When Laz woke, the first thing he realized was that Anja wasn't in the bed with him. He sat up, instantly awake, but aware he'd been vulnerable. When he turned his head he saw her. She was sitting in the only chair in the room, a straight back chair, completely dressed in character.  She'd been, he knew, watching him sleep.  That she'd been moving around the room getting dressed, and putting on her make-up and possibly even going down the hallway and he hadn't woken up meant something, but he wasn't ready to try to figure it out. It took a low place on the list of the things he needed to figure out, mostly things about her.

She sat there, one shoe dangling off a toe, looking for all the world as if last night, and all day had never happened.  That thought encouraged him to wonder if he wanted it that way.  He discouraged the encouragement and threw back the covers.  "Have you eaten?" he asked.

"No. I thought it better to wait for you."

He hesitated for a moment and then he put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up towards his.  "Are you alright?" he asked before he brushed her lips gently with his.

She seemed momentarily surprised but recovered quickly. "Yes. I'll be fine."

He didn't know if the surprise was at the kiss or the question and couldn't think of a way to ask so he let it go and started dressing.  "I don't have any idea how this will go down tonight.  We're going to have to go in blind and play it as it comes.  But I won't leave you alone with the buyer, presumably male, any longer than I have to."

She studied him for a long moment then replied, "I'll be fine. Tell yourself that until you believe it."

"I won't believe it until I know it, but that wasn't the point," he told her.

"I have no doubt you will do all you can. Is that your point?" She sounded curious.

"No, but it doesn't matter," he said, suddenly tired of it.  "Come on, let's get some food and some coffee.  If you're ready?"

"Yes, I am ready."  She followed him out of the room and down the stairs to the street.  She looked the part even the expression, but her eyes were scanning the street, identifying all the most dangerous places where someone could be waiting for them.

He let it go and found a small cook shop where they got tea and noodles.  Then they headed back into the brothel district.  Last night it had seemed merely like hell.  Tonight it seemed even worse, a living nightmare that one could never wake up from.  Laz held her by the upper arm again, his mind refusing to let loose of the again part.  When they got to the Dragon he knocked sharply on the door and waited, that part of himself that fed on his self loathing already taking over.

The same small man answered the door, and again leered at Anja.  She didn't seem to notice. She was stroking Laz's arm seemingly absently. He led them up the same rickety stairs to the same grubby room where the woman from the night before stood as they were shown in.  Laz drew Anja in with him and then simply pointed at a corner.  She nodded apathetically and composed herself in a sitting position there.  When Laz was satisfied she wouldn't move again without permission he swung his gaze back to Orapan and waited.

Orapan laughed, the same harsh and wild laugh she'd used the night before.  "The buyer will be here shortly.  Will you have a drink with me while we wait?" she asked, using her eyes on him like he was for sale himself.

"No."

A look flickered in her eyes and was gone.  Then she shrugged and pulled the bottle out of the drawer and poured herself a drink, using what looked like the same grimy glass from the night before.  She downed it and waved to a chair.  "Sit.  Towering over me won't intimidate me or raise the final price."

"Really," he drawled, taking the chair she indicated.

"Ah, you lousy Europeans, all the same.  Arrogant, crass little shits."  She lit a cigarette and offered him the pack.  When he made no move towards it she shrugged again and started dealing with some paper on her desk, ignoring them both.

After only a few moments there was a knock on the door. The man who walked in was hard to categorize but if Laz had to he'd say the man had military experience. He wore a suit, but there was something in the way he moved that belied his appearance. He was heavier than Lazslo, more muscular.

The buyer swiveled his eyes and undressed Anja where she sat. "Let me see her," he ordered.

Laz sighed with infinitely bored patience and gestured to Anja.  "Do it," he ordered.

Anja stood and pulled her top up over her head and dropped her skirt revealing she wore nothing under it. She turned and presented him with her bottom, bending over, as if inviting him to take her.

"You have trained her?" the buyer asked, his hand caressing her bottom, lingering on the crease where it ended and her thighs started.

"Yes," Laz said.

The buyer continued to fondle her ass.  "And does she anticipate her punishments?" he asked.  Then he smiled, a filthy smile, filled with all the evil in the world as a quiver went through her at the question.  He moved his hand between her thighs, exploring her labia.  When he removed it, his smile grew, evil feeding on itself, and he licked his fingers clean.  "I can see she does."  He gave Anja a hard slap on her ass and said, "Stand up."

