Deep Undercover Ch. 03

"Torres!" Las Casas snarled. "I'll kill the bastard."

"Are you sure it was him?" Hernandez asked.

"It had to be. The last time this room was swept for electronics was the day before the party. He's the only outsider who's been in here since then. His aides didn't even enter the room."

"I don't know," Hernandez said. "He's been loyal for years. He has no reason to turn."

"Apparently he does. Maybe he thinks he can regain his influence with Castro or supplement his retirement by selling us out. Maybe Saltillo made him a better offer. Find out before I return, Mateo. Start with the twins. They'll know what Hernandez was planning. If Saltillo is behind this, we'll need to make our move. I want a full report as soon as I get back."

"Next week?"

"No. Tomorrow night. I'm cutting my trip short."

Las Casas stormed out of the room without saying goodbye to Dana. She was less offended by that omission than she would have expected. At the time, she was too paralyzed to notice.

* * * *

Harris landed in Roatán a few minutes past noon. By the time he retrieved his luggage and cleared customs, it was almost 2:00 in the afternoon. As soon as his bags were in hand, he stopped in a restroom. He opened his suitcases, removed his gun and the ammunition, and loaded the magazine. He tucked the gun into his pants, pulled his shirt over his waistline, and headed for the car rental counter. The Glock 20 made a noticeable bulge in his clothing, so he had to carry the suitcase in front of him to hide it from prying eyes.

* * * *

Dana spent the morning locked in her stateroom on the yacht. Hernandez placed a guard outside the doorway, and another near the staircase. A third guard was stationed on the yacht's rear deck, and a fourth guard patrolled the dock. Hernandez told her they were there for her protection, but Dana was sure they were meant to keep her from escaping.

In the early afternoon Dana heard a knock on the stateroom door. She grabbed a small pocket knife and held it behind her back.

"Come in," she said.

A man she did not know entered the room. He was wearing an automatic rifle on his shoulder.

"Señor Hernandez will see you," the guard said in a disinterested monotone.

"Tell him I'm busy. I'll meet with him in thirty minutes."

"He wants to see you now."

Dana detected a note of menace in his voice that was not present a second ago. She did not know Hernandez' intentions, but based on the messenger's comportment, she guessed that they were not solicitous. Either way, she reminded herself, he was dangerous.

"Who do you work for, Hernandez or Las Casas?" Dana demanded.

"Two weeks ago, I worked for Crespo. But you killed him. Now, I just do what I'm told."

"And I'm telling you I will meet with Hernandez in thirty minutes."

"Señora, some days I get orders from Señor Jorge, and some days they come from Señor Mateo. No one has ever told me that I am to take orders from you. No one. Now let's go."

The man grabbed Dana by the wrist and pulled her out of the room. Dana saw no advantage to fighting with the man, so she let him herd her off the boat and into the house. She was brought to the main room, where Hernandez was waiting for her. Hernandez's shirt was ripped in two places, his ear was torn and bleeding, and his nose was swollen and bloodied. When Dana got close enough, she could see that it was broken. So much for his beautiful face.

"Thank you for joining me," he said. "I need to discuss some things with you. Are you hungry?"

Hernandez waved his arm in the direction of the table, where two places were set. A tray of grilled meats and sausages was on the table, along with a basket of bread and a wedge of cheese.

Dana had not eaten all day, but her stomach was too upset to send a hunger signal to her brain. She tried her best not to tremble when Hernandez took her hand and led her to the table. She took a seat, and sat quietly while a servant carved some meats and cheese and placed them on her plate.

"I'm going to need your help," Hernandez said. "Jorge is returning tonight, and he wants answers when he arrives."

"Tonight? I thought he wouldn't be back until tomorrow."

"This situation is too urgent. He's leaving Crespo's women at his Costa Rican estate and turning back."

"What do you want from me?"

"You've spent more time with the twins than anyone. I want you to interrogate Ana. I've been working on Micaela all day, but so far she hasn't given up anything useful."

"Is that what happened to your nose?"

"Yes. But don't worry, that bitch is in far worse shape. She has to be close to breaking, but if she doesn't survive long enough to talk I'll need you to get the information out of her sister. We don't have much time."

"I've never ... Alright. I'll do it."

