Fragrance of Revenge (13 page)

Chapter 33

Ralph was still in shock. Mercedes was kidnapped right from under their noses. She should have come into the cantina with him. The driver suggested she stay in the car. He watched the driver trying to reach his superiors. Was this his plan to have Mercedes in the car alone, so she could be kidnapped?

Mercedes told him that the captain said she should not go anywhere alone, and was about to cop a feel himself. She said he suggested he come to her hotel to discuss the case of the missing women in more detail.

Jose was not making much progress getting a hold of the captain. Jose was much too calm, almost too calm. This must have been a planned kidnapping of Mercedes. He bet the captain might be involved as well. He knew he needed to get a hold of his boss, but how?

He tapped Jose on the shoulder. “Jose, if you can’t reach the captain, have headquarters contact the two policemen with my boss – Max Gordon.” Jose didn’t seem to understand him.

He snatched the microphone from him. “This is Ralph Reynolds with the FBI. Call your policemen with my boss Max Gordon. Do it now.” He did not understand the reply, but he realized they did not understand his request.

“Jose, tell them to alert the policemen who were with my FBI boss, that Mercedes Strong has been kidnapped.”

Jose took the microphone back and after several exchanges Ralph could tell they understood and were going to indeed reach them. “Jose, thank you. How can we reach your captain?”

Jose just shook his head. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that his earlier suspicion about the captain might be right on target. “Jose, can you take me to where the woman’s body was found?”

*.*.*

Ralph sensed that Jose might be involved with Mercedes’ kidnapping and wondered if he too had something to worry about. He was going to keep a keen eye on Jose just in case his gut was correct.

Jose put the blue light on top of the roof and rushed down side streets. This was a good sign to Ralph. Ten minutes later they arrived at the docks where the body was found.

“Mr. Ralph, there is where body found.” He pointed toward the closest pier.

There was no sign of Max and the other two policemen. “Jose, contact headquarters to find out if they contacted my boss.” Jose just looked at him. “Jose, call headquarters and get an update.”

Ralph watched as Jose made the call and reacted to what he heard. He hung up the microphone, started the car, and pulled away in a rush. “What did you learn?”

“They have found agent.”

“They found Max?”

“No, they found pretty agent.”

*.*.*

Ralph was concerned about whether she was found murdered or found alive. He didn’t want to ask and just dealt with what he would do if she was killed.

Shortly, they rounded a corner at another waterfront area. There were several police cars with their lights flashing. Two were blocking the entrance to a warehouse on a pier. “Mr. Ralph, we park here.”

His heart was beating a mile a minute and he still didn’t know what to expect. As they both neared the entrance to the building, a stretcher was being brought out. A man’s boot was sticking out the bottom of the sheet. Ralph stopped and watched them push the gurney to a waiting vehicle.

He heard Max’s voice. “You will be okay now Mercedes, but we need to take you to the hospital for treatment.”

Ralph turned and saw Max guiding Mercedes through the door. She was holding her head and was wrapped in a dark blanket. She spotted Ralph and came running to his arms.

“Oh, Mercedes, I thought we might have lost you. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be okay now. I thought I was never going to be found.”

Ralph turned and saw the captain walking towards them. “We were very lucky. We had this building under surveillance for several days, and it paid off. You are a very lucky lady.”

Mercedes turned towards him. “Captain, thank you for rescuing me. I thought I was going to be…” She started crying and turned back to Ralph.

“Like I said, you would be a prize. I thought perhaps there would be an attempt to kidnap you. We had you in our sights since you left our station. I’m sorry you had to endure what you went through before we could rescue you.”

She hugged the captain. “Thank you so much.” However, she had a strange feeling when he and his men burst in, that his hesitation to cover her with a blanket told a much different story.

“We have two men who we will question, and hopefully we will be able to locate the other women.”

She smiled at him, but pulled the blanket tight around her. Ralph guided her to the police car they told him would take her to the hospital.

