Brigand's Choice: A Privateer's Legacy (The Afterwar Saga Book 1) by Jamie McFarlane

Author:Jamie McFarlane [McFarlane, Jamie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

18

MAN OF THE HOUR

SIX MONTHS AGO – GRÜNHOLZ

Togan awoke for no reason he could come up with. Looking at the clock, he found that it was eight in the evening. He was late for Blaid’s party.

“Shit.”

A comm chimed in his ear as his head cleared. He saw an avatar of the waitress, Julia, attached to the incoming signal and answered.

“Hey,” he said.

“I’m, um, well. I came to Mr. Turnigy’s house, but I feel kind of weird going in by myself,” she said. “Are you here?”

“No. Overslept,” he said. “Give me twenty minutes.”

There was silence on the other end for almost a minute. “Okay,” she said. “I guess.”

For no good reason, Julia’s answer irritated him. “If you want to go home, don’t worry about me. I don’t mind showing up by myself.”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t want to disappoint Mr. Turnigy.”

“I’m twenty minutes out. Do what you want,” Togan said.

“I’ll wait.”

Togan closed the comms. Julia was nice enough, but he’d always thought her a little light on brains. Did she have any idea what he’d been through in the last few days? Blaid was throwing the party for him because he’d made them both a frak ton of money.

He stepped into the shower and breathed, trying to push aside his irritation. While he knew it was unproductive, he hated always being at the bottom of the pile, especially when he was doing all the work. He wasn’t sure Julia or any relationship was a good idea.

Still annoyed, he picked his best clothes and ran them through the built-in cleaner that had come with the apartment. It was a luxury he wasn’t used to, and his mood improved slightly. He passed the diner which was closing for the evening. Cassius, the older woman who owned the diner, and Cassius’s father were discussing something with great urgency. He averted his eyes, a heavy mantle of guilt settling on his shoulders.

By the time he’d made it to where Blaid’s instructions told him to go, his dark mood had passed. He’d been through a trying few days. He was alive and had money coming in. The idea that the Shore Patrol or the local constable would give him any sort of trouble wasn’t even a real consideration. When he saw Julia on a bench in a shiny light green dress, he felt better about the evening.

Jumping up, Julia hurried over to him, not quite making contact. “I’m sorry for before,” she said placing a hand on his chest. “I was worried and sometimes I don’t know when to be quiet.”

“You’re all right,” Togan said, not loving that he’d growled at her. That she was demurring to him even after that made him think more of her. It was something he was sure he shouldn’t admit.

“You look nice tonight,” she said.

“Thanks. You do too.”

She turned for him. “I’ve never had such a nice dress before.” He had to admit, the dress was a lot better than the diner uniform and he liked what she’d done with her hair.

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