She did, but remained with her back to him, until he added, "Turn around."  He examined her breasts and smiled when he saw she was completely shaven.

"A somewhat pleasing product, not worth very much however."

"Then, no doubt," Laz drawled, "you would rather I sold her elsewhere, rather than forcing you to take on such unvaluable property."  He gestured for Anja to dress as he spoke.  "I won't waste any more of your time, then."

Anja cringed at Laz's order but obediently dressed. She moved to Laz's side and grasped his arm, shrinking back when he lifted his other one, as if expecting a blow.

The buyer licked his lips. "Wait," he said.

"Why?" Laz asked, the word laced with contempt.

"You said she was talented," he replied. "Prove it."

"And she should do that how?" Laz demanded, "By making your dick work?"

"Have her take off my pants with her mind," he replied.

"Oh, so you can show me your dick," Laz said.  "Like it interests me."  He looked at Anja.  "Do it. And his shorts.  Let's see what he thinks he's got."

Anja nodded. His belt began to open, the button on his pants unbuttoned and the zipper went down of its own accord. His pants and his shorts were suddenly puddled around his feet, revealing his penis at about half staff.

Laz eyed it critically.  "If it were me, I'd stay out of the boys locker room.  Or at least be sure never to bend over."

The buyer's eyes narrowed as he hurriedly drew on his shorts and his pants. "I will pay you the standard fee. Not a cent more."

"Yes you will," Laz said calmly.  "Or I walk out the door and you'll never get to fuck her, or make her scream with pain or use her to help you cheat at cards."

The buyer licked his lips, and looked at Anja, one hand clenching and unclenching spasmodically.  "How much," he asked.

Laz smiled.  "If you want her mouth sucking your dick when ever you want her to it'll cost you three times the standard fee...three times the fee to find out what if feels like when you stop caning her and she begs you for more."

"No, it is too much. Take her, go," he replied.

Laz shrugged.  "Come on," he said to Anja, his hand on her upper arm, towing her towards the door.

"Twice the going rate," the buyer said.

"Twice, plus her fee," Laz said, "if you want to know what it's like to make her come from the pain."

The buyer looked at Anja, staring her her crotch.  "You rob me," he said. "How am I to know she is all you claim? I want a chance to try her first."

Laz shrugged again and headed towards the door.  "There's no free samples."

The buyer groaned, sweat breaking out on his upper lip. "All right. But you will not leave Bangkok alive if you are cheating me."

Laz's eyes grew colder, his smile a barely caged menace and death a living presence feeding on him.  "Living, dying...you think I care?  This is going to be a cash transaction."

The buyer pulled out a wad of dollars. He peeled off a bunch for Laz, and a smaller pile for Orapan, who chortled happily.  "When you tire of her I will take her," she said.

Laz stuffed the money in his pocket and looked at Orapan.  "You will again walk me to the door, the two of them in front of us."

Orapan shoved her money into a drawer and locked it, then locked eyes with Laz.  "Who gives a fuck what you want?"

Laz moved like he was without substance, pulling her across the desk and letting her fall onto the floor in front of it.  "I do," he snarled, "Which means you do too."  He grabbed her hair and yanked her roughly to her feet.  When she was upright he kept a hold of it and looked at the buyer, waiting.

The buyer shrugged not caring one way or another. His eyes were locked on Anja, and he stepped over to pull her up roughly against him. He smiled when she shuddered, and one hand went up under her skirt, making her jerk when he shoved a finger up into her. "As you will", he said, forcing Anja to walk with him and keeping his hand where it was.

"Put rings there and use a leash on her," Laz suggested, jerking on Orapan's hair to get her moving.  "Or," he added as they traversed the filthy hallways, "Use them to chain her to the floor."  He tightened his grip on Orapan as they turned the corner to the stairs, the buyer and Anja in the lead.  Then he said, in Anja's head, a tightly controlled linkage, "When we get out the door, as soon as it's behind you, take him.  Do you want her dead?"

Anja gave him a mental acknowledgement of the first and surprised him by indicating no on the second.

"Then when you have him go to the room at Mama's, I'll be right behind you," he answered as they approached the door.  The small man looked at Orapan, his eyes huge and opened the door for them.  Laz let Anja add two steps to her lead on him and then followed her out the door, giving the woman a vicious twisting shove that flung her into the small man, carrying both of them to the floor as he crossed the threshold.

