The Kidnapping of Natalie Woodward (M+F+/M+F+) - Conclusion
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10: Terrorized
Natalie found herself quickly ushered into one of those intimidating black Cadillacs, and a big 2" red ball gag was pushed into her mouth to stop any protests she could have come up with.
"Jess, what do we do?!" Emily asked as their friend was taken away.
"We call on Nick and try to follow those sh-ts! Charlie, you drive!"
"On it!" Charlie sprang into action, and the girls climbed into her small, dilapidated heap that used to resemble a car.
"NICK!" Jess called, "Some goonies grabbed Natalie! We're following them down 5th street, but we don't know where they're taking her. Can you get some of your guys on this?"
"F-ck?! They got Nat? I'm on it; these guys will regret living."
Meanwhile inside the Cadillac, Natalie knew she was in serious danger just based upon the conversation. The first line was the scary one though.
"Use her as you like and ice her. I'd ordinarily say to scare her into disappearing, but she's Napolitano's kid."
At this, Natalie started struggling and yelling into the gag as much as could, but the goons held her down effectively. The person giving the orders was clear: do whatever they wanted and kill her. She could tell by their faces that things were getting ugly for her in a hurry.
"We'll make it painless... Well, the death part will be painless anyway. We gotta shake this carload of b-tches behind us first," the driver goon stated.
Natalie wished her hands were free. She'd risk punching and bailing even at speed. It'd be better to die that way than the violence awaiting her. Instead, her arms and elbows were tightly roped behind her back now. She knew what "use her" meant, and it certainly wasn't a good thing for her body!
"Jess, they've turned onto Dixon Ave...," Emily spoke.
"I see that. They're going to the prison house then... It's all we have left in this city since they burned the front business," Jessica responded.
"Prison house? Like that torture chamber you had me in over in Boston?" Charlie snapped.
"This one is nothing like that," Jess said not really wanting small talk.
"They're probably going to hurt her!" Emily started to cry.
"Oh, don't cry, Ems. We need you to be a guidette now!" Charlie tried to stave this off.
"I'm trying," Emily sniffed loudly before blowing her nose into a handkerchief.
Jessica was loath to explain it all, but she broke it down for them. She explained the fronts and what was going on within the organization as she understood it. As she told them, Olive Garden restaurants were the major front for what was going: mainly heavy drug trafficking, but that some like Boise were focused mostly on illegal gambling regardless of what others like Nick did on their own. Charlie and Jessica threw terms like "wise guy," "capo," "whack," and "ice" with professionalism.
"You two have this gangster lingo down pat," Emily rolled her eyes as they stopped the car.
"Now, shut up. Shush. Or Natalie will die," Charlie cautioned her.
Emily quietly followed as they walked the rest of the way down the street to an intersection and peered around a stone wall that provided some protection. They watched as Natalie was led into the building of Jessica's suspicions.
"All right, we approach from this side as there are no windows. We can line up underneath the front window. Charlie, you'll be the front girl. Emily will watch the back. I'll watch from the garage area so I can communicate with Nick."
"Too close without Nick here. I say we stay back," Emily blurted out.
"Wait? You just had an opinion?" Charlie was shocked.
"Three girls against three mob goons who have Nat hostage is a no chance deal," Emily explained.
"True true."
"We have to wait and hope Natalie is still alive in 5 minutes or however long it takes Nick to arrive," Jessica paused.
Those minutes felt like an eternity, and everyone got increasingly nervous with it even though, in reality, Nick and his friends "only" took 9 minutes to arrive. Nick Toreno looked like a 25 year-old male, but he didn't look too mafia with his brown hair twice the length of a crew cut and almost naturally spiking. In reality, he was closer to 35 and had the stubble to match it.
He, "Franz," and another man stepped out of the vehicle, and they motioned toward the girls. The female trio joined the male trio near the Impreza.
"Girls, I'm not sure what the hell is happening here, but we've got this. Frank's on the hit list, and somehow my contact has reason to believe they don't know about Jeff and I. He and I are going to catch these guys with their pants down and storm the joint."
"Don't shoot Natalie!" Jessica said as this idea made her extremely nervous.
"We'll get her, I promise," Nick said with confidence, "Jess, you stay outside with Frank and wait before attacking. They won't expect armed women."
"All right," Charlie nodded, certain they could do this and willing to do anything that helped.
Charlie and Emily sneaked under the window while Nick and Jeff approached the door. Jessica and Frank waited around the corner. Nick banged on the door and waited for an answer.
"Hey, Joey, I hear you got a girl in there?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, we bagged one of Manny the Rat's kids. You guys want a piece of her?" a man asked.
"Actually, I want a piece of YOU!" Nick and Jeff opened fire and charged into the house with Frank and Jess behind them.
"Manny the Rat?!" Jessica mouthed to Frank who shrugged before they ran, then yelled, "F-ck them to hell!"
"Stay down, Ems!" Charlie advised her friend.
Charlie and Emily ducked while the sounds of gunfire rang out. In a neighborhood as rundown as this one, Emily figured that people probably were used to it. It seemed impossible to think of such a dump as being used by mobsters of any kind. Her mind saw nice suits and such things.
When the rescue team entered and caught the men, Natalie's arms were still tied as were her ankles and knees, and a head harness ring gag was on her with a rope running from the top of the harness to her ankles. Nick saw the sight and instantly knew what they had done.
"You two pieces of sh-t will lie down on the floor carefully, capisce?" Jessica ordered them while Jeff helped Natalie.
Nick and Frank ziptied the men's wrists and ankles and then hog-zipped both of them. Simple cleave gags were used to muffle them for the time being. At this point, Natalie stood up and threw the gag aside.
"Are you OK?" Jessica asked her.
"sigh," was the only response from Natalie, who was visibly boiling.
"Nat?"
"I'm... THAT ONE!" Natalie yelled.
Natalie started kicking one of the men with a passionate hatred. She then jumped on him and began punching him violently. She was going to kill this guy with her bare hands if she had opportunity! Never had anyone before seen Natalie like this, and no one wanted to see her like this ever again.
"NATS!" Nick pulled her off.
"THOSE PERVERTED MONSTERS! THOSE MONSTERS! I F-CKING HATE THEM!" she was literally shrieking.
"Calm down!" he responded as he pushed her toward Jessica.
"I can't calm down! Not after what these scum did!" Natalie was red-faced from the shrieking.
"Natalie, we need you reasonable," Jessica tried to reason.
"Let's be reasonable and burn this place to the ground with them in it so they roast alive!"
Natalie then did something that scared everyone in the room more than what had just happened. She ripped the gun out of Jessica's hand and unloaded it into the two goons with absolutely no qualms whatsoever. In fact, if anything, Natalie seemed satisfied at a job well done. After what they had done to her, Natalie wanted to mete out some vigilante justice.
"You idiot! We could have kidnapped them and interrogated them!" Jess was understandably upset, yet deep inside she was highly disturbed.
"Whatever!" after throwing the gun to the floor, Natalie left.
Natalie charged out of the house and saw her two friends standing outside, wide-eyed. Natalie just held her arms out and shrugged and shook her head, but the tears in her eyes were apparent. Charlie just put her arm around Natalie as they walked away from the house. Jessica and Emily helped the men to pour vodka all over the premises, taken from some cases the mobster had been storing, so they could set the house ablaze.
As she and Charlie walked, Natalie stopped, put her face on Charlie's shoulder, and wept bitterly. Charlie gave her friend a hug, and they walked down the street. It wasn't easy to discover you had long lost family; it was worse for that family to then get you into unimaginable dangers.
"I... I'm more bothered by what I did," Natalie confessed.
"Was that gunfire you?!" Charlie's jaw dropped in horror.
"Mmm hmm... I took the gun from Jessica and just... gave it right back," Natalie didn't seem to believe her
"Natalie, you have the mafia gene for sure! Oh, my God! You f-cking killed them?!" Charlie still was trying to process this.
"Yes, I did, all right! I just got had some strange men kidnap me with intent to kill me, so I killed them instead. Got it?! Excuse me, but I'm trying not take a gun and kill myself because what they did to me will haunt me forever," Natalie responded angrily.
Natalie paused and sat on the hood of Charlie's beat up car, dropping tears on the ground as she walk. A million thoughts passed through her mind, but she was focused, or was trying to focus, on the ones that would end this mania. She forced this terrorism out for a moment to put more of her thoughts on saving her friends.
"All this bondage and stuff...," Natalie took a deep breath, "has given me an idea for how we can get save passage on our trip across America."
"What?"
"Nick's in the clear, right?" she asked Charlie to be completely sure.
"Right... He's not tied to your dad," Charlie said confidently.
"We're going to make this work... and pull one over on the mobsters," Natalie's bloodshot eyes were deep in thought.
"How do we do this?" Charlie wanted to know.
Natalie kept thinking and burying her thoughts of the events that had just transpired before nodding her head in certainty that her idea might work.
"Tell me!" Charlie pushed.
"Some of us girls will have to be bound and gagged."
10: Terrorized
Natalie found herself quickly ushered into one of those intimidating black Cadillacs, and a big 2" red ball gag was pushed into her mouth to stop any protests she could have come up with.
"Jess, what do we do?!" Emily asked as their friend was taken away.
"We call on Nick and try to follow those sh-ts! Charlie, you drive!"
"On it!" Charlie sprang into action, and the girls climbed into her small, dilapidated heap that used to resemble a car.
"NICK!" Jess called, "Some goonies grabbed Natalie! We're following them down 5th street, but we don't know where they're taking her. Can you get some of your guys on this?"
"F-ck?! They got Nat? I'm on it; these guys will regret living."
Meanwhile inside the Cadillac, Natalie knew she was in serious danger just based upon the conversation. The first line was the scary one though.
"Use her as you like and ice her. I'd ordinarily say to scare her into disappearing, but she's Napolitano's kid."
At this, Natalie started struggling and yelling into the gag as much as could, but the goons held her down effectively. The person giving the orders was clear: do whatever they wanted and kill her. She could tell by their faces that things were getting ugly for her in a hurry.
"We'll make it painless... Well, the death part will be painless anyway. We gotta shake this carload of b-tches behind us first," the driver goon stated.
Natalie wished her hands were free. She'd risk punching and bailing even at speed. It'd be better to die that way than the violence awaiting her. Instead, her arms and elbows were tightly roped behind her back now. She knew what "use her" meant, and it certainly wasn't a good thing for her body!
"Jess, they've turned onto Dixon Ave...," Emily spoke.
"I see that. They're going to the prison house then... It's all we have left in this city since they burned the front business," Jessica responded.
"Prison house? Like that torture chamber you had me in over in Boston?" Charlie snapped.
"This one is nothing like that," Jess said not really wanting small talk.
"They're probably going to hurt her!" Emily started to cry.
"Oh, don't cry, Ems. We need you to be a guidette now!" Charlie tried to stave this off.
"I'm trying," Emily sniffed loudly before blowing her nose into a handkerchief.
Jessica was loath to explain it all, but she broke it down for them. She explained the fronts and what was going on within the organization as she understood it. As she told them, Olive Garden restaurants were the major front for what was going: mainly heavy drug trafficking, but that some like Boise were focused mostly on illegal gambling regardless of what others like Nick did on their own. Charlie and Jessica threw terms like "wise guy," "capo," "whack," and "ice" with professionalism.
"You two have this gangster lingo down pat," Emily rolled her eyes as they stopped the car.
"Now, shut up. Shush. Or Natalie will die," Charlie cautioned her.
Emily quietly followed as they walked the rest of the way down the street to an intersection and peered around a stone wall that provided some protection. They watched as Natalie was led into the building of Jessica's suspicions.
"All right, we approach from this side as there are no windows. We can line up underneath the front window. Charlie, you'll be the front girl. Emily will watch the back. I'll watch from the garage area so I can communicate with Nick."
"Too close without Nick here. I say we stay back," Emily blurted out.
"Wait? You just had an opinion?" Charlie was shocked.
"Three girls against three mob goons who have Nat hostage is a no chance deal," Emily explained.
"True true."
"We have to wait and hope Natalie is still alive in 5 minutes or however long it takes Nick to arrive," Jessica paused.
Those minutes felt like an eternity, and everyone got increasingly nervous with it even though, in reality, Nick and his friends "only" took 9 minutes to arrive. Nick Toreno looked like a 25 year-old male, but he didn't look too mafia with his brown hair twice the length of a crew cut and almost naturally spiking. In reality, he was closer to 35 and had the stubble to match it.
He, "Franz," and another man stepped out of the vehicle, and they motioned toward the girls. The female trio joined the male trio near the Impreza.
"Girls, I'm not sure what the hell is happening here, but we've got this. Frank's on the hit list, and somehow my contact has reason to believe they don't know about Jeff and I. He and I are going to catch these guys with their pants down and storm the joint."
"Don't shoot Natalie!" Jessica said as this idea made her extremely nervous.
"We'll get her, I promise," Nick said with confidence, "Jess, you stay outside with Frank and wait before attacking. They won't expect armed women."
"All right," Charlie nodded, certain they could do this and willing to do anything that helped.
Charlie and Emily sneaked under the window while Nick and Jeff approached the door. Jessica and Frank waited around the corner. Nick banged on the door and waited for an answer.
"Hey, Joey, I hear you got a girl in there?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, we bagged one of Manny the Rat's kids. You guys want a piece of her?" a man asked.
"Actually, I want a piece of YOU!" Nick and Jeff opened fire and charged into the house with Frank and Jess behind them.
"Manny the Rat?!" Jessica mouthed to Frank who shrugged before they ran, then yelled, "F-ck them to hell!"
"Stay down, Ems!" Charlie advised her friend.
Charlie and Emily ducked while the sounds of gunfire rang out. In a neighborhood as rundown as this one, Emily figured that people probably were used to it. It seemed impossible to think of such a dump as being used by mobsters of any kind. Her mind saw nice suits and such things.
When the rescue team entered and caught the men, Natalie's arms were still tied as were her ankles and knees, and a head harness ring gag was on her with a rope running from the top of the harness to her ankles. Nick saw the sight and instantly knew what they had done.
"You two pieces of sh-t will lie down on the floor carefully, capisce?" Jessica ordered them while Jeff helped Natalie.
Nick and Frank ziptied the men's wrists and ankles and then hog-zipped both of them. Simple cleave gags were used to muffle them for the time being. At this point, Natalie stood up and threw the gag aside.
"Are you OK?" Jessica asked her.
"sigh," was the only response from Natalie, who was visibly boiling.
"Nat?"
"I'm... THAT ONE!" Natalie yelled.
Natalie started kicking one of the men with a passionate hatred. She then jumped on him and began punching him violently. She was going to kill this guy with her bare hands if she had opportunity! Never had anyone before seen Natalie like this, and no one wanted to see her like this ever again.
"NATS!" Nick pulled her off.
"THOSE PERVERTED MONSTERS! THOSE MONSTERS! I F-CKING HATE THEM!" she was literally shrieking.
"Calm down!" he responded as he pushed her toward Jessica.
"I can't calm down! Not after what these scum did!" Natalie was red-faced from the shrieking.
"Natalie, we need you reasonable," Jessica tried to reason.
"Let's be reasonable and burn this place to the ground with them in it so they roast alive!"
Natalie then did something that scared everyone in the room more than what had just happened. She ripped the gun out of Jessica's hand and unloaded it into the two goons with absolutely no qualms whatsoever. In fact, if anything, Natalie seemed satisfied at a job well done. After what they had done to her, Natalie wanted to mete out some vigilante justice.
"You idiot! We could have kidnapped them and interrogated them!" Jess was understandably upset, yet deep inside she was highly disturbed.
"Whatever!" after throwing the gun to the floor, Natalie left.
Natalie charged out of the house and saw her two friends standing outside, wide-eyed. Natalie just held her arms out and shrugged and shook her head, but the tears in her eyes were apparent. Charlie just put her arm around Natalie as they walked away from the house. Jessica and Emily helped the men to pour vodka all over the premises, taken from some cases the mobster had been storing, so they could set the house ablaze.
As she and Charlie walked, Natalie stopped, put her face on Charlie's shoulder, and wept bitterly. Charlie gave her friend a hug, and they walked down the street. It wasn't easy to discover you had long lost family; it was worse for that family to then get you into unimaginable dangers.
"I... I'm more bothered by what I did," Natalie confessed.
"Was that gunfire you?!" Charlie's jaw dropped in horror.
"Mmm hmm... I took the gun from Jessica and just... gave it right back," Natalie didn't seem to believe her
"Natalie, you have the mafia gene for sure! Oh, my God! You f-cking killed them?!" Charlie still was trying to process this.
"Yes, I did, all right! I just got had some strange men kidnap me with intent to kill me, so I killed them instead. Got it?! Excuse me, but I'm trying not take a gun and kill myself because what they did to me will haunt me forever," Natalie responded angrily.
Natalie paused and sat on the hood of Charlie's beat up car, dropping tears on the ground as she walk. A million thoughts passed through her mind, but she was focused, or was trying to focus, on the ones that would end this mania. She forced this terrorism out for a moment to put more of her thoughts on saving her friends.
"All this bondage and stuff...," Natalie took a deep breath, "has given me an idea for how we can get save passage on our trip across America."
"What?"
"Nick's in the clear, right?" she asked Charlie to be completely sure.
"Right... He's not tied to your dad," Charlie said confidently.
"We're going to make this work... and pull one over on the mobsters," Natalie's bloodshot eyes were deep in thought.
"How do we do this?" Charlie wanted to know.
Natalie kept thinking and burying her thoughts of the events that had just transpired before nodding her head in certainty that her idea might work.
"Tell me!" Charlie pushed.
"Some of us girls will have to be bound and gagged."
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Wow! That was quite the wild ride for Natalie! That she snapped is understandable - after what she had to endure. I am curious with what plan comes up with
Keep up the good work!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Natalie continues to develop. You leave me (and I am sure most other readers) very eager for your next installment.
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An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
[mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Caesar73[/mention] We'll see where this tale leads us!
11: Vigilante
"Natalie Woodward, you just got kidnapped by three strange goons, and your mind can still conceive ways to beat these motherf-ckers a$$es in?" Charlie was dumbfounded, "And your idea is to fake kidnappings?!"
"Do what I know best. Get tied and gagged."
"Natalie, don't let what happened in there define you as a person, OK?"
"Easy for you to say," Natalie scoffed.
"Actually, it's harder for me than any one of you! Remember?"
"I remember..."
"Don't think for a second that my heart isn't broken for you."
"Thanks... let's just not let this happen to anyone else. At this point, I expect it... but you and Ems don't deserve to be taken in the crossfire."
Once the building was ablaze, they split into groups and drove separately toward the girl's' apartment as a rendezvous point. Natalie wanted to run her idea by the entire group before daring to execute such a plan. Because of everything, Natalie was quite the emotional mess.
"Nat?" Emily asked her.
"No, I won't talk about it," Natalie was emphatic.
"Are you OK?"
"No, and yes. No, I am severely disturbed by the entire thing. Yes, I will be fine."
"All right," Emily shrugged her shoulders.
At the apartment, Natalie revealed her idea. She gave all the details: drive east, use Nick as the guard, get help from "Fix-It," use the bondage as a deception, and even using the positions of people in cars as a decoy.
"Crazy enough it might work," Jessica shook her head.
"I like your mindset," Nick said to them all, "Seriously, it makes it look like even among ourselves there are disputes. We can use this to lull enemies into a false sense of security."
"That's my intention," Natalie agreed, stared at Nick, and then turned away, "I'll keep mulling it over."
Natalie kicked a stone down the street. Emily could still see the pre-kidnapping Natalie underneath those layers of fear, anger, and bitterness. In spite of her size and strength, the private side of Natalie was the softest of all the three roommates, but it only came it in rare moments. Even with the jacket, the bandana, and her hands in her jeans pockets, in it all was a kindly soul that always meant well to those she loved most.
"We'll get out of this, but you need to control yourself. Today you attacked your own sister and shot up two guys," Emily warned her.
"I shot up two guys who deserved it even if I did it in a rash manner. Only thing I wish I had done differently is burned the house with them in it."
"That's heavy duty there," Emily shook her head, "I would want to shoot them myself. Natalie, here's my chance, I guess."
"What chance is that?" Natalie was confused.
"To find out... if being tied up by you is the pleasure I hoped it would be."
"You didn't mention pleasure before... just desire."
"I'm not all innocence and fluffy rabbits, girl!"
"We," Natalie put an arm around Emily, "will have fun... while saving the world before bedtime."
"Let's get out of here."
"Girls, let's split from here," Charlie spoke up.
"All right. Regroup at Nick's, OK?" Jessica asked, "20 minutes tops."
The girls drove back to the apartment and quickly grabbed clothes and such that they figured they'd want for the journey. They each only stuffed a backpack or other such bag with what they needed, and of course they had the duffle of weapons they had. It was a difficult day for all of them, really, and nothing was said until they arrived at Nick's home.
"Fix-It said he'd meet us in Milwaukee; has something that'll help us, he claimed. We'll see," Nick shrugged.
"I like the sound of this nickname," Charlie raised her eyebrows.
"He's your type," Emily responded.
"Focusing...," Natalie interrupted, "Who's getting tied up or what? Nick has tinted glass; no one can really see in it anyway."
"Nats, you, me, and Frank are the ones in the real danger," Jessica said, "We must be split."
"Well, for the record, I refuse to be tied up. Not after today. But, I can sit with a gag in my mouth acting like I'm tied up," Natalie stated her position.
"Fair. They want you, me, and Dad, dead or alive," Jessica shook her head.
"This royally sucks," Natalie shook her head, "OK, it's you and Ems then. Charlie and Frank can hide in the van; we'll hide in the car."
"Just what is this plan anyway?" Emily asked.
"Heh," Natalie chuckled and nodded her head with a nervous motion, "We say you're prisoners for helping my father and that we're on the Commander's side, get inside the building, and take them all out. Before the melee begins, we set you free so you can help too."
"Us 7, plus Fix-It, against the world," Nick saw the adventure in it all like Natalie did.
"We have 9 days til Christmas. Can we do it?" Charlie asked, "Save the world before Christmas?"
"Let's find out!" Natalie smiled, then turned to Nick who seemed to be the confident one, "We can do this, team!"
Emily was eager to try her first "willing" bondage even if under bizarre circumstances, and Nick had the honors of tying her wrists, breasts, waist/crotch, ankles, knees, and thighs. Natalie used a blue bandana and strips of tape to gag the girl for this first part of their journey. She was loaded into the van, and Jessica sat in the back of the Ford E350 with her. Charlie sat up front with Jeff while Natalie and Frank got in the car with Nick.
"Frank, you've been silent all this time. What's wrong?" Natalie asked.
"Those guys we killed back at the house," answered a deep voice with a thick accent, "One of them was my cousin. A bad man."
"Bad?"
"Drugs, womanizing, bar hopping... a bad man, but still my cousin. His mother will be devastated, but she cannot know I did this."
"I'm sorry," Natalie responded.
"When Jessica," he continued slowly, "had this idea, I was eager. I am done with mafia life, and I want out."
"So do I," Natalie shook her head.
"I'm stuck. I have to continue," Nick responded, "I'm a made man."
"Damn."
In the van, Emily was enjoying the opportunity to have fun being tied up for a change while she sat in the back with Jessica. She had wanted to be tied up by Natalie or Charlie for a while, and this exactly what she had been hoping for. The ropes made for interesting texture to rub and struggle against in this less stressful context.
The crotch rope was particularly interesting to her, and she now understood that it had... other purposes. It was fun, but not as fun as the sensation of being tied and gagged. Alas, only a girl like Emily could find pleasure in a time of such stress.
Jessica removed the gag, and the three girls and Jeff took time to get familiar with each other and how they came to be in the positions they were in. Jeff was just a "common goon," as he called himself, but like Nick and Jessica recognized the danger that this organization posed to a lot more people than just themselves.
Even while sitting in the back, Natalie every so often found herself casting a glance toward Nick. His and Jessica's confidence and Emily's care were the combo keeping her afloat. In their side of things, planning was happening.
The agreed plan was this: stay in Bismarck tonight, drive to meet Fix-It in Milwaukee. Go to Detroit and Cleveland and take out those first. Nick's explanation as a higher ranking insider was that "the wise guy in Cleveland is possibly more dangerous than the Commander."
Natalie found this unnerving as that guy in Boston seemed creepy enough. She tried to shake off the memories of the past week, but instead they came to life even more. Just a few days prior she was tied and gagged and riding with Nick as her kidnapper; now he was her teammate?
She thought back to Boise... Her mom and step-dad, her boyfriend Bryce, and her friends there. She had such dreams and aspirations; now for the rest of her life she would be the tool of the CIA or FBI and forever chased by mafia goons who wanted to kill her. As she contemplated this, her phone rang with an unknown number that came up as "Washington, DC."
"Hello," she answered.
"When you stop for the night, call me back at this number," a male voice said in a serious tone.
"Who are you?" she asked, but only the sound of the "hang up" boop answered her.
"You OK?" Nick asked her.
"The voice just said to call them back tonight."
"We call them back tonight, then!" Frank was frank.
That fall made for interesting conversation until they stopped at the same house in Bismarck. Before they approached the house, Natalie called the number back while shaking.
"Natalie Woodward."
"How do you know that's my name and that I am not Hannah Grbac?"
"No jokes," the man answered, "That man in that house... Capture him, but don't kill him. He is important in some trafficking trials."
"Well, what if I don't?! He wanted to r-pe me before!" she got angry.
"How many murders have you committed? Shut up. Don't be a fool. Do what I said. Call the tip line at 701-GOT-TIPS and report his capture and leave the area. Call me after you've met Fix-It."
"Where do I?"
Silence was on the other end. Again, a mysterious call.
"We have to bust your pal here. He's a bad dude, Nick. Let's do this, you and I, OK?"
"What'd that guy want?" Nick was quite confused.
"We're playing real world FPS's right now, and he just wants this guy tied up and left for the cops," Natalie looked tired and forlorn, "I'm not screwing around anymore."
The irony of her words.
Natalie and Nick approached the house and knocked on the door after checking to their sides. After a few seconds, the door opened, and Natalie kept her back to the man while Nick talked. After Natalie was sure this wasn't a trap, she turned and pointed a gun at the man.
"Get inside, now! Hands where I can see them!"
Natalie and Nick pushed their first victim into the house, and Nick kept the gun on him while Natalie restrained him. She used handcuffs on his wrists and zipties on his ankles before hog zipping him and gagging him with a ring gag.
It was at this moment that Natalie felt something inside her shaking a little. Something was stirring in her, but she called the number and did what was said.
The group continued onward and stopped at a hotel instead. For simplicity, they decided to jam into two rooms for the night, so Charlie and Jessica would share one bed and Natalie and Emily would share the other. The men split another room up albeit refusing to share a bed for "man reasons."
Before retiring, however, Natalie wanted to talk to Nick about "mafia stuff" before she cleaned up for bed. After getting the "answer" she wanted, an exhausted Natalie returned to the room, showered, and got into the bed with Emily.
Who was the strange man giving her these orders? Was he on her side? Worse, was he mafia? If he was government, he almost was 100% on her side, but the alternative was scary... well, not scary to her, but...
Scary enough that Jessica stayed up all night long.
11: Vigilante
"Natalie Woodward, you just got kidnapped by three strange goons, and your mind can still conceive ways to beat these motherf-ckers a$$es in?" Charlie was dumbfounded, "And your idea is to fake kidnappings?!"
"Do what I know best. Get tied and gagged."
"Natalie, don't let what happened in there define you as a person, OK?"
"Easy for you to say," Natalie scoffed.
"Actually, it's harder for me than any one of you! Remember?"
"I remember..."
"Don't think for a second that my heart isn't broken for you."
"Thanks... let's just not let this happen to anyone else. At this point, I expect it... but you and Ems don't deserve to be taken in the crossfire."
Once the building was ablaze, they split into groups and drove separately toward the girl's' apartment as a rendezvous point. Natalie wanted to run her idea by the entire group before daring to execute such a plan. Because of everything, Natalie was quite the emotional mess.
"Nat?" Emily asked her.
"No, I won't talk about it," Natalie was emphatic.
"Are you OK?"
"No, and yes. No, I am severely disturbed by the entire thing. Yes, I will be fine."
"All right," Emily shrugged her shoulders.
At the apartment, Natalie revealed her idea. She gave all the details: drive east, use Nick as the guard, get help from "Fix-It," use the bondage as a deception, and even using the positions of people in cars as a decoy.
"Crazy enough it might work," Jessica shook her head.
"I like your mindset," Nick said to them all, "Seriously, it makes it look like even among ourselves there are disputes. We can use this to lull enemies into a false sense of security."
"That's my intention," Natalie agreed, stared at Nick, and then turned away, "I'll keep mulling it over."
Natalie kicked a stone down the street. Emily could still see the pre-kidnapping Natalie underneath those layers of fear, anger, and bitterness. In spite of her size and strength, the private side of Natalie was the softest of all the three roommates, but it only came it in rare moments. Even with the jacket, the bandana, and her hands in her jeans pockets, in it all was a kindly soul that always meant well to those she loved most.
"We'll get out of this, but you need to control yourself. Today you attacked your own sister and shot up two guys," Emily warned her.
"I shot up two guys who deserved it even if I did it in a rash manner. Only thing I wish I had done differently is burned the house with them in it."
"That's heavy duty there," Emily shook her head, "I would want to shoot them myself. Natalie, here's my chance, I guess."
"What chance is that?" Natalie was confused.
"To find out... if being tied up by you is the pleasure I hoped it would be."
"You didn't mention pleasure before... just desire."
"I'm not all innocence and fluffy rabbits, girl!"
"We," Natalie put an arm around Emily, "will have fun... while saving the world before bedtime."
"Let's get out of here."
"Girls, let's split from here," Charlie spoke up.
"All right. Regroup at Nick's, OK?" Jessica asked, "20 minutes tops."
The girls drove back to the apartment and quickly grabbed clothes and such that they figured they'd want for the journey. They each only stuffed a backpack or other such bag with what they needed, and of course they had the duffle of weapons they had. It was a difficult day for all of them, really, and nothing was said until they arrived at Nick's home.
"Fix-It said he'd meet us in Milwaukee; has something that'll help us, he claimed. We'll see," Nick shrugged.
"I like the sound of this nickname," Charlie raised her eyebrows.
"He's your type," Emily responded.
"Focusing...," Natalie interrupted, "Who's getting tied up or what? Nick has tinted glass; no one can really see in it anyway."
"Nats, you, me, and Frank are the ones in the real danger," Jessica said, "We must be split."
"Well, for the record, I refuse to be tied up. Not after today. But, I can sit with a gag in my mouth acting like I'm tied up," Natalie stated her position.
"Fair. They want you, me, and Dad, dead or alive," Jessica shook her head.
"This royally sucks," Natalie shook her head, "OK, it's you and Ems then. Charlie and Frank can hide in the van; we'll hide in the car."
"Just what is this plan anyway?" Emily asked.
"Heh," Natalie chuckled and nodded her head with a nervous motion, "We say you're prisoners for helping my father and that we're on the Commander's side, get inside the building, and take them all out. Before the melee begins, we set you free so you can help too."
"Us 7, plus Fix-It, against the world," Nick saw the adventure in it all like Natalie did.
"We have 9 days til Christmas. Can we do it?" Charlie asked, "Save the world before Christmas?"
"Let's find out!" Natalie smiled, then turned to Nick who seemed to be the confident one, "We can do this, team!"
Emily was eager to try her first "willing" bondage even if under bizarre circumstances, and Nick had the honors of tying her wrists, breasts, waist/crotch, ankles, knees, and thighs. Natalie used a blue bandana and strips of tape to gag the girl for this first part of their journey. She was loaded into the van, and Jessica sat in the back of the Ford E350 with her. Charlie sat up front with Jeff while Natalie and Frank got in the car with Nick.
"Frank, you've been silent all this time. What's wrong?" Natalie asked.
"Those guys we killed back at the house," answered a deep voice with a thick accent, "One of them was my cousin. A bad man."
"Bad?"
"Drugs, womanizing, bar hopping... a bad man, but still my cousin. His mother will be devastated, but she cannot know I did this."
"I'm sorry," Natalie responded.
"When Jessica," he continued slowly, "had this idea, I was eager. I am done with mafia life, and I want out."
"So do I," Natalie shook her head.
"I'm stuck. I have to continue," Nick responded, "I'm a made man."
"Damn."
In the van, Emily was enjoying the opportunity to have fun being tied up for a change while she sat in the back with Jessica. She had wanted to be tied up by Natalie or Charlie for a while, and this exactly what she had been hoping for. The ropes made for interesting texture to rub and struggle against in this less stressful context.
The crotch rope was particularly interesting to her, and she now understood that it had... other purposes. It was fun, but not as fun as the sensation of being tied and gagged. Alas, only a girl like Emily could find pleasure in a time of such stress.
Jessica removed the gag, and the three girls and Jeff took time to get familiar with each other and how they came to be in the positions they were in. Jeff was just a "common goon," as he called himself, but like Nick and Jessica recognized the danger that this organization posed to a lot more people than just themselves.
Even while sitting in the back, Natalie every so often found herself casting a glance toward Nick. His and Jessica's confidence and Emily's care were the combo keeping her afloat. In their side of things, planning was happening.
The agreed plan was this: stay in Bismarck tonight, drive to meet Fix-It in Milwaukee. Go to Detroit and Cleveland and take out those first. Nick's explanation as a higher ranking insider was that "the wise guy in Cleveland is possibly more dangerous than the Commander."
Natalie found this unnerving as that guy in Boston seemed creepy enough. She tried to shake off the memories of the past week, but instead they came to life even more. Just a few days prior she was tied and gagged and riding with Nick as her kidnapper; now he was her teammate?
She thought back to Boise... Her mom and step-dad, her boyfriend Bryce, and her friends there. She had such dreams and aspirations; now for the rest of her life she would be the tool of the CIA or FBI and forever chased by mafia goons who wanted to kill her. As she contemplated this, her phone rang with an unknown number that came up as "Washington, DC."
"Hello," she answered.
"When you stop for the night, call me back at this number," a male voice said in a serious tone.
"Who are you?" she asked, but only the sound of the "hang up" boop answered her.
"You OK?" Nick asked her.
"The voice just said to call them back tonight."
"We call them back tonight, then!" Frank was frank.
That fall made for interesting conversation until they stopped at the same house in Bismarck. Before they approached the house, Natalie called the number back while shaking.
"Natalie Woodward."
"How do you know that's my name and that I am not Hannah Grbac?"
"No jokes," the man answered, "That man in that house... Capture him, but don't kill him. He is important in some trafficking trials."
"Well, what if I don't?! He wanted to r-pe me before!" she got angry.
"How many murders have you committed? Shut up. Don't be a fool. Do what I said. Call the tip line at 701-GOT-TIPS and report his capture and leave the area. Call me after you've met Fix-It."
"Where do I?"
Silence was on the other end. Again, a mysterious call.
"We have to bust your pal here. He's a bad dude, Nick. Let's do this, you and I, OK?"
"What'd that guy want?" Nick was quite confused.
"We're playing real world FPS's right now, and he just wants this guy tied up and left for the cops," Natalie looked tired and forlorn, "I'm not screwing around anymore."
The irony of her words.
Natalie and Nick approached the house and knocked on the door after checking to their sides. After a few seconds, the door opened, and Natalie kept her back to the man while Nick talked. After Natalie was sure this wasn't a trap, she turned and pointed a gun at the man.
"Get inside, now! Hands where I can see them!"
Natalie and Nick pushed their first victim into the house, and Nick kept the gun on him while Natalie restrained him. She used handcuffs on his wrists and zipties on his ankles before hog zipping him and gagging him with a ring gag.
It was at this moment that Natalie felt something inside her shaking a little. Something was stirring in her, but she called the number and did what was said.
The group continued onward and stopped at a hotel instead. For simplicity, they decided to jam into two rooms for the night, so Charlie and Jessica would share one bed and Natalie and Emily would share the other. The men split another room up albeit refusing to share a bed for "man reasons."
Before retiring, however, Natalie wanted to talk to Nick about "mafia stuff" before she cleaned up for bed. After getting the "answer" she wanted, an exhausted Natalie returned to the room, showered, and got into the bed with Emily.
Who was the strange man giving her these orders? Was he on her side? Worse, was he mafia? If he was government, he almost was 100% on her side, but the alternative was scary... well, not scary to her, but...
Scary enough that Jessica stayed up all night long.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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[mention]GreyLord[/mention], [mention]Caesar73[/mention], and sadly no one else to tag
12: Desperado
Natalie arose to find Emily sitting at the desk already, and from the sounds and swears Charlie was on the shower, meaning Jessica was outside. Natalie sat up and shamelessly put on her clothes; she had slept in her underwear anyway. Green leggings and a black long-sleeve t-shirt were a match for black boots.
"Natalie, you cheated on Bryce last night? With Nick?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she wouldn't look at Emily while she tied a green bandana on her head.
"I'm not a virgin, either, in spite of how you like to mischaracterize me!" Emily was indignant.
"You're being weird, Ems. Wouldn't I look bad@$$ with some fingerless gloves?" Natalie kept her gaze away.
"Natalie Woodward, I know we're all stressed, but you're the only one letting this turn you into a bad person!" Emily slammed her fist on the desk.
"OK, yes, I seduced Nick. Happy? No, and neither am I; I didn't sleep well because of it."
"Natalie..."
"Look, after what happened yesterday morning, I got this weird complex for the guy who saved me, OK? And I wanted to restore my faith in men by a situation I controlled, so I seduced him."
"Oh, man," Emily put her face in her hand while struggling to understand Natalie's suffering.
"F-ck you," Natalie gave her a double bird.
"I'm not mad that you did it, but that you lied to me."
"I'm letting this all turn me into a bad person like you said."
"That green looks good on you," her words cut like a knife.
Natalie knew wondered aloud that she didn't understand why Emily was so determined to be her friend or why anyone would still love her. Emily simply smiled and said that's what family is for, but Natalie suspected it was more than that and even had her suspicions why. Either way, Natalie was humbled by the gracious girl's behavior even in the face of such horrors.
Jessica's eyes were bloodshot from the stress; she hadn't slept at all on account of Natalie's mysterious caller. She knew every side of this situation, or she thought she did anyway. Here she was, however, completely in the dark on what was going on.
Natalie refused to talk anymore at this point, but when Charlie was out the group walked across the street to a general store to get food for now and for the road before the septet returned to their vehicles. Before they thought of making groups, Emily had a surprise for Natalie.
Emily showed her kindness once again: black fingerless gloves for the girls to feel a bit tougher in the ocean of the unknown. In Natalie's opinion, they made her look like a bigger and tougher girl than she had looked before, and Charlie was more than happy to confirm that when Natalie asked for confirmation.
