Damon waits impatiently for Katia to join him. He has a lot of questions he wants to ask her. 

"Damon?" Katia says as Calum opens the study door and pulls her inside. She pulls herself together and stands up straight.

"Katia," Damon smiles at her. It's hard after all he's read, but he's become really good at faking smiles since Ana left.

Damon nods to Calum for him to go. Calum doesn't like it but nods and leaves. He never liked Katia and figured that she likely played Damon for a fool. She had played with the Phoenix and got burned. Calum hopes that she doesn't sink her claws into Damon once more. He knows that Ana has already seen through Katia.

Ana won't put up with Damon choosing another bint over her again. Calum shudders at the thought of Ana leaving again and hopes that Damon has found some way to convince Ana to stay. Life will be hell if Damon makes it so Ana won't even talk to him again. Katia could very well be the  proverbial last straw with Ana.

"Katia, come and sit down." Damon knows that she has been in this room before. His father brought her here the night she 'died'. He's changed the decor, once Ana killed Hawk he had no choice.

"I like what you've done to the place." Katia says to start the conversation off.

Damon raises an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Yeah, your father had a darker motif going." Now Damon is puzzled. His father hadn't changed a thing in the study from when he took over. Damon has only changed the rug and desk. Neither of which were darker than what it is currently sporting.

"The walls are brighter, not as dark." A light bulb goes off, she's talking about Hawk's old study. Hawk's brother was about his age when he was dating Katia. So that's who she cheated on him with. His best friend after Calum. Perhaps it's a good thing Peter was killed in a fight three years ago. A fight that happened just before Hawk came after Ana.

"No, there is enough dark atmosphere in this house, I don't need the decorations to reflect it."

There is an awkward silence for a bit. "Tell me about the last six years Katia." Damon orders but in a soft voice. Katia, she knows that Damon that will kill after talking to you in that voice and doesn't hesitate to tell him her version of her life.

As she talks Damon listens. To all appearances he's listening avidly taking in and sympathizing with everything she's telling him. Internally though Damon is finding it hard to keep a straight face and not strike out and hit her. The only thing saving her at this time is the knowledge that she is Ana's property and he hasn't been given permission to harm her, just listen to her.

She finally finishes her pack of lies and her stomach growls. She looks down and blushes in embarrassment. That used to be cute to Damon, now he knows it for the lie it is. Nothing she had told him had been the truth.

She told him that she had miscarried their child. Spider had had it tested after it was still born and it wasn't his. She then told him how she had been sterilized so that she wouldn't have any more children. She had three, all sold to peds for whatever sick reasons. Only after the last pregnancy almost killed her did Spider have her sterilized. He didn't want his favorite slave to die from childbirth.

"Come, let's return to the tents. Ana will need to talk to you before you can go free. While you wait if you need to you can eat." Damon just wants to get the lying bint away from himself before he kills her.

Katia unknowing of what he's thinking takes his hand and stands up. Damon hides his feelings well and takes her to the tent without hurry or pressure. He leaves her with the food and goes over to Ana.

Ana finishes with the female in front of her and looks up in surprise at Damon. She doesn't like the anger.

"I'm finished with Katia. She's eating right now. I'll be in my study if you need me." Damon says through gritted teeth.

Ana puts her hand on his arm and he stops short as if he hit a wall. "Damon, what do you want me to do with her?"

"If it were up to me, I'd take her up to that lovely spot you showed me yesterday and shoot her. But that lying bitch is yours to deal with, do whatever you want with her." Damon says still only manages to speak through his clenched teeth.

Ana gets a sly little smile, "Are you sure about that Damon?"

With those words Damon turns to look at her. "What do you have in mind?"

"You know how I feel about cheaters and liars. She betrayed you, I rather like the idea you had about the shooting, but the area should be starting to smell a bit rank. I know another area. Not too far from that one and it doesn't require any hiking. Would you like to come with us?"

"When?" Damon asks intrigued.

"Before I deal with my traitor. His will take hours and I don't want Katia to get scared." Damon gives her one short nod and leaves the tent behind.

The tattoo artist ignores the drama and continues his work. The sound of his needles all there is except for the occasional cry from a girl.

Ana goes back and continues her interviews she only has about ten more before she's finished. Then she has to deal with Spider's men before she can finish with Katia. By the time she's done it might be too late to do what she wants to do with Jerome. 

She shrugs, Damon won't mind if she stays another night. Not when he's begging her to come back at least.

Finally she's finished with the last slave minus Katia. "Sorry to keep you waiting Katia. Those other girls needed to be taken care of, I was afraid that some of them might die on me if I didn't get them done quickly." Ana knows how to lie with the best of them. Her doctor had checked out all the girls the night before and they just need food, water and rest. Most of which will be provided by their families when they are returned to their arms.

For those that aren't going home or have no home to go to, Ana made arrangements, much like Damon did when he freed his slaves years ago. And much like Damon, Ana is losing a lot of money. But she's already got her hacker getting and taking all the money for the Spider Group illegal portions. The legal will wait for her to deal with another day soon. The money she's losing will be from the Spider group funds. Damn she loves being a mafia leader.

"Now it's getting late and there are still things that I have to do tonight, but when I finish Damon and I will be taking you to your freedom and letting you go." Katia didn't even blink at Ana's lies, she bought the whole lot of them.

"You and Damon both are personally taking me to my freedom?" Katia doesn't even question where they are going.

"Unless Damon gets an emergency call, yes. Don't worry the spot I chose for you isn't too far and you'll be able to sleep there tonight." Ana gives the older woman a reassuring smile. Katia with excitement in her eyes returns the smile. She doesn't even note that Ana doesn't make her get the tattoo like she did all the other ladies. She's already getting preferential treatment by having Ana and Damon take her personally to where ever they are going, so she just assumes that it's because she knows Damon.

Calum corners Ana and asks her what she's going to do with Katia. Ana looks at him and demands in return, "Why? So you can marry her and cheat on her too?"

"No! I don't trust that bitch, never have and never will. She's not going to be staying here is she?" Calum gets a sick look on his face at that thought.

"No. Damon and I will be taking her to her new home later. Now get out of my way before I ask Damon to give me permission to give my punishment I have reserved for you." Calum moves rapidly away from Ana. He has no doubt that Ana has something nasty reserved for him and he isn't sure that Damon won't let her do it. He desperately wants Ana to come back and his desperation might overcome his love for his brother.

Ana rubs her tired eyes as she waits for Spider's men to be brought to her. Trinity hands her some food and a drink. "Let them wait. You need to eat before you deal with them. You've treated the ex slaves better than you treat yourself."

Ana thankfully takes the food and the drink Trinity hands her. Although Ana had long ago been introduced to soft drinks she never learned to like them. They always tasted too artificial for her. She was doubly thankful that the drink Trinity handed her is water. She drinks about half of it before she even took a bite of the fruit salad or sandwich.

The food reminds her of the day before Scott harmed her. When Damon fed her after she starved for two days. She fights the tears and forces herself to eat the food before her. She no longer has an appetite but she needs the energy it will give her.

By the time she's done the men are all sitting facing the performance platform. Ana takes a breath and stands up and that's when she spots Damon slipping inside the tent and standing in the back, watching out for her.