Page 69

Abby

SK Compound, Myanmar

“ Y ou!”

Adrenaline courses through me as the guard prods my shoulder with his rifle. I stand up from my work desk, keeping my eyes lowered.

“You, too.” The guard smacks Mary on the back of the head, then nods at Yrsa. “And her.”

Lucky works in an adjacent room. I can only hope Rodrigo has managed to successfully request her, too.

We take the evening clothes handed to us and head to the dormitory to change. My heart leaps when I see Lucky in the bathroom smiling cheekily and waving a red dress.

“Thank goodness.” I hug her briefly.

“Okay, ladies.” Lucky beams around at us. “I hope we all have our running feet on tonight!” Her energy and optimism is infectious enough to elicit wary smiles from us all, even Yrsa .

Mary turns to me. “So. What is the plan, Abby?”

I look at her expectant face. “I don’t know.”

She and Yrsa stare at me, their smiles slowly fading.

“What do you mean,” Mary says quietly, “you don’t know? ”

I lift a shoulder, trying not to let my own tension show.

After Luke’s visit, Dimitry’s messages have been frustratingly mundane.

He’s behaved like the perfect mark, insecure and needy, desperate to please.

He’s invested enough money in the scam scheme to save me from running the Loop on a daily basis.

Beyond that, I know nothing more than I did when I left Thailand: I will attend the auction and point out Jacey to Rodrigo.

I attempt a reassuring smile. “They had to be careful, in case someone was watching.”

And someone is watching. I can feel it.

I’d like to believe that Luke just meant to warn me that all communication is being watched. But we already know the supervisors monitor every message.

No, he came to warn me that someone else is watching. Someone dangerous.

Someone like Jacey.

And despite the fact that I’ve always known it’s Jacey behind my capture, and this place, ever since Luke’s visit, I can truly feel his malevolent presence.

It’s like an invisible gas permeating the air, a dark cloud that I inhale with every breath, infecting my every moment with fear and suspicion.

“So, what?” Yrsa’s accent becomes more pronounced when she’s nervous, so what sounds more like vod . “We must just wait now?” Her tension is audible in every syllable, in the tight lines of her face.

I’m trying to find the words to reassure her when Lucky interrupts.

“Not exactly.”

We all turn to her. Lucky ducks her head, speaking from behind a waterfall of hair.

“You have some very clever friends, Abby.” She says it quietly, but I can hear the edge in her voice.

“And when I say they must be clever, I mean seriously good .” She shakes her head slightly.

“That system is built to withstand government probes. But after I moved the Otis profile to you, they made direct contact with me. I’ve been helping them hack into our system all week. ”

Mickey. I feel a surge of excitement. It has to be. Roman’s godson might only be a teenager, but his hacking skills are already legendary.

“The bidders will all have numbers,” Lucky goes on. She looks up at me, her beautiful face grave. “You and I need to work out which number belongs to... him .” She glances nervously around the changing room, as if Jacey is listening to our conversation.

For all I know, he is.

“We will tell Rodrigo,” she says. “He’ll communicate with your friends and tell them.”

I nod. It’s simple enough.

If it works.

“I’ve also helped your friends make contact with most of our programmers,” Lucky goes on. “Or the ones I know are trustworthy, at least.”

“What?” I stare at her, my heart pounding. “What for?”

She meets my eyes defiantly. “We’re not the only ones who are looking for a way out, Abby.

These people deserve the same chance. While the auction is going on, the programmers will spread word to the workers.

Hopefully most of them will make it out of the compound.

Your friends have said they will help them escape from there. ”

I stare at her in disbelief. “Get them out?” I shake my head. “But there are thousands of people here.”

Lucky nods. “I know,” she says simply. “But it’s a chance. One most people here are willing to take. ”

Even if it costs Dimitry his life?

But as soon as I think of it, I know exactly what Dimitry would have to say to that. And I know she’s right.

I slip my hand into Lucky’s. “You’re so brave,” I whisper. “I can’t believe you did this.”

Except I can.

Lucky’s indomitable strength is the reason she has remained smiling throughout the years of hell that most are unable to endure for even half that time.

She squeezes my hand. “I know it’s a risk, Abby. I know that. But I cannot leave them behind.” Her eyes flash fiercely. “I will not.”

“I understand.” I do. I felt the same way about the prospect of leaving Lucky, Mary and Yrsa behind, and I’ve endured only a fraction of what Lucky has.

