story continues from part one
Chapter 2
Jade had a lot of time on her hands to think the day’s events through. As a matter of fact, there was very little else that she could do that evening. Amber’s revelations as to her planned course of action had set Jade’s mind reeling, and now, as she sat in the cellar of her home, she tried to make sense of a scheme that seemed to her somewhat akin to total madness. To say that she was uncomfortable with Amber’s hare-brained proposal would have been an understatement. Kidnapping was a crime and something that she wanted no part of. Amber was a law unto herself, and under normal circumstances Jade’s attitude would have been that her wayward cousin could do whatever she pleased, so long as it didn’t involve or implicate her or Jasmine in any way, shape or form.
But of course, it wasn’t just anyone that Amber was targeting as the intended victim of this heinous crime, but one of her oldest friends. Okay, maybe Lauren and her lover could have acted with a bit more urgency to get them released from Hazel’s lair, but she and her sister hadn’t always been exactly fair on Lauren, as they’d left her tied up for far longer than had been necessary on several occasions, and she could see now why her former friend might have good reason to pay them back when the chance had presented itself. But kidnap and extortion? That just seemed far too dangerous a business to get sucked into.
Of course, all she and Jasmine had to do was walk away and let Amber know, in no uncertain terms, that they wanted no part of this clearly ludicrous plot. But that was what was worrying her now. For it seemed that her twin sister was coming around to their despised cousin’s way of thinking, and was actually considering this as a viable option.
Having left the pub soon after Amber’s departure, Jade and Jasmine had uttered no more than a couple of words to each other on the drive home; each seemingly engrossed in trying to come to terms with what their cousin had just told them. It hadn’t been until they’d arrived back at the rambling old farmhouse, and Jade had once more willing submitted to the bondage which she had been forced to give up earlier that day, that Jasmine had dropped the bombshell that she and Amber were of one mind on the subject. By now, however, it was too late for Jade to enter into any meaningful discussion; the tights in her mouth, the tape across her face and the tightly fitting latex hood all conspiring to stifle her ability to argue her case.
Jade shifted uneasily in her chair and stretched her arms as far as the leather sleeve allowed. Jasmine had, as always, made sure that she couldn’t find liberation from the tight bondage in which she now languished, and in which she would undoubtedly be spending the entire night. Much as she normally loved being bound, an uneasiness with regard to what Jasmine might be getting up to whilst she remained helpless down here, made Jade test the ropes and various other restraints to a greater degree than she would have done in more playful times.
****
Jasmine sat staring vacantly at the television. The images on the screen flashed and flickered no more than a few feet away from the settee on which she’d spent more than an hour now, but if asked, she couldn’t have even begun to tell the hypothetical enquirer the plotline of the show that her glazed eyes were fixed on. This lack of concentration, of course, was due to the fact that she had far weightier concerns on her mind than some fictional TV series.
Amber’s bombshell as to the chain of events that she clearly had every intention of putting into action, was severely vexing Jasmine . But unlike her strapped and trapped twin a few feet below where she now sat, Jasmine’s concerns were not with the legality of what was about to transpire, nor about the danger involved or the thought of a further encounter with the underhand and downright evil woman that had been plotting to sell them all into a life of slavery.
No, the cause of Jasmine’s soul-searching had nothing to do with the actual undertaking itself. What bothered her was the fact that, for probably the first time in her life, she found herself agreeing with her wayward cousin’s point of view and her unorthodox method of dealing with the issue. Amber was correct in her assertion that Hazel needed to be made to suffer for what she’d put them all through. She was correct, also, that Lauren and Steve should pay for not taking any action sooner to relieve their forty eight hour stint bound, chained, gagged and encased in steel packing cases from which escape was never viable. And then, of course, there was the money – both the fee from Hazel and the ransom from Steve- which would come in extremely handy. For once, she had to admit, Amber had got things spot on.
