- a free online novel Rob Hopcott

Chapter 20

"Hello," said Mike "is that Stephanie."

"That's Mike isn't it?"

"I was just going to hit the sack and I was thinking of you so I thought I'd call," said Mike, slipping into a gangland drawl.

Stephanie stepped immediately into the repartee "And here I am thinking about nothing except how boring it is late in the evening to be all by my little self."

"If you were my gal, I to keep you well tucked in at night." Mike paused before the word 'tucked' to give it innuendo.

"But my Huggy-Bear has to work at night so what's a poor girl going to do?"

"Especially a poor girl as good looking as you, gal," said Mike. "There's a whole world out there on the streets. Theres excitement in the shadows and a story at every corner. Theres romance, tragedy, mystery and excitement. If I was your Huggy-Bear I'd be afraid you'd be out there if I didn't look after you."

"But its not every day that a nasty mean gangster calls up this little moll and takes her out for excitement, is it?" Stephanie was now getting coy. "I thought you'd forgotten about me when you didn't call."

"So I'm calling, are you coming or what?"

"To walk the streets with you... You might make me do nasty things with nasty men."

"I might insist on it," said Mike slowly with mock seriousness."

"I'll be ready in half an hour," said Stephanie, unable to keep excitement out of her voice.

Mike put the phone down on its rest. He was back at Carolyn's and had received the instructions earlier in the evening from the computer. They had been explicit and depended on Stephanie agreeing to go out with him tonight. He was not looking forward to the evening. Stephanie had been unpredictable on the first date and he had no reason to believe she would be any less so tonight. It occurred to him that it could almost be like a real date, now that Denise was gone. He sighed and went to get changed.

Half an hour later he was standing outside Stephanie's house. It was huge and had a large courtyard front leading to a modern detached house with huge gables giving it a Georgian look. Every room was lit and high walls on either side gave it privacy from the other equally large properties in the road.

He rang a bell beside the gate and after a small delay the gates swung open automatically. Stephanie had obviously checked him out on the entrance cam. He sauntered towards the front door trying to look casual. It opened and there was Stephanie looking completely gorgeous and wearing a plain red dress that stopped a long way short of her knees, high heels and a chain belt around her waist.

"I'll have to fight them off," said Mike, admiringly.

"And after all of the trouble this girl's gone through to make herself look lovely, and you're going to fight them off?"

Mike grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back so that she was off balance and kissed her roughly on her lips.

"Ooh that was nice," said Stephanie, not struggling at all.

"Get your bag, gal," said Mike, "we're going out on the town."

As they left, Stephanie reached to punch the alarm setting code into the console by the door but found herself being pressed back into the glass wall of the porch as Mike rubbed himself against her and nibbled her neck. From the way she was moaning, Mike reckoned she loved every minute of it.

After several delays, they got to the main gate and Mike, with his back to the gate, concentrated on increasing her breathing rate with more neck nibbling. She punched in the security code but it took a longer. It gave the opportunity to five shadowy figures to slip through her front door, closing the door quietly behind them. But she didn't see them and it had been Mike's express instructions that she shouldn't.

Mike and Stephanie sauntered down the avenue, past the other splendid houses in the road and towards Notting Hill.

"One day later and I'd have been gone," said Stephanie. "Tomorrow we are winging our way off to the Canary Islands. My Huggy-Bear is going there for a meeting and I'm going to soak up the sun."

They plunged down Portobello Road and then cut off to a main square.

"And this is where I think I will wait for my taxi," said Stephanie, angelically. You can go over there and stand in the shadows to make sure I'm all right."

Mike understood she was playing a game but wasn't sure what the game was until she tightened her belt a notch which raised her dress even higher. Combined with the way she was now standing, it created only one impression. Mike, standing in the shadows of an alley felt his blood running cold and his heart pounding as she strutted and preened herself.

Thankfully, half-an-hour later, she was still turning away cars although usually only after some good-natured banter. Mostly, Mike couldn't hear what she was saying especially when they went down the window and she put her head inside the car. He therefore had to rely on body language to detect any problems. She came back at one stage laughing "you'll never imagine what that one wanted me to do," she said, and I'm definitely not going to tell you.

"I'm getting thirsty," Mike said, desperately. "Why don't we find a bar that's open late and get something to drink."

"In a minute," said Stephanie, "I'm enjoying myself, don't be a spoil sport." And she went back to her position on the corner under the lamp.

Meanwhile back at the house, Rod had flattened himself against the hall wall downstairs as instructed into terse tones by the leader. His leg was hurting and the bandage Iselle had put on felt too tight but he didn't mind, it was only a scratch and he was in the thick of things again. The instructions had come earlier in the day and he had been given only a short time before the minibus had turned up at the chalet door to collect him. He clasped the machine pistol across his chest the way he had seen them do in films. The journey up to London had been one conducted in silence. Rod was the only one who received instructions; the others already knew what to do and were in the minibus before Rod. It was especially great to be out from under the skirts of Iselle. By now, Rod decided should never have been a female at all. She was much too bossy. Now he was running with the men and with a chance of using his 'piece' as he fondly thought of it.

Through the lounge door, Rod could see the leader doing something to the telephone, then he realised that a small computer was being attached. The leader switched the small portable computer on and immediately the computer started dialling a number. It was answered promptly with the name of a casino but Rod couldn't quite catch which one it was.

