Defiant by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798885416290
Published: 2022-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Nasreen greeted him with her usual expression of relief. She had learned to trust in his abilities, but they both knew well that there was no guarantee he’d come home from any given job.

Dante watched as her face shifted, her brow creasing in concern as she frowned. “What happened?”

He moved past her into the living area and lowered himself onto the couch. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She closed the door and came up beside him, apparently determined to make him talk about it regardless. “The job wasn’t a washout, was it? You’re guaranteed a certain minimum risk compensation even if you fail to complete the objective, right?”

He raised a hand dismissively. “It’s not that. We did what we needed to do, and we’re getting paid the full sum. It’s a nice handsome amount. It just...wasn’t a lot of fun, is all.”

“Ohh.” She wrapped her arms around her torso and peered at his face. There was an obvious sense of relief about her at finding out that nothing had gone wrong with the practical aspects of the mission, but her concern remained. “Well, if you decide you do want to talk about it after all, I’m available and willing to listen.”

Suddenly something occurred to him. Dante looked up. “Midas, don’t blab. If I discuss this, it’s my decision, not yours.”

The voice in his head replied, “I understand, sir. Would you like me to focus on putting your finances in order? The payment should be cleared and processed by now.”

“Yeah. Do that.” Dante thought about asking Nasreen to bring him a drink or something but decided it would be presumptuous. Not to mention, she might take it as an invitation that he was open to discussing what was bothering him.

Nasreen stepped forward. “Can I get you a drink?”

Dante’s hand clenched against the armrest of the couch. “Midas! Goddammit.”

“Sir, that was not my doing. Ms. Joelle has not checked her sphere, nor did I speak aloud. There is no way for me to silently beam simulated audio directly into her mind the same way I do yours. Presumably, she knows you well enough to make a suggestion of that nature, or she is operating on feminine intuition.”

Nasreen stood, eyeing him skeptically, as Dante made a vague grumbling sound under his breath. He looked back at his human partner. “Sure, I guess. Something lightly alcoholic, if you have it. I don’t feel like being sober, but it would be stupid to get completely plastered.”

Without a word, she strode past him to the cooling unit and returned a moment later with a frosty can of lemon-rice beer. Not his favorite, but tolerable. He thanked her and cracked it open.

Nasreen left him for a few minutes, doing something in her bedroom, and returned after he’d drained most of the beer. He had to admit it was a clever tactic.

“Are you doing okay?” She asked the question in a neutral, innocent way.

He exhaled slowly and stared into the distance beyond the wall. “I still don’t want to talk about it in any detail, but to satisfy your curiosity.

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