Fashion is Our Name Pt. 15

Fashion is Our Name - Part 15 - Escape from Zagreb

Chapter 38 - Headed to Croatia

After the motorcycle escort peeled off with a hearty wave, Ben had us headed straight to the southwest, taking a route toward Graz, avoiding Vienna. He asked if I knew the plans for the evening. After asking Sing to take the passenger seat, I headed to the back, where Anne and Amelia were having a rapid conversation, with a lot of head nodding.

I interrupted, "Ben needs some directions. What is the plan for tonight?"

I was seized and pushed flat. "Adrian, we are still so excited about the show! Who would have thought we could do that?!"

I grabbed Amelia tight and said, "This is FION, Auntie. We have high standards!"

She sighed, "My god, Anne, how do you stand him? I'm having a swoon."

Actually, she was having a very hot kiss with me, and my hands were wandering where they shouldn't. "What do I call you? Auntie doesn't seem right, if you are going to warm my bed."

Helen pounced. "You stop that this minute. She is all wound up. Remember, she went way out on a limb for us. And you are not allowed in her bed without Anne and me to protect her!"

Anne was pulling my ear and kissing my cheek. "Amelia, his lust knows no bounds. Give him an inch and he will take everything. Perhaps you should let him call you by the family nickname."

"My god, Anne! That sounds so juvenile. I'm too old for such nonsense."

None of us had our armor. The departure from Prague had been too swift and the atmosphere too full of warmth and laughter over the fashion success. Which made it all the easier for my hands to work up Amelia's sides and under her bra.

"These aren't old tits. They are very nice firm tits. Tits that I could learn to..."

Amelia moaned and Anne whispered, "Kitty. That's who you are. Just our fine Kitty, ripe for loving."

Kitty collapsed in my arms, "No, no, no." Anne and Helen kissed her as my fingers found stiff nipples to tweak.

I used my very best low male growl, "This Kitty will warm my bed very nicely. You others are not needed."

We both knew this was not the time nor the place, but Amelia stretched full out on top of me, on the floor of the bouncing van, our kiss lasting a very long time. My hands had her muscled rear pressed very tightly to my erect cock, well buried in clothes.

She raised her head and smiled at the other women. "He gives you such a rush! Can we break this off and find a chateau?"

I sat up and pulled her between my legs to allow a massage of the delightful neck and shoulders.

Now her voice was low and sultry. "Adrian, you must promise absolutely to finish what we just started..."

Everyone relaxed as we discussed the serious business of that evening and the planned fashion show in Zagreb two days hence. Helen and Anne teased me with looks suggesting the young stud had his work cut out for him.

In more ways than one, I said to myself, pulling Amelia into a comfortable cuddle as she described the plan.

"I will talk to Ben in a moment. The destination this evening is a country place just beyond Ceske Budejovice, about two more hours. The escorts have gone the route to Vienna, hoping to attract attention in that direction. So we will have a quiet, social evening, but be prepared for trouble if it finds us."

She went forward to brief Sing and Ben. I pulled Anne to me. "Does she know we have our own agenda?"

"I've said nothing. But she is very smart." She poked me with a sinister smile. "If we give you time alone with her tonight, perhaps there could be pillow talk?"

Helen slapped Anne lightly. "That is horribly deceitful. He will play on her emotions, and make her scream on his great cock as we do!"

I pulled her lips to mine. "You are needy, I suppose?"

Her breath was hot in my ear, "We are all needy, beast!"

Anne pulled her former Nanny into a threeway clinch. "You heard her. Kitty is more needy than we are. And it is for a good cause. She already asked him for a job!"

Helen relaxed with a sigh and pulled their faces together. "I suppose. But this means you must entertain me."

"I suppose."

Chapter 39 - A Strange Castle

We were headed south on the motorway toward Graz and the Slovenian border. Sing and Ben were in front, and Amelia was traveling in the other van this morning. Helen and Anne were sitting on me, sipping their coffee with the remains of an amazing pastry that had been provided by the inn, where we had stayed the night in great comfort. I was given sips and small bites.

"We want the whole story. All the details. Was the sex good? Is she on our side? Give!"

It is hard to eat and drink with two Valkyries on your chest. Especially since they were in black travel clothes with their body armor.

"Can't talk. Too sensitive. Top secret."

"Don't try that stuff. We will stay here all day until you talk."

