*******************************

Please note: All characters in this story are fictitious, any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The author does not necessarily condone or endorse any of the activities detailed in this story, some of which are dangerous or illegal.

Please keep in mind the difference between fantasy and reality. *******************************

All my stories can be found at here.

Emily had woken up with a bad feeling that morning. She often experienced premonitions but they never actually came true. Working as an EMT in the outskirts of Kuwait City, she knew it was always better to concentrate on the here and now, whether dealing with professional or personal matters. This time, though, she wished she hadn't ignored that bad feeling.

Emily had previously worked on an Army base, where she met her husband Anthony eighteen months ago. They were both contractors, only she was part of a medical team and he had landed a plum construction contract. There had been talk of one or both of them getting transferred to the Green Zone in Baghdad, which Emily definitely was not interested in. She preferred the relative peace of Kuwait City.

Emily had worked in the Middle East before but Kuwait City was unlike anywhere else she had been posted. The city was so fresh and modern that she instantly felt at ease. When her first four month tour ended, Emily requested another posting to Kuwait City. After the third month, Emily felt comfortable enough with the city to arrange a visit by her ten year old daughter Mia. Mia had never met Anthony, her stepfather, nor had she traveled much outside the U.S. Emily decided the time was right to do both.

The plan had been for Mia to visit during the last month of her tour, then they could both fly back to the States together. It was on the second to last day that disaster struck. They were taking a desert tour in Anthony's jeep when they slowed for a van blocking the road. Emily paled when she saw five armed men jumped from the van and surrounded the jeep.

"Mom!" Mia cried, frightened. "What's going on?"

"It's okay," Emily comforted her. "Shh, stay calm." But the two adults exchanged a knowing glance. One of the men gestured and spoke impatiently in Arabic. Possessing only a rudimentary knowledge of the language, both Emily and Anthony could not understand. After much more gesturing, Emily joined Mia in the backseat of the jeep as Anthony slid over and allowed one of the men to get behind the wheel. Then they started driving, following the van as Kuwait City became smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

They finally arrived at an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. The family was then escorted inside the crumbling structure. Three more men were waiting when they arrived. Two were armed with machine guns. Emily protectively wrapped her arms around Mia.

"Hello," the unarmed man said. "My name is Hussam."

There was a silence until Anthony realized they were waiting for him. "I'm Anthony," he croaked, his throat bone dry.

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Anthony," Hussam nodded. "Please, do not be afraid. I do not wish to harm you, or your family. I only have simple questions that I want you to answer." Emily instantly disliked him. He seemed polite on the surface but she could tell he was not.

"Okay," Anthony said. Emily saw him glance at her with hopeful eyes.

"Your jeep," Hussam began. "There are words written on the side of it."

"Yes," Anthony replied warily. "Halliburton."

"You work for the United States Army," Hussam stated.

"That's right," Anthony nodded. "I'm a construction contractor."

"I was told," Hussam said, "that U.S. soldiers have been transporting an unusual mount of supplies north of Basrah."

Anthony eyed him cautiously. "Yes," he responded. "They've been escorting our trucks."

"Why is there construction taking place?" Hussam inquired.

"I don't know," Anthony shrugged. "We've only received tentative blueprints. They haven't even begun breaking ground yet."

"But you already said that soldiers have been protecting your transports as they carry supplies," Hussam's eyes glinted in the dim light.

"We're just following orders from the army," Anthony told him. "Sometimes they have us move equipment to one place and then a week later we're moving it again."

"What are they planning to build north of Basrah?" Hussam asked.

"I told you, I don't know."

There was a pause. Behind them, the five men from the van had quietly entered, still holding their guns. Emily felt her knees knocking in fear. What on earth was going to happen? "Please," Hussam said politely. "Please tell me what you have been requisitioned to build."

Anthony raised an eyebrow. "I don't know," he repeated. "Look, I've got the number of..."

"Mr. Anthony," Hussam interrupted, "you do not understand. You must tell me. I must warn you I am losing my patience for your game."

"There isn't a game!" Anthony exploded. "I don't know! The Army doesn't keep the contractors up to date on strate..."

"Again, I ask you," Hussam thundered. "What are you building?"

"I don't know!"

"If you do not answer, you will not like the consequences!"

