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In My Enemy's Hands
folder
G through L › Law & Order
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
6,958
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
G through L › Law & Order
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
6,958
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own anything related to the Law and Order Franchise or L&O:SVU. They belong to Dick Wolf and I stand to make no monetary or other gain from writing this story
Chapter 2
~~~
Even though Cragen had told them to be there by 6:00, the squad room was busy by 5:30. The only person missing was Olivia. They waited until 6:00 before calling her, but got no answer. By 6:30 Elliot was in the car on the way over to her apartment to check on her.
Elliot stood outside her door and knocked. He called on the cell again and heard a ring behind him. He shut his phone and turned to see Olivia’s phone on the ground. The screen flashed a “missed call” sign and went dark again. One hand automatically drifted to his sidearm as Elliot scanned the hall for anything else. On the floor, partially kicked under the door, were Olivia’s keys. He flipped his phone open again.
“Captain? I think we’ve got a problem.”
~~~
It was midmorning and the man sat in his room, watching the computer screen. He replayed it over and over again – the moment when he pushed that little slut up against the wall. She wanted it, he knew that. He could feel her body squirming beneath him just thinking about it. Unconsciously, he let one hand drift downward and unzip his pants. He took hold of himself as he clicked for a different view. The advantage of so many cameras around the room was that he could see the same thing from half a dozen vantage points. He selected one of the three cameras that were trained on the detective. He had known, had planned everything months ago. Where she would be, what she would see, what he could do… the other girls were nothing – bait to get her on the case and leverage to control her. And control her he would.
He leaned back in his chair as he watched Olivia’s face on the computer screen. He watched her anguished self-blame as she saw him assault the girl because she had dared to fight back against him. She would learn. His hand continued to move up and down his shaft and then he suddenly stopped and smiled. There was a better way to take care of this.
He barged into the basement with Olivia’s gun already in his hand. The conversation amongst the room’s inhabitants halted abruptly as all heads snapped around to face him. He marched over toward Olivia and stopped about six feet away from her. “Come here.”
Olivia glanced at the girls; they were all staring at her with wide eyes. She shook her head slightly, warning them to stay calm and quiet. She got to her feet and walked as far forward as she could. The chain halted her about two feet in front of him. She looked him straight in the face and said nothing. He smirked at her and lifted the gun up to point it in the direction of the young women each huddled on their own pallets.
“Get on your knees, detective.” Olivia betrayed no emotion; her whole body seemed to have frozen. “Get down.” He ground the words out through his teeth. “I will not ask again.” The usually quiet click as he cocked the gun seemed to reverberate throughout the room.
Olivia dropped down slowly. One knee hit the ground and she shook, trying to keep her balance as she lowered her other knee to the floor and held herself upright. On the ground with him standing right in front of her, her hands bound, Olivia had never felt more vulnerable. Even in Sealview, with Harris…. The only risk was to her. Here, there were other people who were in danger. Here, the threat was greater.
The man unzipped his pants and pulled himself out in front of her face. Olivia leaned backward, flinching away infinitesimally. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward, pressing her face against his thigh. At this angle, Olivia couldn’t hold herself up and was forced to rely on his body to support her weight. She began to tremble and hyperventilate, her breath coming in short pants as she tried and failed to pull air into her lungs. This only served to worsen the situation as he felt her hot breath pant against his skin and grew completely rigid.
Olivia jerked backwards, trying to pull away, but he kept his hand twisted in her hair. “Come on now, detective… you wouldn’t want to make me mad, would you? You wouldn’t want to be responsible for one of these girls getting hurt, right?”
She looked up at him, desperately trying to ignore the throbbing member that bobbed next to her face. “You don’t want to do this. It’s not too late to stop. At least let them go. If you need a hostage, keep me; but let them go. You haven’t gone too far yet, you haven’t done anything that can’t be dealt with through a plea bargain.”
He glared down at her, his right hand alternately squeezing and relaxing on the gun as though it were a stress ball. “How about this – you blow me and I`ll set one of them free. You keep talking and trying to get out of this, and I`ll shoot one of them in the kneecaps and shoulders and you can watch her bleed to death. Now,” he released her hair and let her straighten, supporting her weight on her own knees. “I’d get busy if I were you.”
Tears began to trickle down her cheek as Olivia closed her eyes. Her mind flashed back to Sealview and her stomach clenched and twisted with nerves and fear. This time it was not a pair of handcuffs holding her in place, but the knowledge that resistance could cause innocent people to suffer. This time, she was terrified not only for herself, but for the girls who were trapped in this nightmare with her. No matter what it took, she knew that she would do anything needed to protect them. If he was willing to let them go in exchange for her submission – if that is what it took to save them from his attentions – then she could suffer through it.