The group all made sure they got cash from ATM and cash back so that their card activity couldn't be traced. It was a necessary process although none of them felt safe walking around with wads of cash in their pockets, purses, or wherever they had to put such things. Frank already carried such piles of green on himself.
Natalie grimaced now as she thought about her kidnapping... her second kidnapping and eventual assault. In the interest of fairness, she was going to have to spend some time as the backseat captive of her plans even if she dreaded the thought. She had to do it though; if someone stopped them, her being tied up would be the perfect decoy to convince goons that... that her life was close to ending.
With that sobering though, Natalie took her turn, and this time the menu featured zipties that tied her ankles, knees, thighs, wrists, and elbows before she was loaded into the van and gagged with a red ball gag that had black straps. Natalie tested the bonds as the vehicle began to move. She knew there was danger in her position, but she felt safe with Jessica, Charlie, and Jeff all there. Natalie understood why Emily found this kinky, but it only reminded her of trauma.
She thought about the night before and, when she was inevitably ungagged after some time due to boredom, explained the situation to Jessica. They brainstormed over the possibilities of who was calling her, but Jessica knew one thing for sure.
"If he knows Fix-It, he has to be good. Fix-It is Nick's main outside man," her confidence showed, and she just happened to have put the gag back in Natalie's mouth when...
"Cut the zips, Jess! Em sees a fishy car!" Charlie interrupted.
"On it!" Jessica quickly snipped each of the little plastics binding Natalie's wrists.
Outside was one of the familiar black cars... Only one. Emily had seen it first and tipped off Nick and Charlie about it. Natalie quickly took off the gag and looked out the window while dialing Emily. Natalie realized that there was no diplomacy when a bullet went by her. On the phone, Natalie told Frank to lay down an oil slick for their visitors.
"Jess, hand me that nasty looking machine there," Natalie pointed to one standing in the corner.
"What are you doing?" Jessica asked.
"Just going to see if real life works like an FPS."
"FPS?"
"First-person shooter," Natalie grinned, "Charlie, get a gun yourself because I can use you."
Charlie grabbed a pistol to accompany Natalie's machine gun and together they got ready to attack. The two got on the ground and wriggled to the back doors of the van, and Natalie rolled up her sleeves. They carefully opened the doors and opened fire on the car, which had lost some ground due to the oil. Doing it this way would prove to be costly.
Natalie quickly learned a horrible lesson: (1) that shooting at a gas tank does not work like in the video games, (2) that miscalculating a life-threatening situation is... life threatening, and (3) that bullets are not unlimited and easy to reload like in video games.
As they opened fire on the car, they naturally were greeted with return fire while cars swerved off the interstate all around them. St. Paul eastbound I-94 was turning into a massive disaster. As Natalie and Charlie's frustration grew, they suddenly got relief as they watched a blob of fire shoot under the car and explode, causing the car to explode too. Now that finally resembled a video game, and Charlie and Natalie high-fived each other and shut the door.
"What was that?" Natalie asked Emily through the phone.
"A Molotov!" Nick shouted back, "Thank Frank for bailing you girls out!"
"I'm not 21," Natalie laughed, "And I think my first alcoholic beverage is going to be vodka!"
"Can we quickly stop and swap Jessica with you guys until we meet Fix-It? Nat and I got hit in that," Charlie said.
"I did?! Oh, damn!" Natalie looked at Charlie's bloodied arm and then her own.
"You just hop in here. I have a first aid kit, and it's a smoother ride," Emily said in her usual manner.
"All right!"
In the van, Natalie only need some gauze and medical tape before her sleeve was rolled down again. Guilt overcame her as she knew she had endangered her friend with her brash foolishness. Everything had been right... except her physics. She nearly flunked physics in high school until a friend helped her out, and even then she still was clueless and only knew what equations to use when.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked her.
"Just tie me back up," Natalie pushed away her efforts to be comforting.
"I can't do that!" Jessica refused knowing that such would do more harm then good.
"Charlie isn't going to die, is she?" Natalie's guilt-ridden conscious led her to ask this.
"Oh, definitely not! That bullet is only embedded in her skin," was the positive response.
In the car, Emily was faced with a horrid reality: DIY surgery of sorts. The bullet only got skin, but it was still stuck. The blonde was afraid to try pulling it out because she didn't want to hurt Charlie, but once the blood was cleaned out she saw the bullet was at the surface.
Charlie and Emily were faced with a horrible prospect: removing the bullet in a simple manner. They both knew this would hurt horribly, but Emily's desire to help outweighed her squeamishness at human suffering. Charlie gritted her teeth as Emily used a sterilized tweezers to pull the object out. At the end, Charlie let out a quick yelp.
Then came the worse part: DIY stitches. The mild topical provided in the first aid kid was woefully inadequate for the job. Emily learned new words from the blue streak that Charlie muttered while the hole in her body was stitched up. Never once did Charlie scream or shriek; her strength made a positive impression her friend.
Nick and Frank couldn't help but laugh at Charlie's profanities while glad it wasn't one of them who had the bullet. Charlie was in a ton of pain, and by the time Emily was done both were in tears although Emily had indeed done a fine job. The girls hugged before Emily put anti-bacterial ointment and bandages on the wound.
"I'm kind of glad I wore a t-shirt," Charlie said between pain-induced sobs.
"Why?" Emily asked her.
"Because I just got to see a side of you that is so beautiful and so rarely displayed."
Emily was perpetually cold even in warm weather, but she took off her green hoodie and gave it to Charlie to warm her up. Besides, she had a Christmas red sweater under it anyway. As they shared this moment, a chill went down her spine as she stared at the van that had been their travel-mate for this entire journey. She instinctively knew danger was near.
"We have more company, Frank!" she looked out the rear windshield, "Drop a grenade! Now!"
"Which button?!" he asked Nick.
"The blue one down there!" Charlie responded by pushing it for him
The girls ducked and almost immediately heard an explosion that launched the car into the air and down onto the street below as they were on a short bridge at the moment. Emily was pale with fright from this one.
Back in the van, after some persistence, Natalie was zipped back up and had the gag back in her mouth. She heard the explosion, but now she just let Jessica look and describe what had occurred. She was angry at herself, at Jessica, at Nick, at Emily, and at her father; she was tired and scared stiff in spite of what she showed. Her latest idea had caused severe injury to one of her best friends.
"You know what a bad sister would do to you right now?" Jessica interrupted those thoughts.
"No!" Natalie responded.
"She'd roll you on your stomach, pull your pants down, and spank you for yesterday," she had a mischievous grin.
"Huh?" the twice-kidnapped girl couldn't believe her ears.
"I don't hate you for yesterday... even slightly. I would have done the same. Natalie, you are a Napolitano through-and-through!"
Natalie thought about some of the moments she had had with Bryce and realized something: they needed to find every possibility to smile that they can find in the midst of all this violence and fright. How can a girl who has been through what she has allow even the slightest possibility of anything kinky even in a fun sense. Nevertheless, with no other way to really entertain themselves, Natalie laid on the floor and motioned for Jessica to take a shot, and the younger sister closed the curtain so that Jeff couldn't see anything.
Natalie had no idea how Emily and Jessica could still see the kinky side of bondage despite all their troubles so far. Perhaps growing up in this mafia... Jessica had been exposed and maybe even played with her husband? She knew what got Emily interested enough to research these things... but all Natalie had besides one charged moment with Bryce was memories of being kidnapped and harmed. Only out of love did the former basketball player allow these things she so personally hated.
In the car, Emily's phone began to ring...
![Crying or Very Sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
12: Desperado
Natalie arose to find Emily sitting at the desk already, and from the sounds and swears Charlie was on the shower, meaning Jessica was outside. Natalie sat up and shamelessly put on her clothes; she had slept in her underwear anyway. Green leggings and a black long-sleeve t-shirt were a match for black boots.
"Natalie, you cheated on Bryce last night? With Nick?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she wouldn't look at Emily while she tied a green bandana on her head.
"I'm not a virgin, either, in spite of how you like to mischaracterize me!" Emily was indignant.
"You're being weird, Ems. Wouldn't I look bad@$$ with some fingerless gloves?" Natalie kept her gaze away.
"Natalie Woodward, I know we're all stressed, but you're the only one letting this turn you into a bad person!" Emily slammed her fist on the desk.
"OK, yes, I seduced Nick. Happy? No, and neither am I; I didn't sleep well because of it."
"Natalie..."
"Look, after what happened yesterday morning, I got this weird complex for the guy who saved me, OK? And I wanted to restore my faith in men by a situation I controlled, so I seduced him."
"Oh, man," Emily put her face in her hand while struggling to understand Natalie's suffering.
"F-ck you," Natalie gave her a double bird.
"I'm not mad that you did it, but that you lied to me."
"I'm letting this all turn me into a bad person like you said."
"That green looks good on you," her words cut like a knife.
Natalie knew wondered aloud that she didn't understand why Emily was so determined to be her friend or why anyone would still love her. Emily simply smiled and said that's what family is for, but Natalie suspected it was more than that and even had her suspicions why. Either way, Natalie was humbled by the gracious girl's behavior even in the face of such horrors.
Jessica's eyes were bloodshot from the stress; she hadn't slept at all on account of Natalie's mysterious caller. She knew every side of this situation, or she thought she did anyway. Here she was, however, completely in the dark on what was going on.
Natalie refused to talk anymore at this point, but when Charlie was out the group walked across the street to a general store to get food for now and for the road before the septet returned to their vehicles. Before they thought of making groups, Emily had a surprise for Natalie.
Emily showed her kindness once again: black fingerless gloves for the girls to feel a bit tougher in the ocean of the unknown. In Natalie's opinion, they made her look like a bigger and tougher girl than she had looked before, and Charlie was more than happy to confirm that when Natalie asked for confirmation.
The group all made sure they got cash from ATM and cash back so that their card activity couldn't be traced. It was a necessary process although none of them felt safe walking around with wads of cash in their pockets, purses, or wherever they had to put such things. Frank already carried such piles of green on himself.
Natalie grimaced now as she thought about her kidnapping... her second kidnapping and eventual assault. In the interest of fairness, she was going to have to spend some time as the backseat captive of her plans even if she dreaded the thought. She had to do it though; if someone stopped them, her being tied up would be the perfect decoy to convince goons that... that her life was close to ending.
With that sobering though, Natalie took her turn, and this time the menu featured zipties that tied her ankles, knees, thighs, wrists, and elbows before she was loaded into the van and gagged with a red ball gag that had black straps. Natalie tested the bonds as the vehicle began to move. She knew there was danger in her position, but she felt safe with Jessica, Charlie, and Jeff all there. Natalie understood why Emily found this kinky, but it only reminded her of trauma.
She thought about the night before and, when she was inevitably ungagged after some time due to boredom, explained the situation to Jessica. They brainstormed over the possibilities of who was calling her, but Jessica knew one thing for sure.
"If he knows Fix-It, he has to be good. Fix-It is Nick's main outside man," her confidence showed, and she just happened to have put the gag back in Natalie's mouth when...
"Cut the zips, Jess! Em sees a fishy car!" Charlie interrupted.
"On it!" Jessica quickly snipped each of the little plastics binding Natalie's wrists.
Outside was one of the familiar black cars... Only one. Emily had seen it first and tipped off Nick and Charlie about it. Natalie quickly took off the gag and looked out the window while dialing Emily. Natalie realized that there was no diplomacy when a bullet went by her. On the phone, Natalie told Frank to lay down an oil slick for their visitors.
"Jess, hand me that nasty looking machine there," Natalie pointed to one standing in the corner.
"What are you doing?" Jessica asked.
"Just going to see if real life works like an FPS."
"FPS?"
"First-person shooter," Natalie grinned, "Charlie, get a gun yourself because I can use you."
Charlie grabbed a pistol to accompany Natalie's machine gun and together they got ready to attack. The two got on the ground and wriggled to the back doors of the van, and Natalie rolled up her sleeves. They carefully opened the doors and opened fire on the car, which had lost some ground due to the oil. Doing it this way would prove to be costly.
Natalie quickly learned a horrible lesson: (1) that shooting at a gas tank does not work like in the video games, (2) that miscalculating a life-threatening situation is... life threatening, and (3) that bullets are not unlimited and easy to reload like in video games.
As they opened fire on the car, they naturally were greeted with return fire while cars swerved off the interstate all around them. St. Paul eastbound I-94 was turning into a massive disaster. As Natalie and Charlie's frustration grew, they suddenly got relief as they watched a blob of fire shoot under the car and explode, causing the car to explode too. Now that finally resembled a video game, and Charlie and Natalie high-fived each other and shut the door.
"What was that?" Natalie asked Emily through the phone.
"A Molotov!" Nick shouted back, "Thank Frank for bailing you girls out!"
"I'm not 21," Natalie laughed, "And I think my first alcoholic beverage is going to be vodka!"
"Can we quickly stop and swap Jessica with you guys until we meet Fix-It? Nat and I got hit in that," Charlie said.
"I did?! Oh, damn!" Natalie looked at Charlie's bloodied arm and then her own.
"You just hop in here. I have a first aid kit, and it's a smoother ride," Emily said in her usual manner.
"All right!"
In the van, Natalie only need some gauze and medical tape before her sleeve was rolled down again. Guilt overcame her as she knew she had endangered her friend with her brash foolishness. Everything had been right... except her physics. She nearly flunked physics in high school until a friend helped her out, and even then she still was clueless and only knew what equations to use when.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked her.
"Just tie me back up," Natalie pushed away her efforts to be comforting.
"I can't do that!" Jessica refused knowing that such would do more harm then good.
"Charlie isn't going to die, is she?" Natalie's guilt-ridden conscious led her to ask this.
"Oh, definitely not! That bullet is only embedded in her skin," was the positive response.
In the car, Emily was faced with a horrid reality: DIY surgery of sorts. The bullet only got skin, but it was still stuck. The blonde was afraid to try pulling it out because she didn't want to hurt Charlie, but once the blood was cleaned out she saw the bullet was at the surface.
Charlie and Emily were faced with a horrible prospect: removing the bullet in a simple manner. They both knew this would hurt horribly, but Emily's desire to help outweighed her squeamishness at human suffering. Charlie gritted her teeth as Emily used a sterilized tweezers to pull the object out. At the end, Charlie let out a quick yelp.
Then came the worse part: DIY stitches. The mild topical provided in the first aid kid was woefully inadequate for the job. Emily learned new words from the blue streak that Charlie muttered while the hole in her body was stitched up. Never once did Charlie scream or shriek; her strength made a positive impression her friend.
Nick and Frank couldn't help but laugh at Charlie's profanities while glad it wasn't one of them who had the bullet. Charlie was in a ton of pain, and by the time Emily was done both were in tears although Emily had indeed done a fine job. The girls hugged before Emily put anti-bacterial ointment and bandages on the wound.
"I'm kind of glad I wore a t-shirt," Charlie said between pain-induced sobs.
"Why?" Emily asked her.
"Because I just got to see a side of you that is so beautiful and so rarely displayed."
Emily was perpetually cold even in warm weather, but she took off her green hoodie and gave it to Charlie to warm her up. Besides, she had a Christmas red sweater under it anyway. As they shared this moment, a chill went down her spine as she stared at the van that had been their travel-mate for this entire journey. She instinctively knew danger was near.
"We have more company, Frank!" she looked out the rear windshield, "Drop a grenade! Now!"
"Which button?!" he asked Nick.
"The blue one down there!" Charlie responded by pushing it for him
The girls ducked and almost immediately heard an explosion that launched the car into the air and down onto the street below as they were on a short bridge at the moment. Emily was pale with fright from this one.
Back in the van, after some persistence, Natalie was zipped back up and had the gag back in her mouth. She heard the explosion, but now she just let Jessica look and describe what had occurred. She was angry at herself, at Jessica, at Nick, at Emily, and at her father; she was tired and scared stiff in spite of what she showed. Her latest idea had caused severe injury to one of her best friends.
"You know what a bad sister would do to you right now?" Jessica interrupted those thoughts.
"No!" Natalie responded.
"She'd roll you on your stomach, pull your pants down, and spank you for yesterday," she had a mischievous grin.
"Huh?" the twice-kidnapped girl couldn't believe her ears.
"I don't hate you for yesterday... even slightly. I would have done the same. Natalie, you are a Napolitano through-and-through!"
Natalie thought about some of the moments she had had with Bryce and realized something: they needed to find every possibility to smile that they can find in the midst of all this violence and fright. How can a girl who has been through what she has allow even the slightest possibility of anything kinky even in a fun sense. Nevertheless, with no other way to really entertain themselves, Natalie laid on the floor and motioned for Jessica to take a shot, and the younger sister closed the curtain so that Jeff couldn't see anything.
Natalie had no idea how Emily and Jessica could still see the kinky side of bondage despite all their troubles so far. Perhaps growing up in this mafia... Jessica had been exposed and maybe even played with her husband? She knew what got Emily interested enough to research these things... but all Natalie had besides one charged moment with Bryce was memories of being kidnapped and harmed. Only out of love did the former basketball player allow these things she so personally hated.
In the car, Emily's phone began to ring...
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Nice cliffhanger at the end! That was quite the ride for Natalie - but she got through - so far
Well done.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Fight and flight! What is coming next?
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51935021448_8459ac441e_o.jpg)
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
[mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Caesar73[/mention]
13: Sisterhood
"Take a seat on the couch, Natalie, it's comfortable!" Emily said at the rendezvous with Fix-It.
"No, no. I'm good," Natalie responded while thinking about what had just happened in the van.
"You boosted this, didn't you?" Nick asked Fix-It with a chuckle.
"Nick Toreno, how could you accuse an honest businesscat like me of stealing this van?!"
"Or did the FBI have someone boost it for you?" the wise guy continued to push buttons.
"I don't FBI like you white boys do!" the mechanic just knew how to turn all dials, including the humor ones.
Only Fix-It could do this to a Mercedes-Benz van. Layers of Kevlar (heavily treated with fire retardant) in all the sides and doors; all glass removed an replaced with darkly tinted bullet-proof glad, and a full computer station that can seat two in the back along with a a couch and, purely for ego, carpet in the back as well.
When Jessica questioned the legality of the armored van, Fix-It merely laughed and said that it was more legal than the Subaru. Charlie and Frank acknowledged both Fix-It's kindness and helpfulness. It was indisputable that this new alliance would be profitable for all.
"My orders are simple: do anything I can to get you through this, including helping you," he explained, "Let's log on to the Fixernet and see what we can see."
"Are you government?" Natalie asked.
Fix-It made a face that said "don't ask about me until I'm ready to tell you what you need to know" as he sat down at the station. Only Fix-It could wear cargo shorts and a khaki button-up worker's shirt in winter while snow is on the ground. He was a really "cool cat" as he described himself, and he immediately went to work typing on the computer system. His systems clearly connected to something very different from the internet, whether nefarious or not. The man they first met in Buffalo before was quite the character!
Natalie whispered to Emily outside the vehicles in a show of her ignorance. She had to have the concept of "cat" explained to her because it was such an outdated term. Fix-It worked briefly on his "Fixernet" and pulled up a report and called them all over to look at it. As he did so, he explained the dangers each of the mobsters presented.
Tony Paterno, the man in charge of all Cleveland operations, was the one in charge of the most serious crime activities in order to keep the attention off of Rossi. By splitting such things, Rossi had a ruthless assistant and an easy alibi should a court trial occur. The Don, one Riccardo Rossi, was immediately recognizable as the one who attempted to kill the girls in Boston. The main danger was their financial padding: they could just as quickly higher new goons off the street as Natalie could pop them off.
Now the purpose of this mission was clear, but what wasn't clear was why they had to do it if the government could handle the rest, but Fix-It read Jessica's mind.
"If you do this, we minimize the number of innocents caught in the crossfire. The guys I work with, sh-t, they'd shoot one of you by mistake and laugh at your misery. When I knew Nick was involved, I knew I had to protect y'all, or they'd have blown up all those places even with y'all in them."
"What's your opinion on how to attack?" Nick asked.
Fix-It's suggestion was simple: attack Cleveland and then Chicago. If they attack Chicago, it looks like all the mafia are under attack, removing some pressure from the Napolitano's. This will allow more resources to be allocated to a stronger assault upon the remaining locations. Natalie wasn't sure what to say to this portion of the scheme. Was Fix-It right?
"I have to tell you, Nat, I got a strange phone call too," Emily said.
"What did yours say?" Natalie wanted to know.
"It was a deep man's voice, and all it said was, 'Call me at 11:15 Eastern time tomorrow.'"
"Sounds like the guy that called me," Natalie groaned.
"This number?" Emily's phone confirmed Natalie's thought.
"That's the one... and I just got a text from him with a link to an article about... a big crime bust in Bismarck, ND. I'm supposed to call him."
Mysterious callers were strange enough. Mysterious callers calling Emily was unnerving. Natalie called her mystery man as he had ordered, and all he said was "Hit Cleveland with everything you got! No escapees!" before hanging up on her. She then got a text directing her to stay at a particular hotel in Cleveland and to not attack the mobsters until a package arrived for her.
She knew they had to stay the night here in Milwaukee and keep driving the next day, but she feared being attacked whilst they slept. Instead, she found herself sitting up all night without ever even getting in the motel bed. While the van had room on the floor to sleep and such, Natalie felt it was dangerous should they get car-bombed, although Fix-It was resolute that "no one would mess with him."
Another night of sleeplessness met the same end as the prior one, and this time Natalie even said "Go as rough as you like" during what had to be the cheapest lust she had encountered whether in reality, on the big screen, or in her mother's romance novels, although Nick was really good at it and fun to be with. And afterwards she felt terrible for not only doing that but for the cheating. She was using Nick for easy pleasure to substitute for her desire to be with Bryce... again.
Natalie thought she was sitting alone on the bench outside the room when Jessica came out. It wasn't who she expected to see, as she was expecting more judgment from Emily. Natalie breathed deeply and readied to explain herself without any excuses.
"How old are you?" Jessica asked.
"21 on Christmas day," Natalie responded.
"You can make your own decisions. Go get some sleep; I'll take the watch."
When she went into the room, she was only slightly surprised to see that Charlie, too, hadn't changed for sleep. Only Emily had the bravery to put on pajamas... such innocence? Natalie took her black jacket off and got onto the bed next to her friend. Charlie rolled over and looked at Natalie with a sigh.
"What is it?" Natalie asked.
"Ever seen love at first sight?" Charlie seemed frustrated.
"Fix-It?"
"How the hell is a guy that in tune and smooth only 26? We're surrounded by 30-something guys, and this cat is 26?! That's bad@$$ right there," Charlie's eyes showed a little hope.
"He said his dad did this before he retired," Natalie answered that.
"He's cute; that's all I know," a sigh came from the girl.
"Nick's 34...," Natalie looked crestfallen and felt it.
"I know you're stressed honey, but try to think about Bryce. You're young you two and cute. No rush on things. But Bryce has been faithful to you; don't start looking at others because you're scared."
Natalie knew Charlie was right, but Natalie had already gone beyond looking to doing. Guilt ate at her. On the other side, Charlie was more enamored than lustful. Something about Fix-It just resonated with her, although the thought of being with a CIA/FBI agent was unnerving. Perhaps though what one, or both of them, needed was a fresh start though? Charlie couldn't wait to talk more, and she felt confident Fix-It wasn't going to "feel her up."
Natalie and Charlie were not only surprised to sleep but to wake up and see Jessica and Emily still asleep and that they had slept until almost 7AM. In fact, what woke Natalie was a knock on the door that she sprang up to address and saw was Nick and Frank.
It meant the start of a fresh day, and only Emily changed as she exchanged a Christmas red sweater for a Christmas green one. She only had 3 sweaters, so it was figured she'd run out soon and switch to some other kind of shirt. Jessica and Charlie didn't even change or clean beyond washing their hands and face. The men were men, so who knew if they were clean or not.
Natalie began her day with a renewed resolve. Blue jeans, a white long-sleeve t-shirt, and a matching bandana kept up her desired "I'm big and bad" image that she felt somehow unnerved these tiny mafia goons she often encountered lately. First step was to commit herself to Bryce, and in so doing she sent a text to her boyfriend that simply read, "Love you babe. Me and the girls are on a cross-country trip. Meeting my biological father and relations on that side
Be back in time for Christmas XO"
"Nick," Natalie said when she got the chance, "No more."
"Roger."
It's an easy course of planning really. Natalie decided that she and Jessica should be the captives; the decision came to her as the unofficial leader of what was like having her own little mafia. Fix-It gave his approval of Natalie's plan.
This binding was like yesterday's with zipties being used on the girls' ankles, thighs, wrists, and elbows. This time, the two got simple bandana cleave gags: Natalie got blue, and Jessica got purple.
Natalie never noticed such before... Well, she only really paid attention to Jessica in the last week, but both Jessica and Emily seemed to prefer the worn/ripped jean look, although Jessica's were black and Emily's were blue. Likewise, Jessica and and Natalie both seemed to like long-sleeve t-shirts as opposed to other shirts or sweaters.
It was so fascinating to see such differences among people, yet here they were very similar like you would expect of family. In fact, Natalie realized she and Jessica even had similar mannerisms and tones, although Jessica had a much more even temperament.
Memories of childhood flooded back to her, and she realized that it wasn't too late to start a relationship with her siblings. It may have been some 12+ years, but they could try again. They could try, anyway. The hard part would be learning to trust her mother again, especially in the knowledge that her mother basically foisted baby Michael on her father.
Natalie couldn't sit here tied up without thinking about the recent events. She cried absolutely bitter tears when she realized she had been kidnapped by Nick; the memory chilled her. Nothing could compare to two days prior, though. She assumed as much, anyway, but gradually the period of initial panic became shorter with each succeeding time.
Natalie was forced to admit she had enjoyed getting a taste of what she had done to Jessica although she still found the bondage to be disgusting. Perhaps there was some sort of sadistic and masochistic mafia-like streak within her that found such things enjoyable? Natalie was disgusted at her own sexuality and wondered to herself if perhaps they were all... screwy. Maybe they were traumatized?
Emily sat at the computer getting herself acquainted with things as the one Fix-It trusted most to handle the system. She was complimented by this and really did her best in digging up as much info as she possibly could. She was able to discover so much. Specs on mafia buildings, information that explained why they were a mafia instead of a common gang, different figures. But the big fish she wanted to learn about was her Uncle Manny. She did this all whilst Natalie and Jessica sat bound and gagged on the couch behind her.
"Sheeth rernin abou our ather!" Jessica said with a laugh.
"Ut a rap theet!" Natalie was studying his criminal record with a genuine sense of hurt.
It was obvious that her father was a genuinely bad guy. He was connected to suspect contracting, racketeering, illegal gambling, killings, drug trafficking, and a whole host of other things over 35 or so years of crime. It actually hurt Natalie, and she realized why her mom didn't want her around him. Another of the Napolitano brothers seemed to be heavily involved as well.
Emily was hurt by it too. No wonder her mother never talked about her big brothers and her grandparents never mentioned them much either. Emily's family was the first one to move to Boise because of her dad's job, but this all made clear why they'd so willingly go so far. They wanted to keep her from this, from trouble, from hurt, from pain...
And now she was caught in the life from which her parents had so desperately wanted to protect their only child.
13: Sisterhood
"Take a seat on the couch, Natalie, it's comfortable!" Emily said at the rendezvous with Fix-It.
"No, no. I'm good," Natalie responded while thinking about what had just happened in the van.
"You boosted this, didn't you?" Nick asked Fix-It with a chuckle.
"Nick Toreno, how could you accuse an honest businesscat like me of stealing this van?!"
"Or did the FBI have someone boost it for you?" the wise guy continued to push buttons.
"I don't FBI like you white boys do!" the mechanic just knew how to turn all dials, including the humor ones.
Only Fix-It could do this to a Mercedes-Benz van. Layers of Kevlar (heavily treated with fire retardant) in all the sides and doors; all glass removed an replaced with darkly tinted bullet-proof glad, and a full computer station that can seat two in the back along with a a couch and, purely for ego, carpet in the back as well.
When Jessica questioned the legality of the armored van, Fix-It merely laughed and said that it was more legal than the Subaru. Charlie and Frank acknowledged both Fix-It's kindness and helpfulness. It was indisputable that this new alliance would be profitable for all.
"My orders are simple: do anything I can to get you through this, including helping you," he explained, "Let's log on to the Fixernet and see what we can see."
"Are you government?" Natalie asked.
Fix-It made a face that said "don't ask about me until I'm ready to tell you what you need to know" as he sat down at the station. Only Fix-It could wear cargo shorts and a khaki button-up worker's shirt in winter while snow is on the ground. He was a really "cool cat" as he described himself, and he immediately went to work typing on the computer system. His systems clearly connected to something very different from the internet, whether nefarious or not. The man they first met in Buffalo before was quite the character!
Natalie whispered to Emily outside the vehicles in a show of her ignorance. She had to have the concept of "cat" explained to her because it was such an outdated term. Fix-It worked briefly on his "Fixernet" and pulled up a report and called them all over to look at it. As he did so, he explained the dangers each of the mobsters presented.
Tony Paterno, the man in charge of all Cleveland operations, was the one in charge of the most serious crime activities in order to keep the attention off of Rossi. By splitting such things, Rossi had a ruthless assistant and an easy alibi should a court trial occur. The Don, one Riccardo Rossi, was immediately recognizable as the one who attempted to kill the girls in Boston. The main danger was their financial padding: they could just as quickly higher new goons off the street as Natalie could pop them off.
Now the purpose of this mission was clear, but what wasn't clear was why they had to do it if the government could handle the rest, but Fix-It read Jessica's mind.
"If you do this, we minimize the number of innocents caught in the crossfire. The guys I work with, sh-t, they'd shoot one of you by mistake and laugh at your misery. When I knew Nick was involved, I knew I had to protect y'all, or they'd have blown up all those places even with y'all in them."
"What's your opinion on how to attack?" Nick asked.
Fix-It's suggestion was simple: attack Cleveland and then Chicago. If they attack Chicago, it looks like all the mafia are under attack, removing some pressure from the Napolitano's. This will allow more resources to be allocated to a stronger assault upon the remaining locations. Natalie wasn't sure what to say to this portion of the scheme. Was Fix-It right?
"I have to tell you, Nat, I got a strange phone call too," Emily said.
"What did yours say?" Natalie wanted to know.
"It was a deep man's voice, and all it said was, 'Call me at 11:15 Eastern time tomorrow.'"
"Sounds like the guy that called me," Natalie groaned.
"This number?" Emily's phone confirmed Natalie's thought.
"That's the one... and I just got a text from him with a link to an article about... a big crime bust in Bismarck, ND. I'm supposed to call him."
Mysterious callers were strange enough. Mysterious callers calling Emily was unnerving. Natalie called her mystery man as he had ordered, and all he said was "Hit Cleveland with everything you got! No escapees!" before hanging up on her. She then got a text directing her to stay at a particular hotel in Cleveland and to not attack the mobsters until a package arrived for her.
She knew they had to stay the night here in Milwaukee and keep driving the next day, but she feared being attacked whilst they slept. Instead, she found herself sitting up all night without ever even getting in the motel bed. While the van had room on the floor to sleep and such, Natalie felt it was dangerous should they get car-bombed, although Fix-It was resolute that "no one would mess with him."
Another night of sleeplessness met the same end as the prior one, and this time Natalie even said "Go as rough as you like" during what had to be the cheapest lust she had encountered whether in reality, on the big screen, or in her mother's romance novels, although Nick was really good at it and fun to be with. And afterwards she felt terrible for not only doing that but for the cheating. She was using Nick for easy pleasure to substitute for her desire to be with Bryce... again.
Natalie thought she was sitting alone on the bench outside the room when Jessica came out. It wasn't who she expected to see, as she was expecting more judgment from Emily. Natalie breathed deeply and readied to explain herself without any excuses.
"How old are you?" Jessica asked.
"21 on Christmas day," Natalie responded.
"You can make your own decisions. Go get some sleep; I'll take the watch."
When she went into the room, she was only slightly surprised to see that Charlie, too, hadn't changed for sleep. Only Emily had the bravery to put on pajamas... such innocence? Natalie took her black jacket off and got onto the bed next to her friend. Charlie rolled over and looked at Natalie with a sigh.
"What is it?" Natalie asked.
"Ever seen love at first sight?" Charlie seemed frustrated.
"Fix-It?"
"How the hell is a guy that in tune and smooth only 26? We're surrounded by 30-something guys, and this cat is 26?! That's bad@$$ right there," Charlie's eyes showed a little hope.
"He said his dad did this before he retired," Natalie answered that.
"He's cute; that's all I know," a sigh came from the girl.
"Nick's 34...," Natalie looked crestfallen and felt it.
"I know you're stressed honey, but try to think about Bryce. You're young you two and cute. No rush on things. But Bryce has been faithful to you; don't start looking at others because you're scared."
Natalie knew Charlie was right, but Natalie had already gone beyond looking to doing. Guilt ate at her. On the other side, Charlie was more enamored than lustful. Something about Fix-It just resonated with her, although the thought of being with a CIA/FBI agent was unnerving. Perhaps though what one, or both of them, needed was a fresh start though? Charlie couldn't wait to talk more, and she felt confident Fix-It wasn't going to "feel her up."
Natalie and Charlie were not only surprised to sleep but to wake up and see Jessica and Emily still asleep and that they had slept until almost 7AM. In fact, what woke Natalie was a knock on the door that she sprang up to address and saw was Nick and Frank.
It meant the start of a fresh day, and only Emily changed as she exchanged a Christmas red sweater for a Christmas green one. She only had 3 sweaters, so it was figured she'd run out soon and switch to some other kind of shirt. Jessica and Charlie didn't even change or clean beyond washing their hands and face. The men were men, so who knew if they were clean or not.
Natalie began her day with a renewed resolve. Blue jeans, a white long-sleeve t-shirt, and a matching bandana kept up her desired "I'm big and bad" image that she felt somehow unnerved these tiny mafia goons she often encountered lately. First step was to commit herself to Bryce, and in so doing she sent a text to her boyfriend that simply read, "Love you babe. Me and the girls are on a cross-country trip. Meeting my biological father and relations on that side
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
"Nick," Natalie said when she got the chance, "No more."
"Roger."
It's an easy course of planning really. Natalie decided that she and Jessica should be the captives; the decision came to her as the unofficial leader of what was like having her own little mafia. Fix-It gave his approval of Natalie's plan.
This binding was like yesterday's with zipties being used on the girls' ankles, thighs, wrists, and elbows. This time, the two got simple bandana cleave gags: Natalie got blue, and Jessica got purple.
Natalie never noticed such before... Well, she only really paid attention to Jessica in the last week, but both Jessica and Emily seemed to prefer the worn/ripped jean look, although Jessica's were black and Emily's were blue. Likewise, Jessica and and Natalie both seemed to like long-sleeve t-shirts as opposed to other shirts or sweaters.
It was so fascinating to see such differences among people, yet here they were very similar like you would expect of family. In fact, Natalie realized she and Jessica even had similar mannerisms and tones, although Jessica had a much more even temperament.
Memories of childhood flooded back to her, and she realized that it wasn't too late to start a relationship with her siblings. It may have been some 12+ years, but they could try again. They could try, anyway. The hard part would be learning to trust her mother again, especially in the knowledge that her mother basically foisted baby Michael on her father.
Natalie couldn't sit here tied up without thinking about the recent events. She cried absolutely bitter tears when she realized she had been kidnapped by Nick; the memory chilled her. Nothing could compare to two days prior, though. She assumed as much, anyway, but gradually the period of initial panic became shorter with each succeeding time.
Natalie was forced to admit she had enjoyed getting a taste of what she had done to Jessica although she still found the bondage to be disgusting. Perhaps there was some sort of sadistic and masochistic mafia-like streak within her that found such things enjoyable? Natalie was disgusted at her own sexuality and wondered to herself if perhaps they were all... screwy. Maybe they were traumatized?
Emily sat at the computer getting herself acquainted with things as the one Fix-It trusted most to handle the system. She was complimented by this and really did her best in digging up as much info as she possibly could. She was able to discover so much. Specs on mafia buildings, information that explained why they were a mafia instead of a common gang, different figures. But the big fish she wanted to learn about was her Uncle Manny. She did this all whilst Natalie and Jessica sat bound and gagged on the couch behind her.
"Sheeth rernin abou our ather!" Jessica said with a laugh.
"Ut a rap theet!" Natalie was studying his criminal record with a genuine sense of hurt.
It was obvious that her father was a genuinely bad guy. He was connected to suspect contracting, racketeering, illegal gambling, killings, drug trafficking, and a whole host of other things over 35 or so years of crime. It actually hurt Natalie, and she realized why her mom didn't want her around him. Another of the Napolitano brothers seemed to be heavily involved as well.
Emily was hurt by it too. No wonder her mother never talked about her big brothers and her grandparents never mentioned them much either. Emily's family was the first one to move to Boise because of her dad's job, but this all made clear why they'd so willingly go so far. They wanted to keep her from this, from trouble, from hurt, from pain...
And now she was caught in the life from which her parents had so desperately wanted to protect their only child.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Natalie is a hands on leader. She doesn't ask anyone to do something she wouldn't do herself She seems to like being tied up more than she will admit, even to herself.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51935021448_8459ac441e_o.jpg)
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
[mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Caesar73[/mention]
Others may be added to receive notifications upon request.
14: Unexpected
Natalie and Jessica looked at each other and then at Emily. Her heartbreak was apparent at all this. Emily was far from a saint as she had said in her own right, but all this was unacceptable to a girl like her who tried so hard to stay out of trouble. Instead, trouble was on her doorstep, and she knew being roommates with someone else likely wouldn't have changed anything for her. She got off the computer chair and sat down between her cousins and put her arms around them both.
In the car, Charlie was indeed finding herself attracted to Fix-It's mannerisms, but she also realized that guys like him are quite dangerous. He meant well to them all, though, and seemed content to just let things slide. She dropped a subtle hint and then let it go. If he didn't catch on, she was fine with that, but she wasn't going to carry things far unless he was willing to leave his way of life.
Charlie mostly remained silent because Fix-It explained things perfectly for both her and Frank's ears. Frank, too, seemed to be a gold mine of wisdom through careful speech especially when compared with the hot-headed bloviations of Jeff and Nick. Every word he said had a purpose even if that purpose was just "make someone laugh."
Natalie wasn't sure what she and Jessica had done to deserve this, but here they were. Natalie was on the couch, and Jessica was on the floor, and both of them were hog-zipped from their ankles to their wrists. Emily was enjoying this bondage stuff a little bit too much, possibly, but it was, right now, her only escape from reality and one which they were willing to entertain, even as Natalie's distaste for the activity grew.
In fact, Emily didn't particularly want to do this at the moment, but there was little else to do when cellular activity had to be cut to the absolute minimum. She briefly toyed with thoughts of playfully tormenting them for her own entertainment, but she had little choice when she heard the van come to a stop. She knew this was a sign of trouble for certain and quickly closed and locked the computer cabinet.
