Rattling Snaes Cage

This is a romantic crime thriller which contains some romantic sex, some non consensual sex, some male on male violence, and a lot of very interesting and interacting characters, with some twists and turns in the story.

I have tried to keep things as tasteful as I can, keeping in mind some peoples sensitivity.

As with all my stories there is not always a nice tidy happy ending for everyone – life is just not like that.

*

He sat watching her as he pretended to read a book he had found in the bookcase. Earlier he had showered, insisting she sat in the bathroom with him during it, the door locked, so he could keep his eye on her and now she sat on the sofa opposite him, her head leaning back, quiet and withdrawn, still wearing the towelling robe.

She was so beautiful to him, her hair, now dry was a tangled mess, still unbrushed, but it looked so sexy that he ached to run his hands through it, combing it with his fingers, but he knew if he so much as touched her she would hit him. He could tell the crying jag she had in the kitchen had cleansed her and now she was mad at him, probably thinking of ways to escape.

Putting the book down he asked her, "Want to watch a DVD? Jerry's mate has a load to choose from. What kind of film do you like?"

Lifting her head she glared at him, "One where the baddy gets caught and gets put away for good."

"Ouch....."

Getting up and walking over to the shelf holding the films he started calling out the titles, every so often looking over at her to see if she had any reaction to one. But the only thing she seemed interested in was ignoring him.

"This one should be right up your street. Layer Cake... Daniel Craig.... baddy ends up dead."

"Thanks for giving away the plot."

Picking it up he hunkered down in front of the TV and set up the DVD. Turning on his heel he looked around at her and caught her looking towards the flats telephone sitting on a side table. Getting up he walked over to it and jerked the wire out the wall, then sat down with the remote in his hand next to her. "Just relax; Jerry should be here soon with the food, and a time and day that this will all be over for you."

All he got from her was another glare, so he pressed the button on the remote and settled back to watch the film.

*

Jerry walked up the stairs to the flat carrying the bags of food and came to a halt in front of the door. Knocking he waited until he could hear the noise of footsteps the other side. "Patrick it's me.

"You alone?"

"No you plonker, I've got half the Metropolitan Police Force with me....of course I'm fucking alone."

The door opened and Patrick stood there, knife in hand. "Just being careful." Stepping past him, Jerry walked into the kitchen putting a couple of bags down on the table. The smell of fish and chips wafted up out of one bag.

"That smells good."

"Thought you could do with some hot food about now." And the two men started un-wrapping the steaming food. Patrick called out for Rachel who was still sitting where he had left her.

"She ok? Is everything cool." enquired Jerry.

"Depends on what you mean by cool. Are things going well...well that depends? I'm stuck in here with a woman I fancy like mad who hates my guts and wishes I was dead."

"Not the first time surely that some bird wishes you were dead."

Patrick gave Jerry a droll look just as Rachel walked into the kitchen, her stomach giving out a loud rumble as she smelt and saw the food. Pulling out a chair Jerry gestured for her to sit down. "Sit here Princess." and gave a smile which she returned. Patrick felt himself flush with jealousy. He wanted her to smile at him like she did with Jerry, but all he was getting were glares.

"Any beer in here?" he rummaged in the other bags.

"No but there's some milk for tea, and a bottle of coke."

"Talking about coke, did you meet up with the buyer?" Patrick sat down and started to eat. The hot food slid down his throat and hit the spot.

"Yeah. Four hundred grand and we do the swap day after tomorrow."

"Two more days!" Rachel exclaimed. "Two more days with him."

"Ain't love grand." Patrick told Jerry between bites, "She's crazy about me really."

Once they had finished eating and put away the food Patrick and Jerry stood talking about the finer details. Finding some paper and a pen in a drawer Patrick drew diagrams where he had hidden the goods. "The stuff hidden in the tree in the woods is near the lab. You're going to have to be careful getting that and also the key from my place."

"Don't worry. You've forgotten I cut my teeth on breaking and entry. Even with a couple of Snakes men outside watching I can get in and out without them noticing. The stuff in the woods I'll get last, just in case. I'll bring the packets from the other two sites here first and then go and get the other."

"Just watch yourself. Remember I've been on the receiving end of a beating on his orders. Let me tell you, it's not something you want to experience."

Patrick let Jerry out and wandered into the lounge where Rachel lay on the couch, her eyes closed, the towelling robe slightly falling open revealing a tantalising expanse of skin across her chest, her naked legs curving out, small feet lying at the end on a pillow. He stood next to her staring down, his body hardening with need.

