Ebony and Ivory 2

Silvana’s awakening came slowly, peu a peu. It began by her opening her eyes, only to realize that she was still in the dark. The girl wanted to wipe her eyes, but her limbs didn’t obey her, and when she tried to yawn, this didn’t work either.

Suddenly, like flashlights in her brain, the memories came back: the kidnapping, her being bound and gagged, the chloroforming.

»Mhhmm!«

Silvana was surprised how fast she calmed down, realizing she was still, or rather again, restrained. At least, her new position was more comfortable than the last, though it took her some time to analyse it.

The girl started at her head, or rather above, for her hands were tied above her head, to some vertical bars that felt as if they belonged to an old-fashioned bedframe. A fact that would also explain the soft surface she was lying upon, a surface that screeched whenever she moved more than a little. When she explored her bondage, she felt a pair of handcuffs.

A hood covered her head, something light that didn’t block her breathing. Silvana felt that her lips had been taped shut, but when she moved her tongue, there were no longer panties stuffing her mouth, but a rubber ball, not very tasty and quite big, but much better than someone else’s used underwear. Her ankles were secured to the lower bedframe, obviously by cuffs, too, forcing her to lie still, but not stretching her in an uncomfortable way.

For a moment, she thought that her own moaning was echoing, but then, she realized that she was not alone. Her right side was in touch with something warm and soft, obviously one of her fellow captives. Whoever it was seemed to have awaken, too, for she moved around and mewed through her gag. Silvana thought that her companion felt strange, but then, she realized that they had been positioned head to foot. As if to confirm that, her neighbour’s toe brushed over her cheek.

The moans grew louder, and Silvana was sure that there were more than just the two of them. Most likely, their kidnappers had tied all four of them to a double bed. Now, the narcotic seemed to have worked off at about the same time for all of them, and all girls were trying to cope with the new situation. However, though more convenient than in the van, their bonds still were unyielding, and so, they calmed down after a while, waiting for things to come.

Silvana tried to concentrate on other sounds than the breathing and moaning of her fellow captives, but there were just the distant sounds of cars. The room was warm, but not hot, and then, she noticed that she was no longer stark naked. She shifted her hips in disbelief, but indeed, someone had put a pair of panties on her. Her first reaction was slight relief, but then, she thought twice:

»If Karl did this, he sure has some very mean reason to do so!«

Her memory returned to the moment they had all been narcotized. Karl had been together with his old henchmen, Ahmed and Brahim, but there had been no sign of Judith. Perhaps, she had already been sitting in the new car.

As time passed, Silvana was grateful that the narcotic hadn’t caused nausea, but she felt thirst, and a growing urge to pee. Then, there were approaching steps, and the sound of an opening door.

»Ah, you have all waken up already!«, Karl commented as the moaning increased at his entry. He waited for the humming to cease before he continued:

»This location isn’t the most convenient, but we won’t be here for too long. Anyway, as long as you show a little cooperation, we will make things as comfortable as possible for you. You will be fed and given something to drink twice a day, and you will be allowed to use the bathroom. We will also take care that you won’t get bedsore. However, if you don’t behave, privileges will be withdrawn, and we also won’t shy away from punishing you!«

The reaction to that varied from fearful resignation to angry grunting, but again, Karl just waited until the captives had calmed down again. Silvana had a ridiculous thought:

»He’s like a teacher in front of an unruly class!«

Karl then turned his attention towards her:

»Silvana, I would not go as far as calling you ›docile‹, not even ›obedient‹, but you have some experience with being my captive and so, you won’t behave badly, will you? Let’s start with you!«

She felt that now, two men, obviously Ahmed and Brahim, were working on her cuffs, releasing her from the bedframe, but leaving her ankles tied and cuffing her wrists in front of her body. She was then lifted up, the hand on her arm holding her firmly, but not brutal, more to assure she could stand on her own than to hurt her.

Like that, the still gagged and hooded girl was led a few yards, until she felt tiles under her soles. A man, either Brahim or Ahmed, said in broken German:

»You have five minutes! May remove hood and gag, but scream and I come in!«

A door was closed behind her, and Silvana quickly removed the hood and began to peel the tape from her eyes. The room was an ordinary bathroom, containing a toilet, a sink and a shower, the only modification being a plywood board screwed over the only window. It didn’t take Silvana long to find out that it contained nothing that could be used as a weapon.

