Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 05

Annika discovered a large knot near the right shoulder blade; she bore down on it with the heel of her hand, and failing to break it up, used her knuckles. Hanna howled and arched her back, but Annika didn't let up. "Don't be a baby - you'll feel much better when this gigantic knot is relaxed."

With Erik positioned to her side, her arched back exposed a very nice side boob. He didn't stare, but he didn't look away either; he continued manipulating her muscles, extending over the shoulder blade.

Annika bore down on the big knot again; Hanna yelped and dropped her right shoulder to lower the pain. A very nice nipple and aureole were completely exposed, and the chubby he had maintained began to stiffen.

He looked away when twinkling green eyes caught him, and told Annika. "I think you're getting a little too rough; try using your thumb instead, and work from the middle out."

She did and got a better result; Hanna slowly moved back to a flat back, and the nipple disappeared. He so wanted to reach down, capture it between two fingers, and tug, but Johnny and Annika...

"Let's give Hanna a break, and she can help me with you. Tie her strings together."

Annika's longer body meant different positioning, and Hanna was much more expert at massage. She worked the deltoid and rhomboid muscles with considerable pressure, just as Erik was and their client entered a state of moaning, groaning, and whimpering that sounded a lot like she was having sex.

Loosening those thick, long muscles took some work because she a very tense girl. When they were, Hanna untied her bikini top and they worked within the trapezoid. As those muscles loosened, they worked along her shoulder blades and down her ribs in concert, with fingers just brushing her dangling breasts; he nipples hardened and she whimpered.

"She's so tight; let's do her lower back and glutes too." Hanna proposed. Erik ordered her to lean forward with her arms on the side of the built-in spa, and try to keep her back flat. They focused on the groups of muscles running along the spine, working down the Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, and Coccygeal areas of the spinal column. The area around lumbar vertebrae 4 & 5 was tender, so they worked there until she was humming happily instead of wriggling in pain.

"Are we really gonna do the glutes?" Erik asked with a smile. "Nah, I think I'll leave that to you, but I want y'all to do my neck and spine now; you skipped those."

They switched, but Erick worked on her neck with both hands until she said it was fine, and then followed Annika's fingers along her spine. When they finished, Hanna said, "Wow - that was better than my massage therapist! Annika, you figured it out, and Erik is an expert!"

"I had two experts - that felt too good!" Annika replied.

"And now we're going to get out and go for a jog to the end of the road and back a few times," he said. "No," they echoed, "we're going to loosen you up!" He doubted he needed it, but who would turn down a massage from these two?

They did a masterful job, with Hanna directing Annika because Erik muscles were so thick. He normally preferred a masseur, but two women as hot as these made it more enjoyable, if not as thorough. His chubby had thickened and hardened as they rubbed, kneaded, and knuckled the many knots he was surprised they found. Meanwhile, the two masseuses had gained hard nipples and wet panties for their efforts.

Hanna leaned close to Annika and whispered, "I'm going to tell Johnny he has 48 hours to get here, or I'm going to find someone to take care of my needs!"

"He's a big hunk, isn't he? He wants to go run, but I'm going to drag him to the room and give him a much better workout than that!"

"Nooo, don't tell me that!" Hanna murmured. "I may come join you!"

"Not that he couldn't handle both of us, but no you aren't! He lusts after you more than is fitting already, after the exhibitionism on the island! Call Johnny and give him 18 hours; he'll come if you command."

They did go for a run to the end of the road and back, six times, the next morning. Johnny arrived in time for lunch, and after he and Hanna disappeared for a quickie, they used his rental to try the gargantuan hamburgers with onion rings at the Dam Café. Johnny wore the clothes he arrived in; the three wore camo and caps but no face paint, and each was armed.

Johnny's inability to keep his hands off his fiancée spoke of his situation, and her hands kept wandering under the table to torture him, and herself. Apparently, the quickie didn't get the job done. Annika and Erik were relatively sanguine, having reduced the urgency of those needs overnight.

