Queen of Blackmail

Marion inserted the card into Natasha's phone as instructed while she was showering and brought it to Rex the following day. "So what's the idea you had?" she asked him. He looked around. "Wait till we have a little more privacy. Meet me in the break room around 10." Marion fidgeted restlessly until the time came to meet with Rex. She was really curious as to what he had in mind. When they finally met up, Rex swore her to secrecy. "Sure, no problem." "Really, Marion, this has to stay between us." She assured him it would, and Rex said, "Here's the thing. She may be smart, but I don't think she really has a 72-hour timer. I would be willing to bet that she's just bluffing you on that." "Well, that would be a good thing," said Marion. "It would. But here's the thing." "What's that?" "Well, she probably still has the video somewhere, even though I couldn't find it, so if you get her in a position where she can't share it and she doesn't happen to have a timer, then you're safe." "How the hell do I do that?" asked Marion. "There's a way that's seriously controversial, but definitely profitable," said Rex. Marion was still confused. "The dark web," he finally said. "I've heard of it, and that you need special software to access it." "You do, but it's simple enough to get." "Then what do I do?" "You sell her." Marion's eyebrows shot up with shock. "What the hell are you talking about?" "I'm not saying you have to do this, but if you want to make sure she's not available to wreak havoc on your life, all you have to do is sell her on the dark web and earn a little money while you're at it. In fact, you would earn a lot more than just a little." "What, like sell her as a sex slave or something?" Rex shrugged. "Whoever wants her for whatever reason. More than likely, though, due to her age, she would be bought as a laborer of some kind." Marion was still trying to wrap her head around the idea. "I don't know that I could do that unless things looked like they were really heading south. But if she did have a timer, I wouldn't be able to enjoy that money if I were in jail, would I?" "No, but you would be able to afford a damn good defense, and the money would be waiting for you after jail if you lost your case." Marion scoffed at the absurdity of it all. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to find herself in such a situation. Crazy or not, she still felt bad every day for the woman she'd accidentally killed. To be potentially blackmailed on account of it only compounded her anguish. "I just don't know what to do," she finally said. "I guess you're gonna have to see how it goes. You said she was wanted again for stealing a large sum of money." Marion nodded. "Well, let's say she has that 72-hour timer she swears she has." Marion studied Rex intently. "You could turn her in. The video could be released, and you get nothing for it. Or you could sell her, collect the money, find that the video is still released, but have enough money to go on the run. Worst case scenario would be what I said before; the money is there for you when you get out of jail." Marion didn't like either scenario. She wanted Natasha to stay with her and for them to continue to get along, which they did most of the time. She voiced this thought aloud to Rex, and he replied, "But that's not realistic. Sooner or later, she's going to move on." "Let's say there is no timer," Marion said. "If she leaves and I turn her in, she gets in trouble while my secret remains hidden. If I sell her, my secret may still remain hidden, but a worse fate could await her." The two sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. "I just don't know what to do," Marion said. "I hear you, but something's got to give. I just don't see things carrying on this way forever. But there is one thing I can see." "What's that?" "Because she's got a fake ID, you would have to know exactly when she was leaving when she returns to the US and make sure you notify the airport, should you choose to turn her in. Because as soon as she gets back to the US—whenever that is—she's definitely going to go into hiding. Once she's in her own country, she's likely gone forever unless she manages to get caught there."