She thought if she should bang at the board, to raise some attention, but decided against it. The door had no lock, and even if she managed to raise some attention, she would get punished before. So, she just removed the gag, peeled down the panties and sat down on the toilet to relieve herself.

»We are in some normal apartment! Now, is this a good sign?«

There was a knocking on the door, and Karl said:

»One minute left! Please, put the rubber ball into the sink, the tape in the dustbin, and the hood back over your head!«

Silvana flushed, pulled up her panties – neither her own nor one of those of her fellow captives, but plain white cotton ones, looking as if they were meant for nuns. Well, she definitely preferred those to a thong!

She put the ball that was still covered with saliva into the sink and took the opportunity to drink some water before she reluctantly put the hood back over her head. Moments later, the door was opened, and one of the men quickly checked the hood before she was led back to the other room and was tied to the bedframe again. Then, Karl said:

»As long as you remain quiet, you will be spared the hood and not be gagged until all of you will be finished and you will be given breakfast!«

He seemed to wait for something, and Silvana nodded. The hood was pulled from her head, and she could see the face of Karl. Obviously, he had found the time to shower and shave since she had last seen him. His henchmen were also inside, but Silvana was more interested in her fellow captives.

As she had guessed, they were all tied to a double bed with a metal frame, placed so each girl’s head rested beside the feet of her neighbour. All captives wore plain white panties and were hooded like she was. Then, Silvana frowned: there were not three more girls, but four!

She counted again, but the number remained the same. Now, she tried to figure out who was who. The girl beside her, that now got released from the frame by Brahim and Ahmed, had long, shapely legs and firm breasts that slightly bobbed as she was now made to stand. She tried to break free and mewed, and Karl said in an icy voice:

»One penalty point!«

»This must be Lisa!«, Silvana thought, and she looked at the other three captives. The next one was easy to guess, for she was black. Silvana could notice that Abina was under tension, obviously suffering from being exposed like that.

Beside Abina, there was a slender, yet athletic woman with medium-sized breasts That Silvana thought to be Annika. Her neighbour, the last on the bed, was also slim and about Annika’s height and breasts size. Who was she?

Lisa was brought back and tied beside Silvana again. She was spared both the gag and the hood; obviously, she would not be punished right now. At first, Silvana was surprised that she was turned into the same direction as her, but then, she understood that this would make it easier for their captors to feed them.

Abina was next, and she gained two penalty points for her trying to resist. In fact, she was accompanied by both Brahim and Ahmed, and Karl just shrugged.

»Now, she will have to relieve herself under their eyes! Well, her choice!«

Lisa gulped, and Silvana used the distraction of Karl who looked at the corridor to whisper:

»Who’s the last one?«

With her chin, she pointed towards the fifth captive. Lisa just slightly shook her head. A still fuming, but calmer Abina was brought back and chained to the bed. She was ungagged, too, but since she had been their tormentor until the day before, neither Lisa nor Silvana spoke to her, and she made no attempt either.

Annika obviously served her energy for a better opportunity, for she behaved and then, the last captive was brought to the bathroom. She also squirmed and screamed through her gag, and in her case, Karl said with a malicious smile:

»In her case, double penalty points! That makes four!«

When the last girl had been retied to the bed, and her hood was removed, Silvana gasped: it was Judith, the mean nurse that had worked for Abina before she had switched sides and become Karl’s accomplice. Karl pointed at her and explained:

»She and Ben tried to outsmart me! That’s why she will always has to suffer for two!«

»Fuck you!«, Judith hissed, a remark Karl only answered by a cold »Six!«. Then, Ahmed fed them in a way that would have seemed ridiculous under other circumstances: he used a contraption that was designed for old people to pick up things from the floor to feed each girl a few cookies from a plate. Then, he used a ladle to let each have a few sips of lukewarm insta coffee. None of them had dared to put up resistance, or to talk back, as they had seen Karl place another contraption on a small table: it looked like a large battery, and to the poles, cables with clamps had been fixed. When he made the clamps touch, there were some sparks and a crackling sound, telling all captives that getting touched by these clamps would be more than painful.

