Stone Cold Certainty

“So, can you do the job?”

Simone took a drag on her cigarette, which she held in her gloved hand, and blew the smoke into the air as she leaned back.  The man looked over her firm body, encased in black leather trousers and a sleeveless jerkin, and considered if she was indeed worth the reputation and references he had been given.

“Yes,” she finally said as he tossed her red hair in the air and sat up, stubbing the cigarette out in an ashtray of silver.  “I believe I and my team can do what you ask.  Do you have the information we asked for?”

In response, the man passed a leather binder over the table.  Simone picked it up and looked quickly through the contents.  In response, she tossed a photograph over, which the man picked up and looked at.

“Your team?”

“Yes – the Black Angels.  We will start work immediately, and be in touch when the packages are ready for delivery.  Good Day, Mister Smith.”

He looked again at the photo – five women dressed in black leather, holding large guns and looking as if they meant business.  Laying the document on the table, he stood up and walked out of the room.  Simone sat in thought for a few minutes then stood up and opened a door on the other side of the room.

“Ladies – gather round, we have work to do….”

“So what time are you finishing tonight?”

“About six – you?”

“Seven – I need to sort some things out first.”

Janine and Kelly were walking down the corridor of the dealership, making sure the offices that needed to be closed were closed.  As an upper market jewel dealer, the two were dressed in business gear – Janine had on a black short sleeveless dress with a wraparound trim in white, while Kelly wore a grey pinstripe suit with a black camisole.

“Hey – how did the concert go?”

Janine stopped and turned to Kelly between two of the office doors, and the two girls stood chatting – so intently they did not notice the office doors opening.  That is, not until they each had a white cloth clamped over their mouths and noses.  The sweet smelling cloths took them by surprise, until their eyes closed and they slumped back into the arms of the leather clad women…..

“Good evening, Janine.”

Janine opened her eyes slowly, the ache in her arms bringing her to state of realisation.  In front of her stood two women dressed entirely in black, staring at her.  She tried to sit up, only to find herself held to the back of the chair by lengths of white rope.  As she looked round, she saw she was in a barely furnished room, with only a table and a few chairs, one of which she was lashed to.

Looking down, she saw her ankles were lashed to the feet of the chair, and as she felt with her fingers she found the ropes that were holding her wrists together.

“What’s going on?  Where’s Kelly?”

“Your friend?  We have her safe elsewhere, and you will join her shortly.  For now, Kelly, we need to ask you a few questions about the security at your offices – particularly the code to the main safe.”

The captive girl shook her head.  “No way, it’s more than my job’s worth.”

“Yeah, we figured you might say that.”  With that, one of the woman leaned over and pulled the front of Janine’s dress down, exposing her breasts to the cold room in the air.  The blonde girl looked on as the other woman walked to the table, and came back with a length of chain that had a clamp attached to each end.  She pushed herself back into the chair as the second woman leaned by her side.

“What are you doing?” she asked as her right breast was caressed by the woman, who held the clamp at one end of the chain in her other hand.  Janine looked down with concern as the clamp was placed over the nipple of her breast, then let out a yelp of pain as it was closed over the tender flesh.

That yelp grew louder as the other end of the chain was clamped to her left breast.  “Now, let’s see if you’re willing to talk now,” the leather clad girl said as she kneeled in front of her.  Janine could feel the tears beginning to feel the tears flow down her cheeks, but she kept her mouth shut.  Shaking her head, the girl took the clamp on Janine’s breast and tightened a little nut, causing the pain to increase dramatically.

“No, stop!” Janine screamed as the other girl held her shoulders and the clamp was tightened still further.  Eventually, the pain grew so bad she could not take any more, and Janine screamed “All right, all right – I’ll tell you!”

The leather women smiled, and removed the clamps.  “Now,” the blonde haired woman said, “The combination to the safe please.”

Janine whispered a series of numbers, which were written down on a note pad.  Her ankles and chest were freed from the chair, her dress front pulled up and Janine was led into another room.

As her wrists were also freed, she looked through tear filled eyes at a wrought iron bed against the wall of the room.  Janine was led over to the bed, sat with her back to the metal at the foot of the bed and her wrists gently pulled through the bars.  As they were lashed together and secured to one of the bars, her arms were also secured to the bed with more rope.  Finally, her ankles were crossed and tied together so that Janine was left sitting on the bed, and a long white cloth wrapped several times around her mouth.

As one last rope was tied from between her breasts to her ankles, Kelly was brought into the room.  She looked at Janine on the bed, and whispered “Oh God” as she was placed at the opposite end of the bed and her arms pulled through the bars at the head of the bed.  The two leather clad girls swiftly bound and gagged Kelly in the same way as her friend, who was silently crying as the pain in her breasts subsided.

Simone was reading the headline in the paper the next morning.

Sensational Robbery at Jewel Merchant

Necklace worth 1 Million Pounds taken from safe along with other items.

Police talking to secretaries who were held hostage.

