Slave Camp Ch. 25

By the time all the congratulatory hugs and handshakes were over, Leanne was gone. Wanda looked at Derek. "Are we gonna go get her ass now? I can't wait to see her wearing a collar after all the crap she put me through. I can't tell you what made me more anxious today. Worrying if the court would set me free or what Leanne would do." Wanda took a deep breath. "I can't believe they set me free! TOTALLY free!" she gushed. She could not help the tears as emotions welled over her. She grabbed Derek, hugging him as she cried.

Sarah and Lou began laughing at her but fully understood. "Come on." Lou said. "They have another case to try in here."

"Let's go get Leanne!" Wanda offered with a grin.

"Let's not." Derek said. "First things first. We are going to get that collar off your neck. Leanne is not going anywhere. We need to see the court clerk for whatever paperwork we need. Lou, would you please check on that?"

The little slip of paper in Wanda's hand seemed insignificant compared to what it meant for her. It had a simple reference number the court clerk had scribbled down. He had already entered the necessary order into the computer. Derek told Lou and Sarah that he would take Wanda to get her collar removed and they could get on with whatever business they needed to do.

"Bullshit, Derek." Sarah said, smiling widely. "There is NOTHING on my agenda more important than to go watch Wanda get released. Second on my list is to kick your ass for that boneheaded bet you made with Leanne." Now she glared at him. "Risk having that bitch's name tattooed across your belly? Were you really that confident? Lou and I certainly weren't!" Wanda and Lou both looked at him and agreed, calling him an idiot.

"You want to know the truth or a carefully constructed lie?" Derek asked. The three women spoke in unison, 'the TRUTH". Derek laughed. "She pissed me off. Now I really did think I had a good argument with what I had found. But I was worried because I did not have enough time to actually verify it all. Most of what I presented I didn't find out until yesterday. I was planning to hire a private investigator or go see Kathy Douglas to see if it would be better to let the cops handle the actual investigation. I just ran out of time."

"But when Leanne started going through all her bait and switch antics, offering a little more to her side of the deal, I realized she was manipulating me and it pissed me off. I agreed before I really realized how big a deal a tattoo would be, at least how she had planned to do it. Once I agreed and it was in writing she started to describe what I had really agreed to get. I had been too busy thinking through all the possible variations except a tat. She told me earlier she was going to print her name in black lettering an inch high. She wanted to brand me."

"She'd have changed the color to something else when she found out black is easy to remove compared to others." Sarah said. "I did some research when I had my logo done for our butts. Some colors the laser has a hard time differentiating and are hard to remove. You can bet she would have asked the artist for whatever would last the longest and be hardest to remove."

"Yeah, well like I said. I was not thinking as much about the tattoo although it made me mad." Derek said. I was worried about the slave sale. We could not beat her at the auction."

"Sure we could, you idiot!" Sarah said. "Despite what Lou said about not having that much cash available, I could have got a line of credit by auction time. Of course I'd have hated to give the state that much money for something that should have been ours in the first place! But there was no fuckin' way, I'd let that bitch have our Wanda. She is part of our family."

"That's the thing." Derek said. "You'd have spent that insane amount because Leanne had already planned to bid the price to a ridiculous level and then stop leaving us holding the bid. Then she'd brag all over town how dumb were are. That is unless she could get Wanda for a reasonable amount she could afford and for her that was a half million. Her challenge to me was personal. I've never done anything to her except deny her revenge against Wanda and that got her goat. But anyway that part is over. Let's go get that collar removed."

None of the three had ever been in this part of the slave processing area before. There was a long line of collared slaves awaiting their collar removal. Most looked to be older, gray haired and wrinkled. They had hit their sixty fifth birthday, Derek realized. Serving as a slave for years had taken a toll on most of them. Interspersed among them was a much smaller proportion of younger people. Lou checked in with the receptionist.

"We go to the front of the line." Lou explained when she returned. "Court ordered releases are processed upon arrival. They are that rare." Once inside the larger area, Derek saw three stations each manned by a couple uniformed technicians. They quickly scanned Wanda's collar to confirm her identity.