His left hand wrapped around to the base of her neck and pulled her to him as he stepped forward. Olivia flinched as his tip bumped against her lips. She tried to pull back, but his hand on her neck pushed her forward until she had engulfed his full length. She gagged and struggled to move back, just to be able to breathe. Above her, the man hissed in a sharp intake of breath, “Watch the teeth, whore.”
He started to rock his hips, pumping in and out of her mouth. Olivia choked every time he hit the back of her throat. She kept her eyes squeezed shut. It was bad enough that she had to taste him, smell him and feel him; bad enough that she could hear his grunts of satisfaction every time he felt her gag around him. The only sense she could control was her sight and she refused to open her eyes and have to see him too.
After what seemed to be an absurdly long time, his breathing quickened as he teetered on the edge. He pulled out of Olivia’s mouth and flung her to the ground; his seed shot in an arc and splattered across her face, hair, and clothing. Olivia coughed as her shoulder took the impact on the solid floor. Her stomach heaved and she convulsed as her whole body was wracked with the disgust of what had just happened. There was next to nothing in her stomach to begin with, so when she finally did vomit, it was a weak trail of watery saliva that clung to her lips. The man tucked himself back into his pants and zipped them.
Olivia spat on the ground to clear the final remnants of vomit from her throat and mouth. He nudged her with his foot, knocking her over onto her back. Olivia still did not open her eyes.
He started to walk away. “Wait!” He turned and saw Olivia just pulling herself upright. She looked so beautiful to him. Her face was flushed, her eyes red from crying, her lips full, and her hair tangled. His semen covered her face and hung from her hair like glistening jewels on a Christmas tree.
Her eyes were steel and ice as she glared at him with an anger and a hatred that was beyond verbal expression. “You said you’d let one of the girls go home.”
He shrugged, “Not technically. I said I would set one of them free.” He lifted the gun and fired three times in quick succession. The bullets pierced Maria, spraying in a wide pattern across her torso, and she collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring out. “There you go. Free as a bird.”
The room erupted as he walked out. Olivia yelled for the girls on either side of her to hold pressure on the wound, but the restraints around their ankles would not let them get close enough. Some of them screamed in shock or cried or froze in place. Elizabeth lay on her stomach and stretched forward as far as she could, pulling against her ankle restraint. She could not reach Maria’s body to staunch the flow of blood, but just barely managed to touch her fingertips. Maria gasped, reaching out for help, but there was nobody who could get to her.
Just then the door swung open again and the man re-entered the room. He did not have the gun with him, but rather held a damp washcloth. He ignored the dying girl and went straight over to Olivia. He pushed her back down onto her back, this time she fell so that she was at least partially on the pallet he had provided for her. She tried to move away, but he sat on her, straddling her hips. He leaned forward, pinning her to the ground beneath him. She jerked her head to the side, but he wrapped a hand around her throat and squeezed. He cut off her air only for a moment, as a warning, but kept his hand in place in case she decided to continue fighting him. He brought the washcloth up to her face and wiped off the traces of his ejaculate. He whispered to her, telling her how good she was, and how much he had enjoyed it, but all Olivia could hear was Maria as she gurgled and choked her way into death.
Finally he rocked back on his heels, still straddling her. “Poor little detective. Poor dumb cop. You really fucked it up, didn’t you? You let that poor girl die. What do you think your cop friends would say about that, hunh?”
Olivia was practically beyond words. “You sick bastard. I hope they fry you. I might even come to watch as they flip the switch. They’ll catch you – you’re on borrowed time already, I promise you. My people will come and we will pin your sorry ass to the wall.”
“Oh, they might come. A few of you might even still be alive by then, unless you push me, unless you make me hurt them. You don’t want to make me hurt them, do you?” He punched her in the gut. Immediately he followed with a quick succession of fists to the face, kidneys, and ribcage. Olivia wrenched over onto her side and the man momentarily lost his balance as he squatted over her. Olivia curled up on herself, wishing her hands were free so she could at least shield her head as he continued to punch her.
Finally he slowed and then stopped. Olivia was barely conscious as he heaved her completely onto the pallet. As Olivia drifted into a dark, peaceful oblivion, he bent down and kissed her roughly. The last thing she remembered was his voice whispering “Sleep well, detective. I will be back soon.”
~~~
Cragen collected the mail when it was delivered to the station around 2 that afternoon. He rifled through it until he found the envelope that he was looking for, the one they all dreaded opening. It was marked only as “SVU” and had no stamp. At some point it had been slipped into the station mail system without coming through the postal service. They had gone over and over the camera footage of the mail desk at the central police station, but never could see who was delivering the letters from their mystery perp. Probably just some kid off the streets who got handed a twenty to drop off a letter. Untraceable.
