Abducted (Powell Book 2)

by Bill Ward

  .

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  Lara took a taxi to the address in the centre of the city. She was still wearing her abaya, which she did whenever she travelled around the city. Although the average foreign woman would wear modest, western style clothes, which covered her body and a headscarf, Lara chose to wear the black abaya. It was essential for her teaching job and also for her intelligence work. The abaya enabled her to merge into Saudi society without being noticed.

  It was the first time they had met in a private apartment and she wondered if he owned it or had just borrowed it for this assignation. Was it somewhere he regularly met many women perhaps? When she accepted the invitation, she was under no illusions about what would take place.

  She was a little nervous but also excited. This meeting was the culmination of a great deal of hard work. She knocked on the door and it was quickly opened and she hurried inside, away from prying eyes. The apartment was quite bare on the inside and poorly decorated. She thought it had the look of a safe house rather than somewhere inhabited for day to day use. She hoped there would at least be a decent bed.

  “It’s good to see you,” Lara said in Arabic.

  “And you. Let’s speak English though. I don’t get to practice it enough.”

  She smiled. “English is good for me.”

  “I have made some tea. Would you like some?”

  “I hope you didn’t come here just to drink tea with me,” she teased. “Is there somewhere I can change?”

  “The bedroom is there,” he said, pointing.

  “Thank you. I won’t be long.”

  When she opened the bedroom door and walked back into the room, she was wearing only expensive red lingerie. She noticed how he audibly sucked in his breath at the sight of her.

  “You look a vision,” he said.

  “Thank you. Black is not a very flattering colour.” She walked across to him and leaned her neck upwards, inviting him to kiss her.

  He obliged with a passionate kiss and she was immediately reminded of the kisses she had shared the previous night with Powell.

  “I’ve never done this before,” Lara said. “It’s been over a year since I had a man.”

  “What a waste that such beauty should not have been enjoyed by anyone for so long.”

  His hands started to explore her body, working their way from her back down to her bottom. He pulled her closer and she could feel his erection pushing against her thigh. They kissed and then she stepped back.

  She undid her bra and pulled down her knickers, then stood before him fully naked. “I so want you,” she said.

  He removed his white ankle length thobe. Underneath he was wearing boxers and she could see the bulge signalling his excitement. His body was covered in dark hair and lacked the toned muscles of Powell.

  She advanced towards him and knelt in front of him. She slid the boxers down his legs and his cock bounced upwards as it was freed. It wasn’t very long but it was quite thick. She took him in her mouth and again her mind went back to the previous night.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom, “ he suggested after a minute.

  She playfully ran ahead and jumped on the bed. She opened her legs so he could see all of her exposed as he entered the room. He knelt at the side of the bed and pulled her closer so he could access her fully with his tongue.

  Lara enjoyed the sensations she was experiencing and after a few minutes she genuinely wanted him inside her. “Please fuck me,” she said simply.

  “It will be my pleasure,” he replied. “But I have a rule. I am a married man and I do not put my cock in any woman’s pussy except my wife’s.”

  He walked to the bedside drawer and she was glad to see him take out a packet of condoms. Then he took out a large dildo which he covered with a condom.

  She thought him slightly weird but was happy to see he had come prepared and hell she didn’t mind playing with toys. She saw him take out a tube of something which when he covered the dildo with its contents, she realised was lube.

  He climbed onto the bed. “Doggy is best,” he said.

  She moved into position and looked again over her shoulder at the dildo, which was a good eight inches in length and she let out a small involuntary shiver of excitement.

  “You’ll need this,” he said, handing her the dildo.

  She was surprised but took it anyway. Then she saw him applying the lube to his cock and immediately knew his intentions.

  He put one hand on her hip to hold her firm and with the other hand guided his cock to the entrance to her anus.

  He pushed firmly but slowly inside. “Use the toy,” he commanded. “I am going to give you a good Arabic fucking.”

  For a few strokes he was gentle but then was burying himself balls deep. His thickness made it mildly painful but she decided there was no point in holding back. She inserted the dildo and the tightness of having both holes filled at once, quickly had her close to orgasm. It was not something she had ever experienced before.

  She moved her hips back to meet his thrusts and the grunting noises he was making warned her, he was about to cum. At the last second he withdrew, tore off the condom and shot his sperm all over her bottom and back. In the same instant she was climaxing and collapsed forward on the bed.

  He lay next to her for a minute, out of breath and recovering from his exertions. His hand gently stroked her body.

  She had quite enjoyed the sex, although deriving personal pleasure or not from satisfying him wasn’t important. There were far more critical factors at play than whether or not she had an orgasm. On balance, the fact she hadn’t had to fake it did add a touch of realism and could only be of benefit.

  “That was very good,” he said.

  “It was better than good, Baz,” Lara replied. “Hurry up and get your energy back, I haven’t finished with you yet. Not by a long way.”