Anja and the buyer winked out before they hit the floor.  Laz slammed the door shut and followed her.  He reappeared in the room and started throwing their gear into the bags.  When he was finished, he opened the door and yelled for Mama, before tossing all the money the buyer had given them on the bed.  He had a hand on Anja's arm and the bags in the other as Mama came flying up the stairs.  "Checking out," he called to her as he zapped them out of there, her cackling laugh ringing in his ears as he did.  They reemerged at the Villa de Medici where the sun was just setting as he pounded the knocker.

The buyer, icy faced and frozen was the first thing the vampire who answered the door saw. He looked at Laszlo and then at Anja. Silently he held open the door and led them down a hallway toward an older section of the villa. There they went down ancient stone steps to a hallway lined with wooden doors.  He opened one about halfway down the hallway and held it open for them silently.

Laz flicked Anja a glance, jerking his head towards the open door.  Anja shoved the buyer into the room, and as he lost his balance she brought up her foot and kicked him, breaking his nose and leaving him screaming.

The vampire closed and locked the door, ignoring the screams as if they weren't even there.  Then he led the way back upstairs, Laz and Anja following.

Carmine was coming down the stairs from the second floor of the villa as they emerged from the back corridor. The vampire prince looked at Anja then at Laszlo.  "We'll talk later.  Vitorio, show them rooms, please. Shall I send up food?" he asked Laszlo.

Laz glanced at Anja.  "Yes, thank you.  And if it's not imposing, a couple of bottles."

"Not at all, caro. Ring the bell when you need something."

Vitorio led Laz and Anja up the wide staircase and down a luxuriously furnished wide hallway. He stopped and opened a door. "For the lady," he said, bowing to Anja.  She reached out to take her gear and walked into the room, closing the door after her with a thump.

Vitorio glanced at Laszlo and led him to the next door. "There is an adjoining door, if you and she so please," he explained. "Ah, your drinks." Coming down the hallway was another vampire, this one carrying a tray with liquor, and two glasses. "We will send up food shortly. There is a bell rope in each room by the fireplace. Please to signal if you have a need of anything. I, and my prince, are pleased you are both safe."

"Thank you Vitorio," Laz said and walked into his room where he dropped his knapsack and then took the tray from the vampire.  Holding it with one hand, he knocked on the door to Anja's room.

"Come," she said. She was sitting on the floor behind the closed door, her eyes huge, her knees up against her chest.

Laz took it in in a single glance.  Then he set the tray down and poured her a drink.  "Here.  It'll help."

She took the glass and downed the liquor in one gulp. She handed it back to him silently. "Thank you," she said finally.

He refilled it and handed it to her, then set the bottle where she could reach it.  "Tell me what to do and I will do it or give it to you gladly.  Hold you, love you, bathe you again or fight you...whatever it is, just tell me," he said, his voice both intense and gentle at the same time.

"It is something I must do for myself," she replied. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

He squatted down so their eyes were level leaving the space between them that he sensed, uncertainly, she wanted.  "All the things I want right now, you've just told me you must do for yourself."

"All of them?" she asked.

He considered that.  "I won't add to the wrongs I've done you by burdening you with the others, not because I don't want to but because I couldn't stand the shame of putting myself before you."

She reached out and touched his cheek gently. "I would tell you that I forgive you, but that is not what you need to hear. You need to hear that you forgive yourself."

He flinched before he could stop himself.  When she would have removed her hand he stopped her, placing his over hers and holding it there, against his cheek, his eyes sapphire pools of guilt and self-loathing.  "I will be awed by you for the rest of my life, I think," he finally said.

She studied his eyes for a moment. "I did not enter into this blindly. I knew and understood what might be needed. We both understood this. Do not take on my shame or my guilt.  There will be more than enough to go around before we get Dinah back."

"It would be wrong, I imagine, at this point to say that you've no reason for either, or to add that knowing and accepting before hand lacks cogency."  He entwined his fingers in hers where they were still against his cheek.  "All I can say is that I know of no other who could have done what you did, for a woman you barely know.  Everything else that could be said makes what you did something small and cheap...meaningless..."

"I need to wash his stink off of me," was what she said. "Will you help me?"