After the meal, Karl, still holding the clamps loosely in his left, ordered:

»Now, you will assist each other in cleaning yourself from any crumps or spilled coffee! You may do so by telling your neighbour where she has to remove it with her own tongue, but if she can’t reach it, you will help with your own mouth! Oh, and you better do a good job, for any overlooked crump or drop will be removed by Ahmed and Brahim – whilst I will find out how these will work on your toes!«

He once again touched the clamps, so they sparked, and the girls hastily licked their lips and then looked at each other. There were some whispered hints, like »There, above your upper lip!«, or »On your chin!«, and then, they reluctantly plucked some remaining crumps or licked some drops from each other’s skin. Silvana removed a crumb from Lisa’s forehead, wondering how it had gotten there, whilst her neighbour reluctantly licked a little coffee from between her breasts. Abina, who was panting from the humiliation, made things even worse for Annika who finally scolded her, telling her to hold still, for fuck’s sake. When all girls had cleaned up themselves and each other, Karl inspected them, and, once again playing with the battery clamps, he then nodded.

»All right, let’s gag you again! Brahim, Ahmed!«

He added a few words in Arabic, and the two left, only to return little later. Ahmed brought the five rubber balls from the bathroom sink and a roll of duct tape. Silvana grimaced: obviously, they hadn’t washed off the saliva, and also, Ahmed didn’t seem to bother who had been gagged with which ball when he now pushed one behind Silvana’s teeth and sealed her lips with three pieces of tape.

»P-please, may I t-talk?«, Lisa asked, sounding surprisingly calm and polite. Karl made an inviting gesture, and Lisa continued:

»Please, you have kidnapped us to – to sell us! But there’s an easier way to get the money!«

Karl raised an eyebrow, but he seemed to know what Lisa was referring to.

»You are talking about your mother. Well, according to what I’ve heard, she is loaded. Just let me finish gagging you, then, I will tell you what I think about it!«

Lisa was about to protest, but swallowed her anger and impatience and even opened her mouth so Ahmed could place the ball in her mouth. Once her lips were sealed, it was the others’ turn. By showing the clamps to them, Karl ensured that none put up resistance, and when all five girls were gagged, he said:

»There are some pros and cons according to what you are mentioning, Lisa! Pro, your mother is rich, and she might also be willing to pay – at least for you, maybe even for Silvana and Annika.«

He paused, and both Abina and Judith panted and moaned, though this came hardly as a surprise. After all, it had been them who had kidnapped Martina and Lisa, and who had tortured them both. Karl raised his hand and continued:

»So, we would still have Abina and Judith, which is both a pro and a con. On the one hand, we could sell Judith as dark blonde, though one might also call her hair light brown, and as I said, a Black with a university degree will also sell well. However, we then still had two slaves to deal with – after we have exposed ourselves, for there is the danger that your mother will use the handing over of the money as a trap, or try to follow our tracks even after you are free!«

The girls stared at Karl who was so calm and rationally talking about a major crime involving them.

»Another con is that I have no idea where your mother’s now. In the best scenario, she found out that the nooses around their necks were fake once we left, managed to free herself and the others and is already at her home. In other scenarios, either Nabia freed herself first and is still holding them captive, or Ben decided to get back to the asylum and got them into his hands, or, though I hope not, something really bad happened!«

Lisa mewed on Karl implying her mother’s death. The fact that he really seemed to mean that he didn’t want that to happen only made this scenario more realistic. Karl clapped his hands and smiled.

»Well, I can of course find out about that by a simple phone call. However, this call will tell everyone we are still in Germany, and thus, I will have to talk to my comrades before, for it’s also their risk. So, if you’ll excuse us for a while-«

Karl turned for the door, but then, he slapped his forehead.

»Oh, your penalty points! I nearly forgot about them, but as long as nothing is decided about Lisa’s proposal, you are still sex slave apprentices, so to say!«

Ahmed and Brahim chuckled, and Lisa, Abina and Judith stared at the battery whose clamps Karl had taken in his hand once again. He seemed to think about using them, but then put them away.

»Nah, I need something if you are committing more severe things! Since it is your first day, we will rely on more lenient punishment! So, let me see – Lisa, that was one point, wasn’t it?«

Lisa didn’t nod, but she seemed relieved that the battery was off the table. Nevertheless, she squealed when Karl placed a clothespin on her right nipple.

Abina, who had two penalty points, tried to steel herself for her punishment. Karl produced two clothespins, but only placed one on her nipple. Abina reared up and groaned; unlike Lisa, she had not suffered from that torture before.

Karl put the other clothespin into the breast pocket of his shirt. Then, he bent over the bed, hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the Black’s panties and peeled them down to her knees. Abina shuddered and mewed from embarrassment.

