Page 37 of Willow and the Wraith

“Very elite clientele, for one. And the merchandise? Specific requests only. No bulk orders.” Drax lowered his voice. “Rumor has it there’s a high-level imperial official involved, even though the emperor has forbidden human traffic.”

His pulse quickened, but he kept his face impassive. “Any names?”

Drax shook his head. “Nothing concrete. But whoever it is, they’ve got serious pull. This operation’s got layers of protection that shouldn’t exist.”

Wraith mulled over the information. It aligned with what he’d seen – the unexpected security measures, the rapid evacuations. An imperial connection would explain a lot.

“Anything else?” he pressed.

Drax hesitated. “Just… be careful, Wraith. This isn’t your typical bounty. You’re poking at something big here.”

The fact that Drax was concerned enough about it to warn him spoke volumes about how dangerous he considered it.

“Thank you,” he said, surprising both himself and Drax.

Drax shook his head, then grinned at him.

“That one was on the house. There’ll be a charge next time.”

“I’m sure there will be,” he said dryly, but he was smiling too as he left.

Their interaction had been… warmer than usual. Was that due to Willow’s influence?

He increased his pace, already anxious to return to her, as he thought about the information Drax had shared. The possibility of a high-level government official being involved in the slave ring added a new layer of complexity to his mission - and risk. Normally that would have only added to the challenge, but somehow the pursuit of his quarry wasn’t as engrossing as usual.

As soon as he reached the landing pad, he knew something was wrong. The cargo ramp gaped open, and supplies littered the ground around it. Willow! He drew his weapon, moving swiftly and silently towards the ship.

He found Malacar sprawled on the ground at the bottom of the ramp, a nasty gash on his forehead. He knelt, checking for a pulse. It was there, steady but weak. Relief mingled with a surge of anger as he scanned the area for threats.

A muffled sob caught his attention. He whirled, weapon raised, as Sooni emerge from behind a stack of crates. Her eyes were wide with fear, tears streaming down her face.

“Wraith!” she cried, rushing towards him. He lowered his weapon and caught her as she flung herself into his arms.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice low and urgent.

Sooni hiccupped, struggling to speak through her tears.

“A strange male. His scent tasted bad. He hurt Grandfather and… he took Willow!”

A cold knot formed in the pit of his stomach.

“Describe him,” he ordered, trying to keep his voice gentle despite the tension coursing through him.

As Sooni stammered out a description, his jaw clenched. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Zalek. A rival bounty hunter with a reputation for playing dirty.

Rage threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced it down. He needed to think clearly. Had Zalek taken Willow to return her to her original captors? If so, he had to find them before they left the planet. It wouldn’t stop him from following, but it would make it considerably more difficult.

He picked up Malacar as gently as possible, hurrying up the ramp and into the ship. Sooni followed, still sobbing quietly. As he placed Malacar on his bunk, the elderly male gave a muffled groan, his eyes fluttering open.

“Wh-what… “

“Willow’s been taken, and I’m going after her. Both of you stay here. I’ll set the alarms when I leave.”

He should have set them before but it was too late for that now. As he turned to leave, Sooni grabbed his hand, her face still wet with tears.

“Find Willow,” she pleaded.

“I will, sweetie,” he promised as he gave her a quick hug. Both the hug and the endearment felt awkward, but they seemed to comfort her. “Don’t worry.”

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