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“Dude,” Ezra glares at his brother, and I choke back a laugh.
“The-”
“Please!” Ezra speaks loudly. “For the love of dragons, just stop. Nobody likes your code words and Earth slang but you,” he growls at his brother, and this time I have to cover my mouth to keep my laughter from reaching Ezra’s ears.
It’s too little, too late, though, because Ezra’s eyes suddenly go wide and he looks instantly suspicious.
“Is someone with you?” He asks. “Have you been taken, brother?”
“I’m fine,” Quinn says, shooting me a glare. “I picked up an interesting passenger. Don’t worry. You’ll like her. We’re halfway home.”
“And you’ve got it all sorted?” I assume he’s referring to the hidden cargo, and Quinn nods.
“Everything’s ready on my end,” he says.
“I won’t let you down,” Ezra says, and then the monitor goes black.
Chapter 24
Quinn
Ezra is waiting when we land in the field just outside of town. I didn’t have to tell him which field to meet us in. We both remember where we found Hayden that fateful day so many years ago. It seemed fitting we would end our hatred of Hector LeBlaie in the same place it began so long ago.
Fiona and I climb carefully out of the ship. I still haven’t given her any proper clothes, mainly because I don’t have any. We tried a pair of my pants, but even the ones with the stretchy waistbands are too big for her tiny stature. Socks and a t-shirt it is.
Ezra smiles as we reach the bottom of the ladder.
“Hello,” Fiona says shyly, but my brother just steps forward and wraps her in his arms.
“Welcome to the family, kid,” he says. Then he hugs me, too, which surprises me. Ezra isn’t much for emotion of physical affection. “I like her, but she’s too good for you.”
“You’re telling me,” I mumble. Then I pull away. “You brought everything?” I ask.
“Everything,” Ezra confirms. He hands me a sack and I head back up the ladder. “Stay with Ezra,” I call to Fiona, and then I climb inside.
***
Three days later, I walk through the center of Diamond with a smile on my face, like nothing can take me down, like nothing can hurt me. I make it three blocks before the police arrest me for stealing and interplanetary terrorism. After spending two days alone in a jail cell, I’m allowed to see my lawyer, who argues there is no proof I’ve done anything illegal.
“He’s being charged with stealing a ship,” one of the police officers explains slowly, as if my lawyer is stupid, as if he’s never defended a client before.
“And who saw him steal this supposed ship?” Gaz is the best attorney on the planet, possibly in the universe. Ezra filled him in long before I was arrested, so he knows everything: the whole sordid story. The best part is that no one wants Hector to pay more than Gaz. He’s got his own reasons for that.
“I did,” Hector strides into the room with the head of the police department. I’m not surprised those two are in cahoots. It makes sense Hector would have one of the most powerful men in Diamond in his pocket. “He took my ship and despite multiple requests to return it, chose not to. He took it off-planet instead.” His eyes narrow at me, but I see something beneath the anger.
Fear.
Do I know his secret?
Was I able to figure out why that ship in particular was so important?
“My client did no such thing,” Gaz says. “In fact, we have proof he has been on Sapphira for the last four weeks consecutively.”
Is it my imagination, or does Hector pale a little bit?
“Impossible,” Hector says, but Gaz hands the police chief a holodrive.
“Play it,” he says simply, and after staring at the little disc in his hand for a moment, the police chief presses his thumb on the top. Instantly, a hologram chart of my banking habits begins to play.