"We got company!" Nick said, and he and Jeff played it cool, with the next thing Emily heard said being, "We're on your side, guys. Show them, girl!"
Suddenly Emily knew just what to do, and she whispered for her cousins to play along with what she did. When the doors of the back opened, Emily had a hand pulling the hair on each girl. She did her best to look wicked for the two mafia agents behind her.
"We're taking them to Cleveland, as a present!" she said in a sinister sneer, "We got both of Napolitano's girls!"
"I see you do, but we'll take them from here," the grunt spoke.
"What?" Emily asked as she scooted over closer to them.
"We'll take them," the agent reiterated.
"Put it in reverse, guys, and floor it, NOW!" she ordered as she kicked both men, one losing his balance and the other falling.
Emily wasn't sure if she had just left roadkill or what back there, but she called 9-1-1 and reported a violent criminal incident on the interstate and made a comment about the Cleveland mafia before hanging up. Alive or dead, those two would be out of circulation and unable to cause any trouble. She pulled the doors shut as the van drove away from the scene.
"Good work, Emily!" Nick came back and congratulated her while Jeff drove.
"I couldn't give up my family to those guidos!" she said with mixed surprise and satisfaction at what she had done.
"Mmmm!" her two cousins on the floor were still in shock over the entire episode.
Those in the car just watched in curiosity while dumbfounded that Natalie's plan had worked. Natalie was relieved it had worked exactly the way she had imagined. The journey to Cleveland continued, and the team all went to the Best Western specified by the mysterious contact. There, after a 7 hour ride, Natalie and Jessica were released from the zip ties that had probably saved the girls from execution.
Everything seemed planned for their arrival: the rooms were all high quality and in a row at the end of a hallway. Door Dash came shortly after with, ironically, Olive Garden food for all of them, and even more disturbing with everyone's favorite dishes. More bothersome was that somehow there were even desserts with the letters "N," "J," and "E" on the boxes.
"What the hell? Is this our last meal or something, Ems?" Natalie was especially frightened by this.
"I think it's just a thank you for doing what this guy says. Fix-It, talk to us," Emily pushed for information.
"I really don't know who your Mr. Mystery Man is, sorry. It would take a lot of work to find that out, and he might not want me to do that," Fix-It shrugged,
"Why this strange favoritism though?" Jessica asked in dissatisfaction with that statement as she hated having questions go unanswered.
"There must be some reason he's in contact with you two and not any of the rest of us...," he thought, but room service knocked on the door, "And why he favors only you Italian girls."
"Let me take this," Nick cautioned, "It's that package."
As they opened the door, a blue barrel greeted them. It seemed like an odd thing for sure.
"Hold it!" Frank said, "Is it bomb?"
"Hand me that silenced pistol," Jeff said.
"Don't be crazy!" Fix-It started, but he was too late as Jeff had put a bullet in the barrel.
"It's not a bomb!" he chuckled as Nick pulled it in and cranked the top off.
"It's clothing, you dumb@$$!"
"Clothing?" Natalie asked in surprise.
"All black clothing, except for this yellow shirt, and a note that says 'For Natalie.'"
"Gimme that," Natalie snatched it.
Attack Cleveland by night. Destroy building at all costs. There are many bombs on the premises. Seize them and place one in each room, including each prison cell. Flee as far as you can then text 'SENTRY' to 440-999-1111. Use black clothing to make yourself less visible. Save number. Burn this paper ASAP.
Emily groaned that the yellow shirt was in her size only. She was really scrawny and sometimes could fit in "juniors" still in spite of her height. Jessica, despite being a similar height, had a very different frame that was more like Natalie's. Natalie sighed and decided that it meant their mysterious friend wanted Emily to play the part of the decoy prisoner. Jessica joked that they should get some shuteye before Emily's faked kidnapping.
This was an agreeable plan to all in the group, and they all took naps until 9PM. Then each put on their clothes. For the men, Emily, and Charlie, these were black jeans; and for all eight except Emily the top was a black long-sleeve t-shirt. Emily's was a yellow turtleneck sweater, and Jessica and Natalie had black leggings instead.
All had black socks and boots as well, although this mysterious outfitter knew Natalie already had her own boots on her and didn't send a pair. Natalie and Jessica added black bandanas to their outfits to further sink into the darkness and put their hair in buns that came below the knots of the scarves. All were also provided a black gaiter that they used to hide most of their faces.
Never before had a night felt so evil to them. Emily was the decoy, the deception, the key to get them in. Once in the van, Emily's hands were zipped behind her back, and a purple bandana gagged her. Natalie felt her anxiety growing. It was decided that she and Nick would be the ones to enter the building and cause the internal strive. They would then be joined by Jeff for placing the bombs inside while Jessica, Charlie, Frank, and Fix-It handled the outside.
They stopped the vans about 2 minutes walk away from the building that was just in an ordinary neighborhood. The group walked down the street quietly as it was cold and dry with remaining snow on the ground from recent lake effect. When they were close, the four members of the sneak attack team went between two house so they could approach more discretely.
Emily felt her heart rate skyrocketing. She was getting right into the thick of this, and this time she would have to be a warrior in order to survive. She was supposed to the happy one, the one who found the bright side in distress! Instead, she was the lure, and a screw up on her part would end everyone's life.
"I'll die before letting them hurt you," Natalie whispered to Emily as they approached the building.
"Who are you?" asked the lone guard.
"Toreno, I'm a made man. I have a prisoner... One of those frickin' Napolitano b-tches."
"Mmmm!" Emily moaned, but Natalie pulled on her hair causing a loud, "OW!"
"Go in," the guard answered.
Natalie and Nick walked into the building. This one was much larger and fancier than some of the others, but the basement was no different and was in fact as simple as Buffalo's. As they descended the stair, Natalie cut Emily's bond. Nick went up the stairs and stood as backup while Natalie and Emily went to the bottom.
She peered around the corner and saw the cell guard there and went over to him. She had to do her best. While holding her breath, Natalie roughly pushed Emily toward the guard.
"I bring a prisoner!"
"I see!" the guard said while lecherously eyeing Emily.
"Break a leg!" she liver punched the guard and hit him on the back of the head with her gun.
Moving with haste, she cuffed his wrists and ankles, the latter around a metal post so that he couldn't hop away. She wedged a 2 inch red ball gag in his mouth. Right there were the bombs. She and Emily placed one bomb each on a cell wall and high up on that post. As they went up the stairs again, the girls fixed one to the wall. Emily stayed back before Nick opened the door.
Machine gun sounds filled the air. Natalie and Nick were on the warpath now, and Jeff entered the house behind them. Emily took advantage of this to dash out the door and share some of the the bombs with the others, but she still needed to plant some indoors. Bullets were whizzing by, but Natalie and crew had numbers against this small team of goons that by no means represented the whole. In fact, these goons were too well armed and seemed all too ready for this attack.
Indeed, this was only the core group, including a local head. This was a "no prisoners" attack, and as Emily rounded a corner she found her arm grabbed by someone.
"Come on, Missy, we're going upstairs!" he put his hand over her mouth,
"Mmmm!" Emily couldn't fight well against her captor.
"Let's get out!" Natalie ordered her team when the job appeared complete, and out they went.
When all were incapacitated by shooting or by binding, the team regrouped in the street, and Natalie noticed their number was lacking that distinctive yellow.
"Emily?" Natalie asked.
"Up here!" she heard a voice, followed by Emily's voice calling, "Nats!"
On the balcony was the the local head they were after, and he was holding Emily! He didn't have a gun though.
"I'll throw her down if you shoot!" the man yelled.
"Fine!" Charlie yelled, and she took her chances and fired at the man's head with perfection.
"You idiot!" Nick yelled as, true to his word, the man threw Emily off the balcony before his own death.
"EEEEEE!" the girl shrieked.
Emily watched the ground race toward her, but before she landed something black got in her way.
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14: Unexpected
Natalie and Jessica looked at each other and then at Emily. Her heartbreak was apparent at all this. Emily was far from a saint as she had said in her own right, but all this was unacceptable to a girl like her who tried so hard to stay out of trouble. Instead, trouble was on her doorstep, and she knew being roommates with someone else likely wouldn't have changed anything for her. She got off the computer chair and sat down between her cousins and put her arms around them both.
In the car, Charlie was indeed finding herself attracted to Fix-It's mannerisms, but she also realized that guys like him are quite dangerous. He meant well to them all, though, and seemed content to just let things slide. She dropped a subtle hint and then let it go. If he didn't catch on, she was fine with that, but she wasn't going to carry things far unless he was willing to leave his way of life.
Charlie mostly remained silent because Fix-It explained things perfectly for both her and Frank's ears. Frank, too, seemed to be a gold mine of wisdom through careful speech especially when compared with the hot-headed bloviations of Jeff and Nick. Every word he said had a purpose even if that purpose was just "make someone laugh."
Natalie wasn't sure what she and Jessica had done to deserve this, but here they were. Natalie was on the couch, and Jessica was on the floor, and both of them were hog-zipped from their ankles to their wrists. Emily was enjoying this bondage stuff a little bit too much, possibly, but it was, right now, her only escape from reality and one which they were willing to entertain, even as Natalie's distaste for the activity grew.
In fact, Emily didn't particularly want to do this at the moment, but there was little else to do when cellular activity had to be cut to the absolute minimum. She briefly toyed with thoughts of playfully tormenting them for her own entertainment, but she had little choice when she heard the van come to a stop. She knew this was a sign of trouble for certain and quickly closed and locked the computer cabinet.
"We got company!" Nick said, and he and Jeff played it cool, with the next thing Emily heard said being, "We're on your side, guys. Show them, girl!"
Suddenly Emily knew just what to do, and she whispered for her cousins to play along with what she did. When the doors of the back opened, Emily had a hand pulling the hair on each girl. She did her best to look wicked for the two mafia agents behind her.
"We're taking them to Cleveland, as a present!" she said in a sinister sneer, "We got both of Napolitano's girls!"
"I see you do, but we'll take them from here," the grunt spoke.
"What?" Emily asked as she scooted over closer to them.
"We'll take them," the agent reiterated.
"Put it in reverse, guys, and floor it, NOW!" she ordered as she kicked both men, one losing his balance and the other falling.
Emily wasn't sure if she had just left roadkill or what back there, but she called 9-1-1 and reported a violent criminal incident on the interstate and made a comment about the Cleveland mafia before hanging up. Alive or dead, those two would be out of circulation and unable to cause any trouble. She pulled the doors shut as the van drove away from the scene.
"Good work, Emily!" Nick came back and congratulated her while Jeff drove.
"I couldn't give up my family to those guidos!" she said with mixed surprise and satisfaction at what she had done.
"Mmmm!" her two cousins on the floor were still in shock over the entire episode.
Those in the car just watched in curiosity while dumbfounded that Natalie's plan had worked. Natalie was relieved it had worked exactly the way she had imagined. The journey to Cleveland continued, and the team all went to the Best Western specified by the mysterious contact. There, after a 7 hour ride, Natalie and Jessica were released from the zip ties that had probably saved the girls from execution.
Everything seemed planned for their arrival: the rooms were all high quality and in a row at the end of a hallway. Door Dash came shortly after with, ironically, Olive Garden food for all of them, and even more disturbing with everyone's favorite dishes. More bothersome was that somehow there were even desserts with the letters "N," "J," and "E" on the boxes.
"What the hell? Is this our last meal or something, Ems?" Natalie was especially frightened by this.
"I think it's just a thank you for doing what this guy says. Fix-It, talk to us," Emily pushed for information.
"I really don't know who your Mr. Mystery Man is, sorry. It would take a lot of work to find that out, and he might not want me to do that," Fix-It shrugged,
"Why this strange favoritism though?" Jessica asked in dissatisfaction with that statement as she hated having questions go unanswered.
"There must be some reason he's in contact with you two and not any of the rest of us...," he thought, but room service knocked on the door, "And why he favors only you Italian girls."
"Let me take this," Nick cautioned, "It's that package."
As they opened the door, a blue barrel greeted them. It seemed like an odd thing for sure.
"Hold it!" Frank said, "Is it bomb?"
"Hand me that silenced pistol," Jeff said.
"Don't be crazy!" Fix-It started, but he was too late as Jeff had put a bullet in the barrel.
"It's not a bomb!" he chuckled as Nick pulled it in and cranked the top off.
"It's clothing, you dumb@$$!"
"Clothing?" Natalie asked in surprise.
"All black clothing, except for this yellow shirt, and a note that says 'For Natalie.'"
"Gimme that," Natalie snatched it.
Attack Cleveland by night. Destroy building at all costs. There are many bombs on the premises. Seize them and place one in each room, including each prison cell. Flee as far as you can then text 'SENTRY' to 440-999-1111. Use black clothing to make yourself less visible. Save number. Burn this paper ASAP.
Emily groaned that the yellow shirt was in her size only. She was really scrawny and sometimes could fit in "juniors" still in spite of her height. Jessica, despite being a similar height, had a very different frame that was more like Natalie's. Natalie sighed and decided that it meant their mysterious friend wanted Emily to play the part of the decoy prisoner. Jessica joked that they should get some shuteye before Emily's faked kidnapping.
This was an agreeable plan to all in the group, and they all took naps until 9PM. Then each put on their clothes. For the men, Emily, and Charlie, these were black jeans; and for all eight except Emily the top was a black long-sleeve t-shirt. Emily's was a yellow turtleneck sweater, and Jessica and Natalie had black leggings instead.
All had black socks and boots as well, although this mysterious outfitter knew Natalie already had her own boots on her and didn't send a pair. Natalie and Jessica added black bandanas to their outfits to further sink into the darkness and put their hair in buns that came below the knots of the scarves. All were also provided a black gaiter that they used to hide most of their faces.
Never before had a night felt so evil to them. Emily was the decoy, the deception, the key to get them in. Once in the van, Emily's hands were zipped behind her back, and a purple bandana gagged her. Natalie felt her anxiety growing. It was decided that she and Nick would be the ones to enter the building and cause the internal strive. They would then be joined by Jeff for placing the bombs inside while Jessica, Charlie, Frank, and Fix-It handled the outside.
They stopped the vans about 2 minutes walk away from the building that was just in an ordinary neighborhood. The group walked down the street quietly as it was cold and dry with remaining snow on the ground from recent lake effect. When they were close, the four members of the sneak attack team went between two house so they could approach more discretely.
Emily felt her heart rate skyrocketing. She was getting right into the thick of this, and this time she would have to be a warrior in order to survive. She was supposed to the happy one, the one who found the bright side in distress! Instead, she was the lure, and a screw up on her part would end everyone's life.
"I'll die before letting them hurt you," Natalie whispered to Emily as they approached the building.
"Who are you?" asked the lone guard.
"Toreno, I'm a made man. I have a prisoner... One of those frickin' Napolitano b-tches."
"Mmmm!" Emily moaned, but Natalie pulled on her hair causing a loud, "OW!"
"Go in," the guard answered.
Natalie and Nick walked into the building. This one was much larger and fancier than some of the others, but the basement was no different and was in fact as simple as Buffalo's. As they descended the stair, Natalie cut Emily's bond. Nick went up the stairs and stood as backup while Natalie and Emily went to the bottom.
She peered around the corner and saw the cell guard there and went over to him. She had to do her best. While holding her breath, Natalie roughly pushed Emily toward the guard.
"I bring a prisoner!"
"I see!" the guard said while lecherously eyeing Emily.
"Break a leg!" she liver punched the guard and hit him on the back of the head with her gun.
Moving with haste, she cuffed his wrists and ankles, the latter around a metal post so that he couldn't hop away. She wedged a 2 inch red ball gag in his mouth. Right there were the bombs. She and Emily placed one bomb each on a cell wall and high up on that post. As they went up the stairs again, the girls fixed one to the wall. Emily stayed back before Nick opened the door.
Machine gun sounds filled the air. Natalie and Nick were on the warpath now, and Jeff entered the house behind them. Emily took advantage of this to dash out the door and share some of the the bombs with the others, but she still needed to plant some indoors. Bullets were whizzing by, but Natalie and crew had numbers against this small team of goons that by no means represented the whole. In fact, these goons were too well armed and seemed all too ready for this attack.
Indeed, this was only the core group, including a local head. This was a "no prisoners" attack, and as Emily rounded a corner she found her arm grabbed by someone.
"Come on, Missy, we're going upstairs!" he put his hand over her mouth,
"Mmmm!" Emily couldn't fight well against her captor.
"Let's get out!" Natalie ordered her team when the job appeared complete, and out they went.
When all were incapacitated by shooting or by binding, the team regrouped in the street, and Natalie noticed their number was lacking that distinctive yellow.
"Emily?" Natalie asked.
"Up here!" she heard a voice, followed by Emily's voice calling, "Nats!"
On the balcony was the the local head they were after, and he was holding Emily! He didn't have a gun though.
"I'll throw her down if you shoot!" the man yelled.
"Fine!" Charlie yelled, and she took her chances and fired at the man's head with perfection.
"You idiot!" Nick yelled as, true to his word, the man threw Emily off the balcony before his own death.
"EEEEEE!" the girl shrieked.
Emily watched the ground race toward her, but before she landed something black got in her way.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
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[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
15: Recuperation
"Let's get her in the van," Natalie fought tears as she carried her injured friend down the street.
This wasn't how it was supposed to work, was it? Natalie needed Emily! She promised Emily she'd keep her safe, and she had failed. Indeed, Natalie wasn't sure if Emily was even alive, but deep breaths and a groan of pain convinced her there was hope. As soon as they were in the van, Emily was gently laid on the couch. All the girls wanted to be with her right now.
As they drove away, Nick relayed more bad news. Jeff had been killed in the combat in the building. All paused in thought, and Natalie muttered about texting the code to the number. Sure enough, the bombs went off, and Natalie wondered what secret had made that work.
This government work was dirty, and immediately Natalie's phone rang from her mystery man. She pulled the gaiter down and answered.
"Hello," she answered the cold voice.
"Good job. But you didn't get the mark. Is anyone injured?" the man asked.
"Jeff is dead, and Emily got thrown off the balcony and seems to be hurt," she held her anger back.
"Take her to Case, entrance 3. Tell them that Mr. James Ferdinand Jones sent you."
"Hey, what?" Natalie tried to question him, but he hung up.
Natalie's body was sore from breaking Emily's fall, but between herself and the soft evergreen bushes that padded the impact, it ought to have been much worse. When Emily woke up a few minutes later, all were relieved.
First thing Emily wanted to know was if they had won. When she heard this news, she pumped her fists in excitement, and Charlie asked how she felt. Emily was sore, but she would be better. For precautionary reasons, they decided she should be checked out, especially after she shrieked in pain when Natalie hugged her.
The staff there weren't surprised at all to see such a group... as if they had experience with these situations... experience with government agents... and did a full check up on Emily who fortunately had no major injuries besides a humerus bone contusion and a mild concussion. By 1AM, the team was back at the hotel and attempting to sleep, although all were haunted by the loss of Jeff. But the name James Ferdinand Jones helped in no way to answer questions.
Emily was wide awake though. She was disturbed by what had happened and cursing what she perceived to be her own foolishness. Doubts were steadily growing inside her, that she was a hindrance to her friends while some other pain in her also was surfacing. The positive spirit within her was seemingly lost in the combination of fearing being captured like that again and blaming herself for Jeff's death.
She sat at the suite's dining table and put her head on the table and wept. Her world was being ruined for the second time in her life, and she, more than any of the rest, could not handle what life had served her so far on this trip. It was in a fit of rebellion she had moved out of her parents' home, and now in a fit of rebellion she wanted to go back. She had grown so much since the pains of her youth.
"Hey," she heard a voice softly speak.
"Hi, Jess," she responded while she choked on her own tears.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked with deep concern.
"Jeff would be alive if I hadn't been grabbed. I should have been more open and watching everyone's back."
"Stop it with such nonsense. You can't assume that," Jessica corrected her gently.
"I can't handle all this," she struggled to find the words she wanted, "My heart rate was through the roof in there. I can't be in these war zones."
"Come back to bed, Ems," Jessica tried to calm her down, "We'll all help you get through this."
"Jess?" she asked fearfully.
"Yes?"
"I carry more baggage than I let on. I don't want to go into it, but just understand I'm no sweetheart either," Emily said sadly.
"Look, no one wants to trivialize you. When you're ready, talk to someone. Now, even if you don't sleep, your body will be thankful you laid down at least," Jessica's warm smile was comforting to Emily.
"OK."
Emily decided to lie down in bed again and hoped she didn't wake up Natalie. There were indeed secrets she harbored that she didn't think anyone would truly understand, but at the same time she also knew that those things didn't define her. Everyone has some sort of personal baggage, and as long as it didn't affect their mission she hoped she needn't explain herself. How could all that have happened then? How could all this have happened now?
Next thing Emily knew, it was morning, and she had a splitting headache. She rolled over in bed and just playfully scooched over to be closer to the girl who was still in her all black clothing. Just as she quietly poked Natalie and started to softly say "Wakie wakie," the giant's hand clamped over her mouth.
"Shhhh!" Natalie cautioned her.
"Hmmm?" Emily questioned.
"Just know that I surprised you for a change," Natalie winked at her bondage-loving friend and cousin.
"Hmph!"
"I heard you talking last night. I understand how you feel," Natalie said, "And I'm sorry. I promised I'd keep you safe, and I failed."
"Oh," Emily said while nodding in understanding, realizing that they all bore responsibility.
"Now, I know about some of that baggage you carry. Your secret is safe with me. I've known it since before we became roomies," Natalie revealed her knowledge.
The morning brought more planning and more strategizing and preparing to leave, including loading the van with the travel bags. It seemed set in stone until Emily got a phone call from the mysterious caller again. She put him on speaker phone this time, and finally answers came when others heard the voice.
"Burn the OGs on 5th Street and Haverty Circle. No innocent lives, so go early, and the scumbag will be in the 5th Street one. Take out everyone possible. Burn the place down. Call 9-1-1 when done."
"I recognize that voice!" Jessica said as he hung up.
"Me too!" Frank doubled this.
"Who is it?" Natalie asked wanting one to actually explain.
"That's... !" Frank started with uncertainty, "Your father?!"
"With a filter," Jessica added, "DAD?! NO! It can't be, can it?!"
"But that voice wasn't the one I heard before," Natalie groaned, and Emily nodded in agreement.
Never had Natalie been so frustrated before. She stood up, walked over to the wall, and punched it while yelling "God dammit!" and followed it immediately with a streak a swears while grateful she didn't break anything. She shook her hand as pain shot up her entire body. That was enough for Fix-It.
"Natalie, you and Emily need to cool off. You two and Frank will stay here," Fix-It ordered them.
"But I'm supposed to be the leader!" Natalie yelled.
"You're out of control, girl!" he snapped back, "We need a level head, and right now I think you need to just sit here, OK? You need to get yourself straightened out and to understand that not all plans go right, and that you can't blame yourself for every little wrong thing. Emily's hurt, and you need to forgive yourself for what happened to her and Jeff before you can go out there again!"
Fix-It was a true leader in spite of his own youth. His childhood had instilled that much in him; it was either that or the military high school that did it. Natalie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists knowing she was letting her bad side define herself again, and she surrendered to his advice.
Emily and Natalie were both stressed and needed time to psychologically recover. Natalie didn't know half of what she thought she did about Emily; what she thought she knew was correct. Despite her own misgivings, once again, Natalie voluntarily let Emily live out more of her rope and gag fantasies. Natalie really was perfect for such an outfit as leggings tightly held to her legs, and the t-shirt exhibited her strong figure from her basketball days and continued workouts as an adult. The bandana, boots, and gaiter added a little mischief to her mysterious figure.
Emily carefully did several tests before she bound Natalie's wrists, elbows, ankles, thighs, and breasts, the latter harness doing much to push her figure out, although it must be said that Natalie wasn't known for her bust. For a cute twist, Emily used a white ball gag on Natalie and then pulled the gaiter up to cover her entire face. Nothing was visible, and her clothing made a continuous streak of black from head to toe.
Natalie made the best of this and grunted helplessly for her friend's entertainment as she tried to find ways to destress. Even if she didn't have fun, the struggle helped her burn off some energy, and the practice was good should she find herself kidnapped again. Maybe next time, if there were one, she'd escape and fight back against her captives!
Frank meanwhile was strangely occupied with a cell phone. What the girls didn't realize was that it wasn't his. He was studying it carefully on all while carefully keeping a cloth between his fabric and the phone. This was an unusual fixation for such a calm and oftentimes prudent figure.
Frank Catanzaro was an odd man to look at as his hair was dark, and he was mostly bald on top. This combined with his glasses and black clothing made him more closely resemble a German commandant from a World War 2 movie than a mobster. After some time, he took off the glasses and stared up at the ceiling, all while leaning against a dining chair.
He took a deep breath and mouthed something like "Mother Mary pray for me" in that odd way that many such Italian mafia men are both ruthless yet strangely convinced about the truths of Catholicism. As he put the device down, face up, on the table, next to his glasses, he rubbed his moustache with his hands. He may have been 28 or 58, and no one was certain of anything except that he seemed to have an intimate understanding of the way the underworld functioned and that he must have, like nearly all people, been born to a real mother and father at some point in time. Was he born here or in the old country? No one knew that either, but he had definitive purpose for helping them as he seemed capable of protecting himself.
What he had was this patience to teach others; the clear-headedness to make difficult decisions; the coldness to use violence, but the kindness to not misuse it; the calmness to maintain his poise even while bullets were flying by him; the ruthlessness to make a bold accusation. Yet he was considerate of others feelings and could tell even suppressed emotions. All these traits meant that all stopped and listened whenever he spoke because even his jokes had something to gain in them.
"Jeffrey...," he began slowly and waited until the girls were listening, "was not killed in combat last night. He... killed himself."
"Frank?" Emily felt a shiver go down her spine as he grabbed the phone.
"This phone... I believe I have it now, such shallow man... 0... 7... 0... 5... 8... 6...," he spoke carefully, "I am correct. Birthday. So stupid."
"Correct that?" Emily's concern grew.
"Just a moment... I... Girls, we must leave at once. We packed all our bags and loaded them in Mercedes?"
"Yes, we did! Why, Frank?!" Emily began panicking.
"We must get to van! We have no time to waste!" he put the phone in his pocket, "We carry Natalie. No time to untie."
Emily did as he said and put the bag with the supplies she kept to use on Natalie over her shoulder, and they engaged in the very awkward scene of carrying a bound, gagged, and blindfolded Natalie to the elevator, out the back door, and to the van. As they climbed into the van, Emily was waiting for an explanation. As the doors shut, Frank climbed into the front seat while Emily sat and waited.
What a sudden change to Emily's thought train. She had been studying Natalie... admiring her... helping her... cursing that their relationship had forbidden her desire. Yes, Emily did have a boyfriend back home whom she adored and, at this time, had fantasies of marrying and even having children with... Emily is a dreamer sometimes and sees a full future before the present is settled.
But Emily liked some girls, and that was why she had initially moved in with her co-worker, in hopes of just having that one chance, but only 2 weeks later she and Jessica had pieced together for dead certain that Natalie was that Natalie Woodward. It took Emily many weeks more to accept this lot in life. It all began after a close relation had abused her. She had seemingly moved on, but this recent spate of events had reignited that passion. All them stirred within her: the hatred of that relation, her love for Will, and her interest in women. Perhaps that is what they brought to this: all of them had been hurt by someone they trusted at some point.
This didn't stop her from stroking Natalie's hair, what little of the bun was exposed, from sneaking a photograph of her currently helpless cousin to show her later, of wishing, of dreaming, or from ruing that life hadn't been a little different. This was Emily's dark secret, the one that had caused the tearful rebellion against her parents, the one that made her take such good care of this friend in particular, the one that racked her with guilt at times because of how she'd let her hidden desires control her life choices, including not going to college after high school because she wanted to learn to control herself before going to school.
"Frank, what is it?" she asked as he stopped the van in safe location, not realizing she was crying.
"Jeffrey was a rat. Here," he handed the teary-eyed girl the cell phone, "Load it to Fixernet."
"All right," she took it and moved to the computer station.
"You are crying. I don't know why, but I am sorry," he said sadly upon seeing her.
At that moment, she knew that he had figured her out. Perhaps that's why he tied her up the way he had during her initial kidnapping. Maybe he'd done his homework, or just could tell by her behavior. It didn't matter to her either way.
"Thanks, Frank. Let's load this. You said Jeff's a rat?" she asked again to be certain.
"Yes, and killed himself out of guilt."
She attached the USB cable to the phone and attached it to what Fix-It referred to as the "Secure Port" and waited. Sure enough, with a little fumbling, she was able to download the contents of everything onto the computer and saved its contents to the hard drive. The texts were a nightmare scene... Sexts, profanity, pr0n, and other such things were mixed with the usual content of sports and booze and such. Certain texts confirmed the worst.
Frank was correct: Jeff was betraying them all. That's why the defending team seemed small for the premises; that's why Tony Paterno wasn't there when they attacked; that's why their vehicles were so easily identified by the mobsters. Sadly, nothing in any of the messages gave any clue as to why Jeff would have taken his own life. Was it guilt? Was it to prevent being caught? No one had answers, and none would ever come.
Natalie sat up and shook her head to try to make her gaiter blindfold fall down, but it didn't work well. She instead tried to rub herself against the couch on which she sat. She felt more anger growing within her at having been hoodwinked by this man who had sold them to die! He had the balls to help in her rescue and all this time while secretly plotting to have them all killed?! At that point in her thoughts, she boiled over and made a loud stomp and yelled "OH AM IM!" or "God damn him!" into her gag.
"Keep burning off rage, Natalie. We need you to lead us. You are very bright girl," Frank encouraged her as he pulled the gaiter down enough to show that encouragement in his own expression.
Natalie took his advice to heart and just let out everything. All of her anger, from the beginning to now. She uttered it all into the white ball until slobber soaked through the gaiter. She stomped, she kicked the hair, she thrashed her arms and body, she yelled... but when it was done, Frank and Emily had finished digesting their discoveries, and Natalie genuinely felt better even if she was soaked in sweat from it all.
Emily... enjoyed... watching Natalie... too much. Even when angrily thrashing, Natalie was beautiful, even elegant, in bondage, and Emily felt that forbidden passion, her sexual attraction, burning within her. But Ems kept in mind Frank's words and knew it was for Natalie's own good.
When the raging was done, Emily sat up the tied girl and gave her a friendly hug. Once she was sure Natalie was calm, she began freeing this friend, cousin, and leader. Natalie was nevertheless to leave the ropes even though they had provided her a temporary escape from their problems.
"Emily, tell the team to rendezvous for the Haverty operation. We'll strike and then brief them on your findings. Frank, you drive. I'm going to change. I still have a little more anger to let out, but I'm saving it for this next attack."
"On it!" Frank went to the driver's seat.
"Emily, don't hide your true feelings; just don't act on them either. I know 'forbidden fruit' can conflict people," Natalie comforted her.
"So you do understand," Emily wouldn't look at her.
"I'm a basketball player. Of course I've known others like you," Natalie said, "I'm going to give you your own advice... don't let this define you."
"You can be such a sweetheart," Emily continued staring away while comforted that Natalie knew and still wanted to be her best friend.
"I'm just getting changed, Ems. We're still roomies and share a room. You don't have to look away!"
Natalie changed to blue leggings, kept the perpetual boots for another day of adventure with today's t-shirt red and the bandana blue. Suddenly, Emily remembered something she'd learned in high school while researching materials for an essay... about color. Now she understood just how highly intelligent, emotionally intelligent in particular, Natalie Woodward was; her outfit always represented her mood in someway... and that was why she (Emily) was sent a yellow shirt to wear as the decoy with black pants.
She usually is the positive, happy, hopeful one, and she was the decoy, the deceit, the sneakiness. The yellow was clear, and the black was for her fear. Red so often because Natalie is passionate, confident, or angry... she slept with Nick in the lust of red, yet also wore red to confront Jessica because of her anger. Emily, too, had sometimes symbolically worn colors while working on that assignment, but hers hadn't become the habit that it was for Natalie as she now realized.
Emily stared down at her own feet and knew she needed to get out of this yellow... she wasn't happy right now, and she looked up to see that Natalie was holding out some clothes for her to wear. Black is also associated with the femininity, that sexiness she saw while Natalie struggled in those ropes before, but black is also darkness, evil. So many emotions are conveyed by each and every color.
Some icy blue leggings, a grey turtleneck, and a matching icy blue bandana... For her it was her sadness, the winter of her mood and the outside world, but for Natalie the blue was a reflection of her relaxed state after burning off all that angst... it was more than just color symbolism here though. This was an invitation to make their friendship something special; this was Natalie accepting her as both her best friend and cousin and wanted to see it reciprocated. They would never have that, but they could be besties and family and share in something that made the friendship have a little extra meaning that only they understood.
"Thanks... cousin," Emily smiled and finally accepted her place in this world.
She took the clothes and quickly got herself dressed in a similar fashion to Natalie, and for the first time they exchanged a hug that Emily knew was purely platonic. It was a moment where they both realized that they were young and immature and that they needed the guidance of the likes of Frank, Nick, and Fix-It. For Natalie, it was genuinely accepting that she had found the family she never had as a child. Even if things didn't pan out with her father, she had Jessica and Emily still.
The unofficial ringleader stepped away with a wink and began checking out the many guns that lined the walls. As she looked out the window and saw their colleagues arriving, she pulled one off the wall and made sure it was a good fit for her and that she would be comfortable operating it. For added protection, she added a pair of safety glasses and a bulletproof vest.
"It's time," she said through gritted teeth with a hint of confidence and , "Cousin, Frank... Let's... go... kick... a$$!"
With renewed confidence and calmness of mind, Natalie opened the back door of the van and stepped out into another snowy winter day.
15: Recuperation
"Let's get her in the van," Natalie fought tears as she carried her injured friend down the street.
This wasn't how it was supposed to work, was it? Natalie needed Emily! She promised Emily she'd keep her safe, and she had failed. Indeed, Natalie wasn't sure if Emily was even alive, but deep breaths and a groan of pain convinced her there was hope. As soon as they were in the van, Emily was gently laid on the couch. All the girls wanted to be with her right now.
As they drove away, Nick relayed more bad news. Jeff had been killed in the combat in the building. All paused in thought, and Natalie muttered about texting the code to the number. Sure enough, the bombs went off, and Natalie wondered what secret had made that work.
This government work was dirty, and immediately Natalie's phone rang from her mystery man. She pulled the gaiter down and answered.
"Hello," she answered the cold voice.
"Good job. But you didn't get the mark. Is anyone injured?" the man asked.
"Jeff is dead, and Emily got thrown off the balcony and seems to be hurt," she held her anger back.
"Take her to Case, entrance 3. Tell them that Mr. James Ferdinand Jones sent you."
"Hey, what?" Natalie tried to question him, but he hung up.
Natalie's body was sore from breaking Emily's fall, but between herself and the soft evergreen bushes that padded the impact, it ought to have been much worse. When Emily woke up a few minutes later, all were relieved.
First thing Emily wanted to know was if they had won. When she heard this news, she pumped her fists in excitement, and Charlie asked how she felt. Emily was sore, but she would be better. For precautionary reasons, they decided she should be checked out, especially after she shrieked in pain when Natalie hugged her.
The staff there weren't surprised at all to see such a group... as if they had experience with these situations... experience with government agents... and did a full check up on Emily who fortunately had no major injuries besides a humerus bone contusion and a mild concussion. By 1AM, the team was back at the hotel and attempting to sleep, although all were haunted by the loss of Jeff. But the name James Ferdinand Jones helped in no way to answer questions.
Emily was wide awake though. She was disturbed by what had happened and cursing what she perceived to be her own foolishness. Doubts were steadily growing inside her, that she was a hindrance to her friends while some other pain in her also was surfacing. The positive spirit within her was seemingly lost in the combination of fearing being captured like that again and blaming herself for Jeff's death.
She sat at the suite's dining table and put her head on the table and wept. Her world was being ruined for the second time in her life, and she, more than any of the rest, could not handle what life had served her so far on this trip. It was in a fit of rebellion she had moved out of her parents' home, and now in a fit of rebellion she wanted to go back. She had grown so much since the pains of her youth.
"Hey," she heard a voice softly speak.
"Hi, Jess," she responded while she choked on her own tears.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked with deep concern.
"Jeff would be alive if I hadn't been grabbed. I should have been more open and watching everyone's back."
"Stop it with such nonsense. You can't assume that," Jessica corrected her gently.
"I can't handle all this," she struggled to find the words she wanted, "My heart rate was through the roof in there. I can't be in these war zones."
"Come back to bed, Ems," Jessica tried to calm her down, "We'll all help you get through this."
"Jess?" she asked fearfully.
"Yes?"
"I carry more baggage than I let on. I don't want to go into it, but just understand I'm no sweetheart either," Emily said sadly.
"Look, no one wants to trivialize you. When you're ready, talk to someone. Now, even if you don't sleep, your body will be thankful you laid down at least," Jessica's warm smile was comforting to Emily.
"OK."
Emily decided to lie down in bed again and hoped she didn't wake up Natalie. There were indeed secrets she harbored that she didn't think anyone would truly understand, but at the same time she also knew that those things didn't define her. Everyone has some sort of personal baggage, and as long as it didn't affect their mission she hoped she needn't explain herself. How could all that have happened then? How could all this have happened now?
Next thing Emily knew, it was morning, and she had a splitting headache. She rolled over in bed and just playfully scooched over to be closer to the girl who was still in her all black clothing. Just as she quietly poked Natalie and started to softly say "Wakie wakie," the giant's hand clamped over her mouth.
"Shhhh!" Natalie cautioned her.
"Hmmm?" Emily questioned.
"Just know that I surprised you for a change," Natalie winked at her bondage-loving friend and cousin.
"Hmph!"
"I heard you talking last night. I understand how you feel," Natalie said, "And I'm sorry. I promised I'd keep you safe, and I failed."
"Oh," Emily said while nodding in understanding, realizing that they all bore responsibility.
"Now, I know about some of that baggage you carry. Your secret is safe with me. I've known it since before we became roomies," Natalie revealed her knowledge.
The morning brought more planning and more strategizing and preparing to leave, including loading the van with the travel bags. It seemed set in stone until Emily got a phone call from the mysterious caller again. She put him on speaker phone this time, and finally answers came when others heard the voice.
"Burn the OGs on 5th Street and Haverty Circle. No innocent lives, so go early, and the scumbag will be in the 5th Street one. Take out everyone possible. Burn the place down. Call 9-1-1 when done."
"I recognize that voice!" Jessica said as he hung up.
"Me too!" Frank doubled this.
"Who is it?" Natalie asked wanting one to actually explain.
"That's... !" Frank started with uncertainty, "Your father?!"
"With a filter," Jessica added, "DAD?! NO! It can't be, can it?!"
"But that voice wasn't the one I heard before," Natalie groaned, and Emily nodded in agreement.
