Abducted (Powell Book 2)

by Bill Ward

  “We haven’t been here before, is it always so exciting?” Gilles inquired with a smile.

  “Fortunately not. Have you eaten yet?”

  “Yes, we just finished our meal.”

  “Then take a seat at the bar and let me buy you a drink. I’ll join you in a minute.”

  “That would be nice,” Gilles replied and headed for the bar along with Johny.

  Afina went to the tables that had been upturned and helped the diners pick them back up. Other staff snapped out of the trance, which seemed to have enveloped them and rushed up to help.

  “Lunch will be on us today,” Afina announced. “And the next time you visit.”

  The diners all offered their sympathy and seemed far more concerned about Afina’s welfare than their spoilt meals.

  “I’m fine, really,” she confirmed. “Give your orders to the staff and we will rush them through. Order anything you want from the menu.”

  She joined Gilles and Johny at the bar. “Thank you for intervening. It was very brave of you both. What would you like to drink?”

  Gilles ordered a brandy and Johny a beer.

  “I hope this doesn’t hurt business,” Johny said.

  “Do you own this place?” Gilles asked.

  “I am just the manager. The owner is abroad. Where are you from Gilles?”

  “I’m French. What about you?”

  “I’m from Romania.”

  “If you have any damage, we would be glad to help you fix it,” Johny offered. “We have a hardware store in Woodingdean.” He took a card from his pocket and handed it to Afina.

  “Johny’s Wares,” Afina read out loud. “Thank you. I will call you if I need anything. I hope you will come again and lunch will be on us next time.”

  “We will definitely come again,” Johny promised.

  It took ten minutes for the bar to return to something like normal and then Afina felt she could go to the office for a minute. There was still no sign of the police. Someone not paying their bill was obviously not very high on their priorities.

  She slumped in the chair and felt like crying but held back her tears. She needed to talk to Mara.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  Karim had awoken particularly confused how they had been in the airport one minute and in Thwaite’s house the next. Fortunately, he had no suspicion of having been drugged. Powell explained briefly that he had fallen asleep at the Starbucks just before the change of plan, which was the result of too many police at the airport checking passengers, as they went through passport control. They had decided they would drive to safety instead. Karim seemed embarrassed that Powell had needed to carry him to and from the car, and asked no further questions.

  Lara had come home from school at lunchtime feigning a bad headache and Tessa took them all across to her house. Both Karim and Laila seemed to like Lara. Karim in particular seemed to appreciate that she spoke Arabic. The children had only the clothes they were wearing so Tessa offered to go shopping. They needed all the basics such as toothbrushes as well as a change of clothes.

  Tessa returned laden down with presents for the children. There were all of the essentials they needed plus a good collection of games for them to play. Karim was particularly excited by the arrival of chess, especially when he discovered Jenkins liked to play. He had been learning for the past year and admitted he had never beaten his father but doubted Jenkins was as good.

  The rest of the day passed in good humour. The children enjoyed not having to go to school and played various games with Jenkins, who had an insatiable appetite for competing at everything from chess to scrabble. Even Karim seemed to have lost his sharp edge and when he spoke with his mother, promised he would be coming back to England.

  The house had three bedrooms. The children were in the second double room and having won the coin toss, Jenkins was in the small third room, leaving Powell to the sofa downstairs. Lara cooked a simple pasta dish for dinner and the children went to bed in good spirits.

  Powell wasn’t feeling so positive. He felt like a caged animal as he paced the small living room. He felt trapped and didn’t like the operation having spiralled out of his control. He was now reliant on Lara and though he was attracted to her and she seemed very capable, it wasn’t how he liked to operate.

  The others having gone to bed, Powell chose a book to read from Lara’s bookcase as he didn’t yet feel like sleeping. He’d had difficulty sleeping since Bella’s death or more precisely, he found it difficult to fall asleep.

  He finally drifted asleep but not long later was awoken by the sound of footsteps approaching his sofa. The person was trying to walk quietly and avoid detection. Powell prepared himself to respond to the intruder.

  “Are you asleep?” Lara whispered.

  Powell opened his eyes and replied with a smile, “I almost was.”

  “Sorry but I couldn’t sleep knowing you were down here.”

  Lara was wearing pyjama shorts with a matching t-shirt. Powell could see that her nipples were erect and she was wearing no bra.

  “I guess my hormones are working overtime,” she continued. “I don’t get to spend much time with any man I find attractive. Actually that’s zero time.”

  She knelt down beside the sofa and kissed him on the lips, lightly at first then more hungrily. Powell quickly responded and pulled her closer. He half wondered if he was dreaming as he reached for her breast and played with her nipple through her t-shirt.

  He was wearing just his boxers and she slid her hand down his chest and under the elastic of his shorts. She sent an electric shot through his body as she touched his already hardening cock. He groaned as she started to gently stroke his cock and moved her lips to his chest and slowly down his body, giving a mixture of soft kisses and small licks. He could feel her hot breath on his skin and his heart was beating fast in expectation.

