Nothing Personal 5- Spies Like Them Part 2 (F/F)

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Post by Caesar73 »

Judging by this chapter alone [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] one could really think that everthing is said and done and that Crawford has won: The first Part of this Chapters shows Natascha in the Asylum. Can you imagine how she could get out of this without any help? The second Part: Crawford interviewing Penelope - it seems only a question of time, till Penelopes mission is discovered.

I have to admit: It would be a nice change, to see something not going Crawfords way :)

Interessting too: If you take the last Sentence of the Chapter one could get the impression, that Crawford harbours doubts, that she is still unsure about one thing or the other.

All in all things are still in the flow - I hope so :)
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Chapter 67

Cancun, Mexico (1 year ago)

Gillian rolled over and stared at the ceiling with a broad grin on her face. It had been a great couple of days. When her new, secret boyfriend, Mark Warwick had suggested getting away for a week she had jumped at the idea. Mark had then suggested that they kept the whole thing quiet and not tell anyone else, including his sister and their workmates. Initially Gillian thought that this was a strange request but then Mark explained that it would be better if nobody knew at the moment and get involved with trying to suggest that it might be better if two operatives from different agencies weren’t romantically involved. That did seem to make sense. They had spent the days at the beech and in bars and the nights having lovely food and then retiring to their room. Her reverie was broken by movement on the bed next to her. Gillian glanced around to see Mark getting out of bed and head to the toilet. As he rose to leave, the look in her eyes was saying Hurry back. Then they widened in surprise and she opened her mouth to cry out but a gloved hand slapped a soft damp cloth over her face. A scant second later, Mark was grabbed from behind and leather clad fingers forced a similarly damp cloth over his nose and mouth nose and mouth. Gillian made muffled noises of mingled dismay and disbelief as her attacker jumped onto the bed and straddled her, pinning her arms above her head with one hand while keeping the wet cloth over her face with the other. Meanwhile, Mark was trying without success to get the drenched cloth away from his face before the sweetness soaking it managed to work its will on him. He knew all too well what would happen if his efforts failed, and it was already starting: the fuzziness forming around the edges of his sight and the receding volume of the sounds in the room. His mental processes were slowing to a halt as his muscles turned to jelly, his lungs automatically drawing more and more of the tainted air and accelerating his downward spiral. He slumped to the floor as his legs gave way beneath him, and he knew the end was near. A quick glance told him Gillian was already out, lying there silent and still, even as her attacker continued to administer the powerful sleep drug. Before Mark's vision completely clouded over, his captor leaned in close and murmured. “Enjoy the trip.”
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Cancun, Mexico (1 year ago)

“I don’t think there was any need to soak the cloth in chloroform Kirsty,” Mark commented as he sat on a chair in the corner of the room sipping from a bottle of water.

“We had to make it realistic, you know for Gillian,” Kirsty replied with barely disguised relish. Mark snorted through his nose and drank another mouthful of the bottled water. He watched with detached interest as Christine and Annika finished putting Gillian into the two restraining bags. Gillian was still unconscious, the mask attached to the tank of knock-out gas saw to that. The plan was that she wouldn’t regain consciousness until they were on the island.

“Do you think that they will be able to pull off what Elizabeth wants with Gillian?” Mark asked.

“At the very least she will be a good test subject for Schmidt and Sokolov.” A shiver ran down Mark’s spine when he heard that. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to Gillian. “You need to toughen up,” Kirsty commented. “Anyway, what are your plans for the rent of the week?”

“I am supposed to be on holiday so that is what I am going to do. Take some photographs to convince Gillian of all the places that we have been.” Kirsty nodded and walked away toward the bed. Christine and Annika were dressed as housekeeping staff from the hotel and picked up Gillian and deposited her into a large cart for the journey through the hotel to the van. From their it was a quick ride to Elizabeth Crawford’s jet and a flight to the island.

“Enjoy the rest of your break,” Kirsty called as she followed the rest of the party out of the room, closing the door behind her. Mark looked around in the silence of the room knowing that he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.
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Chapter 68

Tranquil Times Recuperation Home, Southern England

The nurse closed the door and Natascha was alone in the room. Taking the opportunity Natascha took a look around the room, sterile or bland would be a good description but then again, she supposed that would be the idea. Keep everything neutral to prevent any reactions. Apart from the wheelchair that she was strapped into the only items of furniture in the room was a wooden desk directly in front of her, that was bolted to the floor, a large leather chair behind the desk and over her shoulder was an examination table where a patient could lie down. That was it for furniture, there were a couple of prints on the wall, an ocean scene and a shot from the floor of a forest, no doubt selected to sooth and relax and a window. However, the window has bars on it so even if she could get out of the straightjacket and the straps holding her to the wheelchair there was no chance of escaping the facility via that method. Just as she was wondering how long she would be made to wait Natascha heard the door open and then close. There was the sound of heels of the hard floor as whoever had entered paced around a bit. As the person walked past on her way to the chair Natascha got a good look at the new arrival. It was a woman of around thirty with long, dirty blond hair. The woman wore black heels, sheer hose, a short black skirt with a green blouse and a white coat on top. Now, the woman was full on hot but in Natascha’s opinion the skirt was to short and the blouse too tight across the bosom for this environment but she wasn’t in a position to make a comment, perhaps there was a suggestion box somewhere. The woman carried some kind of tablet device which she placed on the desk before taking the leather seat. Natascha watched on as the woman put on a pair of glasses and after playing about with something on the tablet for a minute, lean back in the chair and focus her full attention on Natascha. “Welcome to your first session Jane. I hope that you have enjoyed your stay with us so far. By way of introduction my name is Megan Holick and I am a senior councillor at Tranquil Times Recuperation Home.”

“MMUURRPPHH, JJHHYYUUGG, UUMMPPGGHH,” Natascha mumbled into the foam ball gag that was holding her jaws open.

“Well, a bit of enthusiasm. I like that. A lot of the women don’t like to talk much in the first session but I guess that isn’t going to be a problem with you.” Megan said with a smile. “I am going to take that gag off now so that we can have a chat. Is that alright?”

‘Obviously it is. You, stupid bitch,’ Natascha wanted to scream but restricted herself to a nod of her head.

“But first I will give you a bit of background. Today's interview is the first stage of the long, long process. So, I would advise you to get comfortable with your surroundings and accept your current situation. It will only benefit you in the course of your treatment program. This part of the facility is what we call 'high security containment', though don't let the name frighten you. It's less about security and more about safety. For someone with the health concerns that you have, your safety is our number one priority. The walls are padded with foam cushioning and the room is monitored by closed circuit cameras, twenty-four hours a day. We will keep a close eye on you at all times, as we do with all of our patients. At times you will be restrained, well for most of the time during the initial phase of your treatment, gaged as well unfortunately. At least until you learn or indeed accept who is in charge.” A smile spread across Megan’s face when she said this but it didn’t reach the woman’s eyes and a chill ran down Natascha’s spine. “And don't believe what the nurses have been whispering about my treatment methods. It isn’t true, well most of it.”

“MMUURR, UUHHPPHH,” Natascha mumbled as Megan got up from behind the desk.

“Now, you know the rules and discipline is very important both for your safety and the safety of the staff but it also helps on your road to recovery so no spitting or biting or the gag goes back on and I may to consider the administration of a sedative. Nod if you agree.” Once again Natascha nodded and sat perfectly still as Megan removed the gag and placed it on the desk before the she levered herself onto the desk and sat there with her ankles crossed. “So, how are you getting on?”

“To start with my name is Natascha Taylor and not Jane Smith,” Natascha replied.

“I have read your file Jane and I know that Natascha Taylor was your alias on the operation when you were kidnapped and held against your will by a criminal organisation. Honesty is important during our conversations. So, let's talk about these stories of yours. Though it may be hard to comprehend, you are suffering from multiple levels of delusional paranoia, all bundled up in a dissociative personality disorder.”

“I have no intension of lying to you Megan, can I call you Megan. I would rather not be here and you really need to let me go,” Natacha started.

“I think that it is best if you call me Miss Holick for the time being Jane,” Megan replied.

“My name is not Jane,” Natascha said forcefully through clenched teeth. She was trying to remain calm but she knew that would not get her anywhere. Megan just smiled at her as if she were a confused child. “Any chance I can get out of this jacket?” Natascha asked hopefully.

“Maybe once you have earned some trust. A woman with your training could be dangerous and we have the safety of our other patients and staff to consider. But don’t worry, all of the staff and patients at this facility are female so you are in no danger,” Megan replied. “Now, shall we get down to business.” Megan hopped down from the desk and sat back down on the leather chair on the other side of the desk.

“Alright then. Look, I know that this will sound crazy and I know that my boss has presented you with a twisted version of events that make me sound deluded but you have to believe me, there is a criminal conspiracy here that has infected the highest reaches of both the British and probably American intelligence services.”

“Now, I have read the file and we both know that is not true,” Megan said.

“Barton-Smyth would say that,” Natasha replied.

“As he is part of the conspiracy?” Megan asked.

“Exactly,” Natascha replied.

“This conspiracy includes, fraud, theft, replacing famous people with imposters and being kidnapped and held on a luxury island by a criminal organisation run by a former American spy,” Megan said with a wide smile. It was at that point Natascha could tell that she was in a no-win situation, there was no way that this woman would ever believe her. “You have to admit that sounds a little like the story from a pulp spy novel. Did you read many of those growing up?” Natascha remained silent. “Look, if you are not going to talk then we are not going to build up the trust required to make progress.”

“Well, you wanted honesty,” Natascha blurted out and instantly regretted it. ‘You are a professional, start acting like it.’

“It is not more likely that the trauma of what happened to you when you were abducted has caused your brain to make up a story to that you can use to mask what happen so that you don’t have to confront it.” Natascha stayed silent as Megan smiled a knowing smile that was really starting to get on Natascha’s nerves. Natascha used the silence make an assessment and knew that she would have to play the long game. If she pretended to come round to their way of thinking too quickly, they would think that she was just telling them what they wanted to hear, which would be true. It was vital that she get out of here quickly, or at least get an opportunity to escape or make a telephone call and let Christina or someone out with the British Intelligence Service know where she was.

“Well, if you aren’t going to respond then there is no point in us doing this?”

“Sorry, I was just in my own head there,” Natascha replied.

“That’s not the best, you should let me know what you are thinking. It will help.” This time there was a tilt of the head to go with the smile.

“Maybe you are right,” Natascha said reluctantly.

“I think that is a good place to end this initial session,” Megan said.

“What, so soon?” Natascha replied, “suddenly not wanting to go back into the insolation room.

“Yes, we can pick this up tomorrow,” Megan said getting up from behind the desk.

“Wait, Megan,” Natascha said before a look from the woman confirmed her mistake. “Sorry, Miss Holick.” Natascha hated that she actually had a slight fear of this woman, or more exactly that this woman was suddenly in charge of her immediate future.

“That’s better,” Megan said with the smile suddenly appearing again. “Any other questions?”

“Yes,” Natascha said meekly.

“Alright, I am in charge but fair is fair. If I answer your questions then you answer one of mine.” Natasha had to admit that seemed fair.

“When can I get out of isolation and restraints?”

“There is not a set time table, it is dependent on how you respond to treatment,” Megan replied. “Now, my turn.” Megan clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly which meant that Natascha couldn’t help but get a view of Miss Holick’s breasts as there was a button undone that really shouldn’t have been in a professional setting.

“Have you developed any, and I am trying to put this gently, fetishes since your confinement?”

“Sorry, I don’t understand?” Natascha responded.

“Think about being tied up when pleasuring yourself? I read that in addition to being bound and gagged for the majority of your captivity you were sedated during your abduction. Fantasies about being knocked out with a handkerchief being held over your nose and mouth.” Natascha couldn’t believe that she was being asked these questions.

“No,” Natascha replied with force. “Look, Barton-Smyth’s boot of an assistant Eleanor knocked me out using chloroform on a handkerchief to get me here…..” Natascha stopped when she noticed the look on Miss Horlick’s face. It said, now do you believe me. Natascha slumped in the chair as Megan reached back and lifted up the foam ball gag from the desk.

“It’s time to put this on and get back to your room,” Megan held the gag up by the end of one of the leather straps in front of Natascha.

“Do I have to wear the gag, Miss Horlick?” Natascha asked meekly. The reply was a single nod of the head. Resistance would be futile so Natascha opened her mouth and accepted the mouth filling foam gag as Megan forced it into her mouth and buckled it at the back of her head. “I think I will make a note on your treatment program that regular sedation is required.”

“MMOOHH, HHUROOH,” Natascha moaned into the gag on hearing that.

“You sit tight and I will get the nurses to take you back to your room and then give you something to help you relax,” Megan said as she walked out the room leaving Natascha to her thoughts.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Those two chapters were enlightning. The first gives us an answer why Gilian so easily changed sides - she was brainwashed by the creep Schmidt. I wonder if Kirsty has now second thoughts about what she did back then? And Mark seems to have scruples too. That does not excuse Gilian and especially Mark, because he knows what was done Gilian. But let us call that mittigating circumstances.

The second chapter shows Natasha trying to make the best out of the bad situation she is in -and she is doing that in a smart kind of way. Maybe, just maybe there might present a chance itself to use her Therapists Sympathy to her advantage ...

Getting back to Gilian: What if Mark tells her the truth?

[mention]mrjones2009[/mention] you hold the tension high - at the moment I wouldn´t dare to risk a prognosis how this Story will ends. The odds seem to be still in Crawfords favour, but there are factors in play that might change that ....
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Post by Caesar73 »

Wow! The 80000 Clicks Benchmark is fast approachinb [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] !

I wonder what Christina and Victoria doing? I somehow have the feeling the won´t just sitting on their hands ....

Another interesting question? How is Natalie adjusting being in Crawfords Clutches again?

