Lockhart Ch. 3

[btl-special]

Plot synopsis: Lexi's journey takes her to the woods and her enemies become suspicious.

Contains: uniform stealing, bound women, lethal/nonlethal take downs

Lockhart
Chapter 3
Training Day

The pumping bass of dance music echoed in the Ibizan port where a superyacht was docked. Its decks were packed with partygoers, a who’s who of European music execs and their partners and entourages. Ursula Bjerke was 32, a dinosaur if you were a woman in this scene. Doctors had made her face perfect in that cookie cutter sort of way and they provided her with a hefty set of implants. She hung out at the bar smiling vapidly and nodding while a man twice her age rambled on about the third mansion he just purchased. She excused herself and headed over to the pool area.

Raul, a music producer and her current boyfriend, was busy schmoozing around a group of models in a large hot tub. Ursula cut in over the crowd of tittering opportunists. “Baby, where is the bathroom again?”

“Down the hall next to the bar at the end you make a little u-turn and it’s the first door on the right.”

“What?”

Raul was already continuing his story. Ursula began to try and get his attention again but just rolled her eyes and stormed off. They’d only been dating a couple of months. As mad as it made her, she couldn’t blame the hot tub bimbos for drawing his attention. She was the same way a decade ago.

Lost in a corridor of doors, Ursula began opening them and peeking her head in, hoping she might stumble upon the right one. She didn’t know why they made the bathroom so hard to find on these things. There should have been signs. She popped open another door and her jaw dropped, two nude women were struggling on the floor, both were hogtied, gagged, and looked at Ursula with wild, intense eyes.

“Oh my— ” right before Ursula could finish she was grabbed from behind and choked to sleep.

A gorgeous blonde stepped in from the other section of the room, adjusting her teal bikini, with a curious look on her face. “Where did she come from?”

“I told you to lock the door.”

“My bad.”

Gianna set the body down and shook her head and went to make sure the door was locked this time. Her sister, Isabel, stepped over the two bound partygoers and crouched over their new guest. Ursula wore a purple sarong dress over a white bikini swimsuit.

“Shitty nose job,” Isabel said.

“Looks better than yours.”

“We had the same doctor you idiot.”

They were almost identical although Isabel was a year older. Isabel pulled Ursula’s dress down and peeled off the strapless bra holding Ursula’s breast to reveal her large spray-tanned mammaries. “Fuck, look at these. Who did this to you, girl?”

Ursula had that double-basketball look on her chest that old 90s pornstars had. Gianna’s interest was piqued. She cupped her own breasts proudly, “Fat transfer is where it’s at. Bitch should have done her research.”

“I want to go up another size.”

“Me too but dad was giving me shit about that the other day, saying how we spend too much time on social media posting pictures for thirsty perverts.”

Isabel’s eyes went big, suddenly remembering. “Did dad tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Someone whacked Meredith and then, like, two weeks later Constance Delpy got hit at her house.”

“Oh, yeah! That was so crazy. I mean, not Meredith, but I can’t believe that about Constance. She’s been out of the business for six years or something.”

“Did you see the pictures?”

“No, you have them?” Gianna asked, excited as a golden retriever.

Isabel took her phone out and scrolled through a gallery of images, half of them were of her and her sister, pictures they posted online for her followers, the other half were women they had either bound or killed until finally she stopped at a naked Meredith Downes sitting on the floor in front of a desk with her legs spread wide and cash stuffed in her mouth.

“Traitor?” Gianna scrunched her nose.

“They wrote it on Constance too.” Isabel skipped to the next pic.

“Wow, look at her body. She’s got the nicest tits. Those have to be fake.”

“If they’re fake I want the name of her doctor. Anyway, dad thinks it might be one of Lockhart’s old employees.”

“He killed all of them though. Why would they wait, like, ten years? That’s kind of lame.”

Their father, Alden Crowe, had been the business manager for Leonard and Katya Lockhart’s firm of professional “infiltration” specialists. Isabel and Gianna had been young teens at the time of the fallout, what they could remember was it had been over money. Crowe and a large group of the talent were unhappy with the amount of profit the Lockharts kept for themselves. On top of that, Lockhart refused to take on certain contracts he felt didn’t match with the firm’s morals or would be in a conflict of interest with other firms they had good relations with, limiting potential income.

“Send those to me later,” Gianna said. She walked over to Ursula and undid the sarong dress. “I’m taking this.”

“I’ve got dibs on her jewelry,” Isabel replied.

They stripped Ursula of her things and tied her up. They didn’t need a third bikini but they took it for the sake of consistency and used it to gag the semi-conscious Ursula.