"Its Stephanie," said the little computer, "can I speak to my Huggy-Bear?" The computer was using a soft high, female voice, sexy like a film star that Rod once saw on the TV singing to some president or other.

"Oh hello Stephanie, can you hold the line a moment and I'll go and find him."

There was a two or three-minute delay and then a man's voice came on the line, it sounded irritated.

"Hi Stephanie, what's the problem? You know that when I'm at work is very difficult to chat. I hope it's important."

"I just wanted to talk to my Huggy-Bear. I'm feeling a bit blue, said the computer, Couldn't you pop in and see me when you take a break? Or perhaps I could pop in and see you in your new executive suite at the top of your big expensive casino. You never showed me round, since it got so much bigger. You could be getting up to anything there and I wouldn't know. It wont take long and I would be... very grateful to my Huggy-Bear."

Rod marvelled at how the computer simulated the woman's speech. He guessed that it was using the same technology as that used to talk to him and give him instructions. But to be able to impersonate a man's wife, obviously successfully, was an impressive feat.

"And if I let you can for just fifteen minutes for a quick tour you go off home like a good girl in the taxi?"

"Ill not only go off like a good girl, I'll be a very good girl when you get home ... again."

"Give me five minutes. I'll ring you back to say whether I can do it."

He rang off and then five tense moments later, the computer automatically answered the phone with a breathy

"Hi Huggy-Bear!"

"It all fixed up, Stephanie, grab a taxi and I'll meet you at the side door."

The computer blew him a noisy kiss and rang off.

Fifteen minutes later, the men were spread along the alley in strategic hiding places. The leader rang the bell to what looked like the entrance to a private apartment above the casino. He then put on a blonde wig and turned his face away from the spyglass in the door. In his hand, he held the small portable computer.

The man's voice came through the access phone by the door.

"Push the door when I buzz."

"Right you are, Huggy-Bear," said the computer in Stephanie's voice.

The door buzzed and the leader pushed it open and moved in fast with the others closely behind. A tall swarthy man stood inside. Rod saw him reach for something in his smart dinner jacket but he was knocked to the ground and the gun retrieved in one easy coordinated action. Two masked men held him down spread-eagled while another frisked him. He was hauled upstairs and minutes later was lying, tied up, on the floor of a large sumptuous penthouse flat that obviously doubled as the executive work area for the top man. Clearly, he had meant to have a few moments in private with his wife as no employees were in sight.

Again, Rod marvelled at the organisations incredible efficiency. They knew where the safe was and they even knew the combination. It was only minutes later that they had the safe's contents packed into five holdall bags. It was more money in notes than Rod had ever thought he would see in his life. And then, as quickly as they came, they were gone, walking swiftly down the alley and then down the street to where the minibus was parked. A short drive later and they stopped at a quiet car park where five cars were waiting. Rod was surprised to see his sports car was one of them and Iselle was behind the wheel. Rod jumped in and stowed the bundle of money he had been given as payment for his work in the glove compartment and Iselle pulled away quickly from the car park and slipped into the traffic on the Great West Road.

At around about the same time, Mike was saying goodbye to Stephanie at the gate.

"Are you sure that telephone call wasn't from another woman you are off to see now for a night of disgusting debauchery."

"Wouldn't you like to know, gal," said Mike, still in his role of gangster.

He grasped her by the shoulders and pulled her to him, gazing mockingly into her eyes.

"When your husband returns tonight and you are having your evil way with him, I bet you are going to imagine what it would have been like if you had said yes to those drivers tonight."

"When I'm with my Huggy-Bear I only think of him," Stephanie said, demurely, eyes gazing modestly down into Mike's chest. "But if such a silly little thought does cross my mind, you can be sure that it will include you."

Her laughing blue eyes were large, round and compellingly innocent.

For a moment, Mike considered trying to go in the house with her but his instructions on the phone had been to deposit her back as quickly as possible and then get away from the area. He kissed her hard again and pushed her away.

"I may phone you again," he said, nonchalantly, "If I feel like it. Tonight was good. Maybe we'll do it again."

Stephanie punched the code into the security box and went through the gate that closed behind her. As she started off across the courtyard to her front door, she turned and blew him a kiss.

Mike waved goodbye and turned on his heel walking quickly of the street and towards the train station. He would have liked to have had somewhere to go but had a feeling that things were coming to a head and it was perhaps better not to be distracted at this moment. Anyway, Stephanie was so unpredictable, she left him drained and exhausted. As he sat in the overland train, and watched the houses go by, as ordinary people prepared for bed with their ordinary comfortable spouses in the ordinary straight forward lives, he couldn't help feeling envious. For a while he wondered how Carolyn was getting on. Carolyn and he had not become close, even though they were sharing the same house. But she had been very nervous when she went off to see Gerald and Mike couldn't help feeling protective. He wondered whether she had been able to fend Gerald off as she had hoped. He thought it would be very difficult and wondered how she would cope.

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Unwelcome Paradise by Rob Hopcott is copyright   2001, All rights are reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any person living or otherwise.

I hope you enjoy 'Unwelcome Paradise'.      Rob

- a free online novel Rob Hopcott