Never had Natalie been so frustrated before. She stood up, walked over to the wall, and punched it while yelling "God dammit!" and followed it immediately with a streak a swears while grateful she didn't break anything. She shook her hand as pain shot up her entire body. That was enough for Fix-It.
"Natalie, you and Emily need to cool off. You two and Frank will stay here," Fix-It ordered them.
"But I'm supposed to be the leader!" Natalie yelled.
"You're out of control, girl!" he snapped back, "We need a level head, and right now I think you need to just sit here, OK? You need to get yourself straightened out and to understand that not all plans go right, and that you can't blame yourself for every little wrong thing. Emily's hurt, and you need to forgive yourself for what happened to her and Jeff before you can go out there again!"
Fix-It was a true leader in spite of his own youth. His childhood had instilled that much in him; it was either that or the military high school that did it. Natalie gritted her teeth and clenched her fists knowing she was letting her bad side define herself again, and she surrendered to his advice.
Emily and Natalie were both stressed and needed time to psychologically recover. Natalie didn't know half of what she thought she did about Emily; what she thought she knew was correct. Despite her own misgivings, once again, Natalie voluntarily let Emily live out more of her rope and gag fantasies. Natalie really was perfect for such an outfit as leggings tightly held to her legs, and the t-shirt exhibited her strong figure from her basketball days and continued workouts as an adult. The bandana, boots, and gaiter added a little mischief to her mysterious figure.
Emily carefully did several tests before she bound Natalie's wrists, elbows, ankles, thighs, and breasts, the latter harness doing much to push her figure out, although it must be said that Natalie wasn't known for her bust. For a cute twist, Emily used a white ball gag on Natalie and then pulled the gaiter up to cover her entire face. Nothing was visible, and her clothing made a continuous streak of black from head to toe.
Natalie made the best of this and grunted helplessly for her friend's entertainment as she tried to find ways to destress. Even if she didn't have fun, the struggle helped her burn off some energy, and the practice was good should she find herself kidnapped again. Maybe next time, if there were one, she'd escape and fight back against her captives!
Frank meanwhile was strangely occupied with a cell phone. What the girls didn't realize was that it wasn't his. He was studying it carefully on all while carefully keeping a cloth between his fabric and the phone. This was an unusual fixation for such a calm and oftentimes prudent figure.
Frank Catanzaro was an odd man to look at as his hair was dark, and he was mostly bald on top. This combined with his glasses and black clothing made him more closely resemble a German commandant from a World War 2 movie than a mobster. After some time, he took off the glasses and stared up at the ceiling, all while leaning against a dining chair.
He took a deep breath and mouthed something like "Mother Mary pray for me" in that odd way that many such Italian mafia men are both ruthless yet strangely convinced about the truths of Catholicism. As he put the device down, face up, on the table, next to his glasses, he rubbed his moustache with his hands. He may have been 28 or 58, and no one was certain of anything except that he seemed to have an intimate understanding of the way the underworld functioned and that he must have, like nearly all people, been born to a real mother and father at some point in time. Was he born here or in the old country? No one knew that either, but he had definitive purpose for helping them as he seemed capable of protecting himself.
What he had was this patience to teach others; the clear-headedness to make difficult decisions; the coldness to use violence, but the kindness to not misuse it; the calmness to maintain his poise even while bullets were flying by him; the ruthlessness to make a bold accusation. Yet he was considerate of others feelings and could tell even suppressed emotions. All these traits meant that all stopped and listened whenever he spoke because even his jokes had something to gain in them.
"Jeffrey...," he began slowly and waited until the girls were listening, "was not killed in combat last night. He... killed himself."
"Frank?" Emily felt a shiver go down her spine as he grabbed the phone.
"This phone... I believe I have it now, such shallow man... 0... 7... 0... 5... 8... 6...," he spoke carefully, "I am correct. Birthday. So stupid."
"Correct that?" Emily's concern grew.
"Just a moment... I... Girls, we must leave at once. We packed all our bags and loaded them in Mercedes?"
"Yes, we did! Why, Frank?!" Emily began panicking.
"We must get to van! We have no time to waste!" he put the phone in his pocket, "We carry Natalie. No time to untie."
Emily did as he said and put the bag with the supplies she kept to use on Natalie over her shoulder, and they engaged in the very awkward scene of carrying a bound, gagged, and blindfolded Natalie to the elevator, out the back door, and to the van. As they climbed into the van, Emily was waiting for an explanation. As the doors shut, Frank climbed into the front seat while Emily sat and waited.
What a sudden change to Emily's thought train. She had been studying Natalie... admiring her... helping her... cursing that their relationship had forbidden her desire. Yes, Emily did have a boyfriend back home whom she adored and, at this time, had fantasies of marrying and even having children with... Emily is a dreamer sometimes and sees a full future before the present is settled.
But Emily liked some girls, and that was why she had initially moved in with her co-worker, in hopes of just having that one chance, but only 2 weeks later she and Jessica had pieced together for dead certain that Natalie was that Natalie Woodward. It took Emily many weeks more to accept this lot in life. It all began after a close relation had abused her. She had seemingly moved on, but this recent spate of events had reignited that passion. All them stirred within her: the hatred of that relation, her love for Will, and her interest in women. Perhaps that is what they brought to this: all of them had been hurt by someone they trusted at some point.
This didn't stop her from stroking Natalie's hair, what little of the bun was exposed, from sneaking a photograph of her currently helpless cousin to show her later, of wishing, of dreaming, or from ruing that life hadn't been a little different. This was Emily's dark secret, the one that had caused the tearful rebellion against her parents, the one that made her take such good care of this friend in particular, the one that racked her with guilt at times because of how she'd let her hidden desires control her life choices, including not going to college after high school because she wanted to learn to control herself before going to school.
"Frank, what is it?" she asked as he stopped the van in safe location, not realizing she was crying.
"Jeffrey was a rat. Here," he handed the teary-eyed girl the cell phone, "Load it to Fixernet."
"All right," she took it and moved to the computer station.
"You are crying. I don't know why, but I am sorry," he said sadly upon seeing her.
At that moment, she knew that he had figured her out. Perhaps that's why he tied her up the way he had during her initial kidnapping. Maybe he'd done his homework, or just could tell by her behavior. It didn't matter to her either way.
"Thanks, Frank. Let's load this. You said Jeff's a rat?" she asked again to be certain.
"Yes, and killed himself out of guilt."
She attached the USB cable to the phone and attached it to what Fix-It referred to as the "Secure Port" and waited. Sure enough, with a little fumbling, she was able to download the contents of everything onto the computer and saved its contents to the hard drive. The texts were a nightmare scene... Sexts, profanity, pr0n, and other such things were mixed with the usual content of sports and booze and such. Certain texts confirmed the worst.
Frank was correct: Jeff was betraying them all. That's why the defending team seemed small for the premises; that's why Tony Paterno wasn't there when they attacked; that's why their vehicles were so easily identified by the mobsters. Sadly, nothing in any of the messages gave any clue as to why Jeff would have taken his own life. Was it guilt? Was it to prevent being caught? No one had answers, and none would ever come.
Natalie sat up and shook her head to try to make her gaiter blindfold fall down, but it didn't work well. She instead tried to rub herself against the couch on which she sat. She felt more anger growing within her at having been hoodwinked by this man who had sold them to die! He had the balls to help in her rescue and all this time while secretly plotting to have them all killed?! At that point in her thoughts, she boiled over and made a loud stomp and yelled "OH AM IM!" or "God damn him!" into her gag.
"Keep burning off rage, Natalie. We need you to lead us. You are very bright girl," Frank encouraged her as he pulled the gaiter down enough to show that encouragement in his own expression.
Natalie took his advice to heart and just let out everything. All of her anger, from the beginning to now. She uttered it all into the white ball until slobber soaked through the gaiter. She stomped, she kicked the hair, she thrashed her arms and body, she yelled... but when it was done, Frank and Emily had finished digesting their discoveries, and Natalie genuinely felt better even if she was soaked in sweat from it all.
Emily... enjoyed... watching Natalie... too much. Even when angrily thrashing, Natalie was beautiful, even elegant, in bondage, and Emily felt that forbidden passion, her sexual attraction, burning within her. But Ems kept in mind Frank's words and knew it was for Natalie's own good.
When the raging was done, Emily sat up the tied girl and gave her a friendly hug. Once she was sure Natalie was calm, she began freeing this friend, cousin, and leader. Natalie was nevertheless to leave the ropes even though they had provided her a temporary escape from their problems.
"Emily, tell the team to rendezvous for the Haverty operation. We'll strike and then brief them on your findings. Frank, you drive. I'm going to change. I still have a little more anger to let out, but I'm saving it for this next attack."
"On it!" Frank went to the driver's seat.
"Emily, don't hide your true feelings; just don't act on them either. I know 'forbidden fruit' can conflict people," Natalie comforted her.
"So you do understand," Emily wouldn't look at her.
"I'm a basketball player. Of course I've known others like you," Natalie said, "I'm going to give you your own advice... don't let this define you."
"You can be such a sweetheart," Emily continued staring away while comforted that Natalie knew and still wanted to be her best friend.
"I'm just getting changed, Ems. We're still roomies and share a room. You don't have to look away!"
Natalie changed to blue leggings, kept the perpetual boots for another day of adventure with today's t-shirt red and the bandana blue. Suddenly, Emily remembered something she'd learned in high school while researching materials for an essay... about color. Now she understood just how highly intelligent, emotionally intelligent in particular, Natalie Woodward was; her outfit always represented her mood in someway... and that was why she (Emily) was sent a yellow shirt to wear as the decoy with black pants.
She usually is the positive, happy, hopeful one, and she was the decoy, the deceit, the sneakiness. The yellow was clear, and the black was for her fear. Red so often because Natalie is passionate, confident, or angry... she slept with Nick in the lust of red, yet also wore red to confront Jessica because of her anger. Emily, too, had sometimes symbolically worn colors while working on that assignment, but hers hadn't become the habit that it was for Natalie as she now realized.
Emily stared down at her own feet and knew she needed to get out of this yellow... she wasn't happy right now, and she looked up to see that Natalie was holding out some clothes for her to wear. Black is also associated with the femininity, that sexiness she saw while Natalie struggled in those ropes before, but black is also darkness, evil. So many emotions are conveyed by each and every color.
Some icy blue leggings, a grey turtleneck, and a matching icy blue bandana... For her it was her sadness, the winter of her mood and the outside world, but for Natalie the blue was a reflection of her relaxed state after burning off all that angst... it was more than just color symbolism here though. This was an invitation to make their friendship something special; this was Natalie accepting her as both her best friend and cousin and wanted to see it reciprocated. They would never have that, but they could be besties and family and share in something that made the friendship have a little extra meaning that only they understood.
"Thanks... cousin," Emily smiled and finally accepted her place in this world.
She took the clothes and quickly got herself dressed in a similar fashion to Natalie, and for the first time they exchanged a hug that Emily knew was purely platonic. It was a moment where they both realized that they were young and immature and that they needed the guidance of the likes of Frank, Nick, and Fix-It. For Natalie, it was genuinely accepting that she had found the family she never had as a child. Even if things didn't pan out with her father, she had Jessica and Emily still.
The unofficial ringleader stepped away with a wink and began checking out the many guns that lined the walls. As she looked out the window and saw their colleagues arriving, she pulled one off the wall and made sure it was a good fit for her and that she would be comfortable operating it. For added protection, she added a pair of safety glasses and a bulletproof vest.
"It's time," she said through gritted teeth with a hint of confidence and , "Cousin, Frank... Let's... go... kick... a$$!"
With renewed confidence and calmness of mind, Natalie opened the back door of the van and stepped out into another snowy winter day.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
These are such interesting people. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend like Natalie?
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51935021448_8459ac441e_o.jpg)
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
16: Sneakiness
The Subaru made its way to restaurant #1 on 5th Street under the temporary team of Charlie, Jessica, Nick, and Fix-It. All were still in their all black, and they parked the car far away from the restaurant and walked up to the back.
Being just 6:30 AM just 5 days from Christmas, the sun would not rise in Cleveland for a long time. This allowed them all to blend into the darkness for their attack. Tony Paterno was a dead man walking.
Four cars were in the parking lot. Two were the familiar black Cadillac cars, and two were matching SUVs. With this initial assessment complete, the team began planning.
"Charlie and Fix-It, you set up the car bombs," Nick laid out the plan, "We're going the rig the two back doors with these Insta-bombs. When you're done, use this radio to contact us."
"What's special about the radio?" Charlie asked in a practical way.
"It's outside normal frequencies," Fix-It explained, "Unlikely they can tap it or pick it up."
Charlie and Fix-It disappeared into the darkness, and she did what he ordered. These bombs were not as easy as those in the movies or in Natalie's games, but they were quite intimidating in their own right. Each one had to be placed to ensure the fuel tank exploded as well.
Charlie found herself distracted. Even here in the darkness with only a tiny pen light to ensure they weren't seen from inside, she could see enough to her be impressed with Fix-It as a person. There was so much she admired about not just him but so many others.
When she arrived in Boise, she was a broken person and applied for the job at Olive Garden out of desperation. She left behind her family in Twin Falls out of shame and fear of scandal. No, unlike the others, Charlie's family was wonderfully supportive, and she more than the rest was gutted at being unable to talk to them right now.
She texted her mother or father daily, and she knew this sudden absence had to be breaking their hearts although she had told them "me and my roomies r taking a timeout from the world so that this Christmas will be the best and most special 1 ever. just u c!" She missed their voices dearly from the regular phone calls, and she wondered if running from the scandal of her life in Twin Falls was a mistake. But something good was in all this.
She wasn't happy to be doing to this, but she was proud to be doing something for her country. Unlike her roommates, Charlie could go home at the end of this and tell them she had done something for America, and they would believe her. Even when Mother said that Jerome was bad news, she respected her daughter's choice and never gave a cold shoulder. When Charlie was in danger, Mom was there for her and gave her a loving hug when her baby walked out of the shack.
"Fix-It, you're so handsome when you're hard at work," she blurted out while she made the connection he asked for on the third car.
"You're drop-dead gorgeous in the line of work yourself. First lady cat I ever toting an Uzi and thought, 'Mmmmm fine!' Let's focus now, Sugarcat," he responded and in an instant gave Charlie a pet name.
"Do you have a real first name?" she asked.
"Bartolomeus," he shuddered.
"Fix-It is cooler," she smiled at him, "I'll focus now."
And focus they did, laying out all the bombs. On the other side, Jessica and Nick were setting similar bombs but with a catch: these would explode immediately if the doors were opened. Thus, they were constantly holding their breath from fear of shagging something by mistake... and instantly ending their lives. Jessica didn't want to risk Charlie's life, and she likewise she saw that Charlie was interested in Fix-It.
Nick and Jessica were absolutely terrified someone would open the door while they did this, but this scenario never came to fruition. As they planted the bombs, they realized that it may have been foolish to leave the trio of Frank, Emily, and Natalie behind, and both were especially worried about Natalie because her emotionalism. They didn't voice anything though while they worked.
Soon, they stepped and went back to their original position by the dumpster. Charlie and Fix-It returned to the bushes and radioed them confirmation of completion. Jessica and Nick relayed their completion and went to the other position to join them while Fix-It set off the bomb.
BOOM! With that, the backdoors exploded in a blaze, and the four vehicles were blown to smithereens. There was no escaping out anyway except the back, and the team rushed into the OG in the darkness armed with another one of Fix-It's great tools: thermal vision goggles.
Charlie convinced herself that she was just playing a virtual reality video game as that was the only way she could do what was necessary. She entered a world of gunfire and fear and realized now just how scary reality was. She and Nick were the "storm team" of this part of the mission and had to clear out the majority of the attackers so that Jessica and Fix-It could storm the main office. They had the advantage with the black clothes and the night vision, however, and were able to hold their own in spite of being outnumbered nearly 3-to-1.
When Jessica got to the main office, she was actually surprised to find the man of the hour, Tony Paterno himself, sitting there without any guards in his office. She turned on the light and removed her goggles to see the mafioso smiling. Fix-It entered behind her, and they knew something was terribly wrong.
In the outer part, out of 11 henchmen, 7 were dead, and 4 were bound and gagged. To finish off the restaurant for good, Nick tossed a grenade into the kitchen to destroy it and eliminate any possibility that someone was hiding. Charlie and he smiled at each other and bumped fists having successfully handled this operation.
"What gives?" Jessica asked the mob boss.
"There is another team on its way, and soon you and your silly friends will be dead. Another team is headed to the hotel. But me? You're not getting anything out of me," he stood up and revealed that he was loaded with bombs, "And you two die with me!"
"RUN!" Fix-It grabbed Jessica and ran out the door, as the man committed suicide.
Fix-It and Jessica were thrown against the wall, and large pieces of debris were thrown at them. Jessica and Fix-It felt all sorts of things pelting their bodies, and when she dared open her eyes Jessica saw the worst.
They were underneath the rubble with Charlie and Nick trying to pick through it all. Charlie was still in pain from the previous bullet, and Nick himself had now taken one. They hustled through the pile near where they suspected the two to be and found them just as two black Cadillac SUVs appeared on the scene.
"C'mon!" Charlie grabbed Nick, and they hid themselves among the rubble.
As the men stepped out of the vehicle, Charlie peered through the rubble using the night vision. She nodded at Jessica and Nick. The former was crying from the pain of the impact and in need of reassurance, and the latter was handing her two grenades. Charlie waited until three of the goons were together near the door and threw the grenade into what was one of the few remaining roofed portions of the building. She quickly heaved the other toward where two others were standing. With two bangs, the battle was on with a 4-on-3 situation.
The team quickly dispatched two of them, and they watched one of them flee. In an instant, Fix-It and Charlie ran to the Subaru and hopped into it to speed after the other, leaving Jessica and Nick behind. In stunned silence, Nick and Jessica stared at each other and shrugged.
They walked over to the captives and saw that one had been killed by the grenades, but the remaining three were unharmed beyond what had happened in the gunfight. They hauled the trio out to the front of the building and called a number that Fix-It had given Jessica, a more "personal" police line.
Jessica couldn't resist while waiting though. There was a mean, vengeful streak in her, and she began spanking the captives while they yelled into their gags. This strange part of her just loved spanking a bound and gagged captive, and it was different from the thrill of spanking Natalie. For a moment, just a moment, Jessica forgot that she was in a parking lot having just kidnapped these men after a gunfight. Bullets from the Impreza rained their sounds down, however.
Nick watched with curiosity and especially studied the men's reactions to the humiliating punishment. It was odd seeing a bunch of grown mafia goons yell into different gags because they were bound and gagged and being spanked by a teenage girl. Nick wasn't interested in spanking anything except women, though, and the one mafiosa had died in the battle.
Meanwhile, Fix-It sped after the Cadillac while Charlie manned the gun. It took a few seconds, but the superior Impreza easily caught up to the panicking mafioso and shot the vehicle to pieces within hearing distance of the departure point. Within minutes, the team was back together and on their way with some minor good news.
"Frank and the girls somehow escaped already!" Jessica said, "Let's go to the hotel and pay those guys a visit, hm?"
"I think so!" Fix-It agreed as they saw the first police car go by them.
It felt so wrong to be doing something so bad yet not have police on your tail for it. It all defied reason. Yet they had to accept it. This was just the same way that government agents could stir up domestic or foreign problems that were immoral and illegal as long as their superiors deemed it essential.
Jessica was starting to feel a different loneliness than the others did. She was married and had a husband she had left behind, and there was nothing and nobody to substitute for that precious company. Pleasures like her moment in the parking lot were a poor substitute. Unlike the others, she could convey what was happening directly, but she was still sadder than the rest. As the car pulled up to the hotel, she was shocked to watch one of the mafia goons immediately respond with their own heavy artillery.
"This one is a no survivors play!" Fix-It said as he backed the car around the building to safety.
"What's that mean?" Charlie asked in a panic.
"We're seeking to kill all but one," he explained as he parked the car and motioned for them to emerge, "Four on four."
Fix-It's plan was simple: Jessica and Charlie would climb the emergency stair onto the roof and attack from up there. It was a dangerous play as it temporarily split them, but it gave them two positions to the mobster's one. For this, he provided a sniper rifle from the trunk. As they quietly climbed, Jessica pulled her gaiter up over face more in solidarity with her sister about whom she was worried sick more than for any personal need. She wanted to find the same strength Natalie did and looked like a shorter Natalie with blonde hair as the new look made apparent to Charlie just how many facial features the two shared.
"Here goes," Jess muttered as she took aim, fired, paused, and pumped her first as the target fell.
"Do it again! Get that guy! He has the heavy weapons!" Charlie encouraged her in a soft voice.
"All right," this time Jess took a different position and stood up a little, but suddenly "OWWW!"
"I'll take it!"
Jessica looked at her left hand which was bleeding and had a bullet sticking out of it. Charlie quickly found her poise and fired on the man with deadly accuracy. The man slumped over, and Charlie immediately attended to the needs of Jessica and showed her soft side in comforting the injured girl as they walked back to the car.
"Two of us and one of you, motherf-cker!" Nick said down below, "Get on the ground!"
Nick and Fix-It had heard Jessica's shriek and spared nothing in punishing this mafioso who appeared to be the leader of this squad. They roped his wrists, elbows, chest, ankles, knees, and thighs, gagged him by wrapping 6 layers of duct tape around his head, and tossed him into the trunk.
Inside the car, Charlie took care of Jessica with all the care that Emily had cared for her with. It wasn't that Charlie was a good nurse as much as she had felt the peace and kindness of Emily while the girl dug the bullet out of Charlie's arm, and now Charlie was applying the same peace and kindness to help soothe Jessica's nerves. Soon, Jessica was patched up and bandaged and making jokes about being a stigmatist.
They drove away from the scene without much concern for the yelp in their trunk. The super squad of the four headed to a more secluded locale and opened the trunk. Inside was some sort of wise guy who had wisdom they needed.
"Talk!" Nick said as he removed the tape.
"You're all dead! All of you! The rest of the team might be hiding out, but they'll take you out no problem! And if not, Tony will just hire more guys to replace them!" the man was spitting with anger.
"Yo! Dumb f-ck! Tony is dead! We took out that motherf-cker back at the other restaurant while you were headed to the hotel!" Charlie yelled right in the guy's face and backed off, "Yeah, that's right. We pwned you, your boys, your top man, and all your other little guido teams."
"Some of your boys are in jail. Now, you can either talk and go to jail like cool cat, or we're going to end you!" Fix-It pointed his gun at the man.
"W-w-w-w-what d-d-d-d-d-do y-y-y-y-you w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-wa-wa-wa-wa-want?!" he panicked and stammered now.
"What," Fix-It began, "Are Paterno and Rossi after?"
Jessica didn't say anything. Her thoughts ran along the lines of let's use a cable to hook his b-lls to the car battery and really teach them a lesson for those guys in Boise hurting Natalie. She wasn't telling anyone, but that moment had turned on the ruthless-killer-Napolitano in her in a way she couldn't explain. She had moments of humanity, but every time she recalled that incident she would feel a range of emotions because she remembered Natalie from her youth and loved her sister.
The man continued to stammer as he explained their operations... How they'd used threats to get their restaurants nearly every major catering job in the city, how they used the restaurants to traffic drugs, and how they sometimes even trafficked people to use as personal slaves of various capos and such. He hinted that one such person might be in the Haverty Circle restaurant but wouldn't say it outright.
"Good, good cat. Now, we're going to deliver you to the precinct. You tell them everything like a good boy and be smart about how you say it so you don't get yourself whacked as a rat," Fix-It wrapped some of the tape back around the man's mouth and closed the trunk.
"What's it mean?" Nick asked.
"We're the A f-cking Team, kids! I pity the fool that crosses us nooowwwww! Yeah!" Fix-It gave an animated display of emotion.
"You really...," Charlie began and nodded for Jessica and Nick to disappear into the car, "I'd like for us to be alone sometime."
"Dinner or something cool like that?" he asked, but she returned to the car, "Let's roll, boys and girls!"
For the first, Fix-It was paying attention to this young lady Charlie. He himself wasn't that much older than her. She was about 19 or 20, and he was indeed about 26. But he was born into this life. He didn't want to worry, but perhaps... she was the woman who could handle his fast and dangerous life? How many women were a natural fit for a government agent?
Nick was in a different spot as he was feeling guilty for his escapades with Natalie. Yes, she had been the seductress, but that didn't change that he controlled his response to the seduction. At the same time, he knew she was scared at the time and seeking some affirmation and that he had helped her restore some of her self-worth, especially when he without hesitation told her she was beautiful when she asked.
He was glad in a way to have disobeyed. Perhaps his life of crime, of supporting illegal gambling and giving product to pushers, was coming to an end? Maybe he could finally settle down and enjoy a normal life? Or would he forever be running? He was a made man himself, and that was no small thing. At the moment, he knew the main thing that mattered to him was his loyalty to Manny Napolitano after 15 years under him.
It was a very confusing situation, and all were happy to deposit the angry mobster captive at the police station. They climbed back into the car and drove toward Haverty Circle and the place where they hoped answers would finally arrive. Each had their own questions.
Jessica's greatest questions though... "Am I going to lose my father? Will Mom accept me?" Her effective mother, the woman she loved, was gone. Her biological mother had rejected her, and Jessica didn't really want her either for choosing to love one child and hate the rest. For Natalie's sake, she'd try.
Only time would tell. When the car stopped, Jessica was greeted by the blue and red of a renewed, cool, and confident Natalie Woodward.
16: Sneakiness
The Subaru made its way to restaurant #1 on 5th Street under the temporary team of Charlie, Jessica, Nick, and Fix-It. All were still in their all black, and they parked the car far away from the restaurant and walked up to the back.
Being just 6:30 AM just 5 days from Christmas, the sun would not rise in Cleveland for a long time. This allowed them all to blend into the darkness for their attack. Tony Paterno was a dead man walking.
Four cars were in the parking lot. Two were the familiar black Cadillac cars, and two were matching SUVs. With this initial assessment complete, the team began planning.
"Charlie and Fix-It, you set up the car bombs," Nick laid out the plan, "We're going the rig the two back doors with these Insta-bombs. When you're done, use this radio to contact us."
"What's special about the radio?" Charlie asked in a practical way.
"It's outside normal frequencies," Fix-It explained, "Unlikely they can tap it or pick it up."
Charlie and Fix-It disappeared into the darkness, and she did what he ordered. These bombs were not as easy as those in the movies or in Natalie's games, but they were quite intimidating in their own right. Each one had to be placed to ensure the fuel tank exploded as well.
Charlie found herself distracted. Even here in the darkness with only a tiny pen light to ensure they weren't seen from inside, she could see enough to her be impressed with Fix-It as a person. There was so much she admired about not just him but so many others.
When she arrived in Boise, she was a broken person and applied for the job at Olive Garden out of desperation. She left behind her family in Twin Falls out of shame and fear of scandal. No, unlike the others, Charlie's family was wonderfully supportive, and she more than the rest was gutted at being unable to talk to them right now.
She texted her mother or father daily, and she knew this sudden absence had to be breaking their hearts although she had told them "me and my roomies r taking a timeout from the world so that this Christmas will be the best and most special 1 ever. just u c!" She missed their voices dearly from the regular phone calls, and she wondered if running from the scandal of her life in Twin Falls was a mistake. But something good was in all this.
She wasn't happy to be doing to this, but she was proud to be doing something for her country. Unlike her roommates, Charlie could go home at the end of this and tell them she had done something for America, and they would believe her. Even when Mother said that Jerome was bad news, she respected her daughter's choice and never gave a cold shoulder. When Charlie was in danger, Mom was there for her and gave her a loving hug when her baby walked out of the shack.
"Fix-It, you're so handsome when you're hard at work," she blurted out while she made the connection he asked for on the third car.
"You're drop-dead gorgeous in the line of work yourself. First lady cat I ever toting an Uzi and thought, 'Mmmmm fine!' Let's focus now, Sugarcat," he responded and in an instant gave Charlie a pet name.
"Do you have a real first name?" she asked.
"Bartolomeus," he shuddered.
"Fix-It is cooler," she smiled at him, "I'll focus now."
And focus they did, laying out all the bombs. On the other side, Jessica and Nick were setting similar bombs but with a catch: these would explode immediately if the doors were opened. Thus, they were constantly holding their breath from fear of shagging something by mistake... and instantly ending their lives. Jessica didn't want to risk Charlie's life, and she likewise she saw that Charlie was interested in Fix-It.
Nick and Jessica were absolutely terrified someone would open the door while they did this, but this scenario never came to fruition. As they planted the bombs, they realized that it may have been foolish to leave the trio of Frank, Emily, and Natalie behind, and both were especially worried about Natalie because her emotionalism. They didn't voice anything though while they worked.
Soon, they stepped and went back to their original position by the dumpster. Charlie and Fix-It returned to the bushes and radioed them confirmation of completion. Jessica and Nick relayed their completion and went to the other position to join them while Fix-It set off the bomb.
BOOM! With that, the backdoors exploded in a blaze, and the four vehicles were blown to smithereens. There was no escaping out anyway except the back, and the team rushed into the OG in the darkness armed with another one of Fix-It's great tools: thermal vision goggles.
Charlie convinced herself that she was just playing a virtual reality video game as that was the only way she could do what was necessary. She entered a world of gunfire and fear and realized now just how scary reality was. She and Nick were the "storm team" of this part of the mission and had to clear out the majority of the attackers so that Jessica and Fix-It could storm the main office. They had the advantage with the black clothes and the night vision, however, and were able to hold their own in spite of being outnumbered nearly 3-to-1.
When Jessica got to the main office, she was actually surprised to find the man of the hour, Tony Paterno himself, sitting there without any guards in his office. She turned on the light and removed her goggles to see the mafioso smiling. Fix-It entered behind her, and they knew something was terribly wrong.
In the outer part, out of 11 henchmen, 7 were dead, and 4 were bound and gagged. To finish off the restaurant for good, Nick tossed a grenade into the kitchen to destroy it and eliminate any possibility that someone was hiding. Charlie and he smiled at each other and bumped fists having successfully handled this operation.
"What gives?" Jessica asked the mob boss.
"There is another team on its way, and soon you and your silly friends will be dead. Another team is headed to the hotel. But me? You're not getting anything out of me," he stood up and revealed that he was loaded with bombs, "And you two die with me!"
"RUN!" Fix-It grabbed Jessica and ran out the door, as the man committed suicide.
Fix-It and Jessica were thrown against the wall, and large pieces of debris were thrown at them. Jessica and Fix-It felt all sorts of things pelting their bodies, and when she dared open her eyes Jessica saw the worst.
They were underneath the rubble with Charlie and Nick trying to pick through it all. Charlie was still in pain from the previous bullet, and Nick himself had now taken one. They hustled through the pile near where they suspected the two to be and found them just as two black Cadillac SUVs appeared on the scene.
"C'mon!" Charlie grabbed Nick, and they hid themselves among the rubble.
As the men stepped out of the vehicle, Charlie peered through the rubble using the night vision. She nodded at Jessica and Nick. The former was crying from the pain of the impact and in need of reassurance, and the latter was handing her two grenades. Charlie waited until three of the goons were together near the door and threw the grenade into what was one of the few remaining roofed portions of the building. She quickly heaved the other toward where two others were standing. With two bangs, the battle was on with a 4-on-3 situation.
The team quickly dispatched two of them, and they watched one of them flee. In an instant, Fix-It and Charlie ran to the Subaru and hopped into it to speed after the other, leaving Jessica and Nick behind. In stunned silence, Nick and Jessica stared at each other and shrugged.
They walked over to the captives and saw that one had been killed by the grenades, but the remaining three were unharmed beyond what had happened in the gunfight. They hauled the trio out to the front of the building and called a number that Fix-It had given Jessica, a more "personal" police line.
Jessica couldn't resist while waiting though. There was a mean, vengeful streak in her, and she began spanking the captives while they yelled into their gags. This strange part of her just loved spanking a bound and gagged captive, and it was different from the thrill of spanking Natalie. For a moment, just a moment, Jessica forgot that she was in a parking lot having just kidnapped these men after a gunfight. Bullets from the Impreza rained their sounds down, however.
Nick watched with curiosity and especially studied the men's reactions to the humiliating punishment. It was odd seeing a bunch of grown mafia goons yell into different gags because they were bound and gagged and being spanked by a teenage girl. Nick wasn't interested in spanking anything except women, though, and the one mafiosa had died in the battle.
Meanwhile, Fix-It sped after the Cadillac while Charlie manned the gun. It took a few seconds, but the superior Impreza easily caught up to the panicking mafioso and shot the vehicle to pieces within hearing distance of the departure point. Within minutes, the team was back together and on their way with some minor good news.
"Frank and the girls somehow escaped already!" Jessica said, "Let's go to the hotel and pay those guys a visit, hm?"
"I think so!" Fix-It agreed as they saw the first police car go by them.
It felt so wrong to be doing something so bad yet not have police on your tail for it. It all defied reason. Yet they had to accept it. This was just the same way that government agents could stir up domestic or foreign problems that were immoral and illegal as long as their superiors deemed it essential.
Jessica was starting to feel a different loneliness than the others did. She was married and had a husband she had left behind, and there was nothing and nobody to substitute for that precious company. Pleasures like her moment in the parking lot were a poor substitute. Unlike the others, she could convey what was happening directly, but she was still sadder than the rest. As the car pulled up to the hotel, she was shocked to watch one of the mafia goons immediately respond with their own heavy artillery.
"This one is a no survivors play!" Fix-It said as he backed the car around the building to safety.
"What's that mean?" Charlie asked in a panic.
"We're seeking to kill all but one," he explained as he parked the car and motioned for them to emerge, "Four on four."
Fix-It's plan was simple: Jessica and Charlie would climb the emergency stair onto the roof and attack from up there. It was a dangerous play as it temporarily split them, but it gave them two positions to the mobster's one. For this, he provided a sniper rifle from the trunk. As they quietly climbed, Jessica pulled her gaiter up over face more in solidarity with her sister about whom she was worried sick more than for any personal need. She wanted to find the same strength Natalie did and looked like a shorter Natalie with blonde hair as the new look made apparent to Charlie just how many facial features the two shared.
"Here goes," Jess muttered as she took aim, fired, paused, and pumped her first as the target fell.
"Do it again! Get that guy! He has the heavy weapons!" Charlie encouraged her in a soft voice.
"All right," this time Jess took a different position and stood up a little, but suddenly "OWWW!"
"I'll take it!"
Jessica looked at her left hand which was bleeding and had a bullet sticking out of it. Charlie quickly found her poise and fired on the man with deadly accuracy. The man slumped over, and Charlie immediately attended to the needs of Jessica and showed her soft side in comforting the injured girl as they walked back to the car.
"Two of us and one of you, motherf-cker!" Nick said down below, "Get on the ground!"
Nick and Fix-It had heard Jessica's shriek and spared nothing in punishing this mafioso who appeared to be the leader of this squad. They roped his wrists, elbows, chest, ankles, knees, and thighs, gagged him by wrapping 6 layers of duct tape around his head, and tossed him into the trunk.
Inside the car, Charlie took care of Jessica with all the care that Emily had cared for her with. It wasn't that Charlie was a good nurse as much as she had felt the peace and kindness of Emily while the girl dug the bullet out of Charlie's arm, and now Charlie was applying the same peace and kindness to help soothe Jessica's nerves. Soon, Jessica was patched up and bandaged and making jokes about being a stigmatist.
They drove away from the scene without much concern for the yelp in their trunk. The super squad of the four headed to a more secluded locale and opened the trunk. Inside was some sort of wise guy who had wisdom they needed.
"Talk!" Nick said as he removed the tape.
"You're all dead! All of you! The rest of the team might be hiding out, but they'll take you out no problem! And if not, Tony will just hire more guys to replace them!" the man was spitting with anger.
"Yo! Dumb f-ck! Tony is dead! We took out that motherf-cker back at the other restaurant while you were headed to the hotel!" Charlie yelled right in the guy's face and backed off, "Yeah, that's right. We pwned you, your boys, your top man, and all your other little guido teams."
"Some of your boys are in jail. Now, you can either talk and go to jail like cool cat, or we're going to end you!" Fix-It pointed his gun at the man.
"W-w-w-w-what d-d-d-d-d-do y-y-y-y-you w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-wa-wa-wa-wa-want?!" he panicked and stammered now.
"What," Fix-It began, "Are Paterno and Rossi after?"
Jessica didn't say anything. Her thoughts ran along the lines of let's use a cable to hook his b-lls to the car battery and really teach them a lesson for those guys in Boise hurting Natalie. She wasn't telling anyone, but that moment had turned on the ruthless-killer-Napolitano in her in a way she couldn't explain. She had moments of humanity, but every time she recalled that incident she would feel a range of emotions because she remembered Natalie from her youth and loved her sister.
The man continued to stammer as he explained their operations... How they'd used threats to get their restaurants nearly every major catering job in the city, how they used the restaurants to traffic drugs, and how they sometimes even trafficked people to use as personal slaves of various capos and such. He hinted that one such person might be in the Haverty Circle restaurant but wouldn't say it outright.
"Good, good cat. Now, we're going to deliver you to the precinct. You tell them everything like a good boy and be smart about how you say it so you don't get yourself whacked as a rat," Fix-It wrapped some of the tape back around the man's mouth and closed the trunk.
"What's it mean?" Nick asked.
"We're the A f-cking Team, kids! I pity the fool that crosses us nooowwwww! Yeah!" Fix-It gave an animated display of emotion.
"You really...," Charlie began and nodded for Jessica and Nick to disappear into the car, "I'd like for us to be alone sometime."
"Dinner or something cool like that?" he asked, but she returned to the car, "Let's roll, boys and girls!"
For the first, Fix-It was paying attention to this young lady Charlie. He himself wasn't that much older than her. She was about 19 or 20, and he was indeed about 26. But he was born into this life. He didn't want to worry, but perhaps... she was the woman who could handle his fast and dangerous life? How many women were a natural fit for a government agent?
Nick was in a different spot as he was feeling guilty for his escapades with Natalie. Yes, she had been the seductress, but that didn't change that he controlled his response to the seduction. At the same time, he knew she was scared at the time and seeking some affirmation and that he had helped her restore some of her self-worth, especially when he without hesitation told her she was beautiful when she asked.
He was glad in a way to have disobeyed. Perhaps his life of crime, of supporting illegal gambling and giving product to pushers, was coming to an end? Maybe he could finally settle down and enjoy a normal life? Or would he forever be running? He was a made man himself, and that was no small thing. At the moment, he knew the main thing that mattered to him was his loyalty to Manny Napolitano after 15 years under him.
It was a very confusing situation, and all were happy to deposit the angry mobster captive at the police station. They climbed back into the car and drove toward Haverty Circle and the place where they hoped answers would finally arrive. Each had their own questions.