"If you succeed, I'm sure Jorge will be extremely pleased. But if you fail, the focus of this investigation may shift to other suspects."

Dana winced. She knew he was referring to her.

"I won't fail. I promise."

"Make sure you don't. I have Micaela in the cellar. Ana is in Maritza's old bedroom. As soon as you find out something, come get me."

"I will."

* * * *

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Dana walked with a purposeful stride that belied her terror. She noted one guard at the bottom of the staircase, another at the top of the stairs, and one outside the room that belonged to Maritza before serving as Ana's cell. She knew all eyes were watching her, but the men did not seem to be regarding her with suspicion. Instead, some of the men were avoiding eye contact with her, as though they were ones with something to hide. It seems that everyone is a little on edge. Everyone except Hernandez.

Dana walked up to the guard standing outside the bedroom doorway. Like the others, he too looked away when she looked directly at him.

"Señor Hernandez sent me to interrogate the prisoner," she said.

"He told me to be expecting you." The man reached into his pocket for the key. He unlocked the door, but did not open it.

"What is your name?"

"Raúl."

"Raúl, lock this door behind me and do not let anyone else enter, unless it is Señor Las Casas or Señor Hernandez. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Señora."

Dana opened the door and stepped inside the room. She pulled the door shut behind herself. A second later, she heard the lock click shut.

As soon as she turned toward the wrought iron bed, Dana saw the reason why the men were so nervous. Ana was lying on the bed, naked. Her wrists were tied to her ankles with coarse ropes, and her legs were splayed at almost a 180 degree angle. Her arms were fastened to the headboard of the old iron bed with lengths of rope, and additional lengths were used to attach her legs to the footboard. She was also gagged and blindfolded. The sheets were soaked in sweat and semen, especially in the area beneath her crotch.

Whoever bound Ana was an expert in rope play. There was an elegance and symmetry to her display that was artistic and--in a perverse way--almost beautiful. She was completely immobilized, and she was definitely in pain. Only someone in peak physical condition and with the flexibility of a gymnast could have survived the process by which she ended up in that position.

Dana removed the gag from Ana's mouth. She left the blindfold in place.

"What do you fuckers want now?" Ana spat. "If you put a dick in my mouth, I swear I'll bite it off."

"Nobody's going to put a dick in your mouth," Dana said.

"You? What do you want? Where's my sister?"

"Hernandez sent me to interrogate you. He's interrogating Micaela."

"What is this about? Take this blindfold off me."

"In time. First, answer some questions for me."

"What do you want? I don't know anything. Micaela doesn't know anything. We haven't done anything except follow orders."

"Who has questioned you already?"

"No one. You're the first person to talk to me since I was brought in here and tied to this bed."

"Who ... tortured you?"

"Do you mean who violated me? Just about everyone, I think. I lost count after the fifth one climbed on top of me. Ten, twelve, fifteen, I'm not sure. Does it matter?"

"No, not really."

"But that's all they've done, so far. No one has asked me anything, and they haven't physically tortured me or even threatened me."

"Listen to me very carefully, Ana. There is video surveillance in this room, but they never installed audio equipment. We're probably being watched, so I'm going to have to act like I'm questioning you--aggressively questioning you. But they can't hear us, so we'll be able to talk. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to remove your blindfold."

Dana stood at the head of the bed. She pulled the small knife out of her pocket and cut away the knotted rag covering Ana's eyes.

"Now untie me," Ana pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that yet. I'm working on a plan, but until we're ready to act on it, you're going to have to remain tied up. Once I free you, we'll have to move very quickly."

"Wonderful. Well, you've always wanted to know what my pussy looked like. Are you enjoying the view?"

"Shut up, Ana. I'm not enjoying this. And I'm afraid you're not going to like what I have to tell you next."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to have to beat you, a little. Anyone watching has to believe that I'm interrogating you."

"Go ahead. It's not like you could hurt me."

Dana realized that she should have stopped at the armory, but the only implement she brought that could be classified as a weapon was the small pocket knife she picked up on the yacht. It didn't make much of an impression. She looked around the room for inspiration, but saw nothing of use. She paced the perimeter of the room, pausing at the window to look out onto the grounds. Pushing the curtains aside, she peered out the window and let her mind wander. She attempted to gauge the hour based upon the angle and length of the shadows forming along the tree line. Between two and three? A little past three, maybe? She stepped away from the window and let the curtain fall into place. Suddenly, she had an idea.