"Let me sit up and I will tell you the declassified version."

With my back against the wall of the van, they were able to thrust hands between my legs. "The WHOLE story, or no more loving for you!"

After several minutes of giggles and kisses, I said, "She is sexy as hell in bed. Admitted she had not had a man in months. Says there is no male in her life."

"So you promised her a job and regular sex?"

"That was later."

"After she screamed and came?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about other women's orgasms."

"You are building punishment points. What about...?"

"Half a loaf. She is tortured by her promises about secrets. Just like we are, aren't we?"

Anne answered with a serious look. "Yes, it isn't funny. But those documents always assume everything will go right, and it seldom does."

"She says we are to meet Galina tonight, which is a deep dark secret."

The mood had shifted from light to dark, and I went forward to relieve Sing. She lifted up and then settled back into my lap. "They were grilling you about the new conquest?"

"I am required to tell you too?"

"I only had to look at her face in the kitchen this morning to know. Did she share anything besides her body with you?"

"You are a devious, unscrupulous woman."

"You already know that. What did she say about tonight? The drivers have just been told to stay on the road to Zagreb."

"Something about one of the family castles. Said she couldn't say more in order to protect Galina."

"I guess we will live with that, for now." She went back to Helen and Anne.

It was late morning when we reached the Slovenian border, having navigated around Graz, and almost another hour to the Croatian border. Our papers, including the commercial visas, were found to be in order and we were waved through. Jeremy approached Ben and me, holding a slip of paper.

"This was passed to me just now by one of the guards. Shows a route to Samobor, outside Zagreb. We are to rendezvous with local escorts."

He looked worried. If he was worried, so was I. Amelia approached us. "These directions are consistent with the plan, but let's be careful. Just because someone is in uniform means nothing."

In less than an hour, we were pulling into a truck stop holding many vehicles. A large guy was waving us to two spots in the rear. By the time our van emptied itself, Jeremy and Amelia were talking to a slender man in a suit, who was showing them what looked like credentials.

Amelia turned to Anne and me. "This is Zarko Vukovic. His identification seems in order. We are to take our overnight clothes and move to that tour bus over there."

I left them and walked away with Jeremy. "This could be a setup. Leaving the weapons behind?"

"I used the secure phone and was told to follow his instructions. We don't have an alternative handy. Are you feeling brave?"

He smiled as I said, "Hell no!"

"I'm not either. Let's help the women move to the bus."

The tour bus had twenty-five seats and was luxurious. I also noticed it had German plates. Shortly, we were on the E70 motorway, headed for Ljubljana in Slovenia. But this was a diversion, as the driver immediately took an offramp and proceeded south into the steep hills, winding upward.

After a short while, the bus took a sharp turn into a hidden dirt road and went very slowly past a gate with an armed guard. The guard and the driver nodded to each other and the gate closed behind us.

The road was narrow and twisty, but well maintained. Signs for what appeared to be forest management were posted. In less than half a mile, we were on the edge of an exposed cliff and turning into another hidden entrance, blasted from the rock. A solid looking metal door lowered from the ceiling behind us. Wherever we were, getting out on our own would not be easy.

Zarko stood at the front of the bus. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Castle Vukovic. Higher up the mountain is a 15th Century ruin which is no longer accessible by road or trail. My family was forced off their land in Habsburg times, and only regained title recently. Under the ruins, we have constructed a modern living facility, which you will safely occupy this evening. Please follow the steward who is waiting outside to show you to your rooms. There will be food and refreshments in an hour."

I walked next to Sing, through a tunnel with well carved rock walls and a concrete floor. "This is more than a living facility."

She smiled, "A very secure mountain hideaway, would you say?"

I squeezed her hand, "I wonder if we get to know who is hiding from whom?"

The tunnel opened into a high ceiling'd space with branching corridors, and a broad stair cut from the rock leading upward. Jeremy was waiting with Zarko.

"Great news. Our friend Galina, whose name is actually Gabriela, is waiting up the stairs but can stay only a few more minutes."

The entire group rushed up the stairs and into a great room, with deep set windows along one wall. The view over the valley to the west was superb. At one end, with armed men by her side, was the person we had come to rescue. Zarko walked right to her with a quick hug and kiss. Our party approached carefully, realizing we were quite a crowd for a woman who had been sequestered for the last two years.