I have the feeling, but that is just me, that we are reaching a crossroads in the near future ...
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Chapter 69

An island in the Mediterranean

“Apologies for interrupting confinement week Hayley,” Elizabeth said with a wicked smile on her face. Now, as much as she enjoyed being released from the restraining bags the audiences with Elizabeth Crawford were starting to get tedious, she almost preferred days when it was all about the sin of pleasure. Now, they were actually having conversations about things in her office, study or library, Hayley didn’t want to ask what Elizabeth called it. It was almost a relief when there was a knock at the door. “Anyway, I may have been a bit hasty with punishing you and Constance about the whole Dubrovnik situation.” Elizabeth shrugged. “After all, we got the target in the end and everyone made it home.”

“Thanks Elizabeth,” Hayley responded with a nod of the head. Elizabeth waved away the thanks. Hayley was a bit confused the woman was almost bubbling with excitement, Hayley hadn’t seen her like this before. “Looks like you are having a good time.”

“To quote a great man. I love it when a plan comes together!” Elizabeth leaned back and smiled, like a cat that had gotten the cream. Hayley furrowed her brow and wondered exactly what Elizabeth meant by that. The woman always had some plan going but she seemed especially pleased with how well whatever she had cooked up was going this time.

“Glad that things are going well,” Hayley commented.

“However, I didn’t ask you to come here to shoot the breeze. I thought that you would want to join me in welcoming back Elsa Schmidt.” Hayley froze and a shiver ran right down her spine as the footsteps got louder as Elsa Schmidt walked past them and took a position looking out the large bay window. Although she never as much as glanced at Hayley the woman gave her the creeps, just her mere presence the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees.

“I could have done without the invitation actually,” Hayley replied. She knew that her voice sounded weak and betrayed her nervousness but felt that she had to say something. Elizabeth just smiled, her thin wicked smile knowing that she had scored some points. The threat of Elsa Schmidt was a real and scary one.

“Now, lets move onto other matters,” Elizabeth stated. “How is Natalie Twain?”

“Seems to be settling in well,” Harper replied. “No reports of resistance or bad behaviour.”

“Good, good,” Elizabeth said nodding her head. “We need to find out what she knows,” Elizabeth said to Harper.

“Wait,” Hayley jumped in realising what that statement meant. “You promised that nothing would happen to Natalie.”

“What I said was that she would be safer here,” Elizabeth replied with a smile. That was when Hayley knew that she had been played again. All Elizabeth wanted was to find a way to know what her opponents knew and Hayley had given her way to obtain that information, Natalie. “If Natalie was out in the world at the moment, then it would be open season on her, every law enforcement agency, bounty hunter, not to mention any criminal element out to make a quick score or gain favour would have been after her. I don’t have to tell you how unsavoury some of those elements can be.”

“But, what…” Hayley stammered taking a glance at Elsa Schmidt.

“Oh, don’t worry Hayley. We will ask Natalie the questions nicely to begin with in the hope that she co-operates without having to resort to any form of persuasion.” That statement didn’t put Hayley’s mind to rest one bit. “In fact, why don’t you conduct the initial interrogation Hayley.” This shocked Hayley but it was classic Elizabeth Crawford. Hayley knew that Natalie wouldn’t give the information up easily, just because she was so stubborn. Plus, as Hayley was conducting the interrogation it would solidify any thoughts Natalie had that Hayley had gone full on baddie. But Hayley couldn’t refuse otherwise Elizabeth would send in Elsa Schmidt. “If only we had that stuff the French used on me,” Hayley said quietly.

“Sorry, what was that about the French?” Elizabeth asked. Hayley huffed and shook her head from side to side. “You may as well tell us.” Hayley could feel the all of the eyes on the room boring into her, Elizabeth’s, Harper’s and Elsa Schmidt’s making her feel very uncomfortable.

“Alright,” Hayley said, finally relenting. “I was kidnapped by the French Secret Service, well actually I was kidnapped from my hotel suite in Paris by someone else and then the Secret Service snatched me from then….” Hayley trailed off noting the looks that she was getting from the other women in the room. “Okay, let’s just leave it at I get kidnapped a lot. Anyway, they thought I was someone else and to get me to talk they gave me this drug, well truth drug that made me answer their questions truthfully.”

“You should have complained Hayley. Intravenous drug use is prohibited by charter.” Elizabeth stated. “I won’t even use it for those purposes.” At last, a line that Elizabeth Crawford wouldn’t cross.

“No, it was delivered by inhalation,” Hayley replied. “They called in pentothal chloroform.” It was then that Elizabeth Crawford’s mind was thrown back twenty-five years to Shimla. Hayley looked straight at Elizabeth. It looked like a switch had come on in her head.

“Thanks, Hayley,” Elizabeth said, her thoughts clearly somewhere else. The silence seemed to fill the room until Harper spoke up.

“Last topic of conversation for now, the missing agent from Section.” Hayley looked around at Harper then Elizabeth.

“What do you mean?” Hayley asked. Judging by the look that Elizabeth gave Harper that was something that shouldn’t have been mentioned in front of Hayley. “Has something happened with Section 12?” Nobody answered her question which made Hayley nervous, her mind instantly moved to Elizabeth’s mood form earlier and her comment about a plan coming together.

“Maybe we leave that until after Hayley has retired for to the evening.” The look on Elizabeth’s face confirmed that this topic of conversation was over.

“Just tell me what is going on Elizabeth,” Hayley said standing up. “First Natalie and then that comment on Section.” Elizabeth pressed a button on her desk and a couple of seconds later the door to the study opened and Constance stepped in wearing full dress and down jacket. “You called Miss Crawford.”

“Yes Constance. It seems Hayley is tired after the exertions of her recent trip. Would you kindly escort her back to her room and ensure that she has the chance to relax properly.” Hayley knew what that meant, at least a couple of days in the restraining bags. That was something that she didn’t really want at this point in time.

“Yes, Miss Crawford,” Constance responded with a small curtsy and headed quickly over to Hayley. Although Constance hadn’t known Hayley for long, she could tell that Hayley wasn’t happy at whatever had just occurred in the room, her eyes were wide and her nostrils flared and Constance needed to get her out of the room before this turned into a confrontation that Hayley would regret. That was something that Constance did not want to happen.

“Look,” Hayley said as she got to her feet, a fire in her eyes. “You will te……oofftt” There was blur of movement and suddenly Hayley found herself face down with a close-up view of the carpet. “Hands behind you back now,” Constance said with enough authority that Hayley instantly complied. She was so used to the feeling now that Hayley didn’t even flinch as the padded cuffs were secured around her wrists and finger control mitts were slipped onto her hands. “Open your mouth,” Constance demanded. “Do you want me to use chloroform? I can’t really be bothered lifting you into a wheelchair but I will if I have to.” Hayley blew the air out through her nostrils in frustration before relenting and opening her mouth to allow Constance to force a balled-up cloth fully inside. Closing her lips around the cloth Hayley didn’t flinch as the silk scarf was tightly tied over her mouth. Constance put a hand under Hayley’s left armpit and helped her up, first onto her knees and then all the to her feet before roughly dragging her toward the door getting a nod of appreciation from Elizabeth Crawford as they left. Harper had watched the exchange with interest, her eyes not leaving Hayley until she had exited the room.

“Now we can discuss Erin Michut,” Harper stated.

“Although perhaps the best person for tracking down people is currently our guest.” After she said that another idea popped into Elizabeth’s head and she smiled. There would be rounds to make after this meeting.

“May I ask where you wish me to start?” This was Elsa Schmidt finally speaking up.

“A special guest called Sonam Khan.”

“I read her file on the flight,” Schmidt said nodding. “It will make an interesting challenge.”

“Can I ask why Sonam is so important?” Harper asked.

“Naomi confirms that the negotiations with the Americans are going well and with Jaclyn Sanders out of the way there shouldn’t be an issue getting the agreement signed off. But and this is a big but. If they knew that I had handed over the Asset List to Sonam then all deals would be off. They would see that as treason and it would void any agreement. There is usually a clause about that.”

“Now I understand,” Harper commented.

“Miss Khan has to forget,” Schmidt said.

“Now, where are we with accommodation?” Elizabeth asked Harper.

“Hayley and Kirsty and still occupying the main guest suite,” Harper hoped that she put the correct tone on that comment to convey that she didn’t totally agree with that situation. “Then we have Sonam and Shonali Khan, Lara Sanchez, Evan Davenport plus two, Raquel English, Elise Rodgers, that girl Alessandra as a favour to Yelena’s sister and now Natalie Twain and the Russian operative. Plus, Penelope and Grace from that operation.”

“We are almost at full capacity,” Elizabeth commented.

“And not getting much in the way of income from it,” Harper commented. That brought a smile to Elizabeth’s face.

“I know that Harper but we are playing a bigger game at the moment. Even then with the moves that we have made we should be able to allow a lot of our guests to check out. But, even still Grace was a favour for someone so let’s see if we can get her moved on to her next destination.” That signalled the end of the meeting with Harper and Schmidt getting up silently and leaving Elizabeth Crawford to piece together her next moves after a conference call with Naomi Van Den Burgh.
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Post by Caesar73 »

That was quite the update [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] and I have to say, I never had much Sympathy for Crawford but this chapter takes it to a new level. She styles herself as the prim and proper Lady who is proud how well she treat her guests, but the way she treats Hayley offers a glance behind that well polished facade of her. To force Hayley to conduct the Interview with Natalie is clever and it is cruel. Interessting that Constances seem to care for Hayley - I have not given up hopes that Crawford gets at some point a healthy dose of her own medicine - even this seems unlikely currently.

Very well done was the description of Hayley´s inner struggle. It really seems that Crawford likes having Hayley around as a precious object for her entertainment.
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Chapter 70

An island in the Mediterranean

“What exactly did you hope you to achieve in there?” Constance whispered in Hayley’s ear as they walked down the corridor. Hayley didn’t respond and as they walked Constance pulled Hayley down a side corridor and pressed her in against the wall, a look for frustration on Constance’s face and a look of shock on Hayley’s. “You of all people should know what Elizabeth is capable off if you get on the wrong side of her.”

“AAHH MMUUOO,” Hayley mumbled behind her gag. Constance nodded then did something that surprised Hayley and removed her gag.

“Nice to know that you care,” Hayley said with a soft smile.

“Well, somebody has to look out for you. You seem incapable of doing it for yourself.”

“Where were you when I kept getting kidnapped?” Hayley said with a smile to try and break the ice. Constance tried to maintain a stern face but it cracked and she couldn’t supress a giggle.

“I wish I had been around you more,” Constance said then looked away.

“You know Constance, Elizabeth let Kendall use me during training,” Hayley leaned forward and whispered into Constance’s ear. “I would let you practice on me anytime you want, chloroform, gagging, the whole works.” A warm feeling flowed through Constance from somewhere, no doubt she was blushing as well, and she knew that she should stop this conversation now. Hayley could see that her words had an effect and decided to press on. “Constance, I have to say that wearing the dress and putting that woman in full restraints…the feel of those bags, watching her squirm until she realized that there was no escape and accept her position. It did bring up feelings that it really shouldn’t have.”

“I mean….I don’t,” Constance was clearly flustered.

“I don’t suppose you know what Elizabeth’s grand plan is?” Hayley asked, hoping that the woman would reveal something whilst her mind was elsewhere.

“Above my pay grade and probably not something you should be asking,” Constance said as she regained her composure. “Now, open wide.” Hayley complied without hesitation and Constance pushed balled-up cloth back into Hayley’s mouth. Constance then folded the silk scarf and tied it tightly over Hayley’s mouth, holding the stuffing in place. Constance made a thumbs up gesture and Hayley responded by nodding that she was ready. Grabbing the top of Hayley’s right arm, Constance gently guided Hayley out of the side corridor and along the main corridor. Then entered and main entrance foyer and then exited on the other side. Hayley could now see that it was pitch black outside, she must have been talking to Elizabeth Crawford for longer than she thought. “Let’s take the stairs,” Constance said, so that is what they did. Then something strange happened, they should have turned right at the top of the stairs but instead Constance guided Hayley to the left. Hayley looked around this section of the house and took in as much as possible having not been here before. They stopped outside a door, Hayley looked on as Constance took a furtive glance in each direction before using a card to disengage the electronic lock and open the door. Constance hurried Hayley inside and closed the door behind them. Hayley looked around and noted the bed, dresser, cupboards and open door leading to a bathroom. They were obviously in Constance’s room; this had moved quicker than Hayley imagined. Something caught Hayley’s eye and she turned to note that it was Constance’s down jacket that she had taken off and tossed onto the bed. Hayley turned around to find that Constance was standing very close to her, it startled her a bit. There was a look in Constance’s eyes, a mix of excitement and fear. “Wait, wait, wait. Before I do anything else,” Constance turned sharply, her dress making a lovely swishing sound as it did. Hayley watched as Constance worked on a bedside alarm clock. “Setting it for before when the early shift begins,” Constance commented. The nerves must be making her articulate her thoughts out loud. “I can sign you back in online and I know who is on the nightshift, they won’t bother to check the rooms.” Hayley couldn’t tell if Constance was talking to her, not that she could respond, or to herself. The young woman made her way across. “I know I shouldn’t be doing this but I really want to,” Constance said as she started to pull down the zip on Hayley’s down suit. When it was half way down Constance reached in and ran her fingers all the way from Hayley’s neck to the elasticated band on the diaper that she was wearing. She then stepped away and started to take off her dress.

“MMUURRPPHH,” Hayley said behind her gag.

“Sorry,” Constance said and took a step back, suddenly shy. “I just thought that…I misread the signals.”

“MMOOWW,” Hayley said again with urgency, whilst wriggling and jumping up and down.

“Oh,” Constance said, finally reading what Hayley was trying to communicate. She approached again and removed Hayley’s gag.

“Thanks, you will find this works much better when the other person can use their mouth,” Hayley said before stepping forward and planting a kiss on Constance’s lips, which after a moment of hesitation returned the kiss. They broke away and smiled at each other. “Now, if you just take off the cuffs and mitts we can get started properly.” Constance broke into a wide smile and quickly undid the padded cuffs and silky mitts, leaving them lying on the floor. Once that had happened Hayley spun round again and took Constance’s hands in hers.

