Ebony and Ivory 1

Nabia could not be called a coward, but her heart bumped as she now dialled the number of her Ghanan contact man in Germany. Though she would of course soften the blow, she would have to admit that she had not fulfilled her duty.

»Black Pearl Transporting?«

It was the fake company under which the man Nabia only knew as Yawo operated in Germany. Since she had phoned him from a stolen phone, and he couldn’t recognize the number, he was obviously cautious.

»Yawo, it’s me, Nabia!«

She spoke in the Akan dialect that would tell him she was indeed whom she was pretending to be. Quickly, she reported that Abina, the psychiatrist who was on the paylist of Uncle Kofi, like her and Yawo, had been kidnapped by the criminals they had been working with. There was silence before Yawo asked:

»And you couldn’t prevent it?«

Nabia gulped before she breathed a »No!«. She would not tell the details to Yawo – how she had been stunned, only to find herself naked and bound, only to then be gagged with another woman’s panties and socks. They had humiliated her then, and though Nabia had managed to break free, this had been only after Abina had been abducted.

»And who did it, and why?«

Yawo didn’t blame her, either because he knew that Nabia would blame herself, or because he wanted to know more about it before he considered a punishment.

»They want to sell her as a slave – together with the others!«

She reported how Judith, one of her and Abina’s partners, had betrayed them and cooperated with the two men who had helped them in kidnapping the two women they had tried to »convince« in signing some papers, in favour of the elder woman’s co-CEO. During the whole operation, they had, by coincidence, also kidnapped two other women who had just been at the house of their original victims at the wrong time. And now, the two younger women were gone, together with Abina and a Policewoman that had also got involved in the whole affair.

Yawo listened silently before he finally asked:

»Now, what do you intend to do?«

Nabia hesitated. She had worked as Abina’s bodyguard, but they had also considered to make as much money as they could out of the kidnapping, to then go into hiding and get rid of the clutches of Yawo and Uncle Kofi. However, now was not the time to tell Yawo about such plans.

»I have a car and a little money. Besides, I know where those women who escaped are to find – and they will be after the kidnappers, too. So, I will stay on their tracks!«

This sounded much more confident than she was, given the fact she had no idea where the kidnappers were hiding, but Yawo grunted something that could be called approval.

»Right! Seems that the Police will also be looking for Abina. So, you have to get her before, and manage to get her to Hamburg, to the Ghanan embassy! If you succeed, you will be forgiven!«

Nabia didn’t ask what the consequences of a failure were. Being a Black with only intermediate knowledge of German, she could not go into hiding forever – and Uncle Kofi would make sure that she didn’t get away with disappointing him. So, she just said:

»I need a gun – and some money!«

Yawo now gave her a place where they could meet within the next three hours.

***

At Martina Hartenstein’s mansion, four people were sitting in the living room, whilst Marcus was leaning in the door, where he could participate in the conversation, but also have an eye on the corridor. Martina had switched on the alarm, but the mansion had been assaulted before, and so, before each had been given time to shower, Martina had produced a gun and told him to guard the entrance, just in case.

Marcus had never fired a gun in earnest, but it felt good in his hands. Now, after a shower and some fresh coffee, he felt a little more confident than when they had left the old asylum three hours before, though Silvana and the others were still missing, and, in addition, the sleepless night was beginning to take its toll.

Still in the car, they had decided whether to call the Police. Had they done so, they would have had to admit that they had tried to solve the crime on their own, and that they had failed in doing so. In addition, they would ruin the career of Annika, the Kommissarin that had gotten involved and now was missing, too.

»I wouldn’t mind getting some trouble, or even to go into jail for a few months, if it would save Silvie, but I sure won’t stay at home and scratch my bloody balls whilst the investigation will be done by others!«

Hilmar had said nothing, for he was trying to console Marlene who was still suffering from the ordeal. Martina, however, commented:

»There’s still one last glimpse of hope!«

She had then managed to develop her thoughts without crying, though her own daughter had been abducted, too: if the kidnappers wanted money, they could get it much easier than by smuggling the girls out of Germany to sell them as slaves: they could instead get ransom for them.

