Soldier of Fortune

Mia winced as Gideon slammed the bathroom door. “That’s—”

“Where,” Jinna said, “did you dig that one up?”

“He was supposed to be a mark,” Mia admitted, meeting Jinna’s frown with a shrug. “But things got twisty.”

“He was a mark?” Disapproval gave way to amazement. “And how much of your fagin’s booze had you drunk before you marked him?” she asked as she filled Mia’s mug.

“It was the fagin’s call,” Mia replied. “And I know Gideon don’t look like much—”

“I’ll tell you what he looks like,” Jinna cut in darkly. “He looks like trouble.”

“He’s a bit ragged, yeah, but—”

“I could give a comb for his looks. He’s trouble because he’s a convict.”

Mia looked in the direction Gideon had gone. “How d’you know he’s been in the nick?”

“Didn’t you see the back of his hand? The right one?”

“His hand?” Mia squinted as she tried to picture either of Gideon’s hands, but all she could picture was the map of scars over his torso, the scary shade of blue his lips had been before she and Elvis got him breathing again, and the way his eyes could sometimes seem hollow, as if only a part of a person were still living in that battered body. His hand, not so much. “What about it?”

“Keepers, Mia, he’s got a prison tattoo on the back of it.” Jinna let out an exasperated huff. “I don’t know how you could have missed the thing.”

Well, first the man was drowning, and then he was attacked by some female with a gun, and then we were running, so maybe I missed a wee detail, Mia thought. “It’s complicated.”

Jinna’s eyebrows rose as she lowered herself into the booth opposite Mia. “How complicated?”

Mia glanced over Jinna’s shoulder, but the door to the bathroom was still closed. “Right, then. It started when Ellison spied a man with a pet draco,” she began and then laid out the story of her evening to date.

“He’s lucky you were there,” Jinna observed as Mia’s tale concluded with their escape from the angry woman outside the Elysium Inn. “But even you should be able to see that this Gideon Quinn is trouble.”

“And I’m such an upright citizen,” Mia pointed out, tossing back the last of her tea.

“You could be, if you could get away from Ellison.” Jinna observed as she poured more tea for the young dodger. “Has he been giving you trouble?”

“No more’n usual,” Mia said, hunching over her freshened cup.

“The usual is bad enough.” To emphasize her point, Jinna nodded at the bruise on Mia’s wrist. “It’s not right, the way he treats his dodgers. You’re almost of age. Old enough that if you were willing to forfeit your graduation shares, you could leave the hive and live with me. I could maybe get Sol to hire you here and—wait.” She looked up at the sound of something scraping the diner’s glass door. “What was that?”

Mia looked back to the diner’s windows and saw it had started to rain again. “I bet it’s Elvis,” she said, sliding from the booth. “Must be getting lonely out there.”

“Elvis?” With a little more effort, Jinna rose and, bringing the teapot, followed Mia to the front door. “Like the king from Earth?”

“Not exactly.” Mia opened the door, letting in a rush of rainy wind and one exceptionally grumpy draco.

“Then wh—eee!” Jinna gave a delighted squeal, spinning to watch as Elvis flapped his way into the diner, coming to rest on the counter where he flapped the water from his wings and chittered angrily at Mia.

“Jinna, this is Elvis, Gideon’s draco.”

“Of course he is,” Jinna said, still staring.

“He don’t like rain,” Mia added.

As if to prove it, Elvis gave a vigorous shake and then looked around, circling himself like a cat as his eyes skimmed the diner before coming back around to face Mia, to whom he gave a questioning chirp.

“If you’re looking for Gideon, he’s gone to the loo,” Mia told him, pointing to the rear of the diner. “That way.”

The draco apparently understood because, with a last flutter of rain from his wings, he jumped up, flapped in the direction she’d pointed, and swooped around the corner.

“Cor, that’s a smart reptile,” Mia murmured.

“Maybe he needs the loo too,” Jinna quipped, then sighed. “All right, take this.” She handed Mia the teapot she’d been holding. “Let me lock the place up, and then I’ll make you all some dinner.”

Mia took the teapot and started toward the counter pass-through while Jinna headed for the door, just as it slammed open again.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” Jinna said coldly, and Mia turned to see Jinna backing away from the three men and a woman who entered.

Mia knew two of the men and the woman, as they lived in the same fringes of society as her hive.

Plus, anyone who’d seen Freya, Rolf, and Ulf Ohmdahl once would never forget the Stolichnayan triplets.

“I’m sorry as well,” said the fourth member of the party, an older risto with stooped shoulders, silvered hair, and cold, dark eyes. “Sorry to hear you’ve refused—again—my offer of a comfortable home for my grandchild.”

“So sorry that you’ve brought help to convince me, Msr Del?” Jinna countered, shooting a cool glance at the towering Ohmdahls.

“That’s Minister Del, and I believe we are past persuading,” Del said, gesturing to the three Ohmdahls.