Dana grabbed the curtain and yanked it downward. The screws anchoring the rod to the wall pulled loose and bent. She reached above her head to full extension and grabbed the curtain at its highest point. She lifted her feet off the ground and let the curtain support her entire weight. The rod ripped from wall as she crashed to the floor. She stood up and grabbed the other curtain, pulling the rod entirely free.

After tearing the curtain rod off the wall, Dana pulled the two pieces apart. She placed the longer piece near the door. Grasping the shorter section, she whipped it back and forth and then slammed it against the bed frame. The clanging noise of the metal-on-metal impact reverberated throughout the room.

"OK, bitch, now you're going to talk," Dana said.

"Make sure you hit me on the fleshy part of my thighs," Ana said. "That rod is going to break bones if you miss."

"I'm not planning to hit you that hard."

"Then you're going to get us killed."

Dana brought the rod down on Ana's left thigh, striking her midway between her knee and her crotch.

"Owwww!"

"Was that too hard?"

"Just hard enough." Tears streamed down Ana's face. A red welt appeared on her thigh.

"Your sister is downstairs, in the cellar. Hernandez has been interrogating her all day."

"Torturing her, you mean. We don't have much time, Lydia."

"I know."

"Hit me again."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, damn it. Do it."

Dana hit Ana's right thigh, just above the knee.

"Owwww! Fuck!"

"Are you OK?"

"Yes, goddamn you. That was close. You almost hit my knee."

"I'm sorry."

A welt appeared a few inches above Ana's right knee.

"If you break my leg, I won't be much help to you or Micaela."

"I said I'm sorry."

"Just be more careful, next time."

"OK."

"Where are the guards?"

"There's one outside the door. There's another at the top of the stairs, and another at the bottom of the stairs. I haven't been in the cellar, so I don't know what we'll find when we go downstairs."

"Hit me again."

"No."

"It's alright. Do it."

"I'm afraid I'll break something."

"Then twist my nipples."

"Are you serious?"

"You have to put on a show for whomever is watching."

"I know, but ..."

"Just do it."

Dana put down the rod and leaned over Ana's bound body. The brunette woman's brown nipples were standing at attention on her small, tanned breasts. Dana closed her fingers around each nipple and pinched.

"Is that the best you can do?" Ana taunted. "It feels like you're trying to turn me on. We don't have time to make love."

Dana clenched her teeth and turned her hands in opposite directions.

"You're going to get us killed if they think you're trying to seduce me. Pinch. Harder."

Dana pressed her thumbs against her forefingers and squeezed the little brown nubs. She twisted her wrists from side-to-side, applying more and more pressure until she feared she was going to pull Ana's nipples right off her tits. When Dana looked down she saw tears streaming from Ana's eyes.

"Owwww! Fuck fuck fuck! Damn you!"

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up. Here's the plan. You're going to excuse yourself and go to the surveillance room. It's right next door. You're going to take out anyone in that room, and then come back. You'll lure the guard in here, and then take him out. You'll release me, and then we'll head for the armory. We're going to have to take out anyone between the armory and the cellar, starting with the guards at either end of the stairs. Got it?"

"Ana--I don't know if I can do that."

"What do you mean you don't know? We were training you to be an assassin. Now is your chance to prove that we weren't wasting our time."

"I don't know if I'm ready."

"You don't have a choice. Either you're ready, or we're dead. Those are the options."

"You're right. I don't have any choice."

"Hit me one more time before you go."

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it."

Dana picked up the rod and swung it at Ana's right thigh. Her blow struck dead center between Ana's knee and crotch.

"Owwwwwww! Fuck I hate you fucking goddamn whore."

Dana walked across the room and knocked. The guard unlocked the door and cracked it open.

"I'm coming out for a minute." She pulled the door open and stepped out before the guard could stop her. She walked to the next door and knocked.

"I don't think you can go in there," Raúl said as he stepped toward Dana.

"Are you telling me how to do my job?" Dana snarled.

"No, Señora." Raúl retreated to his post.

The door to the computer room opened, and Dana pushed her way through. The hydraulic door closer sealed the entrance behind her.