Anthony looked at Emily, his hands open in helpless frustration. Furious now, Hussam glared at all three of them with obvious disgust. Speaking in too fast Arabic, he issued a series of commands. The seven moved quickly, two men taking Anthony by the arm.

"No!" Emily shouted. "Just let us go!" But two men took her by the arms as well. She let go of Mia. They were led down a series of stairs. They seemed to be going into some sort of subterranean manufacturing plant. They finally reached a windowless room. The walls were made of plain, gray concrete blocks and the only door was constructed of shiny gun-metal steel. The room was lit brightly by fluorescent lights that reminded Emily of a doctor's waiting room. Wordlessly, the guards pointed at the far wall. Her heart sank.

A pair of chained shackles hung imposingly from the concrete blocks. The men pushed her shoulders until she realized they wanted her to kneel. Emily's hands shook as her wrists were shackled. Next, a large pair of heavy iron cuffs were secured just above her knees. They took several minutes to adjust the length of the chains, forcing her to raise her arms above her head, yet the shackles on her legs forced her to remain low. With a shiver, Emily realized they meant for her to remain kneeling. Her fear only intensified when she saw the rest of the room.

On the other side of the square room were two wooden boards forming an X shape that was inclined at a 45 degree angle. To Emily's horror, Mia's wrists and ankles were being secured to the wooden boards with leather handcuff attachments on the periphery of the X. Her daughter was now spread eagle on the boards, caught between leaning and laying against the inclined boards, her own arms and legs unwillingly forming an X.

Anthony had it the easiest of them all. He was merely forced to sit in a chair while his hands and wrists were tied to the wooden legs. The men made a quick round of their three captives, making sure everyone was secured before leaving the room. Hussam strolled into the room.

"I trust my men have made you comfortable?" he smiled thinly.

"Look, I told you," Anthony began. "I'm just a grunt who supervises the work! I don't know anything about what the army does."

Hussam silenced him with a wave of his hand. "It's very noble of you, Mr. Anthony," he told him. "Protecting your country like this. Even at the expense of your own wife and child."

Anthony swallowed hard. "Mr. Hussam... please," he began.

"Please. Be silent," Hussam told him. Emily shivered. The man didn't raise his voice in the slightest but she could sense the edge to his tone. Anthony must have felt it too, because he opened then closed his mouth without a word.

"I am an honorable man," Hussam said. "But I am fighting a dishonorable war. I do not wish harm upon you. Nor do I wish harm upon your family." He looked at Emily. She felt herself shrink under his gaze. Despite his Middle Eastern appearance, the man's English was impeccable. "But the choice is yours," he continued. "I will take the necessary measures if you do not tell me what I need to know."

He paused and bent over Anthony's chair so their eyes were level. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Anthony stammered. "But... you don't..."

"Good," Hussam said, cutting him off. "I understand you are in a state of duress. I will give you time to calm and collect yourself. This will no doubt give you sufficient time to recollect all the details concerning the fortification of the base. When I return in twenty minutes, I will expect your full cooperation."

He turned and swiftly exited the room. The door closed behind him, the sound of its metal on concrete a disheartening thud. The room was silent for a moment. Anthony looked at Mia, propped wanly on the X board. "Are... are you all right, honey?" he asked. Mia nodded. Her lip quivered but Emily could tell she was trying to be brave.

"Don't worry, okay? This is all just a misunderstanding. They're not going to hurt us." He turned to look at Emily. "You okay?"

She nodded. Her experience as an EMT was coming in handy. Emily was able to compartmentalize her panic and push it away. She would deal with it later but she knew it was essential to stay calm. "What are you going to tell them?" she asked.

"The truth," Anthony said, shaking his head. "I don't know anything! He thinks I'm meeting with high-level generals and commanders. We just get requisition papers from the base that outlines the work we need to do. They never tell us why, just when and where."

"I don't think Hussam is going to accept that answer," Emily said steadily.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Can't you just make something up?"

"Well, yes, but..." he trailed off. Emily could tell he was keeping something from her. "Even once they get what they want from me," he chose his words carefully, "I think they'll have... additional plans."

Emily understood. Neither parent wanted to scare Mia, who was still listening intently to everything her parents said. Even once Hussam obtained his desired intelligence, they would be useful as hostages. Or...

"Do you think... How far do you think Hussam will go?" Emily asked. Anthony narrowed his eyes at her, barely shaking his head. Emily's heart sank. Hussam would have no compunction about killing any of them.