Jessica's greatest questions though... "Am I going to lose my father? Will Mom accept me?" Her effective mother, the woman she loved, was gone. Her biological mother had rejected her, and Jessica didn't really want her either for choosing to love one child and hate the rest. For Natalie's sake, she'd try.
Only time would tell. When the car stopped, Jessica was greeted by the blue and red of a renewed, cool, and confident Natalie Woodward.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
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[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
Chapter 17: Frankness
With the outfit, the Uzi, the goggles, the fingerless gloves, and the bulletproof vest, Natalie hoped she looked like the meanest girl this side of Antarctica. The smile of confidence made her seem even more of a menace, and she was absolutely ready to do this. She asked for the full scope and the numbers from a combination of the Fixernet files and Fix-It and Nick's report on casualties and captures of the morning run.
"You know what sucks?" Natalie asked Jessica as she rocked herself back and forth on a curb.
"What?"
"That a motherf-cker can make me his b-tch, but the only way I can similarly screw him back is to stick a rifle up his a$$ or down his throat," Natalie said in a dissatisfied way but then smiled, "Biology sucks. You know what's awesome though?"
"What's awesome?" Jessica asked her.
"Me and this little baby going in there and making some short little goons sh-t themselves," Natalie was ready to roll.
"Look, Nattie Cat, cool down," Fix-It warned, "Cocky usually ends up dead. What's the word now?"
"Jeff was double agent," Frank said as he put his suit on over his own personal body armor.
"A rat?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, the man was a rat. Emily and I upload his phone. P0rn was scarier than texts; sick man," Frank was completing the Italian mafioso look.
"So what's the verdict?" Fix-It needed to know.
"The poor Jeff... He killed himself last night."
That line left Nick and Fix-It cold; they looked at each other and back at Frank. This man's mind surprised even the government agent that was Fix-It, and of course Frank was a mainstay of the Napolitano-Rossi mafia that Nick had known of for a while. How could he piece these things together?
They couldn't believe that Frank would put on a nice, expensive Italian brown suit complete with a white shirt, brown shoes, and a red tie. He even had a matching fedora. Natalie was a bada$$, but Frank was a true dyed-in-the-wool mobster with the body armor and a fully automatic machine gun in his hands.
"Jessica shall stay here and guard young Emily. I see she is hurt," Frank said in his slow deliberate way.
No one challenged Frank, who seemed to have an axe to grind on this operation. He motioned for Natalie to lead, and together the team marched around the dumpster and across the street to the restaurant. After scoping the building, it appeared that there were only three exits: the two standard ones in front and one in back.
Nick and Charlie entered the front while the others entered from the rear. With only one way into the kitchen from the front, the team quickly surrounded what appeared to be 8 people: 5 mafia men, a mafia girl, a capo, and one girl who stood out as different.
"All right, folks, hands in the air, and no one gets hurt. Sorry, but the pasta sauce ain't getting made today," Natalie said as she swaggered along, "Nick, inspect them all! Frank, check the office."
Nick inspected all the people along the line and was surprised by the them all. One of the goons had all wrong time zone settings on his Luchtler. He walked over to Natalie and whispered his finding as a seemingly agitated Frank emerged from the office.
"Natalie, come here," he motioned to the dining area.
"Yeah?" Natalie followed him, "The manager is a Napolitano. He sabotaged these people so they'd be caught."
"Really?" Natalie was surprised.
"New Zealand time. Unless the rat tipped him off, he's on our team. Fix-It must radio Emily. The girl?"
"We'll get to the girl. Have Fix-It send the message. I'm going to talk to this manager myself," Natalie responded and walked back into the kitchen and into the office.
"Hello?" the man in a similar suit to Frank, but grey, talked in deep voice... he looked much like Natalie's father.
"Let's just talk. Uzi cocked, or us just sitting?" she asked in a threatening tone.
"Please, sit, Natalie Woodward," his welcoming tone shook Natalie.
"Oh, my God. You're the f-cking voice that called me and Emily," she spilled the words without thought.
"Yes, Natalie, I am. Agent Romano. I will call you when I am ready. Do what you must here," he turned and waved her away.
Natalie stepped out into the room while remembering what Jessica and Frank had said in the hotel room... and then what Frank said when he stepped out of the office. Suddenly that girl that Frank asked about became apparent. She may have had blue jeans and a black t-shirt, but no real OG employees were barefoot with a chain around their ankles. Natalie winked at Nick although something about this unnerved her; the girl was focused on Frank.
"We're taking this one! You, unchain her, now!" Natalie ordered.
"What?"
"Unchain the chew toy, or I'm going to fire a round of this up your anus!" she snarled in a terrifying tone.
"Yes, ma'am!" the frightened soul responded.
"Move it!" Frank belted out suddenly and aggressively.
"Good. Charlie, bring her to Emily, and switch places with Jess. Tell her I said to bind and gag the girl however she pleases. Don't let her protest," Natalie didn't know the story, but she wasn't taking chances.
"You! Come next!" Fix-It said to the one with the odd watch, "Out there!"
A well pointed gun sure got information out of small potatoes guys in a hurry. In short, he was just a grunt who wasn't even around long enough to do anything. Fix-It ordered the boy to leave and not tell anyone because he could find him at will.
Returning to the kitchen, this left four true mafiosos and a mafiosa. Natalie ordered that all have their wrists, ankles, and thighs ziptied, and a ball gag, three tape gags, and a cleave gag were used.
Charlie marched the girl to the van and forced her to stay quiet. Something about the girl was unnerving to Charlie. After some time, she remembered what the man before had said about sex slaves, and she realized this girl was Tony Paterno's personal r-ping toy. Nevertheless she relayed Natalie's orders.
While the girl wailed a lot, Emily didn't want to draw Natalie's anger and tied ropes around the girl's wrists, elbows, ankles, and thighs. She gagged the girl with a black ring gag and made her sit on the sofa. The entire time she was tying the girl, Emily just positively reassured the girl that it was all precautionary because Natalie was worried about this being a trap. The sight bothered both Emily and Charlie.
While Fix-It and Nick rigged the restaurant with bombs, Frank and Natalie moved the employees out to the parking lot by the dumpster area, and when Natalie returned "Agent Romano" was mysteriously missing even thought there were no other visible exits by which he could have escaped. She didn't worry about his disappearance as much as his presence. This man was adding confusion to confusion.
With this, Fix-It and Nick rigged the restaurant with bombs, and soon the establishment was lost in a "KA-BOOM!" The team walked back to the vehicles, with Fix-It, Nick, and Charlie getting in the Impreza and the other girls and Frank in the van. As the vehicles drove away and police began to arrive, the team's Cleveland phase had come to an end... Except for one thing.
"MMMMM!" the girl cried with tears pouring down her cheeks.
"No ID. No nothing. She was there just like that. Fix-It and I scraped the place before leaving," Natalie said in a tone of annoyance.
"Ask her! Duh!" Emily said condescendingly, "I can't believe you just decided to kidnap her!"
"I had to make sure she cooperated for you all just in case. Let's ask her," Natalie explained as she began to undo the gag and ropes, "Stay calm. You're safe now."
"Those mafia b-stards!" were the first words she said, "Why didn't you kill them?!"
"We got you," Emily said with one of her encouraging smiles, "How old are you?"
"25. My name is Felicia," the girl answered while staring at Emily and studying her.
"Felicia what?" Emily wanted more than that and studied the girl as well.
"Take your time," Natalie tried to keep her calm, "We're on the road."
"Felicia Catanzaro... Those monsters said something about my family, and... and," Felicia's voice cracked
"Calm," Natalie said, "You're safe with us now."
The girl was about Jessica's size, but her shoulder-length hair was an almost reddish brown. She was clearly underfed, beaten, and otherwise abused. Felicia had been kidnapped some 6 months before, and she didn't even know for sure what day of the month or week it was.
She seemed familiar in some ways and not in others. It wasn't just the last name, but the appearance. It wasn't her blue eyes or her nose... Something else seemed familiar. She seemed to be another relation, but how? Emily and Jessica both knew of no Catanzaro relations, and there was the obvious shared last name with Frank. Was she Frank's... daughter, perhaps?
Oddly, the girl never asked to be untied. In fact, she was used to it from her captivity in which was she was frequently bound and gagged, especially when they'd do so and then padlock her in the cabinet for the night after closing. It was her safe time because it was the only time she didn't have to worry about being assaulted in some form. Nevertheless, Natalie freed the girl as she found this angle of bondage to be utterly revolting as she could relate.
"Frank," Natalie climbed into the front and closed the door.
"How is she?" Frank asked in a tone of concern as he drove.
"The girl?" she wasn't sure.
"My sister," Frank responded.
"So that's the story and explains your aggression," Natalie nodded.
Jessica tried talking to Felicia, but the girl was genuinely traumatized and remained silent on that topic. Jessica offered to give her a change of clothes, but she wouldn't acknowledge anything or anyone except Emily. Finally, Natalie asked Jessica to swap places with Frank for a moment.
"Felicia," Frank said as he stepped back into the rear.
"Huh?" she sat up and scrambled to her feet as quickly she could, "Frank!"
"I finally find you!" he hugged his sister to the surprise of Emily.
"They told me you were dead! I couldn't believe it was you in there!"
Now the truth that Frank had hidden became open. Frank, now in his late 40s, was the oldest of three children, and Felicia was the youngest. Frank was born in Italy and only came here after he had finished high school. Felicia was born here, and that's why Frank's English was stilted. He, too, was on a quest to reunite his family. Brother and sister now relaxed similarly, and standing side-by-side the similarity because apparent.
After Frank returned to the front, Emily sat down with Felicia comforting the girl some more while Natalie read the documents Emily had pulled up for her concerning the girl's own kidnapping and concerning her own father. Natalie was trying to absorb the details, but basically Frank was secretly working against the Paterno-Rossi alliance and had become the one to get the Napolitano group working against them even while he himself had risen through the ranks of the crime family. When the alliance became known, they kidnapped his sister; because Frank was a marked man, Nick was using his status as a made man in good standing to help Frank hide.
Natalie turned to say something to Emily, but she just smiled and turned back to the computer. She wasn't going to interrupt the two girls when they were obviously providing each other much comfort in a time of fear and stress. Emily was sitting with Felicia across her lap, her fingers in the girl's hair. Natalie understood the feeling for sure.
"Emily, when you're done making out, I have something important to tell you."
"Huh? All right, Felicia. sorry. Let me and Nat talk," Emily pulled her lips away.
"Just incredible. Never seen two hit it off so well," Natalie smiled.
"Go f-ck yourself or Nick again!" an embarrassed Emily ripped her friend.
"I'm happy for you, you stupid guidette!" Natalie rolled her eyes at the nuisance, "Now, listen, we got this Agent Romano guy... He is the one that's been calling, and that's who we found in that last restaurant. And to make it even more frightening he looks a lot like my father!"
"A name at least, maybe a fake one, but I don't think I should be digging anything up on him. But he's the caller; good to know; I thought all your father's siblings have known whereabouts?"
"All right. Now, take a turn and sit in Felicia's lap," Natalie suggested.
"You girls are weird, but you saved my life and my family!" Felicia blushed not knowing where this adventure was heading.
It was odd how Emily found safety in bondage when ironically both had been terrorized with bondage and terrorized others with bondage as well. Natalie saw the stress relief in it, but Emily found it exciting. Both they and Jessica saw the thrill of kink, but the bondage was very bothersome to Natalie. Natalie didn't really have time to burn on this, but she understood that Emily and Jessica found it an escape the same way Natalie found an escape with Nick.
Emily was happy to switch places and asked to be tied up. It seemed ironic after the earlier discussion to be in blue and white, but she felt a special bond with her cousin in it still. Natalie used some ropes on Emily and bound her wrists, chest, crotch, ankles, and thighs. A knotted red bandana gagged the girl, who was now sitting next to a disturbed but interested Felicia.
"She likes this?" the older girl asked in a worried tone.
"I don't get it either. But, if you two are attracted to each other's personalities and looks, enjoy it," Natalie encouraged them.
"They would hurt me sometimes while I was tied up... Sometimes they'd take me to the house and 10 or more of them would...," Felicia trailed off.
"And even kissing Emily while she's tied and gagged like that is triggering you?" Natalie understood her pain in her own way, "They hurt me too. I only did it because she likes it and because we keep one person tied up in case we get stopped."
"I... She's so... Sometimes you hit it off on sight," Felicia said, "But I don't like the tying up thing."
"Go for it! I'm not judging," the guidette encouraged the new friend, "Untie her; I think she likes you too."
Natalie wanted the solitude really. She was fine with Felicia and Emily comforting each other like this right behind her. She understood that the bondage was a trigger and hoped Emily would put aside her sexuality for Felicia's good. They weren't loud lovers, and it allowed Natalie to study everything about her enemies and father. In particular, the latter.
It was comforting to know that her and Frank's stories had parallels: reunifying a broken family. But they diverged. Frank was rescuing a sister who was kidnapped in an attempt to pressure him. Natalie's enemies wanted to prevent her from ever knowing her family.
More disturbing than all this was the file on her father. Natalie was turning 21 soon, and she knew she was the one labeled as "potential daughter born..." But her dad was 57 according to this. Did he have more children than this? Were there more siblings to further break her heart and convince her that her father really was just a typical masher mafia capo?
"Jessica, come back here," Natalie said in a sad and forlorn tone.
"What's wrong? I... Oh, my," Jessica was surprised to see Emily and Felicia.
"Two things: (1) Emily and Felicia are adorable together. (2) Manny Napolitano."
"What is it with you two and making love in all this danger? First you and Nick, and now Emily and this girl."
"F-CK OFF," Natalie stood up and stared Jessica into sitting down, "Be happy for her! She's always wanted this, and she's found a girl she gets along with because she can't have the girl she really wanted! You got us into a world of sh-t that will take a decade of therapy to overcome. It's all your fault that we're in all this, and I'm at least now satisfied with the realization that I'd probably be getting slowly tortured and murdered while you watched otherwise. Now, I can Google some wild sh-t to try on you if you're not careful, or are you forgetting your spanking kink?"
"Sorry," Emily blushed in embarrassment for not seeing Emily and Nat's side and her hypocrisy.
"Now... does Manny... have other children?"
Manny Napolitano was 36 when Natalie was born... and her mom was 26. That explained the brevity of the marriage, but that's long enough to have a family of 6+ and have a divorce, abandon that life, and start a new one elsewhere. All Jessica knew was that their father had siblings who had various levels of involvement in his life from none to being assistants in the Napolitano mafia. She never met the grandparents or all the relations, especially the two sisters' families, and she acknowledged the possibility that "Agent Romano" could be an uncle.
However, in spite of the scary facts, between what Emily knew and what Jessica knew, such would require more b-stard children or the like, and he never mentioned any such things. Their father had never once lied to Jessica, so she suspected he wouldn't lie here either. All this was what Natalie wanted to hear, but it didn't ease the sinking feeling in her gut.
Natalie pulled her bandana off her head and ran her fingers through her hair before pausing and staring at her fingerless-glove-covered hands. These were hands that had kidnapped, assaulted, murdered, pillaged, incinerated, and beaten. She nervously played with the knot on the bandana with her hands between her legs and looked down at the floor. Natalie was so big that even with these chairs at the tallest her knees still felt as though they were in her chin, especially when she was leaning over like this.
"I don't want him back, Jess. I want you and Michael, but I don't want him. He lied to me."
She continued to play with the scarf. She crumpled it and then unknotted it. She folded it and unfolded it. It was her show of her nerves. The confident Natalie that had just laughed through a raid on a mafia hideout had given way to the uncertain Natalie that could spontaneously cry and sometimes shook with fear. The same strong leader was there though.
Jessica understood Natalie's feelings and fears. She too had doubts about their father, and she watched the nervous tic as Natalie went through it. The brown-haired giant was like any other person and had a sensitive side. With a sigh, Natalie sat up and began putting the bandana back on her head while watching Felicia gently pet Emily's head. She stood up and strutted over to the back window in an attempt to convince herself she was the same strong, bada$$, fearless Natalie and saw a familiar sight.
She went to the computer station and grabbed the radio and spoke: "We got company."
Natalie decided to take advantage of Fix-It's escape hatch, pulled down the ladder, grabbed a machine gun, and climbed up to open the hatch. The wind buffeted her as she took aim and fired at the car. Uncertain what to do, she aimed for the passengers, but the tinting made such guesses impossible. As soon as Charlie fired upon it, the car pulled in behind the van.
"Let's get these sh-theads!"
Natalie absolutely piled the bullets into the windshield and caused it to shatter. On the couch, Felicia was absolutely petrified and clutching Emily tightly. She was scared and unable to do anything to help. Fear seized Felicia as she recalled her kidnapping, and she released Emily.
She had just finished her shift and was walking out of the office with some friends when mobsters ordered her into the car while her friends watched in horror. She had been bound and gagged, and then when police came after the car the mobsters had returned fire and won the gunfight. That had started her captivity.
Those memories now resurfaced, and Felicia began crying while wondering if this is what life had come to. She had finally been rescued and by, among others, a girl she found attractive, and while commiserating with that girl she was now going to die by gunshot anyway? This was a cruel twist if there ever were one.
In a calculated risk, Natalie and and Jessica opened the back door and fired at the attackers who were firing back. Bullets whizzed by and scared both of them, and Jessica had an idea that she thought would be risky but worth the risk. With bated breath, Natalie tossed a grenade right into the car.
With a bright burst into a fireball and a shake, the car exploded and was destroyed with all its passengers. Once again, one of them had an idea that had worked. Natalie and Jessica exchanged high fives just as the van hit a bump in the road. As soon as she saw what was happening, Felicia shrieked for Frank to stop the van.
Natalie and Jessica had been tossed clear from the van and launched into the air along Interstate 90 West.
Chapter 17: Frankness
With the outfit, the Uzi, the goggles, the fingerless gloves, and the bulletproof vest, Natalie hoped she looked like the meanest girl this side of Antarctica. The smile of confidence made her seem even more of a menace, and she was absolutely ready to do this. She asked for the full scope and the numbers from a combination of the Fixernet files and Fix-It and Nick's report on casualties and captures of the morning run.
"You know what sucks?" Natalie asked Jessica as she rocked herself back and forth on a curb.
"What?"
"That a motherf-cker can make me his b-tch, but the only way I can similarly screw him back is to stick a rifle up his a$$ or down his throat," Natalie said in a dissatisfied way but then smiled, "Biology sucks. You know what's awesome though?"
"What's awesome?" Jessica asked her.
"Me and this little baby going in there and making some short little goons sh-t themselves," Natalie was ready to roll.
"Look, Nattie Cat, cool down," Fix-It warned, "Cocky usually ends up dead. What's the word now?"
"Jeff was double agent," Frank said as he put his suit on over his own personal body armor.
"A rat?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, the man was a rat. Emily and I upload his phone. P0rn was scarier than texts; sick man," Frank was completing the Italian mafioso look.
"So what's the verdict?" Fix-It needed to know.
"The poor Jeff... He killed himself last night."
That line left Nick and Fix-It cold; they looked at each other and back at Frank. This man's mind surprised even the government agent that was Fix-It, and of course Frank was a mainstay of the Napolitano-Rossi mafia that Nick had known of for a while. How could he piece these things together?
They couldn't believe that Frank would put on a nice, expensive Italian brown suit complete with a white shirt, brown shoes, and a red tie. He even had a matching fedora. Natalie was a bada$$, but Frank was a true dyed-in-the-wool mobster with the body armor and a fully automatic machine gun in his hands.
"Jessica shall stay here and guard young Emily. I see she is hurt," Frank said in his slow deliberate way.
No one challenged Frank, who seemed to have an axe to grind on this operation. He motioned for Natalie to lead, and together the team marched around the dumpster and across the street to the restaurant. After scoping the building, it appeared that there were only three exits: the two standard ones in front and one in back.
Nick and Charlie entered the front while the others entered from the rear. With only one way into the kitchen from the front, the team quickly surrounded what appeared to be 8 people: 5 mafia men, a mafia girl, a capo, and one girl who stood out as different.
"All right, folks, hands in the air, and no one gets hurt. Sorry, but the pasta sauce ain't getting made today," Natalie said as she swaggered along, "Nick, inspect them all! Frank, check the office."
Nick inspected all the people along the line and was surprised by the them all. One of the goons had all wrong time zone settings on his Luchtler. He walked over to Natalie and whispered his finding as a seemingly agitated Frank emerged from the office.
"Natalie, come here," he motioned to the dining area.
"Yeah?" Natalie followed him, "The manager is a Napolitano. He sabotaged these people so they'd be caught."
"Really?" Natalie was surprised.
"New Zealand time. Unless the rat tipped him off, he's on our team. Fix-It must radio Emily. The girl?"
"We'll get to the girl. Have Fix-It send the message. I'm going to talk to this manager myself," Natalie responded and walked back into the kitchen and into the office.
"Hello?" the man in a similar suit to Frank, but grey, talked in deep voice... he looked much like Natalie's father.
"Let's just talk. Uzi cocked, or us just sitting?" she asked in a threatening tone.
"Please, sit, Natalie Woodward," his welcoming tone shook Natalie.
"Oh, my God. You're the f-cking voice that called me and Emily," she spilled the words without thought.
"Yes, Natalie, I am. Agent Romano. I will call you when I am ready. Do what you must here," he turned and waved her away.
Natalie stepped out into the room while remembering what Jessica and Frank had said in the hotel room... and then what Frank said when he stepped out of the office. Suddenly that girl that Frank asked about became apparent. She may have had blue jeans and a black t-shirt, but no real OG employees were barefoot with a chain around their ankles. Natalie winked at Nick although something about this unnerved her; the girl was focused on Frank.
"We're taking this one! You, unchain her, now!" Natalie ordered.
"What?"
"Unchain the chew toy, or I'm going to fire a round of this up your anus!" she snarled in a terrifying tone.
"Yes, ma'am!" the frightened soul responded.
"Move it!" Frank belted out suddenly and aggressively.
"Good. Charlie, bring her to Emily, and switch places with Jess. Tell her I said to bind and gag the girl however she pleases. Don't let her protest," Natalie didn't know the story, but she wasn't taking chances.
"You! Come next!" Fix-It said to the one with the odd watch, "Out there!"
A well pointed gun sure got information out of small potatoes guys in a hurry. In short, he was just a grunt who wasn't even around long enough to do anything. Fix-It ordered the boy to leave and not tell anyone because he could find him at will.
Returning to the kitchen, this left four true mafiosos and a mafiosa. Natalie ordered that all have their wrists, ankles, and thighs ziptied, and a ball gag, three tape gags, and a cleave gag were used.
Charlie marched the girl to the van and forced her to stay quiet. Something about the girl was unnerving to Charlie. After some time, she remembered what the man before had said about sex slaves, and she realized this girl was Tony Paterno's personal r-ping toy. Nevertheless she relayed Natalie's orders.
While the girl wailed a lot, Emily didn't want to draw Natalie's anger and tied ropes around the girl's wrists, elbows, ankles, and thighs. She gagged the girl with a black ring gag and made her sit on the sofa. The entire time she was tying the girl, Emily just positively reassured the girl that it was all precautionary because Natalie was worried about this being a trap. The sight bothered both Emily and Charlie.
While Fix-It and Nick rigged the restaurant with bombs, Frank and Natalie moved the employees out to the parking lot by the dumpster area, and when Natalie returned "Agent Romano" was mysteriously missing even thought there were no other visible exits by which he could have escaped. She didn't worry about his disappearance as much as his presence. This man was adding confusion to confusion.
With this, Fix-It and Nick rigged the restaurant with bombs, and soon the establishment was lost in a "KA-BOOM!" The team walked back to the vehicles, with Fix-It, Nick, and Charlie getting in the Impreza and the other girls and Frank in the van. As the vehicles drove away and police began to arrive, the team's Cleveland phase had come to an end... Except for one thing.
"MMMMM!" the girl cried with tears pouring down her cheeks.
"No ID. No nothing. She was there just like that. Fix-It and I scraped the place before leaving," Natalie said in a tone of annoyance.
"Ask her! Duh!" Emily said condescendingly, "I can't believe you just decided to kidnap her!"
"I had to make sure she cooperated for you all just in case. Let's ask her," Natalie explained as she began to undo the gag and ropes, "Stay calm. You're safe now."
"Those mafia b-stards!" were the first words she said, "Why didn't you kill them?!"
"We got you," Emily said with one of her encouraging smiles, "How old are you?"
"25. My name is Felicia," the girl answered while staring at Emily and studying her.
"Felicia what?" Emily wanted more than that and studied the girl as well.
"Take your time," Natalie tried to keep her calm, "We're on the road."
"Felicia Catanzaro... Those monsters said something about my family, and... and," Felicia's voice cracked
"Calm," Natalie said, "You're safe with us now."
The girl was about Jessica's size, but her shoulder-length hair was an almost reddish brown. She was clearly underfed, beaten, and otherwise abused. Felicia had been kidnapped some 6 months before, and she didn't even know for sure what day of the month or week it was.
She seemed familiar in some ways and not in others. It wasn't just the last name, but the appearance. It wasn't her blue eyes or her nose... Something else seemed familiar. She seemed to be another relation, but how? Emily and Jessica both knew of no Catanzaro relations, and there was the obvious shared last name with Frank. Was she Frank's... daughter, perhaps?
Oddly, the girl never asked to be untied. In fact, she was used to it from her captivity in which was she was frequently bound and gagged, especially when they'd do so and then padlock her in the cabinet for the night after closing. It was her safe time because it was the only time she didn't have to worry about being assaulted in some form. Nevertheless, Natalie freed the girl as she found this angle of bondage to be utterly revolting as she could relate.
"Frank," Natalie climbed into the front and closed the door.
"How is she?" Frank asked in a tone of concern as he drove.
"The girl?" she wasn't sure.
"My sister," Frank responded.
"So that's the story and explains your aggression," Natalie nodded.
Jessica tried talking to Felicia, but the girl was genuinely traumatized and remained silent on that topic. Jessica offered to give her a change of clothes, but she wouldn't acknowledge anything or anyone except Emily. Finally, Natalie asked Jessica to swap places with Frank for a moment.
"Felicia," Frank said as he stepped back into the rear.
"Huh?" she sat up and scrambled to her feet as quickly she could, "Frank!"
"I finally find you!" he hugged his sister to the surprise of Emily.
"They told me you were dead! I couldn't believe it was you in there!"
Now the truth that Frank had hidden became open. Frank, now in his late 40s, was the oldest of three children, and Felicia was the youngest. Frank was born in Italy and only came here after he had finished high school. Felicia was born here, and that's why Frank's English was stilted. He, too, was on a quest to reunite his family. Brother and sister now relaxed similarly, and standing side-by-side the similarity because apparent.
After Frank returned to the front, Emily sat down with Felicia comforting the girl some more while Natalie read the documents Emily had pulled up for her concerning the girl's own kidnapping and concerning her own father. Natalie was trying to absorb the details, but basically Frank was secretly working against the Paterno-Rossi alliance and had become the one to get the Napolitano group working against them even while he himself had risen through the ranks of the crime family. When the alliance became known, they kidnapped his sister; because Frank was a marked man, Nick was using his status as a made man in good standing to help Frank hide.
Natalie turned to say something to Emily, but she just smiled and turned back to the computer. She wasn't going to interrupt the two girls when they were obviously providing each other much comfort in a time of fear and stress. Emily was sitting with Felicia across her lap, her fingers in the girl's hair. Natalie understood the feeling for sure.
"Emily, when you're done making out, I have something important to tell you."
"Huh? All right, Felicia. sorry. Let me and Nat talk," Emily pulled her lips away.
"Just incredible. Never seen two hit it off so well," Natalie smiled.
"Go f-ck yourself or Nick again!" an embarrassed Emily ripped her friend.
"I'm happy for you, you stupid guidette!" Natalie rolled her eyes at the nuisance, "Now, listen, we got this Agent Romano guy... He is the one that's been calling, and that's who we found in that last restaurant. And to make it even more frightening he looks a lot like my father!"
"A name at least, maybe a fake one, but I don't think I should be digging anything up on him. But he's the caller; good to know; I thought all your father's siblings have known whereabouts?"
"All right. Now, take a turn and sit in Felicia's lap," Natalie suggested.
"You girls are weird, but you saved my life and my family!" Felicia blushed not knowing where this adventure was heading.
It was odd how Emily found safety in bondage when ironically both had been terrorized with bondage and terrorized others with bondage as well. Natalie saw the stress relief in it, but Emily found it exciting. Both they and Jessica saw the thrill of kink, but the bondage was very bothersome to Natalie. Natalie didn't really have time to burn on this, but she understood that Emily and Jessica found it an escape the same way Natalie found an escape with Nick.
Emily was happy to switch places and asked to be tied up. It seemed ironic after the earlier discussion to be in blue and white, but she felt a special bond with her cousin in it still. Natalie used some ropes on Emily and bound her wrists, chest, crotch, ankles, and thighs. A knotted red bandana gagged the girl, who was now sitting next to a disturbed but interested Felicia.
"She likes this?" the older girl asked in a worried tone.
"I don't get it either. But, if you two are attracted to each other's personalities and looks, enjoy it," Natalie encouraged them.
"They would hurt me sometimes while I was tied up... Sometimes they'd take me to the house and 10 or more of them would...," Felicia trailed off.
"And even kissing Emily while she's tied and gagged like that is triggering you?" Natalie understood her pain in her own way, "They hurt me too. I only did it because she likes it and because we keep one person tied up in case we get stopped."
"I... She's so... Sometimes you hit it off on sight," Felicia said, "But I don't like the tying up thing."
"Go for it! I'm not judging," the guidette encouraged the new friend, "Untie her; I think she likes you too."
Natalie wanted the solitude really. She was fine with Felicia and Emily comforting each other like this right behind her. She understood that the bondage was a trigger and hoped Emily would put aside her sexuality for Felicia's good. They weren't loud lovers, and it allowed Natalie to study everything about her enemies and father. In particular, the latter.
It was comforting to know that her and Frank's stories had parallels: reunifying a broken family. But they diverged. Frank was rescuing a sister who was kidnapped in an attempt to pressure him. Natalie's enemies wanted to prevent her from ever knowing her family.
More disturbing than all this was the file on her father. Natalie was turning 21 soon, and she knew she was the one labeled as "potential daughter born..." But her dad was 57 according to this. Did he have more children than this? Were there more siblings to further break her heart and convince her that her father really was just a typical masher mafia capo?
"Jessica, come back here," Natalie said in a sad and forlorn tone.
"What's wrong? I... Oh, my," Jessica was surprised to see Emily and Felicia.
"Two things: (1) Emily and Felicia are adorable together. (2) Manny Napolitano."
"What is it with you two and making love in all this danger? First you and Nick, and now Emily and this girl."
"F-CK OFF," Natalie stood up and stared Jessica into sitting down, "Be happy for her! She's always wanted this, and she's found a girl she gets along with because she can't have the girl she really wanted! You got us into a world of sh-t that will take a decade of therapy to overcome. It's all your fault that we're in all this, and I'm at least now satisfied with the realization that I'd probably be getting slowly tortured and murdered while you watched otherwise. Now, I can Google some wild sh-t to try on you if you're not careful, or are you forgetting your spanking kink?"
"Sorry," Emily blushed in embarrassment for not seeing Emily and Nat's side and her hypocrisy.
"Now... does Manny... have other children?"
Manny Napolitano was 36 when Natalie was born... and her mom was 26. That explained the brevity of the marriage, but that's long enough to have a family of 6+ and have a divorce, abandon that life, and start a new one elsewhere. All Jessica knew was that their father had siblings who had various levels of involvement in his life from none to being assistants in the Napolitano mafia. She never met the grandparents or all the relations, especially the two sisters' families, and she acknowledged the possibility that "Agent Romano" could be an uncle.
However, in spite of the scary facts, between what Emily knew and what Jessica knew, such would require more b-stard children or the like, and he never mentioned any such things. Their father had never once lied to Jessica, so she suspected he wouldn't lie here either. All this was what Natalie wanted to hear, but it didn't ease the sinking feeling in her gut.
Natalie pulled her bandana off her head and ran her fingers through her hair before pausing and staring at her fingerless-glove-covered hands. These were hands that had kidnapped, assaulted, murdered, pillaged, incinerated, and beaten. She nervously played with the knot on the bandana with her hands between her legs and looked down at the floor. Natalie was so big that even with these chairs at the tallest her knees still felt as though they were in her chin, especially when she was leaning over like this.
"I don't want him back, Jess. I want you and Michael, but I don't want him. He lied to me."
She continued to play with the scarf. She crumpled it and then unknotted it. She folded it and unfolded it. It was her show of her nerves. The confident Natalie that had just laughed through a raid on a mafia hideout had given way to the uncertain Natalie that could spontaneously cry and sometimes shook with fear. The same strong leader was there though.
Jessica understood Natalie's feelings and fears. She too had doubts about their father, and she watched the nervous tic as Natalie went through it. The brown-haired giant was like any other person and had a sensitive side. With a sigh, Natalie sat up and began putting the bandana back on her head while watching Felicia gently pet Emily's head. She stood up and strutted over to the back window in an attempt to convince herself she was the same strong, bada$$, fearless Natalie and saw a familiar sight.
She went to the computer station and grabbed the radio and spoke: "We got company."
Natalie decided to take advantage of Fix-It's escape hatch, pulled down the ladder, grabbed a machine gun, and climbed up to open the hatch. The wind buffeted her as she took aim and fired at the car. Uncertain what to do, she aimed for the passengers, but the tinting made such guesses impossible. As soon as Charlie fired upon it, the car pulled in behind the van.
"Let's get these sh-theads!"
Natalie absolutely piled the bullets into the windshield and caused it to shatter. On the couch, Felicia was absolutely petrified and clutching Emily tightly. She was scared and unable to do anything to help. Fear seized Felicia as she recalled her kidnapping, and she released Emily.
She had just finished her shift and was walking out of the office with some friends when mobsters ordered her into the car while her friends watched in horror. She had been bound and gagged, and then when police came after the car the mobsters had returned fire and won the gunfight. That had started her captivity.
Those memories now resurfaced, and Felicia began crying while wondering if this is what life had come to. She had finally been rescued and by, among others, a girl she found attractive, and while commiserating with that girl she was now going to die by gunshot anyway? This was a cruel twist if there ever were one.
In a calculated risk, Natalie and and Jessica opened the back door and fired at the attackers who were firing back. Bullets whizzed by and scared both of them, and Jessica had an idea that she thought would be risky but worth the risk. With bated breath, Natalie tossed a grenade right into the car.
With a bright burst into a fireball and a shake, the car exploded and was destroyed with all its passengers. Once again, one of them had an idea that had worked. Natalie and Jessica exchanged high fives just as the van hit a bump in the road. As soon as she saw what was happening, Felicia shrieked for Frank to stop the van.
Natalie and Jessica had been tossed clear from the van and launched into the air along Interstate 90 West.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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Another very exciting chapter!
[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
Chapter 18: Thrice-Nabbed
It took Natalie a moment to get her bearings. Pained seared through her body as she and Jessica were now in the Sandusky River! She noticed immediately that they had landed on the embankment as the land transitioned down to the water.
"Natalie! Gimme a hand! My arm!" Jessica called out as she treaded the almost frozen water.
Natalie swam over and grabbed her sister. The elder, bigger sister took charge and kept her poise while she swam over to the edge and pulled her sister out first and then herself. The injury was severe, and Natalie knew that Jessica had a broken arm.
Natalie carried Jessica piggyback up the steep embankment even though at moments it was like rock climbing. There was no concern for anything except Jessica at this point. Natalie was worried about her sister to the extent that all other thoughts left her even as she gashed her knees and arms when she slipped on icy spots.
When she reached the top, Natalie was glad to see no mafia cars. Frank had backed up the Mercedes a little, and the Impreza was waiting too. Natalie carried Jessica back into the van and laid her on the ground. Jessica let out a groan of pain.
"Get these clothes off her. Cut them off. Her arm is busted. I have to strip too. Hey," Natalie called into the radio, "Fix-It, any blankets in here?"
Felicia had untied Emily in the meanwhile, and the girl immediately went to work doing nurse-like tasks. Once a couple small towels and a blanket were found, Emily cut Jessica's shirt off and took off her pants and dried off her body. Natalie had stripped as well and dried herself off as best as she could, but she was chilled to the bone.
"You're both mutilated!" Felicia gasped.
Both Jessica and Natalie had severe road rash like wounds covering their backs and legs. Natalie also had them on her knees and upper legs. It was no use. In desperation, Natalie called "Agent Romano" for help.
"Natalie Woodward."
"Jess and I are hurt after we got thrown down a bank into the Sandusky River. She has a broken arm," Natalie said in a sad voice.
"A medical team will meet you at the next rest area. Three miles. They will chopper in."
"Thank...," she started, but he had hung up.
At the plaza, they waited 5 minutes and were met by a chopper. All were impressed by Agent Romano's loyalty, and the team cleaned and bandaged the road rash type wounds and set Jessica's arm with perfect professionalism. One even took care of Nick's injured leg. They were caring and, when asked, even gave the girls the blankets they used for shock and hypothermia patients... and these two were close to hypothermia
Jessica didn't bothered getting dressed and just sat on the couch with her arm in a sling. Natalie put on red leggings, a grey long-sleeve t-shirt, and a navy blue bandana. The colors only resonated with Emily who sat down on the other side of Natalie on the couch. Natalie, like Jessica, was struggling to keep warm, and she welcomed Emily's hug.
Felicia went up front to be with her brother, leaving the sisters and cousin together. Something was bothering Natalie clearly, and Emily had to push a little. With a healthy dose of fear, Emily asked out of genuine concern. Natalie needed some loving repairs again.
"What's wrong?"
"I wish I were dead," Natalie never moved her head or eyes.
"Natalie," Jessica groaned, "Please, don't say that."
"Nats, cousin or not, you're my bestie," Emily added, "I... I do love you, Natalie, as a bestie, more than as family."
"You are sweet," Natalie's gaze remained fixed, "But I'm only trouble."
"You're the one keeping us all from dying, and if you died... Charlie and Jess and I would be as good as dead even if you survived."
"You," Natalie looked at Emily and put her head on her shoulder, "You are my bestie, too. Get under here."
Emily got under the blankets with her cousins, and together the trio enjoyed a well-deserved nap. It was some time later that Natalie woke up and realized that the girls on either side of her were still asleep. In the interest of playing a prank, she slowly put her hands over each girl's mouth and pulled them in towards herself with a jerk. Both awoke instantly.
"Hmph?!"
"Gotcha!" Natalie laughed and patted her sister on the shoulder, "Now, Jessica, let's get you dressed."
Natalie used all caution in helping her sister get dressed. In fact, it was a bit fun dressing up the doll that was her sister, especially with getting a shirt on her. The cast was an air cast of sorts, so it was possible to get a t-shirt over it. And the rest was easy.
