0 comments/ 10217 views/ 2 favorites Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 01 By: shandal This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, and some male on male violence, plus a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * The passenger door suddenly opened on the car as Rachel sat at the traffic lights waiting for them to turn green. With a gasp she stared as the man climbed in, blood and bruises covering his face, his shirt torn and dirty as if he had been rolling around in the woods that sat on either side of the road. "Move...move....MOVE..." The man screamed as he looked around him, his frantic stares looking for who ever had placed the obvious signs of a fight on him possibly coming out of the woods at any minute to get him. "I said FUCKING MOVE." Stunned at the sudden intrusion into her private space of the car by this stranger she sat frozen until she saw the small knife in his hand that he held up to her face. With shaking hands she slowly moved the car over the crossroads, passing through the red light and on up the curving road that ran for the next couple of miles through the thick woods before reaching a small crop of houses. "Who are you?" she asked him in a timid voice. Growling back at her "Shut the fuck up and just get going......faster.....put some speed into it." he looked behind over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. Guiding her small blue car through the familiar Kent country road in the falling dusk she surreptitiously glanced in the mirror trying to see the man who sat beside her, the smell of fear and sweat pouring off of him as he kept his eyes on the road behind. He was about thirty five, very masculine with short dark hair and a wiry muscular body. His face had some cuts and bruises and blood had dried from where it had run from his nose and his cut and swollen bottom lip. One eye was slightly closed. "What happened to you?" "Shut up. Just keep driving. I'll tell you where to go." Biting her lip and praying for someone to notice what was happening to her she carried on driving until she came to the village where she started to signal to turn right towards her home. "Keep going." The voice growled at her. "But I live here!" "Fucking keep going......I told you I'll tell you where to go." Heart beating as if it was going to break out of her chest she drove, wide eyes staring at the road ahead as different scenarios of what could possibly happen to her ran through her mind. Rape, robbery or even murder. "Turn north onto the main road when you get to it and then follow it until I tell you to turn off." Swallowing deeply she kept her little car moving at a fast speed, the knife in his hand never leaving the corner of her vision as he held it towards her. After a time he settled his body to face forward with a sharp wince, and the knife lowered to lie in his hand against his denim covered thigh. About five miles up the road he told her to turn off on a side road and as they travelled further and further into deep countryside the feeling of dread hardened in the pit of her stomach, and the taste of bile rose in her mouth. "Please....let me go....I promise..." "Shut up I don't want to hear your voice....just drive." Eventually after about half and hour he directed her to an old run down industrial site, old warehouses and units closed up for the night, and then to a small deserted unit that stood separate towards the back of the site. "Pull the car in around the back....behind that old dumpster there." Doing as she was told she sat, every muscle in her body shaking with fear as the man sat next to her, his breathing shallow, his body held still as if he was in real pain. Suddenly in the quiet of the car her mobile phone rang, and as she went to answer it the man's hand shot out to grab her wrist, the hard handle of the knife in his palm pressing down on her skin. "Leave it......who told you to fucking answer it." The phone rang for a few more rings before stopping, returning the car to silence broken up only by the man's breathing and the heavy beats of her heart. Letting go of her wrist the man reached down to pick up the phone from where it lay in the small space by the gear stick. Slipping it into his front jeans pocket he grunted to her to get out of the car and stand next to it. When she didn't move fast enough he held the knife up to her face and barked, "GET OUT NOW." Sliding out the car and standing on shaking legs she frantically looked around for means of escape but in that time the man had gotten out the car and walked around to her grabbing her arm to pull her towards a back door in the building which they were parked behind. Picking up a rock from the ground the man smashed the window and reached in to unlock the door, then pushed Rachel into the dark space beyond it. Whimpering now she started to plead, "Please don't hurt me....please." But the man just pushed her further into the abandoned building, past semi dark offices and towards some stairs. "Get up there." Stumbling up the stairs she moved as if unable to climb them, the man pushing her each time she stopped. At the top of the stairs he pushed her towards a room and then towards a chair that sat forlornly in a corner. "Sit there and shut up." Huddling on the chair she watched as the man took out her mobile from his pocket and dialled a number. Pacing backwards and forwards he waited while the person he was calling answered and then growled into the handset. "Jerry its me.....they got me...I got away but he knows I took the stuff." after a while he replied to the voice on the other end, "I'm ok....just a little bruised and cut up....maybe a couple of bruised ribs...the stuff is safe....hidden." another silence as the person on the other end of the phone spoke and then the reply, "No I'm well away somewhere safe for the moment...Snake doesn't know about this place....but I'll need some gear and money and to get to a better hideout to plan what to do next. Have you got the buyer ready?" Nodding to no-one in particular as he listened to the voice on the end of the phone he said, "I'll call you back to tell you where to meet, get some stuff ready for me, food, clothes and first aid stuff.....Snake knew I would be where he grabbed me....be careful, he doesn't know we're working together, so don't give him reason to focus on you." Turning off the phone and replacing it in his jeans pocket he swivelled towards Rachel as if seeing her properly for the first time and stared at her as she sat terrified on the chair, her black shoulder length hair framing wide grey eyes staring up at her kidnapper from a pale heart shaped face. * The man they called Snake strode into his apartment overlooking the river, the large panoramic window giving a beautiful view of the water and the other high class apartments facing his block. He was pissed off. Throwing his jacket down on the leather sofa he turned around and screamed at the two men standing just inside the room, "FUCKING FIND THE CUNT.....I WANT HIM BACK HERE ON HIS FUCKING KNEES...I WANT TO CUT HIS FUCKING BALLS OFF....I WANT TO KNOW WHERE MY FUCKING GOODS ARE." Nodding the two men sidled out of the room leaving the furious man staring back out the large window, knowing to keep well out of his way when he was this angry. Snake stood there teeth grinding, fists clenched. "The bastard," he thought, "when I get hold of him again I show him what a slow painful death is like." Picking up his phone he dialled a local Pimp that he did business with and told him to send around two of his girls. Two blonds. He needed to relax and somewhere to channel his roiling adrenaline after it had pumped into his body from the capture, interrogation and then chase after that bastard. Unable to believe that the fucker had escaped from his inept men as they guarded him after he himself had gone to take a pee his fury had increased, raising his blood pressure to a real high. Patrick's escape was piled on top of the realization that someone he had trusted for the past ten years, someone he considered to be his best friend, his only real friend, had ripped him off and stolen 10lbs of pure cocaine that was due for delivery to his network of dealers across the East of London. Patrick was someone he thought was a friend. Someone he had trusted and liked. Someone he had considered a high up Lieutenant in his organisation. Someone he had considered to be the brother he had never had. * Patrick looked down at the girl as she sat shivering with fear on the chair. His gut hurt where Snake had punched him and each time he breathed in gave him a sharp pain, making him wonder if his ribs were bruised or actually cracked. He could feel one side of his face puffing up around his eye and his tongue carefully touched the split on the inside of his lip as he tried to make plans in his head on what to do next. The girl complicated things. What to do with her? She had saved his bacon as he ran from Snake and his men, but now she had seen his face and he wasn't sure what to do with her. He had never killed before.....others in Snakes organisation had done that...on Snakes orders, but dirtying his own hands....no he had never done that. Maybe this was going to be his first time. The girl stared up at him with scared tear filled eyes....waiting for her fate. But his head was hurting after the beating he had taken, and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest for a while. Looking around the room he looked for something to tie her up with, but couldn't find anything. Looking back at her he told her in a deceptively quiet voice, "Take off your stockings and your belt." Rachel flinched as if he had hit her. "Please no......" "I told you to take them off; I'm not telling you again." Slowly reaching down she reached under the short black skirt to the lacy hold up stocking top on her right leg and never taking her eyes from him she rolled the thing down her leg until she reached her shoe. "Remove the shoe and take the stocking off....do the same with the other one." Doing as she was told she sat with them in her hand, her shoes now on the floor by her feet. The man reached over and grabbed the stockings out of her hand making her flinch as he leaned forward. "Take off the belt and give it to me." She unbuckled the thin belt that encircled her waist and bit her lip as he took that too. Walking behind her he grabbed her arms and pulling them behind her he bound her wrists together with one of the stockings, twisting it around the bars of the metal chair so that her hands were fixed, unable to move. Coming around her he tied her ankles together with the belt and then tying a large knot in the other stocking told her to open her mouth. Shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks he moved forward, the knot in the stocking level with her clamped shut mouth and told her, "Open your fucking mouth....I won't tell you twice." Swallowing, Rachel opened it a crack, but not enough for the man to wedge in the knotted stocking. Grabbing her cheeks with one hand, the knot of the stocking in his other he pushed the material passed her lips forcing her teeth to part to allow the bulk of the knot to fill her mouth. Tying off the stocking behind her head he stepped back. "Now behave yourself and you won't get hurt....I don't want to hear a peep out of you do you understand?" Nodding her head she looked up at him with doleful scared eyes. "Good." Stalking across the room the man disappeared out the door leaving Rachel shaking where she sat tied to the chair, unable to move. She heard him as he walked down the stairs and then a door open, and then all was quiet. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat there unsure what was going to happen to her, the feel of the nylon tight on her wrists and the dry taste of it in her mouth as it absorbed her spit making her feel vulnerable. * Snake lay on the bed, one girl behind him, his shoulders leaning against her, his head nestled between her small pert breasts, her hands stroking his chest, her nails scraping his nipples, as the other blonds head lay between his thighs, her mouth sucking on his hard rod, her hands cupping his hot tight balls. His hand tightened in her hair as he pushed her head down further, encouraging her to take him deeper into her wet warm mouth and throat, and the tart did as he indicated, working him expertly as the other woman started to lean forward her hands running down tracing the vivid tattoo that ran from a snakes head on his neck, the body of the snake running and twisting down over his left shoulder, curling over his torso, over his left hip and on down and around his left leg, the tail of the green, black and red snake tattoo ending just above his ankle. His long well muscled body lay supine, the two prostitutes working on him, mouths expertly kissing, nibbling and licking his hot skin, sending hot pulses through his nerve endings to pool deep down in his swelling penis and tightening scrotum. Closing his eyes as his hips thrust up towards the woman's mouth he concentrated on the deep pull of his mounting orgasm, the muscles in his washboard stomach contracting as his semen rose up and exploded out, the woman giving him head swallowing the thick white fluid. Sitting up he turned the whore around, making her bend over, her face off the end of the bed, her arse high in the air and smacking down hard on the small round globes with his right hand, told her to spread her knees wider. Grabbing the other blond by her long hair he pulled her forward on the bed and told her to lay down, face up between the spread out legs of the other woman. Kneeling with his knees each side of the prone whore's head he pushed his already hardening cock into the cunt of the first girl, telling the second to suck off his balls as he started to thrust again in earnest. * Patrick woke up aching all over. It took him a while to remember where he was as he looked around the dark room from where he lay. Earlier he had grabbed some discarded cardboard boxes and laid them down to make a bed to lie upon where he had passed out, waking up just now, possibly hours later. Rising up gingerly, his bruised gut was now a gentle ache and his ribs and muscles, where one of Snakes henchmen Ted Whites foot had connected when he kicked him during the beating, throbbed with each movement he made. Walking over to the corner of the room he undid his zip, pulled out his cock and emptied his bladder. Shaking it to remove the last of the drips he re zipped his jeans and wandered back up stairs to check on the girl. She sat there in the dark night filled room, her plump breasts pushed forward due to her bound arms behind her pulling her shoulders back. They nicely filled out her scooped neck black top, and her beautiful wide eyes stared up at him, her full lips stretched over the large stocking knot that filled her mouth, saliva dripping down her chin, tears on her cheeks, snot running from her nose. Sitting down on the edge of the desk the other side of the room, he watched her as she stared back. "What the fuck am I going to do with you?" Wide eyes stared back at him, silently pleading. "This is a fucking mess......one big fucking mess." Getting up he walked towards her, noting her eyes widening even more as he drew nearer, the nights shadows and moonlight pouring through the broken window emphasising her frailty. Carefully bending down and untying her ankles he told her, "Do as I say and you won't get hurt...make one false move and you'll wonder what hit you." Rachel felt the relief as he untied the belt from around her ankles. The leather had been biting into her skin and causing her a lot of discomfort for hours as she had sat there, muscles aching from being unable to move, hungry and thirsty, wondering where her captor had gone and if he was coming back. She had begun to think he had left her here to die, tied up and unable to move. But about ten minutes ago she had heard the movement downstairs and then another fear had taken over. The fear of him coming back and hurting her. As he undid the gag her head fell forward, the pain in her neck screaming in running threads down the muscles that now she could move and stretch, and she rolled her mouth allowing her jaw to get back some movement. "I'm going to untie your hands from the frame, but keep them tied up behind you. I want you to stand up and come with me." In a quiet voice she asked him, "I need to go to the toilet, please can I go?" Behind her she heard him say, "When we get downstairs." He helped her to stand and never taking his hands from around her arms pushed her towards the door and down the stairs, guiding her towards a small toilet room, with a filthy cracked bowl. Pushing her into the small room she stood there unable to pull her pants down due to her still bound hands. "Please could you undo my hands.....I need to use them to......." She turned towards him a look of panic on her face. Patrick looked at her, indecision crossing his face and then turning her around he undid her hands, watching as they at first fell to her sides, and hearing the groan as the blood flowed back into her muscles causing her some pain. Gruffly he pushed her forward further into the loo, "Hurry up and don't try anything." Slamming the door he stood leaning against the jamb, arms crossed, waiting. * Snake walked over to the two girls, a wad of money in his hand. "There's a little extra here, go buy yourselves something nice." And throwing the pile of notes on the bed between them he turned away, striding out the room with the parting shot "be gone before I return in five minutes. I don't want to see you here when I get back." The two naked girls scrambled off the messy sheet covered bed gathering up the banknotes and rushed to get into their clothes as fast as they could. They knew of Snake by reputation and they were both happy they had gotten out of this assignation intact. Moving into the large main room with the panoramic window the girls scampered off, slinking out the main door and out into the night. Down the road they split the money into three amounts. One for each girl and the bigger slice for their Pimp. A good nights pay. * Jerry sat in the darkened room staring at the phone, waiting for Patrick to call. He was sweating profusely. He had known when he and Patrick had started to plan to relieve their employer of a portion of the latest delivery of coke, sell it and get out the country to start a new life that it was going to be dangerous. But as they had made plans it had all seemed to be simple. Simple and so enticing. And for Jerry a real chance to start afresh, to get away and be clean. No more dirty business. No more looking over his shoulder always waiting for the tap on the shoulder by the Old Bill. He'd been on the wrong side of the law all his adult life, and if he was truthful to himself, most of his adolescent life as well. Stealing from other pupils at school had started out as fun, shoplifting sweets from local shops and nicking bikes from the street had somehow evolved into joining a team of housebreakers and carjackers until he had ended up working for Snake as a collector. But now he was in love. And the object of his love was straight. Megan was as honest as a new born baby and although he worried if he could go straight himself, he was determined to try. And the money from his share of the deal would set him and Megan up over in the South of Spain to start again. Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 01 Sun, money and Megan. That's what Jerry thought about as he sat in the dark waiting for the phone call from Patrick so that they could grab the stuff, deliver it to the new buyer, get the money and split. * Patrick lent against the wall, running the stocking through his hand, the silky feel of it against his palm setting off a tingle in his spine. The woman was just his type, and at any other time he would have probably tried to hit on her. But now he had to think of what to do with her. Grimacing as he straightened and put his ear to the door to hear what was going on in the tiny toilet he could hear no movement. What the fuck was she doing in there? Placing his hand on the door handle he was about to open the door to find out, when he heard the sound of a window opening in there and tugging the door open he rushed in just in time to grab her hips as she stood on the toilet, trying to climb through a small window high up behind it. "What the fuck!" A female foot struck back at him, hitting him on an already sore and bruised rib. "Owww......you bitch....." Pulling hard on her hips he managed to get the struggling and kicking woman back down, turned around and pinned below him against the floor. Panting and screaming she tried to claw at his face. Grabbing her wrists he stilled her, kneeling over her body placing his weight on her torso, then lent over her so that her hands were pinned each side of her thrashing head. "Let go of me you bastard.....get off me.....let me go." "Keep bloody still you stupid cow." "LET ME GO." Her body jerked and bucked beneath him, hair swirling around her face, breasts thrusting up towards him as she arched her body trying to dislodge him from on top where he straddled her. Suddenly Patrick felt his mouth grow dry and his groin tighten. The dirt, smell and size of the enclosed space seemed to disappear as he stared down at the frantic woman. Slowly she subsided in movement and stared up at him through her messy hair as it lay across her face, her grey eyes wet with tears. Time seemed to still as he stared down at her, the feel of her body hot between his thighs as they held her still, the pulse in her wrists where his hands held them strong and mirroring the beat in his now very hard cock. Slowly Patrick lowered his face down, ignoring the dull pain in his ribs, opening his mouth over hers, his tongue pressing for entry against her closed mouth. Turning her head to the left his mouth skimmed her cheek and ended up buried in her thick hair. A deep breath inhaled her scent, a sweet Lemony smell mixed with her natural musk. Patrick's eyes closed as his mouth opened to nibble at her neck. Suddenly she bucked with her body and he fell sideways, dislodged, and he felt her scramble up and start to run. Turning his body around and grabbing her ankle as she started through the door of the toilet, he grunted as the pain in his rib protested at the twisting movement. She tried to kick him with her other foot but he grabbed that and she fell against the door, sliding back down to a sitting position. Getting up and sitting on her legs he picked up the fallen nylon stocking and holding her hands in front of her tied them together telling her, "Now that wasn't very nice, was it. There I was making sweet with you and you tried to kick me in the balls. You are going to have to learn to behave yourself sweetheart and be good." "Piss off." and she spat at him. Patrick just sat there shaking his head. He just didn't need this. Not now. Not ever. Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 02 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * Jerry picked up the ringing phone, "Where are you? I've got everything ready that you asked for." "I'm down at the old unit outside of Lullingstone, the one that we did that short fraud scam from two years ago. It's still empty. When you come down make sure you're not followed. I don't think Snake knows that we're working together on this or he would have pulled you in at the same time as me." "Have you got the goods with you?" "No they're still hidden where I put them. They'll be safe there. But I need to sort out a little problem that I've accumulated in the last four hours." "What little problem?" "I'll show you when you get here, now fucking get a move on, I'm starving and need some pain killers." "I'm on my way." Patrick put the mobile back in his jeans pocket and looked across the room to where the girl sat huddled in the corner on the cardboard boxes. She sat with her hands tied in front of her, never taking her eyes off him. The memory of how she felt under him echoed in his head and the memory of the sweet smell of her permeated his brain. The acrid smell of urine floated up at him from where he had peed and he looked around the room suddenly aware of the shabbiness and desolation of the place that they were hiding out in. Looking back at her he suddenly felt ashamed that he had brought her here; she looked classy and innocent, unlike the type of woman he usually consorted with. The types that knew the score and were out for a good time, but this scared young woman seemed nothing like those tarts. Her clothes were now dirty from rolling around on the toilet floor, her hair a mess, her mascara had run, but she still looked sweet and innocent and each time he looked at her he got a tingle up his spine and in his belly. But she was still a real problem. And he had no idea what to do with her. "Who's going to miss you?" Frowning she asked him hesitantly, "What do you mean?" "Is someone at home waiting for you?" Nodding she answered, "I share my home with a friend, Sarah." "Boyfriend?" The long pause gave him his answer. "So no boyfriend?" Her chin rose up a couple of inches, "It's none of your business." "Beautiful girl like you and no boyfriend, so what happened? He play around on you? Dumped you did he?" Her chin rose up a notch higher. "He must have been a real fool then." "Are you always so personal and obnoxious?" "Pretty much." "What are you going to do with me?" "I have no idea." "Who were you running away from when you got in my car? Who beat you up?" Sitting down on the floor opposite her he answered her in a weary voice, "A very bad man. One who would have killed me if I hadn't gotten away. Someone I don't intend to let get his hands on me again." "I can understand him wanting to kill you......I sympathise with him completely." Smiling at her he told her, "Don't worry I'll grow on you" "Don't hold your breath." Patrick's smile grew into a full grin, which hurt as his split lip started to bleed again. "If I was you sweetheart I would think twice about flirting with me while you're in your position." "You call this flirting?" Patrick sucked his split lip tasting the blood and wished he had met the girl under different circumstances. He just knew he would have loved to have spent a long weekend rolling around between the sheets with her. Talk about bad timing. * Snake sat in his club watching the bodies move to the loud beat of the music on the dance floor. The reek of sweaty bodies and the heady smell of a hundred different perfumes hung in the air. The noise of the music throbbed through his body and he watched as Johnny 'the slice' move across the room towards him, his arm around the waist of a curvy sensuous redhead wearing low slung hip hugging white trousers and a barely there silver top that showed she wasn't wearing a bra. Her belly was exposed, the silver and diamond wink of her pierced naval jewellery glinted enticingly at him. Johnny 'the slice' nodded at him as he reached his table as Snakes men stepped forward protectively. Raising his hand as a sign that it was alright, Snake sat back, his double Scotch in his right hand, "Johnny....what can I do for you?" "Mr Armstrong... Sir....that little job we discussed....I did it last night.....I've brought your cut......and the offer of a little extra." Pushing the girl forward Johnny 'the slice' smiled a crooked smile showing his rotten teeth, "thought you might like a little fun tonight." Raking his eyes over the girl Snake nodded, holding out his hand for the envelope, "Sixty percent Johnny. Just as agreed. The girl does not reduce my cut." "There were bigger overheads than I thought." "Sixty percent Johnny, or fifty percent and a slice of your cock. A kind of pound of flesh in lieu of payment. Your choice." "Sixty percent it is Mr Armstrong." "Plus the young lady." Nodding and pulling out the large package from inside his jacket, the man handed it to Snake, "Five Grand, all in fifties." Taking the bulky package, Snake stood, "Good doing business with you Johnny, I'll send her back to you after I've finished with her." Looking down at the redhead, "This way love, I hope you're matching collar and cuffs." The girl giggled, high on ecstasy; and followed the very tall man with the tattoo of the snake head on his neck unaware of what was going to really happen to her. * Jerry looked behind him as he turned left, checking again to see if he was being followed, but there was no one there. He pressed down on the accelerator making the black Mercedes speed up, but not enough to draw attention from the possible eyes of the cops. Moving through the dark streets of the South East of London he made his way down to the A2, Kent and towards the Village of Lullingstone nestled just inside the M25 but rural enough for Patrick to hide out in. Next to him on the passenger seat was a big leather sports bag containing some clothes, food and drink, supplies and a blanket. Earlier he had popped into visit Megan and had found her exhausted from another Asthma attack. Gathering her up in his arms he had promised that soon he would be able to take her to live in Spain where the air would be cleaner and better for her, where the sun shined and they would have a better life. She had kissed him and told him that he was her love, and she would be happy to be with him anywhere. He had floated on air back down from her cramped small flat in the tower block to where his car was parked, and had stayed floating until reality had hit him. Snake had guessed that Patrick had siphoned off the 10lb of pure coke from the last delivery two days ago, and now it was hidden somewhere. God knows where. And Patrick was in hiding, and Jerry knew that Snake wouldn't rest until he had Patrick, his missing coke, and whoever else was involved by the short and curlys. And he still had to act as if nothing was wrong and be at work tomorrow collecting the next instalment from the unsuspecting couriers that brought the stuff across from the continent or Snake would guess the other partner with Patrick was himself. Buyers for the stuff were waiting, and he was going to be up all night running around going down to Lullingstone and then down to Dover ready for the next Collection. No sleep for the wicked he shrugged to himself. Getting the drugs over past customs was a great scam. Some of Snakes men, with one of Big Willies tarts dressed up as a couple over in France sussed English families on the way to the Ferry that were at rest stops. They would sit down and start to chat to the parents, as if they too were tourists on the way home. Loose tongues answering innocent questions during the conversation gave them the ferry crossing time and where about in the UK the family lived, whilst outside a couple of men dressed as Roadside Services hunkered down next to the unsuspecting families cars in the car park attaching to the underside of the car a couple of the well wrapped and protected bags of drugs. To anyone looking it appeared that the men were fixing a flat tyre. As the family got up to leave a quick phone call as warning to the men in the car park, and then the unsuspecting family was on their way, couriering drugs onto the ferry and over to Dover where Jerry and others after a phone call letting them know make, model and number plate of car followed the family home, where that night in the driveway or the houses garage the drugs were retrieved. If by any chance the family were stopped and caught, well then that was their problem. And nothing pointed the way back to Snake and his men. Ten unsuspecting families with a couple of bags could move a lot of goods, and the big SUV's and large family cars could take quite a lot of drugs under the car. It was a great scam and it had been Patrick's idea. It was what he was good at. Ideas and setting up scams. Solving problems. Setting things up for Snake. But he had wanted out. Just like Jerry. Sick of the escalating violence that they were witnessing with Snake they had plotted and planned and Jerry wanted to get Megan to Spain whilst Patrick dreamed of a life of leisure in the Florida Keys. Driving slowly down the winding country road and turning off his headlights, Jerry approached the small industrial estate carefully. It was on a local farmers land as a secondary business renting out the units to local businessmen and he knew that there was never any security here, but he was being careful. Driving to the back of the old run down unit and parking next to the small car hidden behind the dumpster he got out just as the door opened and Patrick appeared beckoning him to come inside quickly. Carrying the bag from the passenger seat he entered the moon lit building exclaiming to Patrick, "Jesus H Christ Patrick, you look like hell!" "I fucking feel it! Got any booze in that bag?" Opening the bag and handing a bottle of Scotch to Patrick he watched as his friend opened it and took a long hard swig before following him through the door on the right. Stopping dead, a look of shock on his face Jerry looked across at the girl sitting tied up on the cardboard boxes in the corner. "Who the hell is she?" "She's that little complication I mentioned I'd picked up along the way." Turning to Patrick who was bending over and pulling out some fresh clothes and the first aid kit from the bag he asked, "What are you going to do with her?" "Truthfully I have no idea. She's seen me and now she's seen you.....she's getting deeper and deeper into the shit, and that's causing me a real problem." Taking a couple of steps over to Patrick as he pulled off his torn and dirty shirt, wincing as he exposed his torso with a range of multi coloured bruises adorning it, Jerry hissed at Patrick "Hey man you can't do what I think you're thinking." Stopping in the process of pulling on a black tee shirt Patrick looked Jerry in the eyes, "and what do you think I'm thinking?" Taking a step back and shaking his head Jerry replied, "Not that.......what ever it is you're thinking." Rachel sat watching the two men as they stood discussing her as if she wasn't there. The man that had kidnapped her pulled on the tee shirt over his hard muscled body with the vivid bruises on it, and the new man with the dark blond hair and glasses kept glancing at her with a nervous frown on his face. Bending over her kidnapper pulled out some foil wrapped packages and opening them he looked at a sandwich before taking a big bite, asking the second man with a full mouth, "You sure you weren't followed?" "Totally sure." "Any idea of a safe place for me to wait out until the deal is completed with the buyers. I don't want to stay here after tonight." "I know of a mate that is over in Australia for a few weeks and his place is empty. Should be a doddle to get in and stay there for a while. I'll come and get you tomorrow night and take you there. The deal should be done by the end of the week. Money and goods exchanged and then we can be outta the country by Sunday latest." Patrick walked over to Rachel eating the rest of the half of the sandwich. "You hungry?" he asked her. Getting a nod he bent down and taking the knife from his boot cut the stockings binding her hands and then dropped the other half of the sandwich onto her lap. Walking back to the bag he pulled out a bottle of water and threw that over to her before turning back to Jerry. "You had better get going. I'll see you here tomorrow night." Clapping his friend on the shoulder and taking a long hard look at Rachel as she sat nibbling on her half of the sandwich Jerry told him, "Promise me that you won't do anything rash." "What! more rash than ripping off one of the most vicious villains in South London and going on the run with five hundred grand of pure cocaine of his?" Exchanging a long look Patrick reassured Jerry, "Don't worry....the stuff is safe, just get the deal sorted, and the timing, plus a place for me and the girl to wait out in safety and everything will be just fine." * Snake moved his hips slow and deep, his rigid prick moving up and down the slick hot and tight hole of the redhead. Her sweat slick body arched under him as he raised his body up on his arms over her, her sighs, moans, and gasps in tandem with each thrust of his body into hers. Her hands grasped the struts of the big metal headboard, the muscles in her arms standing out as her body strained towards her orgasm. Snake bent down his head, sucking one of her big turgid nipples into the cavern of his mouth, and her legs drew up and grasped him around his hips, clasping on for dear life. His head reared back as he felt his cum rise and then spurt out into her as his own orgasm peaked a moment before hers, his shout of pleasure erupting from deep in his throat, echoing around the room. Rolling off her body onto his back he lay there panting, languid and complete whilst the girl lay next to him. After a while he rolled off the bed walking into the other room to pick up the gear and back into the bedroom to lay out some lines on the bedside table. Smiling over at the girl he passed to her the rolled up twenty pound note and told her to enjoy herself whilst he went into the other room to make some phone calls. * Rachel sat hugging herself, the now empty water bottle on the floor and watched the man drink from the bottle of Scotch, his eyes never leaving her. "What's your name?" "Rachel." "Well Rachel, I had better introduce myself. My name is Patrick and you have two choices. You can sleep by yourself, your hands tied behind your back and ankles tied together and no blanket, or you can have the pleasure of sharing the blanket with me. Of course your hands will still be tied but in front of you. Your choice." When she gave no answer Patrick took another swig from the bottle. It helped ease the pain in his gut and ribs. "I think I would feel a lot better if I had hold of you tonight." And stepping forward he reached into the sports bag and pulled out a roll of bandage. "Hold your hands out honey; put your wrists together like a good girl and we'll get on just fine." Doing as she was told she watched as he tied the bandage around her wrists. "Lay down sweetheart." And grabbing the blanket he lay down behind her, pulling the woollen covering over them, "I hope you're not one of those women that hog the covers." he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her so that they lay in spoon fashion, "I just hate a woman that does that." And settling his body against hers, his arm holding her around her waist, they lay in silence until they both fell asleep. * The redhead lay back on the big bed, a satisfied smile on her face. She had asked Johnny 'the slice' to introduce her to Snake because she was ambitious and he was a powerful name in the criminal underworld, and she felt that by being in his bed she could get to be his woman. She knew she was good in bed and Snake's shout of ecstasy had made her smug. Watching as he walked back into the bedroom she smiled up at him, opening her arms and inviting him over to her. She watched as he smoothly walked towards her, naked, his body gleaming, the tattoo of the snake curling down from his neck, around his body and down his leg, his dark black eyes glinting as he smiled down at her. Leaning down he kissed her, "Just relax, stay here in bed and I'll be back in about half and hour, I have some business to do on the phone. If you want there's enough on the bedside table to do a couple more lines." Raising her arms around his neck she kissed him before telling him, "Don't be long baby, I'll get lonely without you." Standing back up he gave her another smile before walking over to the closet to pull out a short white towelling robe and slipping it on walked out the room pulling the door closed behind him. Rolling over onto her stomach she stretched, plumping a pillow and settled down waiting for the next round of sex with Snake. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 03 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * Snake opened the door to the men that he had invited over, each of the six men worked for him and knew exactly why they were there. Walking over to the bar he raised up the bottle of Scotch and gestured to the men to see if they wanted a drink. Each man nodded and quietly went over to get their glass of the amber liquid after Snake had poured them all out. Saluting with their glasses the seven men made a silent toast before knocking back the drink and then turning as one walked over to the bedroom door. Snake opened the door and the men all followed him in. The girl turned over from her stomach onto her side as the door opened, the smile on her face for Snake wide and welcoming only to falter and be replaced by the look of fear on her face as she saw the six men swarming into the room with him. "What the......." "Shut the fuck up......" Scooting back scared to the headboard she grabbed a pillow to hold in front of her as the six men started to divest themselves of their clothes, never taking their eyes from her. "Welcome to the party baby......" Shaking her head as the men moved closer towards her she started to plead. One of the men leant down and grabbed her ankle pulling her down the bed away from the end where she hovered. "No good up there Red...." Another of the men grabbed her hair and twisting it around his hand told her, "Just relax........we'll all have some fun and then if you can walk afterwards we'll call you a cab to get home." Suddenly there were hands all over her, pulling and pushing. Pinching and squeezing. And there watching it all with a grin on his face was Snake. * Patrick woke up his body feeling even more bruised than yesterday if that was possible. Sleeping on cardboard on a lino floor was not his idea of a good night, even if he had the pleasure of holding Rachel's lovely warm body all night. Her hair had tickled his face, and at one point in the night he had woken up and lay there just absorbing her as she slept, her breathing even, and his body yearning to sink itself deep inside her. But now it was morning and he knew as soon as she opened her eyes he was going to have to deal with the situation and tell her what was going to happen to her, and he knew she was not going to be happy. He lay watching her, her long black lashes laying in a curve on her closed eyes, her mouth slightly open as she lay on her back, her hands still tied in front of her, the blanket down exposing her cleavage inside the dirt smeared top she was still wearing. He knew he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life before, and he knew he never would again. At that moment he felt himself fall. Oh shit...... he thought. It seemed that complications were mounting upon complications and his life, which he had been planning on making less problematical, was getting more and more of a mess. Slowly Rachel's eyes fluttered open as she came awake, turning her head to look at Patrick as he lay with his head balanced on his crooked arm. Smiling at her he whispered, "Sleep ok sweetheart?" "What do you think you big creep! I'm lying on cardboard, hands tied, with probably the biggest pile of shit as an excuse for a man in the world......" "So that's a no then is it?" Struggling to sit up without the use of her hands she told him, "I need to go to the toilet." Throwing off the blanket Patrick stood up and grabbed her arm to help her stand, "If I undo your wrists promise me you'll not try to escape." Rachel just gave him a baleful glare, and Patrick shrugged, "In that case you'll have to go with the door open and me watching." And he took out the knife from his boot and cut the bandages tying up her wrists. Sitting as coyly as she could on the loo, glaring at him as he stood leaning against the wall opposite the toilet he conversationally told her, "I've come to a decision. Today we lie low, wait for Jerry to return and go on to the safe house he's going to get. You'll stay with me there until the deal is done, I have the money, and I'm on my way..... Well on my way from the UK.... I'll contact whoever you want to let them know where you are and then you're free." "How long will that be?" "About four or five days, week at the most." "A WEEK." "Yeah....think of it as a holiday.....a break from reality....something you can tell your grandchildren about....." Standing up and pulling up her pants she stormed out the loo and over to him as he straightened up from where he was leaning. Poking him in the chest she told him, "One week with you.....you have to be joking." "No joke sweetheart......the alternative is not something you want to find out. One week and then your free." Reaching out and stroking her hair behind her ear he continued, "Besides it will give us time to get to know each other better......you never know this could be the start of a beautiful friendship." "In your dreams you bastard." * Sarah stood in the kitchen of the small house she shared with Rachel pouring herself a coffee. She and Rachel had been friends since they met at school when they were thirteen, growing up together, seeing each other through the ups and downs of their boyfriend troubles, and sharing the rent on the tiny house in the village not far from Biggin Hill in the North of Kent. Taking a sip of the hot coffee she wandered upstairs with the second cup ready to wake Rachel up. It wasn't like her friend not to be up yet but Sarah guessed she must have come home very late last night and have overslept as she never heard her come in. Hoping that her friend had met someone nice last night she turned towards Rachel's bedroom. That last sod that Rachel went out with had really hurt her. Warren and Rachel had been going out for six months and during that time neither Rachel nor Sarah had realised that he was married. Last week Rachel and she had been out shopping in Bluewater Shopping Mall and there he was, arm and arm with a woman and pushing a child around in a push chair. When Rachel had confronted him the next night he admitted it, telling her his marriage was just a sham. But that's not how it had looked to Sarah and Rachel when they had seen them laughing and smiling at each other from across the shopping Mall. He and his wife had looked like they were very much an item and Rachel had told him to piss off, crying into her friends shoulder for two days unable to understand how he could have lied to her and used her like that. Calling out through the bedroom door for Rachel to wake up she opened the door only to find the room empty, the bed unslept in. Smiling to herself Sarah turned around and walked back downstairs to the kitchen. Perhaps her friend had found someone else last night. She certainly hoped so. She couldn't wait for tonight to find out who he was that had made her friend stay out all night and what had happened. Finishing her coffee Sarah grabbed her bag and left the house making for her own car and the short drive to work. * Picking up the bag and blanket Patrick pushed Rachel out the room where they had spent the night and up the stairs to the original room they had been in. Walking over to a far corner Rachel stood, arms wrapped around her waist eyeing the chair in the other corner. "You're not going to tie me to the chair again are you?" Glancing at the chair in the corner Patrick looked back at her, "Only if you misbehave." Laying the blanket down on the floor in front of a wall he walked over to the window and carefully looked out. "People will be arriving soon at the other units. We'll need to keep away from the window and be quiet," looking over to her he said, "and I do mean quiet. No shouting to get attention or I promise you that when I get through tying you up you'll look just like an Egyptian mummy and won't be able to even wiggle a finger." Walking back to the blanket he sat down and pulled out from the bag a packet of biscuits and a bottle of water. Patting the space next to him he told her, "Come and sit over here, time for breakfast." Rachel slowly made her way over to him and sat down carefully keeping as much space between them as possible. She watched as he opened the packet of chocolate biscuits, taking three and handed them to her, "There's only these and a couple of apples left so we'll need to make them last until Jerry comes and gets us later tonight. Also there is only this bottle of water and the rest of the Scotch left. I wouldn't trust drinking any water from the faucets in this building, so go careful on the water to make it last." Taking three biscuits himself he put the remainder of the packet back in the bag and taking out the pain killers shook out a couple, picked up the water and taking a sip swallowed the small pills. "Do the bruises hurt?" "Only when I breathe." "Your face looks a bit of a mess." "Thanks for the compliment." Taking a sip of the water to wash down a biscuit she asked him, "Why did they beat you up?" Leaning his head back against the wall and sighing he answered, "Because I was stupid and got caught. Rule number one is to never get caught." "Why did they catch you? What had you done?" "You ask a lot of questions." Bending one of his legs and resting his arm on his knee he told her, "The man that had me beaten up and that I escaped from is called Snake. His real name is Nick Armstrong. We started out together working for a local guy years ago, mostly small stuff. Nick was really ambitious. Worked his way up, became more and more hard and ruthless. I rose with