They ate outside under a shade for privacy, and managed to catch up on a few things before the needy ones insisted they return to the house. They disappeared for the rest of the afternoon, appearing only to scarf sandwiches before returning to their room.

Annika and Erik used the time to discuss their options again, including the pros and cons. By five, they were committed to regaining their lives, regardless of cost, and by eight, they had the press conference to accomplish that lined out.

They didn't go full Taylor, but Erik's video would be enhanced to come very close, and Annika's words would do the rest. The commissioner might find it lacking in-your-face aggression, but it would be effective.

Erik helped her outline her presentation, and she began practicing by Roman numeral and capitol letter, knowing it had to be flow smoothly, but be honest, forthright, and raw, rather than polished, if it were to have the desired effect.

They were exhausted but still hyped up at ten. To calm them both, Erik performed Around the World on his girlfriend, for whom this was a new experience. Their bedding was soaked when they finally got around to the lovemaking, and they had to change the sheets and mattress pad after. The evening ended with a hot shower and snuggling, and, lordy, were they ever relaxed the next morning!

So was the engaged couple, although Johnny looked a bit fatigued while Hanna looked as fresh as a field of daisies.

They faced Daddy, Thomas, Cal, and Amanda at ten via video conference, and had to defend their decision against all arguments. Once Carl was certain they had thought it through, he turned the remaining hour into a planning session. Amanda and Cal spend the afternoon working out the logistics, Carl spoke to two network CEOs, and Thomas researched applicable laws and precedence should they be sued for speaking freely.

Hanna and Johnny acted as the audience for Annika and the video, and made a few suggestions after admitting they were blown away.

"Tomorrow, three pm central, south steps of the Texas capitol building. Mics, speakers, and multi-media contracted; you provide security and be there at one for a mic and media test. Domicile in Rep. Curr's office."

Bill and Molly arrived at one with sandwiches from a local deli. Security and transportation were worked out, and then they served as another constructive audience for the presentation. Bill shook his head and mumbled he was glad no one ever came after him like that, and Molly was aghast at the facts offered in the first-hand presentation, and awed by the video trailer.

Molly and Bill would accompany them, and the senators and representatives for Medina County (Hondo) and Comal County (New Braunfels and Canyon Lake) would meet them at the capitol.

All was set.

****

The day dawned bright and sunny after a Canadian front brought rain and cooler temperatures overnight. It would be 72 and sunny when they walked out onto the steps, a perfect late September day in Austin, Texas.

The contracted crew and equipment were affiliated with the upcoming Austin City Limits (ACL) festival, so they were experts with outdoor settings and crowds; the mic test and media display went off without a hitch.

The Minnesota girls had never seen the pink granite Texas Capitol building, and they were awed. They stood below the steps and looked up at the Texas star above the dome, sitting some 302.64 feet above the hilltop on which it was built in 1888.

Representative Curr, a proud 8^th generation Texan, was their guide, and he smirked when pointing out that was fifteen feet higher than the dome of the national capitol in Washington, D. C., and that the granite was quarried only 50 miles away, just northwest of Marble Falls.

The two state senators and the other representative were waiting in a House conference room with an unexpected guest: the Speaker of the House. The problem to be addressed occurred in Minnesota, so this was of little consequence to representatives of or the State of Texas, but Annika's fame made this an opportunity. There was no known political downside to being seen with the famous fashion model/ covergirl/ SI Swimsuit model/ actress, and being seen on the steps of the Texas capitol supporting her fight against evil foreigners would play well with their voters, regardless.

Their motivation might be selfish, as politicians usually are, but while setting up the appearance on the capitol steps, Curr impressed Erik with his sincerity. A humble man with an agriculture degree from A&M who still lived and ranched in the county in which he was born, his concern for Annika's welfare seemed as genuine as his roots.

Meeting her and the members of her entourage, two of whom had recently gained an international reputation in the trucking/ transport world, one of whom was a recently retired Texas Ranger, and one of whom was a former Miss Texas/ model/ actress, shown an entirely new light on the event for all five politicians.

