Lacy
I’d spentthe walk from the ship to the center of Crash City looking around in wonder.I hadn’t been on a planet in years.Kottke was so bright.It was late afternoon, but the way the sun reflected off the sand made it seem like the middle of the day.I’d forgotten what outside—real outside—was like.I obviously needed to get out more.
The landing zone and our ship were on the outskirts of town, but since the town was so small, the walk had only taken a few minutes.
While I gawked, Dax and Burn had been getting the lay of the land.I would’ve walked right into the side of a building if Dax hadn’t stopped me.
“Are you ready for this?”
I met his concerned gaze and nodded.“Ready.”
We were stopped in front of Greenfield, the bar the control tower had “recommended.”Like most of the buildings in town, it was low and squat and made of wood that had bleached after so many years in the harsh sun.It looked sad and old, not welcoming in the slightest.
“You remember the plan?”Dax rested his hand on my lower back.
“I remember.”It was just the three of us, nice and casual.Mercer and Orion had already made their way here to do reconnaissance.We’d split up so we didn’t look like a scary group.Fortunawas the only ship at the spaceport, so it was obvious where any newcomers were from.
I exhaled slowly.Now that we were face-to-face with the plan, I realized how out of my depth I was.Even with Burn and Dax at my back, my nerves were jangling.Thank god I had stolentheirship.Doing this alone would be even scarier.
“Deep breath.You got this,” Dax murmured.He gave me a squeeze and then his hand was gone.
I could do this.
The door swung open with a creak.Crossing the threshold, we transitioned from bright day to gloomy night.Conversation stopped, but the clink of glassware continued.Once inside, I stepped to the side and let my eyes adjust.Burn and Dax entered right behind me.The door swung closed with a groan.
Despite feeling everyone’s eyes on me, I kept to the plan and walked in like I did this every day.
“Beer?”Burn asked.
Dax and I both nodded and she peeled off toward the bar.
The inside was bigger than I’d expected, with more than two dozen tables and a bar that ran the length of one side of the building.Maybe a third of the tables were in use, including the one where Mercer and Orion sat.
Dax ignored them when we walked past.He chose a table on the other side of the room, near the wall.He grabbed the seat that gave him the best view of the whole space.
My shoulders tensed as I settled across from him, exposing my back to the room.I scooted my chair around so I had at least a limited view.
“Drinks?”A waitress in black cargo pants and a tank top appeared at our table.
“Got drinks taken care of.”Dax pointed to Burn standing at the bar.“But you got anything to eat?”
The waitress curled her lip.Her voice dropped to a whisper.“If you want food poisoning, order anything that says fresh.Something fried is your best bet.That or a sealed snack bag if you want to splurge.”
Wow.Thatall sounded delicious.
I let Dax do the talking since she didn’t look at me the whole time.He ordered fries, which I planned to stay away from, and a few bags of chips.Hopefully the snacks would be edible, since I was hungry and would need to absorb the alcohol if the beer was drinkable.
“Be right back with those, handsome.”
She turned and deftly sidestepped past Burn, who was juggling three glasses of beer.I grabbed two and set one in front of Dax.She nodded in thanks before taking the chair next to him.“Ooh, you got the handsome treatment.Think she really thinks so or is it part of the service here?”
Dax shrugged, but he looked embarrassed.
“Probably both,” I said.“Guys probably tip better if they think she’s into them.Plus, how many actually good-looking men come in here every day?”
Burn looked around the room.“Looks like one or two locals, but I think we broke records bringing three of them in today.”
My eyes had adjusted to the dim light and I could see Dax’s cheeks turn red.
