Lenore and I drove Paige home. Lenore had picked her mother up late morning as neither intended to help with the butchering. One of my girls took her car home. "I hope we all know what we are getting ourselves into," I muttered half to myself.
From the backseat, I heard Paige reply, "Screw you Bas, I know exactly what I signed up for. I might be too tipsy to drive but not too drunk to think and plan. Those bitches were conspiring to ruin my life just because I didn't do their bidding and pressure you more." She huffed loudly. "As if I have that much influence over you. And you heard them on that tape. They seriously considered abducting Lenore but decided against it because they knew we would not stop and would not spare the cost until we knew what had happened and who was responsible. But that would not be the case for your friend Charlotte. She'd have suffered terribly. Those women have to pay."
"I agree, but look at what it is going to cost us. You know it's not the money. It's the disruption to our lives. It would be far easier to sell them to parts unknown and be done with them," I said.
"Easier, but not as gratifying." Paige quietly and very succinctly said, "We owe it to the women who have suffered at those bitches' hands. That Alice woman in Boston, Laura, Charlotte, even Cynthia and Rebecca who, even though they went along with a lot of enthusiasm, were still manipulated into being pawns. And then there are the unknown victims.
"Those women may be forty years old but they are still damn hot. They have learned how to use their looks all their lives. They practiced the skill of being sexy and charming to get what they want. They will manipulate their way out of whatever bad situation they find themselves. If they are just sold off, they will land on their feet. Yeah, as slaves for sure, but their past will not follow them. Before we or rather you let them go, I want that past to bite them on the ass and take a chunk out for every bit of loss they caused to the soul of each of their victims."
"Poetically put, Mom," Lenore laughed.
"Well, you will need to get a slave owner's license," I said. "You can do it online after you sober up all the way." Paige said she'd had one for years despite never having a slave. "Well, read up on the regulations again so they are fresh in your mind. I don't trust those women to not push you into making a mistake. And we do not need problems." She agreed.
Back home, I helped Sonya put away the pounds of cleaned shrimp we had. She was thrilled and said she knew some great seafood recipes. I told her to be ready to see a temporary increase in our household numbers. Knowing she deserved a better answer, I took her to my office and explained everything that had happened lately in regards to Lana.
"Thanks, Boss. I knew you had something going. You had Kat and Lori in here working on something. A few of the girls were thinking you were starting up another computer business for them to work since they'd be graduating soon. I didn't think so because you'd have been more open about that," Sonya offered. I told her I did not think I was that obvious.
"Boss, you can't hide anything in this house. Even Geri has picked up on the idea her mother is going to be gone if she is not careful. She's talked to Marianne about Beth and what she did. And she's talked with me about school. She is coming around to the idea that being pretty and charming and thinking your shit doesn't stink is not going to get you far. I think the girl needs to hear how her mother wasn't doing so well until she lucked out and married a rich guy. See what you can find about the details of Lana's life back then and I will talk to the girl. Lana certainly did not do the girl any favors except pass along good genes. And most of our girls are damn pretty so Geri is not that exceptional." I thought they all looked great myself but kept my mouth shut. I gave Sonya a kiss and a hug and sent her off to bed.
Sunday was relatively quiet except for a phone call from Laura Hebert to tell me she was supposed to pick up her slaves from the Baton Rouge jail any time after nine Monday morning. She planned to be there when they opened. I agreed to meet her there then. A half hour later, I was called to tell me to come get Lana in the morning.
That evening, I made the announcement to the whole household about what had transpired. I began by saying, "Lana started on this road back in high school. Much of what she did to get into this present debacle was done twenty years ago. Geri here had no part in it. Do not even think to give her a hard time. She was not even born when most of it occurred."
Lenore kicked me hard in the shin. Before I could even yell and grab the spot, she said, "We know none of you would do a thing like that. You all believe in fairness. Geri is one of you. But we will have a few additions to the household temporarily who see themselves as a unit. From their way of thinking you either go along and join them in their cause or you are the enemy. That is how they have operated for two decades."
"You said temporarily," Geri said. "So you decided to sell Mom and the others?"
I was still rubbing my shin with one hand as I shook my head. "Paige, Lenore's mother as you guys know, has agreed to take them in for the time being. She has a little more room in her house. You might not have daily contact with them, but I imagine they will be over here often."
I knew I'd need an extra vehicle so I asked Joanne to drive our pickup truck and follow me to Baton Rouge the next morning. Robin accompanied her. They carried a duffel bag containing five sets of hospital scrubs and flip flops. I'd decided to not allow the women to wear the clothing they'd worn when arrested. I wanted to start their lives as slaves on the right foot.
Being the owner on record when we arrived, Laura signed for all the female's personal effects and turned them over to me. The men's clothing would be donated to the homeless/disaster relief shelter. I assigned Joanne and Robin to fold and put the clothing away after separating the personal items like keys, cell phones and driver's licenses from the other effects.
Laura and Marc were accompanied by a tall burly man who introduced himself as Tom. He was their slave manager. He seemed friendly and personable but then I was not going to be under his control. I asked him how he got into the slave management business.
"I had three slaves I picked up real cheap to help me clear some land I had. Once that job was finished, I wondered what I could do with them other than sell them. I sort of got the idea to put them to work and collect the income. I made them the offer to work hard and they'd get a cut to add to their slave estates for when they were freed. I made more money managing them than I did at my own job, and it grew from there."
"Now don't get me wrong, it is not easy to manage men. You have to be tough as nails but fair at the same time. Well, what they come to think is fair. I'd certainly not like to live like that. I manage eighteen men with my two assistants, so these eight is a big increase. I gotta house, feed, and get the men back and forth to work every day. "