* * * *

Hernandez pulled up an old wooden stool he found in the corner of the cellar. He sipped eighteen year old single malt scotch from a crystal tumbler, which he set on the stool between swallows.

In the center of the room, Micaela was trussed like an animal. Her wrists and ankles were bound together behind her back. Her nude body was hanging at shoulder level from a heavy beam that ran the length of the room, and from which a half-dozen other hooks and chains were mounted. Small weights hung from chains clamped to her nipples. Her body was covered with red welts and purple bruises. Whip marks criss-crossed her back, butt and thighs. She bled from her nose and mouth.

Hernandez lit a cigar and blew a cloud of smoke in her face.

"Your sister has already admitted that the two of you planted the bug." Hernandez paused to take another long draw on his cigar. He blew the smoke in her direction and continued. "It was a rather painful confession for her to make, but it was the last thing she said before passing out."

"If you got what you wanted, then why are you still interrogating me?"

"That was helpful, but it wasn't enough. What I want to know is, why? What is Torres up to? Who is he working with? Is Castro giving him orders? Or is someone else paying him?"

"I already told you." Micaela coughed up a mouthful of blood which she spat on the floor. "We didn't do it. El General isn't up to anything."

"Yes, that is what you keep saying. But your twin is telling us a different story. She says that you planted the bug, and that you were the one working with Torres. At this point, I don't know who to believe. One thing I do know, however, is that I will get the truth out of you. One of you is going to tell me everything I want to know. The other will be dead."

"Go to hell, mentiroso, and take your lies with you. If you kill either of us, the other will cut off your balls and feed them to you for your last meal."

Hernandez finished his scotch and then threw the crystal tumbler against a brick wall. Glass exploded in all directions. He reached between Micaela's legs, pinched her clit between his thumb and finger, and squeezed with all his strength.

"Then I'll just have to kill both of you," he snarled.

* * * *

The surveillance room contained two large tables filled with computer monitors, an array of servers mounted in a walk-in closet, several printers, and various devices Dana did not recognize. The room was cooled to an uncomfortably low temperature.

There was one armed man in the room. He returned to his seat in front of the monitors.

"Are you watching the interrogation next door?" Dana asked.

"Yes," the man answered. "I'm monitoring all the cameras."

"Where's Davis?"

"Señor Hernandez sent him into town to pick up a shipment of some new equipment. He was pissed when he found it the audio still wasn't working next door. Davis won't be back for several hours."

"I need to see what happened before I entered the room. I think I missed something important. Can you go back to the point when that puta was first brought in?"

"Sure, just give me a minute."

The man sat at a keyboard and start tapping keys. Dana stood behind him while he pulled up the video and stopped it at various points.

"Almost there," he said.

He tapped a few more keys and then stopped as four men dragged Ana's hooded body into the room.

"This is it."

"Can you burn this part onto a DVD for me?" she asked.

"Sure, just give me one minute."

Dana circled behind the man while he tore open a package of discs. When he bent over to insert a disc into a drive, she swung the rod with all of her strength. The solid iron finial struck him in the head, smashing his skull. He fell out of his chair as a pool of blood spread out on the floor. Dana wiped the rod on the dead man's shirt. She went around the room and pulled the plug on every device before heading for the door. I can't believe I just killed a man in cold blood. What have I become?

Raúl was standing at his post outside Maritza's room when Dana approached.

"Open the door," she said, "and follow me."

"I don't think so. Señor Hernandez ordered me to wait here."

"Did he tell you to ignore my orders?"

"No, Señora."

"Listen, Raúl. I need someone with a big fat cock to fuck that puta in the ass while I ram this rod down her throat. Can you help me with that, or should I find someone else? Someone who isn't a faggot?"

"I'm not a fag."

"Then follow me."

Raúl unlocked the door. Dana pushed it open and walked in, with Raúl trailing a step behind. She walked over to the bed and pointed.

"Go ahead, Raúl, she's all yours. Fuck her as hard and as deep and as rough as you like. But only in her ass. If you put it in her pussy, the whore might enjoy it. That won't help me get the answers I'm looking for."

"No, please, no more," Ana sobbed. "Please don't rape my ass again. Not you, too. Please, Raúl."

"Be a man, Raúl. Either fuck this whore's ass or I'll find someone else who will."