In the car, serious planning was happening. Charlie, Fix-It, and Nick were not as easily dragged down by the stress of their war, and as a result they found it possible to brainstorm. They basically talked all the way to Chicago.
Charlie's main concern lay with Natalie: would something happen that would make her crack? They had seen a major emotional outburst, but that was expected from any of them. She was genuinely worried that Natalie's sanity was leaving her, that by the time this adventure was over the sweet but reclusive roommate she cherished would be a shell of herself.
Fix-It and Nick shared a different concern: health. Nick, Jessica, and Charlie had all taken bullets; Jessica had a broken arm; Natalie had been ripped to pieces trying to protect Jessica during the tumble. This was only after dealing with one city, and there were four more bases to handle. They weren't worried about Natalie's mental health as much as Jessica's and Emily's.
At this point, Natalie was a dead woman walking, so any efforts to "divide and conquer" would put all in danger. It wasn't Natalie as much as that the mobsters wanted her dead at all costs. ALL costs, even killing the others, counted. Anything to make her miserable was worthwhile.
Jessica was also in grievous danger, and at this point Fix-It concluded that, "good arm" or not, she could not be in combat except as backup. Charlie agreed, and Nick loathly did so because he felt she was the most war savvy. As a Napolitano, Jessica, too, was basically a dead woman walking as long as Riccardo Rossi was alive.
It was impossible to know for sure, but the trio had an idea that they knew could never be discussed with the Italian girls. That idea was faking someone's death. The hard part was that Natalie was distinctive. She had memorable hair; her size was apparent from afar; her breasts were obvious at a distance. If a death were faked, it would have to be Emily or Jessica... Or both of them?
Would faking Charlie's death be worth it in a brutal final showdown scenario? Would it be motive for Natalie to stay strong and succeed? Or would it be the thing that made her crumple into a heap and quit? Now wasn't the time, but when things became fierce it would likely become necessary.
And what about Felicia? They hadn't expected Frank to have a real family in this sense; all casually assumed he was an immigrant and had no family left or had left them behind in Italy. Instead, he was actually working for this moment. Did that mean his performance would slip going forward?
Jessica and Natalie's dad and brother were also out there. What if one or both them wanted to join the caravan? They were fine at the moment with 7 fighters and 1 temporary guest, but that was already making space an issue. That 9th and/or 10th person could be too much.
If someone died, how would that person's family be told? There's no easy way to explain that the child was kidnapped, forced to work as a paramilitary agent for the United States government, and died in combat. In fact, it seemed downright impossible to imagine doing that!
In the van, Felicia spilled her guts to her brother on the parts she was comfortable retelling and only gave vague obtuse comments about the rest. How do you tell your big brother that his baby sister was sexually abused by the mafia for 6 months, starved for days at a time, regularly beaten, and chained like a dog? Felicia was a broken girl and admitted as much and knew that it would take a lot of therapy before she could return to work.
"Too bad I didn't get to murder Paterno with my own fingers," was Frank's response.
Understandably, Frank was quite upset to hear these things. Being so much older, he always felt a deep responsibility for his sister's well-being especially since their parents were now in their 70s. He had failed his family, but he accepted this with the intent to do better going forward. If anything, he was a man of honor.
It was late afternoon when the team arrived in Chicago. The sun was beginning to descend, and Fix-It knew they needed supplies. Jessica felt awkward making a shopping list of "zip ties, grenades, bullets,..." and other such things, but Fix-It had all the connections they needed to make it happen. Fix-It had come through again.
It was awkward to pull into a secluded location and have supplies transferred from one vehicle to another. Felicia was horrified to see some of these items, particularly the grenades and bombs, and she wondered what kind of psychopath she had been necking with before.
At the same time Natalie, Emily, and Nick handled the gathering of the "groceries" that were wanted and not provided by the weapons supplier. A few items were by necessity, some had mixed purposes, and others were by desire. Natalie's impulsive anger was matched by impulsive shopping as she saw bought her sister a winter hat, a new scarf for Emily, yet another long-sleeve t-shirt for herself, and winter pajamas, a coat, a pair of sweat suits, sneakers, and socks for Felicia. Emily didn't stop Natalie at all and even helped her choose the colors and such.
Felicia almost cried when she saw the girl's generosity. She had gone without for so long without such things that she had forgotten what it was like. Her bare feet were calloused from having nothing beneath for at least 4 months. It was good to be with people she could trust again.
Once again, the girls were greeted by the strange phenomenon of having hotel and meal preparations made for them by Agent Romano. The room arranged was perfect with the girls being able to share one room and the men another. It was all unnerving, and Emily received a phone call from him again.
"Enjoy dinner on Uncle Sam's dime; you deserve it. Take the OG tonight; see Manny tomorrow."
"But...," Emily couldn't respond once again.
After dinner, Natalie and Jessica took a casual walk to the van. Fix-It felt safe here precisely because it was Chicago. No one alive would expect them here, and for once the Woodward Mafia felt comfortable relaxing without letting their guard down. Inside the soundproof van, some zipties found their way all over Natalie's body, and a big ball gag found her mouth. Somehow, her pants fell off, and Jessica accidentally smacked her bottom 20 times.
Natalie couldn't deny her kinky love of spanking and being spanked, but if she wanted that she had to accept Jessica's desire to do it with bondage. She had found a safe place in the midst of so much chaos, and as darkness enveloped the Windy City, the sisters made their way back to the hotel room. They laughed about it even and agreed that it was something that proved they were sisters.
Once they were back, however, it was back to business. They had a Windy City OG to take out and had to do it soon. It seemed wrong to harm their own allies, but it was necessary. Frank had made the arrangements necessary with Manny, and all was set for another attack.
Felicia was going to stay in the van with Emily, and Jessica was going to be on standby. Unit 1 of Natalie, Nick, and Fix-It was going to enter through the front; Unit 2 of Frank and Charlie would enter the back. Natalie kept her clothes but donned her black gaiter for this next mission.
This one was going to be a difficult strike. For the first time, they would have to attack a restaurant while it was technically open even if it was closed to customers. Pulling their gaiters over their faces, Unit 1 made their entrance.
"All right, get down!" Natalie yelled, "All you mooks just keep your hands where I can see them!"
It was a simple sweep really. Many of the employees here were clueless and just obeyed when they were ordered to move out; it seemed many were merely employees and not mobsters. They were allowed to take their things and leave in the knowledge that they were allies. Others were tied up and carried outside as those who were willing to face time for their deeds. Both groups were voluntary. As bombs were planted all over, it all seemed smooth until the sound of a siren arrived.
This wasn't supposed to happen! How had this occurred when police were supposed to be on their side? With only Napolitano trusted employees in this restaurant, someone was either a rat, the police had been bought off, or someone called their bluff. Regardless, the team had to evacuate the scene, and the sounds of explosions rang out as they ran. The captive mobsters would be taken care of by the police.
As Natalie and the others ran back to the van, one of the officers seemed to target Natalie in particular, shooting at her lower right leg successfully. With a shriek, Natalie fell, and she was grabbed by the officer. Instantly, she knew something was wrong: he was a mafia goon. Natalie was dragged into a fake police car and found herself being handcuffed. Before the gaiter was pulled up to block her vision and a ball gag was jammed in her mouth, she recognized that heartless face from Boston, the face of Riccardo Rossi.
Natalie was dumbfounded for things to work out this way. After so many successes, a simple restaurant explosion going awry had ended her life, or so Natalie figured. She started to silently weep as she thought about her sister and friends about whom she cared so deeply. The handcuffs guaranteed she wouldn't escape this one.
"They got Natalie!" a teary-eyed Nick said as he entered the van, "Frank, Charlie, and Fix-It are going to shadow in the Impreza. Fix-It has the world at his disposal."
"Nick, are you?" Jessica asked him in surprise.
"Yes, I like that spunky b-tch. She's a good leader and a good person. We have to meet your dad," Nick said and fired up the Mercedes-Benz.
Emily sat on the sofa and started sobbing. This wasn't just crying but genuine sobbing complete with sound effects. Jessica sat down with her and tried to calm her down, but soon she was sobbing too. In minutes, all three girls were trying to process what would happen to them if... if Natalie died.
Fix-It followed with brilliance and showed his true spy side in this as he managed to keep the mobsters in sight without being scene. He quickly deduced that the pseudo-cruiser was heading for an airport. When they arrived at an airfield indeed, the car suddenly took off speeding.
Fix-It wasn't ready for this trick, and his attempts to follow were in vain. The small aircraft, already prepared for a quick takeoff including engines running, was rapidly loaded with its three passengers, and the plane began taking off before the doors were even shut.
"God damn it!" Fix-It yelled out as he watched the plane fly away for Philadelphia or New York.
"Natalie! Not you! No!" Charlie yelled in frustration and pain, but she didn't cry to keep her focus.
The trio began to make its way back towards the van, but Fix-It had a new plan form in his mind. They needed to "divide and conquer" in a way despite the dangers. Fix-It could handle traveling to Buffalo and cleaning up there with only a single helper. They'd bomb places as needed and take Michael Napolitano with them to meet the van team.
This plan was accepted by all: Fix-It and Charlie would go to Buffalo and do what little was needed there. The rest would head to Philadelphia. At minimum, they would leave Riccardo Rossi with only New York to hide.
Fix-It wanted Charlie to prove herself. While she didn't know it, this was going to be her test. Her results would determine if Fix-It wanted to chase after her and which one of them would be changing careers to make it work. It was now a matter of driving all night at this point.
The van stopped at the hotel to get the supplies and then left again. Nick and Frank were going to take turns driving. Jessica sat at the computer studying all she could while Emily and Felicia "slept" on the futon. At first, Jessica didn't mind the two girls using each other as an emotional escape, but she snapped.
"Stop it, you two! I need to f-cking think! My sister is about to be execution-style murdered, and you two are casually screwing?! You heartless b-stards!" Jessica completely lashed out.
"Sorry. Jess, we---," Emily started to apologize and was interrupted.
"If Natalie dies, I'll die too!"
At this point, Jessica got in Emily's face. Her eyes were wide, and her face was red. Her entire body shook in her anger and distress. Neither girl blinked, but a tear formed in the corner of Emily's eye; the girl with the blue bandana allowed her calmness to conquer her fear for a change and merely said.
"Jessica, I'm sorry this has happened. You feel responsible for all this, but you had no choice."
"You two... please, just be quieter... I'm sorry I snapped," Jessica turned the chair back and put her forehead upon the desk, "I know you two are distracting each other from the stress."
Emily turned to Felicia and sighed. How could she have picked on Natalie for cheap lust when she herself was engaging in cheap lust now? Instead, she and Felicia sat comforting each other and talking by typing on Emily's phone. They slowly got to better appreciate each other's feelings and accept that this was lust due to stress and not a magical relationship. It was better to be helpful to each other, though.
Jessica worked away while they talked in their silent way. Their reduced noise allowed Jessica to concentrate as she taught herself how to use the Fixernet. She studied the details of the Philadelphia and New York facilities and was amazed how much information there was. She also realized she had forgotten someone in all this: her father.
It was as if she had a psychic connection as her phone immediately began to ring. She answered and heard her father's voice. He quickly explained that he had destroyed the Chicago facility without their help and that he was willing to help in any way he could. Then Jessica broke his heart.
"Rossi... and his goons... they got Natalie," Jessica explained from her pain.
Natalie was on a plane to Philadelphia while cuffed and gagged. No one spoke to her on the flight, and the gaiter blindfold ensured she saw nothing either. The cuffs held firm, and her ankles had shackles affixed to them with the chain wrapped around the chair. Pain seared through her body from the bullet in her leg.
It was the most disquieting quiet. Little was said, and that meant the only sound was that of the plane. High up in the air, anything could be done to her, but gangsters want answers. Natalie was already plotting her escape and what she would do if she had the chance. Every scenario played out in her head.
As the plane touched down, Natalie found herself bound with something new: speaker wire. The cruel material bound her wrists, forearms, elbows, breasts, waist and crotch, ankles, shins, knees, lower thighs, mid thighs, and upper thighs. She was also hogtied from ankles to elbows quite tightly.
All motion was ceased now. She could only cry out into the gag, but she never did so until the trunk lid closed. That would give them the satisfaction of hurting her, and Natalie was indeed hurt. The speaker wire actually made for a genuinely painful crotch rope. What a far cry this was from the playful bondage spanking she had received just a few hours prior.
The car ride seemed to be an eternity, and at the end of it Natalie found herself being carried into one of those familiar feelings: a prison house. She was brought down stairs into a cell and was placed into a zip tie spreadeagle on the bed. The gag was removed only long enough for the goon to pull Natalie's gaiter down before the hard silicone was jammed back into her mouth.
The nightmare was only beginning.
Chapter 18: Thrice-Nabbed
It took Natalie a moment to get her bearings. Pained seared through her body as she and Jessica were now in the Sandusky River! She noticed immediately that they had landed on the embankment as the land transitioned down to the water.
"Natalie! Gimme a hand! My arm!" Jessica called out as she treaded the almost frozen water.
Natalie swam over and grabbed her sister. The elder, bigger sister took charge and kept her poise while she swam over to the edge and pulled her sister out first and then herself. The injury was severe, and Natalie knew that Jessica had a broken arm.
Natalie carried Jessica piggyback up the steep embankment even though at moments it was like rock climbing. There was no concern for anything except Jessica at this point. Natalie was worried about her sister to the extent that all other thoughts left her even as she gashed her knees and arms when she slipped on icy spots.
When she reached the top, Natalie was glad to see no mafia cars. Frank had backed up the Mercedes a little, and the Impreza was waiting too. Natalie carried Jessica back into the van and laid her on the ground. Jessica let out a groan of pain.
"Get these clothes off her. Cut them off. Her arm is busted. I have to strip too. Hey," Natalie called into the radio, "Fix-It, any blankets in here?"
Felicia had untied Emily in the meanwhile, and the girl immediately went to work doing nurse-like tasks. Once a couple small towels and a blanket were found, Emily cut Jessica's shirt off and took off her pants and dried off her body. Natalie had stripped as well and dried herself off as best as she could, but she was chilled to the bone.
"You're both mutilated!" Felicia gasped.
Both Jessica and Natalie had severe road rash like wounds covering their backs and legs. Natalie also had them on her knees and upper legs. It was no use. In desperation, Natalie called "Agent Romano" for help.
"Natalie Woodward."
"Jess and I are hurt after we got thrown down a bank into the Sandusky River. She has a broken arm," Natalie said in a sad voice.
"A medical team will meet you at the next rest area. Three miles. They will chopper in."
"Thank...," she started, but he had hung up.
At the plaza, they waited 5 minutes and were met by a chopper. All were impressed by Agent Romano's loyalty, and the team cleaned and bandaged the road rash type wounds and set Jessica's arm with perfect professionalism. One even took care of Nick's injured leg. They were caring and, when asked, even gave the girls the blankets they used for shock and hypothermia patients... and these two were close to hypothermia
Jessica didn't bothered getting dressed and just sat on the couch with her arm in a sling. Natalie put on red leggings, a grey long-sleeve t-shirt, and a navy blue bandana. The colors only resonated with Emily who sat down on the other side of Natalie on the couch. Natalie, like Jessica, was struggling to keep warm, and she welcomed Emily's hug.
Felicia went up front to be with her brother, leaving the sisters and cousin together. Something was bothering Natalie clearly, and Emily had to push a little. With a healthy dose of fear, Emily asked out of genuine concern. Natalie needed some loving repairs again.
"What's wrong?"
"I wish I were dead," Natalie never moved her head or eyes.
"Natalie," Jessica groaned, "Please, don't say that."
"Nats, cousin or not, you're my bestie," Emily added, "I... I do love you, Natalie, as a bestie, more than as family."
"You are sweet," Natalie's gaze remained fixed, "But I'm only trouble."
"You're the one keeping us all from dying, and if you died... Charlie and Jess and I would be as good as dead even if you survived."
"You," Natalie looked at Emily and put her head on her shoulder, "You are my bestie, too. Get under here."
Emily got under the blankets with her cousins, and together the trio enjoyed a well-deserved nap. It was some time later that Natalie woke up and realized that the girls on either side of her were still asleep. In the interest of playing a prank, she slowly put her hands over each girl's mouth and pulled them in towards herself with a jerk. Both awoke instantly.
"Hmph?!"
"Gotcha!" Natalie laughed and patted her sister on the shoulder, "Now, Jessica, let's get you dressed."
Natalie used all caution in helping her sister get dressed. In fact, it was a bit fun dressing up the doll that was her sister, especially with getting a shirt on her. The cast was an air cast of sorts, so it was possible to get a t-shirt over it. And the rest was easy.
In the car, serious planning was happening. Charlie, Fix-It, and Nick were not as easily dragged down by the stress of their war, and as a result they found it possible to brainstorm. They basically talked all the way to Chicago.
Charlie's main concern lay with Natalie: would something happen that would make her crack? They had seen a major emotional outburst, but that was expected from any of them. She was genuinely worried that Natalie's sanity was leaving her, that by the time this adventure was over the sweet but reclusive roommate she cherished would be a shell of herself.
Fix-It and Nick shared a different concern: health. Nick, Jessica, and Charlie had all taken bullets; Jessica had a broken arm; Natalie had been ripped to pieces trying to protect Jessica during the tumble. This was only after dealing with one city, and there were four more bases to handle. They weren't worried about Natalie's mental health as much as Jessica's and Emily's.
At this point, Natalie was a dead woman walking, so any efforts to "divide and conquer" would put all in danger. It wasn't Natalie as much as that the mobsters wanted her dead at all costs. ALL costs, even killing the others, counted. Anything to make her miserable was worthwhile.
Jessica was also in grievous danger, and at this point Fix-It concluded that, "good arm" or not, she could not be in combat except as backup. Charlie agreed, and Nick loathly did so because he felt she was the most war savvy. As a Napolitano, Jessica, too, was basically a dead woman walking as long as Riccardo Rossi was alive.
It was impossible to know for sure, but the trio had an idea that they knew could never be discussed with the Italian girls. That idea was faking someone's death. The hard part was that Natalie was distinctive. She had memorable hair; her size was apparent from afar; her breasts were obvious at a distance. If a death were faked, it would have to be Emily or Jessica... Or both of them?
Would faking Charlie's death be worth it in a brutal final showdown scenario? Would it be motive for Natalie to stay strong and succeed? Or would it be the thing that made her crumple into a heap and quit? Now wasn't the time, but when things became fierce it would likely become necessary.
And what about Felicia? They hadn't expected Frank to have a real family in this sense; all casually assumed he was an immigrant and had no family left or had left them behind in Italy. Instead, he was actually working for this moment. Did that mean his performance would slip going forward?
Jessica and Natalie's dad and brother were also out there. What if one or both them wanted to join the caravan? They were fine at the moment with 7 fighters and 1 temporary guest, but that was already making space an issue. That 9th and/or 10th person could be too much.
If someone died, how would that person's family be told? There's no easy way to explain that the child was kidnapped, forced to work as a paramilitary agent for the United States government, and died in combat. In fact, it seemed downright impossible to imagine doing that!
In the van, Felicia spilled her guts to her brother on the parts she was comfortable retelling and only gave vague obtuse comments about the rest. How do you tell your big brother that his baby sister was sexually abused by the mafia for 6 months, starved for days at a time, regularly beaten, and chained like a dog? Felicia was a broken girl and admitted as much and knew that it would take a lot of therapy before she could return to work.
"Too bad I didn't get to murder Paterno with my own fingers," was Frank's response.
Understandably, Frank was quite upset to hear these things. Being so much older, he always felt a deep responsibility for his sister's well-being especially since their parents were now in their 70s. He had failed his family, but he accepted this with the intent to do better going forward. If anything, he was a man of honor.
It was late afternoon when the team arrived in Chicago. The sun was beginning to descend, and Fix-It knew they needed supplies. Jessica felt awkward making a shopping list of "zip ties, grenades, bullets,..." and other such things, but Fix-It had all the connections they needed to make it happen. Fix-It had come through again.
It was awkward to pull into a secluded location and have supplies transferred from one vehicle to another. Felicia was horrified to see some of these items, particularly the grenades and bombs, and she wondered what kind of psychopath she had been necking with before.
At the same time Natalie, Emily, and Nick handled the gathering of the "groceries" that were wanted and not provided by the weapons supplier. A few items were by necessity, some had mixed purposes, and others were by desire. Natalie's impulsive anger was matched by impulsive shopping as she saw bought her sister a winter hat, a new scarf for Emily, yet another long-sleeve t-shirt for herself, and winter pajamas, a coat, a pair of sweat suits, sneakers, and socks for Felicia. Emily didn't stop Natalie at all and even helped her choose the colors and such.
Felicia almost cried when she saw the girl's generosity. She had gone without for so long without such things that she had forgotten what it was like. Her bare feet were calloused from having nothing beneath for at least 4 months. It was good to be with people she could trust again.
Once again, the girls were greeted by the strange phenomenon of having hotel and meal preparations made for them by Agent Romano. The room arranged was perfect with the girls being able to share one room and the men another. It was all unnerving, and Emily received a phone call from him again.
"Enjoy dinner on Uncle Sam's dime; you deserve it. Take the OG tonight; see Manny tomorrow."
"But...," Emily couldn't respond once again.
After dinner, Natalie and Jessica took a casual walk to the van. Fix-It felt safe here precisely because it was Chicago. No one alive would expect them here, and for once the Woodward Mafia felt comfortable relaxing without letting their guard down. Inside the soundproof van, some zipties found their way all over Natalie's body, and a big ball gag found her mouth. Somehow, her pants fell off, and Jessica accidentally smacked her bottom 20 times.
Natalie couldn't deny her kinky love of spanking and being spanked, but if she wanted that she had to accept Jessica's desire to do it with bondage. She had found a safe place in the midst of so much chaos, and as darkness enveloped the Windy City, the sisters made their way back to the hotel room. They laughed about it even and agreed that it was something that proved they were sisters.
Once they were back, however, it was back to business. They had a Windy City OG to take out and had to do it soon. It seemed wrong to harm their own allies, but it was necessary. Frank had made the arrangements necessary with Manny, and all was set for another attack.
Felicia was going to stay in the van with Emily, and Jessica was going to be on standby. Unit 1 of Natalie, Nick, and Fix-It was going to enter through the front; Unit 2 of Frank and Charlie would enter the back. Natalie kept her clothes but donned her black gaiter for this next mission.
This one was going to be a difficult strike. For the first time, they would have to attack a restaurant while it was technically open even if it was closed to customers. Pulling their gaiters over their faces, Unit 1 made their entrance.
"All right, get down!" Natalie yelled, "All you mooks just keep your hands where I can see them!"
It was a simple sweep really. Many of the employees here were clueless and just obeyed when they were ordered to move out; it seemed many were merely employees and not mobsters. They were allowed to take their things and leave in the knowledge that they were allies. Others were tied up and carried outside as those who were willing to face time for their deeds. Both groups were voluntary. As bombs were planted all over, it all seemed smooth until the sound of a siren arrived.
This wasn't supposed to happen! How had this occurred when police were supposed to be on their side? With only Napolitano trusted employees in this restaurant, someone was either a rat, the police had been bought off, or someone called their bluff. Regardless, the team had to evacuate the scene, and the sounds of explosions rang out as they ran. The captive mobsters would be taken care of by the police.
As Natalie and the others ran back to the van, one of the officers seemed to target Natalie in particular, shooting at her lower right leg successfully. With a shriek, Natalie fell, and she was grabbed by the officer. Instantly, she knew something was wrong: he was a mafia goon. Natalie was dragged into a fake police car and found herself being handcuffed. Before the gaiter was pulled up to block her vision and a ball gag was jammed in her mouth, she recognized that heartless face from Boston, the face of Riccardo Rossi.
Natalie was dumbfounded for things to work out this way. After so many successes, a simple restaurant explosion going awry had ended her life, or so Natalie figured. She started to silently weep as she thought about her sister and friends about whom she cared so deeply. The handcuffs guaranteed she wouldn't escape this one.
"They got Natalie!" a teary-eyed Nick said as he entered the van, "Frank, Charlie, and Fix-It are going to shadow in the Impreza. Fix-It has the world at his disposal."
"Nick, are you?" Jessica asked him in surprise.
"Yes, I like that spunky b-tch. She's a good leader and a good person. We have to meet your dad," Nick said and fired up the Mercedes-Benz.
Emily sat on the sofa and started sobbing. This wasn't just crying but genuine sobbing complete with sound effects. Jessica sat down with her and tried to calm her down, but soon she was sobbing too. In minutes, all three girls were trying to process what would happen to them if... if Natalie died.
Fix-It followed with brilliance and showed his true spy side in this as he managed to keep the mobsters in sight without being scene. He quickly deduced that the pseudo-cruiser was heading for an airport. When they arrived at an airfield indeed, the car suddenly took off speeding.
Fix-It wasn't ready for this trick, and his attempts to follow were in vain. The small aircraft, already prepared for a quick takeoff including engines running, was rapidly loaded with its three passengers, and the plane began taking off before the doors were even shut.
"God damn it!" Fix-It yelled out as he watched the plane fly away for Philadelphia or New York.
"Natalie! Not you! No!" Charlie yelled in frustration and pain, but she didn't cry to keep her focus.
The trio began to make its way back towards the van, but Fix-It had a new plan form in his mind. They needed to "divide and conquer" in a way despite the dangers. Fix-It could handle traveling to Buffalo and cleaning up there with only a single helper. They'd bomb places as needed and take Michael Napolitano with them to meet the van team.
This plan was accepted by all: Fix-It and Charlie would go to Buffalo and do what little was needed there. The rest would head to Philadelphia. At minimum, they would leave Riccardo Rossi with only New York to hide.
Fix-It wanted Charlie to prove herself. While she didn't know it, this was going to be her test. Her results would determine if Fix-It wanted to chase after her and which one of them would be changing careers to make it work. It was now a matter of driving all night at this point.
The van stopped at the hotel to get the supplies and then left again. Nick and Frank were going to take turns driving. Jessica sat at the computer studying all she could while Emily and Felicia "slept" on the futon. At first, Jessica didn't mind the two girls using each other as an emotional escape, but she snapped.
"Stop it, you two! I need to f-cking think! My sister is about to be execution-style murdered, and you two are casually screwing?! You heartless b-stards!" Jessica completely lashed out.
"Sorry. Jess, we---," Emily started to apologize and was interrupted.
"If Natalie dies, I'll die too!"
At this point, Jessica got in Emily's face. Her eyes were wide, and her face was red. Her entire body shook in her anger and distress. Neither girl blinked, but a tear formed in the corner of Emily's eye; the girl with the blue bandana allowed her calmness to conquer her fear for a change and merely said.
"Jessica, I'm sorry this has happened. You feel responsible for all this, but you had no choice."
"You two... please, just be quieter... I'm sorry I snapped," Jessica turned the chair back and put her forehead upon the desk, "I know you two are distracting each other from the stress."
Emily turned to Felicia and sighed. How could she have picked on Natalie for cheap lust when she herself was engaging in cheap lust now? Instead, she and Felicia sat comforting each other and talking by typing on Emily's phone. They slowly got to better appreciate each other's feelings and accept that this was lust due to stress and not a magical relationship. It was better to be helpful to each other, though.
Jessica worked away while they talked in their silent way. Their reduced noise allowed Jessica to concentrate as she taught herself how to use the Fixernet. She studied the details of the Philadelphia and New York facilities and was amazed how much information there was. She also realized she had forgotten someone in all this: her father.
It was as if she had a psychic connection as her phone immediately began to ring. She answered and heard her father's voice. He quickly explained that he had destroyed the Chicago facility without their help and that he was willing to help in any way he could. Then Jessica broke his heart.
"Rossi... and his goons... they got Natalie," Jessica explained from her pain.
Natalie was on a plane to Philadelphia while cuffed and gagged. No one spoke to her on the flight, and the gaiter blindfold ensured she saw nothing either. The cuffs held firm, and her ankles had shackles affixed to them with the chain wrapped around the chair. Pain seared through her body from the bullet in her leg.
It was the most disquieting quiet. Little was said, and that meant the only sound was that of the plane. High up in the air, anything could be done to her, but gangsters want answers. Natalie was already plotting her escape and what she would do if she had the chance. Every scenario played out in her head.
As the plane touched down, Natalie found herself bound with something new: speaker wire. The cruel material bound her wrists, forearms, elbows, breasts, waist and crotch, ankles, shins, knees, lower thighs, mid thighs, and upper thighs. She was also hogtied from ankles to elbows quite tightly.
All motion was ceased now. She could only cry out into the gag, but she never did so until the trunk lid closed. That would give them the satisfaction of hurting her, and Natalie was indeed hurt. The speaker wire actually made for a genuinely painful crotch rope. What a far cry this was from the playful bondage spanking she had received just a few hours prior.
The car ride seemed to be an eternity, and at the end of it Natalie found herself being carried into one of those familiar feelings: a prison house. She was brought down stairs into a cell and was placed into a zip tie spreadeagle on the bed. The gag was removed only long enough for the goon to pull Natalie's gaiter down before the hard silicone was jammed back into her mouth.
The nightmare was only beginning.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
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[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
Chapter 19: Tortured
"Natalie Woodward," a familiar voice spoke, and a man in a dark suit walked into the cell.
"Oor a other ucker!" Natalie growled at Riccardo Rossi.
"STOP!" he slapped her across the face.
"EEE!" she shrieked in pain.
Natalie had never encountered such a ruthless monster before in her life. She stared right in his eyes as the guard switched the lights on. He wrapped a black bandana around her throat, made a single knot, and tightened it just enough to make breathing difficult. With the coldness of asp, he hissed into her face a threat.
"Talk, or I choke you. Who are you working for?"
"F-CK OFF!" she responded again.
Natalie knew it was better to die than to betray her family and friends. As the scarf squeezed down, she felt her airway cut off and that dreaded sensation of her body being starved for oxygen. She was hoping she had correctly called this maniac's bluff.
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"Natalie, are you ready?" her mother called out.
"I am!"
A six-year old Natalie came skipping out of her bedroom. This was her "Rapunzel" phase where she always dressed like a princess and would run away screaming if her mother suggested a hair cut. Life was getting better.
The family was on their way to visit her mother's friend, Mrs. Napolitano, and her husband and children. Jessica and Michael weren't the only friends Natalie had, but they were a lot of fun especially because Jessica liked the same Disney characters. Both had their own long hair and frilly dresses that they wore any chance they could get as both were in a Disney phase.
It was so much fun to be with both of them, but Natalie had no clue. Jessica and Michael didn't know either. How innocent they were in those days. Innocence long gone...
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"GUH!" Natalie grunted as the grip around her neck loosened.
"Who is tipping you off on how to get my people?!" the madman demanded and slapped her on the other cheek.
"EELLLLLLLLPPPPP!" she cried out while she tried to fill her lungs with oxygen.
"You're guaranteeing yourself a slow death."
"En I eh ou of thith, I ill endoy illing ooh!" she threatened him with that fire in her eyes.
That made him shiver in his suit. Here he was in full control, and she was talking about when she kills him. She was helpless! What kind of confidence was this. Her eyes burned with a passionate hatred, yet her poise was unbreaking. In fear, Rossi took the bandana and blindfolded her with it instead.
He began shaking Natalie against the bed instead. Even when her head slammed off the metal bar of the cot's frame, sending pain surging through her body, Natalie was unwavering in her strength. Even if they hadn't gotten to enjoy being "family," Natalie loved Jessica and Emily and couldn't do anything to endanger them. Her friends and colleagues who had been by her side the entire way were too precious a part of her to just simply betray.
When all else failed, Rossi resolved to steal her self-worth. Natalie held firm though. Both were fighting for their lives, and both were determined to win. Natalie had bravery, though, and she hoped she still could look the world in the face when this was done.
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"I guess this is goodbye?" Natalie said to Jessica with a hug.
"Maybe you can write me still?" her 9-year old friend responded positively.
"I hope so. I know your address!"
"I'll see you again someday, I just know it!" Jessica's smile made Natalie smile.
The girls waved goodbye. Tomorrow, Natalie, her mom, and her step-father would be moving to Idaho. Mom had a job opportunity there, and her step-father found employment as well. Her mother didn't hate winter, but she hated Buffalo despite being a native. Natalie's life had been so good since her mom married Mr. Robinson! He loved Natalie like his own and tried his best to be a good father.
Natalie was going to miss Buffalo and her friends, but she knew she'd make new friends too. It was merely the beginning of a new phase. None of them knew that Jessica's words would come true someday.
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What kind of idiot was this guy? Goonies being goonies was one thing, but did he really think that he would get anywhere in this way? Through it, Natalie refused to reveal her emotions. Inwardly, she was dying and spitting with hatred. This was stealing her humanity in the most debased way imaginable. How dare he do that to her!! Natalie was focused on one thing though: the thought of killing this monster.
"I'LL UCKING ILL OOH!" she snapped and shrieked as she felt his dastardly completion of the deed, "I'll cuh -our ock off an -am ih own -our throa!"
"We'll see...," he gave Natalie's breasts each a hard squeeze and then slapped both her cheeks again before going.
"Netht ime ooh thee ee ith e-ore ooh ie!" she threatened him as he departed.
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"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Natalie, now 13, snapped.
"Beanpole!" the boy responded.
At 5'6", Natalie was the tallest girl in her glass, and the only person taller than her was a boy. They were both scrawny and tall and tortured for it. This time was going to be the last time she got called a beanpole in Junior High. Natalie walked up to the laughing adolescent while half the class laughed at her and decked him on his right cheek.
"Who wants to be next?!" Natalie demanded of her classmates.
Natalie soon was sitting in the principal's office waiting for one of her parents to come and retrieve her. Natalie had been suspended for the next three days for her offense, although the principal was understanding of her emotions. Of course, her mother was upset with Natalie's behavior, and the teenager was grounded for the duration of the suspension, including having her phone taken away. Natalie went to her room and started crying. She wasn't crying because she had been suspended or punished but because she had upset her mother. Around supper time, a still teary-eyed girl gave her mother a hug and apologized.
That day was when two changes began in Natalie's life. First, she began exercising to better protect herself, and second she joined the girl's basketball team to give herself an emotional escape for when she was frustrated. Natalie wanted nothing more than to be make her mother proud.
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Natalie wanted to cry. She really wanted to cry. How many more men were going to violate her before this was all said and done? It was absolutely dehumanizing what she had just experienced. She lay in the cell, bound, gagged, and blindfolded, and contemplated her fate, or Rossi's fate. As pathetic as it felt, Natalie just wanted to hug her mother and tell her how much she loved her.
There was this splitting headache from when her head smashed the rail, and Natalie could feel the sticky blood between her hair and bandana. Her abdomen ached from the attack. Her face was sore from being slapped so much. Her arms were bruised from being grabbed to shake her, and her leg was searing in pain from the bullet.
She took stock of her situation and knew she had to get out of here. She concentrated and focused her attention on the zipties. She thought carefully about all the people she loved and then... POW! Her left hand was free. Natalie pulled the blindfold down to her neck and felt around. Riccardo Rossi was a dumb gangster to leave her with her knife twice!
Natalie cut the zipties, stood up, and put her panties and leggings back on. It was time to bust out of here and make these gangsters pay. She had no clue what city this was, but it would be a wasteland when she was done with it.
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"BOOM!" 17 year-old Natalie yelled as she posterized a girl much shorter than her and then helped the girl off the floor.
Natalie was a good sportsman. She'd knock them over for a layup and always help them up if she could. She wasn't a star, but she was good enough that the small colleges of the Pacific Northwest all wanted her to play for them. Natalie didn't know what she wanted from life though. Now 6'1", Natalie was indisputably the tallest girl in the school, and she was known as the "Gentle Giant" among her friends and classmates.
Natalie enjoyed the fact that her boyfriend, Bryce, was shorter than her even though he was 5'11" himself. She loved crouching down to kiss him, and little did they know that she'd grow two more inches by graduation! She had him and her family and didn't need much more. Natalie's life seemed perfect.
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I'm the bada$$ girl, Natalie thought to herself, You're dead men.
Natalie made sure her pants were all in line as she liked and retied her boots. Her pants were stained from the bleeding from being shot there, and she forced herself to ignore the pain. She adjusted her sleeves to make they were smooth, and her fingerless gloves were still like new. She took off her bandana, let her hair down, and retied the scarf as a kerchief with the knot under her hair. Lastly, she pulled her gaiter back up over her face.
She was a woman with all the marks of femininity, but she was just as dangerous, no more dangerous, than anyone else in this building. Natalie Woodward was going to kick a$$ or die trying.
With this, Natalie turned off the light in the cell. That would get the guard's attention. She crouched down and considered the odds that she, with a knife, could take on an entire mafia and win. As the guard stared into the cell, Natalie stayed around the side and waited for him to open the door.
As soon as the door was open, Natalie grabbed the man and put the blade before him.
"Talk, and you die," she whispered into his ear, "You will lie down on the bed or else!"
Natalie wasn't going to fuss. She recycled the same gag that had gagged her and used some of the vicious wire that had bound her to tie the man spreadeagle on the bed. She took his gun and his bullets and walked out of the cell into the hallway. There were usually more guards than this, and Natalie knew she couldn't risk an outright war zone.
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"Emily, you liking the OG?" Natalie asked.
"I am. I heard you were asking about a roomie?"
"College dropout extraordinaire me! Sure am! Me and Charlie been rooming for a year and would like to lessen the bill," Natalie explained.
"All right! We can do this!" Emily said in her typical manner.
Natalie blushed a little. She could tell Emily was sexually attracted to her. Natalie didn't like girls in that sense, but her better nature didn't want to disappoint if her friend brought it up either. They'd been hanging out together for a few weeks already, and now Emily was interested in helping split the bill. It was odd when, a few weeks later, that attraction seemed to cool, but Natalie didn't see anything in it and was glad to just be friends instead of a love interest.
They were great roommates. Natalie and Charlie were already great friends, and Emily was the perfect complement. A fantastic trio was made even if they weren't even old enough to drink; instead they went to malls and such and window shopped. They loved to try on clothes and fantasize, and sometimes their friend Jessica would join them if she could escape hubby, who was a graduate student at Boise State.
Natalie's friends were amazing and like a second family. She was always eager to tell her mother about their escapades, and mother always listened with pleasure. Natalie was growing into a fine young woman.
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Natalie just casually looked up the stairs to get a response from the guard, but his back was turned at the moment. Spying a chunk of dislodged concrete in the corner, Natalie picked up it. With the tongue motion of a mischievous child, she aimed and heaved the block up the stairs. It didn't knock him out, but it was enough to make him fall down the stairs and possibly to his demise.
"What's going on? LARRY!" a goon came down the stairs to check on his comrade.
WHAM, Natalie punched him out cold.
Natalie checked both for more weapons and supplies and was pleased that the guard on the stairs had a well-stocked machine gun. As dark as it sounded, these weapons were as fun as they seemed in her video games. She dragged the two into the cell and bound their wrists and ankles with wire and hogtied them with their belts. She gagged them with pillowcases from the two beds in the cell.