“Come on, let’s find that damn laptop and get out of here. Someone’s probably going to notice these girls are missing soon.”

“They’re all drunk and high off their balls. We’re fine.”

Isabel and Gianna gathered up the two other women and stuffed them into a massive luxurious wardrobe. They picked up Ursula and managed to cram her in.

“Hold on.” Isabel held out her phone and centered the bound women in frame. “Say Ibiza!”

“Should we put them to sleep?” Gianna waved some blue syringes.

“Ugh, too much work. They aren’t getting out of here anyway,” Isabel said as she checked the new picture on her phone. “Let’s go.”

The two women screamed mutedly in their gags. Ursula had just begun to stir and come to. With some effort, Gianna jammed the door closed and gave it a knock. “Bye, girls!”

***

“Take it easy, Lexi. You still need to maintain a training regimen,” Nigel said.

Lexi was shoveling up diner breakfast food. “I’ve been in a car for six hours listening to nothing but Elvis songs.”

“Do you want to pick the music?”

“Can I?”

“No, leave The King alone.”

It was a couple of hours after lunch rush and only a few other patrons occupied the diner, comfortably out of listening range. Nigel waved for the sole waitress. “Ma’am, may we have another pitcher of coffee and the check, please.”

“Sure, anything else for your daughter?”

Lexi choked and stared at Nigel, wide-eyed. Nigel smiled warmly at the waitress and shook his head, “No, ma’am, thank you.”

The waitress cheerily sauntered off. Nigel looked back at Lexi who had her hand over her mouth and was trembling to suppress laughter. Nigel gnashed his teeth. “Is that funny to you?”

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry, Nigel,” Lexi said between laughs.

“There’s nothing wrong with looking your age. Maybe I look great for my age. She probably thought you were a teenager.”

“I’m twenty-two. I can still pass for a teenager.”

“And how many twenty-two-year olds drink three milkshakes in one sitting?”

“It’s my cheat day. You’re the one with musical tastes from two generations ago.”

Nigel shook his head and skimmed his phone. “We got nothing off of Constance’s belongings. Hopefully India will produce more information.”

“We found Meredith with almost no leads.”

“After nearly two years and a lot of money.”

They paused when the waitress returned with the check and thanked her. Nigel began shuffling cash in his wallet. “Which reminds me: the spending budget is getting low. It wasn’t cheap finding contacts to monitor India’s security consulting agency.”

“And we’re running low on syringes.”

“In any case, India has been training law enforcement and security personnel. We need to assume she’ll be heavily armed at all times. I know you don’t want to use guns on any of these ‘hits’ but you need to be prepared to defend yourself lethally this time.”

“I’m not going to shoot India. I need her clean.

Nigel had only vaguely got a sense of Lexi’s parents’ business. They had kept that relatively secretive during their years of friendship. He understood it better now. When it came to killing, these assassins prided themselves on being able to sneak up right next to their targets. Kills were up close and personal. They took pride in their victories, displaying them like trophies and relishing in the degree of difficulty needed for the bloodless kill.

This was a stark contrast to the pragmatism Nigel had used in the military and later in his career in British intelligence. Everything would have been sniper rifles and car bombs.

“I hope you would reconsider my offer at least for this mission. It would make sense to have me nearby somewhere — ”

Lexi was already rolling her eyes.

“Just in the absolute, absolute, absolute event of an emergency.”

“I know it sounds dumb but I need to do this alone and I can’t have them knowing anyone else is involved and drag them into this. They’ve killed enough people.”

“Ok,” Nigel raised his hands, “I just want to make sure we don’t treat all of these like kamikaze missions. There are precautions we can take while still adhering to this bizarre honor system or whatever you call it. We lose the element of surprise with each passing day and every target we take out. Constance did not know about Meredith but we can assume it is likely India has found out about Constance’s death.”

“I got it.”

“Now, there’s a training seminar this weekend at a place called Camp Mewer, north of the city in the middle of the woods. India’s going to be the instructor. It’s invitation only.”

“Well, I’m sure someone wouldn’t mind giving us their spot.”

***

Regina Perez, 29, had served a tour in Iraq before she became a police officer and eventually transitioned to the SWAT team. She was 5’5 and stocky with muscles. Regina spent most of her free time in the gym, a habit she picked up when she was deployed. Her skin was naturally tan and her hair short.

Their department had some kind of deal with the Fallon Defense Group, a Californian security agency that provided high-level tactical training. Every month, one of their team was forced to attend FDG’s training seminars that consisted of long classroom sessions and field courses. At the end of the weekend they’d return to teach the rest of the team what they learned. Unfortunately the guy scheduled to attend had gotten sick, Regina was picked to take his place.

