Read Online Cleon Moon by Lindsay Buroker - Free Book Online Page B

her predatory gaze on Leonidas. “And if the items in my collection have function, all the better.”
    Leonidas said nothing. This woman should have been drooling over Abelardus. He would have responded with a cheerful smirk, probably extolling all of his functions.
    “My husband runs this little town,” Solstice said, not noticeably bothered by Leonidas’s lack of participation in the conversation—or the fact that she had a husband. “But it’s a hobby for him, secondary to his galactic operations, and he’s rarely here. I do most of the work, including maintaining a suitable security force. A lot of money flows into and out of the dome from the various industries here and gambling, of course.” She waved toward the wall display, glancing through Alisa without seeing her. “It’s important to have good security. I assume you’re not in the military anymore since the empire can’t afford to keep much of a fleet running these days. I happen to be in need of a security chief. A former military officer would certainly have the necessary qualifications. Would you be interested? I pay well. And there are fringe perks.” Her lips curved upward in a smile as she looked him up and down again.
    “Are you sure being pawed over by you is a perk?” Alisa asked, before she could think wiser of it. She ought to keep her mouth shut—it wasn’t as if Leonidas couldn’t handle himself—but everything about this woman made her want to leap to his defense. If not by clawing her eyes out, then at least by delivering withering words.
    Solstice frowned at her androids and pointed at Alisa. “Who is this?”
    “An unidentified companion, ma’am,” one said.
    The frowned deepened. What, was she annoyed that they had let Alisa come along?
    Too bad.
    “I’m his employer,” Alisa said. “He’s not looking for another job.”
    “You’re the scruffy freighter captain?” Solstice asked.
    “I’m a freighter captain. My scruffiness is debatable.”
    Solstice sniffed and gave her a quick once-over. “No, it’s not.”
    The woman’s disdain should not have meant anything to Alisa, but she caught her cheeks warming. Her clothes were on the verge of tatters, her Alliance flight jacket, in particular. It had been repaired too many times to look anything like the original. There had not been time or money for clothes shopping since she had left Dustor. Her limited wardrobe was in a sad state, and she knew it. She wished she were standing in front of this woman in that sleek blue combat armor. The sanctimonious bitch would think twice about insulting Alisa then.
    Solstice turned her attention back to Leonidas. “Hieronymus—may I call you that?”
    “No.”
    “Ah, very well, dear Colonel. As I was saying, I’ll pay you well, and you’ll have a position commensurate with your skill level. Surely, commanding an entire city’s security force is more in line with your experience and abilities than—goodness, what do you do for this woman exactly? Guard widgets? I’m certain what I offer you will be more fulfilling.”
    “Actually, I guard chickens.” Leonidas met Alisa’s eyes and smiled faintly.
    “Yumi will be pleased that you’re watching out for Isabel and Alcyone,” Alisa said, then closed her mouth, not wanting to mention anything even vaguely related to Alcyone’s staff, even if in this case, Alcyone was the name of one of the chickens. If Solstice got a sniff of that artifact—speaking of one-of-a-kind items—she had the resources to make a lot of trouble. All she would have to do was keep her forcefield shut, and the Nomad would be stuck in this dome indefinitely.
    Solstice sneered at this exchange. “At what rate of payment?” she asked.
    “That’s private,” Leonidas said.
    Alisa grimaced. She hadn’t paid Leonidas anything. She had tried to put him on the same pay schedule and rate as Beck, but he’d refused to accept it, saying to wait until she had more funds. When she had wanted to hire him,