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“Why Rodney?” I was genuinely curious.
“It’s a feeling, mostly, but my gut is usually right. He headed up the team who went to get Kent. He probably got the guys that helped him steal the guns to go and kill Kent. Maybe Kent fought back and shot one of them. Or maybe they were forced to bring along someone who wasn’t in on the plan, and they had to kill him to cover up their involvement. Either way, Rodney still looks good for it.”
Her logic seemed sound, though it was all still guesswork. I sighed. “Why do I feel like I’ve heard of Rodney before?”
Emerson answered. “He’s Archuleta’s second-in-command. They’ve been major players for almost ten years. Rodney takes care of everything Archuleta doesn’t personally do. Does his dirty work. He’s helped him get this far.”
That sounds right. I nodded. “Yeah, I seem to remember Goliath dealing with him once upon a time. I wasn’t personally involved with that, but I heard about Rodney. Tough guy.”
“He’s tired of being second and wants control. He does all the dirty work, and Archuleta gets the credit and reaps the benefits. It has to wear on a person after a while.” Julia picked at one more nail before dropping her hand. Her eyes lifted to mine. “It’s a plausible theory.”
“Do we set up a meeting over the discussion board?” I asked.
All eyes went to Emerson. He nodded. “The problem is we need a viable buyer. Someone with credibility and cash. We can’t just make up a buyer because they’ll need to meet in person. Rodney’s men will know who we are, so we need someone outside of the crew to be the buyer.”
Silence descended on the group while we tried to come up with a solution. Julia didn’t even know anyone on Esmuna, so she wouldn’t be much help. I couldn’t think of any of my old ties on Esmuna who would have the clout for this kind of thing, or who I would trust to ask. I already didn’t know many people around here as it was, and I was afraid the ones I did would react like Tyrone and assume I was an informant.
Steel finally shrugged. “I’m not thinking of anyone.”
Emerson sighed. “Reuben has some ties in the area. Let’s hope he has a favor he can call in.”
“We’ll set up a trap.”
“Ideally.” Emerson sat forward and rubbed his hands together. “If we can pick the meeting location then we can control the environment. Set up the crew to surround the place. Wait until they show up, confirm they have the guns, and then go in.” He glanced at Julia and almost smiled. “Very similar to a police sting.”
She smiled. “I bet we can coordinate something like that.”
He grunted. “I thought so.” He leaned back again, his eyes going to Steel. “Do you think Cass can help us out with posting on the discussion board?”
Steel, instead of being annoyed by him bringing her up this time, simply shrugged. “She’s taught me a few things. I may not need her help.”
Emerson gave him a strange look. “Are you sure everything’s okay between you two? You’ve been acting weirder than normal about her.”
Steel sighed. He started to say something and then stopped. His fingers twitched down at his sides before he shrugged. “I’m thinking of proposing to her.”
Emerson’s eyebrows winged up. “You’re what?”
Steel set his jaw and looked away. Emerson realized his reaction might not have been the best, and he put his hand out in a placating motion. “I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I just didn’t think you’d ever get married.”
“Well, it never was an issue before her.” His voice was a little softer, as though this was important to him.
Emerson was quiet before he responded much gentler than before. “If you want to marry her, then ask. She loves you, man. A lot. If you want to marry her then you should. Don’t let anything make you second guess it. She’s a great girl, and she puts up with you. There isn’t anything more to think about, is there?”
Steel looked between me and Julia before shrugging. “I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never been serious about a girl. I’m not even sure she’ll say yes.”
“Oh, she will. If she loves you, which I’m pretty sure she does, she’ll say yes. You just need to ask her. Man up. You can shoot a president, but not ask a girl to marry you? That’s sad.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Julia muttered and turned her head away from the two of them.
Steel’s closed look returned to his face, but he nodded. “I want to.”
“Then you should,” Emerson said firmly, closing the discussion. We settled back into silence. I wondered what it was like for an assassin to be in love and to want to build a life with someone but not know if they’d be safe. That had to be one of his biggest concerns. It would have been one of mine.
I stifled a yawn as the shuttle started to descend back towards the ground. I checked the time and was stunned to see it was already early evening. I hadn’t realized the day had gone by so fast. No wonder I was tired. I was used to going without proper sleep, but usually not with this much adrenaline. My limbs were starting to feel heavy. I needed some fuel and a long night’s rest.
It took a few minutes for Jack to maneuver the smaller craft aboard theHawk. We disembarked, and Emerson smacked his com. “Reuben.”
After a few seconds I heard his voice respond. “Captain.”
