The Cuban stepped back and grunted. He then turned his head. “You— come here.”
Paula’s mouth set in a line, but she stood up and took a step forward. “Don’t put your filthy hands on me,” she said quietly.
The Cuban said something to the other man in Spanish. The other man jerked his head at Fenner. “You come here.”
Fenner moved across the room, and as he went past the short Cuban hit him on the back of his head with his gun butt. Fenner went down on his knees, dizzily, and fell forward on his hands. The Cuban kicked at him with his square-toed shoe, catching him where his collar ended, below his ear, in the soft part of his neck. It was a very hard kick and Fenner rolled over on his side.
Paula opened her mouth to scream, but the other Cuban poked her with his gun barrel. Instead of screaming, she caught her breath in agony, and folded up at the knees.
The Cuban caught her under the armpits and held her straight. The short man took hold of her dress by the bottom of the hem and peeled it over her head, entangling her arms and smothering her in it. Then he searched her, ripping her clothes when he had to. He didn’t find what he was looking for, and with a vicious spurt of rage he slapped her with his open hand. The other Cuban tossed her on the lounge and then sat on the corner of the table.
The short Cuban searched the office quickly. He didn’t make any mess and he acted as if he’d done that sort of job before many times. Then he went into the outer office and searched that too.
Fenner heard him moving about, but he couldn’t get his muscles working. He tried to get up, but nothing moved at his frantic efforts. A red mist of rage and pain hung like a curtain before his eyes.
It was only when they had gone, slamming the office door behind them, that he managed to drag himself up from the floor. He put his hand on the desk to support himself, and looked round the office wildly.
Paula was sitting in a huddle on the lounge. She’d got her head free from her dress, and she was crying with rage. “Don’t look at me, damn you!” she said. “Don’t look at me!”