They knew nothing more than they had been told when the request was made and no one seemed anxious to shed more light on what was to come, so they charmed and politicked right up to the moment they were told to take their places by the stage director. They stood abreast, with Ranger and Mrs. Hammer, behind and to the right of Miss Olsson and Erik Swahn.

Hanna and Johnny were not onstage or featured in any way; they went out a door well away from the staged area and joined the crowd. The major news and cable networks, numerous print publications and newspapers, and scores of online news outlets and blogs were represented in the crowd of two-hundred plus, with about half being fans alerted by social media, joined by a few curious onlookers and tourists.

Annika was perfectly dressed for the event, wearing a knee-length navy dress with white trim and navy heels. Her escort wore a grey suit, a white shirt with navy tie, and black boots. They were a beautiful couple, but their grim expressions quieted the buzz of their arrival. One thing was clear: as stated in the notice sent to all news outlets and posted on social mediums, this was a news event and not a publicity stunt.

Annika's composed but vulnerable manner captured attention and sympathy. Many had seen her before in print or digitally, and a few had seen her in person; they agreed that she was every bit as gorgeous as expected, even wearing only a smidgen of makeup.

Without preamble, she began. "On September 22 I was kidnapped from Erik's apartment in downtown Minneapolis..." Annika paused, pointed to her left, and the intro to the video began playing on a large ACL Fest projection screen that was clearly visible to everyone in the crowd.

"You're going to see actual footage from my day of horror, as captured from traffic, police, and store cameras, and from mug shots of the evil men and women involved... I don't want there to be any thought that I'm embellishing what happened, so please watch with me."

As in a Hollywood thriller, the dramatic music evoked fearful emotions, but threatening or pleading words, spoken or yelled, and screams of terror were clearly heard over the music. The contrast of stark, ugly faces highlighted among dark video images of them committing criminal actions elicited gasps. They watched her thrown face-first into the van, and saw the faces of her abductors frozen and spotlighted during commission of the crime.

The final scene was of Annika's terrified face as she ran down a dark hallway between protective SWAT members; it was unforgettable.

Annika let it run to conclusion before beginning her narrative. She proceeded event-by-event and emotion by emotion, beginning with opening the door of the apartment to two women... who then pulled guns on her. Names were named, threats repeated, her abuse by Dmitry Agapov while bound was described, and her captors' words detailing what would happen to her as a sex slave were recited exactly as they were burned in her memory. Verbatim wasn't important because none could contradict her remembrances without fully incriminating themselves.

Tears formed in her eyes at certain of the most traumatic memories; she dabbed at them and continued, and many in the audience, including hardened reporters and the politicians flanking her, wiped their own tears. Erik remained stoic, but wrapped his arm around her shoulders when she hesitated, quivering slightly.

It was a gut wrenching recital: raw and passionate, yet recounted resolutely, as if dragged from her body and mind. There was no indication it had been rehearsed, but she had proceeded in a linear fashion without stumbling or having to revisit forgotten elements. It was the retelling of a harrowing event, told courageously, straight from her memory.

Only the cable news outlets and two local affiliates were livestreaming, but this would be the lead story on every newscast tonight, with a link to the entire event available on the website of the medium.

After completing her tale, she paused for a long time, looking from face to face in her audience, and then directly addressed the cameras clustered in the designated area. She was speaking now to the folks at home.

"Having heard my story, I believe you understand my utter dismay upon learning that the man who instigated my kidnapping, for the purpose of enslaving me for his own use and abuse, is a man well known to law enforcement here and abroad! That Interpol and American law enforcement consider him to be the leader of an international criminal gang - a gang that sells weapons to terrorist organizations, and hosts parties at which women, girls, and boys stolen from their families are sampled, bartered, and bought by other perverted rich, powerful men and women!

"How is such an infamous criminal free to conduct his illegal activities? If these allegations and facts about him are so well known, why was he free to abduct me? Why does he continue to traffic human beings for sex if it is so well known that he does? How is this possible, unless officials are bought off... or involved!!!