»All right«, Hilmar commented, »I am sure you have enough money for such an offer, but the problem is we do not have the possibility to contact the kidnappers!«

Martina, though looking dishevelled and only dressed in a lab coat, managed to look down on Hilmar.

»We have such a possibility! Get me a phone!«

Frowning, Marcus had handed her his, and then, whilst they had been approaching Würzburg, they had listened with a mixture of admiration and disbelief as Martina had phoned Ketteler – her co-CEO who had been behind her and her daughter’s initial kidnapping.

Trained by numerous negotiations, Martina had managed to sound nonchalantly as she had told him that his »little plan« had failed, and that she would leave him with two options. An offer Ketteler couldn’t refuse, so to say:

»Either, you do nothing! Then, I will go to the Police within the next two hours, and you may either wait for them to arrest you, or try to run. However, how far will you get, with your bank accounts all blocked, and just the money you have in cash right now?«

To the others, this sounded not very harsh, for the CEO sure would be able to take some Grand with him. But obviously, he had gotten accustomed to some lifestyle, for he asked Martina for the alternative:

»I want the numbers of the criminals you worked with! Not Schmidt – you may tell him he’s fired, and that he should better look for a new job outside the EU! No, I want the thugs who did the dirty work for you!«

Of course, Ketteler had tried to put all the blame on Schmidt, and that only he had the contacts. Martina had interrupted him:

»If I have the numbers, I will leave you time until Tuesday, so you can empty your personal account and retire to your mansion at the Riviera! However, if I don’t hear from you within the next 120 minutes, you better hope your back’s still agile enough to bend forward in the shower room!«

She had ended the call, and the others had been about to applaud, but then, they had noticed Martina was trembling and had tears in her eyes. Not only was she fearing for Lisa, but she had also offered Ketteler to more or less get away with what he had done to her, including her getting stripped naked, bound and gagged, and humiliated. From the backseat, Emma reached forward and massaged her shoulders. Martina took her secretary’s hands, and Emma could feel that Martina’s fingers were cold and still trembled.

The time slot Martina had given Ketteler allowed them to return to Würzburg and have a shower each, with two of them always having an eye on the phone. Martina had also put on a new dress and offered Marlene some of her clothes, whilst the more slender Emma had borrowed some of Lisa’s clothes that fit her more or less.

Ketteler took his time to the fullest extent, but he phoned back. Obviously, he had come to the conclusion that an early retirement with at least some pocket money was preferable to being on the run or going to jail. Also, it seemed that he had talked to Schmidt, for he was able to give Martina a phone number and a name: Ben – just Ben. The women exchanged looks, for one of their kidnappers had been a Ben.

»You better hope that this isn’t a fake! For if it is, it will not be the Police hunting you – but me!«

This time, Martina didn’t have to fake to sound cold and determined. She ended the call and then, she dialled the new number. She had put on the loudspeaker before, so the others could listen, too. To their surprise, the call was answered after the second ringing.

»Yeah?«

Marlene oppressed a gasp. She had always had a good ear for details, and so, she immediately recognized the voice as that of one of their tormentors. Martina nevertheless asked:

»Am I talking to Ben? Just Ben? This is Martina Hartenstein speaking!«

There was a silence of some three seconds, and they all could imagine what was running through Ben’s head within this time: if he should throw away the phone and run, if the Police had already found him – or if he should listen to what Martina had to say.

»Yeah?«

Ben rather croaked than spoke, and Martina said as emotionless as she could manage, whilst Emma held her hand:

»I know that you and your bastard friends are intending to sell my daughter, plus the other girls! Well, just consider me the highest bidder!«

Now, they could hear Ben pant, and Martina added:

»You may keep the black doctor, if you insist on going into that business! But I want Lisa, Silvana and the Policewoman – and I can and will pay more than your sleazy customers!«

The others could understand why Martina didn’t care about Abina’s fate: she had been behind her kidnapping, and also participated in torturing her and Lisa. Marcus felt relieved that she had not hesitated to pay for Silvana and Annika, too.