But there was one niggling worry that kept gnawing at the back of her mind as she sat by the log fire that Saturday evening, and that was the attitude of her twin sister. Although very little had actually been articulated about this whole venture, Jasmine had received the distinct impression, from Jade’s body language and general demeanour, that her sibling was less impressed with the proposed kidnapping scenario than she was. And if this was the case it would be almost the first time in their young lives that the two of them had been split on an issue of this magnitude. As often happens with identical twins, the pair had been virtually inseparable since birth, and had developed – or had they been born with it? – a kind of telepathic empathy which meant that they not only thought and acted in tandem, shared the same likes and dislikes, and generally agreed on almost everything, but also served to let the one know – through subtle signs and signals that no one else could detect – when she was either in sync or out of tune with the other’s thoughts on a particular subject. How could it be, Jasmine pondered, that Jade was now entertaining opposing views to her own? Was a rift maybe developing between them that, after twenty years of thinking and acting almost as one entity, would finally and irrevocably rent them asunder? Jasmine gazed at the crackling logs in the hearth and pondered on whether this was the end of the once unbreakable bond between them.
Then all of a sudden it hit her; a Road to Damascus moment that would undoubtedly be a life changer for both her and her sister. So what if Jade didn’t agree with the ploy that Amber was espousing? Why should she always pander to her sister’s wishes when they didn’t conform to her own? For several seconds she found herself hating her twin with a passion, and although this moment soon passed, she suddenly discovered herself galvanised and ready to take matters into her own hands. If she wanted to go along with Amber’s scheme, however unlikely of success it might seem at the outset, then it was her business and no-one else’s.
Jumping up from the sofa, Jasmine made her way out of the lounge with its bright lights and warm, inviting fire, and started down the hallway towards the study. As she switched the light on and flicked the cover of the laptop up, a shiver ran through her. Was it the change in temperature from the cosy parlour to the relatively chilly office that instigated this brief convulsion? Or was it perhaps the thought of what she was about to become embroiled in that brought about this momentary shudder? She wasn’t sure, but with every second that passed, her resolve to go through with this whole thing grew stronger. Quickly, she located Amber’s email address and began to type, expressing the views that both she and her sister could definitely be counted in on this strange project. The inclusion of Jade was, she knew, a bit of a gamble, taking into account her less than enthusiastic stance earlier. But Jasmine was growing in confidence by the minute, and she had by now convinced herself that she would be able to win her sister over. And if Jade didn’t like it, she could go to hell.
Hitting the ‘send’ button, Jasmine sat back in her chair and watched as the email disappeared from the screen. Too late to back out now, she thought to herself. She was just on the point of closing the laptop down, when a pinging sound informed her of incoming mail. It can’t have been more than two minutes since her missive had been sent, but one quick glance was enough to tell her that this was a reply from her cousin.
Opening the email, Jasmine read the few lines of text.
Hi girls
I’m so glad that you’ve seen sense and decided to join me in my little money making escapade. You know the old deserted prison out on the heath, which closed down last year? Meet me outside the main entrance at ten o’clock tomorrow morning and we’ll fine tune the details of how this campaign is going to run.
Nice having you both on board. I’m sure you won’t regret your decision.
Amber
Jasmine sat in shock for a few minutes. She hadn’t expected a reply so soon. It almost seemed as if Amber had been waiting for her to get in touch. Must be a slow night for business, Jasmine thought; either that, or Amber’s client was well and truly tied and locked away for the evening already.
Jasmine rattled off a quick reply confirming their rendezvous, then shut the computer down and made her way back to the living room. The television was still on, but Jasmine was no more interested in the fare being served up on screen than she had been earlier. Now, however, she was bursting with energy, and desperate to tell Jade of the arrangements she’d just made for them both.
****
The cellar region of the house was cold at this time of year. And, when the light was switched off and the door closed, it was also pitch black down in the depths of this windowless space, which was formally a storage area, but unofficially doubled up as Jasmine and Jade’s bondage dungeon when their parents weren’t around.
The door creaked noisily as Jasmine pushed it open, ensuring that her sister knew that her period of solitude was at an end. Bounding down the worn stone steps in her high heeled boots, Jasmine made a beeline for the corner where an old but sturdy wooden chair was just visible in the gloom. Directly in front of this chair, around three feet away, a spotlight stood on a metal tripod. But at this moment no illumination issued from this device, leaving the whole cellar lit only by a bulb of low wattage that hung from the ceiling. Flicking a switch, Jasmine soon rectified this situation. The activation of the spotlight produced a powerful beam which filled this particular corner of the room with a brightness that made Jasmine blink momentarily, and sent weird, out of shape shadows shooting out into the rest of the still under illuminated room. This concentration of light revealed that the previously indistinct form that adorned the chair was Jade, bound with multiple ropes, her arms strapped tightly behind her back in a leather sleeve from which there was little chance of escape, even for a bondage expert like herself. A tightly fitting, featureless leather hood adorned her head and, like her unbound sister, she was dressed in the tightest imaginable spandex cat-suit that covered her from neck to ankle. All of her attire was of a uniform black; the white ropes that bound her legs and body contrasting starkly with the rest of her outfit and accessories. She was shoeless, and her feet, where they emerged from the stirrup-strapped leggings, gave away the fact that she was wearing black tights beneath her skin-tight suit.