“I didn’t know if you would be interested,” Constance said lowering her head and looking away, suddenly shy. Hayley lets go of her hands and uses a finger to gently lift Constance’s head until they lock eyes again.

“Are you sure, you have more to risk than I do?” Hayley asked. Constance just nods. Hayley leans in and kisses Constance again this time her hands are free so she brings them to rest on either side of Constance’s face. They break away and quickly shed their remaining clothing, leaving it sprawled on the floor before falling into bed.
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An island in the Mediterranean

The house was quiet with everything closed down for the night as Elizabeth Crawford entered the secure wing. Resisting the temptation to drop in and visit Hayley, she would arrange that for the privacy for her own suite tomorrow night. It was time to allow herself some fun and relaxation, things seem to be going well. Arriving outside the suite that she wanted Elizabeth used her card and the electronic lock disengaged. On entering the room Elizabeth looked around. The moonlight created shadows throughout the room and the only sound was the almost hushed rustling of smooth nylon as the person in the room reacted to the sound of the door opening. Elizabeth ran her finger along the smooth shell of the down cocoon containing Sonam Khan. “Good evening Sonam, glad that you are still awake.”

“MMMM UURRMM,” Sonam mumbled into her gag.

“Let me remove that so we can have a little chat.” Sonam nodded and raised her head to allow Elizabeth easier access to buckle on the gag and allow her to take it off.

“I would thank you but….” Sonam let that trail off.

“I also admired you attitude,” Elizabeth replied sitting down on the edge of the bed where they could both see each other’s faces.

“It seemed that I inspired you in more ways that one,” Sonam said nodding toward the down cocoon that she was currently encased within.

“Take something that was a good idea and improve upon it,” Elizabeth commented. “I am sure that you are comfortable but also have no chance of escape.” Sonam nodded to concede the point.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Remember that stuff you used on Jaclyn and I to get is to tell the truth,” Elizabeth replied.

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, I need to get hold of some.”

“What do I get in exchange?”

“This isn’t a negotiation,” Elizabeth responded. “You aren’t really in a position to bargain.”

“It must be worth something if you have asked me. And you must want it quickly if you are asking someone that you have total control over at the moment.”

“Remember you daughter is next door,” Elizabeth said as a veiled threat.

“This stuff is hard to come by Elizabeth, it is very specialised.” Elizabeth just looked at her. “Alright,” Sonam said after a period of silence. “If you let me out…..” she trailed off as Elizabeth shook her head. “Call the main office and ask for Sonasha. Explain what you are seeking that which delivers the truth and she should know what you are talking about.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth replied. “That was the correct decision.” Sonam sighed heavily. “Keep that mouth open would you.”

“When are you planning on letting us go?” Sonam asked, keeping her mouth open like a good captive to accept the replacement of the gag. Once the gag was secured back in place Elizabeth stood up and crossed her arms. “You have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and that will probably lead to some follow up appointments. I am sure doctor Schmidt will take good care of you.”

“UURRHH MMUURRPPHH HHRRGGHH” Sonam screamed into her gag. It seemed that Elsa Schmidt’s reputation travelled.

“After what you did to Jaclyn and I all those years ago, don’t expect any sympathy from me.” Elizabeth leaned down so that she could whisper into Sonam’s ear. “Just remember, if you try to resist, if you try and escape, if you cause trouble, you will never see your daughter again.” The treat delivered Elizabeth turned and headed for the door It had been a tiring but successful day and she fancied an early night. She had other arrangements to make but they could wait until the morning. There were muffled shouts and the sound of useless thrashing around from behind her but Elizabeth didn’t turn around and look at her captive, no even when she left the room.
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Post by mrjones2009 »

Clicked over 80,000 views.....Wow! thanks a lot people.

Thought that deserved another update. Hope that you enjoy.
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Post by Caesar73 »

[mention]mrjones2009[/mention] what I liked most above this chapter besides the Intimacy between Hayley and Constance - which you prepared nicely in the previous chapter - is the Contrast between this scene and the conversation between Sonam and Crawford - the tension.

I guess Hayley will not like Crawfords Administrations but I guess she will be clever enough to bide her Time.

What Hayley is doing with Constance is not without risk, and can land them in the hot seit fast - and then would be all for naught.

But we will see 😀
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Post by Caesar73 »

All in all Hayley and Constance could themselves to be lucky:


The house was quiet with everything closed down for the night as Elizabeth Crawford entered the secure wing. Resisting the temptation to drop in and visit Hayley, she would arrange that for the privacy for her own suite tomorrow night. It was time to allow herself some fun and relaxation, things seem to be going well.
What if Crawford had given in to said tempation? There would have been hell to pay if Crawford would have found Hayley not in her quarters.
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Post by Caesar73 »

The last Chapters played on Mystery Island - mostly. We learned about Natascha´s bad luck - it would surely be interesting to know, what happens at other places .... what are Christina and Victoria doing?`What is happening in the States? And there are characters we didn´t hear much about for quite a while? Where migth Gabriella might be? And there is still the elusive Fallon Bennett .....
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Chapter 71

Tranquil Times Recuperation Home, Southern England

As she was wheeled into the office again Natascha noted that Megan Holick was leaning against her desk with her arms crossed and a look on her face somewhere between annoyance and disappointment. The nurse pushed Natascha so that she was a couple of yards away from Megan and engaged the wheelchair’s break. Megan nodded at the nurse who turned away and left the room. The silence hung heavy in the air for a while until Megan removed the large foam ball-gag from Natascha’s mouth. “I hear that you have not been co-operating with the nurses Jane,” Megan said whilst giving Natascha a withering look. “Compliance is very important for your treatment programme.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you people my name is Natascha…” she was stopped mid-sentence by a stinging slap on her right left cheek administered by Megan.

“Now, stop being silly. Look what you forced me to do,” Megan said as she went into the pocket of her white coat and pulled out a small glass bottle and a thick pad of cotton wool. “I know that you haven’t been here long Jane but you must learn the proper discipline. If you don’t behave then there will unfortunately be punishment handed out.”

“Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is,” Natascha said using her experience to put two and two together when faced with a bottle of liquid and the means to apply it in a medical situation.

“Yes, Jane, it is chloroform. I managed to find some in the pharmacy. I though that it may aid with your treatment, familiar sensations and all that.” Megan soaked the large cotton wool ball with the liquid from the bottle.

“Please, no, I don’t want,” Natascha whimpered.

“It’s too late Jane,” Megan said as she lowered the cotton wool toward Natascha’s face. “You have to learn, and if that has to be the hard way then so be it. Any form of bad behaviour has to be nipped in the bud!” Megan knelt down next to the wheelchair and placed her right hand behind Natascha’s head in preparation for applying the chloroform laced cotton wool.

"Wait..MMMMMMPHH" The cotton wool was clamped over Natascha’s mouth and nose tightly. For a second, she hoped that it was all some kind of hoax, a part of her ‘treatment’ but then the familiar scent assaulted her nostrils. There was nothing that she could do to resist, tightly strapped into the wheelchair as she was. She inhaled the sweet fumes from the cotton wool and felt groggy. "MMMMMMMMMPPHHH! HLMMMMMMPHH!" She tried to call for help and shake her head free from the pungent cotton. No one could hear her muffled screams. "Hush now, nobody can hear your scream and even if they did, they wouldn’t come and help." Megan said mockingly and leaned forward. Her face was really close but all Natascha could focus on was the woman’s cleavage. "Do me a favour and sleep and I will take good care of you", Megan said and looked at Natascha with her big mesmerizing eyes. There was no mercy in those eyes. Just anticipation. And savage joy. That was the last thing Natascha saw before oblivion engulfed her.
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Tranquil Times Recuperation Home, Southern England

“OOOOHHH,” Natascha moaned as she opened her eyes.

“I see that Sleeping Beauty is awake,” Megan commented. Natascha couldn’t see the woman, the voice came from somewhere over her shoulder. She tried to raise her right hand to her hand before realising that it was restrained in place with a leather cuff, as was her left. Assessing her situation Natascha realised that she was lying face down on the examination table that had been in the corner of the room, with her wrists and ankles secured to the table using leather cuffs. There was a large, soft pillow at her head but apart from that there was nothing else on the table and she was naked. Megan had stripped her when she been unconscious.

“What are you doing here?” Natascha asked groggily. That chloroform had hit her harder than she would have thought. Rather than a verbal respond Natascha felt a whack across her bare buttocks. “Ow!” Then there was another whack. “OW!” Natascha said more loudly, know fully awake. “This doesn’t feel like proper therapy.”

“Jane, as I have explained this is punishment for non-conformity.” There was another whack and Natascha jumped at the impact. The woman must have bene using some kind of panel.

“Will you stop that,” Natascha demanded. But there was another whack.

“We will need to do something about that complaining,” Megan commented. The woman appeared in front of Natascha and leaned down so that their eyes were at the same level. Natascha could see that the woman was rummaging in her pocked and then came out with a large white handkerchief. “Open up,” Megan ordered. Natascha wasn’t about to play nice so clamped her mouth shut. Megan shook her head and then pinched Natascha’s nose until she had to open her mouth to breathe and Megan rammed in the wadded-up handkerchief. Then Megan removed the silk scarf form around her neck, tied a knot in the middle and then forced the knot into Natascha’s mouth after the handkerchief before tying the ends tightly together at the back of Natascha’s head.

“UURRHH,” Natascha moaned.

“I am going to enjoy using that scarf for other purposes later on,” Megan commented as she disappeared back out of sight. Then the whacking stared again, it was constant and rhythmical and Natascha grunted with every whack of the bat. Each individual whack wasn’t sore but the cumulative effect would sting; it was more about embarrassment and mental degradation than inflicting pain. The problem was it was working as Natacha mewed into her gag and buried her face in the pillow, trying to take her mind anywhere else. After what seems like hours the whacking stopped and a dejected Natascha sagged into the table. Magen leaned in and untied the scarf section of Natascha’s gag before using her slim fingers to remove the now sodden handkerchief from Natascha’s mouth. “Are you going to cooperate with me now Jane, or do something silly?” Megan asked Natascha.

“I am going to cooperate,” Natascha replied meekly.

“Good girl. Remember we punish bad behaviour but good behaviour has rewards.” Natascha nodded. “If you pay with the rules and do well then we can see about getting you outside for a bit.” Megan had knelt down and was looking up at Natascha with an encouraging smile on her face. “Wouldn’t that be nice.” Natascha just nodded. Defeated for the moment. “Now, tell me your name?” Natascha just looked blankly at Megan. “I need to hear you say it Jane,” Megan instructed. Natascha relented, anything to get some fresh air and sunshine.

“My name is Jane Smith,” Natascha said.

“What is your name?” Megan asked again.

“Again, my name is Jane Smith.”

“Your name is Jane Smith.”

“My name is Jane Smith,” Natascha parroted as Natascha unpicked the knot that she had tied in her silk scarf.

“Good girl,” Megan said as she played with Natascha’s hair and looked at the curve of her back admiringly. “We have made good progress today Jane. I think that I can authorise you have some time outside tomorrow.” It was then that Natascha noticed that Megan was preparing another wad of cotton wool with chloroform.

“No, please, not the chloroform again. I promise to behave.”
“Sorry, but you have to learn your lesson if it takes a hundred applications of chloroform.” Megan said as she placed the cotton wool over Natascha’s nose and mouth then toed the scarf over it to hold the pungent smelling pad in place. As Natascha fought against the effects of the fumes Megan strode over to her desk, removed a electronic recording device from her pocket, set it on the desk and started to make some notes on a pad of paper. “That was a positive session Jane, we can pick this up tomorrow afternoon.” Megan watched intently as Natascha struggled to fight off the inevitable unconsciousness with her eyelids opening and closing and her head lolling from side to side until eventually the fumes won and her eyes slammed shut.
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An island in the Mediterranean

“Good news Lara,” Elizabeth said. “You can leave anytime you like.” Elizabeth had bounded into the suite glad that she was actually giving a captive some positive news for a change. Now that her operatives were in total control of Section 12 Headquarters and negotiations were going well Lara was free to go, Elizabeth had only taken her to use as leverage against her aunt, Milena Novak but that was no longer required. Elizabeth didn’t get the reaction that she was expecting from the young woman.

“What if I wanted to stay?” That response shocked Elizabeth.

“Can I ask why?” It seemed like the sensible question to ask. Usually former captives couldn’t wait to get off the island.

“I don’t really have anywhere to go,” Elizabeth said taking a seat on the window sill beside Lara. “One of your colleagues showed me on social media that my so-called fiancé and so-called best friend ae now an item.” Elizabeth had been made aware of this development by Perrie. “They didn’t wait long when I disappeared.” At that point Elizabeth was expecting a rant about all this was her fault but it couldn’t materialise. Lara obviously blamed her fiancé and former best friend. “Perhaps you did me a favour. If they couldn’t wait five minutes after I have disappeared then they would have been at it behind my back in a couple of months anyway.” Elizabeth was glad that Lara took that view.

“Erm, look at this as a fresh start,” Elizabeth hoped that she sounded encouraging.

“That’s the point. I don’t really have anywhere else to go….” Lara trailed off. It was then that Elizabeth clocked that she really didn’t. Lara had no immediate family and her only relative was currently otherwise engaged helping Wallis Kennedy and Vernie at Section 12 Headquarters. With her fiancé and best friend betraying her Elizabeth could see Lara’s point of view.

“Well, you can move to one of the cottages but you would have to keep the anklet tracker on.” Lara just nodded. “The seamstress has a spare room. I am sure that she wouldn’t mind you moving in for a bit. She might like the company.” Lara smiled. “I will have a word with the girls and I am sure they would be happy to get you involved with the sports, volleyball on the beach, tennis, that sort of thing.” Lara had a beaming smile on her face. “There is also quiz night and film night.”

“Thank you, that sounds great.” Lara said. “You have a beautiful place here.”