him." Stopping talking for a moment he closed his eyes and seemed to be lost in some thought as Rachel ran her eyes over him for the first time really looking at him. He was a good looking man under all the purple bruises on his cheekbone, jaw and eye on the left side of his face. Masculine with a strong jaw line slightly covered in stubble, and a good head of shiny dark hair cut stylishly. "Like what you see?" Jumping at his voice she blushed, "I was checking your wounds. Would you like me to put some stuff on them from the first aid kit your friend bought?" Turning his head towards her he sighed, his now opened eyes twinkling, "Want to play Florence Nightingale to get your hands on me?" Giving him a long hard look she told him acerbically, "Not with a ten foot pole." Laughing he finished off his food, taking another swig of the water before passing it to her. "It's going to be a long day and we might as well call a truce. Deal?" Turning her back to him she sat staring into the shabby office, "Do I have a choice." "Not really, no." * Jerry yawned as he followed the car carrying a family of four up the motorway towards Brentwood in Essex. He was exhausted and the day was not going to be over until he had retrieved the goods, got them back to the lab and had gone onto get Patrick and the girl and get them installed in his friends flat. What was keeping him going was day dreaming about Megan and how perfect it was going to be living together in Spain, her health improved in the warm dry weather, their life together one of peace and quiet. No more taking chances, no more dealing with a load of men over dosing on testosterone and violence. He and Patrick had increasingly become uncomfortable with what they were seeing. Snake was becoming more and more out of control, his cruelty becoming random, his greed placing what had been a good earner for all the men in the firm under the close attention of the police. Patrick had told him that Snake was gearing up for a turf war against other firms, aiming to increase his power, and the two men had decided enough was enough. Time to get out. And that is why they had decided to rip off the cocaine from Snake so that they could bankroll the escape. Only for Patrick to get caught yesterday when moving the last bag from the lab. So now it was more imperative to get Patrick ensconced somewhere safe, the deal completed with his contact, the money paid, and for them to get away from a vengeful Snake. * The day was going slowly, boredom was setting in and Rachel's stomach was rumbling with hunger. For the last three hours she had sat deliberately with her back towards Patrick, ignoring him. He leaned against the wall from where they sat on the blanket, eyes closed as if he was asleep, But she knew he wasn't. About an hour ago they had heard some voices not far from the building they were in and Patrick had gotten up and carefully peeked out of the window to check who it was. Sitting back down he had settled, taking another couple of pain killers and sitting there as if he didn't have a care in the world. Twisting around to face him she asked him, "You still didn't say why your friend.....what did you say his name was......." "Nick Armstrong....." "Yes....well you didn't say why he was beating you up......." "I stole from him." "You stole.......!" "It's what I do......I'm a thief.....I steal." "From a friend?" "From a bigger thief......and crime boss." "Have you no morals?" "Not a lot......what about you? What do you do?" "I work in a bank as a Financial Advisor...." "A thief by any other name!" "What do you mean?" "Legal theft....banking." "No its not." Patrick just closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall. After a long silence she asked him, curious. "Have you ever been to prison?" "Hmmm...." "Really? And it didn't stop you from stealing?" Giving a gentle shake of his head he explained whilst still keeping his eyes closed, "Did two years in my early twenties. Made a lot of contacts whilst inside. Sort of like a finishing school." Opening his eyes he looked at her horrified face as she sat there next to him, "I told you I'm a thief. That's what I do. It's my job......don't make the mistake that I'm soft and you can talk me around to letting you go. I'm fighting for my life and I have no compunction about holding you hostage until I'm gone and am safe." * Snake grabbed the pocked face man by the lapels of his suit jacket and snarled into his face, "What the fuck do you mean there's no sign of him. He can't have got far. I fucking hurt him, he was on foot, he has to be somewhere on the manor." Trying to placate his boss the scared man said, "We turned over his crib, no sign he had gone there. We've got a man sitting on the place in case he turns up there." "He won't fucking go to his place you fucking idiot. Patrick's not stupid and he'll know we would be watching there. He's hiding out somewhere nearby. Fucking find him. Check on any of his girlfriends; see if the bastard has been to any of them for help. Put the word out in the locals that if he turns up to contact me or else." Letting go of the man, Snake stalked over to the window, "Make sure that everyone knows I'm looking for him. Anyone that helps him will be as dead as he'll be when I've finished with them." * By mid afternoon the biscuits, apples and water were gone, and time seemed to be dragging on. Patrick watched as the girl picked up the empty water bottle tipping it up to her mouth as the last little drop dripped into her open lips. He felt himself go hard. Leaning over he took the three quarter full bottle of Scotch out of the bag and holding it out towards her, "Here, if you're thirsty try a swig of this." Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head, "Nasty stuff...." Shrugging, he twisted off the top of the bottle and lifting it up to his mouth took a mouthful, "Suit yourself.....more for me." She watched as he took another swig before tentatively lifting up her hand for the bottle. Handing it to her Patrick watched as she wiped the top of the bottle with her hand, his right eyebrow rose slightly, "You won't catch anything, I'm clean." "I'm not taking any chances." And she took a small sip from the bottle, grimacing at the taste. "I take it you're not a Whiskey drinker? A little light Chardonnay more your poison?" Taking a bigger sip she nodded. Laughing he told her, "I bet its white wine, Sushi and clubbing up West at weekends. Safe men with good jobs, and the old nine to five with a pension." "As compared to.....?" "Whatever I want it to be....no rules, no regulations." "Seems to me no rules and no regulations haven't got you far....just hiding out in an old abandoned building in the middle of nowhere." "Ah but in a week's time I'll be halfway around the world....sun, sea and the good life. This is only a temporary blip." Taking another sip she stared at him, "If you say so.....but right now you don't look like the blip is quite so temporary or quite so small." * Jerry stood in the lab, the retrieved packages handed over, and pouring himself a cup of coffee from the small table in the corner. The packers were cutting the coke with some other stuff, diluting it and then packing it into the small bags ready for distribution. Snake stood at the other side of the room with some of the hard cases that worked for him. Trying to hear what was being discussed without being obvious he moved over to stand near two other of the collectors that stood talking near to Snake. "What's Snake so fired up about?" he casually asked one of them. "Seems that Patrick Curtis has been ripping him off. Apparently gone on the run. Word is there's a contract out for him to be brought back to Snake for a good going over." "Yeah....how much?" "Ten grand." Jerry nodded and sipped his coffee. "They have any idea where about he could be?" "Nah...last seen not far from here running out into the woods. My bet is he has someone who picked him up and is hiding him." Looking over at Snake Jerry knew he had to move Patrick to somewhere safe as quick as he could and get the sale over and done with so they could get away before the heat came down on them both. South London was going to get to be a lot more dangerous place to be in over the next week. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 04 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * Rachel felt very woozy as she looked down at the now nearly empty bottle in her hand. Dark had descended and she looked across at Patrick as he sat in the shadows smiling across at her. During the day they had either sat in silence, or quietly chatted, talking about this and that. Patrick had continued to tease and flirt with her, whilst she had asked him about himself, what he did and why he did it. She was fascinated. She had never met a professional criminal before and he didn't seem to be how she imagined them to be. He was funny with a quirky sense of humour. Apart from tying her up and the tussle in the toilet he hadn't hurt or mishandled her, and he was very good looking. Even the strong taste of the Scotch which at first she had disliked had somehow become nice, she had, without realising it drank nearly half the bottle. She was drunk and all the worries about being kidnapped and held seemed to have been blurred away into the adventure that Patrick had told her to look at it like. Patrick sat watching her, a smile on his face, and a very masculine awareness to being alone with a beautiful woman who was so obviously drunk and under his control. "Think you've had enough sweetheart?" and he moved closer to her, taking the bottle from her hands and placing it the other side of him on the floor. Slipping his arm around her he told her, "Rest your head on my shoulder, get comfortable, Jerry should be here very soon." "Warren told me he loved me you know...I thought he did.....but he was married......you men are all bastards..." she slurred as she spoke, her head dropping onto his shoulder. She had reached the self pitying stage and was pouring out her heart to him. "What is it you men want...why did he lie to me?" Bending his head down towards hers, Patrick whispered, his voice a sexy low rumble, "I know what I want." And his mouth opened over hers, the tip of his tongue entering her mouth, tasting the taste of the Scotch on hers as she kissed him back. Easing his body around for better access, his right hand reached up and cupped her left breast through the material of her top, feeling the weight of it in his palm, squeezing slightly he deepened the kiss. Slanting his mouth he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, nibbled on it and then started to kiss her in earnest, his hand slipping inside and down into the neckline of her top, his hand searching out her breast, the feel of her nipple hard against the tips of his fingers. Slowly as he kissed her he realised that she had stopped kissing him back, and drawing back a little he looked down at the unconscious girl, passed out drunk in his arms. "Sleep tight sweetheart." and kissing the end of her nose he carefully laid her down on the blanket, stood up and walked over to the window to look out into the dark and quiet night. Hell of a time to fall in love he thought, and totally the wrong woman. Timing was always everything in his way of life, and right now his timing seemed to be completely gone. * Megan sat on Jerry's lap her arms around his neck. "Why do you have to go, you only just got here?" "It goes with the job. I promise I'll be back later on tonight." "I think your boss is mean. He should get more staff. You work too hard anyway." And she bent her head kissing him, a sweet wet kiss that he felt all the way down to his toes. "I'll remember to tell him that when I see him." Jerry laughed, pulling her closer and rubbing his hand up her stocking covered thigh. "But in the personal security business you have to have staff you can trust, and I guess he just trusts me the most." Megan beamed down at her man, proud that he was such a nice man. She believed everything he told her, never realising his real job and his real past. * The casino was buzzing with noise. The sound of roulette wheels with the small balls bouncing around as they spun mingled with the murmur of the customers and the sound of people playing Blackjack as they called for cards. Snake sat at one table placing chips on the numbers seven and seventeen, a couple of his men standing slightly behind him, a crystal tumbler full of amber liquid next to him. The dealer called out "No more bets." Just as a large man with a shaved head came over to stand near Snake, standing quietly and reverently he waited until the ball had dropped into the number slot and the dealer called out "number thirty red." and Snakes chips were swept away with the other player's chips covering the table. Stepping forward the man spoke, "The room is ready Sir, please follow me." Snake got up, pocketing the rest of his chips apart from one which he threw as a tip to the dealer, a hundred quid chip. Following the large man out the main casino floor, up the sweeping staircase and to a door on the right he stepped through to meet up with the other four men in the room to play in the high stakes poker game. "Good evening Gentlemen let the night begin." * Rachel's friend Sarah put the phone handset down, a feeling of panic starting to take hold. She had spent the evening phoning around all the people she could think of asking if anyone had seen Rachel since yesterday. No one had and the last call had put the fear in her when she had spoken to Alice, one of Rachel's co workers only to find that Rachel had not been into work today, or phoned in sick. Biting her bottom lip her hand hovered back over the phone. Should she call the Police? What if Rachel was alright and just had stayed over with some guy? Would she be angry and would the police think she was over reacting. What if she turned up sometime during the night? Deciding to wait one more day she prepared for bed, the feeling that something was wrong but not sure whether she should act on her instinct or not. * Patrick heard the car as it crunched over the gravel in the yard, creeping over to the window he looked out into the dark seeing Jerry's car as it came towards the building and then disappeared from view around the side of it to the back. Walking past the passed out Rachel he walked down the stairs to the back door and opened it to let Jerry in. "Have you brought any food or drink?" "No...should I have done?" "The little you brought didn't last long between us...I'm starving." "There should be some stuff at my mate's place you can have. We should get going. I told Megan I would be back with her about three o'clock this morning." "Sorry to put a small dent in your love life there Jerry my man, but if you want me to survive and get the goods over to the buyer you need to keep me alive, fed and somewhere a little more comfortable than this." Looking around him panic building, Jerry suddenly blurted out, "Where's the girl? What have you done with the girl?" "Not what you think." "If you've hurt her...." "Calm down. She's upstairs passed out on the floor. A little drunk but she's ok." "You know what Patrick; you really are a complete bastard." Walking up the stairs Patrick turned around and stopped, "and you're not?" "I don't go around kidnapping women, tying them up and then getting them drunk to take advantage of them." "Unfortunately I never got to take advantage of her. She passed out before I got the chance." "So what are you going to do with her? You're not going to hurt her? Snake has got a contract out on you and anyone who helps you, which means me, and as you've roped her in, the girl." "He's not going to find out about the girl, I'll keep her with me for the time being until we can get away and then phone the police to let them know where she is. She'll be fine and we'll be safe and sound, and you and Megan can start your new life with the knowledge that we enlightened a nice boring life with a little excitement." "Fuck off you bastard, you're almost as twisted as Snake." "That my friend is why I'm getting out. I don't want to go the next step down the line into his depravity and if I stay much longer I know I will." "Maybe there's hope for you yet. All you need is to meet someone nice like my Megan." Turning around and walking up the rest of the stairs Patrick murmured under his breath, "I think I just have." * The two men sat in Jerry's car, the unconscious woman curled up in the back, "He lives in there, top flat. Should be quiet and its outside of Snakes area of control. Just lay low there whilst tomorrow I'll go meet up with Darwin Ztotsi and complete the deal." "You'll be careful. How well do you know this Ztotsi?" "I used to work for him up North for a couple of years in Manchester. Top bloke. He's looking to spread his wings and start up down South. This deal will help him. Breaking into Snakes area is his number one priority and there's bad blood between him and Snake. Something to do with an armed robbery on his manor that Snake pulled about three years ago." "I remember the one. Post office, a woman got hurt. It's one I planned for him. One of the men panicked and let off a shot. She got it in the arm." "Police blamed Ztotsi's gang and fit a couple of his men up for the job including his brother. He's wanted to pay back Snake ever since." Turning in his seat Patrick looked back at the sleeping Rachel, "We need to get out of sight, let's get her out the car and into the flat." Climbing out and reaching in to pick up the girl Jerry lifted her whilst Patrick went up to the main door opening it and checking to see if anyone was about. Waving for Jerry to come he held the door open as Jerry carried the limp body in and towards the stairs. "Its second floor, door on the right." Running up the stairs Patrick knelt in front of the door and looking back at Jerry asked him, "Alarmed?" "Nah...my mates a civilian. Should be a piece of cake to open." Taking two pieces of strong wire Patrick manipulated the key hole until he heard the soft click and stood to open the door for Jerry to pass in, then closed it behind them. Walking through to the bedroom Jerry lay Rachel down on the bed and stood looking down at her as she groaned and turned over onto her side, her skirt riding up revealing black lacy panties and a lot of lovely skin. Patrick leaned past him, pulling down her skirt hiding her from Jerry's view. "Go stare at your own woman's arse." he growled, "Come into the other room we need to start to make some plans about retrieving the goods and getting them over to the handover." * Whilst the two men discussed what to do Patrick opened the fridge, cupboards and freezer. Finding no fresh food he opened a tin of baked beans and took out a couple of frozen burgers and started to prepare them, wrinkling his nose and telling Jerry to get them some basic fresh supplies. Wolfing down the food he explained that he had hidden the stolen coke in three different sites for safety. One site was in an old unused air raid shelter in the back garden of an old age pensioner down the road from where he lived, one was in a garage he rented where he kept a spare unregistered car, and the last lot was tucked into a hollow tree in the woods not far from the lab. "The stuff is all safe; Snake doesn't know about the sites, they're off his radar completely. Only problem is being out in the open retrieving them. Have to do it at night at the last minute." "Shouldn't be too difficult." "We do the exchange here. It's private. You bring your man when the time is right. I need to get my passport and private papers from my safe in the garage and the key for it is at my flat in the bottom of a pot holding a plant. My place is probably being watched at the moment. Can you arrange that?" "No problem. I'll sort that." Putting his dirty plate in the sink Patrick leaned against the counter, his body slumped and tired. "Ok. You had better get going or Megan will call out the Police to look for you." Grinning Jerry turned towards the door, "See you tomorrow. I'll phone before I come." "That reminds me, you had better bring a new pay as you talk phone, using Rachel's from now on is a no no as the Police will start to look for her and try and trace where any calls on it are coming from." "Anything else?" "Yeah a lot luck..." * He looked down at the sleeping woman on the bed, her body sprawled out, still in her dirty clothes. Bending over he started to undress her, holding his breath when she groaned and her arms moved as if to ward him off. Slipping the top over her head revealed her body, her breasts cupped in a black lace bra the edge decorated in a soft pink, her long torso covered in soft inviting pale skin. Licking his swollen and split lip Patrick stood admiring her for a few minutes before bending back down and slowly peeling off her short skirt. The matching panties barely covered her womanhood, her dark pubic hair visible through the sheer lace. Growing hard he sat on the side of the bed, one hand reaching out to slowly touch her, his fingers skimming down from her shoulder, over the lush firm mound of her breast, then the lace covering it, over her tight midriff, belly, past her navel and onto the edge of her panties. Restlessly she moved, turning to her side, the dip of her waist and the curve of her bottom calling to him. Moving his head down he gently kissed her on the side of her body and then standing up removed his tee shirt, wincing a little as he stretched his arms up and his bruised ribs reminded him that they were sore. Undoing his jeans and shucking them along with his boxer shorts and boots he picked up the knife that had been nestling the whole time in them, putting it under the pillow, and lifting up the covers slid into the bed behind Rachel, covering both of them and then snuggling up to her. She felt just perfect in his arms and he rubbed up close so that his engorged cock was pressing against the two twin globes of her bottom. Burying his face in her silky hair he took a deep breath absorbing the scent of lemon shampoo into his lungs and with a contented sigh drifted of to sleep. * The middle aged American man with the combed over sparse hair stood up, thanking the other players for such an enjoyable game. He gathered the large pile of chips into the tray nodding across to Snake who was sitting there very still and a false smile on his face. Over the past four hours Snake had lost most of his pot to this man and he was fuming inside, not one to take losing lying down. "Are you sure you won't stay and give me a chance to win back some of the money?" "No thank you Mr Armstrong, but maybe next time I'm in London we can meet up for another game." Standing up himself Snake asked the man if he would join him for a drink downstairs before they made their way home. "I'd like that very much." Others that were sitting around the table started to stand and get their things together and Snake watched as the man gave the tray to the attendant and made arrangements to pick up the cheque from the office paid in exchange against the chips after he had had his drink. Walking down the sweeping staircase beside the man, Snake nodded to his two men who stood silently waiting for their boss at the bottom of the stairs, and then slightly towards the man walking next to him. Both men nodded back and quietly left the casino, waiting outside, knowing what they had to do, as they had done many times in the past. After a couple of rounds the man stood up and shook Snakes hand, "I'm going to pick up my winnings and get back to the hotel." "How are you getting there?" "Cab." "Let me give you a lift." "I don't want to put you out." "It's no problem." Walking out the Casino Snake pointed down the road, "My car is down the side road just up there." As they walked and turned into the side road Snakes men stepped out of a shadowed doorway barring the way. The man stopped and started to turn towards his companion only to be grabbed, his arms held behind him by one of the men. Snake stepped forward and took a hard hold of the man's balls, squeezing them so that the man gave a sharp yell. "Listen to me you slimy bastard. I don't like being parted from my money. You have a choice, your balls or paying me back." A slight tightening of his hand made the man gasp, "I'll give you back the money." "I thought you'd see sense." Stepping back, his hand leaving the mans groin Snake laughed, "How would you like to pay? I'll take a cheque." Snakes man let go of his arms and he rubbed his groin, and then reached into his jacket pocket pulling out his cheque book and pen to write it out. "Don't forget the interest......at lets say fifty percent." "Fifty percent.....?" "Yeah.....and don't think you can cancel this in the morning or tell the law about it or my men will come and get your balls. I'm sure you want to keep them so keep your mouth shut." Snatching the cheque from the man Snake turned around and strode away, his two men following, leaving the scared man shaking in the dark street. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 05 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * She woke up slowly her head pounding, her eyes feeling as if they were full of grit, her mouth dry. Carefully opening her eyes she squinted and saw his face laying inches from hers, his eyes closed, the dark bruise on his cheek vivid, and his jaw covered with a couple of days growth of dark stubble. Lying there quietly she assessed her situation, noticing that she was wearing only her bra and pants and in a strange bed in a strange bedroom, and unable to remember how she got there last night. Easing gently away from him she started to get out of the bed, only to suddenly feel a hand grip her arm and a sleep roughened voice say from behind her, "Going somewhere?" Turning her head to look over her shoulder she saw him laying there looking up at her, "Where are we? How did we get here?" Pulling her back down so that she was laying on her back, Patrick rose up over her staring into her wide scared eyes. Leaning on one arm, his other hand on her opposite shoulder, his face looking down at hers he whispered, "Somewhere safe." just before he lowered his face and nestled his mouth against the side of her neck nibbling the soft skin just below her ear. Rachel's hands went up to press uselessly against his shoulders. "What are you doing? ....Stop!" But his mouth continued to kiss and nibble her neck, down to the little hollow at the front, across her collar bone and then down to the firm mounds of flesh that bulged from the top of the cups of her bra. "Wait, stop." she breathlessly told him. Rising up over her, his body laying completely over hers, she felt his hard erection as it lay against her groin, his legs pushing between her thighs opening her up, "Patrick please stop." But his only answer was the lowering of his head to hers as his mouth opened and pressed down over hers, softly pressing his tongue into her mouth, his hands each side of her head lacing gently into her hair holding her still. She felt him move his body against hers, rubbing gently, slowly as if there was no hurry, and his tongue lazily tasted the inside of her mouth. Rachel's hands pushed at his shoulders, a small noise escaping her throat in denial, but the noise was swallowed by Patrick's mouth as he gave a small growl. Patrick spread his legs, making hers move wider and one hand left her hair to travel down to one breast, pulling the material of her bra down to expose her sweet flesh. Leaving her mouth he kissed his way down to the naked globe and taking the pearled nipple in his mouth he suckled it deep into his mouth before laving it with his tongue. Her body reacted by arching slightly, the gasp deep in her throat escaping as her fingers tightened on his shoulders, her short nails digging into his tight flesh stretched over his hard muscles. "You have to stop!" But all he did was reveal the other breast, her bra now pushing the two round mounds up where it lay below them. Moving his mouth to the other hard nipple, he repeated the sucking and nibbling causing a restless movement to the body lying below his. The hands that once were pushing at his shoulders now rose up to his head, lacing through his short hair and pulling it down towards her as he continued to torture her breasts with his mouth, alternating between her two hard pointed and wet teats. In a plaintive whisper she told him, "Please.......no." His hand swept down her torso to her hip where he found her panties and gently he moved them down as his mouth followed his hand kissing and nipping the sensitive skin of her midriff and belly. Removing the pants he moved on down further until his mouth was settled over her sex that only moments before had been covered by the black lace and with his tongue he lathered the hard nub nestled in its little hood. Rachel lay there eyes closed, sensations washing over her as he manipulated her clit with his hot wet tongue. Head tossing back and forth as sensations washed over her she pleaded, "No....stop.....please don't." Patrick looked up along her restless body keeping his mouth and tongue working his magic on her as she panted, "I can't......no...." As she seemed to almost reach her peak he stopped and moving his body back over hers he slipped his hard penis slowly into her tight and moist hole, moving into her in a controlled and steady entry until he was seated deep inside of her. Her body had reacted by curving her hips upwards, the look in her eyes luminous and shocked as her nerve endings reacted to his possession. Gradually he started to rock, moving almost out each time and then thrusting slowly and surely forward all the time staring into her wide shocked eyes. After a while he picked up the pace, rolling his pelvis as he moved back and forth, and Rachel reacted again to the deep and full thrust into her, her arms pushing back at his shoulders, her grunts and moans coming in tandem with each deep push into her. "Please don't.....don't make me......." Rising up on his arms over her, the muscles in his upper body tight and bulging he moved faster, pumping harder, causing her legs to raise up around his hips, and with each downward thrust he felt his balls hit her bottom, each backward movement a prerequisite for a deeper and harder push in. Patrick felt the tight wet muscles ripple inside of her that was gripping him as her orgasm started to roll; her head drew back, her nails dug harder into his flesh. Picking up he pumped into her frantically as she screamed, "Nooooo....." her body no longer hers to control as wave after wave pounded her nerve endings, and gritting his teeth he let his own orgasm take over, spilling his seed into her, his buttocks quivering with pleasure. Falling exhausted onto her body, his sweat covered skin met her own glistening body, his heart beat heavy and fast in his chest, and he lay with his face buried into the curve of her shoulder, the strong smell of musk and sex swirling through his lungs with each deep breath he took. Rachel lay there staring up at the ceiling with Patrick's heavy body holding her down. Confused as to her feelings, here she was, beneath her kidnapper, used sexually against her wishes but her body singing with pleasure. After a while Patrick rolled off her to lay on his back sprawled out, relaxed and content. Carefully Rachel eased off the bed, standing up and covering her breasts with the pulled down cups of her bra. "Where are you going?" Looking behind her she whispered, "I need to go to the loo." Turning on his side, his head balanced on his hand he smiled at her, "Don't try to escape through the window, we're two floors up." Patrick admired her body as she walked over to the bathroom door and disappeared behind it. He heard the small click of the lock and swung out of bed and over to the door. "Rachel?" Silence. Putting his ear to the door he strained to listen. "Rachel? Are you ok?" He heard the toilet flush and then the shower. "Rachel let me in." Rattling the door knob his voice rose. "Open the door Rachel....What are you doing?...let me in." Standing there his heart beating, he waited, his ear against the door, listening to the sound of the shower. Inside the bathroom Rachel scrubbed her body and hair, letting the hot water wash over her, but she couldn't wash away the feelings inside of her. She heard Patrick's voice as he shouted at her from the other side of the door, but ignored it as well as the frantic banging on it. She stood under the hot spray for five minutes and then turned it off, getting out and wrapped a large white bath towel around her, her hair dripping down her back. Walking over to the medicine cabinet on the wall over the sink she rummaged around in it until she found some pain killers and took two. Slowly she opened the door and stood there. Patrick stood naked in front of her the look of worry in his eyes. "Why didn't you let me in?" Walking past him she picked up her top and skirt from the floor where he had dropped them last night as he had undressed her, only to have them pulled out of her hands by a furious Patrick. "I asked you why didn't you open the fucking door when I asked you to?" Rachel's hand came up and slapped him hard across his face. "What part of no do you not understand?" The two of them stood shocked in silence and then Patrick dropped the clothes back on the floor and reached for her pulling her into his body as she started to cry in great heaving sobs. Resting his cheek against the crown of her head he wrapped his arms around her and rocked her gently as she cried. * Sarah picked up the phone and dialled the Police, she was frantic with worry. No sign of Rachel. She had tried continually to get hold of her on the mobile, but it kept going across to voicemail. When she finally was passed to the correct person at the end of the phone after some time she poured out her worries about her missing friend, explaining how unlike this was of Rachel, and that she hadn't turned up to work yesterday, or come home in two nights. The policewoman at the end of the phone asked her numerous questions, intimating that maybe Rachel had met someone and was out enjoying herself, but Sarah emphasised that she had split up recently from her boyfriend and was upset over the split, and that if she was going to stay away for so long she would have got in contact to let her know where she was and not to worry. Asking Sarah to pop into the police station and bring a photo of Rachel, the police woman told her not to worry too much as most missing people turned up after a couple of days rather sheepish, but that they would put out a description of her car to all units so that if it was spotted they could check and make sure she was ok. Placing the handset back down Sarah sat back; resting her head against the big comfortable chair she was sitting on and closed her eyes. She just couldn't get the feeling that something wrong had occurred. * Standing in the kitchen, with Rachel sitting at the small breakfast table wrapped in a white towelling robe that Patrick had found in the closet he brewed some coffee and placed the mug in front of her where she sat. Her head was bowed, shoulders hunched, quiet and withdrawn and he asked her if she would like something to eat, adding that there wasn't much. She just looked up at him, her eyes red rimmed, her face pale. He felt like a real bastard. He could now add rapist to the long list of things in his life he had done outside of the law. To him it hadn't felt like rape. To him it had been heaven, her body responding to his, her small moans and gasps had seemed to urge him on, and her orgasm when it came had held him tight and firm, milking him as he had thrust inside her. Reaching up and opening a cupboard he found a large tin of peaches which he opened and split into two small bowls. Walking over to place them on the small table he looked down at the top of her head, "Sorry....." and his hand stroked her wet hair, tucking some behind her ear, "I'm so sorry....I thought...." "Please let me go home." He sat down. "I can't. Not yet. Not until the deal is done and I'm outta here." "I promise I won't go to the police." "I can't take that chance." Smiling tentatively at her he teased, "If I'm caught they'll give me so much time, the next time I see daylight I'll be an old man." "Then why do it? Why take the chance?" "Because it's my way out. My way to escape. I've got some money in an off shore account, and with this last deal it will give me enough to start afresh. Somewhere good, away from Snake. Away from London and all it entails." "Can't you just stop and start afresh without doing this deal, what ever it is." "No." "I don't understand. I just don't understand." and she started to cry. Patrick sat there, food forgotten, his heart constricting in his chest, watching her. * Snake kicked over the glass coffee table, snarling with anger, his face red with rage. His arm swept out knocking a plant off of the glass shelving unit, so that it flew across the room, ending up amongst the rest of the mess littering the floor of Patrick's lounge in his flat. His men had searched the whole place, but there was no sign of any pointer to where Patrick was. Walking over to a photo frame laying on the floor he bent down and picked it up, staring at it. Behind him stood two of his men, standing quietly, and waiting for their boss to give them their orders. In the photo were two young men smiling, bottles of beer in their hands, carefree and happy. One with a twinkle in his eye pointing at the others neck with a finger, gesturing at the new tattoo of the snake that the other had just had done, the snakes head on his neck, the rest of the tattoo swirling down his body, a proud grin on his face. Patrick and himself as young men. Back when they were best friends and life had been an adventure, and he was sure of his friend's loyalty. Turning around he screamed at his men. "Find him. Find him and bring him to me. I want the bastard on his knees begging for his life. He can't have got far." Striding across the mess that was once Patrick's possessions he left the flat and went out to his car. Sitting in the back as he was driven back to the lab where his office was located, he stared at the photo still in his hands, memories of the two of them and the adventures they had shared running through his head. * Jerry sat in front of Darwin Zsotsi, nervous and trying not to show it. His old boss smiled at him, white teeth gleaming out of his dark skinned face, his braided hair and smart sharp suit dark black, emphasising the heavy gold jewellery around his wrist, neck and fingers. "You're looking well Jerry. London seems to be doing you good. You were always a good reliable man. After this deal, you considering coming back to work for me? I'll give you a good place on my team when I take over the manor." "Thanks. But I've decided to get out. Things are getting too hot for me and I want to go to where the sun always shines and I can drink beer all day by a pool." Laughing Darwin replied, "You'll be back. You're too good an operator to leave it all behind you, and when you do, come and find me." "Thank you Darwin, I'll keep that in mind. Now how about we talk business? I have the goods, at fifty five grand a pound how about we say five hundred and fifty grand." "How about we say three hundred and two grand? You need to dump it quick. I need to make a decent profit." Jerry sat back. "It's quality stuff. I know, and you know, you'll make a tidy profit on say......four hundred and fifty grand." "Three fifty." "Four.....and the satisfaction that you're sticking it to Snake." "Three eighty and that's my final offer." They sat staring at each other for a few minutes, Jerry knowing that if he backed down he would look weak. "Four hundred Darwin." And he started to rise. Laughing the black man stood, putting out his hand and shaking Jerry's, "Four hundred it is you old bastard, and because I like you. Where and when can we do the exchange? I can have the money here day after tomorrow." "I'll let you know. I can be ready within the next twenty four hours. How long are you down here for?" "As long as it takes. I intend to make war on that bastard, and this is only the beginning. Supplying his own dealers with his own goods will be the first volley." "I'll contact you as soon as I can make the arrangements." Clapping Jerry on his shoulder the Manchurian told him, "You do that." Walking out of the rented house where Darwin Zsotsi was staying in Dulwich he looked up at the sky. Now all he had to do was retrieve the damn stuff from where Patrick had hid it, but not until he had gone back to the flat with the food for him, and somehow retrieve his key for the safe. * The farmer sat on his tractor, the noise from the motor a loud rattle as it stood turning over, staring at the glint of light blue behind the old derelict unit in his industrial site. He had noticed it first thing this morning and it was still there early afternoon. Turning off the ignition in the noisy old machine, he climbed down and walked to the end of the field, climbing over the tangle of hedgerow and over the wire fence that kept the unit divided from his field. The glint of blue came from a car parked by a dumpster, and then he noticed the broken window in the units' door. Walking over to the car he looked in the drivers window to the ignition and noticed the key ring hanging there, and then to the back seat where a woman's black handbag sat. Walking to the back door he called out, "Anyone in there." Waiting to see if there was an answer before opening the door and walking in he turned into the room on the right he found the cardboard on the floor, the bandage that had held Rachel's wrists laying there on the floor. Going up the stairs he found the room with the chair, a pair of woman's shoes and a discarded stocking tied with a knot in the middle lying on the floor in front of it. Picking his mobile out of his back pocket he phoned the police. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 06 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * He sat watching her as he pretended to read a book he had found in the bookcase. Earlier he had showered, insisting she sat in the bathroom with him during it, the door locked, so he could keep his eye on her and now she sat on the sofa opposite him, her head leaning back, quiet and withdrawn, still wearing the towelling robe. She was so beautiful to him, her hair, now dry was a tangled mess, still unbrushed, but it looked so sexy that he ached to run his hands through it, combing it with his fingers, but he knew if he so much as touched her she would hit him. He could tell the crying jag she had in the kitchen had cleansed her and now she was mad at him, probably thinking of ways to escape. Putting the book down he asked her, "Want to watch a DVD? Jerry's mate has a load to choose from. What kind of film do you like?" Lifting her head she glared at him, "One where the baddy gets caught and gets put away for good." "Ouch....." Getting up and walking over to the shelf holding the films he started calling out the titles, every so often looking over at her to see if she had any reaction to one. But the only thing she seemed interested in was ignoring him. "This one should be right up your street. Layer Cake... Daniel Craig.... baddy ends up dead." "Thanks for giving away the plot." Picking it up he hunkered down in front of the TV and set up the DVD. Turning on his heel he looked around at her and caught her looking towards the flats telephone sitting on a side table. Getting up he walked over to it and jerked the wire out the wall, then sat down with the remote in his hand next to her. "Just relax; Jerry should be here soon with the food, and a time and day that this will all be over for you." All he got from her was another glare, so he pressed the button on the remote and settled back to watch the film. * Jerry walked up the stairs to the flat carrying the bags of food and came to a halt in front of the door. Knocking he waited until he could hear the noise of footsteps the other side. "Patrick it's me. "You alone?" "No you plonker, I've got half the Metropolitan Police Force with me....of course I'm fucking alone." The door opened and Patrick stood there, knife in hand. "Just being careful." Stepping past him, Jerry walked into the kitchen putting a couple of bags down on the table. The smell of fish and chips wafted up out of one bag. "That smells good." "Thought you could do with some hot food about now." And the two men started un-wrapping the steaming food. Patrick called out for Rachel who was still sitting where he had left her. "She ok? Is everything cool." enquired Jerry. "Depends on what you mean by cool. Are things going well...well that depends? I'm stuck in here with a woman I fancy like mad who hates my guts and wishes I was dead." "Not the first time surely that some bird wishes you were dead." Patrick gave Jerry a droll look just as Rachel walked into the kitchen, her stomach giving out a loud rumble as she smelt and saw the food. Pulling out a chair Jerry gestured for her to sit down. "Sit here Princess." and gave a smile which she returned. Patrick felt himself flush with jealousy. He wanted her to smile at him like she did with Jerry, but all he was getting were glares. "Any beer in here?" he rummaged in the other bags. "No but there's some milk for tea, and a bottle of coke." "Talking about coke, did you meet up with the buyer?" Patrick sat down and started to eat. The hot food slid down his throat and hit the spot. "Yeah. Four hundred grand and we do the swap day after tomorrow." "Two more days!" Rachel exclaimed. "Two more days with him." "Ain't love grand." Patrick told Jerry between bites, "She's crazy about me really." Once they had finished eating and put away the food Patrick and Jerry stood talking about the finer details. Finding some paper and a pen in a drawer Patrick drew diagrams where he had hidden the goods. "The stuff hidden in the tree in the woods is near the lab. You're going to have to be careful getting that and also the key from my place." "Don't worry. You've forgotten I cut my teeth on breaking and entry. Even with a couple of Snakes men outside watching I can get in and out without them noticing. The stuff in the woods I'll get last, just in case. I'll bring the packets from the other two sites here first and then go and get the other." "Just watch yourself. Remember I've been on the receiving end of a beating on his orders. Let me tell you, it's not something you want to experience." Patrick let Jerry out and wandered into the lounge where Rachel lay on the couch, her eyes closed, the towelling robe slightly falling open revealing a tantalising expanse of skin across her chest, her naked legs curving out, small feet lying at the end on a pillow. He stood next to her staring down, his body hardening with need. Why this woman? Why did he feel such a need and such feelings building for her in so short a time? Was it the situation that they were in, the fact that for a few days he had some sort of power over her, or that something magical was occurring inside of him at last? He thought back to that morning in bed. She hadn't fought back to stop him, not really. She had seemed to respond to him. He knew she had said no, but it hadn't seemed with real conviction. Could it be that she felt something, but because of the situation she was in she had some resentment that was mixed with some attraction. He justified this morning in his head, not wanting to really think of it as rape, or even taking advantage. Patrick knelt on the floor next to her where she lay and gently lifted his hand to run his fingers through the tangle of black hair that lay by her face. Her eyes opened and stared up at him. There was no fear in them, no hate and no condemnation, just a wary acceptance. It was as if she had come to some decision about her circumstances. They stared at each other for long minutes and then she uncurled her body sitting up slowly and without taking her eyes from his she untied the belt around her waist letting the robe fall open. Patrick's heart beat faster as he sat back on his heels watching as she stood and let the robe fall from her body to pool on the floor around her feet. His breath caught in his throat and his blood flowed down to his groin engorging his cock, as his eyes swept down her body absorbing the curve of her breasts tipped by dark pointed nipples, the soft indent of her navel, the swell of her hips each side of the dark triangle of her pubic hair, the long length of her thighs. His mouth went dry as he looked up at her, his need taking away any ability to think. All he could do was just feel. Just feel and want. He watched as she walked away from him towards the bedroom, the two twin globes of her buttocks enticingly swaying with each leisurely step, and getting up he followed her. No words had been spoken out loud between them, but the message was loud and clear in the silent flat, and he obeyed her instructions walking into the bedroom to watch as she lay down upon the bed, her body lying back invitingly. Pulling his tee shirt over his head he revealed his body, the bruises now a deep mix of green and purple, and then his jeans down his long hair covered legs. Rachel lay looking up at him, her face expressionless, and her demeanour upon the bed accepting. His cock stood