  She took him in her mouth and ran her tongue around the top then down the shaft. She teased him with further flicks of her tongue before finally taking all of him deep in her mouth. He moved his hips off the sofa, encouraging her to take him even deeper. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced for a very long time. A beautiful woman was freely offering up her mouth and throat to his desires rather than for payment, as had been the case with Mara and Afina. The whole experience felt different.

  Powell sat upright as Lara continued to move her mouth up and down his cock. He pulled her t-shirt over her head, forcing her to stop sucking for a moment. In the semi darkness, he caressed her naked breasts as she again took him deep into her throat, causing her to gag a little. She withdrew slightly, then returned determined to take all of him. He enjoyed the sensations for a few seconds but he had no intention of allowing himself to finish too quickly. He pulled her face back up to his so he could kiss her further and explored her mouth with his tongue.

  After a minute of passionate kissing, he laid her down on the sofa and pulled off her shorts so she was completely naked. He started by kissing her neck, wanting to slowly build the anticipation. Then he moved to her breasts, where he circled her nipples with his tongue before taking them each in turn in his mouth, sucking and nibbling on them.

  Lara was moaning softly and he moved downwards, spending time kissing the contours of her body. When he reached her thighs he teased her until she began to move her hips in a desperate attempt to have his tongue sate her need to feel his touch. Eventually he satisfied her desire by finding her clit and licking gently in a circular movement. His tongue found her already wet and open as she encouraged him to explore all of her. At the same time his hands stretched upwards to find both her nipples.

  The combination of his tongue and his hands was having the desired effect and Lara was writhing on the sofa looking for satisfaction. He changed position and replaced his tongue with his cock. As he entered her, she moaned and began to move in rhythm with his thrusts.

  “That feels so good,” Lara said appreciatively. “Fuck me, Powell. Please fuck me.”

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nbsp; Powell kissed her nipple and tugged on it as he withdrew on each stroke.

  Lara was gripping his buttocks tightly. “Harder, Powell. Harder.”

  Powell was conscious of the others upstairs and tried to smother her lips with kisses, hoping to stop her waking everyone.

  Lara was panting faster. “I’m going to cum,” she cried out, pulling away from his kisses.

  Powell had been so focused on giving Lara her orgasm, he was still some way from his own climax as she held him tightly and her body shook with the waves of pleasure.

  She took a minute to relax. “That was really good,” she acknowledged. “Sorry I was so quick. It’s been a while.”

  “It was perfect.” Powell realised it was the first orgasm he had given any woman in a very long time and it made him feel very good about himself. He realised he much preferred mutual satisfaction to the experience of paying for sex, where all the focus was only on his pleasure.

  “It was perfect for me,” Lara confirmed. “Now it’s your turn. How do you want me?”

  For an answer, Powell moved his cock towards her mouth.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  “Can we go for a swim today?” Laila asked at breakfast.

  Powell knew the children were going to go crazy stuck in the house all day. “Okay we’ll all go for a swim mid-morning,” he conceded. There was an element of risk but there would only be a few expatriate wives at the pool as everyone else was at work so it should be relatively safe.

  Lara had already left for work. He had seen her briefly when she came downstairs but she was running late and not stopped for breakfast. She was wearing a simple black abaya but if it was meant to cool male passions it didn’t work for him as he remembered the feel of her naked body.

  “Did you sleep alright?” Jenkins inquired, interrupting his thoughts.

  “Fine, thanks.” Powell wondered if there was a hint of something in the way Jenkins asked. Had he heard them last night?

  “How long do you think we have to spend here?”

  Powell turned towards the children. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get your swimming costumes on,” he suggested. Once they had left the table he answered Jenkins’ question. “Lara says the best time to drive across the causeway is Thursday night when thousands do the same for the weekend.”

  “That means another three nights here. I was thinking that if they put everything together and come looking for us in our real names, which they will have done by now unless they’re really useless, then they are going to discover your business trip was sponsored by the bank. That’s going to lead them to Martin Thwaite, which is a bit too close to here for comfort.”

  “I think Martin can expect a visit today at the bank but our cover story is solid. He won’t be implicated and he’s very senior so won’t easily be intimidated. He’ll just profess ignorance of anything except our meeting.”

  “I guess we’re lucky to have somewhere to stay… And that Lara is a beautiful woman.”

  “She certainly is,” Powell agreed, wondering again if Jenkins was trying to extract something from him. There was no way he was admitting to Jenkins, anything about the previous night.

  Powell’s phone rang and he saw it was Angela Bennett calling. He knew she was in a fragile state of mind. She had expected by now to be with her children. When he’d called last night to say they wouldn’t be on the plane she had almost had a breakdown. He had assured her the children were safe and it was a temporary delay but been unable and unwilling to give her any more details.

