Page 44 of Escape Velocity

“On some levels.”

“You said the space station wanted to get out from under . . . Federation rule. And the same for colonists who fled into the swamps.”

He gave her a direct look. “On Naxion, do you think the men who raise women to be slaves are doing it with government approval— or are they running a criminal operation?”

She thought for a moment. “I can’t be sure, but I think it must be illegal.”

“Why?”

“You saw the way the sellers met you. They weren’t exactly operating in the sunlight.”

“Yeah. I guess people will push the limits of what they can get away with—if the money is worth the risk.”

Max went to another site—not something official from the government but a safe place where men and women who operated at the edge of the law could exchange information or put up warnings about people and places to avoid.

Did Tudor know about this secret location for exchanging information? Did he check in occasionally to find out what was being said about him? Or about his enemies, for that matter. Max had no way of knowing for sure, but he figured he’d better be cautious.

He had an account he thought couldn’t be traced. Still, he wasn’t going to give anything away. Instead of going in and asking a question, he searched on Tudor’s name and title and got some interesting information.

As he scrolled through entries mentioning the man, Amber said, “I can read, but not fast. What are you seeing?”

“He has a penthouse in one of the Port City towers. But he spends a lot of time at an estate in river-rat territory.”

“The swamp? Where you said I could live but I wouldn’t like it?”

“Yes.”

“Why does he want to go there?”

“It’s not all mud and mucky water, and he’s not living like a river rat in a shack on stilts. He has a big house with servants, and he brings luxuries from the city.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I know he’s the kind of guy who looks out for his own comfort.”

Max kept reading and summarized for Amber. “Several times he’s hired workers from the local community, then paid them far less than the agreed-upon wage. And there was nothing they could do about it because they’re not living there legally. If they objected, he could make trouble for them.”

“That’s nasty of him, but it doesn’t prove he imported sex slaves.”

Max skipped to another entry. “He paid off an inspector at the spaceport to look the other way when some merchandise came in.”

“By merchandise, do you mean a woman?”

“I can’t tell. But apparently something illegal.”

He found another entry. “Slat.”

“What?”

“One of the worker’s dogs followed him when he came to the estate. It was digging in a flower bed, and Tudor shot it. He said that if the owner couldn’t control it, it was his right to take action.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s disgusting.”

Max kept reading the entry and went very still.

“What?”

“That same man says he would have quit, but he stayed on the job trying to find out something he could use against Tudor.”

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