At that moment, a shiver went down Natalie's spine at the thought of what had happened to her on that one bed, and she kicked one of her captives in the thigh hard enough to break his bones. She let out a quiet swear of some sort and exited the cell and, now armed with the keys, locked the door. It was time to face the upstairs with her hopefully-trusty machine gun.
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"Bryce, your test is on Tuesday. You have all weekend to study," Natalie whined while she sat in her apartment.
"Natalie, please stop pestering me. I came here to escape my roommates as it is," he groaned.
"Well, you're with me instead. Pleassseeee... I just want to cuddle with you after a nasty lunchtime of waiting on tables," Natalie whined even more.
"Go the f-ck away," he snapped.
"You're going to have to tie me up then," Natalie lay down on the dining table in front of him.
Big mistake. Bryce found a roll of duct tape and taped Natalie's wrists, chest, and ankles before hogtaping her and wrapping 6 layers around her mouth. He carried Natalie into the bedroom and put her on her bed. Now she was stuck and would be until he released her.
"Natalie, I'm going to dinner with my folks. See you in a couple hours," Emily said later and teased her on the bed.
It was worth the wait though. When Bryce had freed Natalie, she felt so warm and cozy. Without a word, she closed the bedroom door, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him tenderly. Soon, they were naked with Natalie enjoying the feeling of him exploring her body and exchanging his warmth with her.
How good that felt compared to what she experienced a few months later.
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Natalie climbed the stairs and took a deep breath. She had no margin of error, and she finally realized that she was hobbling a lot. Her leg was severely damaged by that bullet, and she couldn't let this stop her. It was all or nothing.
She quietly opened the door and knew she had to open fire on sight. This was going to be her ultimate battle. Taking every precaution, she let the door open and discovered this facility opened into the kitchen. Seeing the opportunity, she quietly shut the door. She had a door to the outside nearby as well, but that was an even greater risk.
Then she saw her two greatest fortunes: a silencer and her cell phone! She made sure all on her phone was disabled before pocketing it, and she affixed the silencer to the pistol. She peered around the corner and saw two guys sitting on a couch watching TV. With a gulp, Natalie let the weapon do its job and went for the "head shot."
The weapon still made noise, and one of the bullets shattered a window. The battle was on now, and Natalie knew she was outnumbered. She quickly unlocked the door to outside and left it ajar and ran into the pantry. Now it was a matter of seeing who showed up with just a little slatted slider door between her and the kitchen.
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"Bryce, that feels so good," Natalie moaned quietly.
"So do you," he sensuously remarked as their lips met.
"Natalie, we have to leave for work in 20 minutes!" Charlie reminded her through the door.
"Oh, Bryce, let's just finish this off," she smiled at him.
This was his reward for acing his exams. Natalie was proud of her junior boyfriend and lover. She was even prouder of how good he was in the bedroom. Never before had Natalie been so buzzed while working at the OG, but it was worth every second.
How long ago that felt... even though it was just 10 days or so before the present. That wry smile on Charlie's face when Natalie exited while fastening her belt.
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Once two men entered the kitchen, Natalie kicked the little slider down so that it struck one of them. She opened fire with the machine gun and riddled the two full of bullets. At that moment, she heard the sound of a car arriving with reinforcements. It was her against 6 at minimum she figured as she secluded herself in the basement staircase.
When a trio entered the kitchen, Natalie opened fire from her position, and soon all three were dead. But she had only shot two of them; how did the third die?! When more entered the kitchen from outside, Natalie took off into the house. Dashing into a bedroom down a hallway, she fired upon her enemies. Soon more were down, but Natalie was sure she had seen a bullet or two whiz by from behind her.
After a moment another fell, and then Natalie and the mysterious ally downed another two. Sensing another car approaching, Natalie looked around the house quickly and found a couple grenades. As another car arrived, Natalie tossed a grenade and blew up the car before anyone could exit it. A terrifying blaze destroyed what little remained of the men.
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"I love you, Mom. See you on Christmas if not sooner," Natalie hung up the phone.
"Ready, Christmas Gang?" Charlie asked her roommates.
Natalie had a red kerchief, and Emily green; Charlie had an ugly sweater. It was their Christmas theme for a day in the OG kitchen, Natalie and Emily had been growing this colorful friendship for a while. They often times matched in this kind of fashion. Another time they did blue and orange for the Boise State colors.
It was another day at work for what was now an inseparable trio. They had more fun together than they could imagine. Each had her hobbies, but they loved getting meals together, hitting the stores, and such. Christmas was fun, and they had decked out the apartment for their own pleasure. Laughter filled the air as they walked through the snow to work.
Their lives were going to be very different by the end of that day.
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"Who are you?" Natalie asked her strange ally while keeping her defenses up.
"Good job, Natalie," the familiar voice stepped out of the darkness and finally revealed himself.
Chapter 19: Tortured
"Natalie Woodward," a familiar voice spoke, and a man in a dark suit walked into the cell.
"Oor a other ucker!" Natalie growled at Riccardo Rossi.
"STOP!" he slapped her across the face.
"EEE!" she shrieked in pain.
Natalie had never encountered such a ruthless monster before in her life. She stared right in his eyes as the guard switched the lights on. He wrapped a black bandana around her throat, made a single knot, and tightened it just enough to make breathing difficult. With the coldness of asp, he hissed into her face a threat.
"Talk, or I choke you. Who are you working for?"
"F-CK OFF!" she responded again.
Natalie knew it was better to die than to betray her family and friends. As the scarf squeezed down, she felt her airway cut off and that dreaded sensation of her body being starved for oxygen. She was hoping she had correctly called this maniac's bluff.
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"Natalie, are you ready?" her mother called out.
"I am!"
A six-year old Natalie came skipping out of her bedroom. This was her "Rapunzel" phase where she always dressed like a princess and would run away screaming if her mother suggested a hair cut. Life was getting better.
The family was on their way to visit her mother's friend, Mrs. Napolitano, and her husband and children. Jessica and Michael weren't the only friends Natalie had, but they were a lot of fun especially because Jessica liked the same Disney characters. Both had their own long hair and frilly dresses that they wore any chance they could get as both were in a Disney phase.
It was so much fun to be with both of them, but Natalie had no clue. Jessica and Michael didn't know either. How innocent they were in those days. Innocence long gone...
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"GUH!" Natalie grunted as the grip around her neck loosened.
"Who is tipping you off on how to get my people?!" the madman demanded and slapped her on the other cheek.
"EELLLLLLLLPPPPP!" she cried out while she tried to fill her lungs with oxygen.
"You're guaranteeing yourself a slow death."
"En I eh ou of thith, I ill endoy illing ooh!" she threatened him with that fire in her eyes.
That made him shiver in his suit. Here he was in full control, and she was talking about when she kills him. She was helpless! What kind of confidence was this. Her eyes burned with a passionate hatred, yet her poise was unbreaking. In fear, Rossi took the bandana and blindfolded her with it instead.
He began shaking Natalie against the bed instead. Even when her head slammed off the metal bar of the cot's frame, sending pain surging through her body, Natalie was unwavering in her strength. Even if they hadn't gotten to enjoy being "family," Natalie loved Jessica and Emily and couldn't do anything to endanger them. Her friends and colleagues who had been by her side the entire way were too precious a part of her to just simply betray.
When all else failed, Rossi resolved to steal her self-worth. Natalie held firm though. Both were fighting for their lives, and both were determined to win. Natalie had bravery, though, and she hoped she still could look the world in the face when this was done.
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"I guess this is goodbye?" Natalie said to Jessica with a hug.
"Maybe you can write me still?" her 9-year old friend responded positively.
"I hope so. I know your address!"
"I'll see you again someday, I just know it!" Jessica's smile made Natalie smile.
The girls waved goodbye. Tomorrow, Natalie, her mom, and her step-father would be moving to Idaho. Mom had a job opportunity there, and her step-father found employment as well. Her mother didn't hate winter, but she hated Buffalo despite being a native. Natalie's life had been so good since her mom married Mr. Robinson! He loved Natalie like his own and tried his best to be a good father.
Natalie was going to miss Buffalo and her friends, but she knew she'd make new friends too. It was merely the beginning of a new phase. None of them knew that Jessica's words would come true someday.
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What kind of idiot was this guy? Goonies being goonies was one thing, but did he really think that he would get anywhere in this way? Through it, Natalie refused to reveal her emotions. Inwardly, she was dying and spitting with hatred. This was stealing her humanity in the most debased way imaginable. How dare he do that to her!! Natalie was focused on one thing though: the thought of killing this monster.
"I'LL UCKING ILL OOH!" she snapped and shrieked as she felt his dastardly completion of the deed, "I'll cuh -our ock off an -am ih own -our throa!"
"We'll see...," he gave Natalie's breasts each a hard squeeze and then slapped both her cheeks again before going.
"Netht ime ooh thee ee ith e-ore ooh ie!" she threatened him as he departed.
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"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Natalie, now 13, snapped.
"Beanpole!" the boy responded.
At 5'6", Natalie was the tallest girl in her glass, and the only person taller than her was a boy. They were both scrawny and tall and tortured for it. This time was going to be the last time she got called a beanpole in Junior High. Natalie walked up to the laughing adolescent while half the class laughed at her and decked him on his right cheek.
"Who wants to be next?!" Natalie demanded of her classmates.
Natalie soon was sitting in the principal's office waiting for one of her parents to come and retrieve her. Natalie had been suspended for the next three days for her offense, although the principal was understanding of her emotions. Of course, her mother was upset with Natalie's behavior, and the teenager was grounded for the duration of the suspension, including having her phone taken away. Natalie went to her room and started crying. She wasn't crying because she had been suspended or punished but because she had upset her mother. Around supper time, a still teary-eyed girl gave her mother a hug and apologized.
That day was when two changes began in Natalie's life. First, she began exercising to better protect herself, and second she joined the girl's basketball team to give herself an emotional escape for when she was frustrated. Natalie wanted nothing more than to be make her mother proud.
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Natalie wanted to cry. She really wanted to cry. How many more men were going to violate her before this was all said and done? It was absolutely dehumanizing what she had just experienced. She lay in the cell, bound, gagged, and blindfolded, and contemplated her fate, or Rossi's fate. As pathetic as it felt, Natalie just wanted to hug her mother and tell her how much she loved her.
There was this splitting headache from when her head smashed the rail, and Natalie could feel the sticky blood between her hair and bandana. Her abdomen ached from the attack. Her face was sore from being slapped so much. Her arms were bruised from being grabbed to shake her, and her leg was searing in pain from the bullet.
She took stock of her situation and knew she had to get out of here. She concentrated and focused her attention on the zipties. She thought carefully about all the people she loved and then... POW! Her left hand was free. Natalie pulled the blindfold down to her neck and felt around. Riccardo Rossi was a dumb gangster to leave her with her knife twice!
Natalie cut the zipties, stood up, and put her panties and leggings back on. It was time to bust out of here and make these gangsters pay. She had no clue what city this was, but it would be a wasteland when she was done with it.
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"BOOM!" 17 year-old Natalie yelled as she posterized a girl much shorter than her and then helped the girl off the floor.
Natalie was a good sportsman. She'd knock them over for a layup and always help them up if she could. She wasn't a star, but she was good enough that the small colleges of the Pacific Northwest all wanted her to play for them. Natalie didn't know what she wanted from life though. Now 6'1", Natalie was indisputably the tallest girl in the school, and she was known as the "Gentle Giant" among her friends and classmates.
Natalie enjoyed the fact that her boyfriend, Bryce, was shorter than her even though he was 5'11" himself. She loved crouching down to kiss him, and little did they know that she'd grow two more inches by graduation! She had him and her family and didn't need much more. Natalie's life seemed perfect.
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I'm the bada$$ girl, Natalie thought to herself, You're dead men.
Natalie made sure her pants were all in line as she liked and retied her boots. Her pants were stained from the bleeding from being shot there, and she forced herself to ignore the pain. She adjusted her sleeves to make they were smooth, and her fingerless gloves were still like new. She took off her bandana, let her hair down, and retied the scarf as a kerchief with the knot under her hair. Lastly, she pulled her gaiter back up over her face.
She was a woman with all the marks of femininity, but she was just as dangerous, no more dangerous, than anyone else in this building. Natalie Woodward was going to kick a$$ or die trying.
With this, Natalie turned off the light in the cell. That would get the guard's attention. She crouched down and considered the odds that she, with a knife, could take on an entire mafia and win. As the guard stared into the cell, Natalie stayed around the side and waited for him to open the door.
As soon as the door was open, Natalie grabbed the man and put the blade before him.
"Talk, and you die," she whispered into his ear, "You will lie down on the bed or else!"
Natalie wasn't going to fuss. She recycled the same gag that had gagged her and used some of the vicious wire that had bound her to tie the man spreadeagle on the bed. She took his gun and his bullets and walked out of the cell into the hallway. There were usually more guards than this, and Natalie knew she couldn't risk an outright war zone.
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"Emily, you liking the OG?" Natalie asked.
"I am. I heard you were asking about a roomie?"
"College dropout extraordinaire me! Sure am! Me and Charlie been rooming for a year and would like to lessen the bill," Natalie explained.
"All right! We can do this!" Emily said in her typical manner.
Natalie blushed a little. She could tell Emily was sexually attracted to her. Natalie didn't like girls in that sense, but her better nature didn't want to disappoint if her friend brought it up either. They'd been hanging out together for a few weeks already, and now Emily was interested in helping split the bill. It was odd when, a few weeks later, that attraction seemed to cool, but Natalie didn't see anything in it and was glad to just be friends instead of a love interest.
They were great roommates. Natalie and Charlie were already great friends, and Emily was the perfect complement. A fantastic trio was made even if they weren't even old enough to drink; instead they went to malls and such and window shopped. They loved to try on clothes and fantasize, and sometimes their friend Jessica would join them if she could escape hubby, who was a graduate student at Boise State.
Natalie's friends were amazing and like a second family. She was always eager to tell her mother about their escapades, and mother always listened with pleasure. Natalie was growing into a fine young woman.
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Natalie just casually looked up the stairs to get a response from the guard, but his back was turned at the moment. Spying a chunk of dislodged concrete in the corner, Natalie picked up it. With the tongue motion of a mischievous child, she aimed and heaved the block up the stairs. It didn't knock him out, but it was enough to make him fall down the stairs and possibly to his demise.
"What's going on? LARRY!" a goon came down the stairs to check on his comrade.
WHAM, Natalie punched him out cold.
Natalie checked both for more weapons and supplies and was pleased that the guard on the stairs had a well-stocked machine gun. As dark as it sounded, these weapons were as fun as they seemed in her video games. She dragged the two into the cell and bound their wrists and ankles with wire and hogtied them with their belts. She gagged them with pillowcases from the two beds in the cell.
At that moment, a shiver went down Natalie's spine at the thought of what had happened to her on that one bed, and she kicked one of her captives in the thigh hard enough to break his bones. She let out a quiet swear of some sort and exited the cell and, now armed with the keys, locked the door. It was time to face the upstairs with her hopefully-trusty machine gun.
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"Bryce, your test is on Tuesday. You have all weekend to study," Natalie whined while she sat in her apartment.
"Natalie, please stop pestering me. I came here to escape my roommates as it is," he groaned.
"Well, you're with me instead. Pleassseeee... I just want to cuddle with you after a nasty lunchtime of waiting on tables," Natalie whined even more.
"Go the f-ck away," he snapped.
"You're going to have to tie me up then," Natalie lay down on the dining table in front of him.
Big mistake. Bryce found a roll of duct tape and taped Natalie's wrists, chest, and ankles before hogtaping her and wrapping 6 layers around her mouth. He carried Natalie into the bedroom and put her on her bed. Now she was stuck and would be until he released her.
"Natalie, I'm going to dinner with my folks. See you in a couple hours," Emily said later and teased her on the bed.
It was worth the wait though. When Bryce had freed Natalie, she felt so warm and cozy. Without a word, she closed the bedroom door, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him tenderly. Soon, they were naked with Natalie enjoying the feeling of him exploring her body and exchanging his warmth with her.
How good that felt compared to what she experienced a few months later.
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Natalie climbed the stairs and took a deep breath. She had no margin of error, and she finally realized that she was hobbling a lot. Her leg was severely damaged by that bullet, and she couldn't let this stop her. It was all or nothing.
She quietly opened the door and knew she had to open fire on sight. This was going to be her ultimate battle. Taking every precaution, she let the door open and discovered this facility opened into the kitchen. Seeing the opportunity, she quietly shut the door. She had a door to the outside nearby as well, but that was an even greater risk.
Then she saw her two greatest fortunes: a silencer and her cell phone! She made sure all on her phone was disabled before pocketing it, and she affixed the silencer to the pistol. She peered around the corner and saw two guys sitting on a couch watching TV. With a gulp, Natalie let the weapon do its job and went for the "head shot."
The weapon still made noise, and one of the bullets shattered a window. The battle was on now, and Natalie knew she was outnumbered. She quickly unlocked the door to outside and left it ajar and ran into the pantry. Now it was a matter of seeing who showed up with just a little slatted slider door between her and the kitchen.
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"Bryce, that feels so good," Natalie moaned quietly.
"So do you," he sensuously remarked as their lips met.
"Natalie, we have to leave for work in 20 minutes!" Charlie reminded her through the door.
"Oh, Bryce, let's just finish this off," she smiled at him.
This was his reward for acing his exams. Natalie was proud of her junior boyfriend and lover. She was even prouder of how good he was in the bedroom. Never before had Natalie been so buzzed while working at the OG, but it was worth every second.
How long ago that felt... even though it was just 10 days or so before the present. That wry smile on Charlie's face when Natalie exited while fastening her belt.
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Once two men entered the kitchen, Natalie kicked the little slider down so that it struck one of them. She opened fire with the machine gun and riddled the two full of bullets. At that moment, she heard the sound of a car arriving with reinforcements. It was her against 6 at minimum she figured as she secluded herself in the basement staircase.
When a trio entered the kitchen, Natalie opened fire from her position, and soon all three were dead. But she had only shot two of them; how did the third die?! When more entered the kitchen from outside, Natalie took off into the house. Dashing into a bedroom down a hallway, she fired upon her enemies. Soon more were down, but Natalie was sure she had seen a bullet or two whiz by from behind her.
After a moment another fell, and then Natalie and the mysterious ally downed another two. Sensing another car approaching, Natalie looked around the house quickly and found a couple grenades. As another car arrived, Natalie tossed a grenade and blew up the car before anyone could exit it. A terrifying blaze destroyed what little remained of the men.
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"I love you, Mom. See you on Christmas if not sooner," Natalie hung up the phone.
"Ready, Christmas Gang?" Charlie asked her roommates.
Natalie had a red kerchief, and Emily green; Charlie had an ugly sweater. It was their Christmas theme for a day in the OG kitchen, Natalie and Emily had been growing this colorful friendship for a while. They often times matched in this kind of fashion. Another time they did blue and orange for the Boise State colors.
It was another day at work for what was now an inseparable trio. They had more fun together than they could imagine. Each had her hobbies, but they loved getting meals together, hitting the stores, and such. Christmas was fun, and they had decked out the apartment for their own pleasure. Laughter filled the air as they walked through the snow to work.
Their lives were going to be very different by the end of that day.
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"Who are you?" Natalie asked her strange ally while keeping her defenses up.
"Good job, Natalie," the familiar voice stepped out of the darkness and finally revealed himself.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
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I enjoyed the way you interspersed the background development of Natalie in the action. She continues to be a tough cookie, also with determination and courage. Well done, [mention]AlexUSA3[/mention].
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An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
This theme is going to carry us a little while. We now get to understand the how and why as the characters also come to understand these things. Natalie is piecing it together, but can she handle it?
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[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
Chapter 20: Pensive
"So we meet again... How did you get here?" Natalie asked her acquaintance.
"As soon as I was told you were in distress, I flew here immediately," the man responded.
"Tell me, have you ever suffered a broken heart?" she asked while she shook away the pain in her leg.
"Suffered with it 19 years," Manny Napolitano said.
Natalie nodded and marched up the stairs to be sure no one was in the upstairs still. As soon as she opened the door to the lone room, the office, Natalie was sniped in her right forearm.
"OW!" she let out a rare shriek of pain while her father rained bullets on the attacker.
"B-stard!" he fired at least a full magazine in the goon without concern, "Natalie, are you all right?!"
"I'm... I'm fine," she said as she sniffed back tears.
Hadn't she suffered enough?! Wasn't she in enough pain?! How much more would she go through?! Did her loved ones even know she was here?! She knew she had to call in spite of the pain and risks. Taking a deep breath, she dialed Jessica...
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Charlie sat in absolute silence for much, if not most, of the journey to Buffalo. She was nursing her wounds and thinking about her kidnapped roommate and best friend. What would life be like if Natalie died?
When Charlie first decided to seek a new life by moving to Boise, the decision was fraught with risks. But, she wanted to settle down and take stock of her life and see where things went. That was when she went online and found a girl, Natalie Woodward, in a similar phase of life, looking for a roommate.
She and Natalie had a common purpose: to mature first and then decide what dreams they wanted to pursue in life. Natalie was already working at "the OG" and promised to help Charlie in the door there; within two weeks, Charlie was living in Boise and at work. Her new life was just getting started.
Life was so good with Natalie because they liked and disliked so many of the same foods, they shared a taste in entertainment, and they both were homesick constantly while having reasons to believe not living at home was better for their loved ones.
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"Natalie Woodward?" Charlie said when the door opened to the apartment.
"That's me! Oh, Charlie, your hair is more beautiful in person! I just LOVE it!" Natalie complimented her new roommate.
"Oh... thank you!"
Charlie was a native of the state and had lived in Boise before. But her parents naturally went where the work is. She was glad to be near her grandparents again though, and more than once she brought Natalie to visit them. If Grandma Sullivan knew Charlie was coming, there was always something for the girls to eat while they sat and talked.
"Can we go visit your grandma this weekend?" Natalie would ask sometimes.
Natalie had no grandparents. Her mother's parents died from illnesses before Natalie left Buffalo, so Charlie's grandparents were a welcome addition to her life and filled a void. In similar kindness, Natalie's mother was like a second mother to Charlie.
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Charlie started crying at the thought of life without Natalie. Jessica might be her sister by blood, and Emily might be her cousin. Charlie, however, was more Natalie's sister than they were in some sense. She was going to do everything in her power to get Natalie back.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," Fix-It said sadly, "We're going to save her. Just you see."
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"Don't cry, Ems," Felicia said to Emily.
Oh, brother, Jessica thought, then spoke, "I think you should untie her."
"No," Emily shook her head as she wanted to forget but couldn't.
Emily figured she'd be less of annoying blubberer if she were bound and gagged during this time. She couldn't think about Natalie for more than 10 seconds without the tears beginning, and she couldn't think about anything else unless she were completely distracted at the moment.
Jessica knew the feeling. Like her cousin, the emotional toll was tremendous, but she had to keep working and learning everything about the Rossi mafia and their assets. In her heart, she was pleading that her research would be used for another mission commanded by her sister.
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"Are you new here?" Natalie asked the blonde employee, "I'm Natalie Woodward."
"Me? Yeah! I'm Jessica DiPaolo!" the new girl offered her hand.
"Nice to meet you!" Natalie shook it firmly and noticed the ring, "You're young to be married."
"I got married just a few months ago," Jessica blushed, "He's a grad student here, and I'm going to transfer in this spring,"
"Welcome to the OG," Natalie smiled and resumed her work.
Jessica couldn't believe how big her big sister was. After so many years, she couldn't fathom that their lives really had crossed again! How come Natalie didn't remember though? It had to be the hair. When she was little, Jessica was brown just like Natalie, but now it was a blonde-brown. That and maybe a broken nose from a fall didn't help.
Jessica kept her mouth shut though. She had to. Jessica was here more to assist the manager in his illegal gambling ring at the behest of her father, Natalie's father. Didn't Natalie know the truth by now? Jessica wanted to say something, but with the way things were falling apart perhaps that would... endanger Natalie.
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"Fix-It, what are they going to do to her?" Charlie asked fearfully.
"You probably already know. Confirmation will upset you more," Fix-It shook his head.
He was right. She wanted to be told she was worried about the right possibilities. As far as she could figure, they were going to torture Natalie in every way possible until she told them what they wanted. How quickly she spoke would determine her suffering and how painful of a death she experienced.
They had been in their arrangement for almost 2 years now, and it had been so much fun. They explored every inch of the city together and knew where to find people. Natalie was such a fun adventure planner, and it was a total surprise when she took Charlie to teach her how to ski.
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"Nats, the elevation is getting pretty high!" Charlie said as her ears popped.
"That happens when you go to Sun Valley!" Natalie responded with a huge smile.
Charlie felt her heart leap a little. So that explained it! She was finally getting to fulfill her dream of learning to ski or snowboard! Both sounded so much fun, and she didn't care which it was as long as it was fun and no one was injured.
Natalie was a kindhearted teacher and didn't force Charlie to do anything she wasn't ready to do and prevented her from making mistakes. That weekend they learned a lot about each other and their personalities even though they had already been friends for several months. Moving to Boise had been such a good thing!
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"Mmmmm!" Emily quietly groaned.
This experiment with Felicia had been as good as the blonde, bound and gagged as she were, had hoped it would be. Bondage had been the kinky fun she hoped it would be. It was all a distraction to her though from the things that mattered and weighed down her spirits. All she and Felicia knew was that they forgot to be scared and worried when they were embracing like this.
Poor Natalie! She was such a sweet soul and had shown up in Emily's life at just the right time. When Emily was in need of friendship most, she walked into an OG kitchen and asked if they were hiring and discovered not only that they were but that two of the employees were looking for a third roommate. With that, Emily sat up and ended the romance.
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"I... I'm bisexual, Will," Emily confessed to her longtime boyfriend, "But I'm still committed to you."
At that time, the thought scared her. She loved Will enough that she had been with him since they were high school sophomores, and this revelation, contrary to Emily's fears, didn't "upset the applecart" at all. In fact, it strengthened their bond because she revealed her struggles.
However, her struggles did "upset the applecart" at home. She felt distant from her parents in a strange way now because she was afraid to talk to them about this topic. Instead, Emily became reclusive and even announced she was dropping out of college and going to move out and find work.
Enter Natalie and Charlotte. They were the kind of roommates Emily needed at this time. They were strong and caring with each other in a positive way; maybe they would be so to her too. How long ago those 7 months felt now.
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Jessica was studying more documents when her phone rang. At first, she ignored it, but then she recognized the number. Natalie?! It couldn't be, could it? Maybe it was a trap? Jessica decided to trust it.
"Nats?" she answered with great hope.
"... Hey, Jess," Natalie winced as she spoke.
"YOU MADE IT! NATALIE!!!" Jessica shrieked with excitement.
"Yeah... I... I'm in Philly... and I... I... I gotta go quickly. I had... to let you know I was all... I... made it out alive."
On the other end, an emotional Natalie said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone. Natalie remained seated and kept staring ahead even while sitting on the staircase. Finally, her father suggested they go find bandages for her wounds, and with his help she made it down the stairs and to the bathroom.
"NATALIE'S ALIVE. SHE'S ALIVE!" Jessica yelled at the top of her lungs and jumped.
"She lives! Where is she?" Frank asked.
"Philly, but she seemed really messed up. She fought back, but she isn't 100% OK," was the sad part from Jessica.
"Well, it's a start," Felicia remarked in Emily's spirit of positivity.
But Jessica's joy was replaced by worry. She sent a text to her sister, but no response came. Natalie had seemed almost robotic and depressed. Something bad must have happened, but what?
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"Dad, you won't believe who I found out here," Jessica said to her father during a phone call.
"Who?" he asked with the interest a father shows for his child.
"Natalie! My sister!"
"WHAT?!"
Manny Napolitano begged his daughter to have Natalie call him or arrange for him to call her, but she explained that Natalie was convinced she was of unknown paternity. He was unsurprised but disappointed by this revelation, but it was expected. For now he had to be content that his daughter was out there, and Jessica texted him some pictures while promising she would figure out a way to make it work.
Would Jessica's father live to be reunited with his lost child? Would she even survive herself? Government agents were pressuring her father; the Rossi mafia was getting into some brutal criminal activity. There had be an out that allowed them to both live and avoid prison time, right?
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Natalie let out a shriek as one of the men gave her a hard squeeze on her breasts. The squeezing lasted the entire car ride. Hard squeezes too. Natalie wasn't ready for the next part though.
She was dragged into the house by the men and forced to sit on an old chair. One attached a rope from her wrists to her ankles while another replaced the ball gag with a head harness ring gag. What followed next was terrifying as Natalie had not yet seen one of these used in this way.
Natalie genuinely shrieked at the top of her lungs as each one of the three, in turn, pushed his manhood through the hole and forced her up and down it until they released. Even as she yelled and protested while having to consume their stuff, they were taking turns touching her breasts and crotch. Never before had she felt hated like she did at this moment.
Then, in a rain of bullets, the torture ended. She took deep breaths and felt dead inside. It felt so relieving to see the people who saved her enter into the room. But these animals! All she wanted to do was kill them, and she did!
Killing them only made her feel as though she were as bad of a person as they were.
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"Nicholas, you are quiet," Frank spoke to his colleague as they drove.
"Frank, you know people. You know I slept with Natalie," Nick confessed this to the trustworthy man.
"I understand feeling. I am old enough to be girls' father even though I am not one that I know of."
"Were you ever married?" Nick asked him.
"Yes, but she died since 10 years," Frank nodded with a little pain.
Nick was thinking about those two nights with Natalie. While guilty he had helped her cheat, he wished he had made more of the moments with her so that they'd be special for both of them just in case they were their last. His life was always moving so quickly that he never paused to appreciate things in life except some friends. Everyone else was temporary and just a tool... but they weren't.
Each person he was traveling with had their own special personality. Fix-It was like high octane coffee. Frank was careful, insightful, and clever. Natalie was brusque, strong, and selfless. Emily was emotional and energetic yet caring. Charlie was brave, spunky, and playful. Jessica was smart, determined, and kind.
But Natalie was the only one whom he had gotten to know...
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"Nick, you and me... mafia stuff... in the van. We need to talk," Natalie motioned to him as she briskly walked by him.
"All right," he shrugged to Frank and Jeff and followed her.
"Get in," she said when they had reached the van.
"What do you need?" Nick asked her in surprise at her behavior.
"You, bro," she looked him straight in the eye and leaned against the van in a sultry manner as she gracefully opened the door.
Nick and Natalie climbed into the van with him still a bit uncertain. Natalie was uncertain too, and she wanted to dominate this situation. After the morning's events, she needed to regain her control over her life and her body. Not all men were pigs, right?
She controlled everything, and Nick willingly remained on the bottom as she unbuckled his pants and ran her hands down his hairy thigh in a smooth manner. Nick said nothing, but Natalie occasionally muttered about his handsomeness for "an older man." She merely gave a sensual groan when she pushed herself over him, and then their lips met.
The young woman was desperate to purge her mind of the morning's events. Natalie held Nick's face in her hands and kissed him while his arms embraced her. After he was satisfied, the dance continued until she, too, was satisfied. And then they quietly "pillow talked" about business matters before returning to the motel rooms.
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Natalie wrapped the bandages tightly around her leg wound first and her arm wound second. Both were searing with pain, but she had to move onwards. Thankfully there were bandages and such in the bathroom.
"Are you ready?" her father asked.
"Yes," Natalie said as she stood up and looked down at him.
Father helped daughter walkout of the house. The Philadelphia Rossi mafia were down 1-0 in this match, and her father had rigged the house with explosives after they had more securely bound and gagged the captives in the backyard; she never mentioned the ones in the cell. With the usual explosion sound, the building collapsed in ruins as she and her father drove away.
After some time, he parked the car in a park. They had to stay low while they waited for the others to arrive. The first twinkles of dusk were arriving over the city. They sat down on a bench, but Natalie ignored her father's efforts to converse.
She looked up at the remaining stars as they disappeared into the bask of purples, oranges, reds, yellows, and blues all tinged with greys. The past 24 hours... Natalie then seemed to blackout.
At that point, she only remembered being on her hands and knees on the cold dry ground, pounding her firsts, and being consumed by very vocal sobbing.
Chapter 20: Pensive
"So we meet again... How did you get here?" Natalie asked her acquaintance.
"As soon as I was told you were in distress, I flew here immediately," the man responded.
"Tell me, have you ever suffered a broken heart?" she asked while she shook away the pain in her leg.
"Suffered with it 19 years," Manny Napolitano said.
Natalie nodded and marched up the stairs to be sure no one was in the upstairs still. As soon as she opened the door to the lone room, the office, Natalie was sniped in her right forearm.
"OW!" she let out a rare shriek of pain while her father rained bullets on the attacker.
"B-stard!" he fired at least a full magazine in the goon without concern, "Natalie, are you all right?!"
"I'm... I'm fine," she said as she sniffed back tears.
Hadn't she suffered enough?! Wasn't she in enough pain?! How much more would she go through?! Did her loved ones even know she was here?! She knew she had to call in spite of the pain and risks. Taking a deep breath, she dialed Jessica...
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Charlie sat in absolute silence for much, if not most, of the journey to Buffalo. She was nursing her wounds and thinking about her kidnapped roommate and best friend. What would life be like if Natalie died?
When Charlie first decided to seek a new life by moving to Boise, the decision was fraught with risks. But, she wanted to settle down and take stock of her life and see where things went. That was when she went online and found a girl, Natalie Woodward, in a similar phase of life, looking for a roommate.
She and Natalie had a common purpose: to mature first and then decide what dreams they wanted to pursue in life. Natalie was already working at "the OG" and promised to help Charlie in the door there; within two weeks, Charlie was living in Boise and at work. Her new life was just getting started.
Life was so good with Natalie because they liked and disliked so many of the same foods, they shared a taste in entertainment, and they both were homesick constantly while having reasons to believe not living at home was better for their loved ones.
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"Natalie Woodward?" Charlie said when the door opened to the apartment.
"That's me! Oh, Charlie, your hair is more beautiful in person! I just LOVE it!" Natalie complimented her new roommate.
"Oh... thank you!"
Charlie was a native of the state and had lived in Boise before. But her parents naturally went where the work is. She was glad to be near her grandparents again though, and more than once she brought Natalie to visit them. If Grandma Sullivan knew Charlie was coming, there was always something for the girls to eat while they sat and talked.
"Can we go visit your grandma this weekend?" Natalie would ask sometimes.
Natalie had no grandparents. Her mother's parents died from illnesses before Natalie left Buffalo, so Charlie's grandparents were a welcome addition to her life and filled a void. In similar kindness, Natalie's mother was like a second mother to Charlie.
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Charlie started crying at the thought of life without Natalie. Jessica might be her sister by blood, and Emily might be her cousin. Charlie, however, was more Natalie's sister than they were in some sense. She was going to do everything in her power to get Natalie back.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," Fix-It said sadly, "We're going to save her. Just you see."
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"Don't cry, Ems," Felicia said to Emily.
Oh, brother, Jessica thought, then spoke, "I think you should untie her."
"No," Emily shook her head as she wanted to forget but couldn't.
Emily figured she'd be less of annoying blubberer if she were bound and gagged during this time. She couldn't think about Natalie for more than 10 seconds without the tears beginning, and she couldn't think about anything else unless she were completely distracted at the moment.
Jessica knew the feeling. Like her cousin, the emotional toll was tremendous, but she had to keep working and learning everything about the Rossi mafia and their assets. In her heart, she was pleading that her research would be used for another mission commanded by her sister.
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"Are you new here?" Natalie asked the blonde employee, "I'm Natalie Woodward."
"Me? Yeah! I'm Jessica DiPaolo!" the new girl offered her hand.
"Nice to meet you!" Natalie shook it firmly and noticed the ring, "You're young to be married."
"I got married just a few months ago," Jessica blushed, "He's a grad student here, and I'm going to transfer in this spring,"
"Welcome to the OG," Natalie smiled and resumed her work.
Jessica couldn't believe how big her big sister was. After so many years, she couldn't fathom that their lives really had crossed again! How come Natalie didn't remember though? It had to be the hair. When she was little, Jessica was brown just like Natalie, but now it was a blonde-brown. That and maybe a broken nose from a fall didn't help.
Jessica kept her mouth shut though. She had to. Jessica was here more to assist the manager in his illegal gambling ring at the behest of her father, Natalie's father. Didn't Natalie know the truth by now? Jessica wanted to say something, but with the way things were falling apart perhaps that would... endanger Natalie.
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"Fix-It, what are they going to do to her?" Charlie asked fearfully.
"You probably already know. Confirmation will upset you more," Fix-It shook his head.
He was right. She wanted to be told she was worried about the right possibilities. As far as she could figure, they were going to torture Natalie in every way possible until she told them what they wanted. How quickly she spoke would determine her suffering and how painful of a death she experienced.
They had been in their arrangement for almost 2 years now, and it had been so much fun. They explored every inch of the city together and knew where to find people. Natalie was such a fun adventure planner, and it was a total surprise when she took Charlie to teach her how to ski.
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"Nats, the elevation is getting pretty high!" Charlie said as her ears popped.
"That happens when you go to Sun Valley!" Natalie responded with a huge smile.
Charlie felt her heart leap a little. So that explained it! She was finally getting to fulfill her dream of learning to ski or snowboard! Both sounded so much fun, and she didn't care which it was as long as it was fun and no one was injured.
Natalie was a kindhearted teacher and didn't force Charlie to do anything she wasn't ready to do and prevented her from making mistakes. That weekend they learned a lot about each other and their personalities even though they had already been friends for several months. Moving to Boise had been such a good thing!
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"Mmmmm!" Emily quietly groaned.
This experiment with Felicia had been as good as the blonde, bound and gagged as she were, had hoped it would be. Bondage had been the kinky fun she hoped it would be. It was all a distraction to her though from the things that mattered and weighed down her spirits. All she and Felicia knew was that they forgot to be scared and worried when they were embracing like this.
Poor Natalie! She was such a sweet soul and had shown up in Emily's life at just the right time. When Emily was in need of friendship most, she walked into an OG kitchen and asked if they were hiring and discovered not only that they were but that two of the employees were looking for a third roommate. With that, Emily sat up and ended the romance.
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"I... I'm bisexual, Will," Emily confessed to her longtime boyfriend, "But I'm still committed to you."
At that time, the thought scared her. She loved Will enough that she had been with him since they were high school sophomores, and this revelation, contrary to Emily's fears, didn't "upset the applecart" at all. In fact, it strengthened their bond because she revealed her struggles.
However, her struggles did "upset the applecart" at home. She felt distant from her parents in a strange way now because she was afraid to talk to them about this topic. Instead, Emily became reclusive and even announced she was dropping out of college and going to move out and find work.
Enter Natalie and Charlotte. They were the kind of roommates Emily needed at this time. They were strong and caring with each other in a positive way; maybe they would be so to her too. How long ago those 7 months felt now.