  “Hello Angela,” he greeted her. “Do you want to speak to the children?”

  “In a moment. I just had a call from Baz.”

  Powell could hear in her voice that she was struggling to stay in control. “What did he say?”

  “That he knew who had his children and you would never leave Saudi Arabia alive. He also threatened me. He said if I didn’t tell him where you were hiding, he knew where to find me and would bring some friends to punish me. He asked if I knew that they still stoned women to death in his country.”

  “He is just trying to scare you,” Powell reassured her. “But just to be safe, could you move into a hotel. Somewhere near Heathrow would be best. Don’t tell a soul where you are going. It will only be for a few days.”

  “As long as that. I was hoping you would be back today.”

  “It’s best we lie low for a few days. You’ve waited twelve months to see them so a few days more won’t hurt.”

  “I’ll never be able to repay you for this.”

  “I think the expression on your face when I handover your children will be payment enough. Now let me get the kids on the phone.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  It was late afternoon when Powell received a call from Brian.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Powell asked.

  “I’ve just had a very interesting conversation with my boss. He was basically officially warning me off helping you or interfering in Saudi affairs.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Fortunately we have a very good relationship. After the official warning he hinted we were interfering in an Intelligence Service operation.”

  “What had you told him about my operation?”

  “Nothing so I was somewhat surprised when he knew as much as he did. I would guess MI6 doesn’t want you causing trouble for our allies, which I warned you would be the case but there’s probably more to it than that.”

  “There is indeed. It seems the spooks suspect Baz of working with ISIS.”

  “That would explain everything. Don’t say anything else over this line, just in case someone is listening. For my boss to even know you are out there means someone over there has been feeding back information about you. Any idea who that might be?”

  “Possibly, I did have to get some help from someone at the embassy.” If someone was listening, Powell didn’t want to be naming Lara or anyone else.

  “Tread carefully,” Brian warned. “The spooks don’t like people treading on their turf.”

  “I promise I’ll watch where I plant my size twelves… You know, it’s strange to think how the job has changed since our days in the field. I remember rushing around trying to find a telephone box to call for backup. Your life could depend on whether the local kids had vandalised the phone box. How the hell did we ever survive?”

  “On our wits.”

  “I guess in that respect nothing has changed.”

  “I’ll be buying the drinks next time we meet,” Brian promised. “I suspect you will have quite a thirst by the time you return.”

  “I will indeed.”

  Powell didn’t have time to dwell on the call as he heard a car door slam and looking out the window saw a taxi was depositing Lara back home. He decided he wouldn’t mention the call with Brian. It would be unfair and sound ungrateful to challenge Lara about what information she had fed back to her bosses. She would have had to file a report.

  He filled the kettle to make coffee.

  “How’s your day been?” Lara asked as she entered the kitchen.

  “Not as good as my night was.”

  Lara’s face broke into a big grin. “Same here.”

  “I can’t get used to seeing you dressed like that,” Powell admitted, referring to the black abaya Lara was wearing.

  “I found it strange when I first arrived but I’m used to it now.”

  “I can barely tell it’s you inside.”

  “So I don’t turn you on dressed like this?”

  “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that!”

  “How are the children?” Lara inquired

  “They’re fine. We took them for a swim to let off some energy.”

  Lara looked concerned. “I’m not sure that was a good idea.”

  “It was the lesser of two evils.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “In the lounge, beating Jenkins at Monopoly.”

  “I have to go out later,�
�� Lara said. “The restaurant does takeaway pizza, if that’s all right for dinner tonight?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  She took a menu from the kitchen drawer. “See what the kids want.”

  “Is your going out to do with us being here?”

  “Yes, I’m meeting a contact who can help organise the stamps you need at the causeway.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, its best I go alone and frankly I don’t want to risk being seen with you.”

  “I understand.” Powell detected a slight hesitation on Lara’s part as if she was unsure whether to say something. “What else?” he prompted.

  “Muhammad’s been taken into custody. They probably scoured the airport CCTV and found film of him speaking with you. They’ll be interrogating him now to find out what he knows and when I say interrogate, they don’t hold back with their methods. He will tell them everything he knows.”

  “He doesn’t know anything important,” Powell confirmed. He felt guilty he was responsible for a man who was trying to help them now being tortured. Then again, he wasn’t really responsible. Muhammad had made his own choices. Charging money to illegally get people out of the country was always a risky proposition.

  “It means they now have evidence of your involvement and your pictures are probably being circulated amongst the police. Thus I don’t think you can afford to leave the house again.”

  “The compound guards have seen us a couple of times, entering and leaving.”

  “Expatriates are coming and going every day. They are unlikely to remember one European face from another. They are more concerned with the terrorist threat posed by anyone non-white.”

  “I guess that makes sense. I’ll go find out what pizzas everyone wants.”

  “One other thing I’d like to order,” Lara said. “More of the same I had last night. If that’s all right with you.”

  “That would be very all right with me.”