CHAPTER ONE

 

Julie Ross grimaced a bit as a gust of wind blew sand and grit into her face. She squinted toward the shore and the photographer who was still fiddling with his apparatus-they were going to have to shoot soon-before the wind got much worse.

"Hey Mario!" She yelled at the photographer who was busy trying to get just the right lighting and focus. "Any word about the storm? This wind is really starting to kick things up!"

"Home office says it'll hold off for another six hours or so..." Mario peered into the light meter hanging from his neck, made a minute adjustment on his camera. "Should be enough time to finish with you four-then we can head north and get out of the storm's path."

"Easy for you to say!" Julie adjusted the strap on her bikini top for the tenth time. "But it's cold as hell out here waiting for you to shoot-and that sand stings!"

"Almost ready." Mario stepped behind the camera, glanced at the image in the view screen. "Lighting's perfect." He smiled at Julie who struggled to hold her seductive pose. "This one is for the cover!"

Julie Crane's fondest wish had always been to make the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue-but if the wind didn't let up, she didn't think any image shot today would be good enough. Can't keep my eyes open with this much sand blowing around! She swiped a hand across her eyes. And they're never going to use a shot of a girl squinting as much as I am!

She saw Mario's fingers move to the camera's trip and forced her eyes to open as she smiled into the lens-just as a new gust of wind blew across the beach, throwing even more sand into her face and eyes.

"Crap!" Julie turned away from the wind-and the camera--as sand blasted across her sensitive skin.

"Its okay, Julie." Mario ran into the water to put an arm around her shoulder. "This wind won't last much longer-a few minutes more at most." He led her out of the shin-high water and toward the windblown and billowing tent that gave the lie to his statement. "Why don't you go into the tent, towel off, maybe do your makeup again...?"

"Good idea." Julie's hands were scrubbing at her sand-filled eyes. "And if the wind really does die down..."

"I'll call you-honest!"

Julie nodded, still working sand out of her eyes. Anne and Hilary didn't have this problem! She told herself. The wind didn't come up until it was my turn! She pushed into the tent. Just my luck!

She was barely inside when a hand grabbed her by the back of the neck and pushed her forward into something solid that smashed across her shins. Unable to regain her balance, Julie toppled face first into the sand. Before she could roll over or push herself back upright, the same hand pushed on the back of her head and sent it deep into the sand-holding her down while sand filled her nose and mouth.

Julie was terrorized-she couldn't breathe! She tried to fight back, just as she had been taught, but whoever was holding her was far too strong and she had no leverage. She struggled for air as fear turned her blood to ice--she wanted to scream-but she couldn't open her mouth without more sand running down her throat.

She struggled-more and more weakly-while her hands were grabbed and pulled behind her-then, when they were pinned, something grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her free of the suffocating sand.

Julie gasped for air-her mouth gaping open as she spit out sand and grit. She had just gotten a breath when something sticky was slapped across her lips-locking them tightly shut.

"Don't fight it, girly." The words were hissed into her ear. "I'll hurt you if I have to."

Her head was pushed back into the sand-this time it stayed there as her hands were tied tightly together and pulled to a loop of rope that went around her belly. The world began to turn gray around Julie-gotta have air!--before the pressure was released and she was allowed to raise her head out of the sand. She desperately drew breath after breath through her bruised and hurting nose, panting like an animal until she was able to fill her lungs.

Vision slowly returned and sharpened--and Julie found herself looking into the face of a man just past middle-age. He was wearing dark sunglasses and had a two or three day growth of beard. She had barely registered his face when he reached forward and ran a finger over the tape that now covered her mouth.

"Seems tight enough-how about the wrists?"

Julie hadn't realized that there was a second man in the room-until he spoke from right behind her.

"Houdini couldn't get out!"

Julie could attest to that. She had tried to move her hands as soon as she had been released-and knew that they were tied together very tightly indeed-wrist touching wrist--and held in the small of her back by the rope that was now fixed around her waist.

"Tape looks solid." The older man touched the square across Julie's mouth, smoothing it again. "Her top seems a bit loose." He smiled as he adjusted the bikini top which had ridden down on one side. "Guess she doesn't really have what it takes!"

"We don't have time to worry about that now." The voice behind her didn't waver-clearly he was in charge. What are they going to do to me? Julie had been teetering on the edge of panic since entering the tent-now that she realized that she was quite helpless, that panic began to turn into something else-a fear that she felt deep in her belly. Where are the others? Where're Anne and Hilary, they were in here just a little while ago...

"Let's get her with the others." The voice seemed calm enough. "And get the fuck out of here before the storm hits."

"Okay with me." The middle-aged man stepped to the back of the tent, lifted a newly made flap that had been raggedly cut in the plasticized nylon. "Come on, Girly-time to run now."

Julie was pushed to the edge of the flap by the man behind her. She stumbled a bit, her hands useless and her balance completely skewed by their lack of ability to move.