She had attended only one of these seminars before. That one was held on a military base in the city and they got to go home at the end of the day. This seminar was located out in the sticks at Camp Mewer and required onsite lodging. All expenses were covered but she was dreading being cooped up in the woods for the weekend.

She showed up in her service fatigues; a navy combat blouse, matching trousers, and black hiking boots. She had packed some clothes for the weekend and her tactical vest. They’d had been instructed to bring their department weapons for the field courses. Ammo would be provided on site.

At the front desk, a woman checked her name on the list and provided the key for the room Regina had reserved as well as an ID badge. It had Regina’s profile picture on it that she had snapped and emailed them by request a week prior.

The students would not assemble in the main area for another two hours so she had time to get settled in. The lodging was basically a cheap motel disguised to be ‘outdoorsy’ with log materials and rustic embellishments. Her room was tiny. The only furniture was the nightstand, bed, and a dresser.

When the door shut, Lexi stepped out from her hiding spot in the corner of the room into Regina’s blindspot. She gave a quick kick to the back of Regina’s knee. Regina shrieked briefly and fell to her knees. Lexi elbowed the side of her head, stunning her. She locked her in a choke and easily put the ambushed woman to sleep.

Lexi had her wireless headphones on. They were linked to her phone in handsfree mode. She tapped on them to unmute her call.

“You were saying?”

“Once you have the badge just insert it face up in the device and hit the red button,” Nigel said.

Lexi took the badge Regina had dropped on the floor. From her own backpack, she removed a big, black brick that had three buttons on the side. She inserted Regina’s badge into a slot at the top of the brick marked ‘INSERT.’ She hit the red button and the brick whirred and hummed for a minute. Regina’s badge popped back out. At the bottom another card popped out a slot marked ‘RETRIEVE.’

It was warm from the printer and featured the photo Nigel had taken of Lexi in place of Regina’s. Lexi held the two cards up side by side. The lettering on her’s was not as sharp and the card felt different in her hands but a quick glance would not show the card was a copy.

“Where’d you get this thing?”

“It’s a little gem I stole from Q-Branch.”

“From what?”

“Never mind, it’s a movie reference. It can’t make copy of complex cards with watermarks and holographic strips but it will fit our needs.”

“Can you imagine the dough we can make duplicating Costsco membership cards? I mean, can you?”

“You may have just solved our money woes.”

Lexi rolled Regina over and began unbuttoning the SWAT officer’s shirt. She pulled it off and revealed Regina’s muscled arms. She had tattoos on both, an American flag on her right deltoid being the most prominent. Lexi sat Regina up to take the white tank top she was wearing.

“Hmm, she’s a gym junkie.” Lexi was glad the takedown had gone a lot smoother than it had gone with Cee. Regina wasn’t as tall as Cee but she was more evenly muscled, especially in the upper body area. The SWAT girl looked like she could’ve given Lexi quite a fight.

“Hold on, she’s arrived?”

“She’s with me here in the room.”

“You’ve knocked her out already?”

“I’m multi-tasking.”

After unlacing and removing Regina’s boots, Lexi undid Regina’s belt and trouser buttons. She slid these off and left Regina in a plain bra, panties, and socks. Lexi would keep her own under garments.

She got some restraints and a ball gag out and secured Regina in a hogtie. Lexi took her sneakers off and removed her clothes; jeans, a t-shirt, and ball cap. She began putting Regina’s uniform on over her strapless black bra and thong.

They had stupidly not had the foresight to photograph Lexi with a wig when they uploaded her mugshot to the brick. They only realized it once they had perused the badges at the desk to find a room to break into. She ditched her black wig and sported her own blonde pixie cut to match her new badge.

Lexi was buttoning up the blouse when Regina fully regained her senses. Lexi smiled politely, “Sorry but I’m going to borrow your clothes for a little bit.”

Regina writhed wildly in her restraints, her countless gym hours useless in the position she was in. She stared horrified at the strange woman wearing her clothes.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Good luck.” They hung up.

She grabbed Regina’s bound wrists and ankles and started dragging her to the only hiding place in the room, the bathroom. Regina protested in her ball gag and bucked her hips futilely to escape.

“Don’t worry, this seminar looks like it’s going to be really boring. I don’t think you’ll miss anything interesting.”

She closed the door to the bathroom and started going through Regina’s bags, the bound woman’s faint, muffled pleas went ignored.

