Wreckers: A Denver Boyd Novel by George Ellis (ebook reader ink .TXT) 📕

“I’d rather have a beer and an egg roll,” I said.

Jiang smiled again and turned to the stout woman with the dour face that had just appeared next to him. He said something in Chinese and the woman hustled back to the fueling truck and hopped in.

I followed Jiang through the bay doors into the atrium of the ship, which had been expanded to be a hundred feet higher, giving the main entrance an airier feel. The interior of the atrium was lined with small balconies, each belonging to an apartment. Most of the balconies were empty at the moment, but a few were occupied by residents who stepped out of their homes to vape or just lean over the railing and enjoy the view. I didn’t like the eyes on me. Jiang sensed my apprehension and quickly escorted me to a corridor leading to his own apartment.

“Do not worry, the people who live here have little interest in bounties like yours,” he said. “Some have warrants out on them as well, though none with as many zeroes…”

“Collection and naturalization?” I asked.

Jiang nodded. It bothered him that the federation would rather spend the resources to track down and harass working class people than simply forgive them the taxes owed. These were folks that had enough problems. I agreed with Jiang, of course, and that was part of why I liked him so much. As the Quadrant Mayor, he charged much less for his apartments than he could have, and he probably gave the hardest cases places to live for free.

His apartment could have been the nicest in the quad, if he wanted. After all, he was the mayor. Instead, he lived in what I guessed was a fairly average rental compared to the rest. One bedroom and bath. A small kitchen. And a sort of living room/storage area combo. The view from his window was of the recycling bins.

He closed the blinds to make me feel better, then lifted the lid off the pot in the kitchen. Steam rose from the simmering oil and I caught the scent of honest-to-goodness home cooking. I nearly fainted on the spot. When Jiang returned from the fridge with a cold bottle of IPA for me, I almost embraced him once again.

I took a long swig of the beer and sat on the couch, some of the tension easing in my shoulders. Jiang sat across from me, appraising me more closely now.

“The egg rolls are almost done,” he said. “Want to talk business or just keep it light?”

I mulled the question for a few moments, then shrugged.

“I’m already asking too much just being here with the Stang. But if you want to get in even deeper, I’m happy to hear your advice.”

Jiang shook his head. “I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for you. I still owe you.”

I waved my hand and motioned to the egg rolls. “Those will be payment enough, trust me.”

“Those?” Jiang joked. “I only made you one!”

I smiled, knowing he was kidding. Or hoping, anyway.

He settled into the couch and swigged his beer. “What can you tell me?”

“It seems I may have crossed the wrong man,” I began. “Well, before that, I helped the woman you saw escape a federation ship. We left some bodies in our wake. And then Desmond, yes, that Desmond, forced me to be part of a suicide mission to take down the Rox, which apparently exists. Oh, and my brother is alive.”

Jiang took a moment to absorb this information. “I hate to think you’re holding any details back, Denver. That sounds pretty serious as it is. Your brother is alive. Wow. How do you feel about that?”

“I honestly don’t know, and that’s the part that bothers me.”

Jiang understood. Not only did he know enough of my story to realize I had complicated feelings when it came to Avery, he was also the black sheep of his own family. The only one with a conscience, he often told me, and I got the impression he spent most of his life trying to compensate for his family’s shortcomings. It explained why he was so generous and giving.

“What about the giant?” he asked.

Edgar. I was wondering how long he’d take to ask about him.

“Desmond wanted him on my crew to make sure I went through with our deal,” I said.

“You with a crew…that’s a new one,” he admitted, considering the scenario.

“How are Pirate and Gary adjusting?”

I laughed. “Better than me, let’s just say that.”

“This man…”

“Edgar.”

“Edgar. He seems…different.”

Jiang wasn’t just a lenient landlord who made a mean egg roll. He had also been a bio-engineer in a former life. And he knew after one glance what I’d been starting to realize about Edgar.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure he’s enhanced,” I said. “Not just physically, either. The guy hacked a missile navigation system like he was opening a sliding door.”

“The way he moves, I’d guess those physical upgrades were military, and not run of the mill. We’re talking about high end work that may have started at a developmental age,” Jiang said. “Intelligence implants on top of that and he could be a pretty scary situation.”

“He is. And he’s not even the one I worry about most. Batista, the woman I sprung from a fed ship, has me twisted like a pretzel.”

Jiang raised an eyebrow at the expression. He’d never heard of a pretzel, apparently.

“She’s hard to figure,” I clarified. “I don’t know her angle. At least with Edgar, I know where I stand.”

“And where’s that?”

“About an inch from the edge at all times. Are those damn egg rolls done yet? I need some fried dough and pork!”

Jiang nodded at my mock anger and went to fetch the food.

* * *

No sooner had I bit into the flaky, delicious crust of my second egg roll than I felt a buzz in my pocket. I checked my handheld. It was Batista. She wasn’t looking at the screen, but rather seemed to be checking her