  Powell had stayed awake, waiting for Lara to return. He was excited by the thought of making love to her again. That was the difference he realised between the recent sex he had experienced. He had fucked Mara and Afina but he had made love to Lara. Not that he didn’t think Afina was capable of making love. The circumstances of their meeting had set the parameters for their sex.

  Lara had a beautiful body, fuller and more womanly than the younger Afina. Lara was dark skinned and Afina pale with freckles. They couldn’t be more different. Both appealed but here and now he could only think of Lara.

  He thought about how his life had changed so much in such a short space of time. He couldn’t say it was for the better, not after Bella’s death but what he was doing right now, trying to help Angela Bennett, was a great deal more fulfilling than anything else he had done work wise for twenty years.

  He heard the front door open and Lara enter the lounge. “Hi,” he said. “How was your evening?”

  “Different,” she answered. “But good.”

  “The others went to bed about an hour ago.”

  She sat on the edge of his sofa. “I’m really tired. Do you mind if we put more sex on hold until tomorrow. Work was a bit intense today. I really don’t have the required energy tonight.”

  Powell was disappointed but understanding. “That’s okay. I’d rather have you when you’re full of energy.” In truth, he was quite aroused and had been so looking forward to a repeat of the previous evening’s fun, he knew falling asleep was going to be difficult.

  She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thanks, I promise to make it up to you. See you in the morning.”

  Powell watched her walk away and wondered whether the previous night would turn out to be a one off occasion. If it was, he wouldn’t complain. After all, he would be leaving within a few days anyway. They weren’t going to be able to embark on a normal relationship. Perhaps she had been thinking along similar lines and didn’t want any further involvement or complications.

  He turned on his side and tried to avoid recalling the previous night’s events.

>   CHAPTER FORTY

  Afina had hired additional security to cover the lunchtimes. Previously the bar had only had doormen from seven at night. She wasn’t sure how Powell would feel about the additional expense but she felt she had little choice. A second visit from Gheorghe’s friends and it was likely the bar would get a bad reputation, which would seriously hurt takings. At the very least, the presence of the bouncers provided reassurance to the staff and regulars.

  The police had viewed the CCTV pictures, which clearly captured everything that had occurred. When the police asked if she knew the men, she answered honestly that she had no idea who they were. She didn’t think she should open up to the police about Gheorghe before speaking with Powell and she was loathe to worry him while he was in Saudi, desperately trying to rescue the two children. His return had already been delayed, which made her worry he was having problems.

  He had phoned briefly, to say he expected to be back within a few days and until then she would say nothing about what had happened. He had entrusted the bar to her safe keeping and she would deal with the problem. Hopefully he wouldn’t return to find his business almost bankrupt.

  The local newspaper had printed pictures of the two men on their inside page, along with an appeal from the police for the public to come forward if anyone knew of their whereabouts. Afina didn’t believe they would dare to make a return visit to the bar.

  The problem was that Mara had confirmed Gheorghe could call on many men to cause problems not just a couple. He was the head of a large crime organisation, which at a guess employed more than forty men, all of them capable of extreme violence.

  Afina had invited Mara to have lunch with her at the bar so they could talk about the future. It was Mara’s first social outing since leaving hospital. Afina sat at a table served by Luke and informed him she was having some time off to enjoy lunch with her best friend. Mara had flirted with Luke and he had been a very attentive waiter.

  Afina chose a nice bottle of red wine and they ordered some tapas to share.

  “Have you spoken again with your uncle?” Afina asked, once they were alone.

  “He called me yesterday and said he wanted to show me the new house he is renting.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Off Western Road again but slightly nearer to Hove.”

  “So what did you say?”

  “I’m going to meet him there tomorrow.”

  Afina couldn’t hide her look of disapproval. “You’ve only been out of hospital a week. You should be resting.”

  “I told you before, my uncle is not a man you refuse when he asks something.”

  “So when he asks you to fuck his friend, you will just do it? Where does it stop?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know what to do. I am not like you, Afina. I don’t want to serve tables. I would prefer to spend one hour fucking a man than all day as a waitress or working in a supermarket, which are the only other type of jobs I could get.”

  “I’m sorry, I have no right to criticise your choices. It’s not you getting paid for having sex I mind, I’m just afraid of your uncle. We are all in danger while he remains here in Brighton. I am scared for myself and for Powell.”

  “Powell can take care of himself.”

  “Yes but not if he isn’t here. I don’t want your uncle to destroy the bar. I’ve brought Powell more than his share of problems.”

  “Then we must make my uncle want to return home. If I can persuade him that I can run the business here, then I don’t think he will stay very long.”

  “But that involves trafficking girls like me to work as prostitutes. Girls who are not making a free choice like you, who if offered a choice would probably choose a job in a supermarket every time. You can’t seriously say you would be part of that?”

