Rescued

Chapter 5

"Nymphadora," he said to the lump of crimson fabric. "Don't worry, I'll work this out."

He already felt horrible for her condition, but he felt even worse for losing his temper. Crossing to the bed, he knelt on the ground beside Tonks and gathered her small hands in his. "We'll get these gauntlets off of you. Just give me some time to figure this out."

Remus desperately needed her approval, needed her to understand what he couldn't say. The lump of fabric nodded, but she didn't speak or show her face. Lupin sighed as he felt her spirit slip farther away; and dropping his head, he laid his cheek on her hand. If only he could say I love you Nymphadora. But he couldn't do that, either.

For what seemed like forever, he sat holding her hands, so pale and small, silently worshipping at her shrine. She said nothing. Even as he pulled his cheek away to quietly kiss each finger, she remained mute. "Ten minutes and I'll have you to freedom," he said firmly before twisting the knob to the bedroom. Tonks did not reply, but he knew she'd be ready.

Remus fumbled with his belt and pretended

to straighten his hair as the left the room, just in case anyone was looking. And, in fact, they were.

"Mr. Lushkin, I expected you to stay longer." Madame Na'dim teetered towards him up a long corridor. "Was your evening unpleasant?"

Lupin thought about a large bar of dark chocolate to muster a very-satisfied smile. "My evening, Madame, was delightful." He took the woman's hand and kissed it. She laughed coyly, but his blue eyes were glacier cold when he again met her gaze.

"I want her."

"Oh!" The woman seemed very surprised, a fat hand covering the little round 'o' of her mouth. "You must speak to Jahad, as English women are very hard to come by. Please! This way."

He was ushered into a small smoke-filled room primarily occupied by a hooka and five scantily-clad women lounging on pillows. Madame Na'dim immediately pulled back the curtain and clapped at the dope-filled women, chastising them in Arabic. Slowly, the party girls trudged from the room, and Madame Na'dim politely showed him to a pillow then drew the curtains down after her as she retired.

The smoke was so dense in the room and the candlelight so dim, Remus could barely discern the infamous Jahad.

"Please. Smoke," said the voice in the darkness.

Instead of imbibing from the hooka, Remus took a pack of Russian cigarettes out of his pocket (Ilya's cigarettes, in reality) but a perfect prop to his rouse, nonetheless.

"Do you mind? I'm….how do you say it… addicted."

The voice laughed in baritone echoes. "Of course, Mr. Lushkin."

After lighting the fag, Lupin casually crossed his legs and relaxed back against the pillows. He wasn't a smoker. More approximately, the only time he was a smoker was when he was with Sirius, whose lungs had probably been darker than a Victorian chimney sweep's.

Finally, Remus caught a glimpse of long, tangled black hair through the smoke. So he's not a demon. It was definitely a man puffing on the hooka.

"How are you enjoying Baikonur?" Jahad rasped then let out a lung wrenching cough.

"Does anyone truly enjoy Baikonur?" Remus replied flippantly, taking a drag on his fag. "With the exception of your establishment, of course."

"Duly noted." More puffing on the hooka. "Na'dim says that you were looking for something of interest when you found us. A rare jewel, you might say. A gem of an Empire."

Remus cocked his head. "A gem. Hmmm… I would never call a whore a gem, but I'm definitely looking for something 'special.' I might call your English woman a bit… rough." He flourished his hand then elaborated, "Like a young colt that needs guidance."

"Guidance?" Jahad puffed hard twice on the reed before coughing heavily "Horses, Mr. Lushkin, must be broken."

Remus smirked in arrogance. "I was never a horse man myself. I'd rather travel by Mercedes."

Jahad responded with a cackling laugh, and the air cleared just a bit.

Remus began to feel nervous and leaned on one elbow. This was taking longer than he expected, but he didn't want to rush a man like Jahad. If he were dark and dangerous, Remus needed to gain his trust.

"I like you, Aleksis. May I call you Aleksis?"

"Of course. I'm not a man of pretense."

"Aleksis, move closer," Jahad's voice quietly commanded.