“Thank you.” Elizabeth said as she got up from the window. “But, only until your Milena is finished and is free to head back to Paris. Then you have to join her.” Elizabeth left the room and went to find Harper and ask her to make the arrangements to move Lara along to the village. It wasn’t ideal but hopefully it would only be for another two or three weeks, maybe a month at the most. Then Elizabeth stopped and pirouetted around, there was one more stop to make before having that conversation with Harper.
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An island in the Mediterranean

The door opened and Elizabeth Crawford entered the suite containing Raquel English. Elizabeth slowly walked across the floor toward the bed. Once there she placed her hand on the smooth outer shell of the down cocoon that encased Raquel and ran her hand along it, delighting in how smooth it is, occasionally pressing her hand into the deliciously think down filling. Elizabeth allowed her mind to wander back to the early days when she was developing the restraint system, the good and bad efforts and the technological breakthroughs that had allowed them to get to where they were now, the perfect balance of restraint and comfort. It also dawned on her that she hadn’t been in the restraining bags for a long time, perhaps it was time to experience the sensation again. Without speaking Elizabeth leaned down and removed the gag from Raquel mouth. The woman worked her jaw as Elizabeth retrieved a chair from the corner of the room and placed it next to the bed.

“To what do I owe the honour?” Raquel asked as Elizabeth took a seat.

“I need somebody tracked down and neutralised,” Elizabeth stated. There was nothing wrong with being direct.

“So why are you telling me?” Raquel asked.

“There is something going on in the background that means that I can’t be seen to be taking this type of action directly.”

“You need plausible deniability?” Raquel asked. “If something goes wrong.”

“Exactly Raquel,” Elizabeth responded.

“What exactly is going on in the background that you can’t just send your girls?”

“That is a bigger question than you realise and for a number of reasons I can’t go into details.”

“So, are you asking if I will track this person down for you?” Elizabeth nodded. “Then bring her back here?” Elizabeth nodded again. “Why would I? I assume I just end up back in here in the bags?” Elizabeth nodded for a third time.

“Let’s just say it would put you in the credit column with me and there may be a raft of opportunities about to open up.” Raquel contemplated her current predicament before looking at Elizabeth Crawford and nodded slowly to confirm her agreement. What choice did she have? It couldn’t be less productive than staying here.

“Good, I will have one of the ladies let you out of your restraints and I will leave the file for the operative lying on the bedside table.”
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An island in the Mediterranean

Admiring herself in the mirror, Raquel though that she looked good. Well, it was nice to be wearing fitted clothes again rather than one of those puffy suites. The simple black suit was cut flatteringly and the blouse was simple and stylish. Raquel tore herself away from the image and grabbed the small wheeled case in one hand and the file on Erin Michut in the other. Having recognised the name her suspicions were confirmed when she read through the file and noted that the young woman’s parents were former intelligence operatives, so in addition to her training young Erin should have a deep well on knowledge to draw from. As Raquel walked through the main hall, she received a dirty look from Nicole and a wave form Harper. Ignoring both of the Raquel slipped on a pair of sunglasses as she exited into the sun to find Elizabeth Crawford waiting for her, leaning on the bonnet of a jeep wearing chinos and a chequered shirt with her hair tied back with a ribbon, looking relaxed and happy. “I thought that I would give you a lift to the plane.”

“Thanks,” Raquel responded as she hefted the case into the rear of the jeep and hopped into the passenger seat. Nicole and Harper appeared in the doorway and Elizabeth gave them a wave as she started the engine and pulled away so violently that Raquel was flung back into the seat. Once they had exited the grounds of the main house and were on the road that ran around the island Elizabeth pointed toward the glove compartment. Raquel took the hint and opened it to find a mobile phone. “The mobile can be monitored externally so we will know who you call, text and e-mail. Also, the tracker on your ankle has GPS so we will know where you are at all times.”

“I can feel the trust Elizabeth,” Raquel commented, grabbing at a handle as Elizabeth took a right-hand turn.

“Take this as an opportunity to earn some trust,” Elizabeth replied. “As I said there may be some opportunities coming up within the organisation.” She flashed a smile at Raquel when she said this.

“Where I am heading too anyway?” Raquel asked. “There was nothing in the file about Erin’s current location.”

“Frankfurt,” Elizabeth stated. “Excellent transport hub for moving around. No solid information on current location yet but hope to have more information by the time you have landed.” Next Elizabeth fumbled in the pocket of her shirt and whilst keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the road handed Raquel a credit card. “Max single purchase and daily limits but should be enough to get you bye. Make sure and bring me back something nice.” Raquel slipped the card into her inside suit pocket and nodded. The rest of the brief journey drifted by in silence until Elizabeth pulled the jeep to a halt close to the plane. As Raquel was half way out of the jeep Elizabeth turned to her. “Raquel, don’t let me down.”

Taking one of the comfortable seats Raquel got comfortable as the engines fired up. Just as she was about to put on her seatbelt the stewardess approached and asked the strangest question that Raquel had ever been asked on a plane. “Would you like chloroformed first or just go straight to the gas?” Whilst always being annoyed at being rendered unconscious, Raquel was usually the one doing the rendering, her preference was chloroform. Especially the kind used by Elizabeth Crawford, it had better properties than your standard version of the drug. Besides, if she was being honest the rubber mask did freak her out slightly, a hangover from a bad experience at the dentist as a child. A nice soft, thick cloth or folded handkerchief were much preferable as an application device for a sedative.

“Chloroform please,” Raquel said as she finished get settled in. It was like ordering a drink. The stewardess had obviously come prepared as she quickly pulled a small bottle and a white handkerchief from the pocket of her uniform. “I see you came prepared,” Raquel commented as the woman prepared the handkerchief with the chemical sedative. The stewardess nodded and then lifted the soaked handkerchief toward Raquel’s nose and mouth, the scent wafting into Raquel’s nostrils before the handkerchief touched her skin.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Quite the interesting Chapter [mention]mrjones2009[/mention]:

We did not read about it, but obviously Hayley´s and Constances alone time went unnoticed - which is a good thing. It is a safe assumption that Crawford would not be pleased if she had found out.

Natascha´s reducation continues - she will have a hard time, that is for sure - but we shall not give up hope - yet.

And Crawford is obviously wrapping up loose ends: Letting Lara go and using Raquel English to capture Erin. This is a typical Crawford: Offering her guests a chance to earn some favours. But the underlying threat is clear in this case: Should Raquel fail, there will be consequences of course.

It would surely be interesting what is going on in the world around the Island: Christina and Victoria for instance, or Gabriella? And there is still the elusive Fallon Bennett.

Though at the moment everything points in one direction: Crawford will succeed.

The question only is: What fate will befall Hayley and Natalia, or Kirsty?
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Chapter 72

Copenhagen, Denmark

Gayle and Rhiannon slumped back in their chairs in frustration having spent a couple of days trawling through the information that Natascha had passed on. Apart from breaking for food and drinks they had been hard at it basically since their meeting with Natascha. They had tried calling her a couple of times but the first time it had rung out and they the second the line had been dead. Given what had already happened this left them feeling slightly uneasy. “Maybe we have been looking at this to broadly,” Rhiannon commented as she got up and headed to the small fridge to get a drink.

“I think you are right. We need to narrow the focus,” Gayle replied.

“What are we trying to achieve?”

“Find out what Elizabeth Crawford is up to and stop it or find Elizabeth Crawford.”

“Agreed. I would suggest that the first of those is probably beyond us now but the second is more likely to have a successful outcome.” Gayle nodded to show that she agreed with Rhiannon’s assessment. “That means finding someone who would be willing to divulge the location of Elizabeth Crawford’s island retreat.” Rhiannon returned to the table with two cans of highly sugared fizzy drink and dumping one in front of Gayle.

“Fallon Bennett,” Rhiannon and Gayle said in unison. The problem was that the information was old. Once Fallon had stopped working for Elizabeth Crawford and disappeared, she was no longer of interest and sightings, possible of solid, were not really reported. They piled through the information again but most of it was four or five years old.

“It’s as if she vanished off the face of the earth a four years ago,” Gayle commented almost too herself.

“This looks promising,” Rhiannon said. “The last sighting seems to be in Italy. Italian Intelligence has her entering the country through Milan by train.”

“I saw something about that,” Gayle said as she bashed on the keyboard of her laptop. “Yes, that ties in with a record of her boarding a train in Prague, then Vienna.” They trawled through various other reports with even the remotest link to Fallon Bennett. “Everything else looks random, she pops up here and there. Almost as if deliberately being seen all over the place in Europe to throw people off the scent.”

“I would agree,” Rhiannon said. “It is too random to be anything else.”

“Anything else in Italy?” Gayle asked. They piled back through the information and found some intelligence that a known alias of Fallon Bennett had booked into a couple of hotels in the south of Italy. The Italians had followed it up and confirmed a sighting but the trail seemed to have gone dead. “So, what do you think?”

“Italy here we come!” Rhiannon called after taking a second to think it over. There was nothing else to really do for it if they were serous about making progress. The lead was over four years old but it was all that they had at the present time.
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An island in the Mediterranean

Elizabeth Crawford had watched the plane with Raquel English on it disappear into the distance before jumping back in the jeep and taking a leisurely drive around the island, taking in the views and enjoying the sunshine and light breeze. But then it was time to get back to business and head back to the main house. Having returned, Elizabeth first went back to her room to get property attired, it didn’t help for anyone to see her not looking her best. She always like to project the right image. From there it was down to the basement to see how her team were getting on with Sonam Khan. Elizabeth knocked softly on the door before using her card to disengage the lock and enter. When inside Elizabeth found Xenia Sokolov and Elsa Schmidt standing around an oversized down cocoon with Sonam Khan encased at its heart lying on a rubber sheet on top of a tank of magnesium sulphate solution. Prior to that Xenia had gagged Sonam heavily, placed a thickly padded blindfold over Sonam’s eyes and then placed earplug into each of Sonam’s ears. The earplugs allowed no ambient sound in, just what they wanted Sonam to hear through small speakers imbedded in each earplug. “How are you getting on?” Elizabeth asked.

“Been at it a couple of hours,” Elsa replied. “It takes time. The drugs seem to have had the desired effect so we just need to have patience.” Elizabeth nodded her understanding.

“As I explained earlier Elizabeth, it would be all be impossible for us to make Sonam forget that she had the Assets List,” Xenia commented. “What we are going to do is tell her that how she came to have it.”

“Remove you from the equation, or the memory so to speak,” Schmidt commented. Elizabeth turned and looked again at the down cocoon containing Sonam Khan.

Her body jolted as Sonam Khan regained consciousness. It took her several minutes to regain her senses; if that was the correct phrase at the present time as she could not grasp a sensation of anything. Sonam couldn’t understand it as she couldn’t see, hear or speak and she was also obviously well restrained as she couldn’t move. On top of that it felt if she was floating as every small movement caused what seemed like a wave sensation along her body, as if floating in a pool. Then she remembered the three women coming int other room early in the morning and the chloroform laced cloth heading toward her nose and mouth. “Hello Sonam.” The voice startled Sonam as it seemed to come from nowhere, like it had been sent straight from space into her head. “Please relax and listen to my voice, concentrate on my voice. My voice and what I say, is the only thing that you need to worry about at the moment.” The voice had a slight German accent and was clearly an older woman. The rest of the day passed through one interminable hour after another. Sonam fretted occasionally at her inability to move, speak, see or hear. When it became too much to bear, she struggled anew, but it always ended in the same way, with exhaustion, her lungs burning from the effort, her jaws stretched wide apart, mouth clogged with cloth, head pounding from the blindfold tied over her eyes. Most of the time she lay still, accepting her present helplessness, with no option Eventually she couldn’t do anything but listen to the voice coming over the speakers. It was the same words repeated over and over again on a loop. As if they were trying to pummel something into her head with repetition.
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An island in the Mediterranean

Elizabeth whistled to herself as she paced her up and down in her room, almost wearing a hole in the carpet. After escorting Raquel to the plane and her visit to Schmidt’s workshop Elizabeth had a very positive catch-up call with Naomi Van Den Burgh, things were indeed going well. So, as she had promised herself Elizabeth had arrange for some relaxation time this evening. The knock at the door. “Enter,” Elizabeth called. When the door opened Elizabeth got a shock, she was expecting a bound and gagged Hayley wearing a down suit to be escorted in by a guard but she found was Hayley wearing a large dress and a wide smile. Looking on with a sense of confusion as Hayley closed the door and then approached her Elizabeth was stunned when Hayley took her hand. “There is no need to tie me up any more,” Hayley said before leaning in and kissing Elizabeth fully on the lips. There was silence as Hayley led Elizabeth toward the bed, they both lost all of their clothes during the short journey. It had been earlier in the day that Hayley had decided it was time to get pro-active. It didn’t look any anybody was going to be coming to the rescue to Hayley was going to have to engineer her own way off the island. How she was exactly going to go about it was another matter but she had to start somewhere?

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They both lay naked in bed; Hayley was facing the door with Elizabeth draped over her. It was pitch black and Hayley was considering trying to slip away and have a look around Elizabeth’s room when she felt movement as Elizabeth rolled over and then cooler air hit her back as the duvet was flipped off. Hayley had to admire the opulence of the bedding that Elizabeth had, maybe she should put in a request to get the same for her room. “Where are you off to?” Hayley asked as she rolled over.

“Well, I wanted you to stay the night for a change,” Elizabeth said from the gloom. She couldn’t see where the older woman was but hard the soft footsteps padding around on the thick carpet. Out of the darkness Elizabeth appeared with a handful if no doubt expensive silk scarves. “A bit of light bondage,” Elizabeth said. “Just as a precaution.” Hayley nodded rolled over so that she was face down in one of the thick, silk covered pillows and brought her wrists together behind her back and allowed Elizabeth to bind them together using one of the silk scarves. The fabric was extremely smooth against Hayley’s skin. After pulling the duvet down Elizabeth used similar scarves Elizabeth tied Hayley’s ankles and thighs together. “There, that’s not uncomfortable.”

“No, that’s fine.” Hayley noted that that Elizabeth had tied a large knot in the one of the scarves and guessed what that was for. Putting on her best sultry voice. “If you do that my mouth will be out of action.” Hayley ran her tongue over her lips and Elizabeth smiled.

