“That’s a good question.” Diesel’s eyes narrowed. “You’re right. I’ve been so freaked out about Smith being loose, and kidnapping my sister that I’m losing my ability to think clearly.”
“Maybe I just have a unique perspective.”
“Maybe you do.”
“What could he want, keeping in mind he likely planned to stop off at Daphne Charlene’s to pick those things up before meeting us on the lovers’ lane?”
“I wish I knew.”
Diesel’s phone buzzed. “Bubba? What’s up?” He pushed the speaker button so Wyatt could hear, too.
“Gage found something interesting in the computer files from the gulag ship and sent us a message to check it out.”
“Okay.”
“We found something truly, well, unexpected on the prisoner ship. I think you need to get over here to see it with your own eyes. In fact, we found more than one thing.”
“What did you find?”
“I don’t think you’ll believe what I’m about to tell you unless you see if for yourself.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“You know the five prisoners that didn’t make it out of their pods during the solar flare incident.”
“Sure. Those were five we didn’t have to go out and find wandering on Earth. I was grateful.”
“Well, it turns out that they are not prisoners.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Each of the five pods had a special computer simulation card embedded in the controls so it looked like a prisoner was in there. Not anymore. Gage was able to disrupt the sim card to reveal what is really in the cryo-pods.”
“What in the space potato farm is in there if not prisoners?”
“Ingots.”
Diesel frowned like he didn’t understand the word. “Say that again.” The only ingots Wyatt knew about were gold ingots.
“Alpha-Prime grade A gold ingots, ten pounds each, stamped with the symbol from the main branch of the largest depository in Alpha-Prime’s premium sphere. Each of the five cryo-pods is filled to the top with carefully stacked ingots.”
“Gold ingots?” Wyatt asked. “You all have gold on your planet, too? Is it a treasure like here on Earth?”
“Yes, sort of a treasure. But it’s used very differently on Alpha-Prime.”
“What do you use gold for?”
“Alternate fuel source.”
Valene was caught. Indigo overpowered her, pushed her to the bed, smashed her face into the soft surface and had her in Alpha handcuffs bound behind her back before she even realized he’d moved.
So frustrating.
“I don’t understand why you are immune to my charms, Valene. Even the weak humans here on this lovely planet bend to my will as easily as the Alphas back home.”
She didn’t know, either, but wondered how she could ever have fallen for him in the first place. Wyatt was her love. Her only love.
