Generations: Hong Kong

For a sixty year old woman, Helen Yang looked a good ten years younger, a fact she put down to clean living and plenty of exercise. She stood about five foot seven tall, with chestnut brown hair piled on her head, and was elegantly dressed – a blue jacket with white piping and pink cuffs at the sleeves, the jacket fastened over a pale blue fitted dress with a deep round neckline.

Her legs were encased in black hose, a pair of knee length black leather boots over the lower half. The gold Rolex watch, the large silver and jewel cross hanging down from her neck, the rings, all spoke to her position as one of the leading financiers on the island.

And this was her birthday party, a gathering of the great and good of the elite, Helen talking to them as she walked round and making sure they had all they desired, all they needed.

This was the way she treated all she worked for, and it a reputation for courtesy and care she had worked hard to accept and deserve. She smiled as she stood talking to an old friend, before she looked at her watch, and smiled.

“Forgive me, Catherine – a matter I need to deal with. I should not be too long.”

The dark haired woman nodded and bowed as Helen walked across the room, still greeting people as she walked up the stairs, and entered her private apartment. It was palatially furnished, and she smiled as she ran her hand over the marble table, and then she opened the doors to her office.

It was only after she had walked in and closed the door that she felt the cold disc pressing on her back, and heard the calm voice say “Good evening Mrs Yang – please, do exactly what we say, or I regret to say there will be consequences if you do not.”

She saw two more men walk in front of her, smartly dressed in dark suits, highly polished shoes, white shirts, dark ties – and black stockings over their heads. They were both armed, pistols in their gloved hands as Helen said “I see – so this is a robbery?”

“It is, yes – will you cooperate?”

Helen looked at the two men, and then said “I have no desire to upset my guests -do what you must, and be about your business.”

“An excellent attitude – please, go and take a seat.”

Helen nodded as she walked towards an ornately carved chair, with brown leather upholstery, and sat down, noting the man who had been behind her was dressed in the same way as the other two.

“Now,” he said quietly as he walked to her desk, and opened a black valise, “to business. Kindly remove your jewellery, and place them in this sack.” He removed a black velvet sack and held it in his gloved hands, Helen nodding as she reached behind her neck and unfastened a clasp, holding the cross in her hand before she deposited it in the sack.

She then unfastened and removed her watch, dropping that in as well as the gold chain she was wearing, and then slipped her rings and earrings off before they went in as well. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop them – and no life was worth a few trinkets.

“Thank you,” the masked man said quietly, “now, I need you to very slowly, lean forward and put your hands behind your back. We are going to secure your arms, and then we will have a chat about the combination for your safe.”

“Safe? What safe?”

“the very large walk in safe you have behind that bookcase,” the man said as Helen felt one of the other two guide her arms behind her back, and then felt the soft rope on her wrists as he secured them tightly together, taking the rope around and between her arms to ensure they stayed together.

“You are professionals,” she said as she flexed her fingers.

“Of course, and I appreciate the compliment,” the man said, and then he stopped. Helen wondered what was going on as he put a gloved finger to his lips, and then felt the leather gloved hand as it was pressed firmly over her mouth, forcing her back into the chair as she watched the door to her office open.

“Mother, I was wondering if you…” Helen could only watch as the leader of the trio pulled the new arrival in, and she recognised her daughter Connie. Connie was forty years old, and tonight was wearing a tight sheath dress with a leopard print, the skirt coming over her knees and covering the tops of a pair of long black leather boots. She had long copper red hair, and was wearing gold bracelets as well as a gold chain round her neck.

“Say nothing,” the man said as he held his pistol to Connie’s head, Helen shaking her head as she said “httmhthklthrr.” He looked at her, and then nodded as the gloved hand was taken away.

“Connie, we are been robbed,” Helen said quietly, “and unfortunately, it appears you have walked in. Do what they say – I have no desire to see you hurt.”

The younger woman nodded as she said “have they hurt you?”

“No – so do as they say.”

“Thank you, Mrs Yang. I need you,” the masked man said to Connie, “to put your hands behind your back, and stand perfectly still.”

“I do not have a choice, do I?”

“No.” He guided Connie’s hands behind her back and then took a length of soft rope from his colleague, Helen watching as he tied her daughter’s wrists tightly together behind her back. Connie grunted a little as she felt the rope rub on her bare flesh, and then gasped as the man took a longer length of rope ad passed it round her, pulling it tight as it forced her arms into her sides and formed a white band under her chest.

“Do you have to do that,” Helen said as the man continued to wrap the rope around her daughter’s body, forming two bands that stretched the material of her dress over her breasts, pressing down on them as she tried to twist round – then stopped as she realised what the ropes were doing.

“Are you all right, Connie?”

“I – I will cope Mother,” Connie said as the man tied the rope off, then used two shorter lengths between her arms and body to further tighten the binding.

