Final Justice (Lorne Simpkins thriller (Book Three)) (21 page)

*  *  *

Lorne was stark naked and standing before Baldwin. Her hands dropped down in front of her trying to shield her pubic area from his searching, amused eyes.

‘Funny that … your daughter didn’t hide her modesty when she was standing naked in front of me.’ He laughed, carefully watching her reaction. ‘Mind you she didn’t really get the chance to, what with my men holding her down whi— ’

‘You disgusting pig,’ she shrieked and ran at him, quickly shortening the space between them, she pounded her fists on his puffed out chest.

Baldwin held firm and allowed her a couple of thumps, before he grabbed both her wrists and squashed them in one of his giant hands. Lorne stopped struggling, finding the pain unbearable, it was so bad she thought one of her bones would snap any second. His other hand stroked its way up and down her nakedness, pausing now and then as he watched her expressions alternate between fear, pain and hatred.

‘Shall I show you how
disgusting
I can be, Lorne?’ he asked, his words full of undisguised meaning.

She gulped noisily and pleaded with her eyes. But as he reached into the pocket of his black suit trousers and pulled out a small tin the size of a Golden Virginia Tobacco tin her grandfather used to carry, she knew no matter what sort of fight she put up against this man there would only ever be one outcome. He had a strength she had never come across before,
you idiot, of course he has, he was SAS wasn’t he?

‘Please, no drugs … I won’t cause you any more trouble … Please.’

He smirked, and flicked off the lid to the tin with his thumb revealing a syringe and a small vial of clear liquid. Her heart sank and her stomach knotted. But then she realised it wouldn’t be possible for him to inject her given their positions. Baldwin seemed to have the same idea, because before she knew what was happening he’d thrown her face down on the bed. Quickly she scampered up to the headboard and covered herself with one of the pillows. Baldwin’s face registered annoyance as he filled the syringe, whilst keeping half an eye on Lorne.

‘No. Please … I’m begging you!’ Lorne decided to play the role of a damsel in distress, while her mind actively searched for a way out of her difficult situation.

‘As they say in all the best Carry
On
films
,
Lorne, you’ll only feel a little prick.’ His satanic laughter filled the room. As he walked towards the bed, her face showed signs of fear, but inside her determination was growing all the time. Closer and closer he came with a knowing smirk twisting his mouth.

Wait, not yet. Be patient.
With one hand clutching at the pillow shielding her body she reached behind her and felt for the lamp. Baldwin’s eyes were fixed on hers as the brass base of the lamp felt cold to her touch. He climbed onto the bed and kept coming towards her. Lorne dropped the pillow to hold his attention, his lecherous eyes dropped to Lorne’s breasts. Her plan had worked. She took the opportunity and grabbed the lamp, thump!
Baldwin slumped onto her legs as the heavy base connected with his skull.

Shit, that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Thankfully, Baldwin was out cold, how long that would last was anybody’s guess. Lorne pushed at the heavy man at the same time she tried to free her legs from under him. Panting from her exertions, she finally broke free, ran over to her clothes and quickly threw them on keeping her eye on Baldwin lying face down on the bed, blood seeping from the side of his head.

Finding it hard to believe she’d succeeded in escaping his clutches, Lorne eased open the door, exhaling with relief when she saw the corridor was empty, she’d expected at least one of Baldwin’s men to be standing on guard outside. After pulling the door closed behind her she walked swiftly down the hallway and jumped into the lift.
Hope his goons aren’t hanging around downstairs.

The doors slid back to reveal an almost empty reception area.
Rather than ask for help from the receptionist Lorne ran out of the hotel and into the chilly evening, the street was aglow from the nearby street-lights. Panic gnawed her insides, she ducked down a narrow side road and followed, an old man in a beret accompanied by an old lady pulling a shopping trolley behind her, up a slight hill.

‘Excusez-moi,’ Lorne mumbled, as she squeezed past the pair of them. The man touched his hat and said something in French that she didn’t understand. She smiled and continued down the narrow street, past the backyards, some of which had barking dogs running around warding off would be intruders, until she came to the opening that lead to a busy main road.

Looking first one way then the other, she decided going to the right would be her best option. There was much more traffic travelling in that direction, which was always a good indication, something her father had taught her years ago when she’d first passed her driving test in case she ever got lost.

