A Stella & Margarita - Desert Sex Pt. 07

A Stella and Margarita story - Sex in the desert sands

Chapter Seven -- The Beginning of the End.

This is one of three stories that start to merge with two others, [An Evil Woman which now runs into this story and the City of Churches - The OWLS Club] This Chapter starts where Chapter 6 of City of Churches finished. It is also the continuing story of Stella and Margarita and just like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it will make more sense if you read the whole three stories. It will show you the whole picture.

This chapter begins as Stella's real mission begins.

As always, there is no underage sex as required by Lit policy. But as a reader, you will have to use your imagination.

Comments are most welcome, it is your feedback that encourages us to keep going.

****WARNING****

THERE WILL BE SOME VERY DISTURBING SCENES IN AFTER THIS CHAPTER, IF YOU DO NOT LIKE VIOLENCE, THEN SKIP THAT PART. IT'S NOT GRATUITOUS BUT IMPORTANT TO THE STORYLINE.

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Stella was laying on her bed, thinking of Margarita and only half watching the screens and waiting. She was alert but lacked some sleep, what was that old song from Bon Jovi, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. She thought to herself. 'I shouldn't be thinking like that.'

She had cleaned her weapons, twice over since they were used. She had sent a request to Celina for some effective firepower, she had decided the need to upgrade her weapons. Stella knew that she would need more than six-shooters when she tackled the Chinese. She kept them on her, of course, but now had an additional two machine pistols. Uzi 9mm. She also had them drop off a change of clothes. Her camouflaged outfit now held all of her additional magazines. Her gut told her that she should be ready for anything.

She sat crossed-legged on the floor, her phones fully charged watching the screens. Now fully focused.

She watched as she saw the black van pull straight into the warehouse on Hargrave Street. She sent Celina a message. 'They have arrived. Alert the Matron.'

No sooner had she sent her message than a message arrived. It was from Freddie stating 'We have tried to get inside #3 but it is tighter than a fish's asshole. We do know that the top floor is housing everyone, the front door is the only access for foot traffic, and the roller door is reinforced. All other access doors are secured, so unless you want to blow them open, there is no way in. There are no phones in or out and they number 5 atm.'

The Major read it and started weighing up her options.

Then sent him her reply. "The building opposite, find me a window that looks into their top floor,'

The reply was immediate. '#7 is gutted,'

The Major sent him a message, 'Just find me a way in, quietly'

She sent another message to Celina, 'harness and wire required, confer with Freddie.'

She loaded up her saddle bags, making certain everything was there. The motorbike was wheeled out as she took one last look around the sleepout. Nothing was left behind. No one could tell if anyone had been there, other than it stank of cat piss and stale nicotine. Stella smiled and wondered how she actually smelt to others. Then walked her bike out onto the driveway and rested it on the stand. She walked in through the back door to the tattoo parlour and gave the old guys another week's rent, she didn't say a word, and neither did they. She didn't bother going into the other place. She thought to herself that she had lived in worse places but couldn't remember when. She threw her leg over the bike and kicked it into life. She thought of Mags once again and said out loud, "It won't be long now babe."

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The Matron's schedule stated she was in her office in the city, 'briefing' Bianca when there was a knock on her door, she tidied herself up as did Bianca before she told whomever it was to "Come in,"

Celina walked in and looked at the Matron and then at Bianca without saying a word. She stood there looking directly into Matron's eyes.

"You can speak freely Celina,"

Celina nodded and told the Matron that the Major had messaged her that, 'they have arrived and that she requires a harness and wire,' She had a blank look on her face, and she shrugged signifying she had no idea what was meant.

"OK then, the game is on," She told them both. She picked up the phone and dialled a number, the air force base commander answered and she repeated the phrase. "Operation Juno is active," and hung up. The base at that moment went from amber to double amber alert, MPs were placed at strategic entrances, armed guards were doubled, and no one was allowed entry or exit to or from the base without written orders dated on that day. The base was on high alert as each gate officer was notified 'This is not a drill.'

Planes were moved off of the tarmac into hangers, fuel trucks were no longer left unattended and canine units patrolled the fence line. The semi-casual atmosphere the base had beforehand ceased, in effect the base was in a locked-down situation, and they were active.

The Matron stopped and thought, "All right then," As she rubbed her hands together and then talking to Celina said, "Go to the armory and tell them that the Major requires to be hooked up on a wire, they will know what is required. And you are going to be doing some running around," Celina looked mildly pleased, she was ready to show her true worth to her Australian masters.

She turned to Bianca and instructed more than asked, "Are Corrine and Margarita ready to move?" And then without waiting for an answer told Bianca to get them into the apartment in the city, before Celina had got to the door she was told to wait, "From now on, you are to be armed at all times," Celina nodded in reply. Being an FBI Agent on secondment to ASIO being armed was second nature to her.

"Bianca, one more thing, take that skater girl over to Freddie and put her to work. Don't take any nonsense from her either," Bianca smiled as she turned and left the room. Tilley then grabbed her personal phone and sent Bianca a private message, 'Be careful and come back in one piece, that's an order my precious sub, XXX.' She then returned to Celina.

'OK Celina, you are going to be mobile sweetie, get a car and a driver, a decent one, make sure they are armed as well and take a package for me from the armory and leave it in the apartment in town." She gave her the address of the apartment and the person's name whom to talk to at both the armory and the apartment building.

Her desk phone buzzed and she answered it as she waved Celina on her way. A secretary told her that a Leslie Hamilton-Rice was here to see her, it was urgent. "Who is Leslie Hamilton-Rice?" she asked.

The secretary went quiet for a moment and when she came back she told the Matron she was from the British MOD.