Without delay, Jasmine began unlacing the hood from Jade’s head, gradually easing the leather pouch up over her face as it loosened. As she pulled the masking restraint from her sibling’s head, Jade’s sweat drenched black hair cascaded in rats-tails around her shoulders. For several seconds she screwed her eyes up and squinted into the painful brilliance that was aimed directly at her. After a minute or more, however, she became accustomed to the conditions, and her big green eyes stared at her sister inquisitively. It was clear that, whilst she expected Jasmine to visit in order to inspect and then add to her bondage, the removal of the hood was a big surprise - indeed, a disappointment in fact - to her. She was incapable of articulating her feelings, however, due to the rolled up tights that were crammed into her mouth, and the grey duct tape that sealed them in place.
But if Jade was shocked by this sudden, unexpected return of her sight, then the fact that Jasmine now began peeling the strongly bonding tape from her face, had her imagining that some dire emergency or disaster must be occurring. For surely nothing less trivial than the outbreak of nuclear war or a death in the family would rouse Jasmine sufficiently to cause her to commence what appeared like the beginnings of the release programme. She needn’t have worried as it happened, as the removal of Jade’s gag was the full extent of Jasmine’s concession to liberation at the present time. And it soon became obvious that Jasmine’s intervention was a consequence of her eagerness to impart good, not bad news... depending, of course, on your point of view.
“Jade, I just had to tell you straightaway. I’ve decided that we’re going to go along with Amber’s scheme to get back at Hazel, teach Lauren a lesson, and above all else, acquire a bit of easy money.”
Jasmine’s blue eyes – in contrast to those of her green eyed sister, and the one feature that set them apart from each other – were sparkling in the light, and it was evident that she was sure that she’d done the right thing, and that she was now keen to get on with the project. Jade, on the other hand, shifted uneasily in her seat.
“What do you mean “we’re going along with Amber’s scheme”? I don’t remember us discussing this. Before you go ahead and let Amber know about this hasty decision of yours, I suggest we think things through in a slightly more rational manner.”
Jasmine, however, was pacing up and down excitedly, and dismissed her sister’s concerns with a wave of her hand.
“It’s too late for that Jade. I’ve already told her that we’re with her on this one. We’re meeting her to finalise the details tomorrow.”
Jade looked at Jasmine, dumbfounded at her twin’s stupidity.
“You do realise this is illegal and could get us into a whole lot of trouble don’t you? Not only that, but tangling with Hazel again is going to be a dangerous business. And anyway, I thought we’d decided that Amber was untrustworthy, and that she was out of our lives for good. Why the change of heart all of a sudden? Have you forgotten how she’s deceived us in the past?”
But if Jasmine heard her sister’s cautionary stand on these matters, she was in no mood to take what she saw as negativity on board. Her mind was made up, and no logical argument was going to dissuade her from this intended goal. Especially when these objections issued from a mouth that could easily be silenced once more. Despite Jade’s reminder that Amber was not to be trusted, and that this could all be a trap, Jasmine had clearly heard enough dissent from her bound twin and wanted to hear no more. Swiftly she snatched up the saliva sodden, still warm rolled up tights, and in one quick movement stuffed them back into Jade’s mouth. Fresh tape soon ensured that these couldn’t be spat out, and this layer of sealant was soon augmented by the reintroduction of the hood around Jade’s still protesting head.
As was customary in these situations, Jasmine now set about increasing Jade’s bonds by winding circuit after circuit of the duct tape around her sister’s torso and legs, so by the time she’d finished, the once black and white spectacle had been transformed into an unbroken vista of grey.
“Right, I’ll see you in the morning Jade. I suggest you mull over what I’ve just told you in the meantime. I’m sure that in ten hours time you’ll have come around to my way of thinking. Sweet dreams!”
And with that, Jasmine was gone.
