Page 22 of Polestar
Sascha seemed to accept this with a slight nod.“I’ve been thinking.Remembering.I don’t want to, but I can’t help it.”
“It will take time, but you’re safe now, Sascha.”
Sascha blew out a breath, looking around the large room, and finally nodded.
“I know it here,” she pointed to her head.“But here,” she laid her hand over her sternum, “not so much.”
Ortega gave her time to form what she wanted to say next.Magnus knew there was more.He could feel it himself, and he wasn’t a psychic.
“Your recorder.Turn it on.”
Ortega extracted it from her pocket and did as instructed.
“The man shouting at you, that you couldn’t hear… had dark hair, as I said before, and a uniform of sorts—like the other men in the transfer station but blackened with dirt or smoke.He had a name tag that caught the light.”
Magnus moved closer on hearing this.
Ortega didn’t move, waiting.
“Ruiz.I think it read.”
Ortega’s whole body jerked, then went so still, Magnus doubted she drew a breath.
“Are you sure?”she finally asked, voice almost inaudible.
“Yes,” Sascha nodded.“This I’m sure about.”
“What else do you remember?”
“Just that he kept screaming ‘save them, Ana, save them’.It was very frightening.”
Ortega remained quiet for a long moment.
“The men in the transfer station… did they have tags too?”
Sascha shook her head, swallowed hard, and dropped her gaze.“I’m sorry.I can’t do this anymore.I had a friend… they took us at the same time.I don’t know what happened to her.”She lifted her gaze to Ana.Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Of course, Sascha.When we find her, we will do what we can to reunite you.Thank you for talking to me.Earlier and now.And in the coming days, if you wish.”
Sascha reached out to touch Ana’s hand, as though testing her solidity.Ana squeezed her hand in return.“Eat some food and get rest.You did wonderfully today.”
Sascha sniffled as Ortega released her hand, then threw her arms around Ana as she sobbed.
Ortega embraced the young woman and let her cry as long as she needed.Magnus stood at Ortega’s back, observing it all, chest tight.
Everything they heard, every piece of data they collected today, would be added to all the rest of the data they’d collected over the years since they started investigating these traffickers.
We’re so close.So, damned, close.
Gods, I want to shut these fuckers down and make them pay for what they’ve done to so many innocent people.
So many victims stolen.Families fractured, communities mourning.
And for what?
So someone can make money.
He swallowed his revulsion and calmed the rush of emotion before approaching Ortega and the survivor, Sascha.