»During my life, I have slept with two black women, but by coincidence, both were shaved and so, I couldn’t answer one question – does the pubic hair of a Black feel different?«

»Mmhhmmph! Nnngggg! Hhrrrrmmmm!«

Abina squirmed and screamed through her gag as he brushed through her thatch of black curly hair and even rubbed some of her pubic hair between his fingers. Brahim chuckled, and Karl playfully waved his index finger.

»You may feel the next time our dear doctor deserves a punishment! For now, you may only look!«

He withdrew from Abina, but left her panties pulled down, and both Brahim and Ahmed indeed stared down on her middle, though Abina cringed from the humiliation, and only her dark complexion hid she was blushing all over.

Karl meanwhile stepped beside Judith and looked down on her, shaking his head.

»Oh, Judith, what shall I do with you and your six penalty points? The problem’s you are a slut, so, exposing you won’t bother you, and if my men touch you, you might even enjoy it!«

»There’s only one way to find out!«, Brahim joked, and Ahmed laughed whilst Judith stared daggers at Karl, her cheeks blushing slightly. Karl fished the clothespin from his pocket and placed it on the girl’s nipple. Judith oppressed her squeal, but let out a sharp breath.

»Of course, I could now add five more, on places where it will hurt. However, it would be a bit uncreative, don’t you agree?«

He plucked the clothespin from her breast – and placed it on Annika’s nipple. The Policewoman was caught completely off-guard and yelped whilst rearing up. Karl chuckled and then raised his voice:

»From now on, each time Judith deserves punishment, the others will get it! So, we still have five points left!«

Obviously, Karl was running out of creativity, too, for he just placed five more clothespins on exposed nipples, until every girl except Judith had both her breasts molested. Then, after one last brush through Abina’s pubic hair, he left the girls alone as he and his henchmen withdrew to negotiate what to do about Lisa’s idea.

***

Quite unsurprisingly, no one in the mansion was still sleeping when the phone rang at 6 am. Martina had rings under her eyes, and seemed more than ever grateful for Emma’s support, though the blonde secretary was also at the ed of her strength. Both had emptied the safe, finding out that the cash money in Dollars and Euros, plus a gold bar of one kilo, made some 120.000. It was less than 10%, but at least, more than the minimum they had told Ben Martina could afford at once.

Marcus had managed to doze a few hours, though he had felt guilty whenever his eyes felt shut. Only Hilmar and Marlene had found some sleep, though it wasn’t as much a good sign as one might have expected.

They had withdrawn to the guest room where Marlene had stayed the last time she had been at this mansion (she couldn’t believe it was just two days ago), and they had kissed, but when Hilmar had touched her breast, Marlene had turned towards the wall. Hilmar, who was tired, had not protested and thought that Marlene just didn’t want to have fun whilst Silvana was in danger. This was partially true, but Marlene also suffered from another problem: she felt guilty.

It wasn’t that she had fallen victim to kidnappers again, or that Hilmar had risked his life to save hers. But there was a constant in every time she had been in the clutches of some thugs during the last months: each time, her kidnappers had brought her to orgasm. And so, Marlene feared for what would be if she and Hilmar were in a longer relationship. If she was so easy to arouse when she didn’t want it, how could she be sure that she would resist if someone approached in a more friendly, consensual way? Hilmar had once cheated on her, but perhaps, she was also not trustworthy.

It was something that would have to wait until Silvana and the others were freed, most preferably with the bad guys in jail, but now, she just couldn’t let herself go and have sex with Hilmar. Luckily, he had accepted her »No« without asking, at least for now.

Ben obviously had changed to another phone, but he called exactly on time. He spared them small talk and directly asked whether they had the money.

»We have some 100.000, as I have said. Now, let me talk to my daughter!«

Marcus raised an eyebrow. He knew that Martina and Emma had collected 120 Grand; obviously, Martina wanted to keep some money back. Ben replied:

»Unfortunately, I have a nosy neighbourhood, and it’s still quite early. Also, you didn’t want me to do what I had to do if she screamed. However, here’s a photo, to show she’s well and alive!«

After a few seconds of silence, Martina stared at the display, her face showing a mixture of fear, disgust and hatred. Then, she breathed:

»What do you want?«

»Well, the money, of course! Do you know the A70, direction towards Kassel?«

»Of course!«

»A few miles behind the exit Gramschatz is a small parking lot! Get there – alone! Bring the money and wait for further instructions!«

Ben ended the call, and Martina still stared at the display. Marcus looked over her shoulder; he had only seen a few photos of Lisa, but he recognized her, though this picture was different: Lisa, who could be seen down to her belly button, was stark naked, and the lower half of her face was covered with tape. Despite his sorrow for Silvana, and despite this being inappropriate, he couldn’t help admiring her ample, firm boobs.

