by R. S. Smith
“Now that's what I've been talking about!” declared Gus. “Dallas gets bonus points, Julie gets to send her parents home. I want the rest of you to talk among yourselves and find partners for our next performance. You get extra bonus points if you're two housewives, double bonus points if three for a daisy chain! Remember, whoever has the least amount of points at the end of a day, spends that night outside, naked with all the mosquitoes, no food or water for a day, and vulnerable to any guards in the mood for some fun.”
Both Jessie and Renée were so aroused by the performance that when things wound down, they promptly took her back to their cabin for more sex.
Julie's mom's health had been deteriorating, so when the chance came for them to leave, and their daughter insisted on staying, they cooperated.
“Julie, Renée and I were both impressed by the way you handled that pistol earlier. We'd like to like to train you to kill professionally,” said Jessie. “We're part of what we like to consider an elite unit. It's an on-again, off-again social unit, but we're always keeping an eye out for a new addition and we feel you'd fit in and you could make a lot of money. Are you interested?”
“Of course! I thought I proved that when I shot and killed those two.”
A few nights later, as Jessie, Renée and Julie slept soundly together in Jessie's cabin, they were awakened in their dark room by a surprise guest.
“You guys would be dead right now if you weren't my friends!”
“Oh my God, Ashley! How the hell did you find us? What are you doing here?” asked Jessie.
“Your perimeter is totally vulnerable. Daffy Duck could get in here. I liked your photo that you sent me and took it as a personal invitation to find you. It wasn't hard. All I had to do was look at the picture's background and check news stories to figure out you were in Thailand. Once I was in the country, it was just a matter of asking around in the right places. It was too pitifully easy. Who's the new kid?”
“This is Julie, my new trainee,” said Jessie.
“Jess, your breasts have filled out nicely. Two more inches?” Ashley asked, holding one in her hand.
“Yeah, thirty-fours now.”
“Word has it there will be some mercenaries coming this way. Laura told me when she heard I was coming for a visit. She and her gang are now the top-rated ones on the entire U.S. West Coast! Guess who one of the two teams is that got offered the contract to get you guys?” Laura was the fourth member of their bisexual assassin group.
“Oh what a small world we live in,” said Renée. “Is she coming after us?”
“Of course. If she didn't take the contract, it would have gone to someone else less friendly, and she sees it as an opportunity to look in on her son Richard and the other missionaries. She'll try to stall the other team, impede the search, but based on how easily I got here, you need to get the hell out of Dodge soon. What do I get for helping you?” Ashley asked, checking out Julie's young body. “I need to unwind after my trek here. Why don't you two go back to sleep while your girl tends to my needs?”
“Okay. Julie, go with Ashley. We want her smiling when we get up. See you both in the morning.”
Later at breakfast, Ashley commented “Your girl gives good face. You two are clearly training her for more than killing.”
“Of course. She's off to a good start with both. She's already got two kills.”
“Very nice.”
“By the way, Ashley, what's this I hear about you and Sherry?” Jessie asked.
“That night we spent together after we kidnapped her was so good that I went back for seconds. The submissive maid routine had been so much fun with Joanna, that I decided to try it again with Sherry. The problem is that she's so intimidated by me, it's more the other way around; she's the submissive boss. Her inattentive husband is so much in his own little world that I have fun with it. The other day, I was preparing a grocery shopping list in their dining room and he was busy reading his newspaper only ten feet away. I suggestively rolled my tongue at Sherry and motioned for her to crawl under the tablecloth and do me under the table. Just as I was on the verge of an orgasm, he comes over and starts making requests of things for me to add to the list. He said he was pleased I seemed so happy with my job, but he had no idea it was his wife who was making me smile!”
They all laughed robustly.
“I've been helping her out with her boutique business and have found that I really like it. It may become a partnership,” said Ashley.
“How involved is her husband with the business?” asked Renée.
“He's hardly involved with anything. They don't even have sex anymore. She just increased his life insurance coverage and has hinted to me that she'd like him killed. She figures she'd lose half their assets in any divorce, plus all the attorney's fees, but if he has an 'accident', she gets everything plus the insurance money. Everything seems to be falling into place there for me, business partnership, submissive girlfriend, and the potential sharing of a large death benefit.”
Jessie excused herself and went outside to inform Gus and the guards of the approaching highly-trained mercenaries and of her plan to wrap things up by morning.
Gus gathered everyone together in the center of the compound.
“Do to a change of plans, we're going to have a special party. Your new hostess Renée told me earlier of her special pastime of creating unplanned, extra-marital affairs and pregnancies. In appreciation of all the help she has given us, we're going to indulge her today with an orgy. Any female hostage not enthusiastically participating will see a loved one die.”
He didn't tell them that they were on the verge of being rescued by mercenaries. By now, everyone's willpower had been drained and they gave in to his demands. As the party progressed, and everyone was occupied cooperating, Renée walked around to supervise the activities.
“Oh, thank you, Gus! You have no idea how much this thrills me! You're an inspiration the way you manipulate people!”
