Authors: Keith Hoare
“I know what you mean, the more you hear, the more you realise these people seem to relish depravity to others. So how did things go after the barn?”
“We were treated better, had a nice room to share and Salem promised Natasha one of her own, but it didn’t materialise. We worked in the kitchens and cleaned the house in the mornings, then lounged about in the afternoons. Salem would sometimes take Natasha in the afternoons. He was teaching her how to please him and she’d be back for tea. Often she’d return to the bedroom in tears, embarrassed with what he wanted her to do to him. The girl is young, not developed and he had this belief she accepted and understood what he wanted of her. But if I tried to tell him, he’d have taken me back into the barn to be strapped. I’d have taken the punishment if it would have made any difference, but it wouldn’t. We’d often have to dance for him and his friends early evening wearing very short skirts and crop top.” Sammy scrunched her nose. “They always wanted us to wriggle our bums a lot, which wasn’t exactly dancing. Thankfully though we were never allowed to remove any clothes. Salem was very possessive of us, and loved to show us off, but never let any of his friends see us naked. My turn alone with him was from around eleven at night when he retired till the early hours, then I was sent back to our bedroom. I was really worried I’d get pregnant, after all he was at me very nearly every day, but the cook told me he was impotent, had to take pills to even have sex. It made us laugh, realising he wasn’t the super stud he’d tried to make out he was, but a blue pill junkie unable to get it up without any. Natasha was missing her dad desperately, believing he’d come for her and take her home, but as the days went on she was becoming more depressed and cried herself to sleep by my side at night, before I’d have to leave her, and entertain Salem in his bed. The night before last I could have killed him. He always insisted we wore no nightclothes, didn’t believe in them he said. But I think it was a way to make sure we carried no weapon into his bedroom when he came for us. I’d always have my hair down and he’d run his hands through, very carefully, before I was allowed to get into his bed. Anyway he’d often come into our bedroom, look around, check the drawers and cupboards. I suppose looking for something we might have hidden, but we never did, besides having nothing to hide really. Even the cutlery at meals was counted, washed and placed back in racks so they could see if any had gone missing, and that was before we could leave the table. He always pulled the bedclothes back and looked at us both lying there naked, then he’d take me to his room. But that night he took Natasha instead and used her like he used me. Up to that time she was a virgin and when she came back she could hardly walk, with dried blood between her legs. I had to wash her down then kept her cuddled close to me. She was so frightened and just wanted to die.”
Karen felt relieved at hear that Salem was impotent. It had been at the back of her mind that such a long session, without any protection, could well have increased the risk of pregnancy, the last thing she wanted. She also realised now why he was so demanding, it was the pills, no wonder she was struggling to keep up. Putting it to the back of her mind she gripped Sammy’s hand. “Well it’s nearly over now; it’s time to pick the pieces up, Sam, and get on with your life. Salem is dead, so he’s paid dearly for his crimes against you and Natasha,” Karen said quietly.
“How did he die?” Sammy asked.
Karen grinned. “I did what they do when they slaughter any pig. I slit his throat.”
“I’m glad he’s dead, Natasha will be too. But I don’t know how you coped, Karen, when you were with these people. I remember reading a little in the paper about you. It sounded so far-fetched that there were people, in this world, who would do such things to another human being. When they took me, only then did I begin to understand just how strong willed and capable you really must have been to get out and fight back. I now know how helpless you are in their clutches and the guts it must take to go up against them. My will was broken after the punishment, too scared to even utter a word.”
Then she looked down at Natasha, still sleeping. “He deserved to die like that; in fact all of them deserve to die, after what they have done to this little girl. She will take a very long time to get over it, if she ever does.”
“And what of you, Sam, will you get over it?”
Sammy didn’t answer directly; she just looked back at Karen. “Have you, Karen?”
Karen shrugged. “I live on borrowed time, Sam. I already walk in the shadow of death, there are people out there who want me dead, so for me it won’t be a question of me getting over it. It’s more the question as to just how long I’ll survive before one finally succeeds in taking me out.”
Sammy’s mouth dropped open. “But you can’t give up, Karen. You’ve come for us, for the others; surely you’re going home with us to take up your life again?”
She shook her head. “It’s not quite like that. To actually find you both I had to do a deal with the man who arranged this operation. Why do you think we’re with gunmen and not British soldiers? Don’t get me wrong, I was very happy with the arrangement, I like the man a lot, he’s my type and we’d be good together. But I’ve found out over the last day or so it’s not quite what I believed was going to happen. So I’m going to kill him and hopefully a man called Saeed. His mother was the one who prepared you before the auction. Believe me when that happens, I won’t get out alive.”
Tears were coming to Sammy’s eyes. “You shouldn’t have come for us, Karen. Neither, me or Natasha would ever expect, or want, someone to lay down their life for us. We would have survived, how long I don’t know, but we were coping, just about.”
Karen grasped her hand tighter.
“Soldiers came for me, Sam. They had families, their whole life in front of them, but they came for me and none returned. I felt the same, couldn’t understand why people would do that for a stranger. Now I know. I believe God has kept me alive to help get you all home. In particular Natasha, who is still just a child and has never done anything to anyone to have been treated the way they have with her. Even if she’d been the only one missing, I couldn’t have left her there, because I know what she and all of you were going through. If I don’t go on to finally finish it with Saeed, the abductions will never stop. He and his mother couldn’t care less what their greed has done to so many children. Believe me they deserve to die.”