»Now, will you do as he says?«, Emma asked, and Martina nodded.

»I hardly have another choice!«

She took the small suitcase that contained the money, counted 20.000 and handed them to Emma before she closed the bag again. Marcus cleared his throat.

»You shouldn’t go alone!«

Martina hesitated, but when she left five minutes later, Marcus was hiding in the boot, armed with the gun; Hilmar had quickly explained to him how to use it.

Martina was focussed on her meeting with Ben, and Marcus couldn’t see anything, so, none of the two, or the three staying behind, noticed that they were watched. Nabia, having no clue where to start her search for Abina, had decided to look for Martina’s mansion, and when she had indeed seen some lights, she had hidden in the garden of the adjacent house. She still had no shoes, and she was lacking sleep and food, but Nabia was a trained soldier and therefore, she was able to keep her position.

When she had seen Martina leave the house, accompanied by a tall guy, Nabia had raised her gun, but waited in silence. To her surprise, the man had climbed into the boot before Martina had left. She had been holding a small suitcase that literally screamed »money!«. So, Nabia decided to follow Martina’s car.

***

Silvana stared at the door behind which, as she knew, Karl and the two others were discussing what to do with them. For these men, it was just a matter of risk and gain, but for the captives, it could easily make the difference between heaven and hell.

She looked over at Lisa, who also couldn’t take her eyes from the door. Her companion sure had the best cards in this perfidious game: if Martina was free, she sure would deliberately pay for her daughter’s release, but how about the others? How about her?

Silvana fought down her nervousness. She concentrated on the indistinct noises from behind the door, but she couldn’t make out words, even more as the three men spoke Arabic. Maybe, she could understand it if Karl would do a phone call. This would indicate that Martina was at her home – and if she was free, Marlene, Marcus and the others that had been left behind would also no longer be at the asylum. Then, she would at least know that Marlene’s ordeal was over, and that Marcus also was no longer locked in.

From what she had seen at the mansion, she knew that Martina was rich, and she definitely loved her daughter. But did she have enough money to also pay for the other captives? Silvana forced herself to be optimistic: Marcus and Marlene would insist on that, and besides, they all still had some money from the affair with the diamonds, so, they could at least help Martina in getting the sum Karl would demand together.

»I only hope that he’s more into money than into – finishing what he once tried with me!«

Back then, Karl had also insisted to sell her as a slave, but she had escaped, something the man obviously had taken personally. Would his lust for revenge be soothed if Martina Hartenstein would pay him more than some Saudi Arabian Sheikh would?

The dull pain in her nipples told her that so far, Karl hadn’t treated her too different from the other captives. He hadn’t touched her more than necessary (of course, it was he and his henchmen who decided what was necessary), and for some reason, they had even been given panties.

»So, with a little bit of luck, my chances of getting free are second best after Lisa’s!«

She could hear a rustle, accompanied by a faint moan. Annika was still working on her handcuffs; more to pass time than to actually get free. Silvana wondered how the redhead Policewoman felt. They had hardly talked before she had ended up gagged, too. Did she have any backup, and how were Marcus and Hilmar related to her? Silvana shuddered: Annika’s fate now hung on how much money Martina could afford, and how much of it she was willing to pay for someone who wasn’t her daughter and who didn’t have three friends speaking for her.

Since she would notice anyway if the door opened, Silvana rose her head and looked at Abina. The Black was staring at the ceiling, as if focussing on the unlit lamp could help her out of her predicament. Silvana felt a strange mixture of Schadenfreude and pity: the doctor had organized her and Marlene’s kidnapping, and she had not only stripped, bound and gagged them, but also humiliated and tortured them. So, she was getting a dose of her own medicine.

And yet, she knew that Abina knew that her chances of getting out of this were far worse than that of her fellow captives. Martina would not pay a Cent for her former tormentor, and her only chance was that the Polce would find them; even then, she would not get off the hook easy, for though she was the victim now, she would be held accountable for her previous crimes.

If Karl got away, Abina would end up as a slave. She was holding an academical degree, had successfully finished a renowned German University, but she had been stripped of these merits, together with her lab coat and her other clothes. All that would remain of that would be that her future owner would mockingly call her »Doc« or »Dr. Boobs« if she served him.