Lorne cautiously walked down the heaving pavement, dipping into the odd shop doorway pretending to admire their wares, before glancing back in the direction she’d come from keeping an eye open for Baldwin or his men. With the coast clear she set off again in search of a public telephone.

Ten minutes later she located a telephone outside a local Tabac. The next dilemma she needed to overcome was how she would pay for the call, her bag and purse were back in the car with Tony. Frantically she hunted through every pocket but to no avail.

‘Madame?’ A voice startled her, slowly she turned to face a middle-aged man giving her a puzzled look.

Wracking her brain she attempted to recall the few phrases of French she knew, ‘Parlez-vous Anglaise?’

‘Fortunately for you, yes.’ He smiled and put her at ease. ‘Do you need money for the telephone?’

‘Would you mind?’

He dug in the pocket of his suit trousers and came out with a handful of centimes. ‘Take what you want, madame.’

Hesitantly, Lorne messed around with the coins in his palm, but she had no idea which one she needed to make a call to England. She intended ringing her father, back in London, as Tony’s number was on speed dial on her mobile, and she didn’t have a clue what it was. ‘If it’s not too much trouble, I need to ring England,’

Shrugging he handed her a euro coin.

She tapped her foot as the phone rang several times before her father picked up. ‘Oh, Dad. Thank God you’re home.’

‘Lorne? Where are you? How …’

‘Dad I haven’t got time to answer your questions, I need help.’

‘I know. Tony’s been in touch. I’m flying out tomorr— ’

‘No, Dad. Please, don’t come out here. I’m fine, I’ve escaped, but I need to get in touch with Tony quickly. I was wondering if you could ring MI5 HQ for me?’

‘No need for that, love, I have his number right here. Can you hold the line while I ring him on my mobile?’

‘Be quick, Dad, I haven’t much money. I’m in St Etienne.’

Lorne turned to face the man again, exchanged smiles with him, and then cast a worried eye up the road.
Surely Baldwin must have woken up by now and alerted his goons!

‘Lorne?’

‘I’m here, Dad.’

‘Tony’s in the town now. Is there a landmark nearby where you can wait for him?’

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the large building with a yellow sign off to the right. ‘That’s brilliant, Dad. Tell him to wait outside the Post Office for me. If I’m not there when he arrives, tell him to be patient, I’ll probably be hiding in a bush or something just in case Baldwin or his men come looking for me.’

She heard him relay her message to Tony before including her in a conversation again. ‘Lorne, the minute Tony picks you up I want you back on a plane heading home ASAP, do you hear me?’

‘I hear you, Dad, but you know that ain’t going to happen.’

‘Right, then we’ll both be bloody-minded. I’m flying out tomorrow, and I’ll catch up with you in Monaco. Until then stay safe, darling.’

Before she had the chance to argue he’d hung up.

Lorne thanked her knight in shining armour for coming to her rescue, shook his hand, then turned and ran down the road.

A few minutes later she arrived at the Post Office, but felt too exposed standing outside the agreed rendezvous point and quickly ducked behind a parked delivery van. Her neck soon ached from constantly searching all around her, but her panic turned to joy when Tony pulled up outside the large stone building.    

After collapsing into the passenger seat beside the agent, she let out a large breath. ‘Boy, am I glad to see you.’

‘Not half as glad as I am to see you,’ he said. ‘Jesus, Lorne, what did that fucker do to you? He gathered her in his arms. ‘I’ll show you just how much I’ve missed you when we find a hotel,’ he whispered against her ear.

Lorne smiled at the thought of her lying in his arms. Maybe having a broken nose and ripped clothing could be made up for, after all.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

After booking into a less luxurious hotel than the one Baldwin had taken her to, Tony and Lorne entered their room and stood by the door wordlessly staring at each other.
 

The moment lasted for what seemed like hours. Tony was the first to react unable to bear it any longer. He gently grabbed her by the wrist and slowly pulled her towards him. Eyes locked on each other, understanding in their depths, their thoughts and desires radiating for the other to read.

