Vicky heard the door open, then close.
Anna came and stood beside her. Turning her head so that she could see her, Vicky asked –
“What now?”
Anna smiled, and brought the cane into sight.
“Ever have this at school?”
Vicky could hardly breathe, but managed to say “No.”
Anna shook her head.
“Shame, perhaps you wouldn’t be the treacherous little vixen you are today.”
She continued, her accent thickening as her anger increased.
“So, I continue to teach you not to steal other women’s men – yes?”
Vicky twisted her head around as far as she could, and pleaded –
“I never intended to steal Carl from you Anna, I promise. It just happened. We’re very much in love. Please don't do this.”
Anna’s anger exploded with the mention of love. She yelled –
“You are a devious girl who needs to be punished – and that’s what I’m intending to do.”
There was a silence, then she seemed to get control of herself, and a smile of sorts crossed her face.
She brought her head down so that Vicky could hear as she whispered – “Anyway, do you know something Vicky? I rather think you like being disciplined.”
Vicky started to protest, but felt her cheeks burning.
Was it true?
The thought had preyed on her since Carl had put her across his lap.
But that was different – wasn’t it?
She had no more time for further speculation as Anna’s disembodied voice said – “You will find it exquisitely more painful than anything you have received before.”
Vicky began to tremble uncontrollably. Her mouth and throat were so dry that all she could manage was a faint - “Please don’t.”
Anna stepped back, and laid the cane very lightly onto Vicky’s buttocks, and noticed that the girl could not stop herself from pushing gently back against it – typical of all the submissives she’d ever beaten.
She kept it there for a long time, each second causing Vicky’s breathing to get more and more ragged as she tensed for the first stroke.
When it came, there was a swish and then a feeling as if her behind had been slashed by a live electric wire.
She screamed again and again as Anna lost control, and began thrashing her wildly, never hearing the door burst open.
Carl took a look at Vicky, naked and helpless on the bed, red welts criss-crossing her pale skin, and launched himself forward with a roar of rage as Anna, cane raised in the air, was just about to bring it down again.
He sent her flying, her head hitting the brick wall with a loud crack.
She slid down, unconscious.
Even as he turned to Vicky, who was looking at him with a mixture of relief and utter humiliation, there came shouts and the sound of running feet.
Carl swung round and ran back to the door, pulling the pistol out of his waistband. He fired once into the air, and then grabbed the key from outside and slammed it shut and locked it.
He turned his back and dropped to his knees beside Vicky, who had gone bright red all over her face and down to her breasts.
“Are you all right?”
She rattled the handcuffs, desperate to be free.
“Get me out of these.”
He looked around for the keys and saw them immediately, lying on a small table in the corner.
There was a loud crash, the heavy door shook on its hinges, but held. Feverishly he struggled with the cuffs, and got them open. Immediately Vicky reached for the keys.
I’ll do my ankles, you look after the door – don’t let them in – they’ll kill us.”
Carl picked up his pistol as a terrific battering started, the wood quivering and splitting with every blow.
He pressed the barrel against the wood and fired.
The explosion was deafening, the smell of cordite filling the room. There was a yell and the sound of something heavy and metallic being dropped outside. The door was silent.
Carl turned, as Vicky swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.
She held one hand across her chest covering her breasts, the other shielding her nakedness below, one leg instinctively crossing the other at the knee.
Acutely aware of her nakedness, she pleaded –
“I’m sorry, they took my clothes.”
Carl began to pull of his jacket, but a groan came from the floor.
They both looked at Anna, who was still only half conscious.
Carl gestured – “help yourself”.
He turned his back.
While he waited, tense for any new assault on the door, he heard silk rustling, the snap of elastic and finally, the sound of riding boots being pulled off as a slurred Anna’s voice said “What’s happening, what are you doing?”
There were other noises, and a groan, and then Vicky said – “Right, that’s it, I’m finished.”
“What’s to be done with her?”
He turned, to find Vicky dressed in the silk blouse which was too tight and the white breeches which were too long and baggy. Anna was left only in her panties sitting with her back to the wall.
“We need her – as a hostage.”
He strode over, lifted Anna up, and sat her on the bed.
“Handcuff her, hands behind her back.”
Carl held her by the shoulders as Vicky struggled to do as he said.
“There.”
He pushed Anna gently down on the bed, swung her legs up and rolled her onto her tummy.
They looked at each other for the first time searchingly.
“Did she hurt you a lot?”
Vicky shook her head.
“Not really – you came just in time.” Embarrassed, she changed the subject quickly and said –
“Are we going to get out of here?”
She didn’t add the obvious – alive?
Carl put on his best cheery face.
“Of course.”
But in truth, he thought there was only a slight chance. These people were ruthless – that’s how they had gained their power, their riches, and that’s how they held onto them.
Not for the first time he wondered how he had never known about Anna’s background. She had always fobbed him off with something about ‘her father being in business’ – to do with transport and he had never had the inclination to start asking to see her people – thank god.
A rapping came on the door.
“You – in there – can you hear me?”
Carl motioned to her to flatten herself against the wall beside the door, and then he took up a position on the other side.
“Yes – we can hear you.”
“You got Miss Mioretti in there?”
“Yes.”
“Let me speak to her.”
Carl looked across at Anna, whose eyes were now open, but still unfocussed.
“Maybe later.”
The voice turned harder, the menace that the man had endeavoured to keep hidden, creeping in.
“She better be OK – for your sake. What do you want?”
Carl called back – “We just need to get out of here – safely.”
The voice softened.
“Okay – lets talk about this. Why don’t you come on out – leave the girls, then we can work something out.”
Carl grimaced.
“I don’t think so.”