He carried the letter into the squad room. At some point along the way, he must have put the rest of the mail down because when he arrived in the bullpen, that envelope was the only thing in his hands. Everyone gathered around as soon as they saw him walk in. Elliot stood menacingly close, his whole body rippled with anger in expectation of what they knew they were about to see.
Sure enough, when Cragen slid open the envelope, Oliva’s face stared up from the picture. She was gagged and lay on the same cement floor as the girls in the other pictures. She looked dazed, disoriented, and furious. Cragen handed the picture gingerly to Fin. “can you get that to Forensics?”
“Yeah,” Fin started to walk off, but then turned back. “Hey Cap’n, there’s a website address on the back.”
Elliot sat down at the closest computer. “What?”
Fin read him the website address; Elliot typed it in and hit enter, the whole room held their breath.
The banner at the top of the web page read, “Welcome, SVU.” Beside it was that same picture of Olivia that had just arrived in the mail. Underneath was a single link that said “videos.” Elliot clicked on it.
On the screen, they all watched as a man swathed in black forced Olivia to the ground and began to kick her. When she kicked back, they saw the man cross out of the camera range. Olivia’s face suddenly transformed into rage and she fought, tugging against the chain that connected her to the wall. Then the camera view changed and they saw all six of their missing girls, chained to the wall next to thin mattresses. The man had one of the girls pinned up against the wall. It flashed back to Olivia’s horrified face and then the video started over again on a loop.
Cragen turned away. As Elliot hit the back key to get away from that video, he noticed something new on the homepage. “Cap, the perp’s online now. He just uploaded a new video.”
“I don’t know if I even want to see it. Click it.”
Elliot watched as the perp waved the gun at the girls and Olivia lowered herself to the ground. Then he shut his eyes and couldn’t watch anymore. At the end of the video, a black screen came up with white text in an ornate font. “There will be a live show this evening at 8pm. Find me by then or sit back and enjoy the view.”
~~~
In the early afternoon, the man prepared lunch for the six girls and brought it downstairs. He gave each of them food and water, but ignored Olivia completely. He never even glanced in her direction. After delivering their meals, he went over to Anna’s pallet, on the end closest to the back wall.
“Put your hands behind your back.” He pulled the gun out from the back of his pants and pointed it at her when she hesitated to comply. Anna hastily grabbed her wrists behind her back. “Lay down on your stomach.” She did so.
He dropped down beside her; one knee pressed between her shoulder blades, holding her still. Two electric ties did the job of securing her hands to each other. Anna winced as the plastic bit into the tender skin of her wrists but did not say anything. He reached up to undo a thin chain that hung around his neck. A ring filled with keys dangled in the center. He undid her ankle restraint and pulled her to her feet, putting the key-necklace in his pocket. He escorted her out the basement door and left it open behind him, taunting them all with the view of escape they could not reach. A few moments later, he brought her back, secured her in place, and moved on to the occupant of the next pallet, Hannah.
He repeated this process through all the girls and then came over to Olivia’s corner. She was standing, leaning against the wall. Her sharp eyes had been observing his every move throughout this process.
“Turn around and face the wall.” Olivia slowly turned and stood with her face an inch or two from the wall, holding her breath. He undid his belt buckle and whipped it out of the pant loops with a snap. Olivia flinched at the sound and the probable meaning of his removing his belt. He tucked the free end through the buckle, creating a small loop. This he lowered over her head and tightened against her neck, stopping just short of restricting her air supply.
He chuckled at the tension emanating from her. “Nothing to worry about – just a little insurance to make sure you behave.” He tugged down, guiding her until she laid face-down, as the other girls had. He knelt over her, pinning her down as he unlocked the chain from her ankle. When he stood, he pulled her with him. He made sure she saw the gun as he reminded her, “Make sure you behave yourself, detective. If you fight me, one of them dies. If you try to escape or even if you do escape, they will all die before you can get help.”
He walked her across the room and up the stairs. Just as Elizabeth had described, thick black curtains hung in the doorways, blocking her from seeing the rest of the house. He took her into the bathroom and undid her pants, pulling them down over her thighs. He pushed her to sit and Olivia tried to lean forward to cover herself with her body, but he pulled warningly on the belt and she sat back.
As Olivia sat exposed, he leered at her, his probing eyes examining the neatly trimmed hair that covered her mound. Olivia averted her eyes, unable to meet his. After she finished urinating, he told her to stand on the edge of the bathtub. Olivia hobbled awkwardly. With her hands tied behind her, her pants around her knees and a belt around her neck, it was difficult to maneuver. He had to help her, pushing upward on her elbow as she tried to lift herself.
