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Stanley said, “There is only one market we’re aware of?this one. This is the biggest sale of the month, which is why we chose it for your landing, being the third Saturday. As to clean up and skill assessment…” He glanced at Surli, frowning. “It is possible, yes. Especially if they wanted her for…” Stanley hesitated, glancing at Revik. “…Commercial use,” he finished lamely. “Versus an individual owner.”

Surli gave Revik an openly contemptuous look.

Revik ignored him, directing his words at Stanley alone.

“Could they have a second market?” he said. “Non-public. For preferred buyers.”

The intermediary frowned as he thought. “I don’t know.” He met Revik’s gaze, mouth set in a harder line, before he looked back at Surli and the others.

“Should we risk him trying to find her?” he said, clearly meaning Revik. “It would be the fastest.”

“And the riskiest,” Surli retorted. “If they tag him, it wouldn’t take much for them to figure out who she is… and that she’s here.”

Even so, he obviously was thinking about the idea.

So was Revik.

After a few more seconds, Surli clicked under his breath, glancing around as if making sure they weren’t being overheard, although they’d posted Declan as guard for that very purpose. They stood far enough from the nearest row of occupied seats it was unlikely even without Declan, especially since most of them were speaking Russian, which didn’t seem to be a well-known language here.

Surli’s frown deepened as he looked back at Revik.

“I say no,” he said, blunt. “He’s hanging on by a thread. Do any of you seriously trust him to get anywhere near that construct right now?”

“No,” Hondo said at once. She glanced apologetically at Revik. “Sorry, boss.”

Clicking under her breath, Chinja shook her head, also looking at Revik.

“It is a bad idea,” she agreed. Unlike Surli, her voice was reluctant. “I am sorry, too, boss. Even if we shielded you, I do not think?”

“We have to dosomething.”Surli glared at Revik openly. “We were supposed to find the contact here… with her to help us.” His voice turned sarcastic. “I wish I’d known her husband was going to hand her off to a fuckingtraderbefore they even left the docks. It might have given us time to come up with an alternate plan, before?”

“He did not do it,” Dalejem cut in. His voice was final, and cold. “I did.”

There was a silence while the others all looked at Dalejem.

Then Surli scowled, glancing back at the stage.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “If it had been my wife, I would have broken both your arms… brother. Hell, I would have killed you before I let them take her.”

Dalejem’s voice remained cold. “Maybe heractualhusband remembered she’s a better infiltrator than you?than any of you.” He glared around at all of them. “And that she isstillmore likely to get us access to this trader if she maintains her cover, even as merchandise. We just need to find her. No doubt she has learned more than we have already.”

Revik didn’t look at either of them.

“We need to move,” Stanley said, at least in part to end the argument. “You heard the auctioneer. This is the last of it. We need to look for her?now. Loki and his team will be here soon, and we will lose time in rendezvous. The gods only know how far someone could get with her by then. And we cannot assume her cover remains intact.”

“So where do we even begin to look?” Hondo looked at Stanley, then at Surli, speaking in a low whisper. “We should discuss thathere?where there is no surveillance. Once we are outside, the eyes of this place will be looking at us once again, and those eyes are everywhere, brothers and sisters. Do we really think there could be a second auction?”

“Or a pre-sale,” Stanley said, glancing at Revik. “That strikes me as more likely. The buyer, Dontan, is not here. It is possible they met with him and those like him earlier. A private showing of new, high-end acquisitions. I did not see any seers sold here with sight ranks in actual over a five or six. Such preferred buyer pre-sales used to be common in underground markets in South America and Europe. Unusual coloring. Sight rank…”

Stanley made a vague motion with one hand.

“…Special skill sets of whatever kinds,” he mumbled, tilting his head.

Revik’s jaw hardened more.

He looked back out over the auction floor, fighting to think. He knew what they were talking about with his light. The last thing he wanted was to paint a massive target on his wife’s chest, when the Dreng picked up Revik’s scent in the construct right after he’d gone looking for her. All he’d be doing is locating his wife for Menlim’s people to find.

Assuming her cover wasn’t blown, Allie would find a way to get word to them.