He knew that nothing would be done without the direct order of Anna’s brother, or even her father if the old man was still alive and the top dog.
But there was only so much time they could stay in the room. Without water they would be forced out in a day – earlier if the man on the other side of the door had the means to do it. And he had no doubt they had. The only asset he and Vicky had was their prisoner – Anna.
But once outside, that would count for nothing, unless he was prepared to put a gun to her head as they tried to get away. Instinctively he knew they would call his bluff.
But he was with Vicky, and that’s all that mattered.
Beyond the door were several heavy-set men, all armed with pistols and a rifle.
Their leader, a swarthy black haired man was a few feet away, speaking into a two-way radio.
When he had finished he came back to the others.
“The boss is back – and he’s not happy.”
* * * *
Anna was sitting up, face red with humiliation – and anger.
“You will never get away with this. Do you think my brother and your submissive little whore are just going to walk out of here?”
Vicky just upped and did it, something she had never done in her life before.
She walked over to Anna and slapped her face hard, so hard that the woman’s head rocked to one side, a fleeting look of shock in her eyes.
As soon as she recovered, Anna spat the words out.
“You will pay for that you silly little fool.”
“Shut up or I’ll do it again.”
Vicky raised her hand, and was gratified to see the woman flinch.
* * *
The two big black limousines crunched down on their suspensions as, tyres screaming, they turned in through the already open gates, the men guarding it holding walkie-talkie sets to their heads.
Men jumped out, one opened the door for their boss who stepped out, looking around slowly as he buttoned his suit jacket.
Shit, what a mess on his own doorstep.
Scowling, he made his way to the stable block. When he’d sorted this out, he was going to have to do something about his sister.
Anna would be sent to his uncle in Chicago for a few years, perhaps forever if the right man could be found.
As he made for the stables he signalled to one of the gardeners. When they had talked, the man, and several others began to push one of the small tractors they had been using, after him.
When he arrived at the door he nodded to the man in charge.
“OK – get him.”
The man rapped on the door.
“Mr Mioretti wants to speak to you.”
Carl knew now that the end game was coming.
He shouted back.
“Then talk.”
Mioretti moved closer to the door. His Lieutenant tried to stop him, whispering – “He’s armed, he’s already fired through the wood.”
But he shook him off, and put his face close to the door.
“I want to speak to Anna - let her tell me she’s OK, then I’ll negotiate.”
Carl turned to Anna, who said triumphantly –
“You’re in for it now – both of you.”
He grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her to the door.
“Tell him what he wants to hear.”
Anna looked at him with contempt, then shouted out -
“Don’t worry about me – come and get these two. I’d rather be dead than let them go.”
Carl pushed her back onto the bed. Even as he did so he heard an engine start up on the other side. He grabbed Vicky, and pulled her into a corner and covered her as the engine revved up.
Next moment, like an explosion, the door burst off its hinges, flying back against the far wall and falling down on the mini tractor that had roared into the room and stalled.
Men were everywhere – smashing into Carl with rifle butts, beating him to the floor and grabbing a screaming Vicky.
They were both dragged outside.
Anna was raging.
“Get these off me.”
Stumbling, they were forced to walk out of the stable block, their eyes screwing up in the sunlight. They were dragged to Mioretti who stood with two more men beside him in front of the house.
Anna’s brother shook his head menacingly.
“What the hell am I to do with you two?”
“Kill them now.
It was Anna, eyes blazing as she staggered towards them, a man’s light jacket covering her breasts.
“You stay out of this Anna – you’ve caused me enough trouble – go and make yourself decent.”
“I will not.”
She grabbed a pistol from one of the men and aimed it straight at Carl’s chest.
But at that moment they all became aware of noise and men swarming all around them.
“Freeze.”
The mechanically enhanced voice echoed around the area, momentarily making everybody just do that.
Then they turned, to find the area flooding with heavily armed uniformed Carabinieri, automatics pointing at the group.
The voice came again, commanded – “Lay down your weapons – slowly. Put up your arms, hands where we can see them.”
They all started to do as they were ordered – except one.
Anna kept the gun on Carl.
There was a frightening impasse.
Seconds passed, the silence broken only by the steady womp-womp of a helicopter’s rotor blades as it landed.
Her brother started to say - “Anna, take it easy. You could get us all killed - - ”
He got no further. A wild figure launched herself like a rugby player at Anna, and took her down in a bone crunching tackle that blew all the air out of her body.
Even so two Carabinieri had to eventually pull off a screaming Vicky, still battering at the senseless woman with her fists.
Doms and subs didn’t come into it. Vicky had reacted to the danger to the man she loved.
* * * *
It didn’t take long to find out what had happened.
John McKinley came towards them, using his stick, accompanied by a very high-ranking member of the Carabinieri.
“You OK son?”
“Yes dad, thanks to you. How did you find us?”
His father indicated the Colonnello at his side.
“Frank here is an old friend. As soon as you’d gone I rang him in Genoa – he’s highly placed as you might guess. He couldn’t have been more helpful, we owe him a great debt.”
The Colonnello waved his hands deprecatingly.
“No, no – the debt was mine after what you did for my son.”
It was his father’s turn to be dismissive.
“That was nothing. Anyway – he got onto the local headquarters here, and then flew down by helicopter, would you believe, to oversee the operation. We got here just in time if you ask me.”
His father turned his eyes onto Vicky, who was aware she must be looking a mess in Anna’s blouse and riding breeches.
“Even so, I think you have to thank this young lady for saving your life. That woman was mad enough to have shot you regardless.”
Carl put his arm around Vicky’s waist, and pulled her closer.
“I know that Dad. Trouble is, I don’t know how I’ll ever manage to repay her.”
Vicky smiled up at him.
“I’ll think of something.”