‘So he didn’t go on the trip. He couldn’t get a replacement vehicle, and his friends had already left. They went off without him. When my uncle heard about it later, he stormed into my room in a rage and asked what the hell I thought I was doing. I didn’t have an explanation, so he beat me as a punishment.’
Hedge remembered being quite horrified when she had first told him about the beating. He had asked her to finish the story though.
‘Anyway, everything changed several days later, when the local news reported that three men had been attacked by a bear whilst sleeping in the forest. The reporter told how one man had died after having his head partially crushed in the animals jaw. Another of the campers had been mauled so badly that surgeons had to later amputate his left arm. The third man escaped relatively unscathed and had managed to raise the alarm. My uncle sat at home and listened to the news about the three men – Jake’s friends. When the reporter had finished, my uncle slowly turned towards me. He was deep in thought, and he was shaking his head very slowly from side to side. He tried to say something to me, but no words came out of his mouth. I just smiled at him. A few minutes later he stood up and left the room. The incident was never mentioned again, and I was never beaten again.’
Hedge came back to the present. He leaned over and touched Maddie on the arm affectionately.
‘Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing.’
Turning briefly in his seat, he scanned the horizon behind them. The road behind was empty, apart from the Mustang being driven by Cole. His friend must have seen him looking as the headlights on the dark grey car following them flashed several times. He turned back in his seat and faced forwards again.
‘It looks all clear to me. I don’t see anything behind at all. It would appear that nothing is there.’
Maddie didn’t turn round, or look in the mirror. She just stared directly ahead as she softly spoke her two words.
‘It’s there.’
Chapter Fourteen
Mike Sutton was angry. The coffee tasted like shit.
He called the waitress back over.
‘Excuse me, but what is this drink supposed to be?’
‘That’s your coffee sir.’ The young woman didn’t get the sarcasm.
‘Take it away please. I’m not paying for that. Bring me some proper coffee, some of the fresh stuff.’
‘But, sir ...’
‘I do not want to see that on my bill.’ Sutton spat the words out.
The waitress looked tearful. Her bottom lip was quivering as she picked up the cup from the table. She walked back towards the kitchen, and disappeared behind a swinging door.
A few moments later the door swung open again. A tall, burly man in a grey shirt and blue jeans swaggered over to where Sutton was sitting.
‘Hi there, I understand you have a problem with your order.’
‘Are you the owner?’ Sutton asked.
The man nodded.
‘Well your coffee tastes like crap. It’s not fresh, and I doubt it’s even made from real beans. Maybe you make it from baked beans, but certainly not coffee beans.’
The tall man looked hurt.
‘Well our regulars seem to like it. Maybe you just don’t appreciate quality when you taste it.’ The owner stood tall as he spoke. ‘I will have to insist that you pay your bill in full. We take cash or cards. It’s up to you’.
‘Do you take this?’ Sutton laid a black leather wallet on the table. He flicked it open. His silver FBI badge shone softly in the dim light of the diner. Automatically, he moved his left arm across his chest, just enough for one side of his jacket to fall open. The movement revealed his handgun holstered nearly under his armpit. It was overkill, and he knew it, but he enjoyed the moment.
The tall man looked beaten, but Sutton pressed home his advantage.
‘Did I see a couple of punks in the car park out front dealing in illicit substances? Or maybe they were just swapping candy with each other.’
The owner took a step back from the table.
‘The food is on the house mister. There’s no charge. I don’t want any trouble. I need to go and check what’s happening out back. Have a good day.’
The man scurried off.
Sutton felt pleased. It was a small victory. People needed to learn to show more respect to him.
He left the diner, and walked across the car park towards a motel. He had decided to spend the night here. The car he was following had stopped a few miles back in the town of El Paso. It had arrived at the town on Interstate 10, and given the direction it was heading, it was almost certainly going to drive out on the same highway.
He would continue tailing the car as it went past in the morning.
He still felt angry. Was it the assignment he had been given? Actually it was okay. He was enjoying following the Mustang. It was the sort of thing he liked.
He needed some exercise. He had to relieve his stress. He hadn’t brought any sports gear otherwise he would have gone for a run. Although, as he looked around at had barren landscape, he wasn’t sure where he would have gone running.
He pushed open the door to the motel reception.
‘Room for one night please,’ he said to the woman behind the counter.
‘No problem sir. That will be sixty five dollars, payable in advance.’
Sutton studied her as he reached into his jacket pocket for his wallet. She must have been in her mid twenties. She had a pale face, and big, baby-blue eyes. She had an air of confidence, and smiled just enough to be friendly, but not enough to be suggestive.
‘Sign here please.’ She pushed a sheet of paper in front of him, and handed him a pen.
‘Oh, and enter your vehicle details here.’
She leaned forward to show him where, and as she did so, her blouse top opened slightly, revealing her cleavage. From what was visible of them, her breasts looked generous and enticing.
‘Wow,’ exclaimed Sutton, ‘now that is nice’.
