Talina said, “That’s the sort of agent The Corporation would dispatch if they thought someone was skimming or if they suspected blatant theft somewhere in the transportation or distribution.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Shig rocked his wine glass on the dented wood.

“Chad Grunnel,” Yvette noted. “He’s supposed to be a ‘resources procurement specialist.’ And it says he’s with Asteroidal Assessments. That mean anything?”

“Yeah,” Talina told her. “That’s the company that exploits mining in the Belt. They funnel raw materials to the manufacturing stations. My guess? Good old Chad makes sure the production quotas are met. One way or another.”

“And, finally, we have Falise Taglioni.” Yvette spared Talina a knowing glance. “Dek ever talk about her?”

Talina leaned back, ran fingers down the sweating side of her mug. “Oh, yeah. That’s his younger sister. Claudio and Malissa’s first daughter. What’s her supposed occupation listed as?”

Yvette pointed at the paper. “Says here that she’s a ‘business efficiency consultant.’ Dek ever say what that was?”

“Yeah, Falise does the Taglionis’ dirty work.” Talina narrowed her eyes. “She gets information on rivals. Conducts industrial espionage. Destroys threats to the family. Eliminates what you’d call ‘problem’ people. You know, the ones who might get in the way. Call her the family’s enforcer, spy, and assassin.”

Shig lifted his wine, studied the red liquid. “Remember that Dek sent Dan Wirth to Solar System with a Taglioni family seal. We don’t know what Dan would have told them. However, dropping a sleazy psychopath who’s swimming in wealth on their doorstep? I assume that Fabio, Miko, and the rest of the family are fully capable of understanding exactly what message their long-lost errant son might be sending.”

Talina said thoughtfully, “They don’t have the first fricking clue what kind of man Dek’s turned into. Last they knew, he was that pompous and spoiled little prig they all detested.”

“Agreed,” Yvette noted. “But whatever Dan Wirth might have told the Taglionis, they’ve sent little sister to check up on her brother.”

Talina took a deep breath, the Demon quetzal in her stomach shifting, unsettling her guts. She accessed com. “Two Spot? Any word on Dek’s location?”

“Last I heard, he and Kylee were out at the claim hunting the treetop terror. Want me to fire up the big radio and send him a message?”

“Yeah, tell him his sister, Falise, is coming to town.”

“His sister Falise . . . ? Uh, you mean like the one on the Turalon passenger list?”

“That’s her. And tell him I send my love. Oh, and let him know Falise has thirty marines at her disposal.”

And that, she speculated, was really going to make Dek’s day.

Chapter 6

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