“I might be getting old but I am finished with that for tonight. Besides, as I say constantly if a person isn’t gagged then they aren’t restrained properly.” Elizabeth bent over and Hayley opened her mouth to accept the knotted section of the scarf before raising her head to allow Elizabeth to tie the two ends of the scarf together tightly. “Keep that head raised.” Elizabeth produced handkerchief that had been folded into a pad and placed it over Hayley’s mouth before using another scarf, folded into a band to hold that in place. “That alright?” Hayley nodded an affirmative response then Elizabeth jumped back into bed and pulled the duvet up and around them both. “Get us heated up again.” They then both relaxed and after fifteen minutes they found themselves back in the same position they were before Elizabeth had left to get the scarves. Something about the night seemed to relax Elizabeth and lying in the dark that was when she told Hayley about her hopes and dreams for the future, her plan to go straight and that Elizabeth was currently well on the way to agreeing this with various Governments across the globe. For once Hayley was glad that she was gagged as it prevented her from crying out. Her sense of dress heightened as Elizabeth continued. Even when the woman fell asleep and the breathing became more rhythmical, Hayley couldn’t sleep, her mind racing with the implications if Elizabeth Crawford was successful.
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Post by Caesar73 »

Well that Chapter held some unexpected surprises:

So Rihannon and Gayle make an serious effort to find Fallon Bennett and Italy it is .... it remains to be seen, if they are successfull. So far Crawford had been ever a step ahead.

Second part: Elsa Schmidt treating Sonam Khan ... that Woman give ne the creeps.

And the third part was the real surprise: Hayley decided to get proactive. She is playing a risky game. At least she made Progress as Crawford finally spoke about her plans for the future. Something must be really upset Hayley, judging by her reaction at the end ... what did Crawford tell her, that did upset her that much?

Even if Hayley´s is playing a risky game: What does she have to lose? From her perspective this is the logical course of action. Help won´t come, so she must devise a plan on her own.

Things are about to getting interessting even more :) Finding Fallon Bennett is one thing, convincing her to help a completely different matter. And will still do not know what Christina and Victoria are doing ....

Ah ... so many loose ends :) Well done [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] :)
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Post by Caesar73 »

And there is another important question as well, and maybe that is partly the reason, why Hayley is so upset: What mean Crawford´s plans for Hayley, or say, Natalie?

Rather unlikely, that Crawford will just say, as she did to Lara Sanchez, hey Girls you are free to go ....
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Chapter 73

Tranquil Times Recuperation Home, Southern England

The two nurses had entered her room about her hour earlier and the look on their faces caused Natascha to gulp, she could tell right away that she was in trouble. The one on the left carried what looked like a long, body length fabric straightjacket with straps and buckles dangling off it. The two nurses blocked the door and stood there for ten seconds before they split and Megan Holick appeared between them. “It is time to step up your treatment Jane.” Natascha looked on as Megan pulled out a cloth and a bottle. “First, time for your sleepy medicine.”

An hour later in a darkened room, Natascha woke up and found that she was strapped into a full body, skin tight, canvas bag. The belts were tight and ran from around her neck all the way down to her ankles, there would be no escape. She would only be able to flap around, that was if she hadn’t been strapped firmly but not tightly to a wave-less waterbed, heated precisely to her skin temperature to help and sever any sensory input. There were straps across her chin and forehead keeping her head in place so that she was forced to look at the mesmerising patterns being projected onto the plain white ceiling. An intravenous drip with a computerised metering device had been started in her left arm, which alternated a special sedative and other drugs keeping her off balance. The sensations from the drugs seemed to be timed with changes in the images being projected onto the ceiling. On her head was strapped a pair of headphones, through which instructions, messages, propaganda, noise, news, information, and other aural stimulation were introduced or, if desired, no sound at all was allowed. More wires were attached to measure her brain activity, breathing and heart rate to make sure that she was safe. The two nurses and Megan Holick look on. Then the door to the special suite opened and Mrs Cumming-Bruce entered the room. “Good morning,” Megan said. Cumming-Bruce ignored her and walked across to look over Natascha, taking special attention of the IV drip.

“….haloperidol, and phencyclidine hydrochloride!” Cumming-Bruce exclaimed standing next to the platform, reading the stickers that explained the contents of the drug in the IV drip. “You’re brainwashing her?!” Megan thought that the woman was being a bit dramatic. Cumming-Bruce was well aware of her methods and preferences.

“It was you that took the money to hold her here,” Megan stated. “What was your plan? Keep her in that cell for the rest of her life?” Cumming-Bruce gave her a look and Megan knew that she scored a point.

“What do you think our chances of success are?” Cumming-Bruce asked.

“Honestly, it is hard to tell. These things take a bit of time. Boredom mixed with helplessness and fear play tricks with the mind.” Megan nodded at Natascha. “It also depends how strong they are or how susceptible to suggestion she is.” Natascha lay perfectly still, well she couldn’t do anything else at the present time. The noise and music in ger ears had stopped about thirty seconds ago but the pretty patterns remained projected onto the ceiling. The audio input was a hiss until there was a click and then her own voice burst into her ears. “My name is Jane Smith. I was born on 3rd August 1990 in Ipswich….” It was strange to hear her own voice in this setting and there was no way to avoid it. The voice described a life that wasn’t hers, for a start she wasn’t called Jane Smith, until after a period of time that she couldn’t quantify her voice stopped. Then there was silence for a brief moment until the hiss returned followed by her own voice again. “My name is Jane Smith. I was born on 3rd August 1990 in Ipswich….”
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Post by mrjones2009 »

Apologies for he short Chapter above. Promise the next one will make up for it!

Hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far.
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Post by Caesar73 »

mrjones2009 wrote: 1 year ago Apologies for he short Chapter above. Promise the next one will make up for it!

Hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far.
Absolutely :) I have to say though that brainwashing Natscha robbing her of her identity is a horrible fate. But at the moment there seems to be little hope.
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Chapter 74

A small town in Italy

Gayle and Rhiannon had flown into Napoli on the trail of Fallon Bennett. Well, the trial wasn’t exactly warm but it was all that they had. Their flight got in late so they had stayed the night in central Naples before getting a train and heading west and south into the heel of Italy. After the train they had to catch a bus to the place where the last confirmed sighting of Fallon Bennett had been noted. As they watched the bus pulled away Gayle and Rhiannon took a look around the town. It was lovely, postcard perfect would be a good way to describe it. In the centre of town all of the buildings were traditional but looking further up, out over rolling hills there were more modern structures visible. “This looks really nice,” Gayle commented.

“Agreed,” Rhiannon replied. “But, let’s keep our guard up. No telling who is watching.” Gayle nodded and looked at her phone. “Which way to the hotel?”

“That way,” Gayle said pointing in the general direction. “Should be less than ten minutes away.” They both picked up their bags and set off door for the hotel. As they turned away from the main road and headed down a side road neither noticed a small red sports car with blacked out windows slow down as it passed then before speeding up again as the disappeared out of view. It was a nice walk through the town before they reached their hotel. Gayle left Rhiannon to deal with checking in whilst she looked at the paintings and tapestries that hung on the walls of the open reception area. Rhiannon signalled that she had sorted the booking in and they followed a young man who carried their bag up to flights of stairs, onto the second-floor landing and along the corridor. The young man produced a key and opened a door before steeping back and inviting Gayle and Rhiannon to enter. They both did and took a look around the double room which looked basic but comfortable with a set of double doors that after depositing the women’s bags onto the beds the young man strode across the room and flung them open, letting in some late evening sunshine and stunning view of the hills behind the hotel.

“Thank you,” Rhiannon said to the young man. The young man nodded and went to leave the room. “Excuse me,” Rhiannon called and the young man turned around. “Is there anywhere you would recommend for dinner?” The young man smiled then in broken English gave Rhiannon directions to a highly regarded local restaurant. “Let’s get settled then head out for some food,” Rhiannon suggested. Gayle nodded her agreement and started to unpack her clothes, put her toilet bag in the small bathroom and they hid her laptop under the bed. Once Rhiannon had done the same, they headed out, waving at the young man who was sitting in a chair in reception as they did so. The young mane saluted as they passed before going back to reading a graphic novel.

They followed the young man’s directions and they found themselves walking through a park. It was very well manicured and had pockets of brightly coloured floral displays. Every so often there was a bench and across from a particularly lovely formation of roses they found an old man with a sad expression sitting on a bench. Rhiannon and Gayle stopped just short of the bench to discuss where they should head once out of the park. “Can I help you ladies?” the old man asked in heavily accented English.

“Looking for a restaurant,” Rhiannon replied and gave the old man the name.

“Ah, a fine meal you will have there. Just out of the park, turn right and then second left.”

“Thank you,” Rhiannon said. As that exchange was taking place Gayle was staring at the large brass plaque on the bench where the old man was sat, there was now an alarm going off at the back of her head as her brain starting putting things together.

“My name is Vittorio,” the old man said. “What brings two fine young girls like yourself to my small town.” Rhiannon smiled; the man was endearing.

“Trying to track down an old friend,” Rhiannon replied.

“Old friends,” Vittorio said wistfully.

“Can I ask if you know the person on the plaque?” Gayle asked. It was only than that Rhiannon’s eyes were drawn to the plaque.

“Yes, she was a fine young woman. A protégé of mine in my furniture workshop, I made this bench in her memory. Alessandra Ambrosio died seven years ago,” Vittorio said, a sadness passed across his face. Then he smiled as if a happy memory of the woman had just come to him. “If I may say so she was even more beautiful than yourselves.”

“I am sure she was,” Rhiannon replied.

“We must head off and get some dinner,” Gayle said. “Take care.” With that the two women turned and left the park.

“What was that about?” Rhiannon asked.

“I will tell you back at the hotel after dinner,” Gayle replied. “I think that we may have just discovered something.” Then headed to the restaurant where they had a lovely meal before settling the bill. As they were leaving Rhiannon popped to lady’s room whilst Gayle approached the waiter that had served them and pulled a photograph of Fallon Bennett out of her bag. “Hello,” Gayle began. “We are looking for a friend who has gone missing. Have you seen this woman?” Gayle asked holding up the photograph to give the waiter a good look.

“No,” the man said shaking his head, but Gayle thought that the answer came to quickly. Like an automatic reaction to seeing the face. The waiter looked slightly panicked.

“Are you sure?” Gayle asked. “It may have been some time ago.”

“Can I ask what you are doing?” Gayle heard a female voice say from behind her. Gayle spun to find a short looking at her with fists balled up on hips. The woman indicated that the waiter should make his escape and her scurried off.

“Just looking for an old friend?” Gayle said. “Her name is Fallon Bennett.” The woman didn’t even look at the photograph.

“It doesn’t pay for strangers to be asking questions.” Gayle took that as a warning. The woman didn’t say anything else before turning and heading toward the rear of the restaurant.

“How to make friends and influence people,” Rhiannon commented after watching the exchange on her return from the bathroom. Gayle shrugged and they left the restaurant. It was now gloomy outside and for some reason Gayle felt the need to keep checking over her shoulder as they made their way back to the hotel. “Feeling paranoid?” Rhiannon asked.

As they got back to the hotel the young man was still sitting in the same position reading through the same graphic novel. Gayle glanced at Rhiannon before deciding to go and speak to the young man. “Hi,” Gayle said putting on her friendliest smile. “What’s your name?”

“Carlo,” the young man said.

“You like The Avengers?” Gayle asked pointing at the graphic novel. Carlo nodded but seemed a bit embarrassed. “I am more of a Batman lady myself.” That comment seemed to relax the young man. “Did you know Alessandra Ambrosio?” A fleeting sadness washed over Carol’s face.

“Ah, terrible, terrible,” Carlo said. “La Bella,” Carol said.

“Did you like her?” Gayle asked.

“Yes, very pretty but a bit too old for Carlo.” Then a puzzled expression crossed the young man’s face.

“What?” Gayle pressed.

“You are not the only pretty lady to come asking about her?”

“We aren’t?” Gayle asked.

“No,”

“When did this other woman come around asking about Alessandra?” Gayle asked.

“Oh, four or maybe five years ago.” Gayle pulled the photograph of Fallon Bennett from her pocket and showed it to Carlo. He nodded. “Carlo never forgets a pretty lady.” There was a cough and they both turned to find the man behind the desk giving them a dirty look before saying something pointed in Italian that made Carlo tuck his book under his arm and scurry off. Gayle eyed the man behind the desk warily before heading up the stairs with Rhiannon scampering to catch up.

“What is going on?” Rhiannon asked but Gayle did not reply. She just carried on until they were back in the room. Once inside the room Rhiannon stood and watched as Gayle grabbed her laptop bag form under the bed, pulled out the computer and started to typed away on the keyboard.

“This is an image of Alessandra Ambrosio from Natascha’s files,” Gayle said as she spun her screen around for Rhiannon to see. Gayle took the large glossy photograph of Fallon Bennett from her bag, and began to scribble on it with a black pen. Pausing, Gayle considered the photograph for a moment, tapping the pen against her teeth, before using the pen to make some small alterations to the photograph. Once again, Gayle considered the photograph before holding it up next to the screen so that Rhiannon could see both images at the same time. “Remind you of anyone?” Gayle asked. Rhiannon closed in, squinting her eyes.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rhiannon commented.

“It doesn’t take much, some subtle cosmetic surgery, change of hair length.” Gayle dumped both the laptop and photograph onto the bed. Rhiannon dropped onto the bed across from Gayle. They had discovered something but didn’t know how this fitted in or what it meant or indeed, how to use it. Maybe the best way forward was to get a good night’s sleep and have a think about it again in the morning.
----------
A small town in Italy

“Why do you want to buy scarves?” Rhiannon asked as Gayle looked at the scarves in a stall at the market that had sprung up in the town square overnight. After yesterday’s discovery regarding Fallon Bennett, they had tried to contact Christina, Natascha and Natalie that morning but hadn’t had a reply from any of them. After a discussion that they decided to take some time and think about there next move. That had led to them taking a walk around town in the early morning sunshine where they had found a nice café for brunch before they had taken a turn and stumbled across the market selling local produce.

