Chapter 3

Claudia removed her top and shorts and then sat on the preparation chair as Paula made sure the dressing room door was locked. She leaned forward, and Paula unfastened her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She smiled at Claudia’s sexy reflection, clad now in only her panties and began the customary massage of her shoulders.

Claudia smiled, closing her eyes, as she felt Paula’s wonderful fingers roam lower to her breasts. Her hands became her temporary bra cups as she kneaded her soft, full tits like baker’s dough.

“Mmm, I love your hands on my tits! Feel them rougher! And I definitely approve of you wearing lower-cut tops for me,” she smiled. Claudia opened her eyes to gaze down the opening on Paula’s blouse. Paula squeezed her tits as if to make her nipples squirt out milk.

“I can’t believe this will be your last live ‘Your Community Matters’ segment,” Paula said, making her lover’s nipples rock hard.

“I know, I can’t believe it either. From now on they’ll be pre-recorded or done live on the Afternoon at Five Show.’ I can hardly wait to do two hours of live TV Monday to Friday!”

“Plus, we’ll have more reasons and time to be doing this!” Paula moved to the side of her chair and leaned to suck on her right nipple. Claudia lovingly cupped her head to her breast, suckling her lover. Paula now wore short skirts, usually minus panties, just for Claudia, and today’s choice was approved by a loving hand fingering her desirable pussy.

“You sure have me needing to bring extra panties to work because you usually make one pair wet from my juices,” Claudia smiled, as Paula slid her hand past the elastic waistband. The backs of her knuckles moved the fabric of her panties as several fingers entered her.

“Mmm, I need you to make me cum!” She wriggled her ass in pleasure.

“Do you think we have time?” Paula hoped.

“Let’s make time!” She smiled, her panties joining her clothes on the floor. Claudia placed her legs over the sides of her chair. Her pussy now fully exposed, Paula knelt to enjoy her almost daily meal.

She smiled and smoothed her hair as Paula’s talented tongue once again brought her to another wonderful climax. She almost forgot to cover her mouth as she cried out her pleasure. Tomorrow, Paula’s pussy would be on the receiving end of Claudia’s tongue.

Soon, Claudia and Wayne were downtown for her scheduled interview. She adjusted her skirt and halter top that Paula had picked out for her. She loved the skirt; it felt so light on her, and the top showed her bare shoulders and a nice hint of cleavage. She glanced around the store, admiring the wicker-made crafts Erin St.Clair had on display.

Wayne set up the camera on the tripod and said, “I’m all set; we’ll just do a light and sound check, and we’ll be ready to go live when cued.” Wayne listened to his earpiece and looked at the portable monitor to see when their time on-air would start.

Approximately five minutes away from air time, they were suddenly startled by two men who burst through the back door of Erin’s store.

“Don’t you say a word or make a move!” One said as they both trained 9-mm guns on them. “You there, open the cash register, and hand me all the bills!” He demanded, pointing his gun at Erin. Wayne quickly pressed the record button on his camera.

“Shut that thing off!” He ordered Wayne.

“I haven’t started recording yet,” he lied.

Erin hesitated, and he grabbed her roughly by the arm as the one with curly hair watched over Claudia and Wayne. He held the gun to Erin’s head as she nervously opened the register, and he grabbed the bills.

Wayne tried to sneak his cell phone out of his pocket to call 911, but the curly-haired one saw him. In the brief struggle, the tripod-mounted camera was knocked over but continued recording. The guy hit Wayne across the forehead with the barrel of his gun, then pressed the muzzle of it hard to his left temple and said, “One fucking move and you’re dead!” He warned through gritted teeth.

“No, please, don’t shoot him!” Claudia yelled as if her outstretched arm could stop him.

“Out the back, all of you, and don’t try and run or I’ll shoot you in the back!” They were ordered. Erin hurriedly put her hands up, followed by Claudia and Wayne. A dark blue cargo van, backed up by the Station truck, was waiting, side door open and engine running. “Get in and don’t make a sound!” One growled.

“Try one move, and you’re fucking dead!” Erin and Claudia sat wide-eyed, their backs to the van’s rear doors.

“What are you going to do to us?” Erin asked very worriedly.

“Shut the fuck up!” One growled and slid behind the driver’s wheel.

The other robber handed Wayne a roll of duct tape as the curly-haired one drove the van away. “Tape up their mouths and hands,” he was ordered.

“I’m sorry,” he said, covering Erin’s mouth and wrapping her hands. He tried to keep his balance as the van swayed on the roads. “I’m so sorry, Claudia,” he apologized, as he bound her hands loosely and then her mouth. Wayne then had his hands and mouth covered.