»I – I will have to talk to my partner! He – he hasn’t arrived yet!«

Martina was sure Ben was playing on time, but she said:

»Call me back in two hours – or earlier, if you have spoken to him before! As I said, I am offering to pay more, and we could get the deal done within the next 24 hours! I have an account at a Swiss bank that offers a 24/7 service!«

Martina ended the call, and again, she seemed to be glad about Emma’s emotional support, as her secretary slung her arms around her. Marcus felt a pain in his palm and only now, he realized it was because he had held the gun so firmly during the call.

With a little bit of luck, if these were just ordinary criminals who were after the money, Silvana would be back in his arms, and Annika would be free, too!

***

Ben sat down, his hands slightly trembling. He had no idea how Martina Hartenstein had gotten his number (let alone, how had she gotten free so soon?). Anyway, he had to get rid of this phone as soon as he had talked to Karl and called her back.

He lit a cigarette whilst he considered what to say. Karl was obsessed with one of the blondes, but perhaps, he was even more obsessed with a good price and so, he could persuade him to get the deal done. Then, he would be free again. He and Judith.

Ben opened WhatsApp and looked at the picture Judith had sent him; the upskirt with her wearing no panties. He had never really thought behind what he would do once he had taken care of Karl. Now, all he had to do was to work together with the Arab for one last time, and then, they would all be rich and each could go their way.

»I wonder what takes them so long!«

It was now some two hours since Judith had sent him the photo, and he had needed just 90 minutes from the asylum to his hideout. Of course, the van was slower, and Karl would try to avoid getting controlled, but he was beginning to wonder where he was. So, he sent a message to Judith, trying to hide his impatience with a little joke:

»Has Karl forgotten how to use the gas pedal?«

He forced himself to put the phone away and to smoke another cigarette whilst he waited for her reply. He even thought of stowing away the stun gun he had prepared for Karl. Then, he looked at the display, and a smile appeared on his face: Judith answer contained another picture.

»What is it, my kinky Rose?«

Ben’s smile froze, and he grew pale as he read the message. It showed Judith, her eyes looking big as saucers. The lower half of her face was covered with tape, and beside her, Karl grinned into the camera. The message was short:

»Nice try, traitor!«

***

Silvana felt that she was only prevented from fainting by Lisa’s head repeatedly banging against her forehead. She could, however, not blame her co-captive, but a mixture of physic’s laws and their captors’ perfidy.

The two girls, both naked and gagged, were tied kneeling face to face, their bound arms fixed to the van’s ceiling, and their boobs constantly touching and grinding against each other. In addition, they shared the same crotch rope, and whenever the car moved, the girls had to move, too. On each curve to the left, Silvana had to lean forward, forcing Lisa to literally sit on her crotch rope with all her weight, and their front to front contact grew even more close. When the car turned right, it was Lisa’s turn to be on top. Braking or accelerating had consequences, too, and so, both girls were completely exhausted. But whenever one of their heads sank down, the next manoeuvre of the van caused their heads to touch. Both had long given up screaming or fighting their unyielding bonds, and they only prayed that this horror trip would stop before nausea would force them to throw up and maybe choke on their gags.

Beside them, Abina and Annika were little better off. The two were sitting on the ground, back to back, and thus were a little less affected by the car’s movements. But they also shared a crotch rope, and this had been applied to them before they had been forced to sit and so, it cut painfully deep into their soft flesh. The black doctor and the Policewoman still had some fighting spirit left inside, but they could also not do more than scream into the sodden panties filling their mouths, and squirm a little in their bonds.

Finally, after what seemed to have been endless hours, the van stopped. When they heard voices from outside, Annika moaned, joined by Abina, whilst Silvana and Lisa just tried to catch breath. Silvana suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine, despite the damp heat in the load: whoever was outside was talking in a foreign language, maybe Turkish or, given the fact Karl was Egyptian, more likely Arabic. So, it was rather his accomplices than a group of Policemen to the rescue.

The back door opened, and Karl looked at his captives. Beside him stood two men that also looked Arabic, both obviously overwhelmed by the scent of sweat, and the look of so much naked beauty. Karl, however, seemed as relaxed as if he was just presenting his new TV to some friends.