“There – now forgive me,” the man said as he removed her bracelets and jewellery, placing them in the velvet sack before he walked Connie over to a leather recliner. She sat down, watching as he took two more lengths of rope and walked back over, using it to secure her ankles by tying the rope around and between her booted legs, and then the second length around her legs below her knees.

As she was helped to lie on her side, Connie looked at her mother and said “do you know what they want?”

“No – I do not,” Helen said quietly as the third man took a white cloth from his pocket, folding it into a pad as he walked over.

“Please, open your mouth.”

“Mother?”

“Do as they say, Connie,” Helen said quietly, “I suspect I will soon be as you.” She watched as her daughter nodded, and then allowed the man to push the folded cloth into her mouth, closing her lips over it as he peeled a length of white tape from a roll, and then pressed it firmly over her lips the material forming to the shape of her jaw.

“Now,” their leader said as he looked at Helen, “the safe?”

“You will need my cooperation – there is a retinal lock.”

“Smart,” the man said as he was handed another length of rope, and waked behind Helen, Connie watching as he passed the rope around her mother and pulled it tight. Helen let out an involuntary gasp as the ropes forced her arms against her, forming the same bands as her daughter as her jacket was stretched over her.

She then felt his gloved hands as he pulled the rope under the lower band at one side, then pulled it up and around the back of her neck. She could feel the bands tighten and press even more on her as he fed the rope under her arm on the other side, before he tied it off behind her.

“In that case, Mrs Yang, stand up and open the safe for me.”

“Of course,” Helen said, impressed at his style and manners as she stood up and walked to the bookcase. Connie wriggled on the chaise longue as she indicated one book, the man pressing on it as a panel opened up, and her mother put her eye to a retinal reader.

It was the door opening and closing quickly, and the muffled calls that made Helen turn her head, and whispered “oh no” as Connie made a muted call. A third woman had walked in – barely in her twenties, wearing a dark blue jacket over a matching skirt, the jacket with fur panels at the front. She was also wearing a pair of long black leather boots, these ones with shirt block heels. But at that moment in time, she was staring at the other two women, one of the men holding her with one arm, the second one over her mouth muffling her calls.

“Ki, please, do not struggle,” Helen said quietly, “these men are armed, and we and your mother are their captives. I understand your fear, but I need you to remain calm and do what they say.”

“I presume this is your granddaughter?”

“IT is,” Helen said as the young woman stopped struggling, and slowly nodded, “she will do as you say.”

“Bind her.”

As Helen watched, the third man picked up his pistol and aimed it at the young woman, handing the second man a length of rope as he took his gloved hand away from her mouth, and guided her hands behind her back.

“Grandmother, what is happening?”

“ a robbery, my child,” Helen said quietly as Connie wriggled on the recliner, the ropes holding her body there, “so be brave, and we will all get through this.”

“Yes, Grandmother,” the young woman said as she felt the soft rope forcing her wrists together, and then around her body as the man bound her arms to her sides, the bands forcing her jacket open and to the sides as they pressed down on the blue silk of her dress.

“Please, retake your seat” the leader said as Helen walked back to the chair, taking a seat as he took more rope from the back and knelt down, crossing her ankles before he started to bind them tightly together, the white bands compressing the leather of her boots as her legs were forced together.

Ki was forced to walk over and sit on the floor between her mother and grandmother, watching as the masked man crossed and bound her ankles tightly together, then her legs below her knees as Helen was secured in the same way. The leader then helped Helen to sit back in the chair, while her granddaughter was made to lie face down on the floor, her ankles pulled back and tied to her chest ropes to further immobilise her.

“Take what we need from the safe,” the leader said, the other two men nodding as he knelt down and brushed the long brown hair away form Ki’s face. “Time for you to be quiet – open your mouth.”

“Grandmother…”

“Ddhshshshhsss,” Connie mumbled, Ki seeing the tape crinkle over her mouth before she nodded and allowed the masked man to push a folded cloth in, then cover her jaw with the same white tape that was over her mother’s mouth.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” the leader said as he looked at Helen, “but now…”

“It is my turn?”

“It is your turn,” he said as he folded a third cloth, Helen nodding as she opened her mouth and felt the silk on her tongue as it was pushed in, forcing her tongue down as she closed her lips over it. The white tape felt soft, but it was also strong as he pressed it carefully over her mouth, covering her lips and jaw and seeming to move with it as she tried to speak.

“Fhknnuhfhruhrrshphctt.”

The man nodding as his partners came out, carrying a holdall between them as the three men left the room. Connie started to twist round, the dots son her dress seeming to move as if they were really skin, but she could not get free. Ki rolled onto her side, trying to get free, to find a knot, but that was also proving useless.

Helen remained calm, watching the clock before she pushed herself onto her feet, the other two watching as she jumped over to the table, and pressed down on the standard lamp base. Rescue would come soon enough….

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