"Do you have any electronics on your person? Cell phone, smart watch?" the tech asked. Wanda pulled her cell out of her pocket. The tech handed it to Derek. "This machine would have erased all data. He attached a wide band around her neck covering her collar. It had a cord attached. "Stand under this archway." the tech ordered. The arch looked like an airport scanner. "Hold still and let's hope it works without shocking you too bad."

"What?!" Wanda squealed just as the man at the desk laughed and pushed a large red button. Lights glowed.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist teasing." the tech laughed. "Now we can insert the key and unlock the actual mechanism." The collar fell free."See? It didn't even explode!" he grinned. Wanda grinned back this time.

"I noticed some of the slaves going out that way and others going down that other hallway." Derek said.

"Some are going home with their ex-owner or a family member. Some are mandated to a half way house for a while. All felons are not just turned loose to find their way." the tech said. "They have to be trained how to function in society again. And some would have still been incarcerated or rather enslaved but hit the magic age. They are mandated to a half way house for a few years to prove themselves before they can live on their own and be truly free."

Derek laughed at Wanda who stood rubbing her neck. "Feel funny to not wear a collar?"

"No shit!" Wanda said. "I forgot how heavy that thing is. When they first lock it on it weighs a ton, but most of that is realizing what it means rather than the actual weight. With it off you really feel the difference."

"Well, if you miss it, we can get you a green one." Derek teased as they walked back to Lou's office.

"Screw you." Wanda said giggling. "And I mean that metaphorically AND physically. Green doesn't go good with my eyes, I'm still wearing an imaginary collar boss. I'm not going anywhere except home with you all." Everybody laughed. "Speaking of green collars, when are we gonna get one on Leanne?"

"Are you in that much of a hurry?" Derek asked, grinning.

"Yep. I want to poke at her. Later I fully intend to spank her naked ass just for the way she acted." Wanda said grinning. "Just the one butt beating. After that I will be fair. I won't even shove a big dildo up her ass even though I know she would do that to me first chance she got."

"Why don't you just offer her ass up for slave girl justice?" Derek suggested. He smiled. "Teach her how we work things and pay her back at the same time. Let it go to a group vote."

"That is genius!" Wanda exclaimed. "Plus I got all the time in the world to wait for her to mess up again. Which, knowing her, won't be long."

Lou had called ahead to let Boyce Anderson know she was going to call Leanne's indenture agreement due. He laughed when he heard the result of Wanda's case and said he could be in Leanne's office in fifteen minutes. Lou kept the others in her office for thirty minutes before they all went downstairs.

"Derek, I apologize for what I said and did." Leanne said in a friendly, professional manner. "We are ready to make an offer to buy me out of my indenture contract." she added.

"We are?" John asked. "Which "we" are "we" talkin' about? The 'we' who went out and borrowed a shitpot of money on her own? Or the we who started running her mouth making dumbass agreements unilaterally? Who told me to 'hush' because she has it all figured out?"

Leanne looked at John in shock. She knew he would be a little disgruntled at her decisions at first until it all turned out well. And it was certain to. She had gone to extra efforts to get a reading on how the case would go. Wanda would get her sentenced reduced because she was innocent, but she would still serve up to three years simply because of lingering appearance of guilt. The woman HAD confessed to the crime after all. That is what it means to plead for a lesser sentence. How could she have any idea Derek would pull a rabbit out his ass to show how it was her lawyer who had engineered the whole confession and plea.

"I'm talking about Waddsworth Accounting, Inc." Leanne stated. "We can make a lucrative offer to pay Derek ."

"There you go with that 'we' again." John said. "First of all, you only own thirty percent of the company after giving Derek twenty percent of the total out of your half. MY fifty percent says we are not gonna offer him a dime. Secondly, YOU are the one who offered your ass into indenture as a condition of that bet in the first place. You wanted him to get tattooed that badly."

"But we have seven hundred thousand dollars available!" Leanne said.

"No. You borrowed that money without consulting me. I intend to pay the bank back which means we are behind already. We'll owe a little interest on top of the loan origination fees." John said.

"But you can't let Derek have me and put me into indenture!" Leanne wailed. "What would you tell the kids?"