****
In stark contrast to her usual, pleasant experience in overnight captivity, on this occasion Jade found herself severely troubled by Jasmine’s announcement, and instead of the warm, snug feelings that inescapable bondage usually aroused in her, she spent the entire night worrying about her twin’s U-turn on their previous stance when it came to interaction with their devious, not-to-be-trusted cousin. And now she had ten hours, at the very least, to ponder her next move. Should she simply refuse to go along with this idiotic scheme? But that would leave her sister alone with Amber, which was never a good idea given their wayward relative’s track record. Or maybe she should go along with Jasmine to the meeting, find out what Amber was really up to, then try to persuade her sister to reconsider. After much soul-searching, she plumped for this latter option. That way, at least, she’d know what was planned and could work out her strategy accordingly. It occurred to her that maybe she should try to re-establish contact with Lauren to warn of the imminent danger ahead, but decided that, as relations between the twins and their former friend were cool at present, she might not be believed. So she decided that, for now, she’d leave Lauren oblivious to the peril that she was facing; at least until after this rendezvous that Jasmine had arranged for tomorrow.
****
As it turned out, Jade discovered that she would have been in no position to in any way contact Lauren that Sunday morning, as it appeared that Jasmine had some inkling that her twin might attempt something of this nature, and therefore made sure she wasn’t going to be allowed access to phone or email.
It was no surprise, of course, that when Jasmine returned to her stricken captive, she didn’t immediately release her from her bonds. The twins were bondage aficionados after all, and being set free was never the number one priority, either for binder or captive. But as time passed, it became clear that Jasmine was wary of her sister’s motives, and although she planned to take Jade along with her to meet Amber, it would be with her hands out of commission.
Having finally removed the tape from around her captive’s legs and torso, then untied the ropes that bound her to the chair, Jasmine hauled Jade to her feet and, without a word of explanation, led her upstairs, still hooded and with her arms bound in the leather mitten. It wasn’t until Jade was forced to once again sit down, that Jasmine finally broke her silence.
“Well Jade, it will soon be time for us to be on our way to meet our cousin again. But I’ve decided, as your response to this whole idea seemed a bit lukewarm, to say the least, that I can’t take any chances that you’ll do something foolish. I’m sure that once we’ve sorted the arrangements out with Amber that you’ll come around to our point of view. But for now, I’m not taking any risks. And for that reason, you’ll be attending our meeting in handcuffs, I’m afraid.”
As she spoke, Jasmine had been loosening the lacing and straps that had held the soft leather mitten in place all night. As the restraint fell away, however, the still sightless Jade was given no time to take any evasive action, and within seconds the removal of one method of bondage was replaced by another, as she felt the rings of cold steel encircle her wrists, and even through her headgear, the sound of ratchets closing could be heard, corresponding with the bracelets tightening down onto her skin. Only then, with the manacles secured to Jasmine’s satisfaction, was the hood released and her double-layered gag removed.
Blinking in the unfamiliar light, Jade saw that she was sitting at the kitchen table. Her sister was busy pulling on her knee length, black leather boots, which matched the figure hugging spandex cat-suit and broad leather belt that she wore. Once shod, she lifted Jade to her feet and helped her twin into a pair of identical boots which, although a tight fit, slid easily up the clinging, silky smooth spandex that covered her calves. Throwing a denim jacket around her sister’s shoulders, Jasmine then slipped into her own coat. Without further ado, she grabbed Jade’s shoulder and began propelling her towards the door that led into the back yard.
“Come on Jade, we need to get a move on or we’ll be late.”
Jade returned to her themes of last night, and tried to protest that this was not a good idea. She pleaded with Jasmine to see reason and put a stop to this madness before it got out of hand. But the only response she received was a warning that if she didn’t shut up, a gag could soon be arranged that would keep her quiet, and that if that didn’t work, she would find herself riding in the boot of the car. Knowing that Jasmine was quite capable of carrying out these threats, Jade reluctantly complied. She was still confident that Jasmine would eventually see through Amber’s lies, although whether it would be too late by then or not was a constant worry.
****
The journey to the derelict prison on the heathlands of East Suffolk, around ten miles from Ipswich, took no more than twenty minutes or so, with Jade seating in the passenger seat beside her sister. Most of the trip was undertaken in silence, although Jade did drop the hint once or twice that, if things did turn ugly, then it would be better that she had the use of her hands to help fend off Amber. This cut no ice with the determined Jasmine, however; the cuffs, she was informed, were staying on “until you see sense”.