Lorne felt self-conscious about the way she looked, with her torn clothes and bloody face and although Tony eyed her with sympathy, she knew he was too much of a gent to tell her how awful she looked. He lowered his head, their lips barely touching before his tongue began its searching, probing journey.

A satisfying moan caught in her throat that seemed to amuse Tony, pulling away from him she asked, ‘Something funny, agent boy.’

Instead of getting annoyed like he usually did when she called him the detested name, he took a step back and placed one hand behind her knees and swept her off her feet. Seconds later, he placed her gently on the bed and froze. A puzzled look crossed her face, but disappeared when she understood the meaning of his hesitation. Her hand stroked the side of his face she smiled when he trapped it with his own, turned it over and started kissing and licking her palm. An involuntary shiver rippled through her body. Desperate to feel him on top of her, Lorne grabbed him by the lapels and slowly pulled him down.

‘You’re beautiful.’ His lips trailed down her throat, causing her to arch her hips and let out a sigh. His impatient hands tugged at her jacket and shook as he undid the tiny pearl shaped buttons on her blouse.

‘Oh, Tony,’ she whispered, as his mouth sought out the mound of her breast and slipped around her nipple. Her desire level went through the ceiling, urgently she tore off his jacket before ripping open his shirt, not giving a second thought to the fact that they were travelling light and his shirts were in short supply. She ran her hands down his taut chest, past his flat stomach and found the zip of his trousers, easing it down and with a shaking hand she searched out the opening. Tony paused, anticipating her next move.    

Diving pass the folds of his boxers, Lorne stroked a teasing finger up and down his erection, making him suck in a deep breath. Finding the whole seduction scenario too much to take, Tony ripped off the rest of her clothes and his throwing them in a pile on the floral patterned carpet.

‘I’ve wanted you for so long,’ he whispered in her ear before his lips trailed a seductive line down her trembling body, past her breasts, down over her stomach, he kissed her hip bones that were jutting out, begging not to be forgotten, before finally ending up at her very core.

With his tongue probing, and his teeth nibbling the sensitive area, Lorne’s hands gripped and twisted the cover of the bed on either side of her. Her heart thumped loudly as if she had an arrhythmia. Finally, she uttered the words she sensed Tony was longing to hear. ‘Please, take me, Tony. Please.’

He entered her with the ease of a well-oiled piece of machinery, lubricated and ready to perform. Tony towered above her and the changing expressions covering his face fascinated her. It amused her slightly the way his eyes clenched shut. ‘Tony, look at me
,
’ she ordered
,
feeling masterful and in charge of their fate.
His eyelids opened and glistened with desire.

She smiled shyly, feeling suddenly insecure for some reason. Blushing, she turned to look at the wall to her right. Tony paused to ask what was wrong. A single tear slipped down her face. The next thing she knew he had slipped out of her and was tenderly gathering her in his arms. ‘Lorne? What’s up?’ When she didn’t respond, his finger tipped under her chin and pulled her head round to face him. ‘Don’t shut me out, hon.’

‘I’m so sorry, Tony. I want this so much, but …’

Propping himself up on his elbow, he ran his forefinger down her cheek with the gentlest of touches, and his thumb wiped away the tear that had settled there. ‘Then what’s the problem?’

Lorne hesitated, looking deep into his eyes she felt a pang of guilt as she saw the concern evident in their depths. ‘He was going to rape me.’

‘What?’ Tony shouted, he sat up and dragged his fingers down his face, then returned to his position beside her, dragging Lorne into his arms again and placing her head on his chest. ‘But, he didn’t?’ he asked more softly.

For the first time that day, she felt safe, safe and relieved that she hadn’t come to any serious harm, like Charlie had when Baldwin abducted her. She started to play with the soft hairs on his chest and shook her head. ‘No, thank goodness. He had a needle full of clear liquid, I think it was probably heroin he was about to inject me with, but I managed to hit him with a lamp. We were staying in a posh suite, luckily, the lamp was made of brass, so the impact turned out to be substantial.’

‘Ouch!’

‘I was so scared. I can’t believe I even thought of fighting him.’

‘It was probably a combination of things that motivated you. Seeing that he was about to drug and rape you, and then there was the contributing factor of the hatred you felt for him because of the way he treated your daughter. A mother’s love and instincts to protect or avenge more than likely came into play.’