Finally, Lev moved in front of Lilah. His voice softened.
“Ms. Armenta, you owe the rest of us nothing, but Jenna is like your sister. That makes you our family as well.” Lilah’s face remained expressionless, but she gradually unclenched her fists. “Please let go of any resentment you harbor toward anyone in this room. We need your help as well.” His voice was mild, but Jimmy still heard the implied rebuke. He wondered what Lilah had been saying. She didn’t exactly have a filter on her mouth when she was passionate about something, though he expected that as a manager at the QE, she’d learned something about timing. Lilah was the first one to speak.
“I don’t know what you need my help with. I don’t know anything at all.”
“You may know something that you don’t even realize yet. Or you may have contacts that we can use here in the Red Zone,” Lev said, tapping his fingers together.
There was silence following this for a minute. Jimmy wondered what he should tell the group. That he and Grier had cut a deal with someone in the Red Zone who was going to bid on his family? Would that jeopardize the deal? Surely the Quintans would hone in on Monserrat’s “contacts.” They would never let something like this go unpunished.
Zane finally spoke up. “This is about more than just some competitor trying to extort the most money they can get out of the Forrest family.”
Almost every head in the room swiveled to face Zane. Jimmy studied his dirty hands instead. “Yeah, I’ve heard,” he grumbled. “Apparently it’s also about torturing my kids to get revenge on the Quintans.” He glanced up again to catch his father still watching him with concerned eyes. Jimmy dropped his gaze to his boots and took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions back under control. He needed to be calm. He needed to be able to think.
Zane held up a hand. “I mean something unrelated to the auction. Someone is feeding us information to make it look like the Lore crew or possibly the Lobos are behind it.”
Moriel gave a very unladylike snort. “Someone is trying to frame the Lobos? That’s ludicrous. We’d never waste our time with them.” But Jimmy heard something else in what Zane was saying.
“So you have information that points at the Lobos then?” he asked eagerly. Maybe if they had somewhere else to look, they would leave Monserrat’s contact alone.
“Kind of. In a twisted way,” Zane answered without elaborating. Jimmy processed that silently. Should he share and get all the help from the Quintans he could, however untrustworthy? Or should he keep it to himself and try to go down this route alone? He glanced sideways at his father, who watched him with a thoughtful expression. He turned back to Zane, who had a furrowed brow and lines on his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck, and Jimmy realized that Zane looked worried. He couldn’t remember Zane ever looking worried before. Maybe he had changed.
Taking a deep breath, Jimmy decided to lay everything on the table. However, before he could begin, the voice of Lev’s assistant suddenly spoke from the tablet on his desk.
“Mr. Quintan, there’s an Admiral Richard Donnell of the Armada demanding entrance to the Quintan Edge. He has a full contingent of Armada soldiers with him, and they are in the Red Zone.”
15. The Admiral at the Quintan Edge
For just a moment after Ivan’s announcement, everyone was frozen in shock. Then Lev’s office erupted into pandemonium. Moriel was on her feet shouting, Lev was already heading to the door while calling for Ivan to meet him downstairs, Zane was speaking into his flipcom, probably notifying security, and Lilah had rushed to Jimmy’s side.
“What is he doing?” gasped Lilah. “Why would he bring the Armada into the Red Zone? Did he tell you he was coming?”
Jimmy had scrambled to his feet. “He must have found them!” he exclaimed. “He’s found them, and they’re here in the Red Zone, so he brought the Armada in to get them out!” His heart pounded excitedly.
Suddenly, his father’s deep voice overshadowed every other noise.
“Everyone take a seat,” he ordered, his voice loud but calm. “Now!”
Zane snapped his flipcom shut and sank back into his seat, followed by a dazed Moriel who still had her mouth open. Lilah actually scurried back to her chair; Jimmy had never seen Lilah so cowed. Even Lev glanced back at his father and then left the door and calmly returned to his seat. Jimmy realized that he was the last one standing. His father pointedly stared at Jimmy and then nodded at the chair behind him. Reluctantly, Jimmy slowly lowered himself back down.
