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from the bars, Tara showed him her palms coaching her voice to be soft and calm despite the gun he had pointed at her. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
    A flicker of shadow moved across his face before he spoke. “I won’t hurt you, but I need you to come with me.” He dropped the gun to his side and turned to look back up the stairs. She was surprised by the smooth Italian since his voice told her he was British, but his accent had clearly been muddled by speaking a multitude of languages.
    His head whipped around as she responded in English, “I’ll come with you, but you’ll have to unlock the door.” Tara pointed at the cell door and he cursed before moving up the stairs quickly and silently. In his absence she grabbed the iPod and wound her headphones around it before tucking it into her bra. She glanced over at the four-inch heels, debating whether to put them on, but decided she’d do better barefoot.
    Maybe her new master had decided he’d rather just take her than pay for her - that had happened in the past. Or perhaps this man was working for someone new, someone striking at an opportunity. Either way her time with Gianni was over and this guy probably wouldn’t hurt her without permission. Soldiers tended to be obedient like that.
    He reappeared at the bottom of the stairs with the gun in his holster, a small key ring, and a syringe filled with blue liquid in his hand. Tara stepped back from the cell door at the sight of the Dreamland, her stomach doing flip-flops. “You don’t need to use that, I’ll come with you.”
    His eyes came up to hers as the door swung open on the hinges, they were brown, or green, or both. “I can’t have you running off, too many people with guns, and we need to move fast.”
    “So your plan is that it’s easier to carry an unconscious girl around?” Tara asked the question bluntly, but tempered it with a playful smile, hoping she wouldn’t make him angry. Pushing her hand through her hair she continued, “I promise I’ll come with you. No fuss.”
    He looked up the stairs again and then muttered something under his breath as he tucked the syringe back into a pocket. “If you try to run, I’m using it. Understand?”
    Tara nodded and walked forward through the cell door, folding her hands behind her back. He was forced to step out of the way as she exited, and he just stared down at her, blank. He was like being around a wall. No expression on his face, no emotions.
    Be careful .
    She made her voice light and calm even though he made her nervous towering over her, she’d never had the best experiences around soldiers, and the fact that he had Dreamland in his pocket made her queasy. “You really don’t need to use that, and it’s a lot easier to move me conscious.”
    Tara thought she saw the edge of a smile before he turned around and drew his gun, moving to the bottom of the stairs. How he took the steps so quietly in boots, she wasn’t sure, but it was easy for her to be quiet in her bare feet. They ascended and at the top of the steps there was a body lying in a pool of blood. The soldier turned to look at her but she didn’t react, keeping her face calm and smooth, which wasn’t hard since the guy on the floor was Sebastien.
    No more favors for you, asshole .
    “You okay?” His accent was stronger when he spoke English. He had a nice voice, soft but serious, even though he seemed cold and distant on the surface. He could have easily been asking her about exchange rates and not whether or not the sight of a dead body was bothering her. It almost made her smile for real.
    “I’m good.” Tara shrugged and she watched as his mouth twitched in response but then stayed flat.
    “We’re going out the front door. They already know I’m here so there’s no need to take the long way out.” He leaned his head out of the hallway, and then turned back, his eyes assessing her for a moment. “Stay here while I clear a path.” Taking off in quick steps she