"You guys need to listen," Anthony said, addressing both Mia and Emily. "We all need to be on the same page, in case they separate us. It's Friday afternoon. No one will notice that we're missing until Monday morning when I don't show up for work. But I don't want to wait that long."

"So... what are we going to do?" Mia asked.

"You know those pearl earrings I have you for your birthday?" Anthony asked her.

"Well, yeah," Mia responded. "I'm wearing them right now."

"I know," he grinned at her. "Those are special earrings that your mom used to wear. When it was decided that you would come over, I wanted you to have them."

"What's so special about them?" Emily wanted to know, remembering how Anthony always insisted that she wear the earrings, every day. She was actually a little relieved when he asked to give them to Mia.

"They're homing beacons," Anthony revealed triumphantly. "It's a secret project that the corporate office back in the States was developing. They planned to assign them to every contractor over here but they're still in the testing phase."

"You mean they know where we are right now?" Emily said hopefully.

"Not yet," Anthony shook his head. "The system isn't fully online yet so there's nobody monitoring. But..." He smiled encouragingly at his wife and stepdaughter. "But the earrings can be made to send a distress signal back to the base. They'll definitely notice that."

For the first time, Emily felt a ray of hope. "How do we activate the distress signal?" she asked.

"There's a sensor in the pearl that is sensitive to temperature and humidity," Anthony explained. "When both are high enough, it activates the distress signal."

Emily understood immediately. "You swallow it."

"Pretty clever, huh?"

"But we're all tied up," Mia pointed out.

"Yeah," conceded Anthony. "We are. But now you guys know the plan. If anyone should somehow get free, even for just a minute, the priority is Mia's pearl earrings. The pearl is designed to easily snap off the stud. It'll be like swallowing a pill."

"Is it even a real earring?" wondered Mia.

"Probably not," Anthony shrugged. "But I think you'll be the one who has to swallow the earring, Mia. Think you're up to it?"

"Why me?"

Anthony's eyes met Emily's for just a moment. "It'll probably just be easiest if you swallow it," Anthony told her. "Since you're wearing them and all. Don't worry, you don't have to swallow both. Just one will do. And if there's time, your mom should swallow the second pearl."

Emily began racking her brain to think of a way, any way, for one of them to be untied for just a minute. She knew why Anthony wanted Mia to have priority. If they became separated, she definitely wanted Mia to be rescued first.

"So let's just play it cool," Anthony reminded them. "Don't be afraid, don't b-" His next words were cut off by the sound of a key rattling on the other side of door. There was a clanking noise and a quiet creak as the massive steel slab slowly swung open. Hussam entered the room, his hands held behind his back.

"Mr. Anthony!" he greeted. "It has been exactly twenty minutes. You are, I hope, ready to tell me everything I want to know?"

"I am," Anthony responded, licking his lips. "But first... can you let my daughter go? She's very uncomfortable in that position."

Hussam furrowed his brow. He glanced at Mia, as if noticing her for the first time. "Ah yes," he said, walking toward her. "She is very lovely, yes? What is your name?"

"Mia." Emily saw her daughter tremble as she addressed their captor.

"How old are you, Mia?" he inquired.

Mia had paled considerably now that she was the focus of attention. Hussam was now peering at her as if she were an animal at the zoo. Frozen like a deer in the headlights, the young girl was speechless. "She's ten years old," Emily spoke up.

"Ten years old," Hussam repeated. Emily thought she saw his eyes soften a bit. "When my daughter was nine years old, she waited impatiently for her tenth birthday," Hussam said. "You see, her mother had promised her that she could begin wearing blue jeans when she turned ten years old."

Emily could hear the barest hint of emotion in his voice. Perhaps he could be reasoned with? Hoping to exploit the opening, she said, "I didn't let Mia do certain things until she was ten years old too. Your daughter must have really been happy to get to wear jeans."

"I wouldn't know," Hussam said softly. "She was shot by stray gunfire at an open-air market three years ago. She died before she turned ten years old."

Emily looked at the floor, horrified. She saw Anthony's blanch as well. Hussam continued, "It was American soldiers, you see. They thought there was danger that day, but there was none. I was told they were only trying to protect us."

"Hussam," Anthony began, "I'm so sorr-"

"Enough," Hussam interrupted hastily, his face returning to stone. "Mr. Anthony. Please tell me why you were sent to Green Zone."