The old high security prison, which had closed down just over a year ago due to government funding cuts, stood silent and undisturbed that dull, drizzly Sunday morning. Much of the actual building was invisible from the road, due to the high, razor-wire topped wall that encircled it. The only entrance was through tall metal gates that offered a glimpse of the grim, nineteenth century structure, which seemed less than inviting in the damp, grey, wintry conditions. Pulling into the gateway, Jasmine brought the car to a halt. Of Amber there was no sign. The gates had been secured with several chains and padlocks, and several signs let the casual passerby know, in no uncertain terms, that this was HM Government property, and that anyone trespassing therein would be liable to prosecution.
The road that ran parallel with the perimeter wall wasn’t particularly busy on a Sunday, with only the occasional vehicle passing in either direction; their wheels kicking up much spray from the wet road, which doused the girls’ windscreen with a fine mist.
“So what do we do now?”
Jade was beginning to hope that Amber wouldn’t turn up, so that they could go home and forget this whole ridiculous venture. But unfortunately for her, this was merely wishful thinking. After maybe five minutes wait, with the windscreen wipers constantly working to clear the incessant drizzle which made visibility across the typical Suffolk Sandlings landscape less than perfect, Amber’s car hove into view, slowed down and stopped alongside their own. Amber’s window slowly opened, which compelled Jasmine to press the switch that made theirs do likewise.
“Well girls, glad you could make it. This weather’s a bit inclement and not really conducive to hanging around out here, so I think it would be better to conduct our business inside.”
Amber opened the door and stepped out. Although wearing the same long coat she’d worn yesterday, it was clear, when the unbuttoned garment flapped open in the breeze, that beneath this she was wearing her figure hugging black leather cat-suit. Teetering on high heeled boots of the same hue, she sauntered the few steps across to the gates. Jasmine had also alighted from her car, slamming the door behind her and leaving Jade belted in and helpless. Amber fumbled momentarily in her pocket and produced a large set of keys. Immediately she began releasing the first of the stout padlocks that secured the rusting gates. Jasmine looked on in amazement.
“You have keys to this place?!”
Amber smiled her most deviously smug smile.
“It pays to have contacts in high places.” was her only comment.
****
Meanwhile, Jade was trying to reach around with her bound arms to release the seat belt. It took several attempts and a whole lot of contorting of her slim, agile body, but eventually a clicking sound told her she’d been successful, and she was able to manipulate the belt so that it retracted. She looked around at her two relatives outside. Through the rain drenched, misting up windows, she noted that Amber and her sister were too busy getting the gates open to worry about what she was up to. Turning her now liberated torso around, her fettered fingers pulled on the door’s release mechanism. Nothing happened. She cursed the child-proof locks that Jasmine had activated in order to stop her leaving the vehicle.
But where would she have gone if she had been able to open the door?
Jade surveyed the bleak outlook through the window. They were several miles from the nearest village, with only a gently undulating landscape of gorse, heather and bracken as far as the eye could see, save for the occasional stand of trees. Even if she had escaped, she would be soaked to the skin in seconds, and lost within minutes. No, flight was not an option. She had a better idea, however.
Jade had been given plenty of time to think on the ride here, and had come to the conclusion that there was no way of Jasmine letting her go whilst she showed any signs of being resistant to this ludicrous escapade that Amber had brainwashed her gullible sister with. Her only hope of release from the handcuffs in the near future, it seemed, was to make out that she’d had a change of heart and was now in favour of Amber’s proposal. Then, once freed of her bonds, she could alert Lauren to the coming danger. She had to be subtle, however. Suddenly becoming a staunch advocate of this kidnapping malarkey would look suspicious. Instead, she’d bide her time and wait to hear Amber’s detailed plans before announcing her conversion to the cause.
It appeared that Amber had now managed to unlock all the padlocks and remove the heavy chains that held the gates shut, and both she and Jasmine were in the process of pushing the stubborn obstructions open. Now Amber was getting back into her motor, and Jasmine was opening the door of their car too, and slipping into the driver’s seat. She didn’t seem to notice Jade’s unbuckled seat belt. Or maybe she didn’t care. As she started the engine, Jasmine began to explain what was about to happen.