Simone glanced over to a shelf in her room, where a priceless jewelled necklace was on display over a mount.  Next to it was a brooch and scarf pin, the pin made from a single blood red ruby.

“One down, two to go,” Simone said to herself.

Mme. Delacroix was not having a good day.  She had been collected from the airport by what she thought was the official car to take her to the museum, but it had diverted into a back alley and the driver turned to face her with a pistol in her hand. 

Now she was sat in a white wooden chair, watching the white rope being passed over her shoulder and through the ropes around her waist.  Her wrists were pinned behind her back, and she grunted as the rope was pulled back and tied off behind her.  More rope was around her waist and lap, and her ankles secured to the chair leg.

“I’m so glad you felt you were able to come with me, Mademoiselle,” the red haired woman said as she pressed the metal of the gun barrel against her captive’s cheek.  “Now, I need you to tell me of your plans for today.  Do not worry about time – we have informed the people you are meeting with that you have been delayed.”

“All I know is that I am meant to meet Doctor Harper at the museum, and collect an item from her for appraisal.  I was to take it to my employers discreetly – that is all I know.”

“Then that is all I need to know,” the woman said as she picked up a wad of white cloth.  “Now, open wide – my friend here is going to keep you company.”  As a blonde haired woman in leather sat opposite, the cloth was pushed into Mme. Delacroix’s mouth, filling the space and secured into place with a white cloth wrapped three times around and in her mouth.

“Enjoy your visit,” the woman said as she walked out of the room.  As the door closed, she pulled the red wig off her hair and picked up a black wig that was waiting on the table.

“Time to go to work,” she said to the other two women as they walked out of the room.

The State Museum was closed for the evening, as the three women pulled up in front of the gate.  A security guard, dressed in blue shirt and black skirt, walked over with her dark hair peeking out of her cap.

“Can I help you?” she said as the three women stepped out.

“Yes, you can – you can put your hands up and get your colleague to come out here.”

The guard saw the three guns pointing at her, and spoke into her radio.  “Suzanne, come out here please – we have a situation and I need your help.”

A few minutes passed until another guard, this one with red hair, came out of the office.  She stopped short when she saw the guns, and then placed her hands on her head.

“Smart move.  Take them away and secure them once you’ve opened the gate for me.”

The other two women marched the security guards back into the gatehouse, and as the gate raised the woman impersonating Mme. Delacroix drove in.

“Come in,” Doctor Harper called out as the sharp knock was heard on the door.  At the same time, the two guards were placing their heads back on the mattress as the cloth gags were pulled tightly back into their mouths.  Both were hogtied, with their crossed ankles secured to their wrists and more rope around their chests.  The tow leather clad women stood guard over them.

“Doctor Harper?  I am Mme. Delacroix – you are expecting me?”

“Ah yes,” she said without raising her head, but as she did so she looked at the dark haired woman that walked in.

“You are Mme. Delacroix?  Your dress sense is rather – unusual, if I may be so bold.”

The arrival was dressed in black leather – a jacket and tight trousers, with knee length boots that were laced up the front.  Doctor Harper stood up and walked round from her desk, as the woman looked over the academic.  Dark hair, thin build a grey waistcoat with black trim and a thin scarf around her neck, a pencil skirt and black patent heels.

“Well, I do have one slight confession to make, Doctor Harper.”

“And that is?”

The woman grabbed Doctor Harper by the arm, twisted it behind her back and pushed her face down onto her table, showing the doctor a large metal blade as she did so.

“I’m not her – don’t say a word, the security has been neutralised.  Just keep quiet, and put your hands behind your back.”

“What’s this about?” she cried out as her wrists were crossed and lashed together behind her back.  The woman took Doctor Harper by the arm and pulled her into a wooden seat, where further rope was lashed around her arms and secured her to the chair back. 

“I said what’s this about,” she continued as her ankles were quickly lashed together in front of her.  Her captor stood in front of her, her legs straddling Doctor Harper, and held the knife in front of her face.

“Make this easy on yourself, Doctor Harper – just give me the combination to the safe and this will be over very very quickly.”

“OOWWWWW!” Doctor Harper screamed as her hair was pulled back.  “OK, I’ll give you the combination; just stop trying to hurt me!”

She watched as the intruder followed her instructions, opened the safe and removed a large cloth bag, which she placed in her suitcase.

“Thank you Doctor Harper – now I must ask you to do one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Open wide.”  With that, the leather clad woman picked up a blue scarf that was on the table, balled it up and pushed it into the bound woman’s mouth.  A white cloth was tied around her head to hold the gag in place, and Doctor Harper looked down at the bulge of material that was sticking out of her mouth.

“Truly exquisite – well done girls,” Simone said as she admired the dark blue jewel, enclosed in a ring of diamonds that went on to form a necklace.

“So, boss, when do we go after the third item?”

“Tomorrow – there’s a little job I need two of you to do at the same time, however…..”

“I take it this isn’t the studio?”

Melanie Popaski, aka Mel Pop, and her publicist Dawn were seated on two upturned boxes in a warehouse, their wrists secured behind their backs.  Hoods had just been pulled off from their heads, hoods which had been in place since they were snatched at gunpoint from their office as they left to go to a video filming.