»Say Hello to my two new colleagues, Ahmed«, he patted the shoulder of the man to his right, »and Brahim. Silvana, you may remember the two, though you only met for a short time!«

Silvana blinked, and then, her eyes widened. She had seen these men twice – and on one occasion, they had been wearing masks. It had been the night when she and her friend Sibel had posted their podcast about Linda Dellert – the podcast that had upset Karl and some of his family, so they had decided to frighten the two girls. Ahmed and Brahim had assaulted her and Sibel at her home, tied and gagged them – and spanked their butts. And yet, compared to her current predicament, Silvana would have called that the »good old times«.

»We have, however, not much time for a happy reunion! The Police might soon be looking for this van, and so, we better be elsewhere when they find it! The good news is that you may find a little sleep until we have reached our stop for the night – the bad news, however, is that I decide whether you sleep or not!«

He said something to Brahim and Ahmed, and the two stepped in front of Abina and Annika who screamed through their gags when the two men sat on their laps and placed their hands on their breasts, kneading them. Sitting back to back, by shying back one of the girls only pushed the other harder against her attacker, and both moaned and squealed whilst Karl ostentatiously slowly soaked two cloths with some liquid. Then, he took one rag in each hand and bend forward, so he could press them on Annika’s and Abina’s faces.

With helpless horror, Lisa and Silvana watched as the two girls got chloroformed. First, they tried to buck and squirm, but they were no match for the men sitting upon them, and with their arms and legs firmly tied. Annika soon became limp, but Abina, who was more familiar with narcotics, tried to resist longer, but finally, her eyes twisted, and she also collapsed.

Quickly, the men tied the cloths over the unconscious girls’ mouths and noses, then loosened them from the eyelets and each other, but left their arms and legs tied as they carried them out of the van. Karl meanwhile produced two more rags and raised the bottle.

»Uuhhmmph! Nnngggg!«

»Mmhrrrrrrmmm! Ghhhmmmph!«, Lisa added, and both girls squirmed helplessly, but Karl just prepared the rags and handed them to his henchmen who now stepped behind their victims. Silvana felt Ahmed’s chest press against her bound arms and her back, and he grabbed her hair as he placed the soaked rag over her mouth and nose. Lisa got the same treatment from Brahim, and Silvana felt her thrust out her breasts as she gasped.

The stench of the narcotic was vile, and Silvana tried to both fight the man’s hand, and to avoid breathing. However, it was a strong man against a trussed up and exhausted girl, and she could only hold her breath for so long. Finally, she had to suck in air, and she could feel the chloroform find its way into her lungs. The stench suddenly became less bad, and also, the feeling of suffocating was replaced by a languor that wasn’t completely unpleasant. Lisa’s widened eyes, and Brahim’s hand pressing the rag over her mouth, became blurred, and her eyes blinked. One last time, Silvana tried to buck, but suddenly, moving felt as if she was weighing tons. Her last moan was rather a wheezing, and then, everything went black.

***

To Nabia’s slight surprise, Yawo, who usually liked big, fast cars had arrived at the parking lot in a small Ford. Now, their two cars were the only ones around, as the supermarket had closed until the next Tuesday.

»Two Blacks, and one of them driving an S-class Mercedes – that could raise more attention than we could need. Especially as one of us seems a bit – uniquely dressed!«

Yawo let his eyes wander over her. When she had stolen the car, she had not only knocked out its owner, but also taken his Jeans and T-Shirt. On the first view, she looked properly dressed, but she was wearing no shoes, though she was sure that Yawo, who, being 5’7’’, was short for a Ghanan, was focussing on the fact that Nabia was wearing no bra. However, he was right that neither of them needed attention by the cops.

He pointed at the driver’s seat of his car, inviting her to sit in. Nabia obeyed, and Yawo entered the passenger seat.

»Seems to me that your car is stolen. So, you can take this one, the papers are in the glove box. Just get me to the Main Station, we can do all the necessary talking on the way there!«

Nabia had to admit that Yawo was efficient and to the point. She knew that he was a secret agent, and though the Ghanan Secret Service wasn’t comparable to the famous ones, they didn’t have fools in their ranks.