"I would," he said, "if it was about what you needed, not about what would make me feel better."

"And it cannot be both?" she squeezed his hand. "I would not belittle you by offering you friendship or closeness out of pity. I offer it as it is. A need we both have now, to begin healing."

He scooped her up without a word and stripped them with a thought, while with another he started the shower running and with his final coherently directed mental act for some time to come he sent the clothes she worn to the brothel into oblivion and his own with them.  Then he carried her into the shower and set her under the spray, where he began washing her, as gently as he had before, beginning with the make up on her face and finishing by kneeling at her feet, washing each toe, each foot as he had the rest of her, as if it were the most important thing he'd ever do.

When he was finally done she sank down to kneel in front of him and kissed him, passion and need mingling with desire. Her hands wrapped around him and then pulled him in against her and cried.  He just held her, squatting down again, his cheek on top of her head and his hand stroking her back.

When the crying stopped she let him pull her to her feet and she soaped him from top to bottom and then, moved under the water to wash it all away. There she began to kiss and to explore his body with lips and hands, encouraging his reaction. With a thought she shut off the water and dried them off and moved them to the nearest bed.

Later he went and got the food that had been left in his room and fed her, while she drank vodka and he worked on the bourbon.

"Aqua vite," she announced.  "Is better than vodka. Spicier. We should see Prince Carmine."

"Yes, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to," Laz said.

"I dislike needless violence. Perhaps my presence will prevent some."

"Anja, if he's alive at the end of this," Laz said carefully, "He'll go back to Bangkok where he'll have an accident that doesn't have anything to do with us, so that he can't contact Dinah's father or someone who could contact Dinah's father.  Orapan is probably already dead in a similar sort of accident."

"I have no objection to either," she replied evenly.

"I'm glad."  He chewed on some bread for a moment, thinking about what she'd just said.   "Once you start killing it's too easy to think it's the answer.  And once you've done it the first time and know you can live with it, it's like a stench in your nose that never goes away, a thing that leaves marks.  I've too many of them already."

"You hate it yet you do it. And keep doing it."

"Because," he said simply, "I love everything else about what I do."

"You did not love what we were doing."

"No, but then I knew it was the prelude to killing," he said, finishing his drink.

She shook her head and finished her own.

They dressed and when Laz pulled his bell rope he found there was a vampire in the hallway awaiting instructions.  When they asked to see the prince, he led them downstairs to Carmine's private office. The Prince was sitting near a fire, reading. He looked up when they were shown in.

"Ah, you both look much better. Please to sit and tell me what I can do."

Laz waited until Anja took a seat before he took his own.  "I need to know what the man we brought with us knows about Angus McNeill.  He's a broker who buys talented human beings for resale and my guess is that he's done business with McNeill."

"Would you like me to handle this small chore, or do you wish to do it yourself?"

"We wish to at least observe," Laz said.

Carmine nodded. "So it shall be. As time is of the essence shall we begin?"

Laz just nodded.

Carmine made no movement either of the humans saw but a vampire appeared and Carmine said, "Please to prepare the gentleman in the basement for my arrival."

Signorina Anton, you wish him to know you are watching, or would you prefer otherwise?"

"I want him to know, Prince Carmine."

Carmine nodded his head in acceptance. "Then, shall we?"

Carmine escorted them down to the room where they'd last left the Buyer.

A vampire opened the door and the three of them entered. The Buyer was sitting in a chair, his legs chained to the floor, his hands in plastic cuffs behind his back.

"Signore, I am sorry to inform you that we have need of some information you have."  Carmine shrugged that oh so Italian shrug of his. "It is to my very great regret that we must acquire this information and will do so as you wish. With little pain or with a great deal. It is entirely your choice."

Laz would have said the Buyer couldn't have been any paler than he was when they walked in and he would have been wrong, he realized.  "Angus McNeill," Laz said.  "Where is he?"

The Buyer goggled at him, the sweat of fear already leaking from his pores.  "This is about the Bull?"

Laz nodded.  "Where is he," he repeated.

"How the fuck should I know?" the Buyer said, suddenly belligerent.

"It might be wise, caro, to remember where you are," Carmine purred, as he advanced toward the buyer. He leaned down and his eyes turned red and his fangs appeared. "I have not fed tonight.  It might be wise to avoid irritating me."