In Regina’s things, she found a police department ball cap. She paired that with her own sunglasses. She took Regina’s wallet, phone, and keys. All of these went into Lexi’s backpack which she decided would stay with her during the seminar. In a large black duffle bag, she found Regina’s department-issued carbine, the usual 5.56 AR-15 style model modified with accessories and a shorter barrel for urban fighting. Regina also had a black vest in the bag and a 9mm pistol.

She showed up to the main area an hour later with her newly procured clothes and gear. A woman with FDG greeted them and gave them the itinerary then led them a small classroom. There were a dozen students and only one other woman besides Lexi. All were dressed similar; hiking boots, polos, fatigues of various patterns, and baseball caps. Everyone with exposed arms seemed to have tattoos. Lexi also looked to be the youngest in the room.

A woman walked in with sunglasses, her brown hair styled in a pompadour tied back into a ponytail. She had one arm sleeved in tattoos while the other was bare. She wore a compression t-shirt that showed off her athletic frame and military-style cargo pants.

The woman took her glasses off and spoke with an English accent. “I’m India Adams. Welcome, everyone.”

Nigel and Lexi had some info on India from Lexi’s father’s salvaged files and what little Nigel’s techs could scrape. She was 32, a Londoner, who currently had dual citizenship in the US. Like many of the Lockharts’ prospects, she had played sports in secondary school before attempting to join the military. Lexi mother, Katya, evaluated India then and promptly recruited her. After, the business with the Lockharts, India followed a more typical career path working for several private military companies and providing security across the globe before joining FDG.

Lexi fought to stay awake in class while they went over videos and diagrams outlining movement and positioning in various threat scenarios. India spoke in a posh accent with no hint that she had been a professional killer at one point in her life. She was as engaging and spirited as one could be when discussing the principles of returning fire under stress.

While the lights were dimmed and another video was played. Two men on Lexi’s right muttered to each other under the video audio.

“India is kind of hot.”

“I’d like some range time with her.”

“I love that accent too.”

“Girls with British accents are so hot.”

Mercifully, the class portion ended and there was an hour-long break. Lexi headed to the main lounge where there were refreshments. Lexi sipped on some free stale coffee and stared at the only TV on the premises, a big flat screen mounted in a den-like area. Some kind of celebrity news show was playing. A former girlfriend of Real Madrid star Alvaro Delgado had been assaulted and robbed while she was partying on a boat. She was tearing up in an interview.

“I woke up and I had no clothes….I couldn’t see anything…” the blonde victim sobbed.

“Hey,” someone snuck up and nudged Lexi’s elbow. “I’m India.”

“Regina,” Lexi said, shaking India’s hand.

“So how long you’ve been in law enforcement?”

“I joined the academy right out of high school. I always really just wanted to join SWAT but I knew you had to become a cop first. My lieutenant thought my weapons skills were on point so he was able to pull in a favor for me.”

“I was going to say. You usually need some experience to join or come out of the military. How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine, I’m as not as young as I look. I get that a lot. But yeah, my lieutenant is a cool guy.”

“Sorry if that sounded rude. I started when I was young too.”

“India,” one of the FDG staff members signaled her.

“Ok, well, I’ll see you out on the range. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

It had been overcast all day and only looked gloomier when the students gathered on the shooting range and obstacle course that had been set up in a clearing half a mile away from the lodging area. They loaded their weapons up from an assortment of ammo boxes arranged on a table. They paired off with some FDG staff members while India made the rounds and gave instruction.

During shooting drills, Lexi was hitting around 60-70 percent when she wasn’t stationary and the target was outside of ten meters. She was competent with firearms but just that: competent. It had not been a focus of her father and mother’s training curriculum and any shooting done was usually at very close range. Nigel had a military background and provided her a crash course in what he knew but until Lexi planned on doing squad-based combat and employing infantry tactics, soldiering skills were not a priority.

“Are you ok?” India squinted down the the mini-obstacle course Lexi had just run, a little taped-off lane the shooter charged down while hitting paper targets and advancing between successive rubber tire arrangements used as cover.

“I actually hurt my elbow training the other day. I can’t keep my arm steady at all.”

“No worries. As long as you’re getting the mental part down.” India patted her on the back and moved on to the next student.

They cleared out fake rooms set up in plywood mazes and closed the day with some instructing and practice focused on vehicle-based security with a VIP. The sun, what was visible through clouds, was just about down at that point. They did some summarizing and Q&A before deciding to pack things up.

India walked up alongside Lexi as they returned. “I hope your hand feels better.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

“Get some rest. We start early tomorrow. I saw you dozing off in class.”

Lexi laughed uncomfortably. “You saw that?”