“Well, don’t you two look lovely? Imagine our luck to get the two of you with just one stop!” He grinned, revealing poorly kept, stained teeth.

“Head out of town,” the driver was directed.

The leader came up to Erin and asked, “Do you remember me?” He smelled of stale alcohol and tobacco. She shook her head, no. “Well, I remember you! I’m Chuck, and this is my brother Arnie,” he grinned.

Chuck freely said their names as Erin, Claudia, and Wayne, and that they wouldn’t remain alive to be remembered. He took out a hunting knife and turned the blade up, saying, “Try any wrong moves, and I’ll gut any of you like a fish!”

Erin’s eyes widened with fear as he cut her T-shirt and thin camisole down the center. He gazed at her small mounds and started laughing. “You call those tits? When are you going to grow up and become a woman? You couldn’t even breastfeed a fly with those puny little dimes. Don’t ever waste your money on buying a bra unless you’re going to stuff it with socks!” He tormented.

Erin began to sob, hearing once again the insults she was forced to bear about her nonexistent breast size.

Chuck punctured her skirt, ripping it from hem to elastic waist. “You won’t need those either,” he added, ripping her panties off. He gazed at her almost-naked body; she was helpless to cover up.

He leaned forward and said, “Yes, you’ll do just nicely.” Erin tried to push him away as he leaned in to suck on her left nipple. “Mmm, you are flat-chested. I love it when they fight!” He boasted. He seamlessly spread her legs apart, revealing her dark-haired pussy. “I’ll shave your pussy bare later tonight,” he grinned. She cringed as she felt him finger her pussy roughly.

Next, he moved to Claudia. The dull side of the knife etched her cheek and scratched her flesh several times as he shredded her halter top. “No bra, I see. Nice tits to suck on.” He punctured her skirt, ripping it also its full length. She was also freed of her panties. Mmm, a pussy shaver, I love it. But I’ll enjoy shaving your pussy just the same.” He just looked at her and grinned. “I’ve got special plans for you!”

He leaned over and sucked on her right nipple, then fingered her pussy. Wayne kept his head lowered, ashamed to gaze at his two, almost naked fellow captors. He had fantasized about fucking Claudia, not seeing her naked like this.

The van windows were darkened, and the only view was out of the windshield. Steel and concrete buildings soon gave way to palm trees and the blue sky. “You know where to go,” Arnie was told.

Chuck took their cell phones, removing the batteries. Claudia hoped he didn’t check out her phone and see all the pictures and videos of her and Dan and their sexy lifestyle.

Several glances at her watch revealed a thirty-minute drive with many turns, and Claudia could smell dust filling the back as the van stopped. The driver got out and opened the sliding door. The captors squinted at the sudden sunlight shining in. A warm breeze met them, and ominous dark clouds foretold an approaching thunderstorm.

“Get out!” Arnie motioned to Wayne, waving his gun at him. The tape covering his mouth was ripped off as he got out, stepping away from the gunman. “Start running!” He ordered. Run, you stupid fucking asshole! Run for your life!” Arnie yelled, pointing his gun. Wayne turned and started running as best he could with his hands still bound.

Claudia’s eyes widened seeing Arnie raise his gun. She and Erin were jolted and shrieked as they heard three cracks from the pistol.

“Wayne!” Claudia fretted beneath her covered mouth. The first shot missed him, but the second hit his left shoulder, spinning him and sending him stumbling to the ground. Claudia screamed upon hearing Wayne shriek in pain. He staggered to regain his balance and glanced back as the next shot struck his head above the left ear.

His body crumpled to the ground, creating a circular dust cloud around it. The pain above his left ear felt like he’d been stabbed with a white-hot iron rod. He lay there on his right side, seeing the gunman’s feet approaching. He grunted and groaned, and then everything seemed to be fading into darkness. His open eyes still sparkled in the sunlight, but they didn’t move.

Arnie returned to the van carrying Wayne’s wallet. “Is he dead?” Chuck asked.

“I think so,” he said, taking the cash out of his wallet and counting the money.

“You don’t just fucking think so, you fucking asshole. Go and make sure he’s dead, you stupid fucker!” Chuck demanded.

Arnie returned to Wayne’s body and lifted his head by the collar of his shirt. Above his left ear, blood was oozing and matting his hair. He put the muzzle on Wayne’s forehead and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired. “That fucking ass gun jammed again!” He grunted. He ejected the damaged bullet and, placing the muzzle to his head, again pulled the trigger. The gun jammed once more. He swore, almost tossing it into the nearby irrigation canal.