"When you get out of the tent," the commanding voice was in her ear, near enough that she could feel the heat of the man's breath on the side of her face. "I want you to run as fast as you can behind Paulie there." His hand touched the small of her back. "As fast as you can-right?"

Julie nodded her head, afraid to say no to this man.

"Okay," the hand stayed in place as the older man, Paulie, pushed the flap back and stepped through-crouching with his head low. "Wait until he gives the all clear..."

Paulie's head reappeared through the flap, nodding. "Clear."

"GO!" The hand slapped her hard on the ass-propelling her through the flap. Julie almost fell from the force of that blow, but she was able to get her feet under her enough to shuffle forward. She speeded up when something smashed into her just above her legs.

That hurt! She almost turned to see what had caused the sudden pain, but was struck again before she could do so. OW!

"I said run!" The voice hissed at her again just before there was another stab of pain. "RUN!"

Julie ran--her long legs pumping hard as she moved as fast as the sand and her tied hands would allow. It took only a few seconds to reach the line of scrub brush which Paulie had disappeared into mere seconds ago. As she broke through, she found him waiting just inside the cover. He grabbed her around the chest and yanked her to a stop, his hand fondling her breast as he did so.

Julie was struggling to get more air into her lungs as she sank to her knees-but she wasn't allowed to rest. Paulie grabbed her upper arm and pulled her upright, then half-led, half-dragged her down a sketchy trail that opened up just ahead. They hadn't gone more than a few feet when that other hand touched her on the small of the back once more. "Just keep walking." The tone was a little less urgent. "We'll reach your friends soon enough."

The trail meandered in lazy curves, first to the left, then to the right. Julie's leg brushed what looked like the leaves of a dark-green plant. She jerked it away as she felt something cut into her flesh.

"Those are pretty sharp," the voice behind her was matter of fact. "You might want to avoid them."

Julie saw the line of blood running down her leg and agreed with the man behind her. She would avoid those at all costs!

A short time later, they came to a small clearing, and Julie saw what had happened to the other girls. Anne, Hilary, and Tori were all there-each, like Julie, had a square of silvery tape over their mouths and hands tied behind them, attached to a rope around their waists.

Unlike Julie, they each sported another rope - this one wound around their necks and attached tightly to the branch of a tree right above them. The rope was taut enough that the girls were struggling to keep their balance less they hang themselves. Tori, who was shorter than the others, was standing on tiptoe, fighting to keep herself from falling over.

All were still dressed in the bikinis they'd been wearing when they went back to the tent, and all seemed to have worked up a light coat of sweat. They're scared, Julie told herself, feeling a shiver of her own. Me too!

There was another man-a boy really-some nineteen or twenty years old, sitting at the base of the tree, watching the three near-naked girls fight to stay upright.

"Any trouble, Charlie?"

"Not a bit, Uncle Joe." The younger man rose to his feet. He had a slice of bamboo in his hand, cut around three feet long with the end split and pressed down until it was nearly flat. "This here switch keeps 'em nice and quiet." He raised a small digital camera in his other hand. "Got some nice pictures, too!" He touched Tori on the thigh and laughed as she had to shift her feet to avoid being pushed over. "This one squirms real nice!"

"Good." The man behind Julie gave her a push forward, sending her stumbling to the side of the tree. "It's time to get them down now-we've got to get to shelter before that storm gets here."

"It's not gonna be long." Paulie glanced up, gauging the bits of sky he could see through the overhanging branches. "Coupla hours, maybe."

"That should give us more than enough time." The man who Julie hadn't yet seen finally stepped up alongside her. She could see that he was tall-six feet two or three-and looked strong. The slap on the ass told me that much! He had a bamboo stick much like the one the younger man was holding. That's what he hit me with! Julie felt a moment of outrage. Who does he think he is!?

"Watch her." The man gestured as he walked past Julie. "Charlie and I will get the others."

"Right." Paulie brought his eyes down from the heavens and stepped to Julie's side, grabbing her left arm with a big, work-hardened, hand. "I got her."

Julie contemplated trying to break free so she could make a run for the beach--but the older man's grip was solid, and the two younger men were only a few steps away. Wait until you find out what they want. Julie told herself, eyes running over her friends' seemingly-untouched bodies. There'll be other opportunities to make a run for it.

Charlie and Joe didn't take long getting the other girls detached from the tree. One by one they untied the lines that held the girls so firmly in place --always careful that none of the three were ever alone and free without both men in place to stop them from fleeing. The nooses stayed around the girls' necks, with the end that had run up to the tree left hanging down in front of them. Once all were freed from the tree, Joe made a point of checking all the bonds, making sure they were tight and cinched so that anxious fingers couldn't get under the knot.

Done, he motioned to Paulie to bring Julie over alongside the others.

"Ladies, this is a switch," he held up the split bamboo that he had used on Julie earlier. "You have all felt it at least once, but I warn you, that was only a tap. If I strike you with this and mean it..." He swished the bit of bamboo through the air, the noise loud enough to be heard over the wind. "You'll wish I hadn't."