The girl straightened up, realising what she had done. She shot him a hateful glance. But he didn’t see it. His focus was elsewhere. He took a step to one side.
‘That is very nice.’
He was looking past her, towards the bright, polished steel Espresso coffee grinder in the office behind the reception.
‘That is what I call a coffee machine. How much do you charge for a Cappuccino? I ordered one in the diner next door, but they brought me a cup of sewage.’
The woman laughed. ‘That’s on a good day. Normally it’s much worse. I’ll make you one. I finish my shift in forty five minutes. I’ll drop it in on the way past.’
‘Thanks,’ said Sutton.
He picked up his room key and went back to his car to get his overnight bag. He had parked his silver Chevrolet Impala close to a group of other cars. He didn’t want to attract any undue attention to himself. He grabbed his bag, and then went off to find his room.
It was almost an hour later when there was a knock on his door.
‘Coffee delivery for you,’ a female voice shouted.
Sutton opened the door. The young woman from the reception stood in front of him holding a large mug.
‘That’s really appreciated,’ he said as he took it from her.
It was hot, so he quickly put it down on top of a nearby bedside table. She smiled briefly, and then turned to go. Then she stopped in her tracks, and slowly turned her head. Her bottom jaw dropped, and her eyes opened wide.
She stood motionless.
Staring intently at what lay on his bed.
Chapter Fifteen
Sutton was feeling a little more relaxed than he had earlier. He had taken a shower, and changed into some loose-fitting casual clothes for the evening. His previously worn stuff was strewn on the bed, along with his washing bag, and his gun holster.
The young woman had caught sight of the handgun. Her eyes were still widened.
‘Do you carry a shooter?’ She looked slightly nervous, but also a little int
rigued.
‘I do,’ he replied, ‘but don’t worry, I’m a Federal Agent.’
‘Are you really? Wow, how exciting.’ Her nonplussed tone from when he had first seen her had now been replaced with genuine interest.
‘Are you on a job? Are you after someone?’
‘Yes, I am. But I can’t say any more than that.’
‘Who is it, a murderer?’
Sutton stared at the young woman. He could tell that she was interested in what he was doing. Her eyes sparkled, and her face had lit up with genuine excitement.
‘It could be a murder situation, I’m not sure yet. I need to gather some more intelligence. It’s very important that I remain completely undetected. So I need you to promise that you won’t mention meeting me to anyone.’
Sutton was enjoying the moment. He loved his job, and he believed he was a good agent. Getting respect off everyday people was important to him, and this young woman seemed like she appreciated what he did. He was a good judge of character, he believed. He felt like he could trust this girl.
‘Can I see your gun?’
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Come on in. What’s your name by the way?’
‘Melissa,’ she said.
She stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and sat on the bed. She ran her hand across the black leather of the holster. Then she touched the gun itself with just her index finger. Sutton noticed that there was a kind of sparkle in her eyes, and her breathing had quickened slightly.
‘Can I see your badge,’ she asked.
He nodded, then reached into his pocket and threw a wallet down next to her. She opened it cautiously, and ran her fingers over the FBI badge. She may not have realised, but her wet tongue was moving backwards and forwards across her bottom lip.
Unexpectedly, she stood up, and turned to face him.
‘I have a confession to make. You may need to arrest me, or something. Last week, I took a hundred and twenty dollars from the safe in the office. I haven’t replaced it yet, and I don’t plan to.’
‘So you stole money then,’ he said.
‘Yes.’ She replied quietly, and her eyes dropped to look down at the floor.
Sutton took a step towards her. Without warning, he raised his right hand and slapped her hard across the side of her face. She winced, and her head was flung sideways. But she said nothing, just turned back to look at him. Her cheek, where his hand had landed, had turned bright red.
She stood with her big eyes staring at him. There was water in them, not tears, but just a light sheen of moisture covering their surface.
‘Is there anything else you want to confess to?’ Sutton had the air of a strict father admonishing his child.
She spoke quietly again. ‘A few days ago I was driving my brother’s pick-up into town. The speed limit is thirty, but I was in a hurry, so I must have been doing well over forty miles an hour most of the time.’
‘A residential area?’ he asked.
She nodded slowly.
‘So there could have been children playing out? Your actions could have had serious consequences.’
He studied her response. She nodded again. Her eyes dropped to the floor once more. She bit her top lip nervously.
‘Do you regularly disobey road traffic regulations?’
‘I guess not very often, but just occasionally.’
‘And do you think that makes you a good citizen?’
‘No, I guess it doesn’t.’
‘Take off your jeans,’ he ordered.
She did so without question. She laid them on the bed, and stood facing him with bare legs. He looked down at her. Her skin was white and soft looking. She appeared quite vulnerable standing in front of him.
‘And remove the panties.’
Again, she did his bidding without question, stepping out of her white, cotton underwear, and throwing them on top of her jeans.
He studied her once more. Her eyes still pointed to the floor. Her shirt hung down to her lower belly, so her neatly trimmed pubic hair was clearly visible.
