They chatted about the bad roads, the problems with weather and the unreliability of finding virgins as they sipped green tea. From time to time one or another would make an offer. Mike almost walked when they balked at thirteen hundred euros until he realized that would be leaving this poor kid in their hands. He finally dickered them down to nine hundred euros but not a penny less. He only got the hundred euros off because of the bruises and by actually getting up and walking halfway to the door.
He pulled out the cash and forked it over with a grim face, then slapped the girl on the back of the head.
“If you think that you have had it bad so far, try to run away from me,” Mike growled in her ear. “I will do terrible things to you. Terrible terrible things. Are you going to try to run?”
“No,” the girl said, resignation in her voice.
“You could run from the old man, maybe,” Mike pointed out. “But I can outrun you. And if I have to even hurry, not only will you not be a virgin by tomorrow, I will sell you to the worst whorehouse in Istanbul for seamen to fuck all day long. And the reason I will sell you there is because you will be too messed up for anyone else to buy you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” the girl replied, her head down.
“Let us go,” Mike said, nodding at Pasha and the still unnamed Santa Claus. “If you can get more like this, we can do business in the long term. But no marks!”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Santa Claus said, smiling and standing up. “It was good doing business with you.”
“The same,” Mike said graciously, taking the girl by the wrist and leading her to the door.
His rooms were a flight up and down the hallway. When he got to the command center room he paused.
“I’m glad you didn’t run,” he said, quietly. “The reason is, I’m not a slaver and I would not want to have to hurt you. But you must not talk about what you see in here, do you understand?”
“No,” the girl said fearfully.
“You will,” Mike replied, knocking on the door.
One of the Keldara girls answered the knock and looked in surprise at the girl Mike still had by the wrist.
“Greznya,” Mike said, thankfully. “Just the lady I needed. Come on, girl. What’s your name, anyway?”
“Oksana,” the girl said, quietly, her eyes widening as she saw the computers and electronics set up around the room.
“This is Greznya, Oksana,” Mike said, gently pushing her farther into the room. “She’s not a slave, not a whore. She works for me. We’re doing something here and it’s necessary that I act like a slaver. I’m sorry that you were put through that, but you are safe, now.”
“Really?” Oksana asked, panting.
“Really, really,” Greznya said, smiling. “This is the Kildar. He is a renowned fighter and he does not harm women.”
“Unless I have to,” Mike pointed out. “Sorry about what happened in there. But that fat bastard was about to smack you one across the face. Again.”
“Come in,” Greznya said, sighing. “We know something of what you have been going through and we are very sorry. Where are you from?”
“The Ukraine,” Oksana said. “Near Kremenchug.”
“Well, we have much to do,” Greznya said, pulling her further into the room and settling her in a chair. “But we will see if there is a way to get you back there. You have family?”
“No,” Oksana replied quietly. “I was raised in orphanage. They had sent me out only the day before. I was at a fair when the man, Hadeon, approached me. He offered to buy me lunch and I was very hungry. Then he said he could get me a good job in Italy.”
“Which is one of the places you might have ended up,” Mike said, sighing. “I won’t speak as to the quality of the job, since that’s rather obvious. I’m sorry, Oksana, but that story is very common. This is how many girls end up in places like this.” He paused and looked around the room at the monitors. “Well, not like this.”
“What is this?” Oksana asked, finally settling down. “What are you doing?”
“We’re tracking a girl who was kidnapped, as you were,” Greznya replied. “We know she came as far as here. We are trying to find out where she went.”
“Why?” Oksana asked, suddenly tearing up again. “Why do you look for her when nobody cared about me!”
“Because her father is rich and has powerful friends,” Mike said bluntly. “You have neither a rich father nor powerful friends. Well, you didn’t.” He looked at her and cocked his head on the side. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do with you. I needed to buy you because it made our cover stronger, but I’m not sure what to do with you, now. I’d hoped you’d have a family to go home to.”
“So you could get more money?” the girl asked unhappily.
“No, I have plenty of that,” Mike said, waving his hand around the room. “This isn’t cheap. No, you were going to be returned gratis. But with nobody to go home to… Well, that presents me with a problem. I’ll think about it.”
When Mike left the room, Oksana looked at Greznya with wide eyes.
“He is very strange,” the girl whispered. “He frightens me.”
“Well, you don’t have to be frightened of him any more,” Greznya replied. “And as for the being strange… you get used to it.”
“We got anything different?” Mike asked as he wandered next door. Vanner had moved the data analysis section to the adjoining room since the other one was both crowded and busy.
“Very straightforward,” Vanner said. “We haven’t really had a lot of time to pin down his movements, but it looks like he mostly is a repeater.”
“So we have a choice of taking him down at the café or at his house or in movement. And he’s got, effectively, hostages, at each point.”
“He didn’t bring a girl back with him in the morning,” Vanner pointed out. “If he doesn’t tomorrow…”
“Works. I’ll send Adams out to find a quiet spot.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Bravo team in position.”
Mike looked back at the van full of Keldara and nodded to Yevgenii.
“Alpha in position.”
“Target is moving. Target is unaccompanied, repeat unaccompanied.”
“Roll the op up,” Mike said quietly.
“Roll up,” Yevgenii repeated.
“Roll up confirmed,” Vanner replied. “We are out of here in one five minutes. Team Charlie is in place to recover telltales.”
“Don’t forget to pay the bill,” Mike muttered. “Don’t send that.”
“Roger,” Yevgenii replied. They were both in civilian clothes with body armor underneath. The team in the back was in full battle rig. Smegnoff was a hard worker and it was just after dawn. He’d been heading back to the café to get some paperwork done. He also apparently counted down his cash in the back room. That was where the majority of his “associates” and his main base for farming his girls and doing deals were located.
“Target is repeating, repeating. Kramor Prospect so far.”
“Get ready,” Mike said, turning his head. “It looks like us. Close up.”
“Close up,” Yevgenii said as he started the van. “Close up.”