“Thanks, babe. Once our lives become more settled, and we're not both so distracted entertaining guests, perhaps you can show me your appreciation in a more personal way.”
“Yes, Master,” she said teasingly.
In the early morning, she packed light, taking only her essentials and some weapons. The surviving guests were loaded onto the cargo truck, bound for Bangkok. The guards were mostly locals and many chose to remain, feeling they could easily blend in with the villagers. Jessie bade farewell to her remaining comrades and grabbed her pack. Gus fired up the old war-torn chopper, as Jessie distributed M-16s and AK-47s to her partners. They gave Julie a crash course in how to use them as they boarded the helicopter.
“Are you sure you want to entrust your sex toy with an automatic weapon, Jess?” Ashley asked. “What's to stop her from shooting us all in the back and letting them rescue her?”
“Everybody saw me murder two other hostages!” Julie shouted back, in her own defense. “I'd be facing a death sentence. I'm committed to this lifestyle. I've made my bed and I'm prepared to lie in it!”
Ashley nodded her okay.
Unfortunately, they had waited too long and as they lifted off, bullets began hitting the metal surrounding them. Gus took a round in his shoulder and lost control of the craft. Jessie seized the stick as the engine began to sputter and she promptly saw why. The fuel gauge was on 'E'!
“Damn it, Gus! Why didn't you keep some petrol in this thing?!”
He could only moan as more gunfire began pelting the cabin area around them. With what fumes of fuel she had left, Jessie circled around the compound to better see what they were up against. They observed a group of four mercenaries, led by a heavyset Asian woman, and then set the bird down in a clearing a hundred yards outside the camp.
“You guys, we have two options,” Jessie informed her group. “I keep a thirty-two foot speed boat in the harbor. It's probably too far to make it there safely on foot under these circumstances. We can either go for it, or get some fuel for the c
hopper. The only gasoline within five miles is in our camp.”
“Let's kick some ass!” exclaimed a charged-up Ashley. The others nodded in agreement.
When they approached the site, the guards were being shot and the prisoners interviewed.
“Those guys have gear to detect body heat,” said Ashley.
“I see night vision goggles, too,” said Renée. “Let's spread out and make our move.”
A few minutes later, the group charged the compound from multiple directions simultaneously, firing off a massive amount of automatic gunfire. They took out one of the mercenaries, but were soon pinned down. Things were beginning to look bleak, when suddenly the tide turned. The big Asian woman took a hit in her head and fell dead. Her remaining two partners were dropped as they ran toward the compound perimeter. The women stood looking at one another, dumbfounded, when Laura and her two partners emerged from the wooded area.
The team of four female assassins was now together again for the first time in over a year. Old disagreements forgotten, they all embraced. Renée hadn't seen Laura's partners Trevor and Alan since the night they had helped in the Manuela killing. Both men were in their late thirties.
“Hi, Trevor, Alan. Sorry I didn't get to know you both better that night, but I was pretty distracted. Thanks again for your help back then. Maybe we'll have some time together now.” She found both men to be ruggedly handsome.
Julie was eager to meet them and introductions were made. She was impressed with the performance and camaraderie of the group.
“We need to mop up here,” said Laura. “We get a bounty for each of your dead guards, the so-called terrorists, plus a finder's fee for each guest we return. We won't have to split it with that other team now, so that helps. We'll blame the mercenary killings on the other dead guys.”
“I can find only enough fuel for the chopper to make it to the harbor,” announced Jessie. “I have an escape boat docked there. Let's head to it when we're done here. In case we get separated, look for the boat named 'Lethal One'.”
“I want to stop and see my son Richard tomorrow,” said Laura. “Can you take me there, Jessie”
“Sure. It'll be fun seeing the missionaries again. The feeling may not be entirely mutual though.”
“After that, we have a new job if anyone is interested,” Laura announced. “Thailand has over seventy provinces in six different regions. A Laotian princess has become engaged to a provincial prince and they are to be married within a few weeks. Our own country's government wants it prevented, as it could potentially shift the balance of power in that region in an unfriendly, disagreeable manner.”
“What department of the government does that?” asked Jessie.
“I don't know, and frankly I don't care. Maybe the CIA or the NSA, possibly somebody in the Department of State. They contact me in a variety of ways. Sometimes we meet clandestinely in a parking garage or someplace similar, I never see their faces, the jobs get done and the money magically makes its way to me. Raiding a Royal Palace and taking on a Royal Guard echelon is probably too much for just us three, so we thought we'd invite you all to join us on this one.”
“Do they want them terminated?” asked Ashley.
“Both are sanctioned kills, either one alone would be enough. All we have to do is make sure the marriage never happens.”
“Maybe we should simply kidnap her. What does a Laotian Princess go for on the black market these days?” asked Renée.
“Gotta be a million easy,” said Alan.
The preferred choice became obvious.
“Does anyone know what a princess tastes like?” asked one of the women.
“Not yet, honey, but me thinks we're gonna be finding out,” said another.
They all laughed.
