Page 58 of Take the Sub and Run

“And who are they?”

“Men who don’t like my father’s business.”

“So they attacked you, but didn’t really hurt you.” His gaze shifted to her cheek, and Sofie raised her hand to touch the side of her face. It was a little tender, but nothing bad.

“Sofie…surely you see that your father sent them.”

She flinched, not meeting his gaze.

“Sofie, who is your father?”

She didn’t answer.

“Sofie, do you have a passport?”

At that, she looked up. “I assume so.”

“Do you have possession of it? Is it somewhere in your house?”

She knew where this was going, and in a way, she was…relieved. Maybe it was time. “No, I don’t have it.”

“Fuck.” Andrei leaned back against the headboard, and she watched his throat work. “Sofie, how long have you been painting, as a job?”

“As long as I can remember.”

“Since you were…a child?”

She nodded. “It’s why my father adopted me. Even when I was small, I loved art and he saw that.”

Andrei didn’t say anything, but his eyes had widened at the word "adopted."

“Andrei, why are you…why are you looking like that?”

Andrei opened his eyes and sat forward, twisting to face her. His expression was serious, with a soft edge she’d never seen before.

For a moment, she considered leaning forward and clamping a hand over his mouth, because she was sure that she didn’t want to hear what he’d say next.

“Sofie, do you know the definition of human trafficking?”

Fourteen

“I just want to confirm again that you’re comfortable talking here.” The dark-haired older woman smiled gently at Sofie.

Sofie, now wearing a tracksuit Colette had gone out and purchased, nodded.

“And you want Agent Leonard here?”

Sofie twisted in her seat to look over her shoulder at him, where he sat in a chair against the wall. “Yes.”

Andrei offered her a reassuring smile. At least, he hoped it was reassuring.

The dark-haired woman—Agent Baas, a Dutch Europol agent currently on rotation in Interpol—glanced at him. She was an expert interviewer, holding both specialized certificates and degrees in therapy and victim interaction.

“Unless he doesn’t want to be here,” Sofie said slowly.

Fuck. Clearly his reassuring smile wasn’t reassuring.

“I want to be here if you want me here, Angel.”

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