EXTRACT - IN CERTAIN HOPE

 

The farmhouse had seen better days. The five men lounging outside were waiting for their invited guest and as she would be at least an hour, they were not particularly paying much attention to the world around them. The only clue, and it was a big one, to their nature was the stack of AK 47 clones in the middle of the farmyard. The weapons were in easy reach, should that become necessary but none of them expected such a situation to materialise

Raphael, was their leader, though this was not his true name. Neither were the others really named Matteo, Marco, Luca and Gian but those were the names they used between each other. They had once been part of the mighty Andrezzi family, at least as trusted retainers. Now they were little better than common bandits but all that was set to change.

It was the first day of legal female slavery in Italy. Here in Sicily powerful government ministers and civil servants had become frequent visitors, spreading the good news about slavery. They were far more numerous and far more frequent than before and far more important. All of that meant one thing to the five; ransom and a big one at that. A large ransom would help to fund a return to the glory days and for a return to the glory days needed one more thing. They had to have an Andrezzi. Sadly the remaining three did not form a particularly desirable bunch. Enrico was a traitor to his uncle and had led the Carabinieri to him. Julia, the eldest daughter of Don Luigi had virtually run away when she was eighteen and had been forgotten by the local people. But Serena, although a woman, was the one they had settled on. She was not ideal because the ideal would have been the son of Don Luigi and he had no sons. But Serena was someone the locals knew and remembered alongside her father. She would raise their profile from armed brigands to being a respected family again. Of course to do that, she just had to look beautiful and do what she was told, that was a woman's role. She would not be in charge, whatever she might think. She had become an Englishman's sex toy; better that she were an Italian's sex toy.

The capture of a high ranking civil servant in the new Ministro di Schiavitu was easy. One moment he was outside a government building in Palermo, the next he was in the back of a van and on his way to the farmhouse behind them. He was now guarded by five others, waifs and strays, that they had picked up since the January raid.

They had sent a demand to the government for one million euros plus the safe return of Serena Andrezzi from captivity in England. For some weeks there had been a dance around the issue. The government were claiming that they would never negotiate, the Andrezzi clan (for so they called themselves) insisted on the full million and nothing less plus Serena.

In the end the settlement had been reached. One quarter of a million euros and Serena. She was even now making her way to the farmhouse. They had heard that a man was accompanying her and that he was armed. Of course he would be disposed of. They had lookouts who reported the progress of the two at regular intervals, so there was no need to be ready...yet.

About twenty minutes before the meeting, the men picked up their guns but then continued lazing around in the warm afternoon Sun. Their lazy stances belied the fact that they formed a semicircle which would form a good killing field for anyone entering it intent on resistance.

Five minutes early, Serena walked out of the brush. She stood between the farmhouse and them holding a stubby sub machine gun. In front of her and to her left stood a man. Perhaps late thirties and looking in good condition apart from his hands being in handcuffs. He also did not look happy, mainly because Serena's gun was pointing at his back. Both looked like they had been on a long walk, their light brown cotton shirts were stained with sweat and their boots had clearly seen better days.

'The conversation that began was in Italian but a rough translation was:

'Ah Signorina, you are early. Kill the man and throw down the gun. We have need of you.'

'Raphael do you not stand in front of an Andrezzi? Where are your manners?'

'You are now an English slave whore, Signorina, soon you will become an Italian one. We do not take orders or stand for slaves. Now shoot the man and then throw down your gun. My cock longs for your pretty pussy'