"First of all, I am not 'letting' Derek do anything." John said. "YOU are the one to chose to bet him and used yourself as a bargaining chip. You even said you were going 'all in". THAT is what I am going to tell the kids. But it's not like you are REALLY going anywhere. Derek has to sell you to me if he sells you at all. But why would he? He stands to make how much? After taxes and paying you 30K for your indenture, he will net over a hundred and ten thousand per year. That makes you a very valuable commodity. Or at least while you are working for the firm. You'd be worth far less elsewhere like you pointed out this morning. And what will I say to the kids? Exactly that."

"I'm sorry, dear. I tried to talk you out of it several times. You shut me down every time." John stated. "Now I am afraid you will have to answer for your decisions." Leanne looked as if she were in shock as they all walked to the courthouse. Derek, Sarah, Lou and Wanda followed along quietly behind a sobbing Leanne as she marched along, accompanied by her lawyer and her husband. Forty minutes later, the group made the return trip after Boyce had presented the contract and Leanne was summarily collared.

Boyce told John he would get the slave estate paperwork going. Waddsworth accounting would get the contract of course. John could think about if he wanted to buy Leanne out or give her an undivided half interest of their communal property. Of course she only owned thirty percent of the business. And because of it being an investment, would simply be part of her slave estate. Leanne began to offer her opinion and both men turned to tell her to be quiet as her input was not needed. Leanne blinked a few times then sat down. Her shoulders began to shake and she started bawling. Derek shook his head. He suspected Leanne would be doing a lot of crying over the next few days.

Derek wanted to take John to one side out of hearing of the two women. John shrugged and said, "Why bother? We are going to tell both women what we decide anyway. We might as well discuss it in front of them."

"Well, I was going to offer for you to take Leanne home with you tonight." Derek said. "She can go through her things and pack a bag to bring to the house. She'd have the night to do that and then after work tomorrow, she could drive home with Wanda. I'm not going to buy another car for her to drive. She can commute to work with Wanda. I'll go to the department of motor vehicles tomorrow or next week to sign for her slave's driver license in case we send her to the store or someplace on her own later. Also Wanda needs to go back to the courthouse and get her slave owner's license. So she'll need the rest of the afternoon off."

'Well, I can't see either woman getting anything constructive done today. Give Leanne a list of what you want her to pack and she'll go home, get it and come back here. The car she drives is a company car. It is for the office manager to drive. I am going to give that job to Wanda. She can determine how much of Leanne's former duties she lets her continue to do, but she will be in charge. That means she has full use of the car. Leanne will turn over the keys when she gets back here." Leanne began to sputter. She could not believe how her whole life had suddenly turned upside down. Even her beloved job as office manager was being taken away. "I also have some personal business to take care of. Like take Leanne off the bank accounts." John said. Leanne looked shocked at that."You are indentured now, Leanne. If Derek wants you to have any cash, he will give it to you."

"Okay. Leanne, go home and pack a suitcase. You will need some outfits for work but don't forget casual wear. By that I mean shorts and jeans with appropriate tops and shoes. We do not get dressed up around the house. If you don't have jeans or shorts you will do without. You understand what that means." Derek stated rather than asked.

Wanda did not let Leanne answer before she commented. "Ahh, just leave your shorts at home if you want. You can run around in your panties...or less. We won't mind." Then she giggled. Derek looked at Wanda a second but said nothing to quell her enthusiasm. He knew Wanda intended to get her digs in but while he felt she was justified he did not want her taunting to become counter-productive.

"Don't forget your makeup and personal toiletries. Just bring what you think you'll need for a week. Then come back here. Don't take too long. I expect you to drive home with Wanda so you know the way." Derek finished her instructions before turning to Wanda. "Wanda you need to go over to the courthouse and get a slave owner's license. It should be easy. I don't want you dealing with any slave on your own without one. Remember what happened to Lisa. Come back here and wait for Leanne. I'm going to talk with Lou and then go home myself." Wanda nodded and left. Leanne stood and looked at Derek for a few moments. She appeared to want to say something but was suddenly tongue-tied. "I gave you your instructions. If you have questions, ask. If not, get to it." Derek said. Leanne turned, grabbed her purse and headed to the door.

