Riding on Whispers (the Wolfegang series Book 3) (4 page)

Imre brushed a huge, meaty hand against my cheek, gentler than I would have thought. I was too anxious to even attempt to move away from his touch. I looked up at him, and his eyes bore into my own with an intensity that was disconcerting.

His hand left my face, and I noticed a dark mark on his skin, on his forearm near the crook of his elbow. I snatched his arm and looked at it closely. It was a tattoo of a panther, the same one that was carved onto the door.

He watched me, but said nothing. I let him go. I had questions. Something else was going on, something I was missing.

“What else did he say?” I asked. There were a thousand other questions I wanted to ask, like where Kris was, and why couldn’t I see him? I was desperate to know everything I could, but I knew I had to be careful. Until I knew what exactly was going on, I wouldn’t push too hard.

Imre sat back, his eyes shining. He knew I wasn’t stupid, that I’d made a connection somehow, but he didn’t get angry or have me thrown out of the tiny restaurant. He simply answered my question. “He didn’t say anything else,” Imre said. “He just told me to give you this.”

A delicate slip of paper lay in his hand. It was odd that it was on paper, since it was expensive. It looked relatively clean, like it hadn’t spent much time in someone’s pockets. The note could easily have been in a drawer, in a desk somewhere all the time it waited for me.

I almost didn’t breathe, afraid it would flutter away and I would never see it again. I took it and held it as softly as I could, but didn’t open it. I couldn’t yet. I was getting the feeling this was all I had to go on, all Kris had left me.

Somehow, Imre was connected to my brother, and I wanted to find out how, if that was even a possibility. It wouldn’t hurt me to stay a little longer and talk to him.

The tiny slip of paper went into my boot, right next to my knife. I picked up the wine and took another sip. “Thank you, Imre. It means a lot to me that you made sure I got that.”

Imre was back to smiling. “It’s no problem at all, love.” He took another bite of pasta.

I eyed his plate, not sure how to ask him what I needed to. I had to buy myself a little more time. “You know what,” I told Imre. “I would love something to eat. Would that be all right?”

Imre couldn’t wave the waiter over fast enough. “Give her whatever she wants.”

I started swirling the wine again. “I’ll have what he’s having, and some more bread please, fresh.”

The waiter bowed with a small smile and was gone before I could thank him. How could I possibly ask Imre how he knew my brother without him clamming up about whatever he was hiding? He was very nice and accommodating, but he skirted around the details of my brother like he was afraid of the consequences.

“So how did you meet him?” I asked, blunt and to the point as always. I was never that great with subtlety.

“It’s a boring story,” he said with a laugh.

I didn’t look up from my glass. I liked Imre. I really did, but if he was going to annoy me with secrecy that would quickly change. “It’s been so long since I last saw him,” I said. “Any story would be nice to hear.”

He took a bite of his food and smiled again. It was so genuine. How was this man a part of a mafia-like mob called the Family? I really didn’t know the whole story. Maybe I was getting all the details wrong, but the dichotomy was confusing.

“He was a racer here for a little while. He said he needed money to get back to you and to take you somewhere.”

Everything he said was so incredibly ambiguous. Not once had he said my brother’s name, not once had he said mine. Why? Frustrated, I chewed on my lip.

“What’s his name?” I asked. My fingertips traced the lip of my glass as I smiled at him, feral and demanding.

Imre looked around the restaurant nervously. “It’s probably not a good idea to say.”

The alarm on my watch went off. I clicked my comms. “Checking in, Wolfe.” I clicked it off again, all without breaking my eye contact with Imre.

I cocked my head. “Why not? You could have the wrong girl. I just want to make sure you didn’t get me mixed up with someone else.”

His eyes were serious as he watched me. There was no smile on his face now, and sweat poured from his hairline.

Imre grimaced. When he spoke, it was almost too quiet for even me to hear. “He goes by a few different names, but the one you would know is Brother, and his given name Kris.”

I slowly let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. I glanced at Imre before reaching down to my boot and snagging the note.

The waiter brought my food to me then—fresh bread and what looked like chicken parmesan and spaghetti. Imre took a huge gulp of wine as he watched me. I thanked the waiter and didn’t open the note until he left.

There were only two words on the note, and they made no sense. ‘Aralia, Enzo.’ The words meant absolutely nothing to me. I tucked the note back into my boot and took a bite of my food. It was delicious. “Why did you avoid saying his name?” I asked.

Imre shifted and took another long sip of wine. “You aren’t the only one looking for him.”

My eyes were drawn back to the holovid. A news reporter was speaking, but I couldn’t hear the words. People were rioting behind her. “Hey, can you turn that up?” I asked the bartender.

Imre turned around, and his face turned white.

“Another demonstration here in front of the coliseum…” the reporter said.

“What’s going on there?” I asked.

“Nothing good.” Imre wiped the sweat from his face.

Something weird was happening. I recognized Federation uniforms. Why was the Federation breaking up a protest? The very people I was avoiding were on this planet, a place that didn’t follow the true reigning government. These soldiers here didn’t bode well, regardless of the reason they were on Speed.

“Members of the Jaguarundi are being taken into custody…” the woman’s voice came out clear, but I had no idea what she was talking about or why it was making Imre so uncomfortable.

I turned back to Imre and asked, “Have you read the note?”

“I have,” he answered. “Your brother told me I should.” He still watched the holovid.