Ulf and Rolf took the cue, moving further into the diner while Freya remained at the door, her expression troubled.

Mia looked up as Rolf planted himself near her. “Hallo, Rolf,” she said. “How’s your mum?”

“Mia.” He nodded to the dodger in recognition. “Mother is being good.” He glanced at his employer of the moment, then at Mia to add in a softer rumble, “But maybe you should be going now?”

“Yes, you should indeed be going,” Del said, barely glancing at Mia. “This is a private matter.”

“No, it isn’t,” Jinna countered. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of witnesses, and then those witnesses,” she jerked her chin up at Ulf, who’d settled into full looming posture at her side, “can mark me telling you, as I have told you nearly every swarming day for the past four months, you are not taking my child.”

“Understandable, if misguided,” Del replied. “Which is why I’ve decided the best course of action is to bring you to my home, as a guest. I’m confident that by the time you come to term, you’ll accept what’s best for the child.” He nodded to Ulf, who grumbled something in Stolichnayan as he reached for Jinna.

But Ulf hadn’t reckoned with the likes of Jinna Pride because, even as he moved, she ducked under his arms and darted back to the main dining area.

“Move, you idiots,” Del snapped.

They moved, Ulf following Jinna into the seating area and Rolf lumbering past Mia, clearly meaning to cut Jinna off at the far end of the diner.

Which was when Mia remembered the teapot in her hands. Or, it was in her hands until she threw it at Rolf.

“Sorry!” She winced as the pot bounced off Rolf’s shoulder before shattering on the floor. “Really sorry,” she added as Rolf turned in her direction while, in the middle of the room, Jinna shot a squirt of mustard into Ulf’s eye.

“That was not nice,” he said as Ulf gurgled in pain.

At the door, Freya took a step forward, then stopped and let out a gasp of surprise as, out of nowhere, Elvis descended on Rolf, a flurry of wings and talons.

A splintering crack had Mia darting away from Elvis and Rolf to see Gideon holding the remains of a chair and Ulf thudding to the floor like a poleaxed aurochs.

“Oy, Gideon!” Mia crowed, drawing Gideon’s attention.

“Hey,” he waved the chair leg in her direction, then looked at Jinna. “How are you?”

“Angry,” she said.

Gideon could relate, given the mood he’d been in when Elvis scratched at the bathroom door.

Now he looked at the small, fierce woman at his side and jerked his chin at Rolf. “Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?”

“Carry on, soldier.” Jinna waved him on but kept the mustard to hand as Gideon clambered over the lunk he’d knocked senseless and rushed for the guy Elvis was harassing.

Mia, he was pleased to see, had already retreated to relative safety on the other side of the counter.

A click of the tongue sent Elvis leaping to perch on the counter, so there was no one in the way when Gideon came flying at Rolf, half a chair swinging as he jumped.

Already weakened from its encounter with Ulf’s head, the chair splintered further as it struck Rolf in the back.

“Ulf’s up!” Mia called from her position.

“Copy that,” Gideon replied as he ducked under Rolf’s blindly swinging fist before thrusting the blunt end of the leg into his gut. Then, as Rolf crumpled forward, he delivered a quick elbow strike to the big man’s temple.

Gideon spun, chair leg swinging, to crack open the approaching Ulf’s cheek.

“Mind your seven!” Jinna warned at the same time Elvis hissed.

Gideon, still on motion, reversed his swing to thwack the incoming Freya’s arm, then bounced back to smack Ulf behind the ear, dropping him again before spinning to Freya, the last triplet standing.

“Quit the field,” he said, brandishing the chair leg before adding a softer, “Please.”

Rubbing her arm, Freya looked at her fallen brothers, then at Jinna and finally at Gideon. “As you say.” Then she turned away to minister to the wounded.

“Cor, Gideon! That was completely badass,” Mia called from the other side of the counter. “I could’a sold tickets.”

Gideon flashed her a grin, then turned to where the poncy risto stood, staring. His fingers tightened on the chair leg, and he took a step forward.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” the risto said. “Unlike these lunks you’ve put down, I have friends. Powerful friends.”

Gideon didn’t move but held the other man’s gaze—long enough to see the first skitterings of real fear in the risto’s eyes. Only then did he look at Jinna, who was still in the middle of the dining room, clutching the mustard dispenser like a shooter.

“He’s probably right,” she admitted, her voice tight.

Gideon turned to the risto. “Guess it’s your lucky day.”

The risto managed a viper-like smile before dipping his head in Jinna’s direction. “We will speak again,” he told her. “And if I may? Try to get more rest. It wouldn’t do for the mother of my heir to take ill.” Then he spun on one heel and took himself out of the diner.

“I should be feeling bad about this job going swarm,” Freya said as Ulf groaned at her side, “but I really do not like that man.”

“You and me both, sister,” Gideon said.

Behind them, Jinna kicked a fallen plate.