"I... I told you," Anthony said, looking him in the eye. "They didn't tell us. We just follow orders. We don't ask."

Hussam pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. "Still unwilling, I see," he said grimly. "Very well. I warned you of the consequences if you did not cooperate." He turned back to Mia and gazed at her. She shifted uncomfortably but the leather cuffs securely held her wrists and ankles.

"I did not fully explain this contraption that holds your daughter," Hussam said, glancing back over his shoulder at Anthony. "I prefer to call it a 'restraining table'. Some of my men, who are rather coarse I must admit, like to call it a 'rape table'."

The color drained out of Emily's face. She watched as Hussam lifted the feet of the X. There was a hinge fastened horizontally where the boards intersected, which allowed it to swivel. Mia went from leaning at a 45 degree angle to laying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Mr. Hussam, please..." Anthony began but he was silenced by a glare. A cold icy ball formed deep in Emily's stomach as she watched Hussam position his hips at the juncture of the swiveling platform. The X shaped boards allowed him to stand mere inches from the center of Mia's spread legs.

"I am told this device is remarkably effective," Hussam said, lowering the feet of the X so Mia was once again resting at a 45 degree angle. "Although I am uncertain as to why men bound your daughter to the restraining boards rather than your wife." He approached where Emily was restrained in her kneeling position. To her surprise, he moved so close to her that her head involuntarily recoiled backward. But the cuffs on her wrists prevented any real movement. He stepped closer until he stood mere inches from Emily.

Hussam looked at Anthony who now had daggers in his eyes. "Mr. Anthony," he said coldly, "why do you think my men chained your wife here instead?" He thrust his hips forward ever so slightly.

Disgusted, Emily turned her head and felt the coarse material of his pants against her cheek. Her face was directly level with the crotch of his dusty fatigues. "This man is sick," she thought to herself.

"Stop!" Anthony said angrily. "Stop it! All right, look..."

"The time for you to speak has passed, Mr. Anthony," Hussam informed him. "I warned you. You will now accept the consequences." He looked to the doorway and gave a signal. Two men entered the room. Emily gasped when she saw they were brandishing knives whose blades glinted in the antiseptic light of the small room.

"Oh god," she whispered. The men approached Anthony. Emily wanted to turn away but she couldn't. To her relief, the men inserted the blades under the cuffs of Anthony's khaki pants. There was a sound of tearing fabric. Anthony's khakis were sliced open all the way to his waist, revealing his hairy legs and checkered boxer shorts. One of the men then ripped open Anthony's shirt, exposing his bare chest. They paused at that moment and glanced at Hussam, who made an impatient gesture. Anthony's boxers were unceremoniously ripped off.

"What... what are you doing?" Emily cried. Hussam dismissed the two men before turning to her.

"You will be silent," he ordered. "Things will become much worse if I have to address you again." He then moved to stand behind Anthony, who was now essentially naked, save for the few remnants of cloth that remained on his shoulders. Once again, Hussam signaled to someone beyond the doorway.

Emily was stunned to see a young girl enter the room. She was a beautiful blond girl with long hair that fell past her shoulders. But what was more shocking was that the girl was naked. She kept her arms at her sides, apparently unconcerned with revealing her flat chest and hairless slit to strangers.

"What are you... what is this?" Anthony stared. "What the hell are you playing at?" he said angrily to Hussam.

"Calm, please," Hussam interjected. "Please meet Grace. She is nine years old. Your daughter Mia is a full year older. But I would wager that Grace has much more experience than your daughter in certain matters." He nodded at Grace.

The young girl immediately knelt before Anthony and began kissing his flaccid penis. Mia's jaw dropped. Emily was filled with revulsion. Anthony was blushing deeply now, a bead of sweat breaking on his brow. "Look, I understand!" Anthony exclaimed. He attempted to crane his neck to look at Hussam standing behind his chair. "I get it! I'll talk, okay? You want to talk?"

"I wanted to talk five minutes ago," Hussam said severely. "You did not."

"Why are you doing this?" Anthony demanded. "Can't you just let Mia go? She's just a child! She doesn't need to be here. You had a child... you must know how it feels."

