Chapter 73

Malcolm was brought to the Chateau in a white transit van. As soon as the side door opened he ran off into the open fields.

Phillips took off after him, two PTI's trying to keep up with her. I noticed that they were both quite bruised. I watched as Phillips caught up with Malcolm despite tripping and falling once. 'She's getting better' I thought to myself. The PTI's only caught up when she was returning with Malcolm.

Menolly, who'd been keeping suspiciously close to Sasha for the last few days, took hold of our runaway by his wrist and guided him into the Chateau.

Phillips guided the two PTI's back out onto the ten mile route. One of the men had a look of desperation in his eyes as he passed me, "Help..." he said, still running.

"Stop moaning and get a move on!" Phillips, having to take these slow-coaches running three times a day, obviously felt that she was being punished more than she deserved. "If you've got enough wind to moan, you've got enough to run so MOVE!"

I liked that girl.

I wandered into the Chateau to see what was happening to Malcolm.

Menolly and two of her colleagues had him in a bare room. "Strip," said Menolly.

Malcolm laughed, "Do you little girlies think that you can make me?" He looked at each one in turn, their impassiveness obviously worried him.

"Strip," repeated Menolly.

"Fuck off," snarled Malcolm.

Menolly grabbed his wrist and applied pressure. He fell to his knees screaming, but Menolly continued the pressure until we saw a dark patch appear in his trousers.

One-handed, Malcolm undressed.

One of the other girls threw a set of handcuffs on the floor in front of him. "Put these on, hands behind your back."

Malcolm picked up the heavy steel handcuffs and immediately tried attacking the girls. Two seconds into his attack he was on his knees, hands cuffed behind his back. Both shoulders were now grasped and pressure applied again. Malcolm's scream was shorter this time as he fainted quite quickly. Menolly chained his ankle to a ring set deeply into the floor and the three girls left the room.

I looked down at Cher's next new toy. I felt nothing for this man, he was an enemy who had been captured. I was sure that if our positions had been reversed he would have taken great delight in watching me be tortured. It was his bad luck that I beat him and arranged for his capture before he tried to arrange mine.

But that thought made me pause, what if they had arranged for my capture? And I just hadn't walked into the trap yet.

This needed some serious thought - time for a swim.

Bee was ensconced with Karolina, Ela and Lynne for the next two days.

Sir Jeffery returned with the documents agreeing to our terms for the additional fifty housing projects. He seemed very disappointed that the stocks and St. Andrews cross were empty this time.

All the time I was worrying. How do I spring a trap that I know nothing about?

"Girl!" I called.

"Yes my Master," answered Aline from my side. How on Earth do they get there so quietly?

"Please ask Elastic if she could spare me a few minutes." I asked.

"My Master should order this girl, not ask her as though she were a freewoman."

"Go girl," I said smiling, "before I decide to beat you."

With a laugh she ran from the room. "Julia, Master wants to beat me!" I heard her delighted cry echo through the corridors.

Staring at the door, and chuckling to myself, I unconsciously dropped my hand to the side of my chair. There was already another head there, I looked, it was Karen. I hadn't spent time with Karen for so, so long. I would have to make a point of spending time with each of my girls every week. Surely I can fit in an hour with each at least. Julia would be the one to arrange that.

"Karen, my precious, come and warm my lap for a while."

With a huge grin, Karen jumped up and settled herself on my lap. "Thank you my Master. We love being held and comforted in your arms."

She filled my lap, her head on my shoulder, nestling into my neck. I too felt comforted, peaceful and, for a while, my mind calmed its turmoil. Unknowing, I fell asleep.

I woke slowly, the weight in my lap warm and comforting. I felt the breast nestled in my palm. As my fingers twitched it was pressed harder in to my grip.

I looked down at Karen's slim form. I don't know how long we'd slept but I'd obviously needed the break from the stress I'd been under.

I sniffed at the air, something was wrong; I smelt fear, rank and stale fear.

Slowly I looked round, there was a marine guard in the room, but there was almost always a marine guard in the room. This one though was male. He was the source of the smell. He was frightened of something, very frightened.

"What's wrong Marine?" I asked him.

"Sir, I ask that another guard be present in the room, Sir!" he answered.

Moments later Menolly came in. I was reassured that I was still being monitored by Elastics girls.