Sutton walked over to where he had placed his hand luggage. He lifted open the top of his bag, delved inside, and pulled out a metallic object. It was around eight inches long, and he clasped it tightly in his hand.
He walked back over to where she stood. As he approached her, he flicked his wrist sharply. The object in his hand extended to its full length revealing it to be a telescopic baton. It was the kind of thing that police forces use for crowd control. It was made of a thin, steel alloy, and was light enough to carry around easily. However, when used correctly, if had the ability to deliver a sharp blow to whoever it was used against.
Melissa looked at the implement. A look of fear spread across her face, but she said nothing.
‘Turn and face the bed, and then bend over,’ Sutton said sharply.
She did as she was told. Her back arched downwards, and she rested her hands on her knees. Her buttocks were pale white, the skin soft.
‘Bend over more,’ he said. ‘Place your hands on the bed to support yourself.’
She moved her hands from her knees, rested them on the surface of the bed, and bent over further. Her back was now at right angles to her legs. Her backside stuck out behind her. Small tufts of her pubic hair were visible, protruding from between the top of her legs. Her eyes were closed, and he could see that she was trembling.
‘You need to be punished, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’ she replied softly.
He stared at her for a moment. He felt good watching her in front of him, part naked and vulnerable. He was incredibly aroused. He ran his free hand down the small of her back and let his fingers trace out a path that curved around the soft skin of her backside.
Then he struck. He raised the metal baton high in the air and brought it down hard on the cheeks of her buttocks. She cried out in pain, but stayed bent over. A dark, red line appeared across her backside. The bruised skin was slightly raised. Her breathing rate had increased sharply, and the teeth on her upper gum were biting down on her lower lip.
‘Is there anything else you want to confess to,’ he asked her. His voice was calm and controlled.
She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. ‘I stole a jar of face cream from a department store a couple of years ago. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.’
‘Is that all you stole?’
She hesitated for a moment. ‘I may have taken some other items also, but I can’t remember now.’
‘So how often do you shoplift?’
‘Not regularly,’ she responded defensively. ‘It wasn’t something that I got into the habit of doing.’
‘Regardless of how often you did it, you still committed acts of theft.’
‘Yes,’ she agreed.
‘That’s two lashes.’
She shuddered as he said that. The previous smack with the baton had been painful, but she knew that she deserved it. She needed to be punished. Her buttocks tensed automatically. She closed her eyes shut once again.
He raised his arm, once, twice. Both times the cold, hard steel struck her backside. Both times she cried out. Two more red lines appeared on her soft buttocks. There were tears in her eyes now. The punishment was hurting her.
‘Anything more?’ he asked.
She gulped hard. Lifting her right hand off the bed, she wiped the moisture from her eyes. She turned her head slowly to look at him.
‘My husband left me when he found out I was cheating on him. I was having regular sex with one of his closest friends. It was wrong, and I regret it now.’
‘When did this happen?’
‘A few years back now.’
‘What did this sex consist of? Was it full sex?’
‘I guess so.’
‘So you let this man penetrate you?’
Melissa hesitated. She was trying to avoid the answer.
‘Well, did you?’
‘Yes,’ she said.
‘That’s Adultery.
’ Sutton was shaking his head from side to side. ‘That’s five lashes.’
‘No not five.’ She started to straighten up from the bed.
‘Stay bent over,’ he commanded.
She leaned back down. But her eyes had glossed over. She looked like she was about to cry.
‘Not five. That’s too much. Please.’
Sutton thought for a moment. He ran his free hand across his chin. Then he made his decision.
‘Stand up then, and remove the rest of your clothes.’
She stood up slowly. Staring at him directly, she pulled her shirt up over head and threw it on the bed. She was still wearing her socks, so next she bent down and pulled them off one at a time. Finally, she reached round behind her and unclipped her bra. She dropped that on the bed also.
She was now standing in front of him completely naked. He looked her up and down. She was an attractive young woman, he thought. Her body was slim, and her breasts were round and firm. She was either highly aroused, or very cold, as her nipples stood erect.
He dropped the baton on the floor, and proceeded to undress himself. A short while later he also stood completely naked.
‘Move closer, and kneel down here. You still need to be punished. Are you sure you don’t want the lashes?’
‘No. Please. Not that. I’ll do whatever else you ask.’
‘Kneel down then.’
She knelt in front of him.
‘Take it in your mouth.’
She took hold of his erect penis. He was highly charged, and so it was already very hard.
She pushed it into her mouth, and started to move her lips up and down its length.
Sutton groaned gently as she worked her mouth on him. He placed one hand on the back of her head, and rocked back and forth in time with her movements.
‘You must be punished,’ he said quietly.
She nodded her head slightly, in agreement with him, while still moving her mouth up and down his penis.
The Transamerica Cell: A fast paced, gripping, action adventure, conspiracy thriller, with a superb, breath-taking ending (Hedge & Cole Book 3) Page 6