»In the glove box, you’ll also find a fake passport. It’s not too well made, but it should be sufficient to book a hotel room. Further, there are a gun, some ammunition, a new cell phone, and 2000,- Euro in cash. That’s the good news!«

Nabia used the traffic as an excuse not to answer and waited for Yawo to reveal what the bad news was.

»Now, as you know, Abina shall take an important role in working for our Government!«

It was an euphemistic way of saying that Abina had gotten her psychiatry studies paid, so she could work for the Ghanan Secret Service who obviously wanted to rely on more sophisticated techniques than just torture and threatening captives.

»We paid a lot of money, and we are even willing to pay a little more – i. e. the price of that car, plus your extra money. However, if you fail in getting Abina back, this will have consequences on both my and your career. I might end up as an attaché in some shithole country – whilst you might find yourself in the focus of Uncle Kofi’s interest!«

The old man stood behind almost every less legal action of the Government, and though he of course couldn’t do much here in Germany, there was still her family. So, she just nodded when Yawo told her his last order:

»In the next two weeks, I will be at the embassy in Hamburg. I will expect you there, and I hope as much as you should do that you will be in Abina’s company. If you fail, you have two options: either you show up and admit that you failed. Then, you maybe can hope for some leniency for your bravery and honesty. If you choose, however, to go into hiding, you’ll be free game! You and your family, I am afraid!«

For a second, Nabia was tempted to hit him, but in a way, Yawo was just the messenger. So, she just dropped him at the station, and even took his hand as he wished her good luck in her hunt for Abina.

***

Ben hadn’t been successful for years because he had allowed his feelings to get the better of him, and so, after some cursing and kicking against the walls, he was once again able to consider what to do.

So, Karl had outsmarted him, and in addition, he now had Judith in his clutches. Ben wasn’t sure about his feelings for the girl – was he really loving her, or was it just lust, compared with the feeling to have found someone to share his criminal lifestyle? Besides, Judith could try herself to get out of this.

Then, there was the money. If he just behaved as if nothing had happened, he hadn’t lost much – but he would know that Karl could make a fortune by selling the girls, whilst he was left with nothing but a few bad experiences. Ben’s sense of moral and justice wasn’t the most developed, but he definitely didn’t wanted Karl to get away with it.

The problem was that he had no clue where Karl was hiding. Was he working on his own, or did he have some accomplices he hadn’t told ben about? Given the fact he now had five girls to handle, Ben was sure about the latter.

He had some contacts to the underworld, too, and, sooner or later, he would find someone who knew someone that knew the one he was looking for. However, these information cost, and it would whirl a lot of dust.

»Fucking bastard!«, he cursed at an invisible Karl, »If you had come, I would have been able to tell you about Martina Hartenstein’s offer!«

His first thought was to try to call Karl and tell him about it, but sure, he would consider it a fraud. Or he could believe him and contact Martina herself. After all, he had everything he needed for the negotiations. Ben scoffed. Then, he suddenly had another idea. It was daring, far from being honest, but it was worth a try. If he failed, he was where he was right now – and if he succeeded, he would have enough money to either forget about Karl or to really kick his ass.

***

For the second time in a row, the people at Martina’s mansion learned how unnerving it was to wait for a phone call. In addition, none of them was about to relax, for though it was unlikely, either Schmidt or Ketteler could try something unreasonable. So, Marcus still had the gun ready, and there had been an almost ridiculous situation when Emma had needed to use the bathroom and they all had accompanied her, waiting in the corridor, both looking for any potential intruders and hoping that Ben would finally call them.

»How much money could you pay?«, Hilmar asked, and Marcus held his breath. None of them knew how much money their missing friends were worth as slave girls, but one thing was sure: if the money wasn’t enough for all captives, Martina would only pay for her daughter!

»Some 1.8 to 2 million. That includes all the money I can quickly remove from the company’s stock! Do you think that this is enough?«

»They talked about Lisa being worth up to 500.000«, Marlene croaked, and Marcus relaxed a bit. Sure, Martina’s money would be sufficient. Hilmar, however, addressed the elephant in the room:

»If this man calls you – will you just do the deal – or will you inform the Police, so they can get them during the handing over?«

Martina’s reaction showed that she had had that thought, too.