The guards that survived the attack scattered and disappeared into nearby villages. The remaining group mopped up the area, then Laura and her team departed with the hostages and various dead bodies to collect their fee. Gus was bandaged up, but not fit to fly, so Jessie was delegated the task of piloting the chopper and its five passengers to the harbor and her escape boat.
“I've never done this before, you guys,” she nervously declared as the big blades began to slowly churn overhead.
“Sure you have,” Gus added reassuringly. “The only difference is that you're in the other seat this time. I can talk you through it, but I can't handle the controls. You've got that seat-of-the-pants feeling that any good pilot has. It's like riding a bike, but without the training wheels. You'll be fine, Jess.”
The chopper's overhead blades picked up speed and spun ominously above them. Everyone's eyes opened wide as Jessie gently goosed the throttle and the old Huey hesitantly inched up off the ground. The chopper began an unwanted list to the right, but Gus promptly guided her to compensate, and they were soon airborne. It wasn't long before the harbor and its collection of docked boats came into view. People in the marina looked up as they heard the approaching 'whup, whup, whup'.
“Where do I land?” she anxiously asked Gus.
“Head for the parking lot. There's an empty section big enough, plus it will make it easier to bring it fuel later.”
After nearly spilling a few passengers, and barely missing a tall pine tree, she succeeded in setting down on the lot with a noticeable thud. Everyone applauded, even a few passers-by. They soon rendezvoused with the others and commenced with their new mission-plans once Laura had visited her son.
Authorization to tap into U.S. satellite surveillance was secured and they spent the following week using a laptop computer to observe each palace in order to see which was more vulnerable to a kidnapping. They determined it simplest to intercept the young woman while she was en route to the wedding preparations. One important detail that escaped all of them was that the little lady was a fighter. She had not led the typical Princess lifestyle, but rather had competed in her country's championship tournaments and was highly skilled in the forgotten art of kickboxing known as Muay Lao, a traditional, unarmed martial art utilizing punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes, clinches and chokeholds.
Her Royal Guards were utilized in her training sessions. Some had been trained in Lethwei, the Burmese martial arts, while others had a background in Tomoi, the Malaysian version.
Gus returned to work on the chopper, Trevor and Alan had found it necessary to return to the states, and the five women finalized their plans. It was just after the Princess's entourage had crossed into Thailand that they planned to make their move. Her small assemblage came to a stop in a remote area of the jungle. The Princess appeared unprotected and vulnerable to an ambush, but it was a trap. All five attackers were captured and disarmed without a shot being fired, then quickly forced to their knees, with their hands bound behind their backs.
The Royal Guard had been aware of their approach and had been lying in wait. They promptly gathered up everyone's weapons, cell phones and passports and handed them over to a petite Asian brunette woman.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” she asked, looking through the five passports. She pulled out a satellite phone and began entering data from the documents. “This is a state-of-the-art smartphone. In a moment I'll know everything there is to know about each of you. My name is Pepper and I'm with the American CIA, on special assignment to protect Princess Lei.”
“Well, you guys need to get your act together then,” Laura said with a tone of unwarranted arrogance. “It's the U. S. government that sent us here. That's how we got access to all the satellite feed that let us track you.”
“Really? Any chance it might have been the Chinese, honey? They hack our systems all the time, those bastards.” She toyed some more with her satphone, then said “There, I've just reset the passwords. I think you'll find that your access no longer works. So you had no idea you were dealing with the Chinese?”
“No,” she confessed, now using a more humble tone. “I assumed they were Americans. I never actually saw anyone. Most of the commun
ication was not in-person and the money for jobs was always paid promptly in cash. We weren't going to hurt her, just kidnap her to prevent the marriage.”
“The Chinese have been hell-bent on disrupting this union. It could affect the balance of world power as strange as that may seem. It's complicated.”
The kneeling group anxiously looked up at Pepper with expressions of guilt and apprehension, as she got close-up photos of each to update the profiles.
“Oh my! Maybe I should just open fire on all of you and be done with it. Langley has just sanctioned your terminations. Not that I needed it; I do have a license-to-kill. Oh, here comes that data I requested on you five.”
“I thought that was just in the movies,” said Julie.
“Who are you, sweetheart? These four have files that don't stop, but I have nothing on you.”
Julie didn't respond, but felt a sense of relief that there were no murder charges, at least not yet.
“Laura and Renée, you're so bad, west coast and east coast assassins. Ashley, nothing solid on you, but lots of incriminating stuff. Jessie, I loved your mom in 'The Sinclair Affair'! Wow, no outstanding wants or warrants on any of you, nothing more than person-of-interest! How in the hell is that possible?”
“We're pros,” said one.
“So you say, but look who took you down, one little Asian-American woman. Your five lives are at a fork in the road. Either I leave five rotting corpses here in the jungle, or else we find another resolution. I am judge, jury and executioner here, subject to the approval of Princess Lei, but she and I are really tight!”
“I may have New York mob affiliations, Miss Pepper, but there's no one more patriotic than I am!” exclaimed Renée. “I think I can speak for all of us in that regard, too. God bless the USA! If there's anything we can do to make amends for our egregious mistakes, we'll do whatever it takes!”