Queen of Blackmail

Marion convinced Natasha to go on one more trip with her. They'd been to Turkey, Spain, and Italy. This time, they were going to go down to Portugal. Only Marion knew this wouldn't be an ordinary getaway. She knew she couldn't make Natasha stay with her, and she wasn't about to chain her to the foot of her bed either. She never thought she'd take Rex's suggestion, but she was ready to roll the dice and take a chance on seeing who would take Natasha and how much they'd be willing to pay. She was ready to make some extra money and hope that the video of the catastrophe in Turkey wasn't on a timer after all. If the police didn't come to her door in a few days, the money she would have would ease any guilt she had over the way she disposed of Natasha. In the best-case scenario, someone would want her as a laborer and nothing more personal. She wasn't as tech-savvy as her friend, so he was able to make contact with what he was at least told was an aging couple in need of help around their home. They were located in a remote area. When her services were no longer needed, they promised to pass her down to someone else who could use her help and that she would be treated well. This didn't mean that Marion still didn't feel twinges of guilt, because she did. For all she knew, Natasha could end up in the hands of a monster, all in the name of money and her not wanting to be alone. In Marion's mind, she believed that this would be the only way to find out for sure whether or not the video was on a timer. She knew she could end up in prison if it was, but she also knew that if it wasn't, she could at least rest easy for the rest of her life. They had made it clear to the buyers that Natasha could never be free again, and they swore she wouldn't be. That was when Rex explained to her that they didn't usually let those they obtained go because then they could go to the authorities. Marion finally agreed, feeling confident that Rex wouldn't acquire a guilty conscience and go to the police, giving them her name for being involved. She and Rex promised each other that they would be the only two to know what happened, other than poor Natasha, of course. Marion also promised Rex a small percentage of the money for helping her. Marion wouldn't be driving Natasha to the couple's home, of course. There was always a middleman in these cases. Marion told Natasha that it would take most of the day to get to their destination, then they would spend a couple of nights in a hotel, and then drive back to Germany the next day. In reality, they wouldn't be going very far at all. Marion knew Natasha didn't know much about cars, and after driving just a half hour or so away from her apartment to a more secluded area, she would insist something was wrong with the car and that she was hearing something that wasn't right. Then she would tell Natasha she was going to text a friend to come and check things out before they made the long drive. In reality, she'd be giving that middleman her location from the burner phone Rex gave her. Fortunately, the road they'd be on was long and straight, and the guy would be able to see when the coast was clear and make a grab for the unsuspecting Natasha. Marion felt all kinds of emotions as they set out that Saturday morning. Natasha hated getting up so early, but Marion insisted they would make better time that way. The real truth, of course, was that there would be fewer cars on the road. Marion was nervous, excited about the money, half of which she'd already received, and still felt pangs of guilt. She had to keep telling herself she was doing the right thing. It wasn't like Natasha was 15 or even 25 with her whole life ahead of her. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as they placed their suitcases in the back seat of her car and pulled out of the apartment's parking lot. "You OK?" asked Natasha, sensing tension in the air. "Sehr gut," Marion said with a smile. "I'm just excited to get away for a few days. Things in the office haven't been that good." "Really? You didn't tell me about that." "It's just the usual office crap." Marion did her best to hide her anxiety as they approached the exchange spot and pulled the car over to the side of the road.