“Amber’s going to show us her new lair, where she brings her clients for their bondage sessions. She says no one else can get anywhere near the building, so it will be the perfect place for holding Lauren prisoner until we can lure Hazel here. Then it will be Hazel’s place of confinement until we hand her over to the police... Not that we’ll be alerting them until a few days after her capture, of course.”
Jasmine had by now driven inside the prison compound, with Amber following closely behind. Both twins watched now - Jasmine in her rear view mirror, Jade by turning her head around to look out of the back window – as Amber once more got out of the car and resealed the gates.
“You do realise that she’s got us trapped now, don’t you Jasmine? What happened to not trusting her?”
Jasmine dismissed Jade’s concerns.
“Relax Jade. I know for a fact that Amber’s telling the truth this time. You’ll soon see that this is going to be a really worthwhile exercise for all of us. ”
Amber had by now passed the stationary vehicle in her own, and Jasmine put the car into gear and followed her cousin’s tail-lights up the short driveway, past a security booth with its red and white painted barrier in the vertical position to allow them unhindered passage to the building’s main entrance. Parking as close to the heavy metal doors as she could, Amber once more exited her car, with Jasmine again copying her cousin’s actions. On this occasion, however, instead of leaving Jade to her own devices, she came around, opened the passenger door and hauled her sister out. By now, Amber had unlocked the door to the building and had entered into the semi-dark interior. Jade noticed, however, that in her hand she carried a torch.
“So girls, welcome to my new, improved bondage headquarters. I happened upon this place fortuitously, as one of my regular customers is a former prison governor who was able to get his hands on a set of master keys for me. Not sure how he managed it, but I’m not complaining.”
She began walking swiftly down a long, windowless corridor, sending the torch beam out in front of her to light the way ahead.
“Anyway, being a maximum security establishment, there are literally hundreds of escape proof cells and facilities that I can incarcerate my paying customers in. There are even a couple of padded cells in the east wing that are still functional. I could tie up a whole army of willing volunteers and keep them here indefinitely if I so wished.”
By this time, the trio had reached a spiralling metal staircase, up which Amber began to climb, followed by the unwilling and still shackled Jade, with Jasmine bringing up the rear.
“But of course, when we get Lauren here, she’ll be the sole inmate for the duration of her stay... until Hazel comes to join her, of course.”
They had reached a landing now, which ran around the perimeter of the enclosed space, with walkways criss-crossing the gap in the middle; the strong ‘suicide prevention’ nets that hung across the void just about visible in the gloom below. At regular intervals along the landing, stout metal doors broke the monotony of the grey walls; some wide open, others shut and presumably locked. Amber led the way through one of the open doors.
“This is one of my newly refurbished cells”
She shone the light around the tiny area. A small barred and thickly glazed window, only two feet or so square, could be seen high up in one wall. But it was the chains that hung from a pulley in the ceiling that drew the twins’ attention; obviously for suspending Amber’s compliant victims upside down. A short journey to the next cell revealed a special bed with straps attached at the corners to hold the eager recipient’s wrists and ankles, whilst broader leather restraints hung loosely at various other points along the sides, for the tethering of the beneficiary’s torso.
Visiting several more, equally small, claustrophobic rooms, revealed that Amber had been busy in her ambition to equip and make ready certain incarceration chambers for specific bondage purposes and functions. Soon they came to the end of the landing.
“Well girls, what do you think? I have big plans for this place, and I’ll be renovating more of the cells in the coming weeks and months. Eventually, I might even open a bondage hotel, with paying customers checking in for the night – or indeed several nights – where they can languish in strict, undisturbed bondage.”
Amber looked pleased with herself momentarily, but then she frowned as she remembered the purpose that they were here for today.
“But anyway, that’s all in the future. Let’s concentrate on the matter in hand. So tell me Jasmine, do you think this will be a great place to hold Lauren captive, then keep Hazel locked up for a week or two?”
To Jade’s dismay, Jasmine’s response was immediate and full of praise for the set-up Amber had instigated. Amber showed her satisfaction with this response by giving another smug, not particularly warm smile. She then turned to the handcuffed twin.
“What about you Jade? Do you think we can pull this stunt off?”
Not wanting to sound too gushing in her assessment, yet eager to be released from her fetters, Jade conceded that it was an impressive place Amber had here, and that it might just work. She finished her appraisal off with,
“Okay, you’ve convinced me. I could do with the extra money, and both Lauren and Hazel need to suffer for the way they treated us. Let’s do this.”
