The ugly laugh sounded. Gaston stopped breathing.
“What is it?” he snarled.
“Ah, patience, my friend. I’m sending you a video clipping. Open it.” Came the reply.
Almost at once, the cell phone on his table pinged. Gaston grabbed it and sat back, unmoving as he watched.
A dark room with a dim light. A chair in the centre. Two men came into view dragging a woman, Jan, he thought in shock and anger. But – she stumbled and he saw that she had been drugged. She was wearing what looked like a silk robe, a bright flashy red in colour that was unfastened and he could see that she had on the skimpiest undergarments beneath it. He felt the rage building in him as she was pushed into the chair, her hands roughly bound behind her leaving her enticing body exposed to the leering eyes of the guards as the robe gaped open.
The phone rang. He picked it up, his eyes never leaving the screen.
“Ah, Gaston’, continued the hateful voice, almost sadly, ”See what I have? A real beauty, no?’ Dmitri cackled with laughter. ‘Very feisty. Put up such a fight. We had to drug her, alas!”
And then, his voice falling a little,” but my boys like her, ummm!” again the coarse laughter.