The Buyer shrank back instinctively.  "I don't know, honest to god, I don't," he whispered.

"I have asked this vampire to hurt you as little as possible," Anja said. "Tell us what we need to know and I will ask him again."

"I don't know.  I've never known, I swear it," the Buyer wailed, his eyes darting from Anja to Carmine.

"But you do know him?" Laz asked coldly.

"Years ago, that was all.  I did business with him.  A lot of people did business with him," he answered, the words gushing from his mouth in his eagerness to be helpful.

"Tell me," Laz said.

The man looked again at Carmine, cringing at the sight of his fangs and the red implacability of his eyes.  "All I know is he was buying talent and I had some to sell, like a lot of other people.  He didn't care as long as they were talented and fertile."

"Perhaps you remember some of your colleagues who dealt with him most?" Carmine asked. His nails had grown and become claws. He was running one of them along the buyer's throat.

The Buyer swallowed convulsively, pulling back as far as he could get from the claws, his eyes starting from his head and his breathing now short panting gasps that filled the space.  "He seemed...it seemed, that is...I thought he had an uhm, established relationship with uhm, Gregorio...Fish Gregorio."

"Ah, molte grazie, signore. You see, it was not so terrible to tell me this. Have you any additional information you will impart?"  Carmine had captured the man's gaze and held it. The man sagged in his chair his breathing going shallow and fast.

"N...no," he stammered rapidly.  "That's all I know."

"Where," Laz asked, "is Fish?"

"Malai will know," Carmine said, frowning at the buyer. He pulled out a cellphone and dialed quickly. Rapid fire Italian ensued and at the end after he hung up he looked at the buyer again.  "It is a very good thing we can find the Signore, I think. Tell me caro Laszlo, would you like a few minutes alone with him before we take care of him?"

Laz studied the man and then said, "Would you mind hanging on to him until after we talk to his pal.  From the stench I'm guessing he's told us all he knows, or at least that he thinks he knows, but just in case he's lied to us..."

"Oh, I have every intention of as you say hanging onto him. For as long as you like. Shall we?" Carmine said, motioning to the door.  Without a backward glance he led them up to his office again. "There is an inherent revulsion toward us."  He shrugged. "It is useful. I will hold him until you tell me otherwise, Laszlo, and I will erase from his mind what has gone on here and with you two before I replace him in his sewer."

Carmine's cell phone rang. He answered it and spoke again in Italian. When he shut it down he smiled at Laz. "I am pleased to report Malai has found our fish and will have him brought here."

"Thank you," Laz said and then looked at Anja.  "Are you ok with that?"

She shook her head. "I wish him never to be able to do what he does again."

Carmine nodded his assent to that and looked the question at Laz.

"We'll wait until it's over, but then I promise you he'll never be able to do it again," Laz said.

"There is no hurry to decide," Carmine agreed. "He will not be going anywhere, and perhaps his presence may convince Signore Fish to speak up more readily."

Laz nodded.

Carmine cocked his head as he handed his guests drinks.

"Ah, I am informed Signore Fish is now here. Perhaps after we enjoy a drink we should go visit him."

Laz took his and waited until Anja had hers before drinking.  Then he took the chair he'd occupied before.  "I haven't spoken to Paul today but I assume there's no word?"

"Mi dispiace. Only that Signore Marc is quite angry in his grief and they fear he will hurt himself in his, how you say, coffin.  He will not cease to search for her."

"I'm not surprised," Laz said.

Carmine shrugged. "He must do something. As must we all."

Anja was looking down into her drink, quiet and thoughtful.

Carmine considered her for a moment before he said, "Perhaps, Cara Anja, you would like to retire? It has been a long day for you I think?"

"No," she replied, her chin coming up. "I would like to see it through."

"As you like. Then shall we?"

He led them back down to the corridor to the room beside where the Buyer was still chained.  Laz stayed a step behind Anja as they went, and waited for her to enter the cell first.  Consequently he missed Carmine's first glimpse of his new guest.

When he did enter the Fish was looking very like a fish, his eyes wide, his skin gray, and his mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.  Malai stood off to the side, and she nodded at Anja and Laz as they entered.

Carmine stood, his arms crossed on his chest. "Ah, you seem to remember our last conversation, Signore Ravello.  That is your correct name I believe? I'd wondered where you had gotten off to. I promised you at that time that I would be most unhappy should our paths cross again. And here you are."