Once she was in position, he looped the end of the belt over the shower-curtain rod so that he could easily hold her in place with one hand. He pulled a baby wipe out of a nearby container and reached in between her legs, carefully cleaning her. Then he raised her pants back up and buckled them before allowing her to step down.
He brought her back downstairs and shoved her to the floor next to her pallet in the corner. He kept a firm hold on the belt as he pinned her with his knee and refastened her cuff around her ankle. Then he tightened on the belt and grabbed a handful of her hair, twisting her head to the side to look at him. “I`m going to uncuff you and move your hands around to the front. You will not fight me, do you understand?” Olivia nodded and a second later felt the release of first one wrist and then the other.
He held the cuffs and the gun in one hand, with the gun pressing against her head. His other hand still pulled the belt against her throat. “Roll over.” He lifted up so that he was squatting over her, but relieved her of his weight as she maneuvered on the pallet. “Put your hands together.” He cuffed her quickly and removed the belt, the gun still trained on her. As soon as her hands were re-secured, he backed away, stepping hurriedly out of her reach. He replaced the keys around his neck and walked out.
~~~
Elliot and Fin got out of their cars in front of Olivia’s apartment building. The landlord met them outside to buzz them in. He gave them a list of all the maintenance people who had been working in the building over the past several days and then stepped aside as they went upstairs to ask the woman in the apartment across from Olivia’s if she had seen anything unusual.
They knocked on the door, but nobody answered. Just as they were about to turn away, Elliot heard a muffled cry from inside. “Fin –” He started to alert the other detective, but by then Fin had heard it too.
Fin tested the doorknob and, to his surprise, it turned and the door swung open. The cries grew louder and they both stepped inside, guns drawn and held low. “Ms. Attica? Ms. Attica, this is the NYPD.” They swung around carefully, heading in the direction of her voice, but still keeping their eyes open in case there was anyone else in the apartment. They entered the bedroom. Lily Attica was naked and tied flat on the bed with her hands together pulled toward the headboard and her feet tied with about a foot of rope between them and then secured loosely to the corners of the foot of the bed. Elliot spoke in a soft and soothing voice as he approached the bed. Fin stood in the doorway, still on guard.
Elliot took out his badge and showed it as he stepped within arm’s reach of the woman. He could see her obvious trembling and wanted to reassure her that they were there to help. “Ms. Attica, my name is Elliot Stabler with the NYPD. We’re going to help you, ma’am.” He reached toward her face, his hand moving slowly. She flinched and he paused, “I`m going to take the gag off and then I will untie you, alright? Then we can get you to a hospital.” She nodded.
Elliot eased the duct tape off her lips and gently tugged free the cotton cloth that filled her mouth. She had been gagged for so long that her mouth was completely dry and the cotton fibers stuck in some places to the insides of her cheek. She whimpered as it finally came free. Fin went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water as Elliot set about untying her hands.
When Fin came back in, Lily was sitting up and clutching a sheet against her to cover her bare body. Her wrists were raw and Elliot was still struggling to undo the knots that bound her ankles. Fin held the water out for her, but her hand shook as she reached out to take it and some sloshed over onto the bed. Fin kept hold of the glass and held it up to her lips, tilting it so that she could sip. “My boyfriend, Vince Heartshaw….” her voice cracked. “He attacked me.”
~~~
Olivia and the remaining five girls were tense all afternoon. A few conversations started and halted to a stop. The presence of Maria’s dead body was definitely unnerving, especially to Elizabeth and Hannah, who were positioned on either side of her. Olivia tried to talk to them and keep their minds off of their current predicament, but they kept coming back to it and dwelling on what he might still have in store. She also prepped the for the possibility that somehow one of them might get a chance to escape, so that they would know what to do to get help as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Olivia made them all memorize her name and badge number, as well as the phone number for a direct line to SVU. “Listen to me. This is very important. If any of you get a chance to escape, you have to take it. Don’t stick around and try to get other out – just go. You’ll do more good if you can get out and go for help than if you stay here and risk getting caught. If you can get out and get a call, either to 911 or direct to SVU, you have to give them as much information as quickly as you can. Tell them where he is, if he is armed or not. Tell them how many people are in here and how many have escaped, how many are wounded and how many dead. It will only take about 30 seconds for them to get a fix on the phone location, slightly longer if you call from a cell phone. If he is coming after you, just get the call to go through and then leave the phone and scream. The police will come and hopefully he won’t realize you’ve gotten a call out.”
“If you can get out and get a call through and he is coming after you, leave as soon as you have contacted the police and get out to the main road. Flag down help if you can, but don’t get in a car with any strangers. Stay on the main road until police arrive. And whatever you do, stay alive. Run if you can, but if he catches up with you and you are in danger, do what you have to do to survive. Got it?”
