Page 72 of Polestar

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The spinning in her head seemed to have gathered cotton in her ears, muffling any sound around her.

Stink crept up her nostrils.

Not brisk northern air.

Where am I?

She cracked her eyes open into more darkness, then let them close again.

Her hands grazed her waist, noting that her weapons were gone.Pulling her cell from her pocket, she confirmed there was no service before she tapped the flashlight function to illuminate her surroundings.

Oh no.No, no, no.

Above her was the familiar view of the interior roof of a cargo container.

They must have drugged her to keep her unconscious, to get her into one.

She groaned, trying to roll onto her side.

“I’d lie still for a while if I were you.It’ll take some time for the drugs to wear off.We don’t want you puking all over the place,” someone said from nearby.

“Smells like someone already did,” she groaned.

“Exactly.Don’t need any more of that, along with everything else.”The face to the voice loomed over her, squinting from the light.He held up a water bottle.“Drink this when the spinning stops.”

“Are we on a ship?”With her head already spinning, she couldn’t tell.

“Not yet.”

A second face, creased with concern, loomed over her.

Ana’s heart stopped.She blinked as she squeaked, “Antony?”

“Antony?No, I’m Emilio.You know Antony?”the first man said.

“You can see me?”Antony asked, astonished.“It’s about goddammned time, Ana!”

“What do you mean, it’s about time?”she demanded.“I’ve been trying to reach you since you died.”

“Uhm.Ma’am, maybe you should drink some water sooner rather than later.”Emilio put the water on the floor next to her.

She pushed herself into a sitting position, balanced her phone on her knee, then swiped the bottle, uncapped and guzzled its contents as she glared up at Antony next to her.

“Thanks,” she said to Emilio when she finished.

“Are you alright?You seemed to have hit your head.There’s some blood,” Emilio said, waving an index finger in a circle toward her.

She had some vague recollection of bouncing off rocks on her way down while she was being tased.

“Maybe that’s why I can see you,” she said to Antony.

Antony shrugged.

“Yeah, sure,” Emilio said, stepping back.

Ana turned her attention to her surroundings.She swept the room with her light.She and Emilio and Antony weren’t alone.A dozen other scattered people in the confines of the cargo container squinted at her with varying expressions of concern and annoyance.A few ignored her altogether.

“God, this is so bad.”