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You had him cremated, mother, was Sasha s reply.
They were currently in a large tent, made to withstand the cold. When a brisk wind and thick
falling snow covered the tracks, they had to call it quits. They regrouped at the base camp Dmitri s
mother set up, a mother who was less than impressed when she met Teena.
You! What nerve you have to come back after leaving my poor boy bereft at the altar.
Teena sighed. That wasn t me. That was my twin sister.
No matter. Same family which means you will probably desert him too.
Actually, I want to help save him.
You want to help? His mother snorted. I find that hard to believe. More likely you would
allow my poor little Dmitri to die that you might become a widow and escape him like your
misguided sister.
I would never do that. Teena didn t need to feign indignation.
Why not? You did not come into this marriage willingly. I will wager your family is actively
searching for you, and that means you must have done something to trigger their unease. Perhaps
you ve secretly called them for rescue? Are they the ones behind the abduction and ransom of my
son?
My family wouldn t have done all those things. My dad might be a tad violent at times
understatement of the year but he would never put me in harm s way, just like he wouldn t hurt my
husband. She hoped.
Is he your husband?
More or less. I mean, we had a priest do his thing, and we signed the papers. We just haven t
gotten to the consummation part, which I assure you is not for lack of trying. Since I m a virgin,
Dmitri keeps insisting we do it right. Something about ensuring the experience lives up to
expectation. The brandy Sasha had fed her from a flask had done more than warm her chilled bones;
it loosened her tongue.
I don t believe it, Sasha interjected with a snort. Big brother has stage fright. That s
priceless.
But not important at the moment. We must plan his release.
Teena took another swig of the courage in a bottle. How can we plan his release if we don t
know where he is? Did you receive a ransom or a clue as to his whereabouts?
There will be no ransom. The mother waved a hand in dismissal.
What do you mean no ransom? Don t you have enough to pay it?
First, none was requested. And second& Sasha looked at her mother, and they both burst
out laughing. Pay? We would never pay a single ruble to our enemies.
You d let him die instead? Teena wondered if she looked as appalled as she sounded.
Bah. Dmitri isn t going to die. We have a plan.
Talking to these women was like pulling teeth. Slow and agonizing. And the plan is?
We rescue him of course.
So matter-of-fact about it all, and yet Teena foresaw one big problem. How can you rescue
him when you don t know where he is?
We don t know yet, but we will. We are waiting for the satellite to get in the right position
again. GPS tracking in an organic host is still in the test phase. In order to render the chips small
enough to avoid detection, they are harder to track and need a very directed satellite coordinate.
You had him microchipped? Like a household pet? Teena gaped at Dmitri s mother.
Do not get her started, Sasha muttered. She thinks it s appalling that not everyone chips
their kid but will ensure the protection of Fido and Fluffy.
So how long before this satellite comes into position? How long until they could go and
rescue Dmitri? Funny how she harbored no thoughts about his demise or how easy it would be to let
matters run their course. She wanted him back. Wanted to give this whole marriage thing a whirl.
Somehow in their short courtship, she d come to forget he d dated Meena first. Actually, the
more she heard about Dmitri and her sister, the more she noted how unsuited they were.
No one seemed to approve of that pairing, and yet was it her, or did she and Dmitri share an
entirely different rapport? Teena could easily admit she liked him, and she was going to go out on a
limb and say he liked her, too. She didn t care what her family would think or say.
He d told her enough times and shown her in enough ways that she meant something to him.
Even more astonishing, she got the sneaky suspicion that his sister and mother liked her, too, at least
once they d discerned she truly didn t want him to die.
No dying allowed, which was why when Sasha said, We should be able to grab his signal, if
he s not halfway across the planet, in the next eight hours, Teena knew she had to act.
Eight hours? Teena couldn t help but repeat. No, we can t wait that long. Who knows what
they could do to him in that period of time?
Then what do you suggest? We already have teams driving in circles around his last known
position. The storm is making it impossible to find him.
Outside she heard a shout, followed by a sharp bark.
Teena stumbled from the tent, forgetting to zip her jacket or grab a hat. She didn t want to
delay, not if she d heard right.
Stepping into the whirling mini storm, the flakes sticking damply to her skin, she blinked and
then smiled.
Hello there. Did you come find me? Taking a few steps forward, she held her hand out to
the leader of the dog sled. His one blue eye and one yellow one regarded her steadily.
She stroked her hand over his muzzle. Such a good boy. Very smart, too. Smart enough to
find me in a storm. And I ll bet smart enough to find his way home.
The low snarl from the pack leader wasn t needed for Teena to know Sasha had joined her.
What are these? she asked.
Teena smiled. These are our ticket to finding my husband.
Chapter Twenty-one
With much yawning and stretching, Dmitri roused from his drug-induced slumber. At least his
tiger did, and it seemed determined to make the man wake too.
Ever experienced the mental version of a bitch slap by big, hairy paws? It proved abrupt, but
it also worked.
He seemed to be moving, just not using his own two feet. A pair of large men carried him,
actually more like dragged, one to each arm. His eyes refused to stay open, the effects of the drugs
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