»I am not sure! I mean, I want these thugs to rot in the deepest dungeon, but if I would know for sure that I will get Lisa back, save and sound, I will gladly give up all thoughts of revenge!«

This was about what Marcus thought, but suddenly, Marlene, who had been quiet since her liberation, jumped up. She was pale, except for two red spots on her chin, and she pointed at Martina:

»Don’t you dare playing the Good Samaritan now! This is all your fault!«

Emma gasped, and Hilmar made a lame attempt of holding her back. In a way, Marlene was right: Martina had known about the initial plan to kidnap her and Lisa – and she had not only left and hidden at Emma’s place, she had also made Marlene and Silvana live at the mansion, so the kidnappers had mistaken them for her and her daughter. If Martina had gone to the Police, none of this would have happened!

Emma stepped defensively against Marlene, but Martina stopped her.

»You are right! I made a terrible mistake – and I am paying more than you can imagine, right now!«

Before Marlene could say something, the telephone rang. Martina took a few deep breaths and reached for Emma’s hand before she answered the call.

»Before all, if you are trying to track this call, I will throw away this phone immediately after we have finished talking!«

There was the sound of traffic in the background; obviously, Ben was driving around whilst speaking to them, so if there was an attempt to track him, it wouldn’t be that easy.

»I want to talk to Lisa!«, Martina demanded, and Marcus couldn’t help admiring how calm she sounded. It was as if she was negotiating with a difficult business partner.

»Well, I can certainly understand that – but I am also sure you understand that I am not having her sit right beside me whilst I am driving around. However, I spoke to my partner, and he agrees to your offer – as long as the price is okay, that means!«

It took Martina quite some willpower to ask for her daughter’s price, as if she was some merchandize, but she croaked:

»How much?«

»Ah, a true businesswoman, right to the point! Well, the prices have risen, and two of the girls are true blondes, including your daughter-«

»How much?«, Martina insisted, her voice sounding a bit shrill now. Ben mumbled something, as if he was calculating:

»That’s half a million for each of the Blondies, plus the Ginger, plus your generous offer to overbid the concurrence – let’s say one and a half million for the whole lot!«

Marcus oppressed a sigh of relief. The demanded sum was within Martina’s limit! He watched as the businesswoman panted, obviously waiting for the right moment until she breathed:

»All right! But I insist speaking to Lisa now!«

»And I insist on cash«, Ben replied, ignoring her demand. Martina didn’t have to fake her reaction:

»I do not have so much money just lying around! What do you expect, my money is on my account and I-«

»Oh, come on, someone who is as long in the business as you knows better than to trust the banks! Well, how much money do you have in cash – including gold. Only bars or coins, no jewellery – it’s too easy to track!«

It took Martina some time to calculate, and she whispered a bit with Emma before she answered:

»100.000! Maybe, some 20 to 50 Grand more, if I take it from the company’s safe!«

»That’s ten percent!«, Ben replied, and for a terrible moment, they expected him to offer 10% of Lisa in exchange. However, he seemed rather conciliant:

»Okay, I am sure you can get the sum together until, let’s say, tomorrow at 6 am? Once I have it, I guarantee you to treat your daughter and the others like Princesses until you managed to get the rest of the money!«

»I want to talk to Lisa! At least, send me a picture!«

Now, Ben laughed.

»Before I haven’t seen your first instalment, all you’ll see is your haunting phantasies of what I am doing to your daughter! Now, start collecting and counting, I’ll call you tomorrow morning! Sleep well, Mrs. Hartenstein!«

The line went dead, and Martina stood there, panting and as pale as a bed sheet. Marlene, who was also still standing, stammered:

»S-Sorry for wha-what I-«

Martina stared at her with a wild expression. Then, she threw herself at Marlene, slung her arms around her and sobbed uncontrollably. Marlene patted her shoulders, and Emma also tried to console her employer. Hilmar looked at Marcus.

»I just hope that this bastard has some haunting phantasies about what I will do to him once I get him into my hands!«

»Count me in on that, too!«, Marcus grimly replied.

***