Anne and Amelia went forward and introduced themselves, receiving cheek kisses and hugs in return. They fell into rapid conversation in what sounded like French from my distance. The rest of us were beckoned forward.

"My dear friends, thank you so much for coming. My English is not so good, but I know you are strong and will have a fine plan for tomorrow. If you will excuse me, the Ambassador and I need to have words and then I must go."

Amelia followed and the two of them disappeared with the guards and Zarko into a narrow passageway to one side. Immediately, servers appeared with wine and canapes. After receiving a glass of wine, I stood at one of the window openings, trying to gather my thoughts. Sally ducked under my arm. "Hi."

"Hi yourself. Enough excitement so far?"

"Adrian, I haven't stopped quivering since we left London. I'm missing you to calm me down and warm me up!"

"Did you get a shot of Gabriela?"

"As many as I could. She is very pretty."

"Tough lady to survive the guns and politics around here."

"Are we really going to rescue her?"

"Yes. We are going to try as hard as we can to get her away safely."

Sing and Anne were at my back. "Adrian, that is the spirit. Come with us. Amelia is here and we need to meet with Jeremy and Sharon."

I followed them down the same narrow corridor that Gabriela used and into a small side room with a very solid door.

Jeremy started the conversation. "Our minders have been strangely silent. I think somehow we ran off the end of their game plan this afternoon. Possibly Zarko's people removed their Croatian friends before we got to Samobor."

I said, "That leaves a lot of questions up in the air."

"Yes. Absolutely. But most of them will play out and we will deal with them then."

He continued, "Gabriela says she and her guards - the bad guy guards - will arrive promptly at one o'clock, which is thirty minutes before our show. She will insist on being allowed to visit the dressing room by herself, telling the guards no males allowed. Before they get suspicious, we will begin the show with models dressed for a masked ball. Some of the same clothes we used in Prague.

"Gabriela will be one of the models, disguised with a wig, tight corset under her dress, and very dark stockings. As the models finish, they will turn down a side corridor that leads to the dressing room, but also to a rear exit. The rest of us will be stationed in that corridor and obscure the escape and short walk to the vans."

Sing asked, "What if the guards start a fuss?"

"Zarko's people will be in uniform in front, pretending to be civil police providing protection. At the first sign of trouble, they will discharge weapons, which should cause an instant commotion."

Sharon finished for him, "We will have been hustling to the vans ourselves?"

"Yes."

There was silence until I said, "Our whole party has to memorize the layout of the building and be ready to move quickly."

Sing came up with a brilliant suggestion. "Some of the women have never been in a situation like this. I am calling for a workout session after dinner, just for women. We will do calisthenics and self-defense moves. Then I will sit them down for a pep talk. Those of us with training will transfer confidence to the others."

I said, "You forgot one thing."

Everyone looked at me. I smiled and shouted out, "That is a FION pep talk you are giving!"

I stepped forward and held out my hands. As everyone made the circle, I said quietly, "We can do this. We are FION people."

It was silly talk right out of a rugby pre-game session, but it did the trick. As we left the room, Jeremy slapped me on the shoulder and said, "Adrian, I do believe you could rally the troops almost anywhere."

I grasped his hand. "Let's talk while Sing's session is going on about the players. I need to be rehearsed again. Zarko and the Vukjovic family were not in my thinking."

A buffet dinner was provided at tables set up in the great room. For a brief few minutes, sun streamed through the windows, casting golden light in the room. A romantic place, if one was not fending off attackers at the base of the cliff!

After dinner, Jeremy and I found a quiet corner. I asked him, "There seem to be more players than we can count. What do you think?"

He counted down his fingers. "There are Gabriela and her family. MI5 and its agents. The government, which is probably several different sets of players, most of them armed and having agendas of their own."

He looked at me, "More?"

"The government side had enough muscle to put her out of action. That must mean some of the families ganged up on hers. Do other governments have part of this agenda? Are they a threat tomorrow?"

"The London business smells like a foreign government. If they tried to carry out murder there, we can expect they are willing to use lethal force here."

"Zarko could have a family agenda that relies on sending Gabriela out of the country. So he is our friend as long as it frees him from submitting to his aunt."

Sing and Anne walked in, smiling and sweaty. "They are good. Not happy but ready. Do you have the parties figured out?"

I stood, stripping to my briefs. "Jeremy and I will give you a tougher fight. Get us ready like you did the women."