He looked at Wayne’s face, his eyes staring straight ahead. His head lay drooping against his shoulder. Arnie cut the tape that bound his hands and stripped him of his clothes, jewellery, and watch. He used his foot to push him down the embankment of the irrigation canal. Wayne’s limp body landed sprawled out, face down, and half-submerged from the waist down in the dark, murky water.

“So is he dead? If not, then go and use my gun to make sure!” Chuck said, offering it to him by the barrel.

“I’ve got to get this damn fucking gun fixed! Twice, I tried to put one more round in his head, and the stupid fucking gun jammed! Oh yeah, he’s fucking dead alright! My first shot missed, but I got him good in the left shoulder, and the third hit his head above the left ear. A nice stream of blood is now flowing over his face. I heard him grunt and groan his last breath, and his eyes had that blank stare only dead people have!” He confirmed.

Claudia hung her head, weeping over the death of her friend. Erin took Claudia’s bound hands in hers to comfort her. Claudia leaned her head on Erin’s left shoulder, her body heaving as she cried hard over the senseless murder of her co-worker and friend.

“You fucking bastards!” She screamed, muffled by her taped mouth. Her face contorted in pain for her friend.

“Did you pick up the shell casings?” Chuck asked.

“I forgot.”

“Go and pick up the fucking casings, Arnie!” Chuck ordered.

The van continued for some time, then stopped again. “Get in the other van!” They were ordered. Claudia glanced as she moved between vans. All she saw was grass and crops. Heavy raindrops began to spatter the dust, with thunder and lightning now overhead. As the sky opened up, their abductors pushed the getaway van into a deep irrigation channel and watched it sink in the dark water. The fresh rainfall would cover any tracks their van made in the dirt. They high-fived each other and continued with their escape in a second van toward Interstate 75.

Dan returned home from a meeting with the University of Tampa. He was asked to be a guest lecturer and become mentor for their Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program.

As was the custom, he’d have dinner ready for his love. He lifted the lid of the slow cooker and inhaled deeply. “Mmm, does that ever smell good!” He praised Claudia’s earlier creation of roast beef, potatoes, carrots, and broth. He made sure there was a bottle of red wine in the fridge and then set the table for another romantic dinner.

He had texted her earlier, saying that dinner was ready and he would be waiting when she got home. He didn’t expect a reply, as he knew she couldn’t always answer back when preparing for her show. He turned on the television to watch Claudia’s latest, ‘Your Community Matters,’ which he had set to record while he was out.

“As was reported earlier, due to technical difficulties, we are unable to bring you this week’s segment of ‘Your Community Matters,’ with your host Claudia Davenport,” Dan heard.

“What happened, Claudia? Did Wayne forget his backup batteries for the camera again?” He joked to the TV.

Dan sat, sipping on his glass of wine, and looked at the grandfather clock; it was 6:30. Claudia should have called him by now. He called her cell, “The person you have called is unavailable at this time. Please try again.” He thought it was unusual that her cell would be turned off and waited for his love to return to his open arms.

Several minutes later, his cell chirped, and he expected it to be Claudia but was surprised to hear Tessa instead. “Hi, Tessa, what’s up? Did Wayne forget the batteries for his camera again?” He joked.

“Hi Dan, I guess he did. Can you do me a favour and come down to the station? I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, is Claudia with you?” He asked in passing.

“I’ll explain when you get here.” Dan thought it was curious about her call but didn’t press for more information. He turned off the slow cooker and drove to the station.

As Dan entered the station parking lot, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he noticed several Tampa Police Department cars parked by the front door. “Claudia?” He parked and hurried to the front door.

Dan noticed confusion amongst other staff members, some crying, and ran down the hallway. He was greeted by a very anxious Tessa. “Where’s Claudia? What’s happened to her?” He fretted, looking around at the several police officers standing nearby.

Tessa hugged him tightly. Normally he’d like the feeling of her full tits pressing against his chest, but the look of concern etched on her face told him something was very, very wrong.

“Dan, there’s been a robbery.”

“Here at the Station?”

“No, it was at the store where Claudia was to broadcast her Community segment from. Dan, Claudia is missing and so are Wayne and the woman she was interviewing,” Tessa said sadly, tears dripping.

Dan’s eyes began to water, his lower lip quivering, “What? What happened?” He shrieked.