Laz registered the prior acquaintance with Carmine and leaned back against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

The Fish worked his lungs like he couldn't get any air into them. "I dunno what this is about, I swear."

"Ah, well this very nice gentleman will explain it to you and I suggest you agree to everything. Capice?"

He nodded his head vigorously, perspiration flying off him as he did.  Laz grinned.  "You'd think it was hot in here from the way you're dripping, pal.  If you want it to cool off all you have to do is tell me where Angus McNeill is."

The Fish started choking, his head shaking vehemently.  "I don't know any McNeill."

"That's not what I hear, pal.  Wanna try it again from the top?  Angus McNeill.  See, it may help you remember if I tell you that he has someone whom Prince Carmine thinks very highly of, as do I and we are deeply pained that we can't be with our friend.  And I just know you can help us relieve our discomfort."

"I told you, I don't know any McNeill."

"Well, maybe you know him by his sobriquet.  I'm told he goes by the charming little nick name of The Bull, a reference to the quality of his meat, I am sure," Laz said admiringly.

The man just shook his head.  "How many times I gotta tell you.  I don't know who you're talking about."

The sound of a scream echoed down the hallway from the other room. "Ah, caro that is very very sad, that you cannot help us."

"Signore, Prince Carmine," he said, having gone white as a piece of halibut, "I'm telling you the truth, I swear it."

Carmine checked out for a second and a moment later one of the court came in carrying a picture. Carmine held it up to Fish and said, "Perhaps this will help you to remember, caro? I sincerely hope it is so."

The Fish started gulping air again.  "Him?" he got out finally.  "Gus?  The crazy fucking lunatic?"

Laz grinned.  "The crazy fucking lunatic.  Where is he?"

"I don't have the first clue," the man answered bluntly.  "I've never known.  He comes to me or his agent does.  But he ain't been buying in Bangkok for years.  Got too hot for him, I guess."

"So uhm where does he buy?" Laz asked, still relaxed against the wall.

"He uhm, when he buys...he uhm uses the auctions.  He's got a few guys who uhm buy for him, they know what he wants."

"Auctions?" Laz prompted.  "I like a good auction myself, especially when something unusual is on the block.  Where can one attend one of these auctions?"

The Fish suddenly went all shy and quiet.  "Dunno know."

In a move too fast to follow Carmine was showing fangs and glowing red eyes and at Fish's throat.

He jerked back, wetting himself as he did. "Next one's in Oman, two weeks from tomorrow," he said.

"And the guys?  One of them will be there?" Laz asked.

The man nodded, his eyes never leaving Carmine as the vampire drew back slightly.

"And uhm how does one get into the auction?  Is there a secret handshake or something?"

"You gotta be known," Fish said.  "So it won't do you any good.  And if you're thinking of hanging around and following his guys back to him, forget it.  Gus, he's a lunatic but he's a slick lunatic."

"Now what can you possibly mean by that?" Laz asked.

"I know what you guys are.  You're talented like the ones he buys.  He's got a way of knowing if you're coming near him.  I saw it once, it's like this bloody personal alarm system."  The Fish laughed suddenly, almost manically.  "He torn the poor bastard to death.  He's worse than him," he said, jerking his head towards Carmine.

"Ah, it is a challenge," Carmine replied softly. "I shall show you just how painful it can be - and how long it can take - to die, since it appears you are of no help to my friends here."

The man started trembling violently, straining against his bonds while Laz watched him.  "Tell me," he said, "Have you merchandise for the auction yourself?"

Bewildered by the question he just shook his head.

"But if you did you would be able to offer it for sale?" Laz pressed.

"'Course I would.  I'm a respected seller there, only the highest quality," he bragged, forgetting himself.  "My stuff's always in demand, Gus always likes it and he's been hard to please in recent times."

Laz nodded thoughtfully and looked at Carmine.  "If we might adjourn for a few moments?"

Carmine nodded, then looked back at Fish. "You will perhaps consider, while we are gone, the wisdom of cooperation."

The three adjourned to Carmine's study where he poured Anja a drink and knelt down before her. "You are all right, cara?"

She met his eyes. "Yes."  He studied her a moment then nodded.

"You are considering providing our friend downstairs with merchandise?" Carmine asked.