Hussam smiled thinly. "I know all too well, Mr. Anthony," he told him. "I am often reminded that every young girl is someone's daughter. Grace, for example, is the daughter of a contractor we captured two years ago." He paused to let the words sink in. Emily's heart twisted at the look of dread on Mia's face. The naked blond girl continued unabashedly kissing Anthony's penis, which Emily noticed was no longer completely flaccid. "I did not wish to keep her," Hussam continued, "but my men insisted she would be useful. I believe they proved correct."

Emily couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing. Her mind revolted at the thought of this poor girl spending two years in captivity with these rough men. But despite her resigned expression, she appeared quite healthy and well-fed. Her ivory skin was unblemished and her smoothly muscled frame appeared normal for a girl her age.

"I told you I am not an evil man," Hussam said, clearing his throat. Grace looked at him. He nodded at her. "But I am fighting an evil war."

Emily's stomach churned as the young girl began massaging her husband's scrotum. He partially erect now, which allowed Grace to engulf his cockhead in her mouth. Emily saw Anthony glance at her, his face a mask of shame and loathing. He quickly looked away. She noticed that he was carefully avoiding looking in Mia's direction. She could hardly blame him. Her daughter's face was lined with deep wrinkles of disgust and confusion at this turn in events.

Grace's ministrations had the desired effect, for Anthony soon sported a full erection. Logically, Emily knew that it made no sense but she couldn't help but feel jealous. She was relieved to hear Hussam speak, "That's enough, Grace."

Obediently, the young girl stopped and stood up, wiping a bit of saliva from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Why don't you show us what else you can do?" Hussam asked.

Emily's relief turned to horror as Grace straddled Anthony's lap, facing him. "She can't..." Emily's mind raced. "It's impossible. She's way too young..." Slack-jawed, Emily watched as the nine year old girl reached down to adjust the position of her husband's erection between her legs. It was a grotesque sight, seeing Anthony's adult cock poking between the slim buttocks of the young girl. Grace was pushing down against him, letting him probe her hairless slit in an attempt to find the opening.

Emily stared at the floor. She couldn't. She just couldn't watch anymore. Suddenly, she heard a small gasp from the little girl. Raising her eyes, she saw that Grace had accomplished the task at hand, partially impaling on Anthony's hard cock. Emily felt like throwing up. The girl was now wiggling her hips in an effort to allow more of Anthony inside her.

"Congratulations," Hussam told Anthony. "You are only the third man to have known Grace in this manner. How does it feel?"

Anthony gave him a defiant look. "You're a sicko," he muttered through a clenched jaw. "You're going straight to hell, you know that?"

Hussam tilted his head in amusement. "Grace," he said, "why don't you show him what you can do?"

Placing one hand on Anthony's shoulder and the other on his bare chest, Grace carefully began moving her hips. "I can't believe it," Emily thought. "She's doing it. She's fucking my husband." Grace was still too immature to take his full length, but she was allowing almost half of her husband's erection to penetrate her. Seeing Hussam's triumphant expression, Emily's fists closed in anger and humiliation.

Perhaps sensing her burning gaze, Hussam glanced at her, bemused. He got down on one knee next to her. "You have the appearance of a woman scorned," he said, smirking.

"Shut the hell up, asshole," she shot back.

"Look at them," Hussam said, taking her by the jaw. He forced her gaze at Anthony and Grace. "This girl will give your husband something he will never forget. I am told that girls of this age possess a vise-like grip that is impossibly seductive. I don't think your husband will be able to resist her charms. Do you?"

Emily tried to wrench free from his grip on her jaw but he only held tighter. Now look at your daughter," he told Emily. "She does not care to watch either. What do you suppose she is thinking? Perhaps she wonders, 'What is father doing? Will I have to do this?'"

Emily looked sorrowfully at Mia, who was gazing vacantly at a brick wall. The gravity of their situation struck deep within her. Though she swore she wouldn't, Emily couldn't hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Please," she said, struggling to maintain her composure. "He doesn't know anything about military plans! No contractor knows anything! They just send them to work, no questions asked. Don't you understand?"

Hussam let her go. "I don't believe you," he whispered. He returned to the chair where the man and girl were so intimately coupled. Grace had not broken her rhythmic thrusting. Waiting until the young girl was on an up stroke, Hussam quickly took her by the hips and shoved her down hard onto Anthony's sword.

Grace immediately wailed out in pain as her immature cervix crashed against the erection that already too much for her small body. But Emily heard Anthony grunt as well, making a noise that sounded suspiciously passionate. Realizing what he did, he glanced at Emily with a guilty look on his face. At that moment Hussam repeated the maneuver, violently pushing Grace down again. Emily heard the girl groan in pain as Anthony flinched.

