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