Even though Cragen had told them to be there by 6:00, the squad room was busy by 5:30. The only person missing was Olivia. They waited until 6:00 before calling her, but got no answer. By 6:30 Elliot was in the car on the way over to her apartment to check on her.
Elliot stood outside her door and knocked. He called on the cell again and heard a ring behind him. He shut his phone and turned to see Olivia’s phone on the ground. The screen flashed a “missed call” sign and went dark again. One hand automatically drifted to his sidearm as Elliot scanned the hall for anything else. On the floor, partially kicked under the door, were Olivia’s keys. He flipped his phone open again.
“Captain? I think we’ve got a problem.”
~~~
It was midmorning and the man sat in his room, watching the computer screen. He replayed it over and over again – the moment when he pushed that little slut up against the wall. She wanted it, he knew that. He could feel her body squirming beneath him just thinking about it. Unconsciously, he let one hand drift downward and unzip his pants. He took hold of himself as he clicked for a different view. The advantage of so many cameras around the room was that he could see the same thing from half a dozen vantage points. He selected one of the three cameras that were trained on the detective. He had known, had planned everything months ago. Where she would be, what she would see, what he could do… the other girls were nothing – bait to get her on the case and leverage to control her. And control her he would.
He leaned back in his chair as he watched Olivia’s face on the computer screen. He watched her anguished self-blame as she saw him assault the girl because she had dared to fight back against him. She would learn. His hand continued to move up and down his shaft and then he suddenly stopped and smiled. There was a better way to take care of this.
He barged into the basement with Olivia’s gun already in his hand. The conversation amongst the room’s inhabitants halted abruptly as all heads snapped around to face him. He marched over toward Olivia and stopped about six feet away from her. “Come here.”
Olivia glanced at the girls; they were all staring at her with wide eyes. She shook her head slightly, warning them to stay calm and quiet. She got to her feet and walked as far forward as she could. The chain halted her about two feet in front of him. She looked him straight in the face and said nothing. He smirked at her and lifted the gun up to point it in the direction of the young women each huddled on their own pallets.
“Get on your knees, detective.” Olivia betrayed no emotion; her whole body seemed to have frozen. “Get down.” He ground the words out through his teeth. “I will not ask again.” The usually quiet click as he cocked the gun seemed to reverberate throughout the room.
Olivia dropped down slowly. One knee hit the ground and she shook, trying to keep her balance as she lowered her other knee to the floor and held herself upright. On the ground with him standing right in front of her, her hands bound, Olivia had never felt more vulnerable. Even in Sealview, with Harris…. The only risk was to her. Here, there were other people who were in danger. Here, the threat was greater.
The man unzipped his pants and pulled himself out in front of her face. Olivia leaned backward, flinching away infinitesimally. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward, pressing her face against his thigh. At this angle, Olivia couldn’t hold herself up and was forced to rely on his body to support her weight. She began to tremble and hyperventilate, her breath coming in short pants as she tried and failed to pull air into her lungs. This only served to worsen the situation as he felt her hot breath pant against his skin and grew completely rigid.
Olivia jerked backwards, trying to pull away, but he kept his hand twisted in her hair. “Come on now, detective… you wouldn’t want to make me mad, would you? You wouldn’t want to be responsible for one of these girls getting hurt, right?”
She looked up at him, desperately trying to ignore the throbbing member that bobbed next to her face. “You don’t want to do this. It’s not too late to stop. At least let them go. If you need a hostage, keep me; but let them go. You haven’t gone too far yet, you haven’t done anything that can’t be dealt with through a plea bargain.”
He glared down at her, his right hand alternately squeezing and relaxing on the gun as though it were a stress ball. “How about this – you blow me and I`ll set one of them free. You keep talking and trying to get out of this, and I`ll shoot one of them in the kneecaps and shoulders and you can watch her bleed to death. Now,” he released her hair and let her straighten, supporting her weight on her own knees. “I’d get busy if I were you.”
Tears began to trickle down her cheek as Olivia closed her eyes. Her mind flashed back to Sealview and her stomach clenched and twisted with nerves and fear. This time it was not a pair of handcuffs holding her in place, but the knowledge that resistance could cause innocent people to suffer. This time, she was terrified not only for herself, but for the girls who were trapped in this nightmare with her. No matter what it took, she knew that she would do anything needed to protect them. If he was willing to let them go in exchange for her submission – if that is what it took to save them from his attentions – then she could suffer through it.