India looked around suspiciously and said to Lexi quietly, “They’re very dull classes. I don’t blame you. Have a good evening.”

India was splitting away from the lodging area and heading towards a black Suburban, a hefty SUV with ample rear cargo space.

“You’re not heading back?”

“When we have seminars at the camp here I like to hang out at a spot a couple miles up the trail and be alone and relax. It overlooks the lake. I kind of just meditate and decompress.”

“In the woods by yourself at night?”

“I take some of my guys with me. Plus, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

Lexi watched them walk off. India had four armed FDG personnel with her, two women and two men in matching black polos, ammo vests, and tan pants. She waited for them to drive off before heading to Regina’s room and dropping off everything except her backpack. They had unloaded the weapons at the range. Lexi’s own 9mm pistol that she had packed was the only firepower she had now. She’d didn’t expect to get into a full-blown firefight with trained shooters armed with rifles in the woods but it was better than nothing.

She navigated the trees as quickly as she could, making sure to stay just off the path and out of sight. It was getting dark but there was still plenty of light to spot her trying to sneak through the woods. She passed the two male guards that were strangely hanging out alone on the path and having a smoke. A couple of hundred yards further, she spotted one of the female guards on her phone. A long jog from there, past the view of any of the guards, she saw India sitting alone in an open picnic and grill area, the Suburban parked nearby. Her back was turned to Lexi.

Lexi drew the 9mm and slowly crept up until she was just a few meters away with her gun raised. "Don't move, India."

India tilted her head a bit as if she barely heard Lexi. She remained seated, legs crossed, hands on her knees, not turning around. Lexi paused. Something wasn't right.

"Are you alone?"

India casually fiddled with her nails.

"Hey! Answer me."

Lexi's arms were struck by something hard and her handgun bounced away on the ground. Another blow hit her from behind and she fell forward but recovered with a somersault and spun to face her attacker.

India stood in front of her dressed exactly like the 'India' that was still sitting in the chair. Lexi’s attacker was the genuine India, it was more obvious now that the woman in the chair had her hair styled a little differently and the pattern of tattoos was not as dense as India’s. India had a handgun trained on Lexi.

“I can’t believe she fell for that,” real India said to her partner. The fake India picked up Lexi’s gun and pocketed it.

"Ok, embarrassing," Lexi mumbled.

“You snuck up here pretty fast but your detective skills are about as shit as your shooting. You don’t pass for a cop or soldier,” India said. “You’re a little too skinny for the job description. What’s your real name, Regina?” India asked. "Do you work for Miyamoto?"

"I don't know any Miyamoto,” Lexi eyed the fake India. “I’m Lexi. Let’s just say you hurt some people close to me in your previous life.”

India smiled. She lowered her pistol and handed it to Fake India. “Lexi, I suppose you're here on some righteous obligation to seek retribution for a loved one."

“Bingo."

India snickered. She stood relaxed and gestured Lexi forward. "Ok, come on then."

Lexi took off her backpack and tossed it aside. She rushed in with jabs and front kicks. India twitched her head left and right, letting the strikes glide by mere inches and slapping away the ones that came too close. She caught one of Lexi's arms and performed a judo throw by locking her leg around Lexi's and throwing the smaller girl over her hip. Lexi crashed in the dirt with a choking cough as all of the wind whooshed out of her lungs. India took Lexi's back quickly and applied a rear choke but the skinny blonde was fast. She tucked her chin and pulled India's support arm away before it could lock Lexi in. Lexi ducked her head through the choke arm and grabbed one of India's legs, spinning the older girl to the ground. Lexi was on top and trying to get a choke of her own.

"I'm good," India called out, sensing Fake India was prepared to help. "Stay there."

India bucked her hips from the ground and both women went somersaulting, balled up together with limbs intertwined. India shoved herself off and was back up in a fighting stance. She did not give Lexi any chances this time. The girl was halfway up before India delivered a sweeping kick that struck the side of Lexi's skull and sent her flopping back into the dirt.

Lexi got up on all fours and stumbled like a newborn calf before she collapsed again face down. India kicked the body over. Lexi's head rolled about, her eyes swimming and then rolling back into unconsciousness.

"She's a feisty one," India said.

The other India chuckled. "You had me worried for a second."

"Experience over youth, every time."

"What do you want me to do with her?"

"I'm going to have some fun with her. Leave the truck, go get the others and hike back to camp. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” She didn’t want anyone to witness what she was going to do to her would be assassin. Fake India handed Real India her sidearm and left.

