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Tandor turned to Jobek and asked, “Do you know or can you find out the identity of Neloff’s target?”
Jobek stood up and motioned toward the workstation in the corner. “May I?”
“Of course,” Eden replied.
Sitting down at the terminal, Jobek skillfully navigated through numerous holo-screens and menus. Eden couldn’t read Altorian, or whatever language the system used, so she could only guess where he was finding the requested information.
“Damn it,” Jobek muttered and then looked at Tandor. “He was hunting Stetus Eljin. TheMadellereceived clearance to dock sixteen days ago, but there is no record of their departure.”
Tandor stood up and moved to stand beside Jobek. “Can you reach any of the crewmembers?”
Jobek sent several comm requests then shook his head. “The bastard must have arrested them all. Someone really needs to kill Jevara so the rest of the star system can get on with their lives.”
After a tense pause Tandor nodded and expelled a deep sigh. “Why is anything involving Torret always a worst-case scenario?”
“Because no one is ruthless enough to kill Jevara,” Jobek grumbled. He told the computer to hibernate then stood. “I’ll go wake up Zevon. If we use our own ship, we don’t need his permission, but our mission will need to be reassigned.”
“Understood,” Tandor concluded.
“Why were they arrested? Is bounty hunting illegal on Torret?” Eden was almost afraid to ask. The more she learned about this star system the less she liked it.
“Bounty hunting is perfectly legal. However, Torretian officials have a long, sordid history of harassing visitors. Ships are routinely boarded and searched. Sometimes the commanders are fined on the spot and sent on their way. But the more aggressive officials hold the commanders for ransom and seize the ships.”
“Then why did Neloff risk going to Torret?” Eden cried. “Was the bounty that high?”
“The bounty was sizable, but this is how Neloff makes his living. There is always significant risk.”
Well, after they rescued Neloff—and that was the only outcome she would consider—she would do everything she could to convince Neloff to find another profession. Her heart couldn’t take being a bounty hunter’s wife. “I understand the basic shakedown, but how did that turn into a violent interrogation? Why do they think he’s a spy?”
Tandor suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Because he is or has been in the past. They likely did a DNA scan when they arrested him. That would have revealed his identity and lengthy record.”
Eden’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. “Neloff is a criminal?”
Tandor shook his head. “All of the charges were drummed up in an effort to ensnare him. He is a bounty hunter who also gathers information and sells it to certain interested parties. He is very selective about who he is willing to deal with and what they are most likely to do with the information he collects.”
Tears trailed down her cheeks as flashes from the vision sparked within her mind. “They will keep at it until they kill him.”
Tandor knelt in front of her and gathered her hands between his. “Look at me, Eden.”
She quickly blinked back tears until she could see him. His reddish-brown eyes were so like Neloff’s that it made her heart ache.
“If they meant to kill him, he would be dead already. They are trying to break him, which means we have time. Not a lot of it, but time.”
Clinging to those words like a lifeline, she nodded but pulled her hands out of his light grasp. Tandor might be Neloff’s brother and happily bonded as well, but it felt wrong to let him touch her.
Tandor stood and nodded toward the door. “Zevon has agreed to see us. They are waiting in his office.”
After pausing to give Kendra a hug, Eden followed Tandor and Ansley out into the hallway. Zevon’s office was in the upper spiral of the outpost. She’d only been inside once, but she’d passed it numerous times on her way to the observation deck at the very top of the spiral. They walked briskly, mostly in silence, each lost in their own troubled thoughts.
Eden was thrilled that they had believed her, but she couldn’t help feeling like she didn’t know Neloff at all. They’d spent hours talking in their shared dreams. He told her about his childhood and his family, his accomplishments and hopes for the future. Yet he’d never once mentioned being a spy or having a criminal record.
Jobek and Zevon were deep in conversation when the others stepped into Zevon’s office. They sat at the round table across from the desk. Eden felt her steps lagging. The Citadel’s president intimidated the hell out of her. He was nearly as tall as Jobek, but his build was leaner. His long dark hair was drawn back from his face and bound at the nape of his neck. His features were sharp, angular, and his piercing eyes gleamed like polished gold.
“Have a seat,” Zevon ordered, his handsome features tense, gaze assessing.
Jobek and Tandor flanked Ansley, which left one empty chair between Eden and Zevon.
“Your mission did not need to be reassigned,” Zevon told the others. “I’m not sure how, but Jevara found out about Verbet and sent a heavily armed medical team to retrieve him. Udora had no option but to release him or start a war.”