The Matron looked puzzled, an unscheduled meeting with an unknown person from the British MOD. Most unusual. She hesitated and then advised the secretary to arrange for her to go to Meeting Room A on the eleventh floor, with an escort. She did a quick search of the British MOD directory, and no one with the name Leslie Hamilton-Rice came up. She opened her desk drawer and looked at her weapon but left it there as she picked up the card with a phone number on it, given to her by the MI6 agent attached to the AUKUS security detail. She then alerted her security head that they were now at D.A. And asked him to meet her on the 11th-floor meeting room A. She rang General Higgins and advised him of the current events and what had transpired in the last hour. She also informed him of her 'guest' from the British MOD waiting for her.

The General listened before informing her. "Tilley, wait for my ok before you meet with this Hamilton-Rice person. Give me a few moments to make a call or two."

"Yes General, she has an escort with her while we wait," she told him.

She then called her security head once again and instructed him to secure the 11th floor.

She dialled the number on the card and it was answered quickly, a quiet voice asked who was calling.

"Tilley McMahon, ASIO."

Even though it had been more than a few days since they met to discuss the upcoming Advisory Committee meeting, the very English voice on the phone came alive. The voice perked up and responded positively, "Matron, thank you for calling........" Before she could go on the Matron interrupted her.

"Does the name Leslie Hamilton-Rice mean anything to you?"

There was silence on the phone before she got her answer. "Where did you hear that name from?"

"Someone purporting to be from the British MOD is here to speak to me. An unscheduled meeting. Do you know what's it about?"

"No, I don't but yes, I know of her. But she isn't from the MOD that she said that, surprises me."

"Well, whoever she is I don't much care, but what's it all about?"

"Not on an open line," came the reply.

"I see, call me on your secure phone then," The Matron informed her abruptly. She hung up and waited.

The General rang first. "Matron, she is worth listening to, she has some important information for us," He told her. "She has the full backing of the British and she will be expecting our cooperation."

"What do they want from us?" She asked.

"It's what they don't want us to do," He told her.

"I am waiting on a return call from an MI6 source," She advised him.

"Tread carefully Tilley," She was informed. Knowing how abrasive she can be when her feathers were ruffled.

They ended the call and the Matron opened her drawer again and looked at her standard-issue gun. It had been several months since she had been down at the shooting range. She cursed under her breath for not following her own instructions.

Her secure line beeped at her and she picked it up. "McMahon here,"

"Diane Rawlins MI6. Hello Matron," She then continued, "This Leslie woman has the highest clearance, she holds a floating role, and it seems she flits from here to there as needed. I have asked a few questions and no one here knows anything about her current project, sorry," She explained.

"I got much the same response from my people, other than she is well connected, politically, and no one knows why she is here," She ended the call and thought about how she was going to handle it.

She stood up, left her office and walked slowly towards the elevator and travelled down to the 11th floor. Her head of security was there to greet her. He smiled and acknowledged all was in place. There were armed men stationed in the stairwell and a plain clothes team dressed as office workers were close by.

"What's her name and business?" He asked.

"Leslie Hamilton-Rice, she says she is from the British MOD, but she isn't, however she is well connected, so let her tell us what it this is all about, shall we." The Matron stated.

They walked together and entered the meeting room.

Leslie Hamilton-Rice was standing facing the door. She was well dressed and well made up, a beautiful-looking woman. Slim, tall, auburn hair, with a hint of grey around the edges, she wasn't vain then. She held herself well, a confident woman closer to 50 than 40 the Matron calculated.

The Matron approached her and held out her hand, "Ms Hamilton-Rice, this is Robert Purdue, ASIO Head of Security, and I'm Tilley McMahon how can we help you?"

"Nice to meet you both, but I've come to speak with the Matron not her head of Security," She told them.

The Matron smiled back at her and said "Touché, Ms Hamilton-Rice or whoever you are. I am busy actually so please come to the point, why are you here," She demanded. The Matron held her in a cold stare and then spoke, "I'm sorry about the precautions, but we are rather busy at the moment, but you know all this, don't you? I understand you have a favour to ask of me Ms Hamilton-Rice?"

She stood there holding her handbag in front of her, much like a royal would do, returning the cold stare in kind.

"I have a letter for you from His Majesty's Government, it isn't so much of a favour, more like a consideration," She told her. "But I must insist we speak alone,"

The Matron stood there, remembering the General's wise council about treading lightly. She put a smile on her face and told her men to go.

They sat at a large boardroom-type table. She handed the letter to the Matron, it was addressed to her personally, asking in the most genuine way to assist Ms Leslie Hamilton-Rice in a matter that was considered most delicate to the crown and the free peoples of the world. It was signed by none other than the soon-to-be-crowned King Charles III.

Tilley read it, then read it a second and third time.

She looked up and into the eyes of this stranger. She waved the paper at her. "This is impressive. Why would the King of England write to me personally and have it hand delivered by someone whom no one has ever heard of, or so it seems?"

"Who I am is of no importance, but what I have to ask you is critical to preventing a third world war." She gulped as she said it.

"Why not just get your PM to pick up the phone and ring my PM and so forth?"

"Because this matter is so delicate that we haven't told our current PM, the fewer people who know, the better. Including you, that will make it just seven people who will know. And that is way too many."

Her face had grown weary in the few minutes they had been talking. "We, being MI6, have a person close to the Chinese Premier, very close. We understand that your very best is out there and will most likely put an end to a Chinese operation in Australia. All we ask is you don't kill her, wound her if you must, in fact, that would be quite acceptable, but she must remain in place,"

"Which one is it?" The Matron asked.

The royal messenger took her phone out of her handbag and showed her a photo of Grace.