Why this woman? Why did he feel such a need and such feelings building for her in so short a time? Was it the situation that they were in, the fact that for a few days he had some sort of power over her, or that something magical was occurring inside of him at last?

He thought back to that morning in bed. She hadn't fought back to stop him, not really. She had seemed to respond to him. He knew she had said no, but it hadn't seemed with real conviction.

Could it be that she felt something, but because of the situation she was in she had some resentment that was mixed with some attraction. He justified this morning in his head, not wanting to really think of it as rape, or even taking advantage.

Patrick knelt on the floor next to her where she lay and gently lifted his hand to run his fingers through the tangle of black hair that lay by her face. Her eyes opened and stared up at him. There was no fear in them, no hate and no condemnation, just a wary acceptance.

It was as if she had come to some decision about her circumstances.

They stared at each other for long minutes and then she uncurled her body sitting up slowly and without taking her eyes from his she untied the belt around her waist letting the robe fall open. Patrick's heart beat faster as he sat back on his heels watching as she stood and let the robe fall from her body to pool on the floor around her feet. His breath caught in his throat and his blood flowed down to his groin engorging his cock, as his eyes swept down her body absorbing the curve of her breasts tipped by dark pointed nipples, the soft indent of her navel, the swell of her hips each side of the dark triangle of her pubic hair, the long length of her thighs.

His mouth went dry as he looked up at her, his need taking away any ability to think.

All he could do was just feel.

Just feel and want.

He watched as she walked away from him towards the bedroom, the two twin globes of her buttocks enticingly swaying with each leisurely step, and getting up he followed her.

No words had been spoken out loud between them, but the message was loud and clear in the silent flat, and he obeyed her instructions walking into the bedroom to watch as she lay down upon the bed, her body lying back invitingly.

Pulling his tee shirt over his head he revealed his body, the bruises now a deep mix of green and purple, and then his jeans down his long hair covered legs. Rachel lay looking up at him, her face expressionless, and her demeanour upon the bed accepting. His cock stood out rigid, his balls hanging down below heavy, and he climbed upon the bed and her body without a word said.

They rolled across the bed a tangle of legs, arms, and hands and her breasts rubbed against his chest, his belly against her belly. Sensations rocketed through his body, and the soft noises of skin touching skin, the rustling of sheets, the wet sounds of kisses and the gentle sound of sighs was the background noise as they made love.

Subtly the exchange of power had moved.

He had given himself to her and she had taken it.

*

The Policeman opened the back door of the small car and carefully opened the handbag on the back seat using a pen. Removing the black leather credit card folder using a handkerchief so as not to smudge any fingerprints he opened it up and saw the name.

"It's our missing woman all right." and looking around at the other policeman who stood looking into the drivers door, "any sign of a struggle?"

"Keys are still in the ignition." Pointing over to the door of the unit, "The glass is broken. Let's go and look inside the building."

Taking a deep breath to steady their nerves as to what they both thought they might find in the abandoned building the two coppers walked to the door and carefully opened it. Walking into the first room they saw the cardboard on the floor, a tangled and knotted bandage lying forlornly on the brown cardboard.

"Looks like this was used to tie her." Looking around the room he said, "No sign of her in here, you take the rest of the downstairs, I'll go up."

Carefully walking up the stairs the copper listened for any sign of life. Reaching the top he turned into the first room and stopped in front of the chair, the remains of the cut and knotted stockings laying on the floor and the shoes where Rachel had removed them sitting there forlornly.

"Dave...up here." He shouted.

The other policeman came up and stopped next to his colleague, "Looks like she was bound up here to the chair." Pointing at the discarded empty water bottle, "We should be able to get some DNA from that, and fingerprints."

Lifting the radio from his pocket he phoned in their find.

*

Darwin walked into his office in the rented house in Dulwich. He held the phone to his ear, "Three hundred grand in cash. Fifty pound notes. Packed split into two bags. Get it here for tomorrow."

Turning to his number two he smiled, "Forty grand for two desperate little tow rags is a little rich, they'll accept what I give them on the day, and I'm being generous because of fond memories of Jerry."

The other man shrugged. "Don't know why you're bothering with giving them anything. Just go and get the stuff and leave them to Snake."

"I might just yet...."

*

His cock gave that last throb as he finished ejaculating into her and resting his body where it lay he kissed her nose and then each of her eyelids. Whispering he told her, "I promise I'll never hurt you." and they lay, legs entangled, replete and quiet.

