“What about Paulie and the others who’d already been culled?” Taylor asked.
“They were to be taken back to Droxis and used for slave labor in the mines,” Genovese said. “I tried to barter for their lives, too, but I had no leverage. What Akoya did promise, however, was he’d reward me with a fat payday if I brought you to Droxis.”
Taylor frowned. “And you saw fit to take that deal?”
“Honestly, man, I would’ve signed off on just about anything at that point if it got me the hell out of there, so don’t take it personal,” Genovese said. “You gotta understand, I had two things on my mind in that moment—the safety of my people on the ground and getting home to my family alive to make sure my sister was cared for. So I let the wasps shoot me up, and away we went.”
“And that’s when you called me,” Taylor said.
“Yeah, but not before the Buma who’d paid me for Emza intel came to see me in the hospital,” Genovese grumbled. “He said if I didn’t take you to Droxis, his employer would pull the plug on Carola’s new treatments. I literally had no choice but to agree.”
“Did you ever find out who the Buma worked for?” Taylor asked.
“Nope,” Genovese said. “The bird was super cagey about it, too. What he did say was if I played along and took you to Droxis, his employer would send help, not just for me, but for Paulie and everybody else the KzSha had taken. All I had to do was get you to Akoya, then hop a ride over to Newtep in the same system to meet his reinforcements, before circling back for you guys.”
Taylor drummed his fingers on the table. “If you knew Droxis was the destination, why’d we go on that wild goose chase to Piquaw?”
Genovese smirked. “What was I supposed to do? Magically pull Paulie’s whereabouts out of my ass? You and Stan would’ve sniffed me out in a hot minute. Besides, I knew the Dutya would point us in the right direction. I just hoped we wouldn’t burn up too much time in the process.” The captain lifted his restraints. “So now that I’ve spilled my guts about everything but my cup size, can we do something about the jewelry or what?”
* * *
Taylor left the Osyrys’ brig feeling like he’d gotten more questions than answers. On one hand, he knew now why Genovese had done what he did, and, while Taylor wasn’t personally a fan of being used as a pawn, he understood now that the Hawks’ captain wasn’t the proverbial king of this particular chess game. That honor belonged to someone else, someone with a lot more influence.
I wonder…
Once the Osyrys returned to Earth five days later, Genovese was let go, while Akoya was transferred to a holding cell on the Eagles’ main campus in Jacksonville. From there, Taylor leaked word through his contacts around town that his company had returned from Droxis with a high value target whose real name and species hadn’t been identified.
And now we wait.
* * *
It was a rainy Duval morning in August two weeks later, when Taylor finally got his answer. Weather wise, it was the kind of day that caused a lot of the area’s transplants to rethink their decision about moving South. All anyone ever saw from the North Florida tourism ads were the white sandy beaches and pristine emerald waters crashing ashore in front of endless rows of palm trees beneath a clear, blue Dixie sky. The ads never mentioned how wickedly hot it got during the dog days of summer or the humidity that made a man’s skin slick just walking to his mailbox. If they had, a lot of those same folks might’ve forfeited two-thirds of their income via state taxes to live in California or Oregon instead.
Home, sweet home. Taylor was sitting at the desk in his office, watching the rain through his bay window, when the call came in from the front security gate.
“Chief Van Zant?” Curt asked. “You’ve got a visitor.”
Taylor didn’t bother asking for a name. He was pretty sure he already knew. “Let him through.”
A few minutes passed while the newcomer made the slow taxi up the main drive into the Eagles’ campus, then pulled to a stop outside the clubhouse. Shortly thereafter, a set of large knuckles rapped at Taylor’s office door.
“It’s open,” Taylor said.
The entrance swung open, and a massive form filled the doorframe.
“Hello, Van Zant,” a baritone voice said. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes it has, Japhara. Come on in.”
Japhara Hylune, a senior member of the Cartography Guild’s most elite group, the Latura Corps, entered the room and closed the door. He was alone.
“Can I get you anything?” Taylor asked. “Coffee? Sweet tea? Intel on the KzSha, maybe?”
Japhara winced. “I see Captain Genovese was feeling chatty during your transition back from Droxis.”
“He kinda didn’t have much choice,” Taylor said. “I locked him in my brig, along with somebody else I understand you’re interested to meet.”
Japhara eased down onto the stool Taylor kept for larger visitors. “So it’s true, then. You have custody of Akoya Vello.”
Taylor gave a slow nod. “He is why you came here, ain’t he? I’m just glad you got my message.”
“Huh.” Japhara grunted. “And what a subtle message it was. First, the Flatar I hired to save you returned with a piece of an ear that checked out as belonging to Vello. Then, low and behold, Swamp Eagle Security returns to Earth shortly thereafter holding a high value asset, codenamed Vincent Van Gogh.”
