Page 44 of Relyn
“Please don’t kill me.”
“You wanted them to kill him,” Nora prodded. “I think an eye for an eye might be an acceptable punishment. Clearly the people on the station are willing to look the other way when something shady goes down.”
He started crying again.
“Why did he take you?”
“He wanted,” Wendy said. “The code.”
“The code, the code, the code,” Nora echoed. Relyn was pretty sure they were mocking the Polings.
“What code?” Relyn asked.
“Exactly! What code?” Nora asked.
The Melian remained silent. Relyn gave him another shake.
“The credit account code,” he blurted out.
Nora held out a credit stick.
“He seems to think it’s got a code. I mean, it’s only got like a thousand credits on it.”
“Run it past my com scanner,” Relyn said. He looked at the results, shifted his grip, so he was holding the Melian aloft with one hand. He pressed a few buttons on his com and the answer became clear.
“The daily limit is a thousand. The account itself has four million credits in it. You need a code to access the account.”
“Ohhh,” Nora and Wendy said in unison.
Relyn couldn’t believe he’d let them go around the station flashing so much money without an escort. No wonder they had been picked as an easy target for thieves.
“Shall I kill him now?” Relyn asked. He wanted to punch something, but the Melian seemed like such a flimsy target that it would take no skill and the fight would be over in five seconds.
“I have information!” the Melian shouted.
“What kind of information?” Nora asked.
“All the information. Any kind of information. I deal in information. How do you think I got word of your account balance? I am the one guy you need to find out all the secrets. But dead people don’t tell secrets,” the Melian said.
“Right. We can just break an arm or two instead,” Wendy said.
The Melian laughed pitifully as if she had just told a joke. “Release me, unharmed and you can have any information you want. I got unlock codes that will knock your socks off. You want a pleasure palace coupon? I got one that makes it nearly free.”
“What’s a pleasure palace?” Wendy asked.
“A brothel. What makes you think we need a brothel?”
The Melian shrugged. “You seem a little uptight.”
“Perhaps that’s because someone just abducted my mate!” More shaking ensued and the Melian lost his nerve.
“What information do you want?” he asked quietly.
Relyn unsnapped the com off the Melian’s wrist. He tossed it to Wendy who began to scroll.
She squinted and tried not to laugh. “What’s the code?”
“The code, the code, the code,” Nora repeated, giggling. At least they were in a good mood after being abducted. Most females would have been passed out with terror before now.
