Chapter 4
Alaska smiled at Igor, the guide she’d spent the previous day with, as he entered the lobby of her hotel.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
She nodded, pushing away the uneasy feeling she’d had since yesterday, when she’d learned the two couples who’d been on tour with her weren’t coming today. But Igor had promised she wouldn’t be alone, that they’d be picking up some other tourists on their way out of the city to see Peterhof Palace.
She was only here for two days, and she wanted to see as much as possible.
She’d splurged on the private tour, having been reassured that was the best way to see as much as she could in a short period of time.
Yesterday was great. They’d even skipped the long lines at the Winter Palace, which was a huge plus.
But while Igor had been a knowledgeable guide, he also made her anxious for some reason. It wasn’t anything about his looks; he was dressed impeccably in a pristine polo shirt and jeans. His dark brown hair was perfectly coiffed and he looked like any other person she’d met in the country.
She wasn’t sure if her uneasiness came from the inordinate amount of time he spent on his phone, or the way every time she glanced his way, he seemed to be staring at her.
No one stared at her. She wasn’t the kind of woman people found irresistible or intriguing. So finding herself the subject of his intense interest was discomfiting.
But she really did want to see the fountains at the Peterhof Palace, and she wasn’t comfortable getting on a bus or boat to go out there on her own, since she didn’t speak any Russian.
So Igor and the private tour it was. She’d sent Drake a long email earlier with pictures from yesterday’s outing, and also to give him her itinerary for today.
It was pathetic that she didn’t really have any other close friends with whom to share her plans. She switched jobs too often to build close relationships with co-workers. She’d spent the last two decades moving around Europe, and had loved it. But in the last few years, she’d begun to crave home.
Alaska was well aware why she was suddenly having said craving.
Drake.
Ever since she’d gone to see him when he was in the hospital in Germany, he’d been a constant in her life. They talked on the phone every now and then, but mostly they messaged and emailed. Every day.
She was extremely proud of his progress over the last four years. He admitted that he still struggled with guilt, missing his friends, and with PTSD in general, but having The Refuge to focus on had been the best thing for him.
Alaska had looked up his “little venture,” as he called it, and had spent quite a bit of time ogling all that he’d accomplished in such a short time. Every single review of The Refuge so far was positive. Guests raved over the accommodations, the food, the atmosphere…and a cow named Melba.
It was embarrassing, but Alaska had even saved the picture of Drake and the six friends who’d opened the retreat to her computer.
The men were all gorgeous. But to her, Drake was the most handsome.
There was just something about him that did it for her, even after so many years.
The tattoos. The blue eyes. Even the frickin’ veins in his arms and hands.
He had a closely trimmed beard and mustache in the picture that he hadn’t had in the hospital, and it really worked for him.
Alaska could see the strength and determination in his posture, the way he held himself.
He was everything she’d always wanted in a man…and knew she’d never have.
It wasn’t that she had low self-esteem; she was simply a realist. Men like Drake didn’t look twice at women like her. They just didn’t. But he was still the measure for every man she’d ever dated.
Not that she’d dated in a long while. It had been bad enough when all she had to compare was the memory of an eighteen-year-old kid she knew in high school, but since spending that time with him in Germany, it had been virtually impossible to date.
No one came close to Drake Vandine.
Talking to him, getting emails from him, was both exciting and excruciating.
She knew moving back to the States would make being his friend even more painful, but it was time. She was tired of living abroad, and being closer to Drake could never be a bad thing, even if he wasn’t hers.
“You excited about today?” Igor asked, making her jerk in surprise, since she was so lost in her head.
Alaska chuckled slightly. “I think so. Are we going to be gone all day? I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get out to the palace and back.”
“It depends on the traffic. It’s very awful around here. Too many cars and not enough road. But you trust Igor, I’ll get you there safely. Watch your step,” he said as he pointed to a hole in the sidewalk.