India checked Lexi’s bag first and found the sort of kit that she used to be very familiar with which included some wigs, restraints, and bungee cords. India fetched a locked syringe case from the pack. She kept a multitool on her belt and she used it to crack the case open. Blue, red, purple, and green: the palette of poison brought back fond memories.

She got to undressing Lexi, confident that hikers during these hours were rare. She piled the stripped SWAT uniform and Lexi’s socks on top of the unlaced boots before simply snipping the bra and underwear from Lexi’s body. She used zip ties to secured Lexi’s wrists and then lifted the naked girl up and looped the bound wrists on a low tree branch.

She felt up Lexi’s arms and legs. The girl was deceptively skinny. It wasn’t for lack of nourishment but body fat. Lexi was all tight muscle on a lean frame. Lexi had given India a bit of a scare when they fought. It had been a while since she’d been challenged like that as minimal as it was.

She discarded the SWAT clothes and boots in a nearby bin with Lexi’s underwear. She didn’t know where the real Regina was but she didn’t want to be carrying around the hot items with her.

India grabbed a handful of Lexi’s hair and patted the blonde’s face until she began to stir, “Come on, girl.”

“Oh, poop,” Lexi groaned, her head pounding. She felt cool air graze her nethers and without looking she knew she had been stripped. Her wrists were tied to a tree branch above. It made her stand on the tips of her toes.

“So, who are you, Lexi? Who did I knock off that put you in such a pissy mood?”

“I’m Lockhart’s daughter.”

India looked confused at first but put it together after a beat and her eyes lit up. "That clever wanker. He had another daughter. I see it now. I can't believe I didn't notice it.”

She circled Lexi and gave the younger girl’s body a thorough examination. Lexi had a completely shaved mound and a very tight but round backside.

“You might be scrawny but you have a nice little bubble butt on you. You must work on your squats a lot,” India palmed one of Lexi buns and gave it a squeeze. “Do you play for both teams like your sister?”

Lexi remained calm and shrugged, “Depends on the mood. I never really put a label on it.”

“My old contacts told me about Cee. I saw the crime scene photos as well. You’ve got your mom’s style. Cee might have been out of the game for a bit but I was surprised you took her down. How’d you pull that off?”

“Spunk and a can-do attitude.”

“I liked Cee but I’m kind of glad you took out Meredith. That cunt had it coming to her. She’d sell anyone out to cover her own ass.”

“All of you sold out when you went against my father.”

India simply smiled. “You know, me and Cee were the ones that handed Lucy to Crowe. Cee didn’t want to do that to Lucy. They were really good friends. I had to talk her into it.”

“Not good enough apparently.”

“We put her under for a bit and tied her up. It was Cee’s idea to stick that toy in her twat…pervy girl. She always had a thing for your sister. What Crowe and his boys did to her, however, was grotesque.”

“You don’t need to remind me of that part. I got the synopsis.”

India made a mock expression of concern. “I’m sorry. That was cruel of me.”

India drew a massive Bowie knife from her belt. It hard a large, thick, curved handle. The huge, bulbous pommel was transparent amber with a spider inside. She held it up to Lexi’s face. “This is what they killed her with. They gave it to me as a gift afterwards.”

“How nice of them.”

“So, what should I do to make you pay for Cee and trying to kill me? Or rather, what should you do for me?”

“Untie me, I’ll show you.”

“You are a spunky bird.” She smirked. “Maybe I should turn you over to Crowe. He’d love to be able to claim that he took the heads of three Lockhart women.”

“You know where he is?”

“I know people who know people that can get in touch with his people. No one sees Crowe these days.”

“So who do you keep in touch with?”

“Nosy, bitch. We can talk more later.” India took one of the blue syringes. “First, we need to move you somewhere more private and I know just the place.”

***

Oh Girl by The Chi-Lites was blasting on the radio. India was humming along. As the Suburban bounced over rocky terrain, Lexi awoke. They must have not been driving far at all if India didn’t even bother tying her up. Lexi closed her eyes when the vehicle began to slow.

The song’s chorus was still blaring when India popped the trunk and leaned over Lexi. She hummed while running her fingers down the girl’s cheek, traced her lips, stroked her neck, and then glided over to cup one of Lexi’s modest breast.

“If your father could see you now,” India chuckled.

Lexi threw her legs up and trapped India’s arm and head with her thighs. She took the woman by complete surprise and had India’s other arm secure with her hands before India could try and reach for a weapon. Lexi knew she only had one chance and she locked her ankles behind India’s back with everything she had. India made a guttural retching sound. Her legs kicked behind her outside the truck’s open hatch and she was out in seconds.

“I think my father would have liked that. Freaking witch,” Lexi spat.

She grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat and took one of the red syringes, feeling truly lucky that India had been in a sadistic mood. Had India just pragmatically used one of the fatal syringes, Lexi would have been finished. After the trouble India had given her, Lexi wasn’t going to take chances with the slow-release purple syringe.

Kneeling on top of India, Lexi gave the fatal farewell. She kept her weight pinned on India while the woman convulsed for a minute. Unlike Meredith, India was unconscious for the rough effects of the red toxin. Her mouth foamed and she made some gurgling noises but remained under.

When she was sure India would not come back for another round, Lexi got off of the body and sat in the trunk of the Suburban to catch her breath. Her head still felt weird and adrenaline was pumping in her veins. It looked like India had driven them to some small shack at the top of a ridge overlooking the lake.

Lexi’s father had taught her how to build a partial tolerance to the blue syringes when she was young. It was a precise art. Too much or too little would have no effect. By taking the right dose every night before she slept, she was able recover much faster than a normal person. If she ever stopped, it would take months to build the tolerance up again.

There was about an hour window before someone started missing India and it’d be completely dark soon. Lexi popped off the plate carrier armor India was wearing and peeled the form-fitting compression shirt off her body and over her arms. She got a good look at India’s tattoo sleeve, flames, skulls, and other gothic icons from the elbow and down while the upper part of arm was tattooed to look like it was wrapped in the Union Jack. India had a farmer’s tan contrasted by her naturally pale skin. Her breasts were smaller than Lexi’s but she had larger than normal areolae that stood out nicely and a pierced navel.

Lexi removed the utility belt packed with ammo, pouches, and holsters for India’s knife and handgun. India’s hiking boots and pants followed. She wore plain briefs and Lexi removed those to reveal India’s trimmed but full patch of hair.

India had a stronger than average build. Her jaw line was full and she had a prominent nose. She was pretty although not in the traditional sense. Lexi got dressed in the new clothes and dragged India’s naked body towards the shack, making sure to bring the Bowie knife along with her.

The shack was the size of a big tool shed. It had racks and hooks for restraining or suspending what she would assume were people. She could tell that the darks stains on the wooden floor was old dry blood. She drove India’s Bowie knife into the floor.

Lexi did her work as quickly as she could and snapped her pictures when she was finished. She packed any loose gear into the Suburban. Fake India had left with Lexi pistol but she now had India’s: a custom .45 caliber auto with an Earth tone slide and rail light. The grips had been swapped out to for highly-textured rubber ones.

In the Suburban, India had a bag full of her belongings including a laptop and phone. She rummaged through the bag briefly before driving away. Hopefully, they’d get some intel off the gear. Otherwise, all she had next was the name Miyamoto.

She called Nigel. “I’m on the way out. Meet me at the rendezvous.”

“Any trouble?”

“I’ll live. I’ll tell you all about it.”

“See you there.”

***

Somewhere on the coast of Northern California, the headquarters of Blue Ocean Global was built cliffside. Alden Crowe’s expansive office extended over the ocean. One wall served as a giant window looking out into the sea. His book cases and cabinets were hidden in black marble compartments on the opposing wall giving the appearance his office was bare save for his desk and the chairs surrounding it.

Crowe was in a meeting with his business manager, Judith Tress. The 46-year-old woman sat across from Crowe in a guest chair with her bodyguard, Portia, beside her. A lean blonde with aquamarine eyes stood a few paces behind Crowe’s right side. Her demeanor was frosty. She wore a uniform that consisted of a short-sleeve blouse with black epaulets, a black beret and tie, and a matching fitted skirt. The Blue Ocean tidal wave logo was displayed prominently on the beret.

Photographs were scattered on the desk of a very naked and dead India Adams. She was on her knees, her wrists were bound to her ankles to keep her upright. A knife was stuck in the ground between her legs and its handle inserted in India’s vagina. The dead woman’s head was slumped in the photos and the word traitor was written in large print down her torso.

Judith finally put the photo she was examining back on the desk, face-down, disgusted. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

“Because it wasn’t a problem, now it is. We’ll take care of it.”

“How? You don’t even know who did this,” Judith said.

“It was clearly one of the smaller organizations that have been pushing for our business. India was a former employee of ours that had a history with Miyamoto and now she’s dead. Obviously, that’s where we’ll look first. One of India’s guards has a description of the killer. It’s only a matter of time until we pinpoint who fits that description in our database. It will be taken care of.”

“I need to be informed of how serious this is. If these people are getting their hands on information I need to start cutting ties and burning records now.”

The uniformed blonde spoke plainly and monotonously. Her voice fitting her youthful appearance but very cold all the same. “It’s extremely important that both of you remain loyal while this critical situation is developing. Our organization cannot risks any leaks at this time.”