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Jessica was studying more documents when her phone rang. At first, she ignored it, but then she recognized the number. Natalie?! It couldn't be, could it? Maybe it was a trap? Jessica decided to trust it.
"Nats?" she answered with great hope.
"... Hey, Jess," Natalie winced as she spoke.
"YOU MADE IT! NATALIE!!!" Jessica shrieked with excitement.
"Yeah... I... I'm in Philly... and I... I... I gotta go quickly. I had... to let you know I was all... I... made it out alive."
On the other end, an emotional Natalie said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone. Natalie remained seated and kept staring ahead even while sitting on the staircase. Finally, her father suggested they go find bandages for her wounds, and with his help she made it down the stairs and to the bathroom.
"NATALIE'S ALIVE. SHE'S ALIVE!" Jessica yelled at the top of her lungs and jumped.
"She lives! Where is she?" Frank asked.
"Philly, but she seemed really messed up. She fought back, but she isn't 100% OK," was the sad part from Jessica.
"Well, it's a start," Felicia remarked in Emily's spirit of positivity.
But Jessica's joy was replaced by worry. She sent a text to her sister, but no response came. Natalie had seemed almost robotic and depressed. Something bad must have happened, but what?
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"Dad, you won't believe who I found out here," Jessica said to her father during a phone call.
"Who?" he asked with the interest a father shows for his child.
"Natalie! My sister!"
"WHAT?!"
Manny Napolitano begged his daughter to have Natalie call him or arrange for him to call her, but she explained that Natalie was convinced she was of unknown paternity. He was unsurprised but disappointed by this revelation, but it was expected. For now he had to be content that his daughter was out there, and Jessica texted him some pictures while promising she would figure out a way to make it work.
Would Jessica's father live to be reunited with his lost child? Would she even survive herself? Government agents were pressuring her father; the Rossi mafia was getting into some brutal criminal activity. There had be an out that allowed them to both live and avoid prison time, right?
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Natalie let out a shriek as one of the men gave her a hard squeeze on her breasts. The squeezing lasted the entire car ride. Hard squeezes too. Natalie wasn't ready for the next part though.
She was dragged into the house by the men and forced to sit on an old chair. One attached a rope from her wrists to her ankles while another replaced the ball gag with a head harness ring gag. What followed next was terrifying as Natalie had not yet seen one of these used in this way.
Natalie genuinely shrieked at the top of her lungs as each one of the three, in turn, pushed his manhood through the hole and forced her up and down it until they released. Even as she yelled and protested while having to consume their stuff, they were taking turns touching her breasts and crotch. Never before had she felt hated like she did at this moment.
Then, in a rain of bullets, the torture ended. She took deep breaths and felt dead inside. It felt so relieving to see the people who saved her enter into the room. But these animals! All she wanted to do was kill them, and she did!
Killing them only made her feel as though she were as bad of a person as they were.
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"Nicholas, you are quiet," Frank spoke to his colleague as they drove.
"Frank, you know people. You know I slept with Natalie," Nick confessed this to the trustworthy man.
"I understand feeling. I am old enough to be girls' father even though I am not one that I know of."
"Were you ever married?" Nick asked him.
"Yes, but she died since 10 years," Frank nodded with a little pain.
Nick was thinking about those two nights with Natalie. While guilty he had helped her cheat, he wished he had made more of the moments with her so that they'd be special for both of them just in case they were their last. His life was always moving so quickly that he never paused to appreciate things in life except some friends. Everyone else was temporary and just a tool... but they weren't.
Each person he was traveling with had their own special personality. Fix-It was like high octane coffee. Frank was careful, insightful, and clever. Natalie was brusque, strong, and selfless. Emily was emotional and energetic yet caring. Charlie was brave, spunky, and playful. Jessica was smart, determined, and kind.
But Natalie was the only one whom he had gotten to know...
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"Nick, you and me... mafia stuff... in the van. We need to talk," Natalie motioned to him as she briskly walked by him.
"All right," he shrugged to Frank and Jeff and followed her.
"Get in," she said when they had reached the van.
"What do you need?" Nick asked her in surprise at her behavior.
"You, bro," she looked him straight in the eye and leaned against the van in a sultry manner as she gracefully opened the door.
Nick and Natalie climbed into the van with him still a bit uncertain. Natalie was uncertain too, and she wanted to dominate this situation. After the morning's events, she needed to regain her control over her life and her body. Not all men were pigs, right?
She controlled everything, and Nick willingly remained on the bottom as she unbuckled his pants and ran her hands down his hairy thigh in a smooth manner. Nick said nothing, but Natalie occasionally muttered about his handsomeness for "an older man." She merely gave a sensual groan when she pushed herself over him, and then their lips met.
The young woman was desperate to purge her mind of the morning's events. Natalie held Nick's face in her hands and kissed him while his arms embraced her. After he was satisfied, the dance continued until she, too, was satisfied. And then they quietly "pillow talked" about business matters before returning to the motel rooms.
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Natalie wrapped the bandages tightly around her leg wound first and her arm wound second. Both were searing with pain, but she had to move onwards. Thankfully there were bandages and such in the bathroom.
"Are you ready?" her father asked.
"Yes," Natalie said as she stood up and looked down at him.
Father helped daughter walkout of the house. The Philadelphia Rossi mafia were down 1-0 in this match, and her father had rigged the house with explosives after they had more securely bound and gagged the captives in the backyard; she never mentioned the ones in the cell. With the usual explosion sound, the building collapsed in ruins as she and her father drove away.
After some time, he parked the car in a park. They had to stay low while they waited for the others to arrive. The first twinkles of dusk were arriving over the city. They sat down on a bench, but Natalie ignored her father's efforts to converse.
She looked up at the remaining stars as they disappeared into the bask of purples, oranges, reds, yellows, and blues all tinged with greys. The past 24 hours... Natalie then seemed to blackout.
At that point, she only remembered being on her hands and knees on the cold dry ground, pounding her firsts, and being consumed by very vocal sobbing.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
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Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
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[mention]AlexUSA3[/mention], this is not a criticism but a personal comment possibly expressing my slide down hill. Your writing style is very different here compared to Big Girl Tugs or Bound to Have a Good Time. With your frequent change of scene, my mind is just slow to follow.
None the less, it is a good story, descriptive, and interesting. Natalie is very fascinating switching back and forth from gun moll to OS employee to torture victim. There is no question that I will have to keep reading to see what you do with this.
None the less, it is a good story, descriptive, and interesting. Natalie is very fascinating switching back and forth from gun moll to OS employee to torture victim. There is no question that I will have to keep reading to see what you do with this.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51935021448_8459ac441e_o.jpg)
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
No offense taken. It's a very chaotic story and sometimes leaves my own head swimming.GreyLord wrote: ↑1 year ago @AlexUSA3, this is not a criticism but a personal comment possibly expressing my slide down hill. Your writing style is very different here compared to Big Girl Tugs or Bound to Have a Good Time. With your frequent change of scene, my mind is just slow to follow.
None the less, it is a good story, descriptive, and interesting. Natalie is very fascinating switching back and forth from gun moll to OS employee to torture victim. There is no question that I will have to keep reading to see what you do with this.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
GreyLord, as I am sure you have noticed, the recollections of events that have actually occurred in the story, particularly those negative things that have happened to Natalie, have a distorted view compared to the original events.
Chapter 21: Reminiscent
Natalie had finally broken. She had taken all she could take. She had been kidnapped, kidnapped again and r-ped, attacked by mobsters, shot, thrown from a van, once more kidnapped and r-ped, and shot some more.
She was sobbing, loudly sobbing. She had endured so many traumas, and now she could no longer suppress the memories. Everything was flooding back to her now. That last moment especially was flooding back to her...
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"Uggghh!" Natalie groaned as Rossi grabbed her body and violently moved it about as the zipties allowed. Left-right and up-down were the main directions, and Natalie felt herself getting dizzy. As he shook her head, she felt the back of her skull slam off the frame of the cot. She saw stars and immediately felt bleeding.
Natalie's face hurt from the slaps, and her neck and lungs burned from the strangling. She felt herself getting physically weakened by the stress and was aghast when she felt the mobster Rossi pulling her pants down. She wasn't certain he would really do it even after he pulled his pants down.
Natalie let out a groan of emotional suffering as she felt the monster push inside her body. The only pleasure was his as he hammered her as roughly as he could muster until he finally dumped his load inside her body. This was, in her mind, worse than all the other sufferings she had endured, including being shot.
That had done more than attacked her. It had dehumanized her. This monster was so self-centered that he could sexually gratify himself as a part of torture that involved shooting and beating a young woman. She resolved to kill him anyway she could, but she hoped she had the chance to execute Riccardo Rossi.
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Natalie never saw or heard the van arrive. She never heard its doors open or her loved ones clamoring as they scrambled out the doors. She was oblivious to the sunrise or her father's kind words.
All Natalie was doing was writhing on the ground and crying while her father helplessly watched. Nothing could break the trance in which she was enraptured. Her mind was fully occupied by the horrors of the past week, and nothing anyone did could change that it seemed.
Her traveling team of misfits now joined in watching her nervous breakdown and struggled for a solution. They didn't even know what had happened to her yet. What had happened to her between her capture and now?
"Natalie, it's me, Je--," Jessica put her hand on Natalie's shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Natalie yelled and moved away.
This was abnormal for Natalie on every front. No one had experience with PTSD really except Felicia, but her experience was far different from Natalie's. Not everyday does the ordinary person find themselves faced with being murdered in cold blood. Emily tried something far different that she had learned in her limited experience of college before she had quit.
"Nats, Nats... Emily is here!" Emily called out, "You want to go to the mall today?"
"Go to the mall?! Ems, are you crazy?!" Natalie responded, and then she saw her friend and realized where she was.
"Nats, I'm here for you," she repeated with deep pain within her.
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"Tell me, girls, does this dress make me look fat?" Natalie asked as she came out of a dressing room.
"Well, Natalie, the top makes your tits obvious, and the bottom looks like a mini-skirt!" Charlie responded.
That was almost always the response from Charlie. At 6'3", it was hard for Natalie to find a dress that fit without a custom order. Instead, she had 2 dresses at home that she could wear in public because one she had made and labored for a week to get it perfect and one that was a custom order her parents ordered for her birthday.
Every dress and skirt fit like a mini-skirt. The longest skirt in most stores couldn't cover her calves, but that didn't bother her at all compared to the fact that she couldn't get longer if she had so desired. She towered over her friends as the blonde Emily's head came under Natalie's chin.
"Natalie, this one will look good on you as a knee skirt!" Emily said and grabbed one off the rack.
"I think you're right!" Charlie agreed.
"Let's try it on!" Natalie eagerly accepted the suggestion.
That skirt left the store in a bag held by Natalie that day. Emily's fashionable eye had found another winner.
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"EMILY!" Nat jumped to pick up her friend in a tight embrace.
"Nats, you know we love you!"
Never before had Natalie hugged someone so tightly or been so happy to see someone. Natalie's blood shot eyes were apparent to all around her. Seeing these faces all in pain reminded Natalie that some bigger threat was out there still. She couldn't progress until she talked to her sister and cousin first though.
"Jess, Ems... in the van... please?" Natalie asked as she put Emily down and dried her eyes on her sleeve.
Something was obviously wrong to all as Natalie was no longer able to walk properly anymore. It became more important as she struggled to open the van doors as well. It became apparent to Emily that Natalie would likely die if she was injured like this again, but the team nurse kept her silence for the time being.
They sat on the futon in the van with Natalie in the middle and one on either side of her; Natalie had her arm around each. They sat in silence for almost three minutes before Natalie spoke. Her words were slow and careful.
"He... he r-ped me... He slapped me, shook me, fondled me, and r-ped me. But I got out...," Natalie briefly described her escape.
Outside, Felicia and the men sat in silence... They were thinking about Natalie... and about Charlie and Fix-It too. No one was happy, and no one wanted to be either. Manny Napolitano wondered if the little girl he remembered was gone forever; Emily and Jessica were worried about their friend and relation. Nick and Frank wondered if their team captain was broken.
Emily remembered the events that led her to where she was. She felt Natalie's pain; oh, did she ever feel her pain. It was now almost 8 years ago...
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"Will," Emily said as she embraced her boyfriend, "I never thought I could love a man."
For the first time, and until Natalie only time, Emily revealed her attraction to girls. She made this like it was small talk while feeling fulfilled and that she could genuinely trust her boyfriend. Here they were with their first time alone in this apartment, and Emily wasn't letting the opportunity go to waste.
Having been sexually abused by a male friend of her father's from when she was 8 to when she was 12, Emily was too fearful to let Will do it there just yet. Instead, she lay on her stomach and let her boyfriend enter her from the backside with a yelp from herself. It wasn't so bad when consensual, but, if anything went wrong with Will, Emily figured she'd be done with men for good.
She was willing to suffer pain for his sake... but she wasn't ready to put those memories behind her yet. Those scars might never heal, and at this point she was ready for things to remain that way forever.
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Fix-It and Charlie arrived in Buffalo to see a city by darkness. It wasn't a pretty sight when the only things visible are the negatives: businesses, factories, etc. The towering fire from Michael Napolitano having incinerated his base was pretty good too.
But something in it all seemed amiss. Something was wrong. They knew somewhere in this mess that trouble was brewing. After much discussion, Charlie and Fix-It figured it out: Michael, young and foolish, didn't flush the enemies out of the system before destroying his headquarters.
Fix-It, to be blunt, was seriously p-ssed off and erupted on the youth for a moment before Charlie calmed him down. Napolitano or not, Michael was too young, if he had the mental capacity at all, to be in a position such as his, and he had better learn to take orders and listen to Fix-It and Charlie blindly if he wanted to survive. Ironically, it would soon be Charlie losing her patience with the youth.
Charlie tried to be more comforting and explained how dangerous the situation was for the youngster. It became quickly obvious that he was a Napolitano but that he didn't have that killer instinct. In fact, if anything, he hated the mafia life and wished he could get out.
"Who are you two anyway?" Michael asked.
"I'm Charlie, Natalie's friend. This here is Fix-It," Charlie explained.
"I didn't recognize you in the darkness! Fix-It, the gadget man?"
"In theeee flesshhh!" the man responded with pizzazz.
GreyLord, as I am sure you have noticed, the recollections of events that have actually occurred in the story, particularly those negative things that have happened to Natalie, have a distorted view compared to the original events.
Chapter 21: Reminiscent
Natalie had finally broken. She had taken all she could take. She had been kidnapped, kidnapped again and r-ped, attacked by mobsters, shot, thrown from a van, once more kidnapped and r-ped, and shot some more.
She was sobbing, loudly sobbing. She had endured so many traumas, and now she could no longer suppress the memories. Everything was flooding back to her now. That last moment especially was flooding back to her...
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"Uggghh!" Natalie groaned as Rossi grabbed her body and violently moved it about as the zipties allowed. Left-right and up-down were the main directions, and Natalie felt herself getting dizzy. As he shook her head, she felt the back of her skull slam off the frame of the cot. She saw stars and immediately felt bleeding.
Natalie's face hurt from the slaps, and her neck and lungs burned from the strangling. She felt herself getting physically weakened by the stress and was aghast when she felt the mobster Rossi pulling her pants down. She wasn't certain he would really do it even after he pulled his pants down.
Natalie let out a groan of emotional suffering as she felt the monster push inside her body. The only pleasure was his as he hammered her as roughly as he could muster until he finally dumped his load inside her body. This was, in her mind, worse than all the other sufferings she had endured, including being shot.
That had done more than attacked her. It had dehumanized her. This monster was so self-centered that he could sexually gratify himself as a part of torture that involved shooting and beating a young woman. She resolved to kill him anyway she could, but she hoped she had the chance to execute Riccardo Rossi.
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Natalie never saw or heard the van arrive. She never heard its doors open or her loved ones clamoring as they scrambled out the doors. She was oblivious to the sunrise or her father's kind words.
All Natalie was doing was writhing on the ground and crying while her father helplessly watched. Nothing could break the trance in which she was enraptured. Her mind was fully occupied by the horrors of the past week, and nothing anyone did could change that it seemed.
Her traveling team of misfits now joined in watching her nervous breakdown and struggled for a solution. They didn't even know what had happened to her yet. What had happened to her between her capture and now?
"Natalie, it's me, Je--," Jessica put her hand on Natalie's shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Natalie yelled and moved away.
This was abnormal for Natalie on every front. No one had experience with PTSD really except Felicia, but her experience was far different from Natalie's. Not everyday does the ordinary person find themselves faced with being murdered in cold blood. Emily tried something far different that she had learned in her limited experience of college before she had quit.
"Nats, Nats... Emily is here!" Emily called out, "You want to go to the mall today?"
"Go to the mall?! Ems, are you crazy?!" Natalie responded, and then she saw her friend and realized where she was.
"Nats, I'm here for you," she repeated with deep pain within her.
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"Tell me, girls, does this dress make me look fat?" Natalie asked as she came out of a dressing room.
"Well, Natalie, the top makes your tits obvious, and the bottom looks like a mini-skirt!" Charlie responded.
That was almost always the response from Charlie. At 6'3", it was hard for Natalie to find a dress that fit without a custom order. Instead, she had 2 dresses at home that she could wear in public because one she had made and labored for a week to get it perfect and one that was a custom order her parents ordered for her birthday.
Every dress and skirt fit like a mini-skirt. The longest skirt in most stores couldn't cover her calves, but that didn't bother her at all compared to the fact that she couldn't get longer if she had so desired. She towered over her friends as the blonde Emily's head came under Natalie's chin.
"Natalie, this one will look good on you as a knee skirt!" Emily said and grabbed one off the rack.
"I think you're right!" Charlie agreed.
"Let's try it on!" Natalie eagerly accepted the suggestion.
That skirt left the store in a bag held by Natalie that day. Emily's fashionable eye had found another winner.
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"EMILY!" Nat jumped to pick up her friend in a tight embrace.
"Nats, you know we love you!"
Never before had Natalie hugged someone so tightly or been so happy to see someone. Natalie's blood shot eyes were apparent to all around her. Seeing these faces all in pain reminded Natalie that some bigger threat was out there still. She couldn't progress until she talked to her sister and cousin first though.
"Jess, Ems... in the van... please?" Natalie asked as she put Emily down and dried her eyes on her sleeve.
Something was obviously wrong to all as Natalie was no longer able to walk properly anymore. It became more important as she struggled to open the van doors as well. It became apparent to Emily that Natalie would likely die if she was injured like this again, but the team nurse kept her silence for the time being.
They sat on the futon in the van with Natalie in the middle and one on either side of her; Natalie had her arm around each. They sat in silence for almost three minutes before Natalie spoke. Her words were slow and careful.
"He... he r-ped me... He slapped me, shook me, fondled me, and r-ped me. But I got out...," Natalie briefly described her escape.
Outside, Felicia and the men sat in silence... They were thinking about Natalie... and about Charlie and Fix-It too. No one was happy, and no one wanted to be either. Manny Napolitano wondered if the little girl he remembered was gone forever; Emily and Jessica were worried about their friend and relation. Nick and Frank wondered if their team captain was broken.
Emily remembered the events that led her to where she was. She felt Natalie's pain; oh, did she ever feel her pain. It was now almost 8 years ago...
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"Will," Emily said as she embraced her boyfriend, "I never thought I could love a man."
For the first time, and until Natalie only time, Emily revealed her attraction to girls. She made this like it was small talk while feeling fulfilled and that she could genuinely trust her boyfriend. Here they were with their first time alone in this apartment, and Emily wasn't letting the opportunity go to waste.
Having been sexually abused by a male friend of her father's from when she was 8 to when she was 12, Emily was too fearful to let Will do it there just yet. Instead, she lay on her stomach and let her boyfriend enter her from the backside with a yelp from herself. It wasn't so bad when consensual, but, if anything went wrong with Will, Emily figured she'd be done with men for good.
She was willing to suffer pain for his sake... but she wasn't ready to put those memories behind her yet. Those scars might never heal, and at this point she was ready for things to remain that way forever.
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Fix-It and Charlie arrived in Buffalo to see a city by darkness. It wasn't a pretty sight when the only things visible are the negatives: businesses, factories, etc. The towering fire from Michael Napolitano having incinerated his base was pretty good too.
But something in it all seemed amiss. Something was wrong. They knew somewhere in this mess that trouble was brewing. After much discussion, Charlie and Fix-It figured it out: Michael, young and foolish, didn't flush the enemies out of the system before destroying his headquarters.
Fix-It, to be blunt, was seriously p-ssed off and erupted on the youth for a moment before Charlie calmed him down. Napolitano or not, Michael was too young, if he had the mental capacity at all, to be in a position such as his, and he had better learn to take orders and listen to Fix-It and Charlie blindly if he wanted to survive. Ironically, it would soon be Charlie losing her patience with the youth.
Charlie tried to be more comforting and explained how dangerous the situation was for the youngster. It became quickly obvious that he was a Napolitano but that he didn't have that killer instinct. In fact, if anything, he hated the mafia life and wished he could get out.
"Who are you two anyway?" Michael asked.
"I'm Charlie, Natalie's friend. This here is Fix-It," Charlie explained.
"I didn't recognize you in the darkness! Fix-It, the gadget man?"
"In theeee flesshhh!" the man responded with pizzazz.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
You are moving your great story along. I think all readers will have a lot of sympathy for Nalalie.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51935021448_8459ac441e_o.jpg)
An Unlikely Savior Completed
Spy Task Force Completed
Tale of an Archer Completed
The Bandit Scout on Newhome updated 05/30/23
[mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention] [mention]Mr Underheel[/mention]
Chapter 22: Traumatized
"Jerome, you seem messed up!" Charlie said as she got in the truck with her 27 year-old boyfriend.
"It's nothing," he said as they drove away.
"No, something is very wrong. You're shaking," Charlie grabbed her cellphone.
"You don't need that!" he grabbed the phone from her and threw it out the window.
"JEROME!"
Charlie found herself being kidnapped by her boyfriend with the purpose of her dying alongside him. With a gun to convince her to stay put even when the truck was stopped, she decided to stay by him. At an abandoned building in a neighborhood, the battle was going to take place.
Charlie, wearing only ripped blue jeans and a white tank-top, was forced into the building and bound and gagged. Ropes tied her wrists and ankles, and a navy blue bandana and strips of duct tape gagged her. Jerome didn't violate her in any other way though.
Being inside this old building in the peak of summer was like being in a greenhouse. The temperature was sweltering hot, and Charlie found sweat pouring down her body in the heat. Thankfully, Jerome had planned and kept many gallons of water under blankets and would pour a little over her from time to time.
Munitions were everywhere. Dozens of guns, grenades, and even things Charlie didn't recognize filled this one room that faced the street. The front door to the house was barricaded, all the other windows and door had been blocked to the extent that only fire could get through. It was just this one window now.
In the following hours, Charlie watched her life disintegrate as Jerome killed innocent people in the street and waged a war against the police. By 6 PM, a day at the park had devolved into Charlie being the hostage in a story that was making national news headlines. Bullets frequently went by, and the situation became increasingly tense.
All this time, Charlie was working on her bonds from the shower in which she had been put. She was dehydrated to the extent that she was ill, her clothes were stuck to her body, and she was petrified. Getting out was her hope to survive, and soon she had escaped the simple bonds.
Charlie took a drink of water to quench her intense thirst and decided what to do. It seemed impossible; there was only one way out, especially with police threatening to burn the place to flush them out. Charlie picked up a pistol and started crying, whispering "I'm sorry, baby," as she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
She walked out of the room without looking back while tears poured down her face and guilt tore her sense of self-worth. She unlocked the door and stepped outside into a frenzy. but all she wanted was her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan greeted her daughter with joy. Together they rode to the hospital, and together they rode to Jerome's funeral.
"Mom, Dad, you know I love you two more than life," Charlie said one night two months later.
"You prove it every day," her father responded.
"I want to move back to Boise. I... can't stay here with what happened... My poor little brothers don't have a sister anymore, they have a broken stranger who can't handle adulting. I want to be with Gramma and Grampa."
Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan supported their daughter's intentions. The memories were harming her ability to be a good big sister and daughter even if she was trying her best to still be those things. The day Charlie left was difficult for all in her family, but the promise of strengthened relations between her and her brothers did come to fruition.
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Buffalo was almost disappointingly easy. The restaurant was an easy bust as, it had turned out, most of the Rossi goons had already been eliminated in Cleveland. The remaining ones loyal to him had gone to New York for their last great defensive stand.
Soon, the Buffalo restaurants were in ruins, and the trio of Charlie Sullivan, Bartolomeus "Fix-It", and Michael Napolitano were on their way toward Philadelphia. The trip was going to be very trying for Fix-It as Michael had the intelligence of a typical grunt and struggled to understand the difference between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive.
"You know how I knew he was stupid as a possum?" Fix-It pointed it out directly.
"I'm curious, Bartolomeus. Tell me," Charlie teased him.
"Damn it, woman, don't call me that! I've had this boy wire tapped from day 1, and he clucks like a little bird without any code speak," Fix-It didn't hold back any punches.
"Dayum! Boy's a bit too trusting!" the female companion responded.
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"I can't take any more of this," Natalie's voice cracked.
"Natalie, don't go there... you know we love you," Jessica pleaded with her sister.
"I," she stood up, grabbed a pistol, and put it to her temple with one hand while keeping them back with the other, "want it all to end. He degraded me."
"Sis, please no!" Jessica started crying.
"Natalie, do you want to hurt us, too?" Emily asked.
"Of course not! I... I... I don't want to suffer though... I! I! I...," Natalie looked at both despairing faces.
She thought about the good memories she had with both girls, and the possibilities for new memories to be made with both of them. She couldn't take anymore of the physical, psychological, verbal, and sexual abuses, but at the same time she knew these girls needed her. To end it all would be selfish and would hurt her parents and boyfriend as well as so many others.
"Nats, put the gun down," Jessica was cal and firm, but her face was caring.
"I can't do it!" she put the gun on the desk, "I can't ruin so many lives like that."
"Nats," Emily tried to comfort the strong girl, "Please don't go there!"
"Emily, help me," Natalie began uncontrollably sobbing as she fell to her knees in front of the couch and put her face in Emily's lap, "He ruined me!"
"My abuser ruined me too," Emily blurted.
Natalie was strangely comforted to know that someone knew her pain. It didn't stop the agony she was experiencing, but at least she was understood and had hope. Not all was lost for her.
Bad memories were resurfacing for Emily, and she too joined in the weeping. Pain of that kind never just disappears, and she had never opened up to anyone about it before. No one but herself and her abuser knew exactly what had occurred.
Natalie choked back her sobs because she knew they needed to move forward with things. They needed her as a leader, friend, cousin, and sister. Her mother needed her daughter; Bryce needed her. Riccardo Rossi needed her to end his life. Natalie stood up but collapsed from a combination of weakness and pain.
Emily tried to reason with Natalie that she couldn't get into any more gunfights due to the blood loss. Natalie however insisted that all such battles were hers to fight. This was all her fault, and she had to at least help as much as she was able. Finally, Emily had had enough of Natalie's understandable but self-destructive behavior and decided she had to assume command of this outfit for the time.
"Look, you meatheaded dumb b-tch, you'll die if you bleed like that again!" Emily snapped and stormed out of the van and ordered the others, "Get in. We're moving! We got a restaurant to blast! I'm not standing here for my health."
"Emily?" Felicia asked.
"Come on! Get in the van! Felicia, you and Frank ride up front together!" Emily ordered despite her cheeks being wet and red and her eyes being bloodshot.
This behavior was unlike Emily, but then again Emily also realized that her injured cousins couldn't lead any more, but she needed Nick in the back with her to assist in brainstorming. It didn't have to be one of the girls leading either, but it was more their quest than the men's. When Rossi's men hurt Natalie this time, they had hurt Emily too. She knew that brokenness and how badly they both needed healing of mind and body.
"Emily, what are you doing?!" Natalie asked because she was concerned by this behavioral change.
"Natalie, love is tough. I'm doing what is best for you; just trust me, OK? I promise, if I can help it, that you will get to put the bullet in Rossi, all right?"
"All right," Natalie nodded.
Emily spoke as if she had nothing to lose, but reality was she had as much as anyone else but wasn't willing to take dumb risks either. Natalie and Jessica sat on the couch with their father between them, and Nick and Emily sat at the computer. As the vehicle began to move, Natalie took off her bandana to wipe the tears from her eyes with it. No one would die if Emily could help it. She explained to Nick her plan to wipe out the next two OGs before 10 AM.
Philadelphia was a big city, but there were only the two mafia restaurants to worry about. They seemed to work in twos to keep a low profile. She explained that a careful use of grenades and a gunfight would do most of the dirty work on one, and on the other there was a sewer that ran under the restaurant that she figured could be handled by a couple well-placed bombs... but the ones Fix-It bought that were big enough to do this worked on timers instead of other mechanisms. She and Nick were going to need to reconstruct these as they installed them.
Jessica, Natalie, and their father listened to Emily's articulate reasons for her approach. It was not wrong to say that all were impressed by how quickly she had learned these methods of warfare just from reading the Fixernet, and suddenly they all realized that this girl was the one who really had the brains in the outfit. All this time, they'd been listening to the men and Natalie, but here it was Emily that perhaps should have been collaborating with Fix-It.
Perhaps Natalie's suffering had spurred a new ruthlessness within Emily. She was avenging her injured cousin as well as fighting to win for everyone. What mattered was that Natalie and Jessica could not fight any more, but Emily could despite her own fears. This was an incredible self-sacrifice of love on Emily's part because she was so scared of the gunfights, but she was willing to do it so that Natalie and Jessica would not die.
By the time the vehicle had stopped, Emily had changed herself into ripped beige jeans, a purple-and-pink short-sleeve button-up shirt, yellow and red bandanas on her left and right wrists, respectively, and a brown bandana on her head. The southpaw's wink told Natalie that this was a message just for her. How much of her wardrobe had the girl jammed into her one bag? Emily put on Jessica's body armor and familiarized herself with the operation of a machine gun. Lastly, she grabbed a pair of protective goggles and borrowed Natalie's black gaiter.
Emily was ready to go.
Chapter 22: Traumatized
"Jerome, you seem messed up!" Charlie said as she got in the truck with her 27 year-old boyfriend.
"It's nothing," he said as they drove away.
"No, something is very wrong. You're shaking," Charlie grabbed her cellphone.
"You don't need that!" he grabbed the phone from her and threw it out the window.
"JEROME!"
Charlie found herself being kidnapped by her boyfriend with the purpose of her dying alongside him. With a gun to convince her to stay put even when the truck was stopped, she decided to stay by him. At an abandoned building in a neighborhood, the battle was going to take place.
Charlie, wearing only ripped blue jeans and a white tank-top, was forced into the building and bound and gagged. Ropes tied her wrists and ankles, and a navy blue bandana and strips of duct tape gagged her. Jerome didn't violate her in any other way though.
Being inside this old building in the peak of summer was like being in a greenhouse. The temperature was sweltering hot, and Charlie found sweat pouring down her body in the heat. Thankfully, Jerome had planned and kept many gallons of water under blankets and would pour a little over her from time to time.
Munitions were everywhere. Dozens of guns, grenades, and even things Charlie didn't recognize filled this one room that faced the street. The front door to the house was barricaded, all the other windows and door had been blocked to the extent that only fire could get through. It was just this one window now.
In the following hours, Charlie watched her life disintegrate as Jerome killed innocent people in the street and waged a war against the police. By 6 PM, a day at the park had devolved into Charlie being the hostage in a story that was making national news headlines. Bullets frequently went by, and the situation became increasingly tense.
All this time, Charlie was working on her bonds from the shower in which she had been put. She was dehydrated to the extent that she was ill, her clothes were stuck to her body, and she was petrified. Getting out was her hope to survive, and soon she had escaped the simple bonds.
Charlie took a drink of water to quench her intense thirst and decided what to do. It seemed impossible; there was only one way out, especially with police threatening to burn the place to flush them out. Charlie picked up a pistol and started crying, whispering "I'm sorry, baby," as she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
She walked out of the room without looking back while tears poured down her face and guilt tore her sense of self-worth. She unlocked the door and stepped outside into a frenzy. but all she wanted was her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan greeted her daughter with joy. Together they rode to the hospital, and together they rode to Jerome's funeral.
"Mom, Dad, you know I love you two more than life," Charlie said one night two months later.
"You prove it every day," her father responded.
"I want to move back to Boise. I... can't stay here with what happened... My poor little brothers don't have a sister anymore, they have a broken stranger who can't handle adulting. I want to be with Gramma and Grampa."
Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan supported their daughter's intentions. The memories were harming her ability to be a good big sister and daughter even if she was trying her best to still be those things. The day Charlie left was difficult for all in her family, but the promise of strengthened relations between her and her brothers did come to fruition.
=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=
Buffalo was almost disappointingly easy. The restaurant was an easy bust as, it had turned out, most of the Rossi goons had already been eliminated in Cleveland. The remaining ones loyal to him had gone to New York for their last great defensive stand.
Soon, the Buffalo restaurants were in ruins, and the trio of Charlie Sullivan, Bartolomeus "Fix-It", and Michael Napolitano were on their way toward Philadelphia. The trip was going to be very trying for Fix-It as Michael had the intelligence of a typical grunt and struggled to understand the difference between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive.
"You know how I knew he was stupid as a possum?" Fix-It pointed it out directly.
"I'm curious, Bartolomeus. Tell me," Charlie teased him.
"Damn it, woman, don't call me that! I've had this boy wire tapped from day 1, and he clucks like a little bird without any code speak," Fix-It didn't hold back any punches.
"Dayum! Boy's a bit too trusting!" the female companion responded.
=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=
"I can't take any more of this," Natalie's voice cracked.
"Natalie, don't go there... you know we love you," Jessica pleaded with her sister.
"I," she stood up, grabbed a pistol, and put it to her temple with one hand while keeping them back with the other, "want it all to end. He degraded me."
"Sis, please no!" Jessica started crying.
"Natalie, do you want to hurt us, too?" Emily asked.
"Of course not! I... I... I don't want to suffer though... I! I! I...," Natalie looked at both despairing faces.
She thought about the good memories she had with both girls, and the possibilities for new memories to be made with both of them. She couldn't take anymore of the physical, psychological, verbal, and sexual abuses, but at the same time she knew these girls needed her. To end it all would be selfish and would hurt her parents and boyfriend as well as so many others.
"Nats, put the gun down," Jessica was cal and firm, but her face was caring.
"I can't do it!" she put the gun on the desk, "I can't ruin so many lives like that."
"Nats," Emily tried to comfort the strong girl, "Please don't go there!"
"Emily, help me," Natalie began uncontrollably sobbing as she fell to her knees in front of the couch and put her face in Emily's lap, "He ruined me!"
"My abuser ruined me too," Emily blurted.
Natalie was strangely comforted to know that someone knew her pain. It didn't stop the agony she was experiencing, but at least she was understood and had hope. Not all was lost for her.
Bad memories were resurfacing for Emily, and she too joined in the weeping. Pain of that kind never just disappears, and she had never opened up to anyone about it before. No one but herself and her abuser knew exactly what had occurred.
Natalie choked back her sobs because she knew they needed to move forward with things. They needed her as a leader, friend, cousin, and sister. Her mother needed her daughter; Bryce needed her. Riccardo Rossi needed her to end his life. Natalie stood up but collapsed from a combination of weakness and pain.
Emily tried to reason with Natalie that she couldn't get into any more gunfights due to the blood loss. Natalie however insisted that all such battles were hers to fight. This was all her fault, and she had to at least help as much as she was able. Finally, Emily had had enough of Natalie's understandable but self-destructive behavior and decided she had to assume command of this outfit for the time.
"Look, you meatheaded dumb b-tch, you'll die if you bleed like that again!" Emily snapped and stormed out of the van and ordered the others, "Get in. We're moving! We got a restaurant to blast! I'm not standing here for my health."
"Emily?" Felicia asked.
"Come on! Get in the van! Felicia, you and Frank ride up front together!" Emily ordered despite her cheeks being wet and red and her eyes being bloodshot.
This behavior was unlike Emily, but then again Emily also realized that her injured cousins couldn't lead any more, but she needed Nick in the back with her to assist in brainstorming. It didn't have to be one of the girls leading either, but it was more their quest than the men's. When Rossi's men hurt Natalie this time, they had hurt Emily too. She knew that brokenness and how badly they both needed healing of mind and body.
"Emily, what are you doing?!" Natalie asked because she was concerned by this behavioral change.
"Natalie, love is tough. I'm doing what is best for you; just trust me, OK? I promise, if I can help it, that you will get to put the bullet in Rossi, all right?"
"All right," Natalie nodded.
Emily spoke as if she had nothing to lose, but reality was she had as much as anyone else but wasn't willing to take dumb risks either. Natalie and Jessica sat on the couch with their father between them, and Nick and Emily sat at the computer. As the vehicle began to move, Natalie took off her bandana to wipe the tears from her eyes with it. No one would die if Emily could help it. She explained to Nick her plan to wipe out the next two OGs before 10 AM.
Philadelphia was a big city, but there were only the two mafia restaurants to worry about. They seemed to work in twos to keep a low profile. She explained that a careful use of grenades and a gunfight would do most of the dirty work on one, and on the other there was a sewer that ran under the restaurant that she figured could be handled by a couple well-placed bombs... but the ones Fix-It bought that were big enough to do this worked on timers instead of other mechanisms. She and Nick were going to need to reconstruct these as they installed them.
Jessica, Natalie, and their father listened to Emily's articulate reasons for her approach. It was not wrong to say that all were impressed by how quickly she had learned these methods of warfare just from reading the Fixernet, and suddenly they all realized that this girl was the one who really had the brains in the outfit. All this time, they'd been listening to the men and Natalie, but here it was Emily that perhaps should have been collaborating with Fix-It.
Perhaps Natalie's suffering had spurred a new ruthlessness within Emily. She was avenging her injured cousin as well as fighting to win for everyone. What mattered was that Natalie and Jessica could not fight any more, but Emily could despite her own fears. This was an incredible self-sacrifice of love on Emily's part because she was so scared of the gunfights, but she was willing to do it so that Natalie and Jessica would not die.
By the time the vehicle had stopped, Emily had changed herself into ripped beige jeans, a purple-and-pink short-sleeve button-up shirt, yellow and red bandanas on her left and right wrists, respectively, and a brown bandana on her head. The southpaw's wink told Natalie that this was a message just for her. How much of her wardrobe had the girl jammed into her one bag? Emily put on Jessica's body armor and familiarized herself with the operation of a machine gun. Lastly, she grabbed a pair of protective goggles and borrowed Natalie's black gaiter.
Emily was ready to go.
CGC Short Stories (F+f+/F+f+): viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20527
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)
Find my other CGC Stories in the same link above!
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53453232728_4995409211.jpg)