"He's pressing against her cervix," Emily realized. "It's so painful that her muscles involuntarily clench around..." She couldn't complete the thought. Moving away, Hussam grinned at her as he leaned against the wall.

Emily bowed her head, letting her hair fall around her face, shielding her vision. She couldn't bear to watch. Not anymore. But the sounds still reached her ears. Every few thrusts, Grace would emit a small grunt. Not one of pain, Emily noted, but something else. Even Anthony's labored breathing sounded as loud as an airplane.

Finally the moment she had been dreading finally happened. She heard Anthony gasp. Unable to resist, she lifted her head. He was face was red, his eyes shut tight as sweat rolled down his temples. She could plainly see his expression, a mixture of shame and pleasure. He unexpectedly gasped again, his legs muscles went taut as he fought to hide the spasms that shook his hips. Emily averted her gaze, unable to tolerate this final betrayal.

"Urrghh," Anthony gritted his teeth. Grace didn't stop thrusting until Hussam placed a hand on her shoulder. Though her vision was blurred by tears, Emily could plainly see the fruits of the young girl's efforts. Thin streams of semen trickled down Anthony's erection as it obscenely split open the nine year old's distended vaginal opening.

"You did well, Grace," Hussam told her. He helped the young girl dismount from her perch atop Anthony. She was so deeply impaled that Grace had to get on her tiptoes to allow enough clearance. The sudden evacuation, however, caused a brief torrent of fluids from Grace that coated Anthony's semi-erect penis.

"It appears your husband enjoyed himself greatly," Hussam said, peering at the mess. He was holding Grace by the shoulders as she teetered unsteadily on her feet. "You have performed well, Grace," he told her. "You will be rewarded. Dismissed." The girl left the room, wincing slightly with every step.

"I hate you," Emily spat at Hussam.

"It was your husband that led us down this path," Hussam said, crossing his arms. "He would not cooperate. I wonder if he will cooperate now?" He looked expectantly at Anthony.

"I don't know anything," Anthony said miserably. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"You saw what we did with that white girl," Hussam said incredulously. "You would want the same for your daughter?" He pointed at Mia, who was trying not to look at her father.

"There's nothing I can say," pleaded Anthony. "You've got the wrong guy! Don't you understand?"

Hussam leaned down and responded fiercely, "You do not understand! You do not know what my men wish to do with your women," he jerked his head at Emily's bound form. "I cannot protect them forever."

Anthony stared helplessly at his captor. He was too spent, emotionally and physically, to respond. He looked at Emily, but her sad face offered no answers. Coldly, Hussam spoke some sharp words in Arabic. The same two men from before immediately entered the room, again brandishing their knives. Emily was terrified to see one of the men head straight for her.

"No..." she moaned. Using his sharp blade, the man quickly cut away her clothes. Across the room, her heart skipped a beat as she saw the same thing happening to Mia. The chains bounding her wrists and legs rattled loudly as she futilely resisted. Her shirt, now nothing but scraps of cloth, lay on the floor. Her cotton trousers soon followed. Finally, Emily was clothed only in her bra and panties. The man paused for a moment, eyeing her like a hungry animal, before slipping the steel blade under her bra straps.

"Please don't," Emily begged, not even knowing if the man understood English. She shivered from the sensation of the cold metal against her skin. He didn't pause. The sharp knife made quick work of her bra. Her large breasts fell free without support, like fruit dangling heavy on a branch. Her panties were cut away next, her last source of modesty. Emily felt very vulnerable now, naked and chained to the wall.

Over on the X shaped table, Mia suddenly whimpered. The ten year old girl was nude as well and her aggressor was caressing her bare thigh. "Make him stop!" Emily protested furiously. "Don't you..." Her words were cut short as a pair of hands cupped her breasts, squeezing them and tweaking her nipple. The man who had cut off her clothing had sheathed his knife and was now brazenly exploring her body.

"Mommy!" Mia squealed. "He's touching me!"

Horrified, Emily saw the other man exploring the fine tufts of hair that had recently sprouted above Mia's otherwise bare slit. The frightened girl began sobbing and screaming, her limbs jerking spasmodically against her restraints. Annoyed, the man reached into a jacket pocket and produced a strange object. Both parents stared in shock as Mia was outfitted with a ball gag. "Oh my god," Emily thought miserably. "This is it. They're going to rape us."