“Ivan,” Jimmy’s father spoke to the air.
“Yes, Mr. Forrest?” Ivan’s voice answered from the tablet.
“Welcome the admiral into the resort and bring him to this office. His escort will need to remain outside.” He turned to Lev. “I trust you have a comfortable room where they may wait?”
“Yes. Ivan, take the soldiers into the Sweet Peanut room please. Offer them some refreshment while they wait,” Lev directed.
“The Sweet Peanut room?” Jimmy mouthed at Lilah.
She smiled a bit. “It’s a conference room,” she whispered back.
Jimmy shook his head. Who named these places?
There was a moment of silence, and then Jimmy’s father spoke again. “When Admiral Donnell arrives, we will welcome him as a concerned ally. Please remember that he has been under a considerable amount of stress and moderate your words accordingly,” he advised. Jimmy snorted. This was his father-in-law they were talking about. Richard was no hothouse daisy. “Ms. Armenta, if you would please excuse us?” his father added. Lilah didn’t even protest. She stood quickly and with a meaningful parting glance at Jimmy, she hurried from the room. Jimmy knew that she would be waiting for him to report exactly what happened later.
Once Lilah was gone, Lev leaned forward against his desk. “Did you know that Admiral Donnell would be paying us a visit, James?” Lev’s voice was steely. “Perhaps you can enlighten us as to the reason for such an unexpected violation of Zenith law.” Of course, the law giving the Red Zone its autonomy could be suspended given the right kind of emergency. The Union rules allowed the Armada to step in if the Mangalton Charter governing the Red Zone was violated. Was kidnapping people and taking them into the Red Zone considered enough of a violation? Jimmy was sure it had happened before—but probably not to the family of an Armada admiral.
Jimmy shrugged. “He didn’t say anything to me. You’ll have to ask him.”
Lev’s return glare was still icy. Clearly he blamed Jimmy for this. If the Mangalton Charter were revoked, the QE would lose its privileged status. At this point, Jimmy couldn’t care less. All that mattered was the possibility that Richard had found his family! But then what was he doing here at the QE?
The door slid open, and Ivan walked in. “Admiral Donnell,” he announced formally. Jimmy twisted in his chair and watched Richard walk into the room. He was wearing his uniform, every button and insignia polished until it shone. Jimmy sighed. That was something both his father and his father-in-law had in common. They were both sticklers about appearance. He shrunk down into his chair, hoping to make the bloodstains slightly less noticeable.
Lev was already on his feet. He strode from his desk to greet the admiral. “Welcome, Admiral Donnell. We were just meeting about how to best go about getting Jenna and Mrs. Smitz and your grandchildren safely returned.” His tone was polite but cool. “If we’d known you wanted to be included in the meeting, we could have arranged a more appropriate venue.”
“James,” Jimmy’s father interrupted, his tone mild. He pushed himself up from his chair. “Will you do the honor of introducing us? We have never formally met.” Jimmy scrambled to his feet, and Richard stiffened in surprise. Clearly, he had not realized that Jimmy was here. His eyes flicked over Jimmy’s disheveled appearance, and he raised an eyebrow. He still didn’t speak, though, so Jimmy turned back to his father. “Father, this is Richard Donnell, Jenna’s
dad. Richard, this is my father, Jay Forrest.” He watched the two men sizing each other up. Jimmy knew that Richard didn’t hold the highest opinion of his father. Richard considered his father’s business a corruption of all the values he had sworn to uphold. Still, they were family now, of a sort.
“I’ve heard much about you,” was all Richard said, though he did step forward to take Jimmy’s father’s outstretched hand. There was a brief pause, and then Richard got right down to business. “I’m here with an order to search your security premises.”
“What?” exclaimed Moriel. “You can’t do that!”
“I have an executive order signed by the governor of Zenith,” the admiral stated firmly.