Rachel looked at the man she had just had sex with. He lay with his face close to hers, his eyes smiling into hers, his face calm in repose, and she thought, "Got him."

During her time on the couch she realised the only weapon she had against him was sex. Get him to believe she was compliant, get him relaxed, make him think she was obedient and when he was completely relaxed and not paying proper attention, make her escape.

She had been aware of his attraction to her yesterday, and she, if she was truthful was attracted to him in a perverse way. But she needed to get away and this morning showed her he was morally redundant. He was a thief and a drug dealer and he only cared about his own needs, and after finding out that her last boyfriend was a double dealing bastard who was already married and with a child, there was no way she was going to fall for some other bastard, even if he was good looking and charming.

Patrick gathered her into his arms, snuggling up to her, his face buried into her neck and whispered, "I love the way you smell." and slowly she felt his body relax even further as he moved more into sleep. Laying there, his hot body holding onto hers she drifted off as well, her last thought before sleep overtook her that she would maybe try to escape tonight.

Tonight would be soon enough.

*

Megan stood by the bed packing her suitcase. Jerry had said only to pack things that were really important to her. Things she didn't want to leave behind. Picking up the photographs of her and her mum in the silver frame she put it to her lips and kissed it.

She missed her mum.

They had had such a good relationship, as close as friends instead of mother and daughter. It had been nearly two years since she had died, two lonely years living alone until she had met Jerry. Grinning she put the frame in the case thinking about Jerry and how much she loved him. She was relatively in-experienced, her chronic asthma making going out and having a normal social life difficult and over time her friends had all gotten married and had children, leaving her behind alone.

But the day she had met Jerry was the best day of her life.

She had been in the chemist getting her prescription filled when he had come in just as she had an attack. Staying with her as she had gotten back her breath and taking her for a cup of tea at the little café down the road, he had then insisted he take her home in his car instead of her getting a bus in the rain. From there they had started to see each other and he had turned out to be a gentle, sweet, hard working man that bought her gifts and worried over her, spoiling her and making sure she was managing her asthma.

He told her about the South of Spain and how he felt it would be better for her, the air fresher and dryer, the lifestyle that would help her gain strength. Together they had planned and dreamed and Jerry told her that over the next couple of days their dream would come true.

Folding a blouse into the case she smiled. He had told her that he was so worried about her flying in a plane with the air conditioning that might affect her asthma that they would be going by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, their cases in the boot of his car, so that going abroad for only the second time, the first with school to Paris, would not be a real strain on her.

That was her Jerry, sweet, thoughtful and caring.

She just knew the rest of her life was going to be so wonderful with him, and she knew her mother would have approved of him and loved him as much as she herself did.

*

Snake put down the phone his eyes screwed up with fury. Word had come down to him that the bastard he had tangled with a couple of years ago up North had been seen on his patch. That slimy fucking wanker was openly up to something and he wanted to know what.

Putting his feet up on the desk he dialled one of his dealers that he had been told Ztostsi had been sighted going into his place telling him to come over as he wanted to talk to him. Smiling to himself he called in a couple of his enforcers explaining that he wanted them to collect the man and what he wanted from them when the poor man was there.

He had a feeling that somehow the appearance of that bastard from Manchester was tangled up with his missing cocaine and that traitorous conniving tow rag of an ex friend Patrick.

When he got the information he wanted from the dealer, he would get his hands on his missing ex friend.

And then the fun would begin.

*

The cops were now treating Rachel's disappearance as a serious crime. The unit where her car had been found was gone over by forensics, and fingerprints and DNA were taken from the site. Briefings had taken place that afternoon to the team at the station, and photos of her that had been supplied by her friend Sarah were printed and handed out as well as sent out electronically to other police forces around the country.

National newspapers were given a press release, keeping back a couple of relevant facts, just explaining that a twenty four year old woman was missing, last seen leaving her place of work in her car, and that her car had been found abandoned along with her keys and handbag about half an hours drive from where she lived. Police were requesting any information or sightings of the missing woman and a hotline number was given out.

In the area where the car had been found dogs and policemen were out searching the fields and woods, looking for a possible body.

On the six o'clock news on television the photo was shown as the newsreader gave out the information about the missing girl, but Patrick and Rachel didn't see it. They lay in bed, bodies tangled, fast asleep as the events of the last few days and making love overcame them.