Karl had left no doubt on her new status, had even humiliated her more than the others by pulling her panties down, completely exposing her. Silvana wasn’t sure whether Karl had done so for racist reasons, but in the life expecting her, Abina’s skin colour sure would matter.

»And yet, she’s still better off than Judith!«

She couldn’t see much of the fifth girl on the crowded bed, but she still hadn’t fully understood why the devious nurse was here now, together with them, and bound and gagged as well. Judith had more than willingly assisted Abina in mistreating her, Marlene and the others; then, she had switched to Karl’s side and shown the same enthusiasm in handling Abina and Nabia.

She remembered that Karl had called her a traitor; so, either she, or Ben, or both had tried to outsmart him. There was no sign of Ben, but somehow, Silvana was sure that Karl hadn’t killed him. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it, maybe just to either torture Judith, or frighten the others. However, he sure didn’t want to make things easy for Judith. Silvana understood the little game Karl was playing: if he punished the others for Judith’s mistakes, he tried to get a wedge between them. It was an obvious thing; however, none of the other four captives held any sympathy for Judith anyway.

Like the others, Silvana gasped as the door opened. Karl stepped in, followed by Ahmed. The two men seemed a bit tired, but Karl showed a smile that wasn’t completely threatening.

»We have decided to call your mother! Please, don’t get too excited yet: we don’t know yet if she has made it home, and if so, we can’t tell if she has enough money to pay for you. After all, we are talking about first class merchandize here!«

This caused an angry glance from Annika and Lisa, and there was some mewing. Karl raised his hand, as if he wanted to apologize.

»Hey, don’t blame me, it’s the demand that rules the market! Anyway, we decided to be realistic. Of course, we had to rely on estimations to get close to your market value, but we won’t ask your mother for any phantasy sums, we just want more than we can get from our other potential customers!«

From the open door, the sound of a turning key, followed by steps could be heard. According to the lack of reaction from Karl and Ahmed, it was clear that it was Brahim. In his hand, he held a newspaper, obviously the »BILD«, Germany’s best known Yellow Press organ.

»Some traditions must be kept, after all!«

Silvana had seen enough crime movies to know that the newspaper should prove that the picture he would now take of Lisa was an actual one. Karl folded the paper so the date was visible; then, he placed it over Lisa’s chest, but seemed to be bothered by the clothespins. He removed them, and Lisa whimpered when her blood now could circulate again, allowing the pain to radiate through the tips of her breasts. Ahmed raised his phone and took a picture of the girl. Karl then removed the newspaper and played with the clothespins. Lisa stared at them, but he shook his head.

»If your mother’s cooperative, you’ll deserve a bonus point!«

He put the two clothespins into Abina’s thatch of pubic hair. Since he only pinched a few hairs, it didn’t hurt, but the act once again humiliated the helpless doctor, and she grunted with embarrassment. Karl mockingly bowed to the girls and before the men withdrew, he explained:

»I will now send your mother an email, for I am afraid that her mobile got destroyed during her abduction, and I can’t send her the photo via her landline. Let’s hope that she regularly checks her mails – and that she hasn’t come to the conclusion that a new yacht, or a nice long holiday beats getting her daughter back!«

Karl laughed; then, his expression became more serious:

»However, as long as we got any pleasing offers, you’ll belong to us – and some of you will belong to us for the next time anyway! So, after we have finished the mail, we will help you to get accustomed to your status as slaves, albeit in some cases, it will only be temporarily!«

***

The parking lot was empty, except for a VW Golf parked near the end of the lane. Though the sun meanwhile had risen, Martina couldn’t see whether Ben was inside, for the rear window was tinted. She stopped her car some 200 yards away and said towards Marcus who had folded one of the backseats, so he could breathe better, and communicate with Martina:

»Okay, I am leaving the car now! Please, be as careful as possible if you want to look at him! We mustn’t endanger Lisa!«

Marcus wanted to say something about him caring as much about Silvana as she did for her daughter, and that she was responsible for the whole mess, but he kept his mouth shut: Martina couldn’t need distraction right now, and she was already suffering for her mistake. So, he just nodded and patted the gun.

Martina left the car, the suitcase ostentatiously in her right, so whoever was in the other car could see it. She had passed about half the distance between her car and the other, when the window of the Golf opened, and Ben leaned out of it.

»All right, now, place the bag on the ground, get back to your car, and leave!«

***