“Mr. Davenport, I’m Detective Brian Williams of the Tampa Police Robbery Division,” he introduced, offering his hand. “It appears that the store owner, a Miss Erin St.Clair, the woman your wife was about to interview, was robbed, and she, your wife, and her co-worker were taken by the robber or robbers.”

“When did this happen?”

“At approximately 5:15, according to the time on the TV station’s camera. A customer found the store unlocked and empty, with signs of struggle. She called 911, and we have been investigating since then.”

“After the robbery scene was cleared, the officers brought Wayne’s camera back here, and we viewed the footage to see if it showed him, Claudia, and the person who robbed the store,” Tessa said.

“Can I see it? I need to see it!” Dan anxiously insisted. Tessa played the short piece, and he watched closely. It showed Claudia and Erin St. Clair holding each other’s hands, frightened, looking up off-camera.

“Shut that thing off!” A man’s voice was heard.

“I haven’t started recording yet,” Wayne’s voice replied.

They could hear the grunts of a struggle, then the camera fell onto its left side. A shadow could be seen, followed by a brown running shoe belonging to Wayne.

“One fucking move and you’re dead!” They could hear.

“No, please don’t shoot him!” Dan could hear Claudia yell.

“Out the back, all of you, and don’t try and run or I’ll shoot you in the back.” They heard it being ordered.

“Claudia!” Dan yelled as if she could hear him.

The camera continued recording. Several minutes later, a woman’s feet were seen, and she called, Hello, is anyone here?” She could be heard calling 911, and a few minutes later, sirens could be heard getting louder. Several feet were seen moving about, and then Officer Williams knelt to look at the camera.

“It’s still recording!” He yelled. A moment later, it went blank, being shut off by him.

“Your wife’s comment confirms that a gun was used in the robbery. We are still trying to determine if there were one or two robbers, as none are directly seen in the video. But we suspect there were two, based on how the three were controlled and the cash was taken,” the detective remarked.

“Do you have any idea where they may have been taken?” Dan asked, his lower lip trembling and tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. Tessa hugged him close, offering her support.

“At this moment, we have no witnesses, and we have officers out looking everywhere for them right now!” Brian offered, placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder.

“The police are going to issue an Amber Alert for them in a few minutes,” Tessa said. “Det. Williams, you have everything from my station at your disposal to assist you. I’ll alert our pilot that our helicopter is available anytime you want it.”

“What can I do to help?” Dan needed to know.

“We’ll ask you a few questions, and then we want you to go home and wait in case your wife calls,” Det. Williams said.

“We don’t have a home phone, just our cells. I want to help look for her too! I just can’t sit around my house and do nothing while my Claudia is out there somewhere!”

“I can understand your anxiety and worry. Of course, you can help find them!”

Detective Williams used the station’s facilities to issue an Amber Alert for Claudia, Wayne, and Erin. Tessa had Erin’s picture isolated on the camera tape, and she assembled and printed a picture and description of the three on one page.

“We’re printing 2,000 copies to start,” Tessa said. Dan suggested they go to the shopping malls and hand out the missing flyers.

Dan’s head was spinning; his world was falling apart. “Claudia, Claudia!” He whined, and finally, his emotions broke. He hugged Tessa and cried hard into her shoulder. Her tears of sadness and support almost matched his as she hugged him firmly to her breasts and rubbed his back.

Once he calmed down from his first session of tears, he sat and watched Det. Williams go live on WZAX. Fear and worry were accompanied by anger and determination. He was asked to go home and give the K-9 Unit a piece of her clothing for her scent to help their dogs search for them. Tessa said she changes her clothes in her dressing room and led the officer there.

At home, Dan opened his city map of Tampa on the kitchen table, marked where Erin’s store is, and then gazed at it, wondering, “Where do I begin?” He asked in frustration and cried again.

Arnie parked the van in their underground garage, and Claudia and Erin were forced out at gunpoint. Arnie looked up at the C-4 explosives he and Chuck had put in place around the east entrance. With one flick of the toggle switch, the garage, east wall, hostage room, and entrance of the building would collapse from the explosion.

Claudia looked around at the pale, grey walls and dirty ceiling. They were ordered up a flight of metal stairs and through a door, their shredded clothes barely staying on their bodies.

Chuck took Erin roughly by the arm, and she was cuffed to a tiny bed and locked alone in a room while Arnie took Claudia to the same room Julia had stayed in. Julia is still alive but is now in a smaller room down the hallway.

Claudia gazed around at the sullen, damp room of her new surroundings. Chuck stripped her remaining shredded clothing from her body. “Get the fuck on the bed!” He ordered as Arnie joined them.