Chapter 11
Disappointed with her lack of release prospects but still pleased with her relationship progress, Ingrid chose not to get into a disagreement with Ally about her status and Tess's future misfortune. She decided that a diversion in their conversation would be the best course of action.
"What is the town out over there?" she asked, tossing her head over her shoulder towards the high wall behind the main building of the blockhouse; in the direction of Tiout, the neighbouring settlement she'd discovered in the distance, on the return leg of her earlier failed escape attempt.
Ally paused for a moment and stood in front of her. "How do you know about the town? You can't see a town from in here."
Shit. She thought. "Well. I can hear it."
He looked down his nose and scowled at her. "Bullshit! You've been outside these walls haven't you?"
She could think of no suitable excuse. "Well I had a quick look around when you were out yesterday." She admitted, smiling coyly in an attempt to quickly destroy any feelings of anger he may be building up inside.
"Were you trying to run away?" he asked in a stern voice, stupidly realising her response would obviously be one of denial.
"No. Not at all, I was just bored and wanted to see what was out there. That's all." She replied.
"You wouldn't have got a very warm reception if you'd gone over there, let me assure you." Ally explained. "The way of life in towns like that one, is very traditional. You have to be invited in by the hierarchy, and dressed like that, you'd most certainly be insulting someone of importance."
"I'm not going anywhere until this mess is sorted out." She lied. Ingrid intended running and never looking back, at the next and earliest available opportunity. "I doubt I'd be able to survive out there. I need your help to keep me in hiding away from Gus remember." She said, continuing with her string of lies, randomly spewing words she thought he would want to hear.
His nod and loss of expression towards her proved that her deceit had penetrated his disgust and hit the intended mark. Was this guy really so easy to play? She wondered.
"You'd better hope that nobody saw you." He said.
Ingrid stood in front of the captor she'd been successfully manipulating and smiled. "I promise you." She assured him, "Nobody saw me and I saw nobody. I wouldn't fancy my chances talking to strangers with these things on anyway." She held her resin moulded wrists cuffs up in front of him. "Look how vulnerable I am."
Ally nodded in agreeance, believing her and considering himself to be still fully in control of the situation. He lifted her arms over his head and allowed them to rest about his shoulders with the straight section of resin separating her two cuffs, touching against the back of his neck. The moment Ingrid felt his hands on her hips she pulled herself towards his, currently unclothed, body.
"Tonight, wh...mmm." He began to say, finding himself cut off by the welcome touch of her lips on his and the passing of her tongue into his partially open mouth.
After a short time shuffling on their feet and so soon after sex, she felt pleased, if not somewhat surprised to sense his erection pressing against her naked lower half, once more.
Satisfied that she'd brought her seduction attempts back into line, she lowered her lips down, away from his and rested her forehead on his chin.
"Sorry." She whispered through quickened breaths, "You were saying?"
"Tonight," he repeated, speaking into the hairline of her fringe, which remained the direction his voice projected. "When it gets dark and there's no one around, I'll take you out to the oasis for a dip."
Not only did his words sound like an exciting event to Ingrid but they symbolised her gaining a lot of ground when considering the progress into her journey of manipulation.
"Would you like that?" he asked, now looking down towards her.
Lifting her face back up to his, she silently nodded her head up and down, rolling her eyes, in sync, to keep them locked in stare with his as her neck tilted back and forth.
She could now confidently consider herself in the clear after her little jaunt out through the gates of the fortifications on the previous day.
Once dressed, Ally opened his phone to find, at last, the message he'd been waiting for, telling him that the shipment of his personal belongings had arrived and that they were ready for collection.
He checked how long the return journey would take, at the same time as deciding what to do with Ingrid.
He didn't want to lock her behind the bared gates of the old ammunition store or chain her to the post again, because after the fun they'd just had making love, he'd become a little more accustomed to her company.
Ally knew exactly which box contained the leg cuffs and that these would be the answer to his problem of preventing her from running, but he needed them here and now, to place around her ankles.
"Put your clothes on." He told her, "I'm taking you out for a drive."
"What. Now?" Ingrid perked up at this unexpected potential chance of freedom. "Where are we going?"
"Just to pick up the rest of my things." He said, "Nowhere interesting."
Ally still had a niggling voice in his head, telling him not to trust her so decided to continue cautiously scrutinising his every move, firstly by making sure that she opened and closed the gates, preventing her from taking off in his van once he had his back turned.
"You're not going to start shouting for help out of the window and have me drive you to see Gus, are you?" he meaninglessly threatened, as though talking to a child.
"I'm not going to shout at anybody." She lied, knowing that if the opportunity arose, she'd be screaming and running as much as she could.
