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It does look nice.
Too bad we probably can’t stay. I get to my feet, pausing and pretending to stretch as I test my bad leg out again. “I don’t think they’re going to allow a bounty hunter on those resorts,” I point out to my mate. “So what’s our angle? Shipping? Job hunting? Air-sled valets?”
She crosses her arms, gazing at the tropical paradise that surrounds the busy port. “Hmm. Job hunting, I suppose.” She turns to me, her eyes narrowed. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Bethiah purses her lips. “You seem distracted.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice Rhonda cozying up with Dora earlier today. I can’t help but wonder what that’s all about.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Dora’s too trusting.”
“I think she recognizes Rhonda for who she is. Give her some credit. She says they’re not friends. That she’s just being polite.” I might be a little suspicious of them being together, but I’ll take harmony over everyone at each other’s throats. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“You don’t know Rhonda like I do. There’s a motive to everything that comes out of her mouth. Either she’s sabotaging us to Dora, or she’s pumping her for information. She doesn’t know how to be anything but self-serving.” Bethiah makes a face. “And the longer she’s here, the more I regret being nice.”
I snort with amusement. “I don’t think anyone would make the mistake of calling you nice.”
“Not to my face,” she agrees and straightens. “All right. Time to get down to business. Don’t suppose you have any contacts here?”
“None. You?”
“Not any that would spit on me if I were dying of thirst on a desert planet,” Bethiah says cheerfully. “So I guess we strap on our blasters, pretend we’re jobseekers and get some day passes. You said we’re looking for a credit signature at one of the resorts?”
I nod. “And his personal cruiser docked here three weeks ago and, according to my records, is still here.”
“Ooo. An abandoned vehicle. Now things are getting juicy.” Bethiah rubs her hands together. “Part of me kinda hopes he’s dead so we can take that to a scrapyard.”
“But then we’re stuck with Rhonda.”
Her eager expression falls. “You’re right. Forget I said anything.” She strides over to me, twining her tail with mine, and the pleasure of it is even greater than the quick kiss she brushes over my cheek. “All right, handsome. Should we split up down below or go adventuring together?”
As much as I want to stay at her side, I can’t help but be practical. “The sooner we get done, the sooner we get paid. It makes sense to split up.”
“Spoil sport.” She reaches around and grabs my ass. “I hope we tie things up quickly. A hunt always makes me feel frisky and I’m in the mood right now.”
“Save it for later. Job first.”
Bethiah gives my ass another squeeze, her eyes gleaming with a feral light. “Let’s hope for an enticing hunt, then. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll run from us.”
If he does, he’s a bigger fool than I thought.
Ninety-Five
BETHIAH
“So,” I say as we cut through the employee entrance to one of the largest resorts. “What do you think the odds are that we’ll return to the ship and find Rhonda in pieces?”
Jamef doesn’t respond to my joke, scanning the hall around us.
I frown at his back. He’s been distracted all day. I’m sure he’s nervous about leaving Dora behind, but I’ve been working with her all week on blasters, and she’s getting a lot better with them. Plus, she’s scrappy. She can handle herself, and we showed her the lockdown sequence on the ship if anyone tries to board her. So I’m not entirely sure why Jamef is being so distant, but I’m not a fan of it. I need him to be paying attention, especially if we’re going to do something dangerous.
And considering he’s with me? The odds are good on dangerous.
“So I’m thinking we split up,” I drawl as we head down a long, grimy-looking hall. It’s dimly lit, the flaked-paint metal walls a sharp contrast from the vibrant and lush resort above. Guess they don’t spend the credits on the staff here. When I still don’t get a response from Jamef, I continue. “We split up, you do all the grunt work, and I go find a bar and drink fruity concoctions until you come and pick me up. Deal?”
Jamef pauses, then squints, his red eye flaring as he gazes down the hall ahead of us, and then looks behind us once more. “According to the schematic I just downloaded, the long-term port dock for guest ships is just ahead.”
“That’s great,” I say dryly. “You’re not listening to me at all.”
He blinks at me and focuses on my face. “What were you saying?”
“That I’m going to find the security office and suck the dicks of everyone I see until someone gives me vid footage of the dock. You’re good with that, right?”