Gratefully, Alaska stepped over the troublesome spot as they headed for his vehicle. It was the same white mini-van they’d used the day before, and she climbed inside, sitting on the bench seat directly behind her guide.
Igor ran around and got behind the wheel. He started the engine and said, “We have two stops to make, then we’ll be on our way.”
Alaska nodded absently and stared out the window as they headed down the street.
Almost everyone she’d met while in the country had been friendly, bending over backward to make sure she was satisfied and happy.
Whether that was at the small café they’d visited or the restaurant where she’d eaten dinner the night before.
Even the clerks at the hotel already knew her name and smiled at her as she came and went.
Igor pulled up in front of a hotel and hopped out.
The sliding door opened and two men climbed into the van with her.
Alaska gave them a brief smile, then turned her attention back to the window.
She hoped the next guests Igor picked up included a woman.
She wasn’t sure she was comfortable being the only female in the group.
But to her dismay, at the second hotel, a third man joined them.
He sat next to her on the bench seat—and strangely, the hair on the back of Alaska’s neck stood up.
She was two seconds away from telling Igor that she’d changed her mind and didn’t want to go on the tour after all.
But after a couple deep breaths, and when the man beside her just nodded politely, she told herself she was being ridiculous.
The van pulled away from the curb and into the increasing traffic. The temperature inside the vehicle was warm, and that, along with the vibrations of the motor, had Alaska dozing off as they got onto the road that led out of the city.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but when Alaska woke and looked out the window…she knew something was very wrong.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Igor didn’t acknowledge her question. He simply stared out the front of the van and kept driving.
Looking outside again, Alaska saw they were in some sort of industrial park, or…
a train yard? There were Conexes everywhere she looked.
The big shipping containers that were most often used on cargo ships.
Trucks and forklifts were scattered here and there, transporting the huge containers from one place to another.
The van seemed to be heading toward a large warehouse in the distance.
“Igor?” Alaska asked again as she leaned forward in her seat.
To her surprise, the man next to her thrust out an arm, pushing her back against the seat.
Her first instinct was to shove the man’s arm away from her body, and when she reached up to do just that, two hands grabbed her arms from behind.
She was pinned to her seat by the men behind her.
Scared out of her mind now, all she could do was sputter, “What the hell?”
“There’s been a change in the itinerary,” one of the men said.
Alaska glanced over her shoulder, and the cold look in the man’s brown eyes made her swallow the retort that was on the tip of her tongue.
This wasn’t someone who would take kindly to backtalking.
How she knew that, she had no idea, but she knew to the bottom of her soul that he wouldn’t think twice about hurting her. Badly.
“I like the silent ones,” the man said with a chuckle.
“To reward your self-control, I’ll tell you what’s happening.
You now belong to me. At least for the moment.
I’ve sold you to a friend who resides in China.
He’s a collector of sorts. And it’s been a while since he’s had an American.
You’re here on your own, no husband, no friends…
so no one to think twice when you simply disappear. ”
Alaska’s eyes widened in horror. She wanted to puke, but all she could do was stare at the man in disbelief.
“As soon as the money’s been deposited into my account, you’ll be sent via train across Siberia, through Mongolia, to Beijing. If you survive the journey, I advise you to do what your new owner requests without question. He’s not known for his patience.”
The man laughed. The sound was so dirty, it sent shivers down Alaska’s spine.
This couldn’t be happening. Being kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade happened in movies. Not in real life. And definitely not to someone like her.
Igor, who’d seemed genial enough a day ago, but had proven to be the devil himself, pulled the van up close to a door at the warehouse. The man next to her climbed out, then leaned over and wrapped a meaty hand around her biceps, all but dragging her off the seat.
Alaska almost fell to the ground, but as soon as her feet were under her, her other arm was grabbed and she was force-marched through the door into a bustling space.
There were people going about their business everywhere, but no one turned to look at her.
Not one person seemed interested in what was happening right in front of their noses.
But then again, why would they? They were all probably in on what was happening. On the kidnapping of women.