Lou and Sarah were grinning when Derek got upstairs. "Louis Fontenot called. The cops caught Douglas Benoit on the Atchafalaya Basin bridge. The traffic cameras picked up that red porsche immediately and the highway patrol was waiting for him." Derek began to laugh. Of the three available directions to go, east would not have been his first choice. The bridge towards Baton rouge was eighteen miles of elevated interstate highway over a swamp. Avoiding capture was not possible. Derek wondered if Benoit was trying to get to his cousin's house or to his own home in New Orleans. Well, the man would have a new place to stay for a while. One with bars.

Derek told them what he instructed Leanne and Wanda to do. He said he was going to go home and get out of this long sleeve shirt. He had already removed his tie and had been carrying his coat since the trial. Lou wondered if Leanne was going to make it home without a red butt. Derek shrugged and laughed. "Want to make a bet on it?" Sara asked with a laugh. "We'll both give you a blow job if her butt is pale but if she's been spanked, we tattoo OUR names above your cock." Derek shook his head and said he is not going to make any more bets concerning tattoos.

Derek drove through the gate and up to the house. Clarice, Cheryl and Caroline were all home and heard him park. They came out to meet him before he got to the house. "Oh, Damn!" Caroline exclaimed. "I was hoping to see Wanda with you without her collar. So they didn't set her free after all. How long did she get?" Derek held up a hand to stop them from all talking at once.

"Hey, first off. Wanda DID get freed. She will be coming home later. A lot of things happened today and I will tell you all about it when everybody gets home. Let me get out of this damn suit and get a cold beer." Derek said.

Derek was sitting on the sofa holding Jake, Sarah's baby, while Cheryl nursed Luke. Clarice was helping Caroline get dinner started. They were waiting for the others to filter home. Derek was sipping a beer while bouncing his son lightly. "Careful you don't spill that beer on Jake." Cheryl teased. "I'll tell Sarah you were trying to share your beer and laugh when Sarah kicks your ass." Derek laughed and said Sarah had already threatened to kick his ass today. That was part of the story they'd be talking about at dinner. Lou and Sarah came in the house.

"I gotta either nurse or pump." Sarah said. "My tits are so full they hurt!" Lou saw Luke was finishing up and said 'damn' and picked up the pump. She popped her bra open and attached the pump before she even kicked off her shoes. Derek was laughing as he handed Jake to his mother.

"Where is Wanda?" Derek asked."Still waiting for Leanne?"

Sarah said. " I think so. We decided to come home early. We had to pump or nurse and decided to come home. I was starting to leak."

Derek called Wanda. "Where are you?" Wanda said she was still at the office waiting for Leanne. She and John had been discussing her new job as office manager. "I did not enter Leanne's collar into my phone. I have her number. Let me pull it up on the computer." A few minutes later, he was calling Wanda again. "Put me on speaker. John, Leanne is in Baton Rouge. She was dumb enough to run away. She must have taken off just as soon as she packed. That is an hour's drive. According to the computer it looks like she is stuck in traffic on the interstate. At this hour it is usually gridlocked."

"Dumb bitch!" John muttered. "She can't get far. I cancelled the credit card this afternoon. I also took her name off the bank accounts. What are you going to do? Beat her ass or bust her to the ground? I'm gonna call Boyce and tell him. Call you in a few."

Lou was laughing and shaking her head. "I think the woman has had a panic attack. That or a psychotic break. She was SO sure she would win. Are you gonna give her a little break?" Instead of answering Derek called for a volunteer to drive into town to bring Wanda home. Rhonda grabbed her car keys and left.

Derek's phone rang. It was John. "Okay, I have Boyce on the line too in a conference call. I tried calling Leanne but it just went to voicemail. I called the bank. She cashed a check for five thousand dollars. It's a small bank. The teller knew Leanne by sight and just gave her the money. She did not even check the account to see it was flagged and Leanne had been removed."

"That is still felony theft if either of you push that." Boyce offered. "What are you going to do Derek?"

"Well, I already buzzed her collar. I did that as soon as I entered the number into the computer. Hopefully that got her attention. I'll do it again a few times after I get my phone set up. That and locate her is about all I can do with a green collar." Derek said.