The waiter rushed up to our table and whispered something in Imre’s ear. I only caught a few words: ‘protest’ and ‘Federation.’ Somehow, what was going on in the streets was connected to the Family.

Imre nodded and then waved him away. He stood up so quickly I jerked back in shock. His large hand encircled my arm, and he pulled me up and out of the chair. “You need to leave, now.”

He led me further into the back of the restaurant where there was another door. “We’re about to be raided by the Federation, and it’s not safe for you to be here.” He let go when we both were in front of the door, and he rolled down his sleeves to cover his tattoo.

“Why isn’t it safe? What exactly is going on?” I asked.

Imre held my shoulders softly. “I don’t have the time to explain everything. I need you to get back to your ship and leave this planet as soon as possible.” He gave me a quick hug, and I felt him slip something into the pocket of my coat.

When he drew back, he pulled my hood up with a sad smile. “I left you my calling card. If you ever need anything from me or the Family, don’t hesitate to ask.” And he pushed me out the door.

I was left outside in another alley with more questions than I started with. I took Imre’s advice and made my way back to the
Wolfegang
as quickly as I could, making sure not to bring attention to myself.

Whatever was going on, I didn’t want to get caught up in the middle of it.

Night had fallen while I was in Papa’s, and the stars were absent from the sky. There was too much light emanating from the planet to see them. I made my way slowly back to the ship, keeping to the walls and shadows. I glanced over my shoulder and decided to take the long way back to the
Wolfegang
.

I didn’t take the alley back since I could easily get trapped there. The Galactic Federation troops were supposed to be in this area soon. I needed to avoid them. They weren’t here for me, and I didn’t want to think about what they would do if they caught wind that I was on the planet.

Yelling and shouting echoed off the buildings of the empty streets. The sounds of stomping feet bounced off the asphalt. Every noise made me jump. They were heading in the opposite direction of me by the sound of it. I breathed a sigh of relief. Only a little further to the
Wolfegang
. My heart pounded as I weaved my way through the market. No one looked my way, and there were only a few people on the main streets going about their business. It took all of my self-control not to sprint the rest of the way to the ship.

When I reached the end of the market, the docks spread out before me, and I could see the ship only a few hundred yards away. I made sure my hood was secure over my hair and placed my hands in my pockets, trying to look inconspicuous. I walked up to the ramp that led to the cargo bay doors. Even though I couldn’t quite see the shield, I knew it was there. The electricity from it had the hair on my arms sticking up. I clicked on my comms. “Wolfe, I’m outside.”

I didn’t get a reply, but I felt the electricity dissipate. I reached out tentatively and didn’t get a nasty shock. The cargo bay doors started to creak open. I ran up the metal ramp into the cargo bay. My fist slammed the button to the doors, and I watched as they slid closed, the metal screeching.

I headed up the stairs as I commed Wolfe. “How soon can we leave?” I asked.

His voice crackled over the transmission. “Celeste and Ricky aren’t back yet. We can leave as soon as they’re aboard.”

I paused at the landing. It was just Wolfe and me onboard the ship, a perfect opportunity to talk to him about everything I’d learned. “We might want to ready the ship to leave the second they get here,” I said. My hand hovered over the comms. “I’ll meet you in your office?”

“I’m already there.”

I didn’t respond and ended the transmission. Maybe Wolfe could help me find out what the words on Kris’s note meant. Renewed with purpose, I strode down the halls, through the common area and galley, and straight to the captain’s office. The door slid open soundlessly before I could even knock.

Wolfe stood aside with a tight smile. He must’ve sensed the urgency in my voice over the comms. I plopped down on his couch and took a breath to calm my heart. The adrenaline still pumped through me with no signs of alleviating. I had to convince myself everything was fine; that I was safe. The Federation had no idea I’d been at Papa’s.

My shaking hands fell into my lap and went limp. I was in the safest place I could be.

“Are you okay?” Wolfe asked. His face was creased with concern.

“I’m fine,” I answered smoothly. I was getting better at lying.

I snagged the note from my boot and handed it to him. “It’s from my brother,” I explained.

“Really?” Wolfe asked. Surprise and relief crossed over his face.

As I watched him, I wished I could understand what he was thinking and why he reacted the way he did.

“It’s just another clue,” I said. I was so tired of clues, and I hated puzzles. I was going to punch Kris right in the face when I saw him again. What was going on that he couldn’t just give me a direct comm?

Wolfe read the note. “Aralia, Enzo?” he asked. “I know the Galactic Federation base there.”

“It’s a military base?” I asked. What business did my brother have on a military base? I rubbed my face as I tried to keep calm and not panic. The situation was getting stickier and stickier. The odds I would be able to get to the base were very slim. I didn’t even know how far away it was from Speed. The trip could take months, and then what? What was I supposed to do? Kris hadn’t given me any further instructions.

Wolfe sat on the edge of his desk and stared out the window. He knew something more about this base. I waited and watched. He better tell me what he knew.

“Were you stationed there?” I asked, taking off my coat.

He looked at me sharply with calculating eyes. I got the impression he didn’t like talking about his past much. Wolfe handed the note back to me, and I tucked it away. He rubbed his jaw before answering. “Yes, I was stationed there, but only for a short time.” He ran his hand through his hair, a gesture I noticed he did a lot. His eyes reflected the memories of the time he’d spent there. “I was in the military for ten years with an honorable discharge,” he explained.