His left hand wrapped around to the base of her neck and pulled her to him as he stepped forward. Olivia flinched as his tip bumped against her lips. She tried to pull back, but his hand on her neck pushed her forward until she had engulfed his full length. She gagged and struggled to move back, just to be able to breathe. Above her, the man hissed in a sharp intake of breath, “Watch the teeth, whore.”
He started to rock his hips, pumping in and out of her mouth. Olivia choked every time he hit the back of her throat. She kept her eyes squeezed shut. It was bad enough that she had to taste him, smell him and feel him; bad enough that she could hear his grunts of satisfaction every time he felt her gag around him. The only sense she could control was her sight and she refused to open her eyes and have to see him too.
After what seemed to be an absurdly long time, his breathing quickened as he teetered on the edge. He pulled out of Olivia’s mouth and flung her to the ground; his seed shot in an arc and splattered across her face, hair, and clothing. Olivia coughed as her shoulder took the impact on the solid floor. Her stomach heaved and she convulsed as her whole body was wracked with the disgust of what had just happened. There was next to nothing in her stomach to begin with, so when she finally did vomit, it was a weak trail of watery saliva that clung to her lips. The man tucked himself back into his pants and zipped them.
Olivia spat on the ground to clear the final remnants of vomit from her throat and mouth. He nudged her with his foot, knocking her over onto her back. Olivia still did not open her eyes.
He started to walk away. “Wait!” He turned and saw Olivia just pulling herself upright. She looked so beautiful to him. Her face was flushed, her eyes red from crying, her lips full, and her hair tangled. His semen covered her face and hung from her hair like glistening jewels on a Christmas tree.
Her eyes were steel and ice as she glared at him with an anger and a hatred that was beyond verbal expression. “You said you’d let one of the girls go home.”
He shrugged, “Not technically. I said I would set one of them free.” He lifted the gun and fired three times in quick succession. The bullets pierced Maria, spraying in a wide pattern across her torso, and she collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring out. “There you go. Free as a bird.”
The room erupted as he walked out. Olivia yelled for the girls on either side of her to hold pressure on the wound, but the restraints around their ankles would not let them get close enough. Some of them screamed in shock or cried or froze in place. Elizabeth lay on her stomach and stretched forward as far as she could, pulling against her ankle restraint. She could not reach Maria’s body to staunch the flow of blood, but just barely managed to touch her fingertips. Maria gasped, reaching out for help, but there was nobody who could get to her.
Just then the door swung open again and the man re-entered the room. He did not have the gun with him, but rather held a damp washcloth. He ignored the dying girl and went straight over to Olivia. He pushed her back down onto her back, this time she fell so that she was at least partially on the pallet he had provided for her. She tried to move away, but he sat on her, straddling her hips. He leaned forward, pinning her to the ground beneath him. She jerked her head to the side, but he wrapped a hand around her throat and squeezed. He cut off her air only for a moment, as a warning, but kept his hand in place in case she decided to continue fighting him. He brought the washcloth up to her face and wiped off the traces of his ejaculate. He whispered to her, telling her how good she was, and how much he had enjoyed it, but all Olivia could hear was Maria as she gurgled and choked her way into death.
Finally he rocked back on his heels, still straddling her. “Poor little detective. Poor dumb cop. You really fucked it up, didn’t you? You let that poor girl die. What do you think your cop friends would say about that, hunh?”
Olivia was practically beyond words. “You sick bastard. I hope they fry you. I might even come to watch as they flip the switch. They’ll catch you – you’re on borrowed time already, I promise you. My people will come and we will pin your sorry ass to the wall.”
“Oh, they might come. A few of you might even still be alive by then, unless you push me, unless you make me hurt them. You don’t want to make me hurt them, do you?” He punched her in the gut. Immediately he followed with a quick succession of fists to the face, kidneys, and ribcage. Olivia wrenched over onto her side and the man momentarily lost his balance as he squatted over her. Olivia curled up on herself, wishing her hands were free so she could at least shield her head as he continued to punch her.
Finally he slowed and then stopped. Olivia was barely conscious as he heaved her completely onto the pallet. As Olivia drifted into a dark, peaceful oblivion, he bent down and kissed her roughly. The last thing she remembered was his voice whispering “Sleep well, detective. I will be back soon.”
~~~
Cragen collected the mail when it was delivered to the station around 2 that afternoon. He rifled through it until he found the envelope that he was looking for, the one they all dreaded opening. It was marked only as “SVU” and had no stamp. At some point it had been slipped into the station mail system without coming through the postal service. They had gone over and over the camera footage of the mail desk at the central police station, but never could see who was delivering the letters from their mystery perp. Probably just some kid off the streets who got handed a twenty to drop off a letter. Untraceable.