"And, most importantly, how is it possible that such a man is he being considered for diplomatic immunity?!!!"

Her outrage made her voice quiver with passion, and she paused before she continued. "Explain how a foreign agent can carry out crimes on our sovereign soil and then suddenly become a diplomat? Anatoly Koslov is not now and never has been a diplomat! How can our state department, our elected government, even consider such an action, given the evidence law enforcement in my home state has developed that PROVE my abduction was carried out at his command?

"How can my abductor and molester, Dmitry Agapov, who stood over my bound and gagged friend and fired a bullet into her torso - how can that man be under consideration for release on bail?! If nothing else, how is a Russian criminal not considered a flight risk?

"Which raises the questions: for who is our government working? Whom are they protecting - foreign terrorists, murderers, kidnappers, sex traffickers, and enslavers, or American citizens?"

"I hope every one of you here or listening will make your displeasure known to your elected officials, just as I have today. The idea that they could escape justice for what they did to me, when law enforcement has an open and shut case, goes against everything for which American justice stands! If you agree, please call and write everyone in authority! Anatoly Koslov is not a diplomat, and he must stand trial as the criminal he is! This is the United States of America, not a colony of a rogue state that harbors criminals, sponsors hackers and terrorists, and invades its neighbors!"

She paused again to compose herself, and continued. "Understand, I was warned not to go public! I was warned that my life would be at stake if I did! But I'm here in front of you because I refuse to allow obsessed creeps, kidnappers, murderers, perverts, pedophiles, sex traffickers and abusers, rapists, and enslavers, to control my life!"

She paused again, and concluded, "I appreciate the elected representatives you see standing behind me and supporting me. They arranged this opportunity for me to address all of you in front of this remarkable building, and I feel confident they will not back down in the fight to bring justice to those notorious evildoers seeking to avoid the consequences of their actions, as they have far too often!

"Whether press or concerned citizens, thank you for being here! A very special thanks to those of you across the nation who will join my campaign to imprison the perpetrators of these cowardly acts until their trials! We must not allow them flee back to Russia to continue terrorizing men, women, and children around the world with impunity!!"

She lowered her eyes, exhaled, and then refocused on the audience. Reporters surged forward calling questions, but Erik stated. "You have her statement; copies of the video you watched earlier are available on the table behind you. That's all Miss Olsson will say today."

They turned and went back inside, followed by the members of the entourage situated behind her, and members of the Texas Capitol Guard took up stations at each door, blocking entry. Hanna and Johnny had hurried inside when she ended her story, and were waiting in the conference room.

When they were midway through the large room Erik took her by her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. Her eyes were moist, but her face was determined; she looked him in the eyes, waiting for whatever judgement he would offer.

"I'm so very proud of you! You are a warrior, not a victim, and that will be clear to everyone who hears your words! Johnny, Hanna, and I have watched your transformation from selfish and childish thinking to mature and rationale discourse, but today you went before the world and erased all memories of the 'wild child' and replaced them with a vision of an intelligent, courageous, and forceful woman deserving of the highest respect!

"My admiration and love for you has never been as great as right now, and it compels me to ask a very important question.

"Will you do me the honor of marrying me, of becoming my wife, and the mother of our children?"

Annika had been fighting tears when he began, but sobered as he spoke. She was listening carefully to every word, but the ultimate question caught her by surprise. She stood there with a puzzled look, as if she were uncertain of what he asked.

Erik began to smile as she stood in confused silence, trying to process the question she so wanted to hear: the one that would change her life. The others filed in behind them, but waited quietly to hear her response.

"Did you really just ask me to marry you?" she asked in a quiet voice filled with wonder.

"Actually, I asked you to marry me, to become my wife, and the mother of our adorable children-to-be," he replied with a broad smile.

She shook her head gently, as if clearing her mind, and then answered. "I'll never understand the timing, but yes, I would be most honored to marry you, to become your wife, and the mother of our adorable children."

Then, with an impish edge to her voice, she asked, "Do you perhaps have a ring to seal this pledge?"