Amber again smiled at her bound cousin, but Jade’s concern was that her sister, who knew her like no one else on the planet, might not be so easily fooled by this about turn.
But it seemed she needn’t have worried. Such was Jasmine’s enthusiasm for the project, that she seemed only too willing to accept her sister’s apparent change of heart at face value. Pulling Jade’s coat from her shoulders, she bent down behind her.
“I knew you’d see the light sooner or later Jade.”
The steel bracelets falling away from her wrists were a great feeling at that moment. But it wasn’t because this normally bondage loving female craved freedom for its own sake that she felt this sense of relief, but that she was now – or soon would be – in a position to put this now totally out-of-control lunacy to rest. One text or email to Lauren should do the trick. The only problem was getting hold of some form of mobile devise on which to send her urgent message.
And then it suddenly hit her. Of course, her mobile phone was in the breast pocket of the jacket which Jasmine had draped around her shoulders earlier that day! After the strangeness of yesterday’s meeting in the pub, she’d forgotten to remove it once they’d arrived home. And with Jasmine binding her fairly soon afterwards, she’d had no chance to retrieve it until now.
Picking up the jacket from where it had been discarded on the floor by Jasmine, Jade did her best to hide the fact that she was searching for something, lest Amber or her sister should become inquisitive as to what it was she was fumbling around for. Luckily they were no longer keeping an eye on her, instead appearing engrossed in some detail of their plan; something about Jasmine getting in touch with Lauren to draw her into their web. Jade sighed inwardly with relief as her fingers traced the edge of her phone. So Jasmine hadn’t noticed it there and removed it. Now all she needed was an opportunity to send that note of warning. Suddenly, she had a brainwave. Butting in to the intense conversation going on in front of her, she sought Amber’s permission to absent herself.
“Look, I really need to pee quite desperately. Jasmine has had me tied up all night, and I can’t hold out much longer. Is there a toilet around here somewhere?”
This wasn’t entirely a lie, of course, as Jade had been needing to go for some time now. There followed a nervous two or three seconds, as Amber weighed up whether she should allow Jade to relieve herself on what she considered to be her property. She seemed to decide that it could do no harm.
“I’m afraid, as this was a male only prison, the only women’s facilities are the visitors toilets back near where we came in. So unless you want to revert to the old prison method of a bucket, which you’ll then need to ‘slop out’, I’m afraid you’ll have to go right back to the main entrance. It’s dark down there, so we’d better come with you to light your way.”
This was most definitely not what Jade wanted to hear. So she feigned desperation in an attempt to get away.
“No need for that Amber. I’ll find it.”
She half ran, half walked towards the stairs, carrying her jacket and with it the means of communicating her fears to her as yet unsuspecting friend.
****
Amber had been correct in her assertion that it would be dark in the sparsely windowed corridors that no longer boasted electric light. What little brightness there was came through barred and dirt encrusted panes, through which the greyness of the day barely infiltrated. However, despite the gloom, within no more than a minute or two she had located a door marked ‘Ladies’. Entering, she was dismayed to find that this room was devoid of windows, and therefore in complete darkness. Her phone screen, however, would give her just enough light to see by.
The toilets were dank and smelled disgusting, but even so, Jade secreted herself in one of the cubicles and bolted the door. Forgoing good grammar, correct spelling and punctuation, she began typing her warning message,
“Lauren its Jade here I need to tell you tht your in great dang...”
That was as far as she got, because what happened next took her by such surprise that she let the phone slip from her fingers. The crashing sound as the door was brutally kicked in, followed instantly by the bright torch beam shining directly at her, caused her to shade her eyes against the searing brightness. It didn’t take a genius to work out that it was Amber who had delivered the karate kick, however. And behind her, what she at first thought was an image of herself in a mirror, turned out to be her sister.
Amber bent forward and picked up the phone, not once letting her eyes or the beam waver from Jade’s face. She scanned the semi-completed message, then glared at the cornered woman, who had automatically stepped backwards into the gap between toilet bowl and cubicle wall.
“Well, well, looks like we’ve got a traitor in our midst...”
Amber leant forward, her sneering face made more menacing by the shadows cast by the unnatural illumination.
“...and you know what happens to traitors, don’t you?”
story continued in part three