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My post-shift meeting took place on the other side of the building. That gave me a nice long walk to consider what an awful person I was for ruining so many lives.
It was okay, though. I could be the bad guy, so long as it meant Isa’s freedom.
My ears perked up as I shuffled through the crowds. Ryrik, my day job boss, had taught me more than I think he’d meant to. People will say just about anything around you if they think you don’t matter. And who mattered less on Thodos than an indentured human woman?
“I’m telling you, the Geushin family is about to go under. Their piece of shit son’s been running around with some nobody chick. He’s going to take the family fortune and ruin them, mark my words.”
“It’s a pump and dump scheme. Everyone is so blinded by the bright colors and loud parties that they can’t see the obvious scam right under their noses!”
I wasn’t sure if any of this was useful to Conii, but maybe if I added some extra intel here and there, she’d look more favorably on me. I just had to get her to trust me. And then, I could convince her to let Isa go.
I felt a little bad. Ryrik had been trying to help me with my job. At least, what he thought my job was.
Too bad I’d been hustling my whole life.
Sure, there was something about him that drew me in.
I didn’t just trust him as a manager. He made me feel like he genuinely cared about me, even more than what I could offer his casino.
And that couldn’t be true. He was acting, just like I was. I wasn’t so stupid as to think that he had any feelings for someone like me. A wealthy, successful man like him? Please.
Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part. Ryrik was handsome. Those horns made me horny. They just added to his rugged beauty. No one with two eyes could deny that.
And I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of a connection when he had put his hand on the small of my back, gently guiding me through the casino.
But that didn’t matter. I had other things to worry about than the flutters in my belly that woke up at his touch.
My contact stood in a corner playing some match-three game on his percomm. I walked over to the Quilthar and collapsed on the nearby empty couch, looking like nothing more than an exhausted employee at the end of her shift.
“Do you know if there are any iridium statues in the gift shop?” he asked.
“Yeah, I heard it’ll go on sale in five days. They update the prices around noon,” I replied, keeping to the code Conii drilled into me. “And they're pretty rare, too. I heard the Pryna Corporation bought them all up.”
“Now that is interesting,” he said, poking around his very fake game application. Every tap was another coded message, sent back to Conii.
“I have some more recommendations if you’re interested?” There was no protocol for passing on extra tidbits. I hoped he understood what I was trying to say.
“No need. But I’ll let my wife know in case she gets an appetite for more decor.” His wife, of course, was code for Conii. He closed out his percomm and walked over to me. “Good job, I like the initiative. But make sure to stay focused on the task. Got it?” He offered me his hand.
Mentally, I deflated. It sounded like I was being chided for trying to be more useful. I accepted his offer and stood.
“Let me buy you dinner.” And that was something I was in no position to refuse.
He took me to the nearest bar where a sweet woman with red hair greeted us. She looked me over, noticing my uniform, and gave me a look that said she’d call a manager if a guy tried anything. I smiled to let her know everything was fine.
It was sweet of her, but really… What could she do against a Quilthar boss? That was the way of the universe. The powerful did whatever they wanted, and the rest of us did the best we could to survive.
“Some talmo skins for the lady and, uh, whatever you have on draft. You girls work too hard, you know?” He winked at the bartender as she took his order and walked away.
“Feels like you’re putting it on a little thick,” I muttered, barely thinking my statement through. I froze, feeling his hand grip my shoulder a little too tight. My heart raced, blood turning to ice as my body screamed in panic.
“You let the professional worry about what is and isn’t too thick,” he whispered. He pulled away as the bartender came back with a crisp, golden ale in a frosted glass. He paid while I snatched it up, downing half of it in one gulp.
“Hey, don’t worry so much,” he said, getting too close again. “I know you’re new to this, uh, line of work, but you’re doing fine. I’ll make sure Isa eats just as well as you are tonight.”
He gave me a harsh pat on the back and left me with that cold, empty comfort.
RYRIK