He carried the letter into the squad room. At some point along the way, he must have put the rest of the mail down because when he arrived in the bullpen, that envelope was the only thing in his hands. Everyone gathered around as soon as they saw him walk in. Elliot stood menacingly close, his whole body rippled with anger in expectation of what they knew they were about to see.
Sure enough, when Cragen slid open the envelope, Oliva’s face stared up from the picture. She was gagged and lay on the same cement floor as the girls in the other pictures. She looked dazed, disoriented, and furious. Cragen handed the picture gingerly to Fin. “can you get that to Forensics?”
“Yeah,” Fin started to walk off, but then turned back. “Hey Cap’n, there’s a website address on the back.”
Elliot sat down at the closest computer. “What?”
Fin read him the website address; Elliot typed it in and hit enter, the whole room held their breath.
The banner at the top of the web page read, “Welcome, SVU.” Beside it was that same picture of Olivia that had just arrived in the mail. Underneath was a single link that said “videos.” Elliot clicked on it.
On the screen, they all watched as a man swathed in black forced Olivia to the ground and began to kick her. When she kicked back, they saw the man cross out of the camera range. Olivia’s face suddenly transformed into rage and she fought, tugging against the chain that connected her to the wall. Then the camera view changed and they saw all six of their missing girls, chained to the wall next to thin mattresses. The man had one of the girls pinned up against the wall. It flashed back to Olivia’s horrified face and then the video started over again on a loop.
Cragen turned away. As Elliot hit the back key to get away from that video, he noticed something new on the homepage. “Cap, the perp’s online now. He just uploaded a new video.”
“I don’t know if I even want to see it. Click it.”
Elliot watched as the perp waved the gun at the girls and Olivia lowered herself to the ground. Then he shut his eyes and couldn’t watch anymore. At the end of the video, a black screen came up with white text in an ornate font. “There will be a live show this evening at 8pm. Find me by then or sit back and enjoy the view.”
~~~
In the early afternoon, the man prepared lunch for the six girls and brought it downstairs. He gave each of them food and water, but ignored Olivia completely. He never even glanced in her direction. After delivering their meals, he went over to Anna’s pallet, on the end closest to the back wall.
“Put your hands behind your back.” He pulled the gun out from the back of his pants and pointed it at her when she hesitated to comply. Anna hastily grabbed her wrists behind her back. “Lay down on your stomach.” She did so.
He dropped down beside her; one knee pressed between her shoulder blades, holding her still. Two electric ties did the job of securing her hands to each other. Anna winced as the plastic bit into the tender skin of her wrists but did not say anything. He reached up to undo a thin chain that hung around his neck. A ring filled with keys dangled in the center. He undid her ankle restraint and pulled her to her feet, putting the key-necklace in his pocket. He escorted her out the basement door and left it open behind him, taunting them all with the view of escape they could not reach. A few moments later, he brought her back, secured her in place, and moved on to the occupant of the next pallet, Hannah.
He repeated this process through all the girls and then came over to Olivia’s corner. She was standing, leaning against the wall. Her sharp eyes had been observing his every move throughout this process.
“Turn around and face the wall.” Olivia slowly turned and stood with her face an inch or two from the wall, holding her breath. He undid his belt buckle and whipped it out of the pant loops with a snap. Olivia flinched at the sound and the probable meaning of his removing his belt. He tucked the free end through the buckle, creating a small loop. This he lowered over her head and tightened against her neck, stopping just short of restricting her air supply.
He chuckled at the tension emanating from her. “Nothing to worry about – just a little insurance to make sure you behave.” He tugged down, guiding her until she laid face-down, as the other girls had. He knelt over her, pinning her down as he unlocked the chain from her ankle. When he stood, he pulled her with him. He made sure she saw the gun as he reminded her, “Make sure you behave yourself, detective. If you fight me, one of them dies. If you try to escape or even if you do escape, they will all die before you can get help.”
He walked her across the room and up the stairs. Just as Elizabeth had described, thick black curtains hung in the doorways, blocking her from seeing the rest of the house. He took her into the bathroom and undid her pants, pulling them down over her thighs. He pushed her to sit and Olivia tried to lean forward to cover herself with her body, but he pulled warningly on the belt and she sat back.
As Olivia sat exposed, he leered at her, his probing eyes examining the neatly trimmed hair that covered her mound. Olivia averted her eyes, unable to meet his. After she finished urinating, he told her to stand on the edge of the bathtub. Olivia hobbled awkwardly. With her hands tied behind her, her pants around her knees and a belt around her neck, it was difficult to maneuver. He had to help her, pushing upward on her elbow as she tried to lift herself.
