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He chanced to look her way while drinking. Lia was taking a long sip herself.
“You’ll quickly change your mind after a day or two, Dar. I’m a sheet hogger and midnight fridge raider.”
He felt his lips curling into an amused smile. “Pumpkin, I have no sheets on theDickion. They’re unnecessary when the temperature is kept optimal throughout the ship. There’s no fridge either, and midnight is, like any specific iona, irrelevant when flying in space.”
That got a laugh out of Lia. “You’re right. You should be safe with me… as far as sheets and snacking are concerned. No guarantees about other quirks of mine.”
“Can’t wait to find them all out.”
Redness crept up her slender neck. “Stop it, Dar, or you’ll once again reduce me to mush.”
On cue, the waiter glided to their table with their mush-like dishes. The plates were hovering over a button-size tray in his semi-transparent hand.
Lia perked up. “Thanks! Looks delicious.”
“Pay up. Now.”
Dargus sighed. This Kaltzupian was begging to be fired. At least paying the waiter early on would ensure no more interruptions.
Dargus fished his credits chip out of his belt. The second the scanner confirmed the payment, the waiter was gone. Fast enough to be running, had he had solid legs to step on.
“Is it the end of his shift or something?”
“Or something.” Dargus observed the hasty retreat of the waiter until the Kaltzupian disappeared behind the curtain by the bar. “Come on, pumpkin, dig in. I can’t wait to hear your reaction.”
She poked experimentally at the blue-tinted mush with her feeding straw. “Nothing is moving in my plate, which is a good start.”
Dargus chuckled and followed with rapt interest how she sank the straw in and–
Someone screamed.
That high-pitched scream was cut short by the sizzling sound of blaster fire.
Fruck.
“Down, Lia!”
She stared in shock, straw frozen in mid-air.
He jumped over the table and brought her down to the carpet. Two sechionas later, he had her tucked under him, thankful she was small enough for his body to shield her completely.
More screaming and sizzling sounds filled the tent.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, her voice muffled by the carpet.
Dargus clenched his jaw against her cheek. “We’re being Funk’frued.”
He should have seen this coming: the waiter’s attempt to get alcohol in their system, him being in a hurry to disappear, the Gorgonian businessman with three females dining here... The scheme always involved an employee feeding the robbers info about rich clients on site and lapses in street security patrols, but Dargus had heard only of shopping tents getting Funk’frued.Apparently not.
Dargus took in the situation at the other end of the tent while extracting his pulser.
The Gorgonian’s bodyguard had been the first to be taken down with a claw across the throat. Followed by a shot at the screaming businessman and the two massive Sartuans dining on the table closest to the Gorgonian. The robbers – five clients from various species who had all been present at the time of Dargus’ and Lia’s arrival – now had their outdated blasters turned on the shell-shocked diners. Save for one robber, whose blaster was trained on the Gorgonian’s females to force them to put slave collars on themselves.
If Dargus had had any doubts about choosing to fight, those were gone now. Giving the robbers all his credits would not be the safer option for Lia.
Because these criminals were here for the females. Includinghisfemale.
Over my dead tail!