Sammy looked at her for a minute. “Then I’ll come with you. We finish it together, Karen. I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth. I was brought up in the East End of London where you fought your own fights and never turned the other cheek. You’re not going to fight my fight while I run away like a scared rabbit. That man sold Natasha, his mother treated the little girl like shit. They will pay for that, believe me they will pay.”
“I understand your anger, Sam, I really do. But what you have been through is nothing to what can happen. There would be a very high risk of you falling into their hands again, which for you, does not bear thinking about. You will need the guts to kill a man, maybe a woman. You will need the guts to be able to take your own life. That, Sam, is the most difficult. Your mind will fight against you, self-preservation will kick in, and you won’t be able to pull the trigger. Then it’ll be too late, you’ll be caught, never have the opportunity again.”
“And can you, take your own life I mean?”
Karen shook her head. “I don’t know, I can only hope I can. But if I think back to when there was one moment I’d asked a soldier to take my life, I clutched at a very tiny straw to stop him. I hope the next time no straw will be offered.”
They couldn’t continue the conversation as at that moment the vehicles came to a halt. Halif looked into the back of the lorry. “Karen, can you come with me,” he asked.
She turned to Sammy. “Stay here, we’ll talk about what we’ve been discussing later.” Then she climbed out of the back, dropping to the ground.
“Lomax’s place is about a mile further along this road. He’s a gunrunner and will, like Sirec, always have guards. I think we can assume he’s already got knowledge that we’re coming, it gets round these people like wildfire when there’s a risk of trouble. Anyway this entrance we’ve stopped at leads down to a disused quarry. It’s a good quarter of a mile and it’s unlikely anyone would go down there. The girls will have to remain there with one guard until we return.”
“Will they be safe?”
“As safe as anywhere, Karen. The guard I’m leaving is a family man, will look after them and get them to Sirec if we don’t return. Sirec may be a lot of things but he has never condoned such a young girl like Natasha being forced into prostitution. He will get her home believe me.”
“And Sam, will she go home?”
Halif smiled. “Yes, Karen, he will keep his word to you and send Sam as well.”
Karen believed him. In lots of ways she had to, there was no other option. So after telling Sammy what was to happen, she left with the main troop for the last girl, Annette.
Lomax was handing guns out to his men. He’d already received telephone calls to tell him the convoy had been spotted and was heading this way.
“Who are these people, Lomax?” his top man asked.
“Sirec’s men. He has some stupid notion that he wants my girl. I paid good money for her and she’s mine. I’ve just had a call to say they’ll be here within the hour. So get into position, I don’t want them to get close to the main house.”
The men spread out, however, Lomax’s caller was too late in his warning, Halif and his men had already arrived. But rather than drive directly up to the main house, like they had at Salem’s, they had stopped short and were approaching on foot.
Lomax went into the lounge with two men. He’d an idea Halif would use his gunmen to keep the guards occupied while he tried to enter from the rear. Lomax had deliberately left that area vulnerable to entice him in. Sirec’s gunmen would give up and go home if he caught Halif; there’d be nothing to fight for.
Karen stayed with Halif, their intention as Lomax anticipated, was while the men distracted Lomax’s guards they would make their way to the house by the back way. Already a gun battle had started and Sirec’s men dug in for a long fight. Taking a wide berth of the house and compound, where the battle was taking place, both Karen and Halif found only two protecting the rear. It was Halif who took them out. Karen was surprised how good he really was in a battle. He helped her over a relatively high wall and they dropped down into the compound behind the house. Keeping close to the wall, they went through the unlocked back door into the kitchen area. It was a large house, with many rooms. Outside they could hear the sound of small arms fire, but the house seemed deserted.
“You take the bedrooms, I’ll check downstairs and the cellars,” Halif told Karen.
She nodded and went up the stairs. With five bedrooms she’d no trouble searching them. The third one was locked, although the key was in the keyhole. She unlocked it and went inside. Annette was on the bed reading, dressed in jeans and t-shirt. She looked up as Karen entered the room.
“Hi, I’m Karen. Are you Annette?” Karen asked casually, so as not to alarm the girl.
“Yes, but what are you? Where are you from, dressed like you are?”
“I’m Special Operations, British Forces.”
“So there’s a load of you then?”
“No, only me and another man, the rest are outside, why do you ask?”
She sighed. “Well if there’s only two of you in the house it’s all a waste of time. Lomax has been expecting you, and set a trap.”
Karen shrugged. “So what, besides it’s a bit late to turn back. Shall we go and see what sort of trap he’s set?”
She looked at Karen wide-eyed. “He’ll kill you. Leave me and try to get out yourself. He’s determined to keep me anyway; alone you two might just succeed in escaping.”
Karen took out her British army insignias from her top pocket and attached them back onto her shoulders and cap, followed by her lieutenant’s label. She’d an idea this rescue was not going well, but in her mind she was still a British soldier, maybe only temporary but if she was going to die, she wanted everyone to know that, and not die a nobody. Then Karen pulled a grenade from her belt, slipped the ring through her thumb and smiled to herself.
“Try taking me alive now,”
she thought, then she turned to Annette. “Come on, whatever happens, by the sound of it, he won’t shoot you. He’ll go for me. If we get through we’re out. If we don’t you’re no worse off. What do you say?”
Annette frowned. “What’s that you’ve got in your hand?”
“Insurance that’s all. You see, Annette, I’m wanted by so many people, I can’t risk being taken alive. Anyway come on; let’s see if we can have some fun shall we?”
“Excuse me, I’ve just said he’ll kill you and you call it fun. I call it madness.”
“So; we don’t live forever. Besides, do you really want to stay with this guy and not try to get home?”