“Of course,” Judith said, calming down. “I’d never do anything that would go against the company.”

“I’m sure Mrs. Tress is just concerned, Katrina,” Crow said. “Judith, my secretary will show you out. I’ll keep you up to date.”

Crowe waited for Judith and her bodyguard to leave. He turned to Katrina. She was his lieutenant and the primary instructor for all of their operatives.

“This is becoming a problem,” Crowe said.

“I told you it was Miyamoto’s people.”

“I’m not so sure. India is with FDG why would Miyamoto target us?”

“India was sorting them out, now she’s dead. Who else can it be?”

“We must have missed someone from Lockhart’s flock. They obviously have details about the knife that was used on Lucy. It would have to be someone trained. This style is too much like Lucy and Katya.” Crowe tapped his fingers on the photos. He could easily recognize the Bowie knife between India’s legs even though it was obscured.

“We didn’t miss anyone that they trained,” Katrina glared at Crowe, insulted.

“How are you so sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s more likely someone close with the Lockhart’s hired professionals. Who would take that assignment besides Miyamoto?”

“Miyamoto isn’t stupid enough to start a war with us over this.”

“Send me and I’ll find out.”

“I’m going to contact Rei. She knows Miyamoto.”

“Rei is independent now, condescending bitch probably won’t even take your call.”

“She will if Miyamoto is involved.” Alden paused in thought and finally nodded. “You should go too. Just be on standby in case I need you.”

Katrina smiled. “I’ll pack my bags.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
End of Chapter. Next Chapter: Family Ties Part 1

[esercito sconfitto]

Btl, don't dare to kill Isabel and Gianna

no, better, start a spin-off story about them and all the women they killed or kidnapped and stripped just for kicks and to enjoy their outfits

and by the way feel free to present in the stories even the teens fallen victims of these criminal sisters


the saga is great so far , but just give the sisters more room

and send me the link of their Instagram

[rufusluciusivan]

Nothing much to say here. The story is in line with the two previous ones quality-wise. There was some good banter between Lexi and Nigel, always a good thing to flesh out your main character by showing her more 'humane' side. The gradual reveal of Lexi's past is handled well. Apparently, they weren't exactly angels themselves, although this would explain Lexi's capacities as well as her absence of scruples when it comes to mugging innocent people. New characters were introduced. I assume that these will be the main antagonists and the story will now enter a new phase.

Quick question if it's not indiscreet: Did you draw inspiration from Kill Bill (for the revenge story) and/or the videogame series Hitman (for the idea of the assassins priding themselves in killing their targets without firearms and innocent casualties) for your story, or is it a coincidence?

[btl-special]

Esercito, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Although I only plan to have Isabel and Gianna appear a few more times (I have this thing outlined for 9 or 10 chapters), spin-off stories are certainly possible whatever their fate might be in this story.

New characters were introduced. I assume that these will be the main antagonists and the story will now enter a new phase.

First, I appreciate all of your comments as always and you are correct. Now that the setting up is out of the way (a little of clumsily on my part), I'm hoping things will move along better with more action. The way I have the next few chapters planned should provide plenty of interesting developments. The next chapter will be the longest (nearly twice the length of chapter 3) but will easily have the most uniform stealing and has been my favorite to write thus far.

Quick question if it's not indiscreet: Did you draw inspiration from Kill Bill (for the revenge story) and/or the videogame series Hitman (for the idea of the assassins priding themselves in killing their targets without firearms and innocent casualties) for your story, or is it a coincidence?

100% on the Kill Bill thing. I make some very direct references to it in an upcoming chapter (not 4 but 5 or 6 I think). The idea of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad obviously lends itself to a lot of ideas in this genre. But I've also definitely picked up a lot of influence from things on this site that also seem to have their own Tarantino vibe. So it's sort of a creative ouroboros.

In addition to countless movies,TV shows, and anime I've seen that have all subconsciously contributed to my creativity, congealing together in a indiscernible ball of uniform-stealing influence, video games have played a huge role even though I don't get to play as much these days.

*I tend to be drawn to any form of media with agents, spies, and assassins when it comes to uniform stealing.

I didn't even notice the Hitman thing until you pointed it out but that makes perfect sense. I haven't played it since the last one on PS3 but I remember loving it a lot. Any video game that involves sneaking about with stealth and choking people out probably influences my writing so far. Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, and Dishonored all come to mind. I think one Metal Gear game (one of the PS3 ones) had a cast of all female bosses and that's something I thought about when I was writing this.