Quick as was Aniolo-jat’s mind, he was hard pressed to keep up with the avalanching chain of complaints. Eight hundred thousand credits? Paid into A’Jah and Y’Hua accounts? He decided to respond with the first thing that came to mind. That his reply was completely honest only served to exacerbate the already tense situation.
“I know nothing about any such funds.”
Ears flicking forward, the elder murmured to the unblinking Sesesthi-toa, “I told you he would say that.”
Heat rising in his own ears, Aniolo-jat barked back, “I know nothing about any such funds because there can’t be any such. If our AAnn friends were going to transfer such an amount to us, the first thing they would have done was inform me about it.”
“Maybe they did.” Though an attractive female, Sesesthi-toa looked anything but mating material at the moment.
Primordial instincts threatened to overwhelm progressive thought as Aniolo-jat almost reached for the traditional long knife slung at his waist strappings. “Are you calling me a liar, Hata-yuiqueru?”
“The money exists. We want our share.” She was not in the least intimidated by his attitude, his glare, his weapon, or the fact that she was a guest in his house.
With an effort, he forced himself to stay calm. Tranquillity provided room for thought, and thought led with blinding realization to a sudden revelation.
“This is a trick!”
Sesesthi-toa was not so easily dissuaded. “The money is real. How is that a trick?” A visitor could have smelled the tension accumulating behind her.