He looked at her and I could see that he'd come to a major decision. He handed Menolly his rifle and side arm. "Sir, I have been told to kill you if I can. If I fail then my family will be killed."

The door opened before he finished his sentence and Elastic entered with three more of her marines.

"Elastic," I said, "find out where his family is and get them moved somewhere safe. He's started his redemption. Let's see what else he can tell us."

Elastic nodded, "I thought I'd better watch this one. He comes from the Lake District, not too far from the Morrison's home turf."

He looked straight ahead impassively, "You ain't what they told me Sir. They lied through their teeth. I think that you're the first real good man I've ever met." He turned to Elastic, "I'm sorry to betray you like this Ma'am. This place has been good for me, very good, I'll be sorry to go."

Elastic smiled, "You're not out of here yet, Marine. Perhaps I'll decide that you're saveable."

He was led out of the room by his squad mates.

Karen watched as he left, then tucked the pistol she held back into its hiding place in the arm of the chair. I hadn't known it was there. I suspected that there was another in the other chair arm too.

"Umber won't be pleased," said Karen, sure of Umber's reaction to the Marine's announcement. "She'll most probably kick his arse round the Chateau when she finds out."

I smiled, little Umber had threatened someone else when they'd tried to attack me, this Marine had said he was supposed to kill me and he'd had the opportunity and means to do it too. But he hadn't done it, and he'd handed himself to Elastic's tender mercies without trying to bargain for good treatment. I thought he would be a good addition to the cadre here.

I picked up the phone and dialled. "Elastic, go easy on him, don't forget he gave himself up and didn't try to worm his way out of trouble."

"I know that Boss, it's just that he could have killed you. Some of the girls are finding that hard to take."

"Remind them that he had plenty of chances to kill, but he didn't, and he probably thinks that he's killed his family because he told us about his orders." I thought for a moment, "Try to find out who gave him those orders, anything that he'll tell us could be important."

Elastic laughed, "Boss, the problem isn't getting him to talk, getting him to shut up is almost impossible. He is being very, very informative."

"Thanks Elastic." We hung up.

With Karen still on my lap I sat and brooded. My thinking was wrong, I decided. I shouldn't be worrying about what they might do. That gave them the advantage. I needed to make them respond to what I was doing, so I had the advantage.

I wanted to walk, Karen looked as though she'd settled in for the night and seemed very comfortable so, nasty Master that I am, I smacked her bum.

"Uuuummmmm..." she moaned as she buried her face into my neck.

Not quite the response I was hoping for.

I smacked her bum again, harder this time.

She sat up and looked at me her eyes bright with what looked suspiciously like lust.

"Yes my Master?"

"Get up. We're going for a walk," I ordered.

She stood and turned her back to me, bending a little to present the cheek I'd smacked for inspection. "Have I got a hand print?" she asked.

I smacked the other cheek. "Now you've got two," I told her.

"Oh goody, the others are gonna be soooooo jealous," she answered, hurrying after me.

I wandered aimlessly around the Chateau grounds, thinking. I'd shown them that they weren't safe in their homes, nor were they safe on the streets. If they came into France I'd have them immediately, but if they stayed in England they couldn't get at me.

I stopped dead as a thought struck me. It was ME that they wanted. Just me. My companies hadn't been touched; it had always been about ME!

The bullet struck the wall just in front of me sending chips flying into Karen and I.

We dropped to the ground and huddled behind a low wall. My sudden stop had saved my life, of that I was sure. Maybe Gerald was right and some God or Goddess was looking after me. If there was then please could they tell me what the fuck this was all about? Why the fuck was Huntley after me?

The 'whoooomp' 'whoooomp' of mortars being fired hit us then. Elastic's girls had some idea of where the shot had been fired from and returned fire too quickly for the rifleman to escape.

I waited for backup to come. It did, and from an unexpected source. The huge marine, carrying a large screen on his own, came and placed this flimsy barrier between us and any possible source of attack. The screen itself wouldn't stop a bullet, it would however stop someone aiming at us.

"If you would make your way to the Chateau please, Boss," he asked politely. I was more than ready to do so.

"Thanks Marine," I said as I helped Karen inside.

Elastic was inside waiting for us. "We think we got the hide, Boss. I just need to send someone out to check the damage."