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

  “We need to put a stop to his business.”

  “Afina, we are not the police. We are just normal girls. How are we going to be able to stop my uncle?”

  “We need help, especially with Powell not here. He gave me his friend Brian’s phone number to contact in emergencies. I am not sure exactly what he does but he is some kind of policeman. I think this qualifies as an emergency after what has happened to the bar. I’ll give him a call and see what he suggests.”

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  Powell risked a further visit to the pool with the kids as they were reaching their limits of staying indoors. Fortunately there were no locals allowed around the pool, it was strictly only for the expatriate community.

  When Lara returned home from teaching, she seemed to Powell to be in particularly good spirits. She went straight upstairs to change out of her black abaya and came back down in jeans and a bright yellow top. She looked transformed into a different woman.

  “You look like the cat who got the cream,” Powell said. “You must have had a particularly good day at school.”

  “I’m looking forward to getting more cream later,” she whispered in his ear.

  Powell wondered for a second if she had been drinking but that wasn’t possible. “Is your good mood anything to do with getting rid of us?”

  “Our contact thinks Friday will be possible. He says there were extra security personnel everywhere two nights ago but yesterday it was pretty much back to normal.”

  “But I thought Thursday was the best time to go?”

  “The start of the weekend rush is Thursday evening and that’s when most of the single men travel to get an extra evening on the town. The causeway can end up looking like a giant car park. Friday morning is also quite popular, especially with families but there is far less traffic. Most importantly, it is also when our contact will be working the day shift.”

  It was the best possible news Powell could hear. “How do we get to the causeway?”

  “That’s still to be finalised.”

  Powell didn’t like the powerless feeling of relying on someone else to organise everything but he couldn’t be in better hands. “I guess we’ll have to make the most of our last couple of nights together then,” he suggested.

  “Exactly what I was thinking. I’ve already dismissed any plans for your exit involving too much walking because you aren’t going to be fit to walk anywhere once I’ve finished with you.”

  “Promises, promises!”

  After dinner they all played card games with the children before putting them to bed. Powell had noticed Karim seemed a little happier at the prospect of returning to England. He had even asked about Arsenal, who he described as his football team. Powell promised to take him to the Emirates stadium once they were back in England, which was met with great excitement.

  Whatever radical views Karim had been fed, Powell didn’t think there had been time for them to grow very strong roots. He was confident that after a short time spent back in England, Karim would soon forget all radical ideas.

  Jenkins still had some of the sleeping powder left but Powell didn’t want to use it during the daytime. Karim had thought he was just extra tired at the airport and therefore fallen asleep and slept well. It would have made sense he was in a deep sleep in the early hours of the morning, had they boarded the plane.

  Driving to Bahrain, there was the possibility someone would speak to Karim at one of the checkpoints and if he was unable to respond it could be a serious problem. It was important therefore that Karim could be trusted to say the right things. Powell was going to have a final chat with him before they left, making sure he understood the danger they were all in, if he said anything out of place.

  Just after eight, Martin Thwaite came over and they all shared coffee.

  “I had a visit from the police today,” Thwaite announced. “Two of them and they were asking about you two and what exactly you do for the bank. I kept to the script and acted ignorant of everything except what we discussed at our meeting.”

  “Did they threaten you?” Powell asked.

  “No, they were quite civil. The Saudis tr
ead quite carefully with a bank as large as us. We hold the accounts and thus the secrets of many of their oldest families.”

  “Well I guess that at least confirms they know we are responsible for taking the children,” Jenkins said. “Not that it was ever really in doubt.”

  “I just want to wish you good luck,” Thwaite said. He stood to leave and shook both men’s hands. “I won’t see you again before you leave. I hope everything goes smoothly for you.”

  “Thanks,” Powell replied. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “That bar you have in Brighton. What’s it called again?” Thwaite asked.

  “Bella’s. It’s in Hove actually.”

  “When we get back to England, Tessa and I are going to come and look you up. We shall have at least a couple of weeks holiday before we go out to Singapore and a visit to Brighton won’t go amiss. I think we need to have some proper champagne together.”

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  Lara was ready to meet again with Baz. It had been two days since their previous meeting. She arrived at the apartment straight from school. She was again feeling nervous but this time for different reasons. Baz was about to receive a huge shock and there was always the possibility of him turning violent.

  Baz opened the door and quickly ushered her into the room. Lara had to smile because it was obvious that however much he was looking forward to seeing her, he didn’t wish to be seen with her. Well that was true for her as well. From here onwards it would be even more vital that they were never identified as having met in secret.

  “It’s so good to see you again,” Baz said. “Our last meeting was very memorable. I was so happy to hear you wanted to meet again so quickly.”

  He took her in his arms and was about to kiss her when she pulled away.

  “We need to talk,” she stated, sternly.

  “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”