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She nodded back and the day fell into its usual rhythm - a handful of regulars mixed with a steady flow of customers from the spaceport, most of them crew members off the ships that landed there and quite a few of them aliens. Cresca was a colony planet and outside of Port Cantor, it was primarily populated by humans. Even in the city, humans tended to associate with other humans, but Grisham wouldn’t turn down anyone with a pulse and a purse full of credits - and the first was definitely less important than the second.
As a result, the alien who entered late that afternoon shouldn’t have caught her attention. He was big - a head taller than Grisham - with wide shoulders and an impressively muscled chest beneath a tight-fitting shirt. He clearly had reptilian ancestry; his features unfamiliar but not displeasing. He was hairless, his skin covered with shimmering golden scales marked with a copper pattern. She watched in fascination as a thickly muscled tail flicked behind him as he strolled over to a table in the far corner.
“Get over there, you stupid woman,” Grisham hissed, pinching her arm painfully, and she realized she was still staring at the stranger.
Blushing, she hurried over to take his order. He looked up when she approached and their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat when she met that piercing blue gaze and once again she found herself staring. Not human eyes, she thought absently as the slit pupils started to dilate, then a corner of his mouth curved up to reveal very white, very sharp teeth.
“Did you plan to give me that?”
He had a deep voice, cool and slightly mocking, and she winced as she realized she was still clutching the plas sheet with the menu. Her cheeks burning, she handed it over, their fingers almost touching.
“Do you want something to drink while you’re looking?”
“Ale. Whatever you have on tap.”
“Yes, sir.”
As she started back across the room to the bar, the door opened. She looked over automatically and her stomach clenched. It was the three guards from the street. Maybe they won’t recognize me, she thought optimistically, but then the leader caught sight of her and grinned. It wasn’t a happy expression.
“Well look who we have here, boys. The little bitch who caused such a mess earlier.”
Ignoring the protests from the half a dozen patrons in the way, they shoved through the tables towards her. She tried to edge back behind the bar but misjudged the distance and ended up against the wall. Her heartbeat sped up as the three of them surrounded her, leaving no room for escape this time.
“We have some unfinished business,” the leader snarled. “The vendor filed a complaint and the boss ain’t happy. You owe us.”
“I can give you my tips,” she said quickly. It was all she had, but maybe that would satisfy them.
“Tips from working in this dump? We don’t want your pitiful credits. We want something else.”
The implication in his voice was clear, and when his gaze dropped to her breasts she felt physically sick. She tried to peer past him, searching for help. Nate was concentrating on polishing a glass and refusing to look in her direction. It was almost a relief to see Grisham stomping out of the back. He opened his mouth, then took in the guards’ uniforms. His scowl darkened, but then he turned on his heel and returned to the kitchen. Oh, God.
One of the guards had seen Grisham, and he elbowed the leader, jerking his head towards the kitchen.
“Better take it out of here. There’s an alley round back.”
The look on his face made her stomach churn even more, then she yelped as the leader suddenly jerked her against his body, twisting her arm behind her. Tears of pain filled her eyes.
“You’re hurting me!” She tried to twist free, but he wasn’t making the same mistake again, his fingers digging painfully into her flesh as he jerked her arm higher. “Stop it! Let me go!”
A shadow fell across the guard’s face and he jerked around, still holding onto her arm. The golden stranger stood there. He appeared at ease but even Lottie could sense the danger rolling off of him as he smiled in a way that did not look friendly at all.
“Walk away,” the guard snarled. “If you’re interested in the woman, you can have her when we’re finished with her but we’re going to play first.”
The alien’s smile widened, showing those very sharp teeth.
“I am afraid that won’t be possible. Let her go and leave. Now.”
One of the other guards tried to pull the leader aside.
“No need to get in a fight for a piece of ass. Boss won’t like it.”
“I don’t fucking care. I’m taking her with me and no godsdammed alien is gonna stop me.”
“Wrong answer.”
The alien stepped forward, grasped the leader by the neck, and pulled him away from her in one smooth, rapid motion. She stared, frozen in place, as he tightened his grip on the guard’s neck. The guard gasped, clawing at the stranger’s arm, but it was like a child trying to overcome an adult. The two other guards started to rush in but the alien extended an almost casual hand, throwing the first guard to the side, sending him crashing into a nearby table. A split second later the third guard was slammed against the wall, crumpling into an unmoving heap on the floor.
“Let me go,” the leader begged, and the alien smiled again.