Max came up to them at the car. “Ralph, your job right now is to stay with Mercedes, and don’t let her out of your sight. That is an order.”

Chapter 34

As the police car headed to the hospital, Mercedes knew she was very lucky to be rescued. She doubted she would have been killed, since she was more valuable alive.

Ralph was being quiet, holding her tightly, and being respectful of her privacy. She felt herself quivering, but it wasn’t because it was cold. Ralph hugged her more tightly and she couldn’t control her emotions any longer and started sobbing into his chest.

“I’m so sorry Mercedes. We should never have left you alone. Thank God they rescued you.”

She was sorry she hung up on Scott. He was who she needed now. He was the one she could relate what had happened to her.
Or could she?

Her mind was playing tricks on her. Parts of what happened seem like a haze, and other parts seem so real. She played back what happened starting with her rescue.

There was a loud crash. It must have been the outside door being smashed in. There were several gunshots and yelling. She couldn’t tell who was saying what, but she pictured the police confronting the men holding her.

Right after the shooting stopped, some men were handcuffed and shoved to the floor. There were three men, with their backs against each other. The captain left his men and came over to her. He just stared at her without saying a word…no, he devoured her for what seemed like an eternity. She remembered her feeling that he was not going to untie her, and her ordeal might really just be starting.

However, he left her and yelled something to his men. A minute later he came back with a blanket and covered her with it. She remembered its shocking smell, and under normal circumstances, would never have wanted it anywhere near her body.

She was glad the captain couldn’t see her body any longer. The memory of his eyes slowly surveying her body, gave her a chill that he was going to pick up where the men left off. He also took too much time loosening the ropes to remove them.

She inhaled now and confirmed the blanket only had the smell of sea life, and not what she also smelled before—sweat and semen.

 “Mercedes, I’m trying to comfort you, but you’re shaking.” She felt Ralph try to move her to look at her face, but she just pressed harder into his chest. She was happy he didn’t persist.

The memory prior to her rescue was a jumble of images. She remembers when they entered the warehouse the men quickly stripped her remaining clothes, which was just her skirt and what was left of her bra. They removed her hood, and she knew she was really in trouble now since they didn’t care she could identify them.

They undid the handcuffs, or maybe they did that first. They were all talking in Spanish and she was glad she didn’t understand what they were saying.

She remembered being yanked over to a wooden column. She remembered seeing ropes around the column lying on the floor. One was quickly slipped up the pole and put around her neck; another was slid up her legs to her waist and both were pulled tightly. Two other ropes hanging from the top of the pole were put around each wrist.

She never felt so defenseless in all her life. She thought about the dead woman and what she had endured, and the others and then what was going to happen to her. Four of the five men just stared at her naked body while the other took numerous Polaroid pictures of her. She closed her eyes but could feel the hot flashes now against her body.

All of a sudden there were hands all over her and she must have blacked out.

She could feel her heart beating wildly now and her breathing rushed. She closed her eyes and was relieved she couldn’t remember what happened.

“Mercedes, I’m so sorry we weren’t there to protect you. You’re going to be okay now.” Ralph pulled her tightly to him and she couldn’t control her sobs any longer.

The swaying of the police car was almost putting her to sleep. She considered she might be having a nightmare and remembered Scott having his. However, she is not having a nightmare—this really happened to her. She wanted to see if there was any permanent damage to her body and tried to mentally poll body parts. Nothing registered.

Then she remembered –
the pictures that were taken of her, where are they?
Her nightmare is not over.
The captain has her photos, and if she is not mistaken, her nightmare is only beginning. The only reason she is not his prisoner right now, is that his men were there and he wanted to have her rescue by him on record.

Her profiling training kicked in—
his police position could provide him with the ability to deter the official investigation while making thousands on the slave-trade. Judging from his expression, the money is only a side benefit.

She recalled his expression when he found her tied to that pole. There’s no doubt in her mind that he was weighing his options and planning something for the future.