But instead, Hussam clapped his hands sharply. Immediately both men stopped what they were doing. He barked more orders in Arabic and the men moved to Anthony, untying the restraints that held his wrists to the chair. Once he was free, the men stood on each side of Anthony and lifted him to his feet. Hussam gave another order. Fearful of what was happening, Emily watched wide-eyed as the men stood Anthony directly in front of her.

"I am tired," Hussam said, dismissing the men. Cold without her clothes, Emily shivered, feeling like a caged animal in her chains. She was directly eye-level with Anthony's deflating erection which dripped with his own fluids, as well as Grace's. Emily tried to avoid looking at it.

"Truthfully, I am very tired," Hussam continued. He approached where Anthony stood and Emily knelt. She felt his hand at the back of her head, pushing her forward. Her face moved dangerously close to Anthony's crotch. Hussam's hand pushed harder. Sickened, Emily realized what he wanted her to do.

"Your mouth, please," Hussam stated unfeelingly. He pushed again but Emily resisted. "Either you will do it," Hussam told her, "or your daughter will. Please choose."

That did it. Reluctantly, Emily opened her lips and took Anthony's cock in mouth. The familiar taste of his semen greeted her tongue, although this time she also discerned a foreign tang that provoked intense feelings of jealousy. It was irrational, Emily knew, but she couldn't help it.

"Mr. Anthony," Hussam said. He kept his hand on the back of Emily's head but otherwise completely ignored what she was doing, speaking to Anthony as if they were friends conversing on the street. "I have given you opportunities, have I not? And yet you offer me nothing. You have forced me to humiliate you before your women. Now you may force me to humiliate them before you. Is this what you want?"

"No," Anthony answered. Grimly, Emily continued to perform oral sex on her husband. Despair filled every bone in her body. It was clearly impossible for them to give Hussam what he wanted and he was clearly unwilling to concede. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mia watching silently with her ball-gagged mouth, a thought that only added to the wretchedness of the situation.

Thanks to Emily's attention, Anthony once again was fully erect. When they first started dating, Emily regarded his brief recovery time as a blessing. Now it was unquestionably a curse. She couldn't believe he could still feel aroused at a time like this.

"I will rest," Hussam told him. "And I will return in three hours. At that time, you will tell me everything I need to know. If you choose not to, I will allow my men to have their way with your women." Taking a handful of Emily's hair, he forcefully pulled her off Anthony's cock. Wordlessly, he left the room. The steel door slammed shut, followed by the sound of the heavy deadbolts that locked the door.

Wearily, Anthony returned to his chair and sat down, holding his head in his hands. He breathed deeply for a long moment before standing again. "All right," he said briskly. "We don't have much time. Thank god they didn't think to take the pearl earrings. Are you okay, Mia?"

The young girl nodded. Anthony touched her cheek. "Don't be scared. We're going to get out of here."

"Anthony, wait," Emily began.

"Hold on," he answered, moving close to inspect Mia's ear.

"Anthony..."

He was fiddling with the earring while Mia remained perfectly still. The ten year old girl was trying to ignore her stepfather's nakedness. "I got it," Anthony said, triumphantly clutching the pearl earring.

"Anthony!" Emily exclaimed.

"What?" Anthony said, surprised at her outburst.

"I just want to talk for a minute," Emily said.

"Emily," he said, "we've got to get this distress signal sent now. Can't this wait?"

"No!" Emily replied, biting her lip. Unable to contain herself any longer, she began to cry.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" Anthony said, worried. "Look, I know you're scared. We're all scared. But we're going to get out of here. All right? They're going to find us before anything else happens."

"Anthony," Emily trembled. She knew this wasn't the time but the emotional toll of the day was wearing on her. "Anthony, you didn't... Did you really enjoy... that?"

Anthony's face changed from concern to annoyance. "Is that what you're worried about?" he asked with exasperation. "Emily, we don't need to talk about this now!"

"I know," Emily admitted tearfully. "But I just need to.. know."

"Look," Anthony said, moving to Mia's right to retrieve the other pearl earring, "in three hours, Hussam is gonna come back in here and do god knows what to us. If we don't act soon..." He broke off as he concentrated on the earrings, snapping the pearl from the stud attachments.