Once she was in position, he looped the end of the belt over the shower-curtain rod so that he could easily hold her in place with one hand. He pulled a baby wipe out of a nearby container and reached in between her legs, carefully cleaning her. Then he raised her pants back up and buckled them before allowing her to step down.
He brought her back downstairs and shoved her to the floor next to her pallet in the corner. He kept a firm hold on the belt as he pinned her with his knee and refastened her cuff around her ankle. Then he tightened on the belt and grabbed a handful of her hair, twisting her head to the side to look at him. “I`m going to uncuff you and move your hands around to the front. You will not fight me, do you understand?” Olivia nodded and a second later felt the release of first one wrist and then the other.
He held the cuffs and the gun in one hand, with the gun pressing against her head. His other hand still pulled the belt against her throat. “Roll over.” He lifted up so that he was squatting over her, but relieved her of his weight as she maneuvered on the pallet. “Put your hands together.” He cuffed her quickly and removed the belt, the gun still trained on her. As soon as her hands were re-secured, he backed away, stepping hurriedly out of her reach. He replaced the keys around his neck and walked out.
~~~
Elliot and Fin got out of their cars in front of Olivia’s apartment building. The landlord met them outside to buzz them in. He gave them a list of all the maintenance people who had been working in the building over the past several days and then stepped aside as they went upstairs to ask the woman in the apartment across from Olivia’s if she had seen anything unusual.
They knocked on the door, but nobody answered. Just as they were about to turn away, Elliot heard a muffled cry from inside. “Fin –” He started to alert the other detective, but by then Fin had heard it too.
Fin tested the doorknob and, to his surprise, it turned and the door swung open. The cries grew louder and they both stepped inside, guns drawn and held low. “Ms. Attica? Ms. Attica, this is the NYPD.” They swung around carefully, heading in the direction of her voice, but still keeping their eyes open in case there was anyone else in the apartment. They entered the bedroom. Lily Attica was naked and tied flat on the bed with her hands together pulled toward the headboard and her feet tied with about a foot of rope between them and then secured loosely to the corners of the foot of the bed. Elliot spoke in a soft and soothing voice as he approached the bed. Fin stood in the doorway, still on guard.
Elliot took out his badge and showed it as he stepped within arm’s reach of the woman. He could see her obvious trembling and wanted to reassure her that they were there to help. “Ms. Attica, my name is Elliot Stabler with the NYPD. We’re going to help you, ma’am.” He reached toward her face, his hand moving slowly. She flinched and he paused, “I`m going to take the gag off and then I will untie you, alright? Then we can get you to a hospital.” She nodded.
Elliot eased the duct tape off her lips and gently tugged free the cotton cloth that filled her mouth. She had been gagged for so long that her mouth was completely dry and the cotton fibers stuck in some places to the insides of her cheek. She whimpered as it finally came free. Fin went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water as Elliot set about untying her hands.
When Fin came back in, Lily was sitting up and clutching a sheet against her to cover her bare body. Her wrists were raw and Elliot was still struggling to undo the knots that bound her ankles. Fin held the water out for her, but her hand shook as she reached out to take it and some sloshed over onto the bed. Fin kept hold of the glass and held it up to her lips, tilting it so that she could sip. “My boyfriend, Vince Heartshaw….” her voice cracked. “He attacked me.”
~~~
Olivia and the remaining five girls were tense all afternoon. A few conversations started and halted to a stop. The presence of Maria’s dead body was definitely unnerving, especially to Elizabeth and Hannah, who were positioned on either side of her. Olivia tried to talk to them and keep their minds off of their current predicament, but they kept coming back to it and dwelling on what he might still have in store. She also prepped the for the possibility that somehow one of them might get a chance to escape, so that they would know what to do to get help as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Olivia made them all memorize her name and badge number, as well as the phone number for a direct line to SVU. “Listen to me. This is very important. If any of you get a chance to escape, you have to take it. Don’t stick around and try to get other out – just go. You’ll do more good if you can get out and go for help than if you stay here and risk getting caught. If you can get out and get a call, either to 911 or direct to SVU, you have to give them as much information as quickly as you can. Tell them where he is, if he is armed or not. Tell them how many people are in here and how many have escaped, how many are wounded and how many dead. It will only take about 30 seconds for them to get a fix on the phone location, slightly longer if you call from a cell phone. If he is coming after you, just get the call to go through and then leave the phone and scream. The police will come and hopefully he won’t realize you’ve gotten a call out.”
“If you can get out and get a call through and he is coming after you, leave as soon as you have contacted the police and get out to the main road. Flag down help if you can, but don’t get in a car with any strangers. Stay on the main road until police arrive. And whatever you do, stay alive. Run if you can, but if he catches up with you and you are in danger, do what you have to do to survive. Got it?”