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Asher clapped me on the back. He was a few inches shorter than me, with a stocky frame and darker skin. Black braids hung down his back, dotted with ceremonial beads. “Ethan. It is good to see you.”
The others watched for a moment, which should have made me feel uncomfortable, but I was too happy to feel out of place. Emerson rubbed his jaw. “What brings you here?”
Sosa smiled and motioned to me. I obediently released Asher and walked back over to him. “Ethan contacted me to ask if I had any information pertaining to his situation. Unfortunately, I was of little help, but I was on one of Esmuna’s moons and thought I would drop in to visit my old friend.”
I knew there was more to the story, but I didn’t say anything. Not in front of everyone. I clasped Sosa’s forearm. “I’m always happy to see you,rinwayo.”
Sosa nodded to me. His eyes went to Steel, and then to Julia. “Introduce me to your other companions.”
I frowned at him, but I recognized an order when I heard one. I might not be part of the gang anymore, but that was only because Sosa had allowed me to leave. In a situation like this, I still had to acknowledge him as leader and behave like I was still part of the gang. I motioned to Steel and Julia in turn. “This is Steel and Julia.”
Steel had a closed, predatory look on his face. That seemed to be his default face when meeting new people. In his line of work, it paid to be cautious. Julia also didn’t look too thrilled. She did, however, extend her hand, whereas Steel did not.
Sosa took her hand with a smile and an assessing look. “Pleasure to meet you, Julia.” While still clasping her hand he leaned towards me. “You did not mention how beautiful she was when we talked.”
Julia blushed ever so slightly, and I felt a little embarrassed myself. Before I could think of something to say, Julia spoke. “When we first met, I was covered in dirt, dust, and blood, so I doubt I looked very beautiful then. First impressions last, you know.”
Sosa chuckled and released her hand. “True, but I think Ethan is a bit more evolved than that.”
Emerson interrupted, to my relief. “Let’s sit and eat. I’m famished.”
Somehow, Steel and I ended up sitting next to each other across from Emerson and Julia. I didn’t like the seating arrangement, but there was nothing I could do about it. Asher sat on Julia’s other side, but I would have felt more comfortable if I was the one next to her. Sosa had decided to forgo his seat of honor and sit on the end next to me instead. He nudged my elbow as we dug into the food Emerson’s men had fetched for us. “How has work been going? Find any amazing storm stuff lately?”
I snickered at his teasing tone. “It’s been going well. You know how storms fascinate me. I have some cool pictures back on my ship I should send to you. Admittedly, Cadium is not my favorite planet, though I did end up finding something I had not expected.”
My eyes connected with Julia’s, and she smiled softly before taking another bite of what appeared to be meatloaf. Sosa caught the look and lifted an eyebrow. “Is that where you met the lovely lady sitting across from us?”
Of course, he already knew the answer to that, but he was giving me an out in case the others at the table weren’t supposed to know that. I didn’t mind the question as much as I minded his insinuations. I turned and gave him what I hoped was a quelling look.
“Yes. But that’s a long story. I would be much more interested in hearing about this business you were doing on the moon. Which moon was that?”
“Acacia. We were meeting with a new potential client.” He chewed thoughtfully. “Buyer. Wasn’t sure he was legit, so I declined the deal.”
Julia snorted so softly I almost missed it. She coughed to cover it and kept her eyes on her plate as she took another bite. Sosa eyed her, but I couldn’t read his expression. I had a feeling the two of them weren’t going to get along. They were enemies by nature. Police officers and drug lords weren’t usually compatible friends.
Sosa dropped the subject and looked back at me. “How goes things here?”
It was an open-ended question, and I glanced at Emerson before answering. He nodded to me to signal that I could tell Sosa about the situation.
“We hit a snag. Tracked down one of the thieves on Archuleta’s payroll, but he’s since been killed.”
Sosa took a drink and lifted his eyebrows. “One of the thieves?”
I nodded. “He was reporting to someone, but we didn’t figure out who it was. Kent was our best lead, and now he’s dead.”
“Do you have any other leads?”
“Yeah, if we can make it work.”
“Actually,” Emerson interjected, “I’m thinking you might be able to help us with that.”
I gave him a questioning look, and he shrugged. “Goliath has the clout, and obviously enough money.”
“You want Goliath to set up the meet?” Julia nearly dropped her fork.
The idea had merit. I thought it over.He would be a good fit. He is well-known and would have an obvious reason for wanting to purchase guns.
“Yeah, I could see that working.” I agreed with Emerson.