"Neck or waist, Uncle Joe?"

Joe turned toward Charlie who had retrieved a knapsack that had been leaning against the tree. Julie could just see the inside of the sack-it was filled with loops of rope, tape, and other, unidentifiable, odds and ends. "Neck, I think." He regarded the four women standing in front of him. "They'll be less anxious to try to pull free if it's around their necks."

"Neck it is." The young man took the free end of the rope that formed the noose around Tori's neck and fashioned a second loop. He dropped this around Julie's neck and pulled it snug, making sure there was no slack at all. He then did the same with the line around Anne's neck--running it to Hilary's. Finally, he took the line from Hilary and made a second loop around Tori's neck-all four girls were now attached, one to the other, by ropes that ran from neck to neck.

The feel of the slick rope against their throats was making them all nervous.

"All right, ladies." Joe walked down the line of girls, checking the security of the ropes on their necks and nodding approval at Charlie. "Here's what we're going to do." He took the end of the rope from Charlie. It had about four feet of slack before it attached to Anne's neck rope and from there to the others. "We're going to walk the rest of the way up this trail. When we reach the end, you're all going to get into the truck that's parked there."

He turned toward the girls, the switch held lightly in his right hand.

"By now, the photographer has realized that you're gone. It won't be long before he notifies the cops-and you girls are important enough to get the full treatment-Orange Alert, helicopters, planes-the whole deal."

He wound the end of the rope around his palm. "Because of that, you will do exactly what I say-if I tell you to run, then you run just as fast as you can. If I tell you to drop to the ground, you do it immediately-I don't care if you get sand in your bikini bottom-you go to the ground and make a hole!"

He ran his eyes down the line of girls. "Is that clear?"

One by one, they nodded. Slowly and reluctantly-but they nodded.

"Do this right and nobody gets hurt." He ran a hand over his face. "Screw up..." He shrugged. "Well, I'll do what I have to."

He turned and tugged on the rope. "Now let's get going!"

The path was longer than the girls had imagined. They walked and walked, pushing their way through plants of all kinds. They were spaced just far enough apart that each girl ended up with red marks all across the front of their body from plants that were pushed aside by the person in front that then snapped back right into the body of the person behind.

I hope I'm not allergic to any of this shit, Julie told herself as a wide-leafed branch slapped into her bare midriff. 'Cause I doubt this bunch is carrying much of a first-aid kit!

At one point, they heard a helicopter circling overhead. Joe motioned for everyone to get down-when Anne hesitated, he had hit her hard across the back of her knees with his switch. Julie saw the girl crumple from the impact and the unexpected pain. She got down and stayed down-- her face in the dirt--until Joe told her to get back up.

Julie could see that Anne was crying-silently--when they resumed the walk up the path.

Finally, after what seemed days, they reached another clearing-this one opening out into a dirt road of some kind. Two vehicles stood in the clearing-a pick-up truck and a four-wheel drive Jeep of some kind.

Joe pulled them to the pick-up truck and tied the end of the rope he had been holding to a metal hook on the vehicle's bed. Then he, Charlie, and Paulie strode to the back of the truck and pulled the plastic bed cover off. Underneath was a heavily-used metal base, still dirty from whatever had been its last load.

"Okay, ladies." Joe stepped back-this time to Julie's side. "This is gonna be your ride." He reached up and removed the loop from Julie's neck. "It's not the most comfortable truck in the world," he locked a big hand around Julie's upper right arm and led her to the rear of the truck. "But it'll do the job."

From the back of the truck, Julie could see that there had been a couple of additions to the vehicle's standard features. He's added a bunch of O-bolts, her eyes ran over them. Looks like ten or twelve of them. For a second, she wondered what they might be for-then, as Joe grabbed a fistful of her hair and ordered her onto the truck bed, she realized the truth. They're to hold us down!

And so they proved to be. Julie was quickly dragged to the front of the truck, then forced to lay, face down, on the dirty metal base. A rope was looped around her ankles, tied and cinched, then pulled to one of the bolts and fastened in place. Her hands were untied, pulled forward, and retied above her head where they too were fastened to one of the bolts. A final rope was pulled across her midsection and run around an eyebolt in the bed of the truck-holding her firmly right where they wanted her.

Julie knew she was helpless, and remained so as Tori, Hilary and Anne were forced onto the truck and tied, each in the same way.

When Joe was satisfied that the girls were secure, he and the others pulled the cover back over the truck bed, leaving the women in darkness and a humid heat that each knew would just get worse the longer they were held inside.

Julie moaned in fear as the truck started. I should have run when I had the chance! Moans and groans from the other girls joined hers as the vehicle bumped over the dirt road, knocking the half-clad women from side to side, creating new bruises on knees and hips. I might have made it! The truck took a wide turn, than settled down on what must be a real road. Now...

The truck speeded up; taking the girls they knew not where.

Now I'm at their mercy!