“I read headscarves are making a comeback, plus they may come in handy for disguising or identity and facial features.” Rhiannon hoped that Gayle wasn’t taking this agent thing a little too seriously. Rhiannon left Gayle coming to an arrangement with the owner of the stall over the price for the silk scarves and walked away toward the hotel, she glanced at the other stalls in the market before making the turn left into a narrow, cobbled street between two buildings. At the end of the street, you could turn left or right, straight ahead was into the river that bisected the small town. Rhiannon paused to check her bearings and knowing that the hotel was on the over side to the river turned right and headed toward the nearest bridge. She walked slowly not only to allow Gayle to catch up but to take in the lovely views of the hills in the distance and architecture of the town. It was perhaps that and also the thought of the breakthrough that they had just had that meant that Rhiannon didn’t pay that much attention to the two well-dressed women walking toward her or the large five door car that sat idling on the kerb. As they drew closer Rhiannon could see that the two women wore dark blue pant suits over a blouse of the same colour, black heels, black leather gloves, tan raincoats, all set of by a white silk scarf worn loosely around her neck. The timing was bad as Rhiannon walked past the car the two women met her at the rear of the car which meant that she couldn’t pass. “Mi scusi,” Rhiannon said, almost exhausting her grasp of Italian. As the women split to allow Rhiannon to pass in between she heard a car door open and someone get out. As Rhiannon made her way through the two women each grabbed one of her arms, twisting it behind her back. Her bag flew out of her hand and ended up below the car. Any chance of Rhiannon had to shout or complain was ended by a severe squeezing of one of her breasts which made her gasp, her mouth was now open which allowed a wadded-up handkerchief to be stuffed inside without any resistance. Then a damp cloth was clamped over the lower half of her face, Rhiannon instantly recognized the fumes coming from the cloth as belonging to the sedation agent chloroform. Totally perplexed at what was happening and still gasping from the attack on her private parts Rhiannon took in several deep breaths of the fumes on the cloth, which was enough for it to start to have any effect, it had already started to sap her strength. Then the cloth was removed but only to allow the someone behind her to tie a folded silk scarf over her mouth, trapping the handkerchief inside. Once the task of completing her gagging had been completed the cloth was reapplied and Rhiannon was forced to inhale more of the fumes, from behind Rhiannon felt her ankles behind bound together the realized that the shock of the attack had stopped her from resisting but she started to late and her ankles were securely bound with rope. “UURRMMUUPPHH,” Rhiannon screamed but the combination of the gag and the thick chloroform laced cloth over her mouth prevented any noise escaping. Next Rhiannon felt the cloth be removed and then she was lifted and bundled into the back of the car. Rhiannon had now been administered enough of the drug that her head was hazy and her coordination affected that badly that she couldn’t resist. Once in the car Rhiannon was vaguely aware of the vehicle moving off. She had to inhale, she needed air. But what she got was chloroform as the cloth was reapplied over the lower half of her face for a third and what would be final time. Rhiannon felt her body weaken and wondered why she was being snatched and taken someplace she didn't want to go. Who was it? Had Elizabeth Crawford caught up with then? Finally, Rhiannon gave up as her body totally relaxed. She no longer had the strength to fight, not that she didn’t want to but the chloroform had sapped her will. Rhiannon was vaguely aware of what was happening as her hands were pulled behind her back and bound together with rope. The cloth remained in place and Rhiannon's eyes fluttered and closed. If you had asked Rhiannon, she would have said the whole thing took minutes but in reality, the slick and professional abduction took only seconds and nobody seen anything. Even if they had the police would not have been called and nobody would have seen anything if asked.
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A small town in Italy

Gayle opened the door, entered the hotel room and closed it behind her, so distracted by her inability to discovered what had happened to Rhiannon she didn’t notice the two women already standing in the room until one of them spoke. “Good afternoon,” Gayle heard a woman’s voice say. Startled Gayle looked around the room and settled on the two women standing, leaning against either side of the old fireplace. The woman who had spoken who a strikingly attractive redhead with long flowing hair, green eyes and perfect porcelain skin. She wore a dark blue pant suit over a blouse of the same colour, black heels, black leather gloves, tan raincoats, all set of by a white silk scarf worn loosely around her neck. The cut of the suit and coat were perfect to set off her curves of her hips and breasts and form what little Gayle knew of fashion even she could tell that the outfit had been individually tailored and expensive. The other woman was not dressed identically but was nowhere near as stylish, her build more athletic and intimidating with shoulder length black hair.

“What do you want? I don’t have much money?” Gayle stated, looking from one woman to the other.

“We aren’t here for money,” the redhead said. “We need you to be quiet and come with us.”

“Why would I do that?”

“That was not a question or request. You will come with us, either willingly or we will subdue you and drag you along,” the redhead said. “I would suggest that you wish to keep you dignity intact then you will come along of your own accord.”

“We will need to tie and blindfold you first?” the dark-haired woman said.

“You should have left mentioning that until we were in the car,” the redhead said.

“Sorry Claudia.” He dark-haired woman replied slightly sheepishly. Claudia smiled and nodded before heading over toward Gayle’s bed where she had dumped her bag.

“You expect me to just come along let you tie me up and go along without complaint or resisting in any way?” Gayle asked, a growing sense of dread was rising in her.

“Yes, if you want to see your friend again,” Claudia pulled out her phone and fiddled with it before pushing the screen towards Gayle face. Gayle gasped as she looked at the picture on the screen, it was of Rhiannon and she was sitting bound and gagged in a chair. Claudia slipped the phone back into her pocket and continued to investigate what was in Gayle’s bags. “What do we have here?” Claudia asked peeking inside Gayle’s bag. “Some nice silk scarves. They might come in handy later.” Claudia picked up the bag and then also shouldered Gayle’s laptop bag. Then the two women each took a grip of Gayle’s upper arms and led her out of the room, along the corridor and down the stairs. As the walked across the reception hall Gayle hoped that someone would notice something wrong and intervene or call the police but everyone deliberately avoided looking in their direction. They exited the hotel and took a right, then another between two buildings where at the end of the alley a large four door car sat waiting for them. The dark-haired woman broke off, unlocked the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. Claudia opened the rear door and escorted Gayle inside.

“Where are we going?” Gayle asked.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back,” Claudia commanded as rummaged around in Gayle’s bag and pulled out a scarf. Gayle huffed but did as instructed and allowed Claudia to secure her wrists together tightly using Gayle’s newly acquired silk scarf. Next, Claudia used one of the scarves to blindfold Gayle and then tied a knot in the third and used it to gag Gayle. Then something changed in Gayle and she started to squirm and move around just as the car pulled away. "Gayle, you really must calm down. You will soon join your friend to have a chat with the boss. Not to worry, I'll help you relieve your stress. It is important that you stay docile and not attract attention to yourself," Claudia laughed, even in her current position Gayle had to admit that the laugh matched the body, sensual and alluring. It was no surprise when soon afterwards something soft that felt like cotton was place over her nose and gagged mouth, probably a handkerchief. A more innocent young woman may have mistaken the sweet-smelling vapour from the handkerchief as some kind of perfume but Gayle immediately recognised the scent as chloroform.

"NOMMMPH! LMMM MMNN GFFHHMM!" Gayle’s screams were effectively muffled by her gag and the handkerchief. She struggled as much as she could, but she could already feel the chloroform taking effect as her limbs felt numb and her eyelids felt heavy. How could she have been taken so easily? She should have run or shouted, created a scene in the hotal. And there she was. Being chloroformed by a model-looking woman and her intimidating sidekick who clearly were professional criminals. She was helpless. "MMMMPPHH. HHlphh. humpfff... mmnnnn..." her screams were getting weaker as her consciousness faded into darkness.
----------
A small town in Italy

As she slowly came round Rhiannon felt her head start to pound, whether that was the after effects of the chloroform or the tightness of the silk scarves tied around her head, she couldn’t be sure. It was probably actually a combination of the two. Rhiannon checked on her current position. She was sat on a wooden chair with her wrists bound together on the other side of the back of the chair with several coils of rope. There were also several coils of rope wrapped around Rhiannon’s body and the chair back, running both above and below her breasts, pining her to the back of the chair. After checking her upper body Rhiannon moved onto her legs which were bound with several coils of rope at the ankles and thighs. There were also at least four coils of rope around her lap holding Rhiannon to the base of the chair. Rhiannon moved her legs and felt a tug around her wrists, there was also obviously a length of rope tied between the bindings on her ankles and wrists. Finally, there was the gag, a quick check with her tongue confirmed the presence of cotton mouth stuffing in her mouth and there was a silk scarf over her lips, it was almost welded in place. The same with the silk scarf tied over her eyes which she believed had been reinforced with wads to cotton wool to block out any light. After a quick check Rhiannon observed that there was no defect in her bondage. With no other option Rhiannon just sat there, occasionally she would test the ropes that held her body so securely. She had been sitting bound and gagged to the chair and gagged for what she believed to be about thirty minutes when the door opened. Then Rhiannon head the unmistakable sound of heels of a wooden floor. “There is no point struggling dear, your bonds are tight, you will not escape them.” Rhiannon went stock still as the female voice continued. “If you wanted, I could give you a little dose of the chloroform again if that would help pass the time, not enough to knock you out, just make you drowsy.” A hand suddenly was on Rhiannon’s shoulder and caused her to jumped slightly. “Would you like that?” Rhiannon shook her head. “Alright then, let’s just wait until your friend arrives and we can start our chat.” Rhiannon slumped on hearing that statement. “Yes, we also have your friend and she is on her way, sorry if that disappoints you but she will not be riding to your rescue.” The woman leaded down so that she could whisper in Rhiannon’s ear. “Nobody will be.”

“MMMMOOOOHHHH,” Rhiannon moaned. There was the sound of heels again and then the squeak of what was a chair moving against the wooden floorboards.

“Let’s just wait in silence until your friend arrives.” That was what happened until there was a buzzing noise that Rhiannon guessed was an intercom system. There was a quick exchange in Italian before the woman announced. “Your friend has arrived.” Not long after the door opened again and Rhiannon tried to follow what was going on purely by sound, to her it seemed like there was the sound of dragging feet being across the wooden floor followed by the sound of a chair being pulled from behind her and placed next to where she sat. There was the sound of something being put on the chair, Rhiannon surmised that something was an unconscious Gayle, then the sound of people being busy, no doubt that was securing Gayle to the chair. Then there was a silence over the room that was only then interrupted by the muffled moans of Gayle regaining consciousness. As full consciousness was gained the moans became more like complaints.

“MMMMUUUUMMMM,” Gayle moaned.

“Since you are not both now awake, we shall get started. Remove the gags and blindfolds.” Although pleased that she was soon to be able to speak and see again Rhiannon didn’t know if this was a good thing. Perhaps it would be better not to see faces. Then it was too late as Rhiannon could sense a presence behind her before fingers started picking at the knots on the scarves over her mouth and eyes. After some picking the scarf over her eyes loosened and then dropped away, along with the pads of cotton wool, letting light flood back into her eyes. “Good afternoon ladies,” Rhiannon could now see the owner of the voice. It was a refined looking woman in her late forties with a hint of grey in her jet-black hair that was tied back in a severe bun. She wore a similar outfit to the women that had grab her out on the street.

“Who are you exactly?” Rhiannon asked.

“When I said questions, I should have made clear that I would be doing the asking and you would be doing the answering.”

“I think that it is the least we deserve after being drugged, tied up and brought here,” Rhiannon said confidently. The woman nodded.

“I suppose you have a point,” the woman said. “My name is Gina but for now, you can all me Madrina.” Rhiannon glanced to her right and locked eyes with Gayle. They both shrugged.

“Why did you bring abduct us?” Gayle asked.

“Why were you asking about Alessandra Ambrosio and Fallon Bennett?”

“We don’t know what you are talking about,” Gayle responded.

In retaliation, Gayle received a stinging slap across the face. It did not harm her, it was a only a glancing blow, designed to sting and focus attention but it did leave Gayle’s cheek smarting and her head ringing “Do not try our patience ladies. We are La Signora Mafia,” Gina said with pride. Gayle and Rhiannon turned their heads and exchanged a glance. They both were thinking the same thing. So, this isn’t Elizabeth Crawford.

“You seem surprised ladies. Were you expecting someone else?” Gina had obviously read the look between the two friends. “In fact, you both seem very calm about the whole situation. Can I assume that you have both been abducted before?”

“You could say this isn’t our first time being knocked out, bound and gagged,” Gayle replied.

“That might explain why you aren’t that intimidated as perhaps you should be,” Gina replied leaning back against the desk and crossing her arms across her chest.

“If you let us go then we won’t go to the police. We will call this a misunderstanding.” Rhiannon said, sensing an opportunity. Gina laughed silently at the very thought.

“Sorry ladies, we are past that. Now we know that you have been around town asking questions about Alessandra Ambrosio and Fallon Bennett. We have eyes and ears everywhere in this town.” That would explain the attitude of the woman in the restaurant and the staff at the hotel Gayle thought. They wouldn’t want to risk the wraith of the local mafia. “We require to know who you are and why you are asking these questions?” Gina said this as if it was simple.

“My name is Gayle Hutton and I am a mathematician,” Gayle replied. They had her bag, which meant that had her identification so there was no harm in admitting who she was. “That is Rhiannon Scott, a scientist and college lecturer.” A slightly puzzled expression appeared on Gina’s face. “Were you expecting Charlie’s Angels?” Gina’s brow got even more furrowed.

“Who are these Charlie’s Angels?” Gina asked.

“Old American television show,” Claudia chimed in. It was the first time that she had spoken during the exchange.

“They were private investigators,” Gayle added.

“We are getting away from the point. Why are you looking for Fallon Bennett?” Rhiannon and Gayle looked at each other locked their jaws closed before turning back to face Gina. “Whist I admire your bravery and spirit I can assure you that it will do you no good tell me what I want to know. You will talk eventually.” Gina looked at Gayle for a couple of seconds before moving her attention to Rhiannon. Neither of them relented. Gina sighed and nodded at Claudia. “If you aren’t going to talk when asked nicely then you leave me with no option. Call the Madame and tell her that her particular set of skills are required.”