The two of them locked arms and smiled, backing slowly in a circle. "Foolish men, you are challenging superior agents? Since there are no mats here, we must not crack your heads too hard!"

It was a great workout, just what was needed. The floor was hardwood over the cement, with a carpet rug, but felt damn hard as Sing took me down several times. For ten wild minutes, we were up and down, feet flying, fists hitting on bellies and shoulders. At the end, Anne had Jeremy in a scissors hold, and Sing was sitting on me, leaning down for a hot kiss.

Jeremy complained, "What is this, Adrian? I've never seen kissing in the training curriculum!"

Everyone stood and they hugged us. "Did you get our ducks lined up for tomorrow?

Jeremy said, as we walked to the showers, "The permutations are endless. I think we must assume Gabriela's family are our best hope to get her out of here successfully. Our own intelligence field people seem curiously absent, so we will take their help if it appears. If not, we proceed anyway."

Chapter 40 - Gunfire at the Museum

In the morning, Zarko joined us for breakfast. "All three vehicles will go to the museum building. We may need them, depending on what happens. You should arrive in the vans, with your regular drivers. One of my men will go along to give directions. We will leave the truck stop one hour before the show."

He was a smooth talker. I wondered how good a fighter he was. And how many different feuds he was part of.

Jeremy had an excellent idea, which was to chalk the route of the models on the floor of the great room, both entering the audience space, and leaving it. After several run throughs, the women looked considerably relaxed. Sing positioned Jeremy and me in the exit space, where we would be standing during the show, and had each model give us a smart whack as they passed by. Jeremy and I nodded to each other, silently building punishment points for those incredible bodies.

After a while, there was nothing to do but wait. I took coffee to one of the windows and studied the slope across the way. A body grazed my back and said, "Hi." And another. I turned around and they were clustered there, reaching to touch me gently, lips pursed for a kiss.

I carefully hugged and kissed each one, with a quiet word of encouragement. Several eyes needed tears wiped away.

By the time we loaded up, the FION troupe was all business. Rehearsed and determined. Sing nodded at me and I smiled, with a thumb up.

The museum helpers had everything in order. The transfer of clothes to the dressing room was quick and efficient. Right on the stroke of one, Gabriela and her grim faced guards appeared. She paid them no attention but walked to Amelia for an introduction that was stiff and formal, before taking a seat in the front row. She gestured the guards to the back of the room. A few minutes later, she lazily stood and moved to Amelia's side. They conversed with each other as they passed down the corridor to the dressing area. I gave a quick glance to the back of the room, where the guards still looked grim but sat silently.

At one-thirty, the audience seats were filled, with overflow standing in the rear. A well dressed woman introduced herself as the host for the fashion event, and said, switching to English, that Amelia would provide commentary. Translation was available, she said, pointing to row of boxes along the side wall. No one rose to take one.

Crunch time. The masked models in their gowns would be entering momentarily. Gabriela was to be third of four models. Jeremy, Sharon, Sing and I were in the exit corridor, out of sight of the guards and trying to be inconspicuous.

The FION women looked wonderful. You are not getting a date with any of them today, I said to myself ruefully.

As Gabriela walked past, with loud applause echoing in the room, I stepped in right behind, providing a shield. Jeremy did the same from the other side. Anne and Amelia were busy dressing Gabriela in a black cloak and black cloche hat with dark glasses. As we closed with the exit door, there were shouts behind us. Zarko appeared in the doorway, his hand gesturing us forward. He pointed to a man with a submachine gun and said, "Follow him, you are going to the bus, not the vans!"

I shouted to the women, "Jeremy and I are needed here, go to the bus and we will get everyone to you as soon as we can."

We headed back inside, saying to the women, "Leave now, don't stop for anything. Quickly!" I tried to keep count, but couldn't in the confusion. Jeremy was just ahead, his pistol in his hand. I grabbed mine out of its holster as well. At the far end of the corridor, two of Gabriela's guards were pushing and shoving. One of them had Nicole by the back of her dress. I didn't take any chances and put a bullet in him from five feet. As he fell, Jeremy was able to wrestle the gun away and there was silence in the room as everyone was cowering on the floor. The Vukovic guards in front were engaged with newcomers across the street. The other Gabriela guard was crawling toward the exit as I reached him and applied the butt of the pistol to his temple, which collapsed him in place.