“And it’s the right risk.” I hug her hard.

“If you succeed in getting even ten of those people back to their families, then it’s a risk worth taking. ”

“Fuck,” Yrsa says blankly, looking between us. “This... is big, yes?”

“Yes.” I nod slowly, emotion surging through me. And it’s exactly what Dimitry would do. For a horrible moment, I’m afraid I might actually cry.

Mary looks terrified. “Do you really think they can do this?”

“Yes.” Lucky nods determinedly. “I have faith in Otis and his friends."

That makes me smile. “If Otis and his friends say they will do it,” I say softly, “then they will.”

Or they’ll die trying.

I know Dimitry and Roman well enough to be damned fucking sure of that.

I’m torn between exhilaration and utter, crippling terror.

This isn’t an operation anymore.

It’s a fucking war.

The auction room has the same semicircle of chairs arrayed around a central dais.

Only this time, instead of a brightly lit room, it’s almost entirely dark, with just the dais illuminated.

The rows are leather lounges in deep shadow, the seated figures indistinct, each in their own private area.

Low round tables in front of them are lit from beneath, offering enough light for drinks to be served, but not enough to illuminate any faces.

Somehow I thought I would sense Jacey’s presence in the room. Simply know which figure belonged to him, whether I could see his face or not.

I can certainly sense him. It’s an edgy, unsettling feeling, like knowing there’s a snake loose in the house, but not knowing where exactly it’s coiled.

Although I strain my eyes in the dim light, scanning each figure, I can’t for the life of me discern which shadowy form belongs to him.

My recollection of Jacey’s face will haunt my dreams forever.

But his height and build were moderate, his brown hair nondescript.

Without a clear view of his face, any of the tuxedoed men silhouetted in the room could be him.

Dimitry’s, though, should be blatantly obvious.

My heart lurches as I look carefully around the room, aching for a glimpse of his bulk, of his long legs stretched out before him. But again I’m disappointed.

None of the men here are Dimitry.

My stomach lurches with fear.

What if he was caught already? Even worse, what if he never even made it this far?

It feels like death is waiting in the very air around us, like some dark, predestined promise.

It’s almost a relief when Rodrigo’s familiar suited figure appears at my side. “Ah, Senorita Chalmers. ”

I never imagined the day when I’d find his smooth voice and too-fierce grip on my elbow actually reassuring.

But here we are. War makes strange allies, I guess.

He turns to the guards who brought us here. “Are these girls the friends I asked for?”

One of the men nods. “These four are her closest friends, Senor. You are welcome to enjoy all of them, in any way you please. But as agreed, this time you will enjoy them all in our hotel here, at the compound.” His smile is white, hard, and doesn’t reach his eyes.

“I’m sure you will find our luxury better than anything Beijing has to offer.

” He gestures to a leather sofa close by. “If you will follow me?”

We follow Rodrigo obediently, not looking directly at him or each other, just keeping our eyes down the way we normally would in this situation.

Except that my heart isn’t normally pounding out a rap beat. Nor does the sound of a glass on a marble table normally make me jump a foot in the air.

“Relax,” Rodrigo murmurs as he leans over me, ostensibly to pour a drink. “You look like you’re about to rob a bank.”

Rodrigo offering any form of comfort is almost more unsettling than whatever is coming up.

He is seated in the middle of us, Lucky and me on one side, Mary and Yrsa on the other.

He takes a champagne bottle from a silver holder and pours us each a glass.

The other girls look as pale and terrified as I feel.

“Don’t look so sad, ladies,” he says, loudly enough for those close to us to hear. “We’re going to have a little party.”

His words cause a ripple of laughter in the men closest to us.

“Four girls?” says a man nearby with a heavy Russian accent. “You’re becoming greedy, Cardenas.”

Rodrigo raises his glass. “Jealous, Viktor? Since you managed to buy that racehorse out from beneath me in Dubai this week, surely you can afford toys of your own to play with.”

The man guffaws into his glass. “I confess, that was satisfying.”

“Hmph.” Rodrigo turns back toward the stage, fingering my shoulder possessively. “Well, enjoy your victory. Tonight’s sale is mine, companero .”

“We will see.” Viktor raises his glass and inclines his head toward Rodrigo. In the dim light, I see the flash of a calculated smile.

But not Jacey’s. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

I have to find him.

“ Si .” Rodrigo raises his own glass. “We will, indeed.”

He puts his head close to my ear. “I need a number,” he murmurs.