There was another silence, brittle and tense. Jimmy wondered why the admiral wanted to search the QE security wing. He knew that the only thing that would bring the admiral here personally had to be Jenna and the kids, but what in the name of all the moons of Marshall Titan made him think that they were here? He looked around the room. His father looked puzzled, and Moriel gripped the arms of her chair as if she would like to rip them off. Lev’s mouth pressed into a line, and his glare would have flash-roasted a Majellan steer. But it was Zane’s face that stopped Jimmy short. He had gone extremely pale, and his eyes were wide.
Zane knew something.
Richard pulled out a pocket projector and aimed it at the blank wall. A razor-sharp aerial image appeared, and Jimmy’s breath caught. There was a green Zipline taxi. There were three men in tan pants and black shirts. And there was an achingly familiar woman with long golden hair wearing a green blouse and black pants. Jimmy moved toward it, unthinkingly reaching his hand out as if he could touch her. Then the image suddenly swapped for a new one. Jimmy jerked his hand back, looking around self-consciously. Nobody was looking at him, though. They were all staring avidly at the projection. Moriel slowly climbed to her feet.
Jimmy spun back around and stared. It showed the Quintan Edge security docking bay entrance, with the same green taxi sitting at the closed doors. A figure wearing the same tan pants and black shirt was caught in the process of climbing out of the taxi. A Quintan Security officer, dressed identically, was approaching the vehicle.
“This image was taken approximately six minutes after the first one,” the admiral explained succinctly.
“That’s impossible,” breathed Lev Quintan. His eyes were wide, and his fingers were splayed stiffly on his desk. Jimmy had never seen him so transparently off-balance.
“Where did you get that?” Moriel demanded, her voice shrill. “That kind of surveillance is illegal!”
“Nothing is illegal in the Red Zone,” countered the admiral, his voice hard. “The Armada has been keeping a close eye on this cesspool for years, ever since that incident in Quintan Tower that proved that Red Zone lawlessness is indeed prone to spilling out into the city.”
Jimmy stared at the image uncomprehendingly. Jenna had been kidnapped by Quintan Security? They had brought her here to the Quintan Edge? But why . . . what could the Quintans possibly hope to gain from it? Why were they pretending to help him? The answer was obvious. He looked at Lev, still openly shocked, and then at Zane, who was clearly not surprised.
This was all Zane’s fault.
He launched himself across the room and barreled into him, knocking the chair over, both of them colliding against the wall. Then he was pummeling Zane, rage coursing through his body like a drug. Arms grabbed him from behind and tried to yank him off Zane, but he pressed forward, determined to make Zane hurt as much as he did just a little bit longer . . . then both his arms were pinned to his sides and he was hauled backward and shoved back into his chair by both his father and the admiral. Moriel had dropped to the floor next to Zane and was trying to help him sit up. Jimmy felt the slightest bit of satisfaction at the blood dripping from Zane’s nose onto his no-longer-immaculate silk shirt.
“Have you lost all your senses?” barked Lev. Jimmy started to rise from his chair again, and the admiral put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“James,” his father began warningly.
“Ask him!” Jimmy croaked. “He’s behind this!” Zane shook his head vehemently, pressing the cuff of his shirt to his nose.
The admiral’s flipcom buzzed. He glanced at it, frowned, and then turned to Lev.
“Your security area’s clear. My soldiers found no sign of Jenna or the children or Mrs. Smitz.”
“You searched my building without my permission?” Lev growled.
“I had the search order,” the admiral reminded gruffly. “I saw no reason to give you enough warning to cover your tracks.”
“Well, you didn’t find what you were looking for, did you?” snarled Moriel, livid spots standing out on her cheeks. “And you won’t, because we had nothing to do with kidnapping your precious Jenna! But no, you come marching in here, accusing the very people who are trying to help you! Well, I hope you never find her! It’s only what you deserve!” Her voice had gone raspy at the end with emotion, and Jimmy stared at her, wondering if Moriel even had a soul. Well, she was a Quintan. Why was he surprised?
“I would watch my words, young lady,” the admiral said coldly. “Someone might think you had something to do with this.”
“Get out!” hissed Lev, his voice the angriest Jimmy had ever heard it. “Get your Armada goons and get off my property before I order my security to make you leave.”