Laz nodded, trying not to think about what it would mean, or about what Anja was thinking.  "Very special merchandise.  If he's telling the truth though, Stephen and them will be useless, as will I and my people at least until we get in close enough.  But...you know how they're using mages to handle Christopher because they're different than we are?  I'm willing to bet Angus wouldn't know that and the mages can get in where we can't.  And," Laz added grinning evilly, "If we used vampires, we could maybe surprise him, given your speed.  Can you control him enough for this?"

"Si, I believe I can. You would need him only to provide an entry, correct? From there, things would be handled by others?"

"He would get the merchandise there and offer it for sale, after that he'd be done.  But I'm thinking it would better if we gave them a provable provenance, so we'd have to set it up so he can acquire them in a believable manner," Laz said, thinking out loud.  "There's a lot of ways it could go bad in a hurry, but I think we can manage those.  And we have two weeks."

Carmine nodded. "The question being who might be best to use as the merchandise,"  Carmine said, his eyes swinging around to Anja who had stirred.

Laz looked at her and shook his head.  "We need to be sure he'll want her," he said holding up his hand and setting the sigil there glowing.  "And we need it to be someone who can help Dinah if she's sick before we can get inside to her, because it might take a day or two after we know where she is.  So I'm thinking Jolie, and I'm thinking she'll be willing to do it if we can protect her along the way."

Anja turned her black eyes on Laz. "She ... It is too dangerous for her. There must be a better way."

"I'm open to alternatives," he said.  "But I can't think of anything less dangerous with an equal probability of success."

"I suggest you both sleep on it. It will be dawn here soon and I will be quite dead until tomorrow evening. During that time, you will have the support of my daytime staff. Nicco can help with most things, as can Uberto and Malachi."

Laz nodded.  "I want to talk to Stephen and then see, but you're right.  I think sleep is a good plan."

They wished Prince Carmine a good day and went up to their rooms, Anja silent and withdrawn.

Laz followed her into her room and stopped just inside the door.  "I'm listening," he said.

She turned and looked at him as she pulled off her clothes and pulled on her nightshift. "Jolie is too precious to risk like this. I understand your thinking, I just think you are being too emotionless about this."

"Jolie's a doctor and closer to Dinah than a sister.  Dinah's got toxemia and could die, and the kids with her.  In a decision like this the emotion belongs to Jolie, while the picking of a candidate shouldn't be emotional at all.  I also think," he said, "that if this is the best way we can find, then the decision belongs to Jolie, not to me or anyone else.  And, I really do think there's ways to minimize the risk all along the line, from staying close to her as she's moved from the auction to where ever McNeill is and not sending her in alone but with someone who can handle themselves."

"She won't understand the risk. You yourself said he is a lunatic. None of us understand the risks. And what happens if we go from one hostage to three? Laz, there must be a way of finding him, that does not risk two more women."

"Tell me what it is?" he said.

"I don't know," she admitted, looking down at her hands.

"And am I right in thinking that you'd be willing to assume the risk even while you're arguing that Jolie shouldn't?"

"Spence loves her. I would spare him that.  Whereas I leave no one."

"No one?" he repeated.  "Anja, I've spent years searching for the man, whenever I could.  So has Stephen.  This is the closest we've ever gotten and we don't have months to waste looking for a way that satisfies a risk analysis.  I'm not denigrating your concerns or your fears.  I think they're valid.  But I think that in this situation we have to grasp the chance we have now and not hope a better one presents itself somewhere down the line.  If it's any consolation, though, I think the final decision will be Marc's and rightly so.  Not mine or Stephen's or anyone else's."

She just looked at him for some time, and nodded. "And I have no doubt as to what he will decide," she finally whispered.

"Anja, what do you want here?  Tell me?"

"I want Dinah rescued. And her babies safe.  But I want her not to survive it only to discover her best friend lost her life managing it. Other than that, I don't know. I'm too tired to think beyond that."

He hesitated then, seeing the shadows under her eyes.  "Do you want to sleep alone?" he asked.  "Or would you like to held?"

"I would like to be held if you do not mind it."

"No, I don't mind," he said, stripping off his clothes and sliding in next to her in the bed.  He drew her close and waited while she settled herself.  Then he dropped a kiss on her hair.

She held onto one of his arms as she lay still, but it was some time before she finally fell into a troubled sleep.  It was even longer before he did.