“Ralph, you need to do a better job of protecting me. Please don’t leave me alone with anyone…not even with the captain.”

“Do you know what you are saying?”

“I know exactly what I am saying.”

“What about when we get to the hospital?”

“You can close your eyes when they examine me, but
don’t
leave me alone again while we are on this investigation.”

He moved her so he could see her face. “Are you sure?” He wiped her cheeks.

“I know my enemy and you are not what I have to fear. I can’t exactly remember what those men did to me, but I know you would never treat me like they did.”

He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly again.

“Ralph?”

“What?”

“You could have taken advantage of me in Bermuda the night I had too much to drink, but you didn’t…you’ve earned my trust…don’t blow it.”

She thought,
what will she ever tell Scott? Simply, that she is very happy to be alive.

Chapter 35

She purposely didn’t let Chris make love to her. He’ll have to earn that privilege.

However, she had lost track of time, but it wasn’t wasted time. When he left her bedroom, he was a happy puppy, but a sore man. The memory of their time together put a smile on her face and she was surprised she was getting excited just thinking about it.

Her bra and panties were somewhere, but it didn’t matter. She would get them in the morning. She felt the cool air on her naked body.
Maybe she should ring for Chris. No, she will do that some other night.

It was so different with Chris. Although she was attracted to the doctor, Chris was young and very handsome. His body was much more toned than the doctor’s. She had burned Chris’ image into her brain and would be able to recall it whenever she wanted to, including when she was with the good doctor.

She remembered what she put him through and how she rewarded him. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind…she now had total control of him. She had tested him and he passed the test with a very rewarding experience for both of them. He was able to give her two incredible orgasms.

She couldn’t resist any longer and touched herself now where he spent those many wonderful minutes.

Before he left they showered together. Well, first she showered and made him watch. He was more than ready when she washed his body. She repeated the things she did to the doctor in the shower, and Chris’ reactions were much more rewarding. She replayed those things now and wished he was still with her.

She had two men who would do anything she told them to do. She was starting to believe what the doctor had said about her being beautiful. She was surprised by how her actions seemed to defy all that is natural. Maybe it wasn’t her beauty, but her behavior. She will have to ask the doctor which it is.

However, Chris still had to be severely punished for reading her diary. What could she think up next? What would his eyes look like when she held the straight razor against him? Would he trust her? Of course he would. The doctor did.

You both have made some unfortunate mistakes.

Chapter 36

Alexis had her way with him. However, it was everything he imagined and more. He was impressed with how his body had performed, but he knew she liked it even more.

He could have left her room at any point, but he was a willing captive to what she would do next. Less than an hour since he left her room, he had indeed managed to check all of the patients to make sure they were still asleep and did not require any attention.

He looked at his name tag and realized ‘Chris’ was upside down. It was a good thing nobody noticed that, and he could fix it before the doctor arrived. He would have had a difficult time explaining why it was on incorrectly. He unhooked the safety catch and noticed the blood on the end of the pin. The blood would have been even harder to explain.

He recalled when his clothes were lying on Alexis’ bed; she had taken his name tag off his shirt and told him he couldn’t have it back. When he finally started to get dressed, he remembered she took the tag and he asked for it back. She made him close his eyes and told him he had to earn his badge back. She was going to stick him with the pin point five times.

It was her final way to say she was in control and not him. He recalled each stick. The first stick was in his navel. He flinched, and she told him if he reacted to any of the next sticks, she would double the number. She purposely made him wait minutes between each stick. She described the blood to him and then licked it away. The anticipation was exciting and he couldn’t hide it from her.

His body was reacting right now to the memory. She tortured him with that pin and it hurt like hell, but it was such a sweet torture. She had tested him, and knew he had passed. It was an erotic sight seeing her with blood on her lips.

Her final words were, “Get dressed. That will give you something to remember me. Now we both have earned our ‘red wings.’”

Chris you need to have a plan to get rid of the doctor and have Alexis all to yourself. Maybe there is a better plan.