“No, Mel, this is not the studio – and those are not the video directors,” Dawn said with a note of exasperation in her voice.  She looked over her shoulder at the ropes around her wrists, and then at the two women who had taken them hostage.  She was wearing a black leather top, trousers and jacket with red warder boots, while her charge was wearing a black sleeveless top with a laced bodice, black Capri pants and stockings, and kitten heels.  Her ensemble was topped off with a black baseball cap.

As for their captors – one was dressed in a black short dress with a green leather belt, a short sleeved jacket and a bandana, while the other was wearing a white blouse, dark trousers and a grey waistcoat.  This one was holding Mel by her face, while the other had a pistol pointed at Dawn’s head as she pushed her head back.

“Just relax, little Miss Pop,” White Blouse was saying as she pulled Mel’s head back.  “We just want something from your house, and we need your access code to do so.”

“This is Punked, isn’t it,” Mel laughed.  “Ashton Krucher’s just around the corner – come on out Ashton, I know you’re there…..”

“Sorry, Miss, but this is for real.”  White Blouse grabbed Mel by the throat and held a pistol against her head as well.  “Start talking before I count to three, or your friend’s boots aren’t the only thing that will be red.  One…  Two… Thr”

“I’ll tell you,” Dawn shouted out.  “It’s not worth getting killed over, Mel.  Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

“That’s better,” Bandana Girl said at last.  “Talk to me – tell me how we can get past your security systems.”

As Dawn described how to get into the house, Mel’s ankles were tied together with rope, and she was gagged with a knotted white scarf.  White Blouse then walked round and bound Dawn’s ankles together in the same way.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Bandana Girl said as Dawn was also gagged.  “My friend will stay here with you while I retrieve what we need.”

As she left and White Blouse took a seat, Mel turned and looked at Dawn.

“Dwn?”

“m?”

“Whrs t cmrs?”

Dawn just sighed and shook her head as she tried to get her wrists free…..

“Excellent – we have all we need now.”

Simone looked at the necklace of gold, diamond and emerald, and wrapped it carefully in velvet.

“Has the other package arrived?”

“Yes,” White Blouse said as the two of them stood at Simone's desk.  “The others brought it in earlier, but why did you collect that as well?”

“Insurance – I don’t trust our client one hundred per cent.  Tomorrow will tell….

Officer Baines looked up at the woman who had overpowered her.  She was lying on the carpet of the manager’s office of the local bank on this fine Sunday morning, but her normal work routine had been rudely curtailed by this Asian woman.  Now she was lying on the floor, her wrists encircled in silver tape as were her crossed ankles.  These were also taped down to her thighs, and her elbows were held tightly together.  Strips over her mouth were ensuring her, well not her silence but her muffled mumbling.  

She looked up at her attacker as a well dressed man walked into the room.  He looked own at Baines, then at the dark haired woman who had overpowered her.  She was wearing a black silk blouse and knee length skirt, and her eyes were covered by mirrored shades.

“Excellent work, my dear – is everything else prepared?”

She nodded, and picked up the pistol from the table.  The sounds of doors opening came from outside.

“That will be them, shall we?”

Simone and the Angels walked into the deserted bank lobby, carrying three black jewel cases with them.  They stopped in the middle of the open floor, as two of the girls moved off into the side of the building.

“Are you there?”  Simone called out, and the gentleman walked out of the doorway.

“You kept your word, Miss Simone?”

“I always do – where’s the payment?”

“Miss Hempel?”

The dark haired woman walked out of the office, carrying a large case.  Placing it on the floor, she opened it to reveal the interior filled with bundled notes.  Simone nodded to one of the Angels, who walked over and began to examine the contents.  She eventually stood up and nodded, whereupon the cases were placed on the counter as Simone walked forward.

“Just one moment,” the man said as Miss Hempel produced her pistol and stood over the money.  “I’m afraid I can’t let you take my money, Miss Simone.”

She stared at the smiling man, and then started laughing. 

“I fail to see the amusement in your death,” the man sneered.

“Forgive me, but I thought this might occur,” Simone replied.  “I therefore took further precautions.  Tell me, do you recognise this woman.”

She threw a photograph across the floor towards the man.  He picked it up and looked at the dark haired beauty dressed in white finery and smoking a cigarette.

“This… this is my daughter,” he said.

“Indeed – and at this moment some associates of mine are keeping her company in her penthouse.  If I do not leave here with the money and my entire group, your daughter will meet a most unfortunate end.  Ask the poor women we’ve already dealt with, and then multiply their suffering by one hundred.  Don’t be a fool, Mister Smith – give us our payment.”

The man struggled for a moment, and then signalled to his female accomplice who dropped her pistol.

“Very sensible,” Simone said as she closed and picked up the case.  “Enjoy your baubles, mister Smith – we must be going now.”

The black clad group left the empty bank, as Mister Smith frantically started to dial on his cell phone.