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Shae looked over at Sasha. “I am so sorry.”
Sasha nodded. “Is a terrible mafia. Much vorse zhan Bratva. They steal vomen—and sell zhem on ze black market.” She looked at Ned. “It is good you found her, because I hear Lukka make deal for her.”
Beside her, the men stilled, and even Shae put down her spoon. “They were going to sell me?”
“Da. And Vikka too. And a couple other vomen—zhe young ones.”
She might be ill.
“Shae?”
“I’m okay. I just…” She closed her eyes.
Ned’s hand covered hers. “It’s the number one reason women go missing.”
Except. She opened her eyes. “I don’t think that’s why Dana took me. At least, not the initial reason.”
“What do you mean?” Fraser said.
“I was held first at a compound, a big house in a forest. I think it might have been owned by the Petrovs—it used to be a palace, maybe. Anyway, the elder Petrov—”
“Arkady,” Pavel said. “General Arkady.”
Yes, that felt right, given the way he’d held himself. “He had all the contents of my backpack on the table out, including my very expensive five-thousand-dollar camera, the one I use for my job, and after he questioned me—which wasn’t much—he told me they already had everything they needed. And that’s when Lukka suggested sending me to the gulag ship.”
“Probably to secure a deal for you.”
“But what did they get from kidnapping me that was everything they needed? It’s not like I was carrying national secrets. I mean, Ned tells me nothing of his missions. Not even where he goes.”
“He can’t,” Fraser said.
“I know. And probably this very reason is why. But they got what they wanted, so…what was that?”
“Did they take your phone?”
“Yes. But again, nothing important was on it. My banking app, social media, a few phone numbers, some photos. And even those aren’t much. I use my camera for anything I really want to capture. And, of course, for work.”
“He had your camera out…what was on it?” Fraser asked.
“Shots of my latest projects. Nothing that would blow up national security.”
“What were your latest projects?” Ned asked, and she frowned at him. Did he not remember?
“I was in Lauchtenland, taking pictures of Titus Stadium. It’s their big futbol and rugby pitch and where they hold all their concerts and even the parade grounds. There’s a big event coming up, and I was hired to take shots of Port Fressa, as well as the stadium, for some tourist hype.”
“You still have the pictures?”
“I sent them in already to the agency, but they were on my digital roll too. But I also took pictures of, you know, the mountains I climbed, and Geneva, and even took pictures of Creed’s track event—hey, did he ever get that mess with his girlfriend figured out?”
Fraser raised an eyebrow. “Still working on that.”
“Is he okay?”
“Well, he wasn’t captured by Russians and put in a Siberian gulag ship, so…”
“Not everyone can have my level of adventure.”
Silence, and then she shook her head. “Too soon?”