The admiral merely stood straighter, pinning Lev with a glacial stare.
“This isn’t over. If you truly had nothing to do with my daughter’s kidnapping, with the kidnapping of my grandchildren, then I suggest you find out who is. But if I find that you had anything to do with it—any of you—” his gaze swept over Moriel and Zane and even Jimmy’s father, “I will personally see this resort shuttered and your worthless carcasses left to rot on Krati.” Then he lifted his hand off Jimmy’s shoulder.
“Coming?” he asked. Jimmy nodded mutely. He stood, shifting slightly to look at his father. His father shook his head briefly, just once, and Jimmy knew he was siding with the Quintans. Fine. That was all Jimmy needed to know. He turned his back on his father and followed Richard from the room.
16. Ruptures
“Well, that was an unmitigated disaster,” Jay Forrest said as he settled wearily back into his chair. “I hope you have something to drink in here, Lev. I’m going to need it.”
Moriel heaved a sigh and stalked over to the dispenser. She got a drink for Jay and then returned, bringing a bag of ice for Zane. He pressed it against his nose, which was already swelling. Jimmy had probably broken it. He hurt all over. He’d had no idea that Jimmy could punch so hard.
His father had turned away from the whole group and was staring at the blank wall where Admiral Donnell had projected those devastating images.
His sister settled back into her chair and began furiously sending comms. Probably to the security department, wanting to make sure that all the Armada guys had truly left the resort. Jay had also returned to his chair, cradling his drink with one hand while pressing his forehead into the other.
Finally, Zane’s father turned around. He sighed, his temper under control again, and all signs of his anger smoothed from his expression. “Jay, when I promised you that we would find James’s family, I believed we would handle it smoothly and successfully. I’m so sorry.”
Jay frowned but didn’t speak. It was clear that he may have stayed, showing his loyalty to Lev, but it wasn’t without reservations. Zane swallowed thickly. The first image the admiral had shown them had only confirmed what Zane had already heard from the kid who had watched them. However, the moment the second image appeared on the wall, Zane realized what should have been glaringly obvious all along. The important piece he had been missing. This wasn’t about someone trying to frame the Lore crew or the Lobos so the Quintans would go after them.
It was abo
ut framing the Quintans.
“Someone wants to pin the kidnapping on us, Father,” Zane spoke, his voice muffled by the ice bag. “They’re hoping to set the Armada against us or divide us from the Forrests or both. Either way, it would ruin our family. And so far it is working.” Zane shifted the ice on his tender nose. “Clearly Jimmy believes it already,” he added in a low voice.
Jay raised his head, giving Zane one of his piercing stares. It felt like he was trying to read Zane’s soul through his eyes.
Lev closed his eyes briefly, and then his gaze flicked back to the blank wall again.
“Well, at least we have a place to start. It seems we do have some rogue security officers. Moriel?”
She looked up from her flipcom. “I’m on it already, Father. Our security manager is pulling the records for that evening.”
Jay finally spoke again. “Lev, I trust you implicitly, but,” he turned to Zane, “I want your solemn oath that you have nothing to do with this, Zane.”
Zane flinched at Jay’s transparent doubt, but he held his head high as he said fearlessly, “I swear that I had nothing to do with kidnapping Jimmy’s family.”
Jay held his eyes for a long moment and then nodded. “All right. Good enough.” He took a long sip from his drink. “I’ll leave it in your hands. Tomorrow I’ll try to patch things back up with James again. We still need to work together, and time is running out.” He shifted in his chair and grunted. “Now if someone could see me to my room, I’d be eternally grateful. I’m not feeling quite myself after interplanetary travel.” Moriel offered to lead him and they both left the office, leaving Zane alone with his father.
Zane staggered to his feet, figuring that he’d better head down to the infirmary for a scan, when his father put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him before he could leave.
“I know it’s not your fault, but I need you to smooth things over with James,” he instructed.
Zane smiled lopsidedly. “You want me to apologize for letting him use me as a punching bag?” He was proud of himself. His tone was only slightly bitter.
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