That sounded like a good deal. “Okay. When does your shift start?”
“I start at nineteen hundred, which is when the doors open. How about I meet you at your hotel an hour before? We can walk over together and then have something to eat before it gets busy.”
“That would be great. Moving through a crowd is so much easier when I have you with me to clear the way.”
“We’ll work on your scowl and growl technique on the walk to the Forge.”
She laughed, and her next words slipped past her filters and escaped into the wild before she could stop them. “It’s a date.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, and she couldn’t tell which of them was more surprised.
“It is. You and me. On a date.” Mace chuckled. “Xaber is going to go nova when he hears about it. He thinks I’m hopeless at this kind of thing.”
“I’m no expert, but I think you did fine. You actually asked me out. He just asked if I was single. No follow-through.”
His laughter boomed over the small speaker. “Please point that out to him the next time we’re all together. I’ll record it all and then send him the video every time his ego gets too big.”
“If I see an opening, I’ll take it,” she said.
“That’s all I can ask. I should let you get back to it. See you tonight, Tix.”
“Looking forward to it. See you then.”
She ended the call and allowed herself a few seconds to enjoy the moment. She had adate. That hadn’t happened since before she’d voluntarily signed the indentured employment contract. For the first time since she’d gone on the run, she felt hopeful. Like maybe she could really start over.
Maybe.
She knew better than to expect the universe to be kind. You had to find happiness where you could and then hang on tight because nothing lasted forever.
“Way to be your own wet blanket,” she scolded herself as she pushed off the wall. Enough with the grim outlook and dour musings. Tonight she would listen to music, eat food with actual flavor, and spend time with a sexy-as-sin cyborg whose deep voice made her insides go gooey.
She pulled the respirator over her face and moved back toward her unfinished work. She’d need another hour to finish it. That left her just enough time to get back to the hotel and spend some of her newly earned scrip on a luxurious fifteen-minute shower.
That’s when her brain slammed on the brakes. With a curse, she yanked up her mask and stared down at herself. Battered work boots and a grease-stained coverall would not work for tonight’s outing.
Fraxx. She had to get this thing working in half the time she’d intended so she had a few minutes to go shopping. Nothing in the handful of items she’d managed to cram into her bag before fleeing her home was suitable.
She waited to feel guilty about spending money on herself, but nothing happened. All she felt was anticipation about tonight and a warm feeling she couldn’t really describe.
It might not be happiness, but it was close enough. She intended to hold on to this feeling as long as she could.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mace checked the time again.He had six minutes left. He’d long since learned that beings didn’t react well when someone like him loitered in front of their business. Most of the time, that didn’t bother him. Tonight, he wanted things to go well, and that included avoiding confrontations with beings Tix might have to interact with later. Like the manager of the hotel she was staying in.
He forced himself to slow his pace, but he couldn’t do anything about his brain. He kept jumping from one thought to another, only to circle back to the same thing a few minutes later.
He was nervous. He knew that. What he didn’t understand was why. He’d blown up tanks, stared down armies, and survived combat conditions that could take out a nantari rhino. Why thefraxxwas his nervous system going into overdrive now?
The answer was obvious. Tix. A simple name for one of the most interesting, capable, and attractive females he’d met in a long time. His batch-sisters would have adopted her by now, and he could imagine them sharing every embarrassing story they had about him and Xaber.
Thinking about the missing members of his family always stung, no matter how much time had passed. He missed them all, and he always would. It helped to know that tonight he’d keep a promise he had made a long time ago.
He heard Star’s voice again, as clear as it had been the eve before a battle they didn’t expect to survive. “If you make it out of this shit show and I don’t, promise me you’ll live well. You hear me? Be true to yourself, and show those corporate bastards they didn’t break us.”
That was why their ship was named theLive True.It was a statement of intent. One that they were still trying to live up to. Tonight felt like a step forward on that journey. This wasn’t about survival or trying to get ahead. This night was about desirable company, good food, and live music.
And that’s why he was nervous. Because tonight mattered.