Remus moved closer but made sure his hand was close to his wand, just in case.

"You are a rarity among your people."

"Awk! Jahad, I simply give my people what they want. I think we are the same in this regard."

Remus could make out blue eyes behind a cloud of smoke. Could it be that Jahad was European?

"Yes, yes. And now Na'dim tells me I have something you want."

Lupin smiled a secretive smile and took another drag on his cigarette. "Yes. The little English bird. Perhaps you are right. She is a rare gem."

Suddenly, Na'dim was pulling back the curtain, and a figure cloaked in red stood at the back of the room.

Puff. Puff. Wheeze. "If only you knew how close she was to me."

Remus raised his eye brows in surprise. "You're close?"

Na'dim took off Tonks' hood and cloak and left her bared in the red sequin costume.

"Come closer, pet." He spoke to her in perfect Eton English.

Remus tightened inside.

"Kneel." Tonks kneeled on the other side of the hooka, and Remus had to strain to see her face. The smoke was clearing, but all he could make out was the back of Jahad's purple robes and tangled black hair.

Jahad ran a tender hand down her cheek. His back still to Remus, he asked him in perfect English, "Tell me, Lushkin, do you speak the English tongue?"

Lupin decided to play dumb and not answer. Finally, Jahad faced Remus, who had to do everything within his power not to reel back with surprise as he found himself sitting face-to-face with Regulus Black.

In Russian, he asked, "Do you speak English, Lushkin?"

Remus forced himself to speak. "Only Russian and French. A little Mandarin." My god, he knew Regulus, but he either didn't recognize Lupin after nearly twenty years or he was too high off the hooka to take notice of his brother's best friend in disguise.

His blue eyes were swollen red from the smoke, and he coughed violently as a claw-like hand tightly squeezed Tonks' heart-shaped chin.

"Look at her face, Aleksis. This woman is a jewel, a rare beauty. In fact, I knew her mother. And now I find her daughter wandering around Russia - a concubine to an old adversary." He shook Tonks by the chin as he continued. "Her mother betrayed me, and to show my respect.." Spittle flew from his lips, "I am going to sell her only beloved daughter as a slave." He uttered the last part in both English and Russian.

"So tell me, Aleksis. Why her? Why my gem? My revenge?"

Lupin walked a fine line. Either Regulus wanted a buyer who would love and adore his cousin or one who would beat her everyday. He decided to go with the latter.

"Jahad, I am what one might term, a collector. I have been looking for an English woman for sometime. An English woman that might become accustomed to things I…fancy."

Remus stood and moved closer to the kneeling Nymphadora. "But this one reminded me, of someone…special. Someone that I let get away." Regulus let his hand fall and Lupin soothed his hand over her dark head then tightly knotted her hair around his fist. "Someone that I should have made pay."

Regulus smiled then waved a hand and picked up the hooka pipe to take a small puff. "Then she is yours."

Lupin looked down at Regulus in surprise. "But we did not discuss a price."

"A ruble. One ruble. And I won't take more." He smiled a brown smile that showed too many teeth. "My revenge may be your vengeance." Then in a mockery of prayer, he put his hands together and bowed slightly, adding in a sardonic wheeze "Praise Allah."

Remus held out a single Russian ruble and placed it in Jahad's hand. "Allah be praised." Then turning on his heel, he snapped his fingers at Tonks, who dutifully followed after him.

As soon as the doors opened into the night, Remus was relieved to see a black stretch Mercedes waiting by the side of the building, and a young voice called, "Mr. Lushkin, over here."

Remus grasped Tonk's arm to support her as well as lead her to the car. Once they were inside, Lupin breathed a sigh of relief and called, "Step on it" to Ilya, the alley-rat turned chauffeur.

Tonks slowly pulled back her hood to reveal a face without emotion, but she did turn to Remus and offer, "Thank you."

"Is this your woman, Remus?" the kid yelled from the driver's seat.

Remus took her hand and squeezed it tightly, looking deeply into Nymphadora's eyes.

"Yes," he said quietly. "This is my woman."

tbc Thanks for the reviews. I find them encouraging.