out rigid, his balls hanging down below heavy, and he climbed upon the bed and her body without a word said. They rolled across the bed a tangle of legs, arms, and hands and her breasts rubbed against his chest, his belly against her belly. Sensations rocketed through his body, and the soft noises of skin touching skin, the rustling of sheets, the wet sounds of kisses and the gentle sound of sighs was the background noise as they made love. Subtly the exchange of power had moved. He had given himself to her and she had taken it. * The Policeman opened the back door of the small car and carefully opened the handbag on the back seat using a pen. Removing the black leather credit card folder using a handkerchief so as not to smudge any fingerprints he opened it up and saw the name. "It's our missing woman all right." and looking around at the other policeman who stood looking into the drivers door, "any sign of a struggle?" "Keys are still in the ignition." Pointing over to the door of the unit, "The glass is broken. Let's go and look inside the building." Taking a deep breath to steady their nerves as to what they both thought they might find in the abandoned building the two coppers walked to the door and carefully opened it. Walking into the first room they saw the cardboard on the floor, a tangled and knotted bandage lying forlornly on the brown cardboard. "Looks like this was used to tie her." Looking around the room he said, "No sign of her in here, you take the rest of the downstairs, I'll go up." Carefully walking up the stairs the copper listened for any sign of life. Reaching the top he turned into the first room and stopped in front of the chair, the remains of the cut and knotted stockings laying on the floor and the shoes where Rachel had removed them sitting there forlornly. "Dave...up here." He shouted. The other policeman came up and stopped next to his colleague, "Looks like she was bound up here to the chair." Pointing at the discarded empty water bottle, "We should be able to get some DNA from that, and fingerprints." Lifting the radio from his pocket he phoned in their find. * Darwin walked into his office in the rented house in Dulwich. He held the phone to his ear, "Three hundred grand in cash. Fifty pound notes. Packed split into two bags. Get it here for tomorrow." Turning to his number two he smiled, "Forty grand for two desperate little tow rags is a little rich, they'll accept what I give them on the day, and I'm being generous because of fond memories of Jerry." The other man shrugged. "Don't know why you're bothering with giving them anything. Just go and get the stuff and leave them to Snake." "I might just yet...." * His cock gave that last throb as he finished ejaculating into her and resting his body where it lay he kissed her nose and then each of her eyelids. Whispering he told her, "I promise I'll never hurt you." and they lay, legs entangled, replete and quiet. Rachel looked at the man she had just had sex with. He lay with his face close to hers, his eyes smiling into hers, his face calm in repose, and she thought, "Got him." During her time on the couch she realised the only weapon she had against him was sex. Get him to believe she was compliant, get him relaxed, make him think she was obedient and when he was completely relaxed and not paying proper attention, make her escape. She had been aware of his attraction to her yesterday, and she, if she was truthful was attracted to him in a perverse way. But she needed to get away and this morning showed her he was morally redundant. He was a thief and a drug dealer and he only cared about his own needs, and after finding out that her last boyfriend was a double dealing bastard who was already married and with a child, there was no way she was going to fall for some other bastard, even if he was good looking and charming. Patrick gathered her into his arms, snuggling up to her, his face buried into her neck and whispered, "I love the way you smell." and slowly she felt his body relax even further as he moved more into sleep. Laying there, his hot body holding onto hers she drifted off as well, her last thought before sleep overtook her that she would maybe try to escape tonight. Tonight would be soon enough. * Megan stood by the bed packing her suitcase. Jerry had said only to pack things that were really important to her. Things she didn't want to leave behind. Picking up the photographs of her and her mum in the silver frame she put it to her lips and kissed it. She missed her mum. They had had such a good relationship, as close as friends instead of mother and daughter. It had been nearly two years since she had died, two lonely years living alone until she had met Jerry. Grinning she put the frame in the case thinking about Jerry and how much she loved him. She was relatively in-experienced, her chronic asthma making going out and having a normal social life difficult and over time her friends had all gotten married and had children, leaving her behind alone. But the day she had met Jerry was the best day of her life. She had been in the chemist getting her prescription filled when he had come in just as she had an attack. Staying with her as she had gotten back her breath and taking her for a cup of tea at the little café down the road, he had then insisted he take her home in his car instead of her getting a bus in the rain. From there they had started to see each other and he had turned out to be a gentle, sweet, hard working man that bought her gifts and worried over her, spoiling her and making sure she was managing her asthma. He told her about the South of Spain and how he felt it would be better for her, the air fresher and dryer, the lifestyle that would help her gain strength. Together they had planned and dreamed and Jerry told her that over the next couple of days their dream would come true. Folding a blouse into the case she smiled. He had told her that he was so worried about her flying in a plane with the air conditioning that might affect her asthma that they would be going by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, their cases in the boot of his car, so that going abroad for only the second time, the first with school to Paris, would not be a real strain on her. That was her Jerry, sweet, thoughtful and caring. She just knew the rest of her life was going to be so wonderful with him, and she knew her mother would have approved of him and loved him as much as she herself did. * Snake put down the phone his eyes screwed up with fury. Word had come down to him that the bastard he had tangled with a couple of years ago up North had been seen on his patch. That slimy fucking wanker was openly up to something and he wanted to know what. Putting his feet up on the desk he dialled one of his dealers that he had been told Ztostsi had been sighted going into his place telling him to come over as he wanted to talk to him. Smiling to himself he called in a couple of his enforcers explaining that he wanted them to collect the man and what he wanted from them when the poor man was there. He had a feeling that somehow the appearance of that bastard from Manchester was tangled up with his missing cocaine and that traitorous conniving tow rag of an ex friend Patrick. When he got the information he wanted from the dealer, he would get his hands on his missing ex friend. And then the fun would begin. * The cops were now treating Rachel's disappearance as a serious crime. The unit where her car had been found was gone over by forensics, and fingerprints and DNA were taken from the site. Briefings had taken place that afternoon to the team at the station, and photos of her that had been supplied by her friend Sarah were printed and handed out as well as sent out electronically to other police forces around the country. National newspapers were given a press release, keeping back a couple of relevant facts, just explaining that a twenty four year old woman was missing, last seen leaving her place of work in her car, and that her car had been found abandoned along with her keys and handbag about half an hours drive from where she lived. Police were requesting any information or sightings of the missing woman and a hotline number was given out. In the area where the car had been found dogs and policemen were out searching the fields and woods, looking for a possible body. On the six o'clock news on television the photo was shown as the newsreader gave out the information about the missing girl, but Patrick and Rachel didn't see it. They lay in bed, bodies tangled, fast asleep as the events of the last few days and making love overcame them. Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 07 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that. * Jerry walked leisurely down the road from where he had parked his car trying to look as unconcerned as he could. The house with the old air raid shelter was in the next street and turning the corner he smiled to himself when he saw the old Scouts hut surrounded by trees next to the house that Patrick had drawn in the diagram. Patrick had chosen his hiding place well. The house had metal stair railings and a gentle slope leading down from the front door, pointing to the person that lived there being disabled, and the Scouts hut with the trees would make easy access at night into the back garden where the old run down air raid shelter left over from the second world war sat at the end of the back garden. Walking past the house to the end of the road and then turning back he sauntered slowly checking out the houses opposite and next door. It all looked quiet and from the looks of it no problem for tonight when he came back to retrieve the goods under the cover of dark. Getting in his car he drove over to where Patrick had told him he stashed his spare car and other stuff in a rented garage about five miles away. Checking all the way to make sure he wasn't being followed he parked his car with the boot towards the garage and getting out walked up to the end of the row of garages looking for the slab of pavement stone next to the brick wall at the end of the dead end of twelve garages. Lifting the stone he found the key as Patrick had told him he would. Walking back to the garage he opened the padlock and eased himself in. The garage was dark and it took a few moments for Jerry's eyes to adjust. Squeezing down the side of the car that was parked in the small space he moved to the back of the dark garage until he came to the end and lifting up the pile of old plastic bags filled with rubbish he found the one holding the two bags of cocaine, wrapped in newspapers. Leaving the garage, he locked it up and placed the plastic wrapped bags of coke in the special concealed hiding place in the boot of his car that he used in his normal retrieval job for Snake. He then replaced the key under the paving stone from where he found it and got in the car, driving off to see Megan for a couple of hours. * The Police were running the prints through the computer to see if they could come up with a match, and within the hour they did. One set belonged to a known criminal called Patrick Curtis, a known associate of Nick 'Snake' Armstrong, the local head of a criminal Firm. At the Police team meeting of Rachel's disappearance Curtis's profile was discussed. "He's mixed up with a lot of scams and is thought to be the brains behind planning for Armstrong, but has never shown any bent towards violence before, especially towards women." "Not that we know of." One of the detectives dropped into the discussion. "That doesn't mean he hasn't done this before." "He's not usually that far from Armstrong's side who does have a reputation for treating woman as scum. Maybe he's picked her up for him." "I don't see Curtis pimping, not even for Armstrong." "They've been together for ten years since they met in the nick. In all that time Curtis was the brains behind the scenes, Armstrong the boss of the firm. We get Curtis this might help us to bring down the whole lot of them. Clear up the manor and put away that bastard who has his bloody fingers into everything that happens locally." "What about the girl?" "What do you mean 'what about the girl'?" "Isn't she our main focus? Finding her?" The main detective on the case looked down at the other man sitting behind a desk as if he was a stupid child who had asked a dumb question. "Of course she is, but we find the girl, we get Curtis, we get our hands on Curtis we bring down Armstrong.....we get to clear up a pile of the outstanding crimes in one full swoop." All eyes stared at the Detective Inspector standing in front of them, all to a man thinking the same thing. That he would get the glory and they would do the work. * Jerry's mobile rung just as he and Megan had settled down in the small kitchen at the table for supper. Looking at the number he answered it with a grunt. The voice at the other end told him, "Get down to the lab ASAP, Snakes orders." A cold chill went down his spine as he listened to the voice at the end of the phone. "What's up?" "No idea, just get there now." And the phone line went dead. Looking across the table to Megan her face one of concern he bit his lip and then told her. "Sorry......got to go....something has sprung up....an emergency at work." Getting up from the table she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a foil wrapped bundle. "I made this for you for later tonight during your shift.....its mushroom quiche....better take it with you and I'll put your supper in the fridge if you want it warmed up when you get back." Kissing Megan and taking the wrapped food he hoped he would see her later and that Snake hadn't discovered he was working with Patrick, and that he wasn't just walking into the Snakes pit and his possible death. Climbing into his car he sat there for a couple of minutes, he stomach churning, heart beating fast. He wondered to himself if he had time to hide the two bags of cocaine in the compartment in the back of the car. He couldn't hide it here near Megan. If it was found it might pull her into the mess and he would never to that. No he was going to have to drive over to the lab fast, with no time to dump it and just pray that if Snake hadn't found out that he was working with Patrick no one asked to search the car and give himself away. * Rachel woke up slowly, the hot body of Patrick lying on his back beside her on the bed. She lay there for a while staring at the ceiling reviewing her options before very carefully sliding out of the bed, keeping her eyes on the sleeping man, fearful of waking him. Bending down she scooped up both his and her clothes where they lay on the bedroom floor and tiptoed out of the room, and walked up the hallway and into the kitchen naked. There she stood, indecision slicing through her. Make a run now and take the chance or wait until tomorrow night. Running now seemed like a possibility but what if he woke up and came after her and caught her? Better to get him drunk and really sexually exhausted tomorrow night and try escaping when he would be in a worse state and unable to catch her. Suddenly she heard him running up the hallway and she bent over with the clothes as if she was putting them into the washing machine just as he slammed into the kitchen. "What the fuck are you doing in here?" Turning to face him, both standing completely naked in front of each other, she told him, "Putting our clothes on to wash so they will be clean for tomorrow." Patrick stepped forward, pulling her into his arms, "We don't need clothes." And he bent his head down to kiss her neck, "Not here in this flat....not for the next couple of days.....not for what I have planned." "Maybe you don't mind your friend seeing you naked when he comes here, but I do mind him seeing me undressed." And she pushed him away and turned to put the soap in the washing machine and turned it on. She felt his arms slip around her from behind, pulling her towards him, his arms linking in front of her holding her loosely captive. "I thought you might be trying to do a runner." "You promised me you would let me go in a couple of days....." Laying his cheek against the top of her head Patrick realised that letting her go and keeping his promise was going to be the hardest thing he would have to do. "Maybe I can make you change your mind and get you to come with me. The Florida Keys are paradise on earth. Beautiful beaches, laid back life, no one in a hurry and asking no questions. It's the place to go to re invent yourself. Make a new life. You get up in the morning and before you is a day filled with nothing but pleasure. Now doesn't that sound enticing?" "Is that what you think life should be like.....just drifting along without any responsibility?" Turning her around so that they were facing each other, his arms around her waist, her breasts pressed against his chest he smiled at her. "Why not? Life is too short to work and worry.....come away with me and find out just how sweet it is to live the good life." "And when the money dries up?" "There's always more......" Taking her hand he led her back to bed. * Jerry stood in the office along with the other men. The room held Snake and about ten other men, all who worked for him and some that Jerry recognised. Nodding across the room at one of them he received a short nod back and a big grin from the colleague. His stomach was doing flip flops and he could feel the sweat dripping down his back and sides as he stood there trying not to show any fear, but smelling it pouring off himself and others. Suddenly the door opened and he jumped as did some of the others and he watched as a skinny man wearing a white tee shirt and jeans was hauled in by two of Snakes henchmen by the arms. The man looked frantically around the room, his dark eyes wide with terror, his lank greasy hair flopping across his forehead, his feet trying to stop the forward movement as the two men either side of him propelled him into the centre of the room. The door shut ominously behind them and the man started jabbering frantically, telling Snake, who had stepped forward that he was loyal to him and had done nothing wrong. Jerry stepped back a step, his back against the wall. He had heard of these lessons that Snake meted out but had never been to one before. Someone had fallen on Snakes wrong side for some reason. Maybe some transgression. It could be something as small as chatting up some woman that Snake fancied or a failure to pay protection money by some shopkeeper. But the outcome was always the same. A beating watched by a group of his men so that the night had a three fold reason, payback for the transgressor, a lesson for his men not to cross him and word filtering out to let others know who was boss and what would happen to anyone stupid enough to fall foul of Snake. It was one of the reasons why Patrick told him he wanted out. Snake stood in front of the shit scared man and smiling punched him in the gut. The air whooshed out of the mans mouth along with a loud grunt and he sagged between the two men who held him up. "You're a fucking little slimeball Ivan. What are you?" "Please Mr Armstrong......I ain't done nothing wrong......I swear on my old mums grave, I ain't done nothing wrong.....I paid up full for the last delivery....." Swinging another punch into the slightly bent over body of the man as he gasped out his plea, stopping him in mid flow, Snake told him in a calm voice. "Ivan I know you 'ain't' been short on your money......but you were clocked having a visitor to your gaff.....and I want to know all about it." Nodding to the two men holding the victim up they went into action, pulling his hands forwards and tying a rope around his wrists. One of the men reached up and threw the end of the rope over a metal hook in the ceiling and then pulled until it was taut and the sobbing man was stretched out on his toes, his arms high above his head. "Ivan I asked you a question......what are you?" Crying now the man told Snake, "I'm loyal to you Mr Armstrong....I promise." "Wrong answer Ivan." and Snakes fist connected with the mans belly. "You're a fucking little slimeball. Now what are you?" The hanging man gasped out between the painful sounds from his throat, "A slimeball." "Damn right slimeball. Now I'm going to ask you a number of questions and if I don't get the answer I like I am going to beat the shit out of you." Opening a flick knife in front of the mans face he continued, "See this......its nice and sharp and slices through skin as if it was butter." Nodding to the two men again they undid the hanging mans jeans and pulled them and his briefs down his skinny legs exposing his limp cock and balls to the view of all the men in the room. Jerry grimaced and crossed his legs as he lent against the wall and noticed some of the men had moved their hands down over their groins in a subconscious movement. "You want to keep your manhood don't you Ivan. You wouldn't want to spend the rest of your life peeing through a tube would you Ivan." "No Mr Armstrong." Ivan sobbed in reply. "So here's the first question.....remember I want to hear the correct answer.....who was your visitor earlier today." "Oh God Mr Armstrong I promise you I didn't........." a punch to his gut stopped him in mid sentence. "That's not what I asked you Ivan. Concentrate......I'll ask you again. Who was your visitor?" The gasping man hadn't got back his breath enough to answer quickly enough and Snake stepped forward his hand grabbing the mans penis and making a small nick with the knife on the bulbous end. The resulting scream echoed around the room and some of the men's faces went pale as the blood drained from them as they witnessed what was happening. "Who was the fucking visitor Ivan." Snake growled. "Someone from Manchester.....I forget the name.....Tottie or something like that." Screamed the man. "please don't hurt me I really don't remember his name....it was foreign....African.....please Mr Armstrong I promise you I'll answer your questions...I don't remember his name......" The man hung sobbing as Snake turned around and walked back to his desk and sat down. The man hung there a trickle of blood running down his leg. "Why did he come to you?" "Oh God." sobbed the man, "I don't know......I really don't know." A nod from Snake and one of the henchmen standing behind of the hanging man rose up his arm and brought the riding crop that was now in his hand down hard against the naked buttocks. The mans scream ran through Jerry's body and he closed his eyes as he swallowed the bile that was starting to rise up in his own throat. "Wrong answer again slimeball." Again the crop hit down with a vicious suddenness, the screams wringing out. Again the questions, followed by the crop, and the screams, with babbling answers in-between. Slowly it became obvious to everyone in the room that the hapless victim knew nothing really of interest. He didn't know the black man and his cronies who had visited him, hadn't requested a visit from him, he had just turned up and leaned on him to change allegiance from Snake to him, and that he didn't know where Patrick Curtis was. The barely conscious man had a bucket of water thrown at him and was cut down, sliding down to a quivering mass on the floor. Jerry turned sideways, leaning against the wall so that the sight was out of his vision. He heard the sound of the man being dragged out of the door, and then the deathly silence in the room, thick enough to be cut by a knife. Snakes voice cut through the silence. "Go out and find both that fucker Curtis and the pile of shit that is muscling in on my territory. Ten grand to the man in this room that tells me where they are." * Patrick sat up next to Rachel as she lay on her stomach in the middle of the bed, his fingertips trailing down her spine, one long finger tracing around the gentle curve of her bottom. The errant finger then ran back up the crack between the round globes, coming to rest on the small dimple at the base of her spine. He looked up towards her face where it lay facing towards him on the pillow, her cheek with a soft rose blush, her long eyelashes laying in a curve at the top of them, her eyes closed as he stroked her skin. "Tell me where you most like to be touched." Opening her eyes she looked up at him, "In my own bedroom back in Biggin Hill!" "Ha ha, very funny." "It wasn't meant to be.....you asked.....I told you." His finger trailed down from where it lay to the back of her thigh, finishing up at the back of one knee, "Then I'll just have to test out every square inch of you and find out for myself." and he bent over and lightly nipped at the tender skin where his finger had just been resting. Rachel closed her eyes and smiled to herself. He was a good lover, and she might as well enjoy the next twenty four hours until she could make her escape. * Jerry leant against the side of his car drawing the nicotine into his lung, trying to calm himself from the scene he had just witnessed. A couple of the men walked over and joined him, one of them leaning against the car next to him. His heart started to beat fast again, scared of being discovered with the goods hidden in his motor. "Hell of a show." One of the men murmured. Taking one of the offered cigarettes from Jerry he continued, "Ten grand. I'd like to get me that money. Curtis will have to put his head above the parapet soon, and when he does he's dead meat." Nodding Jerry drew on the fag in his mouth, blowing out the smoke as he said, "Anyone got any idea who this guy is that is trying to muscle in on the manor?" "Nope.....but a few well placed questions to the right people should flush him out, especially if he's strutting himself around." Throwing the butt down on the ground and grinding it out with his foot Jerry smiled and unlocked the car door, the men moved away to let him pull the car out and drive off. Looking in the mirror he watched as the lab and the men faded into the distance knowing he had to get everything moved up if possible and leave this damn mess behind him before he and Patrick were caught. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 08 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone -- life is just not like that. * The area was deathly quiet, it was near on two in the morning and the only noise Jerry could hear was his own breathing and the occasional rustle of some animal in the undergrowth of the overgrown vegetation around the back of the Boy Scouts hut where he crept, keeping close to the trees. Working his way to the back of the lot he climbed over the small wire fencing that was bent as if the Boy Scouts had been using this bit to climb over for years. Hoping they hadn't discovered the packets that he had come for on any youthful exploration into the now run down air raid shelter he moved quietly towards the stone and concrete structure where it stood standing at about four feet high, and stepped down the steps overgrown with weeds, down to the recessed wooden doorway. Looking around before he pushed open the stiff door with one hand he turned on the torch in his other, squeezing into the small crack he had made between door and the night cold clammy stone. The beam of light from the torch showed him more steps going down to below the ground level and stepping down, cobwebs each side of him, and the dank mouldy smell assailing his nostrils, he entered the small room that over sixty years ago would have sheltered the family that lived here from the falling German bombs of the London Blitz. Moving as quickly as he could he went over to the Supermarket plastic shopping bag sitting in the corner of the room and picked it up, looking inside to check that the goods were still there. Turning on his heel he walked up the steps, switching off the torch and left as he had entered, making his way through the trees behind the Scouts hut and round the corner to his parked car waiting up the road. * Patrick opened the door to Jerry wearing just a towel around his waist. At the sight of Jerry's raised eyebrow he told him as he grabbed the bag out of his hand, "Rachel put our clothes in the washer, they're still damp." "I didn't ask." Walking into the kitchen he emptied the four bundles onto the kitchen table. "I'll pick up the rest from the hollow tree at the last minute. I want to keep away from the woods around the lab for a while. Snake put on quite a show earlier." and he proceeded to tell Patrick what he had witnessed. * Rachel wrapped the towelling robe around her and followed the sound of the men's voices to the kitchen where she stood and listened as Jerry unfolded what he had seen and heard. Her eyes were glued to the bulky packages of plastic full of white powder, and she gave a sharp gasp as Jerry got to the bit about Snake cutting Ivan's cock with the knife. Both men's eyes turned towards the doorway where she stood and Patrick got up and with his arm around her shoulder guided her back to the bedroom. "Stay here sweetheart....." "But Jerry said that the man was cut by......." "Forget what you heard." "What do you mean?" "I said just forget it....." "We should contact the police and let them know....that man could be dying or even dead." "No sweetheart he's not dead......just badly beaten....Snake would want him out there as living proof of what can happen if you cross him." "You mean he's done it before?" Patrick just gave a long level look. "And you let him? What kind of a man are you....." "One that treasures his life, and his body in one piece." "Was he the one that beat you up?" "Just stay in here. Do as your told and don't ask questions." "But......" Patrick raised his voice, "Just stay in here. Keep out of it. I'm trying to protect you. The less you know the safer you are." Grey eyes stared into dark brown eyes for long seconds. "Why do you think I'm trying to move to Florida......I'm sick of all of this....the violence....the always wondering what is going to go down next....the madness I see in his eyes.....I'm trying to get away and in the only way I know how." Turning on his heel he left her standing in the bedroom and went back up the hall to Jerry to discuss the situation and come up with the best solution. * The police put out a photo in the press of the man they were looking for with regard to the disappearance of the missing girl to hit the next day papers. It was an old mug shot of Patrick from when he was arrested ten years ago. They searched his known address, seeing the carnage that Snakes men had made of the flat and phoned in the report to the team room. "Seems someone else is looking for him, or for something he has." "How is the girl fitting into that?" "Not sure but whatever they are looking for is important. The place is a real mess." "Get back here.....we've got a call out on his car. As soon as it's sighted we may have a lead." * "Best make the exchange here. Keep the last of the coke in your car just in case he tries to shaft us. We give him the full load once we're sure we have the full amount." "What then?" "Then we leg it as fast as we can. Leave your car as close to the entrance of the flats as possible. You can drop me off at my rented garage and I'll take my spare car down to Dover and get the ferry across to France, and from there drive down and over to Spain. Stop off in Gibraltar where my money is held, grab a new false passport over in Marbella from Davy Ritchens to muddy the trail just in case, and Florida here I come." "What about the girl?" Patrick ran his hand over his face, "I honestly don't know....police must be looking for her by now....I want her to come with me to Florida....." "Are you mad!" "Yeah.....totally mad." "You'll get caught with her in tow for sure." "I don't want to let her go...." "You can't take a kidnap victim half way around the world Patrick in full view of everyone and get away with it." "I know....I'm hoping that she'll agree to come with me of her own accord." "And if she doesn't." Patrick shook his head, "I take her as far as Dover and let her go." "She could grass you up before you get to France. The Police will arrest you on the Ferry before you even get to Calais." "No." straightening up and looking Jerry in the face, Patrick told him with real conviction, "No she wouldn't do that....over the last couple of days we've really connected.....I think she'll give me a chance to get away.....I'll give her the money to get the train back to London from Dover and by the time she gets home she can tell them she met some man and just spent a few days being down and dirty." "And pigs can fly....." * Jerry climbed into bed with Megan exhausted, all this running around, emotional upheaval and playing the game against Snake was doing him in. Megan turned over and sleepily murmured, "You ok?" "Mmmm.....just tired." And he turned on his side, scooping her towards himself and settled down to sleep, the sound of the clock ticking quietly in the background and the warmth of his woman's body in his arms soothing his frazzled nerves. * Patrick lay next to Rachel in the bed, neither of them able to sleep. Patrick stared dry eyed up at the ceiling in the dark, aware of the woman next to him, desperate to ask her to go with him outright, but scared of the rejection. Rachel laid there her eyes closed, but very aware of the man lying by her side, her emotions mixed up and swirling around her head. On the one hand she was desperate to escape, and on the other she was falling for this complicated man lying next to her. He was nothing like she had met before, so out of her normal easy life. The last couple of days had been like living in a dream world, and nothing seemed to be part of real life. Like a blip out of time. She had heard of Stockholm syndrome, where kidnap victims become attached in a very short time to their kidnappers and she wondered if that's what had happened to her. Her feelings were becoming tied up to him, the way he seemed to be protective of her, his gentleness and funny sense of humour, his tenderness when making love, even his devil may care attitude to life somehow seemed to appeal to her. But the reality was he was a criminal trying to get away, and a life on the run did not really appeal to her. Slowly the two people drifted off to sleep. But one of them, even in sleep was on their guard. Just in case the other one decided to try and leave. The complex feelings of the two people lay in the bed with them, like an elephant in the room. * Patrick's BMW Sports car that the police were looking out for was tucked behind the lab that nestled deep in the woods, just were he had left it moments before he was jumped and caught by Snake and a couple of his men. The lab was really an old house that was fairly isolated, and it was there that the coke was brought by couriers like Jerry, handed over and prepared for distribution to a network of dealers across the South of London. Word had started to spread across the Manor about the beating of one of the dealers. In pubs and clubs people were talking in whispers and the amount of money of the reward had grown with the telling each time, so that it was now being said that for the information about Patrick Curtis's whereabouts the pot was standing at twenty five grand. Bets were being laid down as to how long he could evade Snake, and discussions were occurring as to what Snake would do to him once he was caught. It was universally agreed that no one would want to be in his place. People liked Patrick and hated Snake. They were afraid of the mad man and his violence, and kept out of his radar as much as they could. It was different with Patrick who in pubs people would buy drinks for and enjoy his company. He was someone you could go to for advice and help, and never feel he would betray your confidence. A real good man was Patrick. And the only person who seemed to keep Snake in check. And now he was on the wrong side of Snakes radar. Even for twenty five grand most people wouldn't hand Patrick over. But not everyone was quite so altruistic. There were some in South London that would sell their mother for twenty five grand. * Snake sat in his darkened lounge, the glass of Scotch in one hand the photo of him and Patrick in the other. He was brooding. Sitting alone and getting drunk he ruminated about Patrick and himself and his deep sense of betrayal he felt. He and Patrick had met in Wandsworth Nick, both doing their first and only stretch inside, Patrick for some theft or other, him for a touch of GBH. They had shared a cell and hit it off, helping each other get through the interminable boredom of life inside. Patrick had kept him from going insane, kept him calm when his famous short temper could have got him into a lot of trouble. Taught him about planning and manipulation of situations and people, how to get what you want without the physical violence unless really necessary. And Snake had saved Patrick from other prisoners. Patrick was a good looking man and at the age of twenty four had been eyed up by those inside who wanted sexual release. People were naturally afraid of Snake, his looks inflexible and evil, his eyes reflected a flat hard soul, and his reputation went before him. Snake had grown up tough, he had to. Spending his younger years with first his drunken tart of a mother who couldn't or didn't know how to care for her kid, he had been removed by social services from her and placed in a children's home run by sadistic nuns at the age of seven. He learnt from the sisters of mercy early on that there was no room for softness in his heart or soul and survival meant doing to others before they did for you. The only exception in his life had been Patrick. And the betrayal hurt like the betrayal of a lover would, deep inside him. For Patrick meant everything to Snake, more than any woman ever could, more than he could let others see. Patrick was the brother he had never had. The only person in this world that he ever loved. And the bastard when he got him was going to find out what it meant to betray him. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 09 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone -- life is just not like that. * The two lovers stood in the small shower cubicle together, the water streaming down their bodies sluicing off the lather that they had rubbed over each other, their hands and fingers touching and stroking skin. Patrick watched fascinated as the white soapy foam slithered down Rachel's body, revealing her dark pointed nipples as they stood out at him, and then down her body to gather around her small feet as she stood in front of him. Almost of their own violation his hands rose up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing across the hard tips before following the trail of suds on down, past her naval to the crevice between her thighs. Opening her legs to give him more access, she sighed and let her head roll back, the water raining down on her face as she felt his fingers search out her entrance, then she felt two of them moving up inside her, sliding slowly up and down, as her body heated up from the inside out to match the hot water raining down upon her. He watched her as she closed her eyes, giving into the pleasure he was working on her, and he consciously captured the picture in his mind of her like this so that he could hold it there to pull out in the future, whenever he needed it. For when she might not be there for him. Faster and faster he moved his fingers inside of her, her hands holding onto his shoulders, the fingers digging into his muscles as she gasped and bucked her hips to meet the movements of his hand as her orgasm started to build. Using his thumb on his other hand he rubbed gently her clit at the same time and her face fell forward, the water streaming down his chest from her wet hair, and her legs started to wobble as the waves of satisfaction started to ebb and flow through her nerve endings. The scream of joy when it came erupted from deep inside of her, and he felt her spasm around his fingers, her juice flowing freely down the inside of her thighs mingling with the shower water and the residue of soap. Picking her up with his hands around her waist he lifted her so that he could enter her as her legs rose to clamp around his hips, her arms twining around his neck, her face burying in his shoulder, her hot breath panting against his damp skin as he thrust hard into her still throbbing cunt. He rode her hard and deep with a desperate pace, frantically as if this would be his last time, his mouth was hard upon hers and his arm tight as if he would never let her go, and when he came his shout was of love, and torn deep from within his soul. * Jerry sat in his car, the mobile phone clamped to his ear, setting up the meeting with Darwin at the flat for late that afternoon. "I'll meet you at the end of the road and show you where the place is......." "It will be just you and this Patrick geezer there?" "Yeah....." "I don't want any surprises." "No surprises Darwin.....and none on your side either....." "Would I do that to you Jerry.....I'll bring along a couple of my men.....and the money......you have the goods and we'll do our stuff and both be happy." "Sweet.....see you at four." Now all Jerry had to do was get the last of the coke and Patrick's key from his flat. Switching on the ignition he pulled out into the morning traffic and guided the car along towards the south side of the woods that the lab sat inside. * Johnny 'the slice' sat sipping a hot cup of tea in the greasy café on the corner of the shopping parade. He was nursing a small hangover and his stomach was rolling along with his head. Last night he had been on the look out for any information on any jobs being planned as he was now broke, the money from the last job he had pulled all lost on the dogs and horses that he had bet on over the last couple of days at the local bookies. Cursing his bad luck, he shovelled a forkful of fried sloppy egg into his mouth. Every nag he bet on had come last, in fact one of them was probably still running it was so damn slow. He needed some cash, and fast as his old woman was going to skin him alive if he went home broke. Suddenly into his drink muddied brain he could hear the conversation from the table next to him and curious he started to listen, the magic words twenty five grand had penetrated the fog he was trying to clear from his head with the greasy breakfast in front of him. "Word is that Ivan was down the hospital Accident and Emergency for over four hours. Had to tell them it was a rough game of sex that got out of hand. Can't sit down or pee without the most excruciating pain." The big blond guy with a nose that looked as if it had came second in an argument told the other three men sitting at the table who were laughing their heads off. "Seems Snake is so worked up about Patrick Curtis he took it out on Ivan's arse." The older man sitting opposite the blond guy told him, "I ain't ratting on Curtis, even for twenty five grand. Good man Curtis. When my fifteen year old daughter got knocked up by that bastard last year he arranged for her to have the kid over in the hospital in Portsmouth for us, away from prying eyes, paid for her stay down there and even went down to visit to find out what she wanted to do with the bairn. Once she decided to keep it he helped strong arm financial support from the bastard that got her pregnant. Even goes over to see her and the kid once in a while." "How is your grandson?" "Poor little bugger is doing ok....no you won't find me or a lot like me ratting the whereabouts of Curtis to Snake...not for that amount of money......good man Curtis.....and that Snake is a slimy fucker that lives up to his name." "Shhh don't talk aloud like that....you don't want to end up like Ivan." "So where do you think Patrick Curtis has run to? You think he's still on the manor?" "Who knows? But if I was him I would put the miles between me and Snake as fast as I could." "He'll need help to get away and showing his face around is a sure way to help someone pick up the twenty five grand reward from Snake." "Maybe someone is already helping him. Lots of people around here would." The blond told the rest of the men sitting at the table, "They may turn a blind eye and not say anything but most people wouldn't help him. They'd be too scared to put themselves on the line, even for Curtis......no I think he's long gone....and good luck to him." Johnny 'the slice' finished up his food, gulped back the last of the tea and left the greasy café, making his way towards his parked car at the end of the road. He knew where Patrick Curtis lived and he had a feeling deep in his gut that if he hung around there eventually someone would turn up at the man's gaff and when they did he would follow him and get a clue that might just bring him a windfall of money. * The Police team were meeting and discussing the information that they were gathering with regards the missing Rachel and the possible sightings of their main suspect. "We've had numerous calls in, mostly from the usual cranks claiming to have seen Curtis and the girl. One reckoned that they were both dead and she had contacted them through a medium and that they are happy on the other side." A ripple of laughter ran around the room and he continued, "We're running a call list on Rachel's mobile number and that should be with us early afternoon. It will give us the approximate area of where any calls were made and who to, so if it has been used since she disappeared we'll have an idea of the area he may be in." "The photos of the two of them are in all the papers this morning, and we're going to set up a short appeal to be filmed for tonight's London News programme on the box." "I still say she's dead....or probably wishes she was....I think we should focus on Armstrong....my gut feeling is she was taken on orders by Curtis for him....he has a bad reputation for abusing woman." "Well let's watch what Armstrong is up to then." * Rachel stood now dressed in her fresh clean clothes at the cooker making scrabbled eggs, whilst Patrick sat watching her, the feeling of domesticity washing over him. "If you come with me to Florida you could choose the place we live in, do it out as you wanted." Without turning around she told him, "I've already got a place, its here in England, it's were I want to be." "Ever been to Florida?" "No." "Then how do you know you'd rather live here if you can't compare it to there." "I just know." "Ok......not Florida....you choose where we live.....anywhere in the world....just not here." "Patrick I'm not going with you." and she took the frying pan and turned around, scooping out the fluffy eggs onto his plate in front of him. "I have a life here and I told you I don't want to spend my life on the run." "We wouldn't be running......we'd spend most of our time in bed....me on top of you." Giving him a look she sat down opposite him, "Eat your eggs and shut up." Sighing dramatically he picked up the fork and told her, "You're breaking my heart." "If you don't shut up I'll break more than that!" * Jerry turned off the ignition of his the car in a small clearing at the edge of the woods where he had stopped and walked down the small winding pathway that lead deep into the trees, careful not to be seen, looking around him checking the whole time for any sight of anyone. About a hundred yards into the woods there was a steep dip and he slithered down the sides of the depression in the ground until he got to the bottom. Lying on their side was a number of fallen tree trunks, some of them rotten, and walking over to one of them he bent at the knee looking up the hollow end and reaching in pulled out the pile of rotting leaves until he uncovered the last of the packets of coke. Grabbing them he scampered back up the hill to the pathway and made his way back to his car, his heart pounding along with the sound of his running feet. Throwing the packets into the back of the car he jumped into the drivers seat, locked the doors from the inside and started up the car, and with a squeal of tyres backed out of where he was parked and raced away as fast as he could, putting the miles behind him and the lab that lay a quarter of a mile away in the heart of the very wood he had retrieved the stuff from. * Johnny 'the slice' parked his car at the end of the street. The up market apartments that dotted the area were sought-after conversions of large Victorian houses. Leafy trees lined the road and from where he sat he could see police tape across the entrance to one of the houses. The one that Patrick lived in. Settling further down in his seat he watched as the occasional person wandered down the quiet street. If the police have been nosing around here it was unlikely that Patrick would come back he thought to himself. Maybe he should try and think of somewhere else he might hide out in. Lighting a fag and taking a long draw into his lungs he realised that the twenty five grand was not going to be as easy as he thought. * Rachel sauntered over to the wine rack at the end of the kitchen and picked up a bottle of Merlot. Lifting the bottle up to show Patrick who sat reading a Men's magazine he had found in the lounge she asked him, "Fancy joining me for a little pre lunch drink?" Glancing up and replying, "Thought a nice cold Chardonnay would be more your style." "Our unsuspecting host only has red. His taste runs to Pinot Noir and Merlots." Walking over to the