“The Madame?” Rhiannon and Gayle said in Unison.

“If you aren’t going to talk then we will have to extract the information from you,” Gina said

“Don't let them make so any noise. Gag them heavily and use the chloroform if they give you any trouble. I don’t want then disturbing the patrons until the Madame can get here.” That decision made Gina slipped on her jacket and exited the room.

“No need to gag us,” Rhiannon said.

“We will both be quiet,” Gayle offered.

“If you have been abducted before then you should know how this works. We have to remove the temptation for you to call for hell. That obliges us to gag you … a small lesson that I hope will not go unheeded.” Claudia said as she approached Gayle. When she was towering over Gayle the woman grunted, and a hand wrapped about Gayle’s face. Thumb and forefinger pressed against the hinges of Gayle’s jaw on either side, forcing her mouth open. Gayle offered no resistance as a thick cloth was stuffed deep into her mouth. She sat still with her mouth open, about an inch of cloth still protruding past her lips, as Claudia picked up the silk scarf with the knot in it and pressed the knot against the cloth that was protruding from between Gayle’s lips. Taking the ends Claudia tied them tightly together, compressing the mass of fabric in Gayle’s mouth causing Gayle to moan softly. Then Claudia took another scarf and folded it into a band and tied it over the knot in Gayle’s mouth. Satisfied that the gag was secure and efficient enough Claudia turned her attention to Rhiannon who had watched on with a grim fascination as however Gayle was gagged, the same fate would befall her. As Rhiannon was being gagged Gayle tried to work her gag but the material of the over gagging scarf clung to her face and sealed the remainder of the gag in place. There would be no sliding it off. Once Rhiannon had been gagged Claudia placed two wads of cotton wool over Rhiannon’s eyes before tying a folded silk scarf over the pads to keep them in place. Finally, Claudia slipped earplugs into Rhiannon’s ears. “Can’t have you overhearing anything,” the woman said with a smile. It wasn’t long before Gayle’s world went dark and silent as she was similarly blindfolded and earplugged. They both felt footstep on the floorboards and then the creak of door hinges. “Now, don’t you go anywhere,” Claudia said playfully before exiting the room and closing the door behind her, leaving Gayle and Rhiannon to imagine what fate would befall them.
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La Signora Mafia property, Italy

Without any sensory input Rhiannon and Gayle had no idea about how long they were left to their own devices. The rest of the day passed through one interminable hour after another. Gayle fretted occasionally at her inability to move, speak, see or hear. Each time when it became too much to bear, she struggled anew, but it always ended in the same way, with exhaustion, her wrists burning from the tight cords that held them together, her jaws stretched wide apart, mouth clogged with cloth, head pounding from the blindfold tied over her eyes. Then the two women felt rhythmic vibrations through the soles of their feet from below, it was the base of music from a very high-end sound system. That seemed to go on for a while before Gayle suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder which caused her to jump. The earplugs were removed and Gayle heard Claudia’s voice in her ear. “We are going to move you now but no funny business,” the woman’s mouth was so close to Gayle’s ear that she could feel her breathe. “The Madam has arrived.” Gayle gulped when she heard this, definitely not looking forward to what was about to happen but she took a deep breathe through her nose and steeled herself. It was what Hayley, Christina or Natascha would have done if they were in this situation. The ropes binding Gayle and Rhiannon to the chairs were remove, their ankles untied and they were helped to their feet. The help was much appreciated as being bound so stringently in the same position for such a lengthy period her muscles took a bit of time to get back to a place where they operated properly. As Gayle was led toward the door the music became louder until when they exited the room it became almost unbearable, even from far away from the origin. Gayle and Rhiannon were led along a walkway high up in the property. Although they could speak or see anything, they could hear loud music coming from below. Gayle surmised that they were in some sort of bar or club. It wasn’t a long journey and they soon took a sharp left and after a couple of further steps were halted. “Do you need us or anything else?” Claudia asked.

“No, that is fine Claudia,” a husky female voice said. “I will give you a call if I need anything.” Gayle was slightly surprised that the accent wasn’t Italian, if she had to guess it was Balkan and the English was excellent. A couple of seconds all background noise disappeared as the door was shut. Gayle thought that this was not a good sign, the roof was obviously soundproofed. “Good evening ladies,” the voice said. “You may call me Madam, although I doubt you will be able to speak for most the evening.” Gayle was still blindfolded but felt a leather clad had run down her cheek. “Gina informs me that you are not telling her what she wants to know. She had asked me to extract that information,” Madam continued to stroke Gayle’s face, then her neck, Gayle recoiled from the touch. “But there is no reason why we can’t have some fun along the way.”

“MMMUUPPHH MMMMMM,” Gayle mumbled into her gag.

“I would leave that until later darling,” Madam said. “Now, I need to get you pair ready. As I suspect you won’t be willing participant in that I will have to knock you both out.”

“MMEEAASEE MMOOHH,” Rhiannon moaned.

“Don’t worry, Madam will take good care of you.” There was the sound of heels walking over the floor, both Gayle and Rhiannon tried to follow the sound to take in what was happening. There was nothing that either Gayle or Rhiannon could do, restrained and blindfolded there was nothing that they could do. Then the footsteps returned and Rhiannon felt a hand on the back for her head before a damp cloth was pressed over her head. The powerful fumes and odour from the cloth overwhelmed her, and her stomach almost instantly started to rebel. She fought back the sick feeling, determined not to give in to the anaesthetic. “I understand that you are both used to chloroform, unfortunately this is ether, a rather more industrial sedative. When you have learned to co-operate then I may relent and use chloroform.” Rhiannon was in no position to fight the effects of the ether or break free and felt her strength being sapped with every breathe. When her legs could no longer take her weight, Rhiannon wobbled and collapsed to the ground. Madam let her fall, relief from the nauseating sedative was short lived as the cloth was soon reapplied over Rhiannon’s nose and mouth and it wasn’t long thereafter that everything went black. Gayle had listened on to that with trepidation. “Now, it is your turn.” Madam said as she approached Gayle wielding the ether-soaked cloth.

Rhiannon swam slowly up through a sea of dark mist. “OOOHHH,” she groaned as her eyes fluttered open. The inside of her head felt as if someone were pounding at it with a sledgehammer. Rhiannon groaned, opened her eyes, and closed them again, trying to get her faculties to return. In took a couple of minutes but eventually Rhiannon senses returned enough for her to assess her current situation. She was tied to a hard-backed chair with handcuffs around her wrists. The handcuffs seemed to be padded, because they gripped her wrists tightly but comfortably. There would be no way of getting then off. Similar cuffs had been placed around each of her ankles but these were tied to the legs of the chair meaning that her legs were splayed apart. Several coils of rope encircled her body, binding her securely to the chair. It was then that she realised that she wasn’t gagged. Now able to raise her head as the pounding slowly subsided, she noticed Gayle was standing in front of her. Gayle wrists were also bound with leather cuffs but her arms were above her head as Gayle’s bound wrists were tied to a steel loop in the ceiling by a length of rope and her legs were held apart by a spreader bar attached to her ankles. It was then that Rhiannon noted that they had both been stripped down to their underwear. Gayle’s head was still hanging loosely, still obviously unconscious.

“I see you are awake.” Rhiannon turned to the sound of the voice to find the Madam stalking toward her. The woman wore long leather boots that when mid-thigh, a basque with suspenders attached, a long leather coat and not much else. “When your friend wakes up, we will get started.” Rhiannon kept her own council and watched as the Madam crossed the room to a small table that was against one wall. Looking around Rhiannon could see that there was as array of sex toys, including paddles and whips lying on a table. Their situation was not improving. The Madam picked up some items and slipped the into the pockets of her leather jacket. As the Madam moved across to where Rhiannon sat strapped to the chair Gayle moaned softly. “Almost there,” the Madam commented as she stood in front of Rhiannon. “Last chance to tell Gina what she wants to know.” Rhiannon’s resolve was shaken a little and she would admit to being frightened but it wasn’t the time to collapse and give in so she remined silent. “I admire that.” The Madam brought up a massive foam ball gag and showed it to Rhiannon. “Open up.” Without speaking Rhiannon opened her mouth and allowed the Madam to force the ball gag between into her mouth. It was that large that it forced her mouth to remain open, forcing her jaws wide apart. The Madam leaned around and secured the gag in place by buckling the leather strap in place. “Now, that’s better,” the Madam commented standing back. She then produced a long cylinder with a bulb on the end and placed it on the inside of Rhiannon’s thigh with the bulb against her most intimate areas. The Madam secured this in place by using two thin leather straps. “Why should your friend have all the fun,” the Madam said with a wink before turning her attention to Gayle and applying another large foam ball gag to Gayle’s mouth.

“MMMM UUMM,” Gayle moaned into her gag. The Madam slipped off leather jacket before selecting an item from the table and waving it in front of Gayle. Then the Madam delved between her breasts and produced a small device and pressed a button on it before putting it back from where it came from. As soon as the button was pressed Rhiannon felt the vibrations from the device that was strapped to her thigh. As the vibrations continued to build Rhiannon tried to settle in and braced herself for what could be a long night.
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La Signora Mafia property, Italy

It had been a at least a couple of hours with the stimulation against her intimate areas and Rhiannon was exhausted, her disposition wasn’t helped by having to watch the Madam work on Gayle for the same period of time. Gayle had fainted about five minutes ago and the Madam had left the room for a break. Rhiannon had tried to get Gayle’s attention by mumbling into the ball gag but it hadn’t worked. There was a pool of sweat lying on the floor between Gayle’s legs and a sheen all over her body. The door opened and the Madam returned looking refreshed patting her neck with a small towel and sipping from a bottle of water. “How are we getting on?” the Madam asked. Rhiannon noted that there was no noise on either occasion that the door had been opened and assumed that the bar or club was now closed.

“OOUUHH MMUUHH,” Rhiannon moaned with aching jaws.

“Let me take that gag out.” The Madam undid the buckle and removed the gag from Rhiannon’s mouth. It allowed Rhiannon to work her jaw.

“Happy with yourself,” Rhiannon spat with venom.

“Oh, I would save that energy for later on.” That comment stopped Rhiannon in her tracks. Then the door opened again and Gina entered.

“How are you getting on?” Gina asked the Madam.

“They are not ready to talk yet. However, I still have time tonight to work on them.”

“Is that true Rhiannon?” Gina asked. “Are you not ready to tell me what I know?” Rhiannon just shook her head, fearing that the tone of her voice might give any how nervous and scared she was. “So, you continue resisting?” said Gina in a dangerously quiet hiss. “Very well then, I will leave you in the capable hands of my associate. If you change your mind it will be tomorrow afternoon before I return.” Gina turned and left and Madame approached with the foam ball gag in her left hand before lowering it towards Rhiannon mouth. Rhiannon closed her mouth an turned her head away. Madame sighed and went back to the table with Rhiannon following her with her eyes.

“You really shouldn’t be so silly.” Madame tossed the gag onto the table and from a black kit bag produced a small bottle and a cloth. A few drops from the bottle were sprinkled onto the cloth, the bottle re-stoppered, and the woman turned again to her prisoner. Rhiannon arched back in the chair; the memory of the ether application fresh in her mind but she was helpless.

“No, please … I’ll be quiet.”

“Too late. This will soften you up. I did not intend to use this method again but you have left me with no option. When you come-to, you will be groggy and feeling sick. Then I expect there will be no silly histrionics when the gag is put on you.”

“No … MMMPPHH!” Rhiannon’s protests were cut off as the ether -oaked pad was clamped tightly over her mouth and nose and her cry trailed off as the chemical did its work. Madame looked at her intently as the drug took its toll until Rhiannon’s eyes rolled back up into her head.
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La Signora Mafia property, Italy

When Rhiannon came round from the second application of the ether, she found that Madame had made a switch, she was now dangling from the ceiling and Gayle was bound to the chair. Gayle was now fully awake and the two women locked eyes and silently, hoping to give each other strength through an encouraging look. Rhiannon had to admit that Gayle looked absolutely shattered. “Time for round two,” Madame said as she activated the device strapped to Gayle’s thigh before turning her attention to Rhiannon. As the stimulation began Rhiannon moaned in pleasure and pain as Madame went to work on her. “Gina and I have a bet on about if you will last longer than your friend.” It was a nightmare as Madame continued to work on her. Rhiannon had no idea how long it took but eventually she fainted.
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La Signora Mafia property, Italy

Her mouth was parched and her entire body ached but at least she was no longer subject to Madame’s special form of questioning. However, her problems with bondage were not over yet. Thankfully she was not blindfolded so could see the bare walls of the small room that she was in. There was nothing in it except the cot that she was currently lying on. On that cot was a thin, stained mattress, a scratchy blanket and pillow. Needless to say; there was not a window, the only light being provided by a small strip light in the ceiling. Fortunately, her mouth was not stuffed but she was biting down on something, soft, smooth and well padded. Rhiannon guessed that this was something, a cloth or handkerchief that had been wrapped in a silk scarf. Another silk scarf folded in a band had been tied tightly over that to reinforce that. Although it wasn’t particularly heavy, the gag was so tight and effective that she only succeeded in making muffled noises. Rhiannon thought that it was pointless to gag her, the pace was clearly now empty so it was just a matter of control. Unfortunately, she was tightly bound. A quick glance down told her that her legs were bound with several coils of rope at the ankles and three other places. There was also a rope from the bindings around her ankles to the frame of the cot. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what Rhiannon assumed was the same rope that bound her legs together, there were also coils of rope above and below her breasts pinning her arms to her body. For the sake of it, Rhiannon thrashed around to try and loosen the roped but that didn’t work, neither did trying to find knots to pick at, whoever had bound her and been careful to keep them out of reach of investigative fingers. They knew what they were doing, Even the ankle ties that held her legs bent must be on the opposite side where her fingers could not reach. Most of the time she lay still, accepting her present helplessness, awaiting developments with the occasional whimper of frustration all of her remaining senses alert, but had no idea whether someone would come back for her this evening, or night, or morning, depending on what time it was. Rhiannon squirmed around to try and get as comfortable as possible before getting prepared resolutely to spend the rest of the day in solitary confinement.
She must have dozed off as Rhiannon was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening and before she could react a hand containing a folded white cloth suddenly appeared in front my her obscuring her vision. It was promptly applied to her nose and mouth. Before Rhiannon could react, she had already inhaled a substantial amount of the sweet narcotic vapour from the substance which wet the cloth. This time however it was chloroform rather than ether, that was at least a small comfort that Rhiannon could take from the whole process. Being so weak from her experiences with Madame and so severely bound that there was no point in trying to resist so during the whole procedure, Rhiannon lay still and relaxed her body. She knew that she could not stop he inevitable and that her best option was to stay quiet and compliant until everything went black.
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La Signora Mafia property, Italy

