Carla was still a prisoner. Philippe had looked in a few times and made small talk, but she could sense no chance of release. When Jake came at meal times and bringing fresh clothes for her, he tried to engage Carla in conversation, particularly when Philippe was going to be away for several days. Seeing him sniffing her soiled undergarments, she knew what Jake desperately wanted, even if the halfwit couldn’t say so.
The scenario of him getting close enough to screw her had crossed her mind. When she had been a prostitute, she could blank out the intimacy, so this would be no different.
It was not a solution, because although she could easily incapacitate him, there was no key to release the chain. Philippe had anticipated Carla picking any lock; well, he could, why couldn’t she? Instead, the cuff of metal was bent closed like the manacles of medieval times. The only way to open the cuff was by chisel and brute force. There was barely enough space between metal and skin to thread her panties through when she changed them. The chain was lightweight, with welded links, so the individual ovals could not be twisted apart. She reckoned the chain was strong enough to easily lift a car.
Alongside the foot of the bed pushed against the wall, was an electric socket. Using the end of a teaspoon, she unscrewed the socket to expose the wires. By insulating the metal spoon with the corner of her bed sheet, she loosened the grip screw and the live wires were released. This now offered a slight chance of escape.
Carla used a fresh, dry hand towel to insulate the metal cuff from her skin. She wound a short strip of wallpaper around the chain link welded to the cuff to act as a removable electrical insulator. Now she manipulated the wiring so the cuff was connected to the red wire and the cuff link to the black wire. When she pulled out the paper strip, there was an almighty bang as the current arced and blasted away most of the link, but not all.
All the power went off in the building as the fuse blew. The sound of the television downstairs ceased instantly. Seconds later, Jake rushed upstairs and burst into the room. Carla had replaced the bed against the wall and pulled a duvet over her feet. Now she looked up in surprise at the sudden intrusion.
“What are you doing, bursting in here?” she demanded.
“All the power‘s gone off.” he replied.
“Do I look like a fuse box to you?” she replied testily, and relaxed back on the bed.
The man looked around the room, but could see nothing suspicious.
“What is that strange smell of metal?” Jake questioned.
“If you must know, I farted. Your cooking leaves a lot to be desired. If you spent as much time learning to cook as you do wanking, sniffing my panties and watching the porn channel, you’d be master chef of the year. Now bugger off and leave me in peace.”
Carla had brought the thought of sex out in the open. Thinking she must be getting horny by now, otherwise she would not have raised the subject, Jake smiled and left to replace the fuse.
Half an hour later, Carla had prepared for the next attempt at arcing away the remaining metal. The final stage would be tricky, because all the electrical energy had to be focused on the thin bridge left in the link. “Here goes,” she thought, as the blast separated the chain and cuff.
Free at last!
Jake charged into the room to find Carla lying on the bed, with her legs open, gently cupping and stroking her pussy through her skirt.
“The power has gone off again.” he stated accusingly.
“Sorry, it’s my fault,” she purred seductively. “My vibrator has overloaded the national grid and I am desperate for a fuck!”
The look on Jake’s face nearly brought Carla to hysterics. His jaw dropped for a second or two until he realized what she was offering.
“I can help you with that. You only had to say,” he leered as he approached from the foot of her bed.
Carla drew her right leg back with her knee bent and the sole of her foot on the bed, exposing her panties – a blatant lure to come and take her.
Bent over with both hands near her feet, he slowly moved up the bed. Carla had anticipated his every move, even the lustful grin on his face as he thought about what was to come. Like a striking viper, she clenched her toes and kicked hard at his throat. With crushed larynx, he fell off the bed onto the floor, choking to death. There was no way to save him, even if she had wanted to.
Carla slid off the bed and pulled off his trainers. She needed them now, having already ascertained they were large enough. He feebly kicked out at her as blackness closed in on his vision. He spasmed for a few moments, then lay still.
The moment Carla had burned through the link, Jake’s death was guaranteed. She had done him a kindness actually, because Philippe would have given him a slow and painful death for letting her escape.
She found Jake’s mobile phone and took it. Perhaps, with Sam’s help, she could use it to track Philippe and finally deal with him. Carla reasoned that Jake knew he would not be disturbed during his sex act, so no one was expected back for some time. This gave Carla time to tidy herself up and hide the metal cuff (still attached to her ankle) under a crude bandage. Finally, she set a chip pan fire to hide any trace of her having been there and then walked out the front door, unseen.
“Here I come Max,” murmured Carla, as she jogged down the busy street. As she went, she tapped Sam Leighton’s phone number into the stolen phone to call for help and give an update on the whole situation. Sam told her that Max had escaped from the hospital yesterday and she was too late to help him.
Carla ended the call and burst into tears at the news. All her strength drained from her body as she slid down a wall to the pavement in a fit of convulsive sobbing. How was she going to help and comfort Max now?
Philippe soon learned of Carla’s escape. The house fire was mentioned in the news and he had lost contact with Jake. He discarded his phone immediately. He knew Carla and probably The Organization would be after him. It was not lost on him that he was running for his life. The tables had turned and revenge looked less attractive now. In the past, The Organization ignored petty squabbles between Philippe, Carla and Max, but he had gone too far this time. He had put them all at risk of exposure and they would move heaven and earth to eliminate him.
Carla was not surprised Philippe had switched off his phone, but there was data on Jake’s phone The Organization could still use.