cupboard she took down two glasses and putting them on the table along with the bottle and then went over to the kitchen drawers to look for a bottle opener. "What's your favourite wine?" "A nice Rioja, drunk sitting by a sparkling blue sea, the sun beating down on our skin, the waves gently hitting the beach in the background, you in a tiny bikini watching the world go by, me watching you whilst getting hard....dirty thoughts going through my mind......" Handing him the bottle opener she laughed, "In your dreams." Patrick opened the bottle and poured out the drinks, "The other day you got rat-arsed on the Scotch. Go careful on the wine.........Jerry is bringing the buyer over later and I don't want to have to deal with him whilst dealing with a drunk woman." Rachel's body sat up straight, her eyes alert on Patrick, "You're going to go ahead with this stupid deal.....you could call it off now.....you could phone Jerry and tell him to tell your buyer the deal is off.....you could go straight." Shaking his head at her he picked up his glass of wine, "Are you crazy.....I've already got one insane and vicious gangland boss after my head, I fuck up this deal with Jerry's contact and I'll have two....besides its going to be my last deal....I promise, with the money from this and what I have saved I can get out, start afresh.....re-invent myself....all I need is the right woman to keep me on the straight and narrow." Watching him take a sip of his wine she smiled, "You'd be bored going straight." "Not if you were with me." Filling up his glass she told him to shut up and drink up. Smiling across at her he asked her, "Trying to get me drunk young lady and then take advantage?" The look on her face and the blush running up her cheeks told him all he needed to know. * Jerry walked over to the house four doors up from Patrick's, there was no car in the drive and it looked deserted. Sauntering down the pathway that led past the house to the back garden as if he lived there he pulled the steel cutters from his jacket pocket and cut the chain that held the padlock holding the garden gate shut and secure. Making his way to the back of the house and down into the garden he walked to the end where a large tree stood next to the fence that divided next door from the garden he was in. A quick shimmy up the tree and he dropped down next door, walking carefully across to the next fence and climbed over until he reached the back of Patrick's house. Walking carefully up to the side of the house he found a small window and using his glass cutter made a hole small enough for his arm to reach through and open it up and climb through. Once inside he made his way out of the lower flat and up to Patrick's, creeping and listening out for anyone else the whole time. * Johnny 'the slice' was just about to give up and had started the car when he noticed the blond man with glasses come out of the house a handful of doors up from Patrick's. Sure that there was something familiar about the man, he watched as he sauntered up the road as if he hadn't got a care in the world and turned the corner. Some instinct told him he should follow this person and he did a quick three point turn and made it around the corner just as the blond man climbed into a car parked a little way down the road. Deciding to follow and see where he was going Johnny stayed a little way behind, just like he had seen in the movies, and smirked at the thought that he should maybe see if he could get into filming as an actor or extra. He certainly looked the part he thought glancing up at himself in the mirror, skinny and pocked faced he would make a good villain, and could just see himself in a Guy Richie movie. He was so intent on admiring himself he almost didn't notice the car he was following turn left, swearing to himself he continued to follow and tried to keep his mind on what he was doing and remember whether he had seen the man before. After a good twenty minute drive during which he had let a car or two come between him and the blond man he was following he saw the car pull into the kerb in front of a small block of flats. Driving past and then stopping further up the road he watched as the Blond man got out and went to the entrance, and then go inside. Just as the man disappeared through the door he remembered. He had seen him months ago at a local pub at a wake after a funeral of a well known Bunko man. Patrick had been there and the blond man had been talking with him. Getting out the car and running up to the flats he rushed through the door and listened to the sound of voices coming down from above. Creeping up the stairs he was just in time to hear the closing of the door to the right of the top floor. Almost dancing with glee on the stairs Johnny 'the slice' could almost taste the twenty five grand that he would get from Snake when he gave him the information. In all of South London he was the one that had found the wanted man. And really by a fluke. * Handing over the key to the garage safe Jerry told his friend, "I'm going to go and meet Darwin and bring him here for four o'clock. Have everything ready but hidden. I'm booking the last running Car Eurostar for tonight at the Ebbsfleet terminal, as soon as the deal is done I'll pick up Megan and get down there. Bags are packed and by tomorrow night we'll be in the Costa Del Sol." Patrick smiled and told Jerry to look up a friend of his called Danny Roberts "he's got a bar on the front at Fuengirola called Moxie's, he's a good man, and he'll give you some work on security. Tell him hello from me when you see him." Rachel stood arms wrapped around her waist, her eyes wide with fright. They were going to go ahead with this and she, a total innocent was going to be in the flat when they did it. My God, she thought what if the police turn up. She would be done as an accessory and end up with a criminal record. Jerry looked around at her when she made a little noise of fear. "Where are you going to hide her?" "In the bedroom closet. I don't want her anywhere near the actual deal just in case it goes down wrong." At a big squeal from Rachel Patrick walked over and putting his arm around her whispered to her, "Nothing is going to go wrong. It's just a precaution." "But what if they come with guns. I've seen it on the TV. What if they decide to double cross you?" "Then you stay in the closet. They don't know you're here so they won't be looking for you. You wait for over an hour without moving unless I come and get you and then you get out of here as soon as you can. Make for home." "Please call it off." "No way. Do as you're told woman and don't get in the way." "Patrick....." "Just shut up....." and he kissed her. "I love you Rachel but Jerry and I are too far down the road to stop now.....when the time comes do what I've told you. You'll be alright." Rachel just stared up at the man who only days ago she didn't know existed and realised that she too had fallen in love. * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 10 This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story. As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone -- life is just not like that. * Johnny 'the slice' had a dilemma, he now knew where Snake could find Patrick, and he needed to get hold of Snake to tell him where he was and get the reward. But first he had to get to see him, and that wasn't that easy, as the gang boss was not available direct, you had to go through his minions and make a meeting. Driving over to the club that the man usually could be found at night he walked in, It was early afternoon and staff were getting the place ready for tonight, cleaners sweeping the floor, bar staff preparing the bar and a couple of men drinking coffee at a table near the back office. Walking up to the men Johnny stood nervously, hopping from foot to foot. One of the men, a bald tough looking geezer looked up and grunted, "What you want creep?" Clearing his throat Johnny asked to see Snake. "I got something he'll be interested in." "Come back tonight then. He'll probably be here then." "He'll want to hear my information now." "And why would he want that?" "Cause I know where Curtis is." The man stood up and moved forward, towering over Johnny. "Where is he you little toss pot." Stepping back Johnny told him, "I'll tell Snake...contact him and I'll tell Snake to his face." He could see his reward money disappearing in the distance if he told this thug where Curtis was. The bastard could tell Snake the information and claim the money, cutting him out completely. Stepping forward intimidatingly the man growled, "He's a busy man. You think he has time to meet up with you." Just as the man was about to grab him the office door opened and the owner of the club stepped out. "What's going on here?" Johnny almost ran past the big thug up to the manager and told him, "I need to speak to Snake, can you contact him, tell him Johnny 'the slice' has the information he wants on Curtis." A long silence stretched as the manager of the club gave Johnny the once over, a look of disgust on his face, then with a sigh got out his mobile phone and dialled. After a short conversation he disconnected the call and told Johnny to sit over there, pointing to a corner of the large room. "Snake will be here in half an hour." * Cuddled up on the couch, Patrick lay with Rachel's head on his chest, gently stroking her arm. His chin rested on the crown of her head and they lay quietly talking, trying not to mention what was about to happen at four o'clock or what would transpire after the exchange. They were taking this precious time to spend together, both lost in their own thoughts between the murmurings, Rachel scared that something bad was going to happen to him, Patrick wishing she would agree to come to Florida with him. Earlier Patrick had put the plastic wrapped bags of cocaine in the sports bag that Jerry had brought the supplies inside to the Industrial Unit a few days ago. Taking the towelling robe belt he had tied it to the handle of the bag and then to the metal handle of the window so that it hung outside the building, hidden from view from anyone inside and as the window faced the back of the building, from prying eyes out the front when they arrived. He was seasoned enough to know that this was the calm before the storm. That even though Jerry knew the Manchurian gang leader and had worked for and trusted him, he didn't, and that with that amount of coke and money, greed and double dealings could flare up. Bending his head a fraction he kissed the top of Rachel's head and she twisted her head up to look up at him, smiling a small tremulous smile. "You know I wish I had met you ten years ago, before I met Snake and my life would have taken a different route." he told her. Shaking her head and laughing she answered, "Don't be soppy you would have been done for child abuse. I would have been fourteen and you still would have done what you have done with your life. It's in your nature Patrick. Remember you told me that first night....I'm a thief....its what I do." "I bet you broke a lot of hearts when you were fourteen." "Not so many." "Well you're breaking mine now." And he kissed her, a deep wet soulful kiss full of love and yearning. * Snake barrelled into the club, two of his henchmen trailing. "WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?" he roared, looking around for Johnny who shrunk down in the chair, scared at the look on the tall mans face. It reflected a manic rage and he had heard rumours of what could happen to a person if Snake decided to take it out on them. Moving over to where he sat, Snake kicked and pushed chairs aside until he was in front of Johnny. "Ok you cunt, start talking. Where's Curtis?" "He's in a block of flats over in West Dulwich Mr Armstrong, top floor, door on the right." Leaning down on the table with his hands, his face inches from Johnny's, "What road?" "Laraby, just off Parsons Lane." Straightening up Snake turned and strode away and Johnny called after his retreating back, "What about the reward Mr Armstrong?" "If he's there then you get it. Until then keep out of my sight." and then he was gone, the two beefy men that arrived with him leaving as well, the club now just Johnny, the bar staff and the two original men that had been there when he arrived. * Jerry had booked the tickets for the Eurostar to Paris, told Megan that he would be collecting her at about seven and to be ready as they were going to start the drive over to Spain tonight and have a look around with a view to settling there. Megan smiled at her end of the phone, excited she believed everything that Jerry told her. Looking around her tiny high rise flat with the noisy neighbours and the mould in the bathroom she was happy to leave it. Life until she met Jerry was mundane and he brought light and hope into it. What ever he said, she would do. Where ever he wanted to go she would follow. She was an innocent and she had found her knight in shining armour. * The police had got a read out on Rachel's mobile phone calls from the Mobile Network at last. But the last couple of calls both in and out were to a Pay as You Talk unregistered mobile phone so they were unable to find out who she or someone else had called. But they did have an idea from what area the last calls were made and received in. There were a couple of calls that were covered by the phone cell in the vicinity of the industrial unit, and the last call was received in an area in West Dulwich. Unable to get a complete fix on the actual address they looked at a map of the site covered by the cell. It was a high residential area of houses, flats and a small park. They decided to go search the park first for any possible body. * Snake and his two men sped towards West Dulwich, traffic heavy and his temper rising. He was so close and when he got his hands on Patrick he was going to teach him a lesson before he finished him off. The double dealing, motherfucking bastard would beg for death and release, but he wouldn't give it. He was going to break every fucking bone in his body and cut his fucking cock off before he would let him die. * Darwin and his two men were loading the brief case containing three hundred thousand pounds into the boot of the car outside the house in Dulwich Village that he was renting. He would pay for the coke, but not the full amount. Jerry and his partner would take the reduced amount or they would get nothing. The three men were tooled up with knifes just in case, and Darwin himself had a shooter which he kept on him always. A man can't be too careful. Not in the business he was in. * A really pissed off Johnny 'the slice' walked out of the club and into the corner boozer and ordered a beer. He had counted on having the money this afternoon from Snake. He hadn't planned on having to wait. But what else could he do. Drinking down the pint in one go he ordered another one and as he was waiting for it to be poured he looked around the pub and noticed the redheaded girl that he had passed onto Snake the other night. When his pint was given to him by the barman he walked over to where she sat nursing a Vodka and lime. And not the first one by the looks of it. She was still sore, bruised and totally humiliated by the gang bang that had happened the other night at Snakes and was looking for revenge. Looking up at the man who was taking a seat at her table she narrowed her eyes and told him, "Piss off you bastard.....you're the reason I spent the other night being fucked by seven fucking men, and not a penny for it." * The first thing that Patrick and Rachel heard was the almighty crash of the front door as it was kicked in by one of the two henchmen. Trying to sit up, but still entangled they watched in horror as Snake strode into the flat and hauled a screaming Rachel off of Patrick's prone body by her hair. "Sorry to break up your little party Curtis but you and I have some unfinished business." The two henchmen grabbed Patrick and pulled him off the couch and onto his knees in front of Snake, who held Rachel also on her knees by twisting his hand in her hair and making her kneel, her hands grabbing at the hands that were pulling at her scalp painfully. Patrick looked up at his former friend and employer with a look of defiance, "Big man Nick.....three against one....you never could fight fair." "I don't give a shit about fighting fair.....now where is my fucking coke?" Patrick looked up at Snake and said in a calm voice, "You want the coke? I'll tell you where it is once you've let the girl go.....as soon as she's out of the flat and I know she's safe I'll tell you." In answer Snake kicked Patrick in the belly and a great grunt of pain left his mouth as he doubled over. Rachel screamed, "Leave him alone....." Letting go of her hair, he gave a push to her and nodding to one of his men who let go of Patrick and grabbed the girl. He stepped over to the panting Patrick and grabbed his hair lifting his face up. "One way or the other you're going to tell me....so if you want to reduce the amount of pain before you break, I would tell me now." Patrick spat in Nick Armstrong's face and with a contorted bellow of rage another hard kick from his foot connected with Patrick's already tender stomach. Retching this time along with the pain, the kneeling man frantically tried to think what to do to get Rachel out of here and away from the madman in front of him. He knew Jerry and the buyer were due here soon, but he couldn't see the time, and he couldn't rely on being saved by them anyway. Things were starting to look really helpless when it started to take a turn for the worse. Watching as Nick picked up the empty wine bottle from the table beside the couch the man asked in a deceptively quiet voice, "Doing a little early celebrating were we?" and then turning towards Rachel who was being held by his henchman he said, "She's a pretty little thing Patrick. How come you haven't shared her with me.....we always did share things.....you and me......" With a snarl Patrick launched himself at Snake, breaking free from the hands that were holding him still, just as Snake turned around and punched Patrick hard, meeting his momentum and knocking him sideways to a heap on the floor, the split on his lip starting to bleed again, "Maybe after I've had her, Mick and Pete can have her. We could take turns all night........you going to tell me what I want to know Patrick?.....WHERE IS MY FUCKING COKE?" * Jerry was walking up the first flight of stairs when he heard the commotion from the top floor. Running up the last flight and peeking around the corner he saw the broken door hanging on its hinges. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He muttered under his breath and ran down the stairs to outside the flats entrance. "Fuck, fuck, fuck....." walking up and down agitated in the street he tried to think what to do and then had an idea. Picking up the mobile he dialled Darwin's number and when he answered asked the man, "How bad do you want to rattle the snake's cage?" * Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 11 All the characters have their part to play in this romantic crime thriller. Will Patrick escape from Snake and will Rachel go with him? As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone -- life is just not like that. * Rachel stared up at the man standing over her, the empty wine bottle in his hand. He was like her worst nightmare come true. Dark black eyes stared down at her with a mad kind of enjoyment; a cruel parody of a smile on his face did nothing to reassure her. His open black shirt under his well cut suit showed the lurid tattoo of a snakes head on the left side of his neck, the hissing tongue of the snake curling up towards his ear. The fingers of the man that held her still bit into the upper part of her arms, and she knew in that moment that she and Patrick were not going to get out of this alive. And before that this evil looking man was going to rape her and hand her over to the other two men. She glanced over at Patrick where he lay on his side on the floor, blood flowing from the cut on his lip, curled clutching his stomach where the mans foot had connected and tears started to flow in earnest from her eyes. "Want to watch Patrick whilst I fuck your woman. Show her what a real cock can do to her?" Laughing Snake walked over to the table and turning the bottle in his hand so that he held the top of it, smashed it suddenly so that it broke leaving a jagged sharp end to the piece left in his hand. The sudden violence of the move made Rachel's body shudder and she stared at him with a cold dread. * Jerry stood nervously outside the block of flats, his heart pounding in his chest, staring up the road waiting for the arrival of Darwin and his men. Every minute that he waited he knew that Snake was handing out retribution to Patrick and the girl, and each and every minute seemed to be taking an hour. Suddenly a car screeched around the corner and to a halt in front of him. Four black men climbed out almost as it stopped, and Darwin shouted, "Where is the fucker, let me at him.....I've waited two years to get the bastard.....just let me at him." Shouting out and pointing to the entrance to the flats, Jerry told him, "Second floor, flat on the right.....there are three of them...." The men swarmed as one towards the entrance of the flats, leaving the doors open on the car, and Jerry raced up after them, hoping they weren't too late. * Snake held Rachel over the back of the couch; her face was hanging over face down, her skirt hiked up around her waist, Snakes hands pulling down her panties. Patrick's scream mingled with the screams coming from Rachel as she was held down and he lurched from his place on the floor towards the man holding the woman he loved in position to fuck her. The henchman both made a grab for him just as he got to Snake and he felt a punch in his side, bruising his already bruised ribs, but he still struggled, roaring his anger as he watched Snake unzip his flies and pull out his cock. "Nice arse love, lets see how much of my cock it can take....." and he started to move forward to push it into the squirming and screaming woman. * Darwin's men swarmed into the flat, taking in the scene in front of them, knives already drawn, and Jerry took in the sight of Patrick held by the two henchmen and Snake standing behind a bent over Rachel, ready to rape her. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD." And he launched himself at his old employer, jumping on his back, pulling him off a sobbing Rachel. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD, YOU FUCKING BASTARD." he kept screaming as he held on for dear life around Snakes neck. Snakes hand reached out for the broken bottle that lay next to him on the back of the couch, and then Darwin was in front of him with a knife and finally dislodging Jerry from his back Snake and Darwin squared up, one holding a knife out, the other the broken lethal sharp glass remains of the bottle. Jerry leant over and helped the sobbing Rachel up as the fight between the two gangs went on, pulling down her skirt. There were screams and blood and lots of noise and movement as Jerry guided the dazed and shaking Rachel towards the broken front door. Patrick lurched to his feet following whilst holding his stomach that throbbed with pain, and then catching up with Jerry and Rachel snaked his arm around her waist, as Rachel turned and hugged him. "Its ok babe.....everything is going to be ok." He murmured as they stood arms wrapped around each other on the top landing, the noise of the intense fight emanating from the flat behind them. "Get a fucking move on." Jerry urged, looking behind them, "let's get going." The two lovers, holding hands, ran down the stairwell behind Jerry and out the entrance into the daylight, a stream of evening rush hour traffic started to wend its way down the street, past the trio of dishevelled looking people, one with blood streaming down his chin, another with a tear stained face. "Where's your car Jerry....?" "Over there...." and they started to move as one towards the parked car. "Wait.....I'm not going without the money....." and Jerry trotted over to Darwin's car, the door still hanging open and popped the boot to find the briefcase. Picking it up he turned, a smile on his face, "Let's get this show on the road." Climbing into his car, Patrick and Rachel hugging each other in the back seat, the briefcase of money on the passenger seat beside him, Jerry turned in his seat and asked Patrick where to go next. "Make for my rented garage.....my passport and papers are under the car in the safe.....we can split the cash up there and then I'll drive straight down to Dover from there." * The redhead listened as Johnny bragged to her about how he had been the one to find out where Patrick Curtis was hiding out and how he had told Snake where to find him. He had drunk another couple of pints of beer and was feeling good, in full flow, spilling the information to her. Listening, her anger at both this man and Snake burning inside her for what they had done to her she stood up and walked out the pub whilst Johnny was in full flow. She now had her means to get her revenge. Taking out her mobile she dialled 999 and when the voice on the end asked if they could help her she told them, "I'd like to report where the man that kidnapped that girl is hiding out. If you go there now you'll also find Nick 'Snake' Armstrong who is probably killing Curtis about now." The voice on the phone asked for her name and more information from the redhead but she refused to give her name, but told them the name of the road in West Dulwich that the police could find the two men and hung up. * In the back of the car Rachel used a handkerchief that Jerry passed back to wipe Patrick's blood from his face, and the two people sat holding each other, the shock of what had happened in the flat still running through them. Patrick stroked Rachel's face and kept telling her he was so sorry for what she went through and that it was alright now, whilst Rachel kept asking him if he was hurting and telling him he should go to the hospital Accident and Emergency to have himself checked out. Kissing her gently he told her, "I love you....I need you....come with me....we can swing by your place, you can pack up some stuff and we can leave all of this behind us....be together....say yes." Kissing him she started to cry, "I can't....." Wiping away her tears with his fingers he whispered, "You can....." "No Patrick I can't....I can't live your way of life....this last few days have been a moment out of time....but I don't want to have to always look over my shoulder to check to see who is behind me, and worry about you slipping back to old ways....we would end up hating each other...and I don't want......" "Shhh...I understand." and he pulled her into his body tight, his arms holding her as she cried into his shoulder, the car making its way to his spare vehicle and his means of escape. "At least come with me as far as Dover.....see me off.....give me that much." Nodding she agreed. * Snake lunged at Darwin with the broken bottle in one hand, his knife in the other, the Black man's wicked looking knife flashing high near his face. He already had received a cut to his left arm, the jacket he was wearing cut but deflecting the worst of the swipe, so that the wound on his arm was not as deep or as vicious as it could have been. The bottle end missed Darwin by a fraction of an inch on the downward swipe and Snake raised his arm back upwards, catching the man's cheek, slicing open the skin and blood spurted out of the wounded man as he howled with pain and rage. Moving his left hand up the flick knife in it entered the Manchurians stomach and Snake watched as he dropped down, satisfied that he had won. Turning his back to the fallen opponent he made for the door, past the fighting men rolling around the small flats lounge, the chaos and noise of the fight loud and brutal, and out of the door just as the bullet entered his shoulder from behind. Staggering forward with the pain and momentum from the small metal missile that had hit him he hit the wall opposite the doorway, barely holding himself up, turned to see Darwin pointing the shooter at him for another shot, the man holding his belly, blood pouring from between his fingers where his hand clutched. In what looked like slow motion Snake watched Darwin take a shaking second aim on him, then two of the fighting henchmen fell across the bloody aiming man, and the explosive noise of the gun went off. The wall beside Snakes head seemed to explode, plaster and debris hitting the side of his head, and then Snake lurched off down the stairs running as fast as he could and made his escape, leaving behind the fighting men and a mortally wounded Darwin. Climbing into the car, blood oozing down his arm from the cut and his back from his wound, Snake drove like a madman in the evening traffic to the safety of his home leaving his men to their fate. * The Police searching the park received the call and within minutes police cars, their blue lights flashing, made their way to the road that the tip off had given, and arrived in time to find one of the bloodied and wounded men running up the street. Stopping him they found out the true address in the road and rushed up there to find a dying Darwin bleeding out onto the carpet from the deep knife wound to his stomach and a mixture of badly wounded gang members around the flat. * They arrived at the garage and Jerry stopped the car near the end of the line of old decrepit structures. Getting out he ran over to retrieve Patrick's key from under its hiding place, the stone pavement slab that he had replaced it under when he was here before. Patrick was sliding out of the back of the car when he returned, a grimace on his face from the pain of movement from his bruised stomach muscles. "Here......need any help?" Jerry asked him. "Nah.....the exercise will do me good." Patrick walked over to the garage door and unlocked the padlock, opening wide the doors with the light blue peeling paint. Inside was a ten year old, non-descript unregistered car. Rachel who by now had gotten out of the car watched as Patrick lent down and retrieved a set of keys from inside an old paint pot laying on its side amongst a small pile of paint pots and got in the car, and using the key started it and backed out of the garage. As soon as the car was completely clear of the garage he stepped out of the car and went back in pulling aside the flattened out cardboard box that was covered in oil stains and dirt and had been under the car on the floor to reveal a safe recessed into the concrete. Taking the key that Jerry had gotten from his flat and given to him from his jeans pocket he opened the safe door that faced up towards him, and putting in his hand, pulled out a plastic folder full of papers, documents, a couple of credit cards and two distinct passports. During this time Jerry had retrieved the last packet of cocaine from his car and bending over dropped it in the safe, which Patrick re locked. Putting down the carpet of cardboard to hide the safe, Patrick looked at Jerry. "Time to split the payload." and the two men walked over to Jerry's car, opened the boot and then the briefcase. "No time to count it," Patrick told Jerry, "We'll just split the bundles evenly between us." And that's what they did. Patrick took his and stuffed them around the spare wheel under the carpet trim in the boot of the car. The two men manfully hugged each other, a smile on Jerry's face, "Look after yourself Patrick......have a good life." "Yeah...you too.....look after Megan....and thanks for everything....especially saving my life." Laughing Jerry replied, "Don't mention it. It was a pleasure working with you." Then turned and got in his car, and drove off without a second glance. After locking up the garage again Patrick turned to Rachel who stood there a strange look on her face watching him. "I told you it's what I did......" "I know....its just....." Stepping forward he kissed her hard before she could finish the sentence, then drew back, "Come with me to Dover and see me off....give me time to get over to France, off the ferry and well on my way and then contact the police to come and get you. Give me a chance to get away." She nodded and the two of them climbed into his car and started the journey down the M20 to Dover. Once they hit the motorway Patrick rolled down the window and threw out the safe key and the garage door key onto the fast lane. He held Rachel's hand all the way down to Dover not wanting to let go of her for a second. * Jerry drove to Megan's parking the car as close to the flats as he could. Running up the stairs two at a time he opened the door and called out, "Megan babe, you ready?" Emerging from the bedroom she threw herself at him, "I'm ready." "No regrets leaving here?" "No Jerry no regrets....lets go." and together they started to heft the three suitcases full of things down to the car. Once they were sitting inside of the car Megan gave one last look at her home that she had lived in all her life, blowing a kiss to the memory of her mother and then they swung out into the traffic, Jerry asking, "Did you remember to bring our passports?" "There in here," patting the large handbag on her lap, "Along with a couple of rounds of sandwiches for us in case you're hungry." Leaning over Jerry kissed her cheek, "That's my girl." Megan smiled and said, "Damn right Jerry." a twinkle in her eye, and a smile on her lips. * Down at the ferry terminal Patrick parked the car out front and they walked into the terminal and up to the window to purchase the ticket on the next ferry to Calais. Rachel stood next to him, her heart beating in her chest, aware of the sight they probably made, Patrick still with the bruise by his eye, and the split lip, her looking dishevelled, her eyes red from crying. The girl behind the counter looked at them as she prepared the ticket for the ferry, telling him they had half an hour to wait for the next one. Last night she had watched the news and had seen the photos of the missing woman and the man that the police were looking for, and these two people looked suspiciously like them. The man had bought the ticket under the name of Phil Stewart, and only a single one. Wondering what to do as she didn't want to look silly if she was wrong she handed over the tickets and then watched as the two people stood close together, the woman with her arms around the mans waist, his around her neck, and then saw them kiss and hug. Maybe they weren't the two wanted people. She watched them as they walked further into the terminal hand in hand towards the café and then turned to her colleague sitting at the desk behind her. "Hey Patricia can you come here a moment? I need you to have a look at something." The young woman, her very pregnant belly preceding her, walked up to stand next to her, "Did you see the news last night on TV." "Mmmm." "Can you go over to the café and have a look at the couple sitting down at that table there." And she pointed to where Patrick and Rachel sat, holding hands and talking. The pregnant woman stepped out of the ticket office through the security door and over to the café, trying not to be too obvious she looked at the couple that Melissa had asked her to look at. A hot flush ran over her as she recognised the couple, and she rushed back to look over the counter and excitedly told Melissa, "It's them....its definitely them.....what should we do....do you have the hotline number to call....we should call it." Melissa bit her lip, "By the time the Police get here he'll be on the ferry. Strange thing is he bought a single ticket in the name of Phil Stewart. The woman is not going with him, and look at them, they're kissing and cuddling. She doesn't look like she's frightened of him." "Let's tell the security people, let them sort it out. If we're wrong, so what. If we're right......" Melissa picked up the phone and dialled security, explaining the situation. * Patrick looked into Rachel's eyes as she told him, "You should get a move on....." "Just five more minutes....let me hold you for five more minutes....it's got to last me a lifetime." and he reached for her, holding her fiercely his face buried in the crook of her neck, "I love you.....life without you will never be right.....there will always be a empty space in my heart that is yours." Holding her he felt her body go rigid and still, a deep gasp left her and he sat back looking at her eyes which were staring up behind him, the look of shock on her face. Turning around he saw the two security men and a Customs Officer who stepped forward and said, "Patrick Curtis, please will you come with me." And he leant down to take hold of Patrick's arm, the handcuffs in the other. "Miss McCormack please can you come as well." With the whole terminal staring at them Patrick was handcuffed and escorted across the wide terminal floor to a door that said Private -- Staff Only. Behind him he could hear Rachel crying. He knew he was looking down the dark tunnel of a long jail sentence and he closed his eyes as the door opened and he stepped through to face the rest of his life. To be continued.......Epilogue to follow Rattling Snakes Cage Ch. 12 Concluding the story of Patrick, Rachel, Snake and Jerry. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. * Patrick sat in the courtroom dock looking across at the members of the jury that sat to his left. He scanned them trying to access whether they looked like they were likely to find him guilty. There were a couple of older woman who were looking at him as if he was something that had crawled out from under a stone, and one younger one that had been appraising him as if she wouldn't mind letting him screw her. Otherwise it was hard to tell. Glancing around the well of the court as the Barristers seemed to be discussing some point of law or other he noticed the reporter sitting in the crowded viewers area, a man that had been making notes during the proceedings yesterday, which had been the first day of his trial. It looked like he and his exploits were going to make the news. Glad that he had chosen to wear the suit he had chosen he looked down at himself, adjusting his light blue tie. It can't hurt to look presentable for the public he wryly thought to himself, after all it was probably the last time he was going to be seen in public for a very long time. There was a sudden lull in the court and then the Prosecution Barrister, standing in his black gown and white wig called for the next witness, Rachel McCormack. Patrick's stomach clenched, and his heart missed a beat. It had been six months since he had seen her or held her, six long months in remand dreaming about her and reliving every second they had spent together, and although he knew she was the one that would put the nail in his coffin, so to speak, he was desperate to see her. She walked into the court, her black hair pinned up emphasising her sweet face, and wearing a black suit, the jacket revealing a slinky white camisole, her eyes looking everywhere except at him. Sitting forward on his chair he stared at her, drinking her in, longing for her to look up and see him. But she stood in the witness box, taking her oath, her face looking down. The Prosecution asked her the usual details about herself and then started to lead her through what had transpired that first night as she drove through the wooded country road leading home from where she worked. Suddenly she looked up and straight at him, her grey eyes glistening with tears and he silently mouthed the words, "I love you" at her, winking and smiling as if they were the only two people in the room, and not a packed Court Room where he was on trial for kidnapping her and dealing in drugs. Giving a small smile back she seemed to slightly nod her head at him and continued to tell her story of how the door to her car had opened as she sat by the traffic lights and a strange man had gotten in, bloodied and bruised and told her to drive where he directed. Patrick didn't bother to listen, he just watched her, remembering the good moments, in the bed, the time lying on the couch stroking and talking, the meals in the kitchen, the taste of her kisses and the feel of her body, and he knew that was the only thing that would keep him sane over the next twenty years or so that he would probably spend locked away. According to the Prosecution and the media he was a menace and a danger to society, someone that needed to be kept away from the general public. And maybe he was but he knew he would do it all again just for the chance to relive those few days with Rachel, and to be with the woman that he had fallen in love with. * Snake stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom inspecting the scars on his body left from the fight. The small line from the cut on his arm was fading; the slight silver scar on his bicep was hardly noticeable now. Turning so he looked at the slightly puckered scar on his left shoulder from the bullet, he shrugged. It gave him a more dangerous look, and he had no lasting effects from the wound. After the fight, when he had gotten away he had managed to get back to his flat, phoned an illegal doctor that those in the underworld used and the damn thing had been removed and he had been patched up. Getting dressed he knotted his dark blue tie and stared at himself in the mirror. Not bad he thought to himself, not bad at all. Today he was due for a meeting with his Solicitor in preparation for his own trial for manslaughter. It was really only a technicality as it was plainly self defence. He was the one that had ended up with the bullet in the back and he had been told by his legal team that there was little chance he would be found guilty, much to the chagrin of the cops who would love to have been able to get him for something. But Snake was taking no chances, he had a separate team that his legal team knew nothing about, and as soon as they knew who was on the jury they would lean on a couple of the more, shall we say vulnerable ones, and make sure that they brought in the not guilty verdict. After all, it was always better to play it safe when gambling, especially with his freedom. * Jerry rubbed the sunscreen into Megan's back as she lay on her stomach, the sun recliner a bright sunny yellow against the sexy little black bikini he had bought her only yesterday when they went shopping at the large fashionable Corte Ingles store in Peurto Banus. His hand worked the white shiny cream into her skin which was now a lovely healthy looking colour. Over the last six months Megan's health had improved substantially, with no bad Asthma attacks, and Jerry's love for her and enjoyment of spoiling her she had grown stronger day by day. Leaning forward he placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder, and then gave a small pat to her bottom encased in the black cloth of the bikini. "That's it love.....don't lay here too long in case you get burnt." Megan smiled up at Jerry, "and don't you forget you need to start to get ready for work in about an hour." Standing up Jerry looked around the communal gardens of the apartment block they rented their flat in. People lay around in quiet groups, some sunbathing, some talking, children playing, and then over to the large sparkling blue water of the swimming pool. "Think I'll have a quick dip before I go up and get ready." And he walked over and dived in, letting the silky water cool his hot sun kissed skin. The past six months had been just like he had dreamt they would be, him and Megan living and loving in lovely surroundings, enjoying themselves on his split of the money from the drugs deal with Darwin. He was sorry to have read in the English newspapers that he bought everyday on his walk down to the Supermarket at Calahonda at the bottom area that he and Megan lived in that Darwin had died, stabbed by Snake in the fight, and that Patrick had been apprehended at Dover before he had managed to escape. Never worrying that Patrick would say anything about him to the Police, Jerry had read that his friend had gotten twenty years and was now in Wandsworth nick. Floating on his back he looked up at the three story complex that curved around the large area, each and every two and three bedroom apartment with a balcony and their occupants either sunning themselves out here by the pool or empty until their owners came out from where-ever they lived around the year to them for their holidays. Smiling to himself he started to get a plan. The money that he had gotten from the deal had almost gone, and he and Megan were living on the money that Patrick's mate was paying him as security working at the club in Fuengirola at night, but it wasn't enough to satisfy him. And sitting up there in front of him were lovely easy pickings. Lots of empty apartments, owners out enjoying themselves, money and possessions waiting for him to pick up and bankroll his and Megan's new life in the sun Swimming a length he raised his arms to balance himself on the edge of the pool, and looked across to another large complex in the distance. Hundreds of other empty apartments during the day or evening, all just waiting for him to break into and relieve of their contents, and multiply that by hundreds of apartment complex's across the Costa Del Sol and he reckoned he could bankroll his lifestyle for as long as he wanted. Jerry climbed out of the pool, stepping past the three young children splashing and laughing on the wide steps, and stood letting the sun dry his body off naturally. Waving back at the couple that Megan and he had lunch with yesterday down at the small beach front restaurant he smiled. The woman sported a new piece of gold jewellery every day since they had arrived nearly two weeks ago. Should be easy to find a good fence in the area, and also Patrick's old mate that he worked for had form back in the UK and should be a font of information on local villains. Walking over to where Megan lay sunbathing he sat down on the sun-lounger besides her, grabbing the bottle of beer from where it nestled on the grass next to it and took a long swig of the now slightly warm liquid. Plans were swirling around his head. Many ways in which he could implement his new idea. Laying back and letting the sun bake his body he also started to think about what Davy Ritchens, Patrick's mate in Marbella that dealt in the false passports had said over the heavy drinking session they had enjoyed together last Sunday. He had grumbled about how Patrick was rotting in prison whilst Snake, who was universally hated, would probably get off the murder charge. Expounding the many stories about the things Patrick had done to help down on their luck old lags and needy family members of those that had ended up incarcerated when caught; Davy had told Jerry that he wanted to get some of them together to help break Patrick out of prison. After all, he had told Jerry, it had been done before, breaking someone out of Wandsworth nick. Look at Ronnie Biggs. They had got him out and he had spent over thirty years living in Brazil, and they could do the same for Patrick. Jerry lay there in the sun. Tonight he was going to phone up Davy and tell him that if he was serious about it he was going to sign up and help on the escape. After all he owed the last six months to Patrick and getting him out of prison would be his way of paying him back. That and he was always up for an adventure. * Snake sat with his feet up on the coffee table crossed at the ankles. His tie was pulled loose and his jacket off. The groaning body of Johnny 'the slice' lay on the floor in a heap at the feet of two of his men, bloody and broken after the beating he had just received. Looking at the growing list of names on the sheet of paper in his hand he glanced down at the man, both of whose hands were a mess of broken fingers. "Tell me again Johnny; what was the redhead's name that grassed me to the cops?" "Maria Rawlings." He mumbled through the bloody mess that was his mouth. "Maria Rawlings.......the little cow......you're niece isn't she? Your wife's sister's daughter?" Johnny nodded, the pain running through his body from the many areas the wooden batons wielded by the two men standing next to him had hit. "You really should be more careful with your family Johnny. Firstly it's not nice to pimp out your niece and secondly I think she needs another lesson." Looking back down at the list of names on the sheet of paper he mused out loud, "She's going to be the easy one to deal out the lesson to, next in line is going to be that girl that Patrick was hiding out with and then there's still the matter of payback to Patrick himself." Glancing up at one of his men he told him, "Go get the redhead and tell the men I'm holding a party up here in the flat, one woman, and as many men as you can muster." Throwing down the sheet of paper on the coffee table he stood up, "and get rid of this pile of shit. He's bleeding all over my white carpet." Striding out of the room he undid his tie and started to get ready for the fun that he knew would occur tonight with the redheaded girl and his men. Life goes on.........at least for some of them. The End.........or is it! If you want me to continue with the story of what happens next let me know.