap people and leave them tied up and gagged in cellars."
"Lawyers don't normally have a ninety-five-percent success-rate," observed Abi.
"Only, our company likes to ensure that whatever evidence is needed is where it wants… where is most favourable for our clients. And if that means out of the way, then so be it. You see, we operate a little differently from most firms."
"But we believe it gets results."
"There have certainly been no complaints."
Cody nodded resignedly. It would be naïve of her to ignore what Abi had said, simply because she couldn't imagine such a firm existing. Many things lay hidden under the shadow of the law. It also made sense, after what she had seen, after what she had tentatively agreed to be the main witness to in front of a Court of Law.
"We really don't want to hurt you. It's just so much simpler for our clients if you stay out of the way."
"But - But I didn't even see anything much!"
Abi tutted. "It's the much part that concerns our clients."
"All it was… all I saw was a package!" Cody tried to stay calm, for fear of being gagged again. Even if the cellar was miles from anywhere, she knew her kidnappers would rather have her silenced than be forced to listen to her.
"What you saw isn't important. The fact is that you saw it being handed over. You also know that the warehouse was under Police surveillance. The package has disappeared - we have already made sure of that - but you know that what was being transported was illegal. That is enough to worry our clients."
Cody sighed, flexing her bound wrists in the millimeter of slack she had found, the cord biting her skin. "You don't have to keep me tied up like this."
"It really wouldn't do to lose you, though. We'd prefer it if you're secure. It prevents our client's plans from being ruined. And besides, "Julia grinned dryly, rolling her hazel eyes, "I like tying people up."
Cody pulled on her ropes, the feeling in her wrists slowly going. The chair was growing increasingly uncomfortable too; and the way her wrists were tightly bound behind, she could barely wriggle to find a more comfortable posture, forced to sit pretty much upright. Her only relief was that the gag had gone, but she knew it wouldn't be for long. She licked her lips to regain moisture, swishing saliva about her mouth to relieve the dryness.
"The trial isn't for a couple of days." Abi said. "We'll try and give you as much freedom as we can afford. But our company is paid a lot of money to operate how it does. There is, shall we say… a high risk factor. It's much simpler just to leave you all tied up."
Cody felt her heart stop, for a moment. Her muscles were aching this much now, from a confinement of just a few hours. She could barely imagine what it would be like after a weekend. She knew, inside, that she had to escape. Right now, though, she could see little chance: Julia at least could probably wrestle her to the floor, even if she could move an inch from the chair. And from the wild look on Julia's face, Cody well believed that she could be bound far tighter still.
"Why did you have to take me so early?"
Abi sighed, as though she was genuinely regretful. "Yeah, we're sorry about that. Unfortunately for us, the Witness Protection Schemes are becoming somewhat more effective. We had to bring you here before you got an escort or anything."
"And where is here exactly?" replied Cody, doing her best to sound defiant.
The woman's smile thinned. "You ask too many questions."
"There's an easy solution to that," muttered Julia.
"Later," countered Abi, waving her hand curtly. Then she looked down at Cody, suddenly appearing kindly. "I think you need a chance to freshen up. After all, you've a long night ahead of you."
She nodded gratefully, although inside she was hardly feeling grateful. But she hoped that the more subservient she seemed, the less tightly she would be bound later on. It was a slim chance - but the only one she had.
"Let her stand," Abi said briskly. "But leave her hands tied."
Cody shifted her weight as Julia bent down behind her. She gasped as she felt the cord constrict suddenly around her ankles, the heavy knot only giving way once Julia had picked at and tugged it solidly in all directions. At last, the cord fell away around her feet. Fortunately, she had been wearing denims that day - her legs weren't hurting anything like as much as her wrists, and there would be only a shallow mark.
Then Julia began to pull at the ropes knotted behind her back, digging them into her chest. She tried not to show her pain as Julia unbound her with the most discomfort possible; Abi was looking on unconcerned, though Cody couldn't tell whether she was taking any pleasure in it or not. Finally, all of the knots had been untied, and, struggling, she could bring her bound hands up over the back of the chair. Shakily, her legs weak, she stood, almost at eye-level with the tall Abi in her heeled ankle boots.
"Look," she said quietly, her wrists as sore as they had ever been and her arms desperate for movement: "please just untie my hands. It's not like I can go anywhere." She flexed her fingers to try and move the cord from the red skin.
Abi sighed. "No. But I suppose we can make it easier on you." She put her hand into the pocket of her business jacket and pulled out a roll of electrician-style duct-tape. In one brisk movement, she threw it into the air towards Julia, who deftly caught it with a smile. "Get that cord off and tie her wrists with this." Julia nodded and moved back behind Cody, untying her wrists. "Tape her mouth up too while you're at it."
Cody felt a tear in her eye, but she quickly composed herself. She rubbed at her sore wrists, massaging them with her fingers, trying to get the blood back. She could hardly feel her arms, tied up extremely tightly for over five hours as they had been, but she rolled her shoulders back and forth to get some feeling back as Julia slowly tore off a long strip of tape. Then she undid the cleave-gag, the thick white cloth still hanging loosely around her neck, and let that drop to the floor. Resigned to be tied up again, although less harshly, she held out her hands back behind her. Julia placed the tape against her skin, holding it down with a thumb as she wrapped it around and around Cody's wrists, making sure they were cinched tightly together, no arm movement possible. She let go after six turns, making sure the tape was stuck firmly.
Not having any other choice, she waited dumbly to be gagged. Another strip was pulled off: Julia pressed it down firmly against her lips and rolled it around her head, pulling it hard each time to remove any slack, making a complete circle. The strip was wide enough to easily cover her whole mouth. She repeated this until the strip was finished, then used her fingers to press the tape down as tightly as she could, smoothing it over Cody's mouth and sealing her lips together.
"Thank you," said Abi, turning for the stairs. "Are you ready for your break now?"
"Mmmph." It was all she could say, and it only came out as a low murmur anyway, the thick tape effortlessly insulating her voice.
"I hope Julia hasn't made it too tight - that seems to be her only fault in the job. You should be able to walk easily, anyway."
Julia pushed her lightly in the back. She cried into her gag as she stumbled on her heels. Abi led the way up the stairs, her following, trying to keep her balance, with Julia behind. The latter woman switched off the strip-light, plunging the cellar into darkness, as Abi pulled open the creaky door and ushered Cody out into the hall.
To Be Continued