Raider leaned back in his chair.“Naw, man.I got tired of the bullshit.I’m a free agent now.I’ve got a ship and thought I might try my hand at salvaging.”
The flame haired rough left his table, drifting closer.He circled their table, ending up behind Kira.
He leaned a forearm against the back of her chair, one hand toying with the back of her hood as the other reached around to grab her drink.“Hmm.Chai.Delicious.”He licked his lips, setting the drink back down in front of her.“Ships don’t come cheap these days.”
Kira nudged the glass away.Guess she was done with that.Too bad.She hadn’t even gotten a single sip.
Raider eyed her, looking worried.He knew how much she disliked people touching her food.“Paychecks add up when you’ve lived your entire adult life either on the battlefield or a military ship.”
Especially when you factored in combat pay.
“Salvaging though.That’s hard work.High mortality rate,” Gator drawled.
Raider’s gaze moved between Gator and Flame, trying to get a read on them.“You say that like I’m a stranger to death.”
Wave runners had one of the shortest life expectancies of any in the military.During the height of the war, they averaged three missions before biting the big one.
About six months.
Take into account that the Curs were a specialty unit who saw some of the worst combat in the war, and it wasn’t strange that most of them hadn’t lived long enough to see the peace they helped create.
Rather, it was a miracle that any of them had survived at all.
“Who’re your friends?”Gator asked.
“Crew members,” Raider answered.
“Oh yeah?They former military too.”
“Something like that.”
Gator’s friend glanced at Jin.“I didn’t know they were letting children serve these days.”
Jin bared his teeth in a display of aggression that Kira was pretty sure he meant to be a snarl.It wasn’t.It was far too adorable.“New program.Top secret.”
Gator’s friend stifled a smile.
“Aren’t you an amusing child?”Gator considered Jin with a dangerous look in his eyes.“You have to be careful though.Not everyone will be so understanding of a boy’s antics.”
Jin’s eyes narrowed, but to Kira’s relief he didn’t spout off.
Gator glanced back at Raider.“Why don’t you have your companion remove their hood before we go any further?We’re all friends here.Keeping it raised is just rude.”
For a long, tense moment, neither Kira nor Raider moved.
They didn’t look at each other.They didn’t need to.They already knew what each other was thinking.
For instance, Kira had no intention of removing her hood.Gator might not recognize her, but there was a chance that others might.On the other hand, Raider was considering the likelihood of him being able to yank Gator’s spine out through his mouth without any of Gator’s lackeys intervening.
“While you’re at it, you might as well tell your friends over there to join us.”Gator nodded at Finn and Dylan.“They’re not fooling anyone with their act.”
Raider’s smile was sudden and brilliant.“Well, you see, I can’t do that.My friend here is pretty shy.”
He dropped his arm from the back of his chair.Putting his hand under the table, he flashed Kira the sign for danger imminent.
Kira lifted the tip of her middle finger from the table in acknowledgment.
Understood.
