Sure enough, the man was there. He had on a long, black PVC coat with buckles and straps that looked strangely close to a straitjacket. At least the man did have on a pair of glasses. Maybe he would be blind as a bat.
“Who are you?” Bender asked in German, curling his lip as he surveyed Ace with a disgusted look.
“Latex…Bettie.” Ace tried not to cringe at the latter as he kept his voice high and singsongy in an effort to mimic some kind of European accent while he spoke German. Hell, he hadn’t been born inHollywood for nothing.
He would just remember that this was to save Rhea and all the other innocent victims Bender intended to prey upon.
Bender cocked his head. “You don’t look like Bettie Page.”
Ace put his hands on his hips and feigned indignation. “And you don’t look like Brad Pitt, but notice I’m not complaining.”
Bender gave him an arched glare. “You are uppity. I like that in a woman. Now show me your tits.”
Yeah, right.
“How about first we see yours?”
Before Bender could leave or call for help, Ace seized him, ripped his coat, and pulled it down on his arms so that he was bound and unable to move.
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“Ah,” Ace said with a tsk in his faked accent. “You have not been working out, Herr Bender. What do you do that you are so weak in the arms?”
“See here, I—”
“Shh,” Ace said, cutting him off. “Bettie will take care of you, Schatz.” Provided “Bettie” didn’t toss her cookies in revulsion. “Tell her what you want done to you.”
Hopefully it involved a bullwhip and this guy’s ass on the floor.
Bender shouted furiously, “Let me go!”
“Nein, nein.You have paid for the hour of domination and an hour you will get. Now tell Bettie what she wants to hear.”
Rhea was ready to choke the life out of Ace by the time the door to her locker was opened.
She looked out to see Retter, who whistled low.
“Nice outfit, Rhea.”
She glared at him as he removed her gag.
“Where the hell is he?” she snapped.
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“Up shit creek.”
“Good. Now give me the paddle so I can beat him with it.”
Retter laughed as he unlocked the cuffs.
Rhea rubbed her sore wrists as she continued to glare at Retter. At six-four, he was every bit as handsome as Ace, but nowhere near to dying as Ace was at the moment.
Just wait until she got her hands on him.
“He blew it, didn’t he?” she asked.
Retter set the cuffs aside. “Yes and no.”
“What do you mean yes and no?”
“I think your boyfriend has quite a future as a dominatrix.”
Rhea frowned, but Retter didn’t elaborate. Instead, he handed her his jacket, then led her out into the hallway where there were several German agents along with Joe and members of the CIA and Interpol.
“What’s going on here?” she asked Joe. “Where’s Ace?”
“In custody.”
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Her stomach clenched.“Custody? Whose?For what?”
“Ours,” Retter said.“For being the ugliest transvestite in the history of humanity. I swear,we ought to be allowed to kill Bender for sheer, blind stupidity alone.”
Rhea was even more confused. “What?”
“Ace went in as you, or rather as Latex Bettie,” Joe explained.
Her heart stopped beating at the thought of Ace trying to pose as a woman. Yeah, right! Ace would never pass as a female. He was far too masculine.
“Oh, no.Did Bender get away?”
“No,” Joe said. “We got him, along with a full confession.”
Rhea gaped.“How?”
Retter let out a deep, evil laugh. “Latex Bettie wields a mean whip. He had Bender spilling more guts than a kosher butcher.”
“So why is Ace in custody then?” Rhea asked.
“Mostly for pissing me off by not following orders,” Joe said in a surly tone. “He’s lucky I don’t let the German authorities keep him.”
Retter gave a crooked grin. “I can arrange that, if you want.”
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“Don’t tempt me.”
“Can I see him?” Rhea asked.
“Trust me,” Retter said. “You don’t want to see him. Think Frank-N-Furter gonebad .Real bad.”
Why was it every time Retter spoke, he only confused her more.“Frank-N-Furter?”
“Rocky Horror Picture Show.”He shuddered.
“C’mon,” Joe said, leading her away from Retter. “I have Ace in a room down here.”
She followed Joe down the garish hallway to a small room where Dieter sat with a cold pack held to his jaw while Dagmar stroked his hair.
Dieter glared at them. “I’m going to kill him, Joe.”
“I know, Dieter, hang around and I might authorize it.”
“If you don’t,” Dagmar snapped, “I will. How dare he hit myDieter. I want his testicles cut off.”