"Here," Anthony said, coming to Emily's side. He held the pearl to her mouth. "Swallow it." Emily did as he directed. He knelt next to her and stroked her hair. "You know I love you. You know none of this means anything. All this stuff that happened today? We'll work through it. But have to focus on getting rescued first, okay?" He hugged her.

Emily nodded. She took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Is the other one for Mia?" she asked, looking at the remaining pearl.

"Yes," Anthony said. "But she's got that ball gag on."

"Can...can you get it off her?"

Anthony inspected it. "No," he said ruefully. "Jesus Christ. It's got a tiny padlock on it. Who the hell are these guys?"

"What are we going to do instead?" asked Emily.

"I don't know," Anthony said, looking thoughtfully at Mia. There was a long pause. Emily wondered why he was staring at Mia like that.

"What?" she asked.

"You know," Anthony began, "if we don't get rescued in time, thing will get unpleasant. And then some. You saw that little girl they had."

"Grace," Emily said quietly.

"Yeah, Grace," Anthony repeated. "You saw what they did to her. What they made her do. That pearl you swallowed gives us a fighting chance, but what if they split us up? What if they separate Mia from us? There won't be any way of finding her."

"But what can we do?" Emily said. "She can't swallow the pearl with that ball gag."

Anthony avoided his wife's gaze. "Well... technically she doesn't have to swallow it. It just needs to be inside her. Her body heat should handle the rest."

Emily suddenly realized what he meant. "No... there has to be another way," she said weakly. Anthony waited for her to continue. When it was clear that she wouldn't, he moved to the X shaped table, kneeling before Mia's spread-eagle form.

"Anthony..." Emily hesitated. The thought of what he was about to do repulsed her, perhaps even more than when he coupled so intimately with Grace. This was her own daughter! "There's got to be another..." Emily began.

Anthony interrupted her. "You know this is the only way."

"But..." Emily trailed off. Anthony still had an erection and here he was, kneeling in front of her naked ten year old daughter, bound helplessly to some medieval torture device.

"Mia," Anthony said steadily, "this might pinch a little..." Emily watched as he placed the pearl in her daughter's slim vaginal opening. When she saw Anthony lick his pinky finger, coating it with saliva, Emily had seen enough. She turned away.

"MmRMMpph!" She couldn't help but hear Mia's moan, the ball gag reducing her to guttural sounds. Emily shut her eyes.

DDDDUURRRRMMMM! The strange sound of metal on metal rang throughout the room, as if someone had beat a gong. Emily's eyes snapped open in surprise. She turned to Anthony but found both he and Mia were frozen as well. A feeling of nausea welled up inside her when she noticed Anthony's pinky finger still embedded within her daughter's hairless lips.

DDDDUURRRRMMMM! This time the strange noise was accompanied by a tremendous crash. The steel door suddenly burst open, swinging fast on its hinges as it slammed against the wall. Emily stared as armed Marines began streaming into the room.

"Objectives located!" one Marine spoke into his radio. "Level L3, quadrant two."

"Affirmative," squawked the reply. "Remaining sectors are clear. The building is secure."

"Sir!" one of the Marines stepped forward. Anthony stood up, hastily removing his pinky from Mia. Emily could see the look of shock on the Marines' faces as they surveyed the room. One Marine was staring at her breasts until she caught his gaze. He looked away guiltily.

"You found us," Anthony said, reaching for a piece of torn shirt to cover his midsection. It was barely large enough to cover his crotch. Emily thought he looked even more ridiculous trying to conceal himself than he did naked. "Where are the guys who kidnapped us?"

The lead marine flicked his eyes to Mia's naked and bound form. "They are no longer a threat sir."

"The distress signal worked then?" Anthony asked eagerly.

"Distress signal?" the marine said, confused. "Sir, we observed your kidnapping at 0900 hours and followed you here. This is an abandoned mining plant. Surveillance indicated they moved you to lower levels. Rather than risk a firefight, we waited until they came back to the surface."

"You were here the whole time?" Anthony's smile faded.

"We're sorry, sir," the marine apologized. "We didn't want any casualties. Is anyone hurt? Is medical attention required?"

Forlornly, Anthony turned to Emily. She met his gaze briefly but then cast her eyes down at the floor. "No," Anthony replied, surreptitiously wiping the faint streaks of blood from his pinky finger. "No medical attention required."