"No, they'll be waiting for the damage assessment team. That shot was only the start of the attack. If it'd hit me, well that would have been just luck. I bet that shot came from nearly three thousand yards, about four or five seconds air time for the round. No, that was a lure for us." I looked at Elastic's girls, all willing but without the experience which could save their lives in a situation like this.

"I have to go, I need to have a word with Paula too." I stood and, suddenly filled with a sense of purpose I hadn't felt since 'the troubles', I strode out of the room to Paula's quarters.

Menolly and Nina were, almost amusingly, dressed like ninja's. A dark grey body suit and full face balaclava, no eye holes though they could see through the fine weave of the cloth very easily. I was dressed similarly, the softer shoes seemed odd to me after being used to combat boots for so long. But these had a better sole and the carbon fibre lining would make them as potent a weapon as my old boots ever were.

These suits gave us an advantage I'd never previously had, they reduced our infra-red signature by nearly ninety five percent. We would be almost invisible to night vision glasses.

For this action we carried immobilising guns. Short barrelled shotguns loaded with small cloth bags filled with lead shot. Aim for the abdomen central body mass and the target would, most probably, survive. They wouldn't be in any mood to continue fighting, but they'd live. If hit on the neck or head then they died. The impact shock would snap their neck like a twig. A heart shot was iffy, 50 / 50 chance of surviving.

This time I wanted a survivor or two to question.

I led the girls through the wood. We knew roughly where the original firing point had been, it was now a shallow crater. Now I wanted to find the over-watch teams.

Slowly, silently, we made our way through the wood. Nina heard them first, tapping her ear and pointing toward the sound.

We split up, Menolly going left, Nina right, me straight down the middle, just how I liked it.

They were arguing! Who the fuck did they think that they were up against? Arguing when they should be expecting a counterattack, that was beyond stupid, it was insane.

Then I smelt gun oil. I stopped and looked round me. There was a Barrett propped up against a tree, a piece of paper hung from the foresight. It showed an arrow pointing up. I looked up and there was a body lying on a low branch. "Hi Frosty," he said.

Malcolm 'Jock' McDonald looked down at me, his hands supported his upper body and if he let go with either then he was likely to fall.

"You want to be careful of the short one. He's a bit fanatical and will just charge with guns blazing. He's a nutter if you ask me. He doesn't know anything but the German, the blonde, does. The other two are just hired guns. They'll run if it looks like they're beaten."

I relayed the information to Menolly and Nina. Shorty would be taken out first of all.

"Jock, go to the Chateau, leave the rifle but you can keep your side arm and one knife. Tell the girls that I gave you permission. Lie and they'll know it and kill you."

I left Jock and moved off toward the group of men sat around a camp stove. They were cooking their tea! I stared in disbelief, they were fucking cooking!

They came to kill ME, then missed and now they're FUCKING COOKING!!!!

I was beyond insulted. Didn't they have any respect for their target at all? Just who did they think I was? A soft English businessman who wet his panties when the bullets started flying.

These fucking idiots deserved to die.

Menolly and I stood still while Nina did a sweep around the area. She saw Jock walking away and noted that his rifle was where he left it. She picked it up and brought it with her.

Nina's sweep completed we arranged ourselves again and pooled our information. As Jock had said there were four of them Blonde, Slim Man, Black Hair and Shorty. A fire action plan was quickly agreed and we moved into our positions.

Nina, the one who had the furthest to go to get into position, gave the signal and we attacked.

Shorty was shot with Jock's Barrett, he flew across the stove knocking the pan of stew over Slim Man.

Blonde, the German, was on his feet in a second, his Uzi tracking around the trees. He couldn't see a thing. Nina shot him, the bag of lead shot catching him in the stomach and throwing him to the ground.

One walked, two down and two to go.

Menolly and I fired together, our targets, Slim Man and Black Hair, were standing almost back to back. Both bags of lead shot struck centre chest, smashing both men together. Their heads hit with a nasty crack. As neither of these were the German I wasn't particularly worried.

Menolly snapped plastic ties onto Blonde and we left.

I glanced back at their camp site. That'll teach the stupid fuckers to make something hot to eat when they're out hunting me!

I'll suggest to Elastic that she gets her girls up here and gives them a few pointers on what not to do when trying to assassinate someone.