This was becoming far too much of a regular occurrence for Rhiannon’s liking as she shook off the effects of the chloroform. This time Gayle was there, they were both sitting on chairs in the same office where they had originally met Gina. There was nobody else in the office, just Gayle and her, bound to chairs with rope and with their wrists bound together using leather padded cuffs. They would have chatted but the gags remained in place from earlier. If they had been able to chat Rhiannon would have said that Gayle didn’t look at her best, not just physically but the look in her eyes told Rhiannon that Madame’s work had taken a toll. No doubt Gayle would have said the same of Rhiannon. It wasn’t long after that the door opened and they both craned their necks to see Gina and Claudia entered the room. Claudia took up a position behind the chairs containing the bond captives whilst Gina took the chair behind the desk. “Morning ladies, I hope that you had a relaxing evening and night.” A cruel, knowing smile played across Gina’s lips as she made that comment. “I have booked Madame for a repeat performance tonight.” Rhiannon and Gayle both visibly slumped into their chairs when Gina made that comment. “Actually, she is booked the rest of the week.” Rhiannon and Gayle heard Claudia chortle behind them. “However, I can cancel those appointments if we can come to some sort of arrangement.” Rhiannon and Gayle looked at each other. “Nobody can last forever; everyone breaks in the end. Why put yourself through it needlessly?” Gayle nodded at Rhiannon and then Rhiannon turned to Gina and nodded. There was nothing else that they could do, nobody was coming to their immediate aid. Gina signalled and Claudia removed the gags.

“Could we get some water?” Gayle asked. Gina nodded again and Claudia left the room.

“What do we get by way of assurances that nothing will happen to us if we tell you what you want to know?” Rhiannon asked.

“I don’t think that you are in a position to bargain,” Gina replied. “It all depends on if I like what I hear.”

“That hardly sounds fair,” Rhiannon replied.

“It is the only option that you have,” Gina said sternly. The room fell silent until Claudia returned with two bottles of chilled water and two packets of crisps and placed one of each next to Gayle and Rhiannon. “Untie them.” Claudia nodded quickly removed the restraints from their captives. That allowed them to tuck into the treats that had been left for them. “In your own time ladies,” Gina commented. “Start at the beginning.”

“Well, we don’t have all of the information or the back story,” Gayle started and then looked at Rhiannon.

“Yes, we aren’t front line operatives,” Rhiannon said having taken a long draw from the bottle of water. “More like support staff.”

“We had to come here because everyone else seems to have gone off the radar.”

“Ladies,” Gina interrupted. “What were you doing asking about Alessandra Ambrosio and Fallon Bennett?” Gayle and Rhiannon looked at each other then they both turned and stared at Gina before saying the same thing in unison.

“Trying to track down Elizabeth Crawford!” That definitely got a reaction from Gina. Both Rhiannon and Gayle could tell that Gina recognised the name. “You know the name?” Rhiannon asked. Gina nodded. “Is it from dealing with her in the criminal underworld?” Rhiannon added, lowering her voice when she used the phrase criminal underworld.

“You had better start at the beginning and tell me exactly what is going on,” Gina stated.

“I think you better take this and I will chip in,” Gayle said to Rhiannon.

“Better get comfortable,” Rhiannon said before starting the tale of their experiences with Elizabeth Crawford and her criminal organisation. Gayle started at the beginning and worked her way through the story covering Hayley, Christina, Natalie on their side and how they had gone up against Elizabeth Crawford several times over recent years filling in as much detail as she could with Rhiannon adding the occasional comment. Eventually Gayle brought the story up to date with what they knew about Hayley being on the island, the issues with Section 12, Natascha currently being out of contact, Elise Rodgers, Emily St Clare and Elizabeth Crawford’s operation to obtain the Broker’s cache of information. Gayle ended with their belief that they believed that Elizabeth Crawford was planning something big.

“Well, that was certainly a story,” Gina commented after taking time to digest what she had heard.

“It’s not a story,” Gayle said.

“Oh, no, it is not that I don’t believe you. Nobody could make up such a story. It is just that it is a lot to take in at one sitting. How does Fallon Bennett fit in?”

“We were looking for a way to track down Elizabeth Crawford’s base of operations and the best way to do that seemed to be with the help of someone that knew where it was and was willing to disclose its location.” Gina nodded as if agreeing that was sound logic. “Then when Natascha was grabbed by that Russian gangster Alessandra helped her to escape.”

“Then once we met Vittorio, asked a couple of questions and when it clicked in my head we just compared the photographs and it all came together.”

“Do you have any news of Alessandra?”

“No,” Gayle shook her head. “There are some photographs and video on my laptop.” On hearing this Gina seemed to drift off for a while.

“Now…..” Rhiannon said.

“Of course,” Gina began. “Claudia please escort the ladies to somewhere they can have a shower and get freshened up. Ask Bianca to pop out and get the ladies some new clothes, something smart and classy. I need some time to make some calls and think before we speak again. Also, get them to pick something from the menu of that restaurant and then get Guido to knock it up and bring it here.” Claudia nodded before ushering Gayle and Rhiannon up from the chairs and towards the door. They both had their first chance to look around the building as they stood on the walkway that ran around two floors up. Looking over the bannister Gayle noted that they were indeed in some kind of hybrid bar / restaurant / club establishment. After a brief conversation with Gina in Italian Claudia closed the door and joined them.

“This way,” Claudia said as she headed off in the opposite direction to the one which Gayle and Rhiannon had bene led the previous afternoon. They took this as a good sign. When then were directly across from Gina’s office Claudia stopped beside a door and unlocked it. “This is the room I use when I stay over so treat it with respect. Towels and shampoo ae in the cupboard and I will have the clothes and food brought up in an hour.” With that she ushered then in before closing the door and left Gayle and Rhiannon to their own devices.

“What do we do now?” Gayle asked.

“Have a shower and wait,” Rhiannon said heading for the bathroom.

It was exactly and hour later when Claudia and Gina entered the room, each carried a tray which had the food on it. Another two women followed, one carried two garment bags and the other carried Gayle and Rhiannon’s bags. “We took the liberty of collecting them from the hotel.” Gina said as she put down the tray on the bed before walking over and collecting a small wooden chair from the corner and depositing it in the centre of the room. Taking a seat, she gestured at the trays. “Aren’t you going to eat.” It wasn’t until then that Gayle and Rhiannon realised how hungry they were. Without a second thought they sat on the bed and hoisted the tray onto their laps.

“If this tastes as good as it smells then we are in for a treat,” Rhiannon commented before digging in. Gina seemed happy to watch them eat, then when they were about halfway through the meal Gina asked if she could see the images of Alessandra. Gayle nodded and dug her laptop out of the bag, only taking a few seconds to find the relevant file before handing the device over to Gina who rested it on her lap.

“Just select the first file and then scroll through.” With that Gayle went back to eating. Between mouthfuls both Gayle and Rhiannon took the opportunity to glance at Gina who seemed to be engrossed in the imagines.

“When Fallon arrived here, she was lost, clearly struggling with something,” Gina was still staring at the screen, as if talking to herself. “She turned up her by chance, trying to disappear from the world.” Gina looked straight at Gayle. “That is harder to do than you would think. Anyway, we recognised her immediately as an associate of Elizabeth Crawford, someone who is not a friend of ours, and we took her.” A sad expression crossed Gina face briefly. “Four nights with Madame, imagine that. Still, she did not break. All she talked about was penance, how she deserved to be punished, how she had done bad things.” Both Gayle and Rhiannon had stopped eating and were listening intently. “She felt that she had to make amends for her past life.”

“So, you decided to give her the opportunity?” Gayle asked and Gina nodded.

“Call me soft but I admired the woman. We agreed a deal that should would go and seek redemption and we would help her where possible. The only condition being that she didn’t do anything to hurt us. It was Claudia’s idea on the new identity.”

“I noticed the resemblance straight away. Same height, build and similar on everything else,” Claudia chipped in.

“Claudia is Alessandra’s sister.” On hearing that news Gayle and Rhiannon both turned to look at Claudia. Once it had been mentioned the similarities between the two women were obvious. “We paid for the cosmetic surgery, new documentation, even arranged for the death certificate to go missing.”

“But we couldn’t persuade Vittorio to remove the bench,” Claudia said. “He loved my sister dearly.”

“Now you know our side of the story,” Gina handed the laptop back and stood up. “Eat up and then get dressed. We will leave you in peace to get ready.” The discussion over the Italian women left Gayle and Rhiannon to their own devices. Once they had finished their food, they opened the garment bags to find beautiful suits and blouses. As they tried the clothes on the admired themselves in the mirror.

“These are wonderful, the cut and feel are…” Rhiannon was cut off.

“Oh my god, look at these shoes!” Gayle exclaimed. Rhiannon turned round to find Gayle holding one in each hand. “They are amazing.” After they finished getting ready the door opened and Claudia and Gina entered.

“You look good ladies,” Gina commented.

“So, what exactly is this?” Rhiannon asked “What happens now?”

“We let you go and you try and bring down Elizabeth Crawford,” Gina stated.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Rhiannon said.

“Something like that,” Gina replies. “More, like two parties with a common goal.”

“If you don’t mind me saying,” Gayle began, “but you are the Mafia. Surely you are powerful enough to take on Elizabeth Crawford?” Gina smiled at Gayle like a mother would a confused child.

“That is a misconception. There are many different mafia’s, it is not a single entity. Anyway, Elizabeth Crawford is a dangerous opponent. She has many friends in powerful places and with the addition of the information held by The Broker she now has the leverage to make many more.” Rhiannon and Gayle exchanged a look, if Gina was wary about taking on Elizabeth Crawford, then did they stand a chance? “I know that seems impossible but we will give you as much assistance as possible.” Gina stretched out her hand and gave each woman a high-quality card with a telephone number and e-mail address printed on one side. “Both are monitored twenty-four hours a day.” After a quick glance Gayle and Rhiannon put the cards in their pockets.

“Wear these scarves at all times in Italy.” Claudia handed Gayle and Rhiannon a high-quality white scarf with a subtle pattern at the edge and an embroidered emblem on it. “They will identify you as associates of La Signora Mafia and you will be treated with respect.” Gayle and Rhiannon looked at each other. It seemed that they were now unofficial members of the Mafia.

“Thanks,” Rhiannon said. “If you don’t mind me asking. How do you intend to help us?”

“Well, first I can arrange for a lift to the airport,” Gina stopped there.

“And second?” Gayle fell into the trap. Gina smiled.

“I can tell you exactly where Elizabeth Crawford’s base of operations is.”
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Post by Caesar73 »

Well [mention]mrjones2009[/mention] you really didn´t promise too much. This was quite the update. And in my personal opinion it moves the plot very much forward: Gayle and Rihannon had quite the rough ride, and that was extremly well done. Please, correct me if I am wrong please: So Fallon Bennett is Alessandra? Is that right? Then I wonder ... despite surgery: Wouldn´t Crawford not recognized her? All under the assumption Bennett is Alessandra or vice versa.

That Gina will provide Gayle and Rihannon with the Location of Crawfords base is really a breakthrough, which is good - but I don´t see how Gayle and Rihannon will be able to infiltrate the Island without help. And that leaves only Christina and Victoria at the moment, there might be Gabriella around, but we have not heard from her in a while.

I have the feeling, that the support Gia offers might come in handy at a time - nice touch with the Scarfs!
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Post by banshee »

Not an avid reader of this story but that last chapter was a very fun read
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Post by Caesar73 »

banshee wrote: 1 year ago Not an avid reader of this story but that last chapter was a very fun read
I agree, the last chapter could signal a turning point in this epic saga. So far, everything pointed to a triumph of Crawford. The prospects of taking down Crawford still do not look good, but in some ways this chapter may be a game changer. Though it is still an uphill battle.

So far, the only opponents of Crawford not taken of the board are Christina and Victoria, there might be Gabriella - so it still remains a difficult task without any additional help. Maybe the Mafia at some point?

We should not forget: Rihannon and Gayle are - as they said no frontline fighters ...
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mrjones2009
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Centennial Club
Posts: 612
Joined: 5 years ago
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Post by mrjones2009 »

Caesar73 wrote: 1 year ago Well @mrjones2009 you really didn´t promise too much. This was quite the update. And in my personal opinion it moves the plot very much forward: Gayle and Rihannon had quite the rough ride, and that was extremly well done. Please, correct me if I am wrong please: So Fallon Bennett is Alessandra? Is that right? Then I wonder ... despite surgery: Wouldn´t Crawford not recognized her? All under the assumption Bennett is Alessandra or vice versa.

That Gina will provide Gayle and Rihannon with the Location of Crawfords base is really a breakthrough, which is good - but I don´t see how Gayle and Rihannon will be able to infiltrate the Island without help. And that leaves only Christina and Victoria at the moment, there might be Gabriella around, but we have not heard from her in a while.

I have the feeling, that the support Gia offers might come in handy at a time - nice touch with the Scarfs!
[mention]Caesar73[/mention] Once again thanks for all of the support. Always appreciated.

To confirm, Fallon Bennett is indeed Alessandra.
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