Imperial Hijacker: Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire Book 4 by Andrew Moriarty

Author:Andrew Moriarty [Moriarty, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Weeks was suiting up for his daily gym run when the door alarm bonged. He and Hernandez traded looks. Weeks stepped back, out of sight of the door, and drew his weapon, cocking it.

Hernandez cocked hers as well, draped a towel over her hand, then faced the door controls. She pushed the intercom. “Yes?”

“Clothes delivery for Ms. Scruggs.”

“Leave it in the hallway, please.”

“Can’t do that, ma’am. I can come back later if you want.”

Hernandez tapped the video button. She recognized one of the shop assistants. “Come on in, then.” She pointed at Weeks’s revolver. He had hidden it behind his leg. She keyed the door open, and a clerk came in and dropped a box of clothes on the table. She had another under her arm. Hernandez stepped out, checked the hallway, and ducked back in. “Thank you.”

“Ms. Scruggs needs to thumb for it, ma’am.”

Hernandez rolled her eyes and went to rap on Scruggs’s door. “Your party gear is here, kiddo.”

The door slid open and a pajama-clad Scruggs emerged, rubbing her hair and bracing herself against the wall. “Oh, good. Thanks for delivering them.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Scruggs thumbed the comm for the order, and the clerk held up the other box. “This is for your friend, Ms. Flaujae.”

“Right,” Scruggs said. “She loaned me her blouse, but I spilled a drink on it. Tell her I’m sorry, and I hope this makes up for it.”

“Of course, ma’am,” the clerk said, then left.

“I wish I had your clothes budget, kiddo,” Hernandez said, poking at the pile of blouses and dresses.

“If you practiced with that blackjack book I gave you,” Scruggs said, “you might get it. And don’t call me kiddo.”

“You always lose at poker,” Hernandez said. “I don’t see why you think you’re a genius at blackjack.”

“I’m not. But you’re better with stress than I am. I’ll bet you’d be better bettor. Better bettor. That’s funny.”

“Let’s go,” Hernandez said. “I want to get back and go to the gym.”

Scruggs changed into another outfit before leaving, one with bright red-and-yellow polka dots. The day before was blue-and-black stripes.

“Is that what you’re going to wear?” Hernandez asked.

“It makes a statement,” Scruggs said.

Hernandez opened the door and led her into the hallway. “And that statement is ‘Pity me for my colorblindness.’”

“You’re just jealous.”

“It’s no secret why you’re still a virgin. The colors scare the men off.”

Scruggs blushed and leaned on her cane. “I’m sorry I told you that.”

“We all were once. Are we playing poker, today?”

“Yes. And I’m going to try out the ceramics class they’re offering. Maybe make some pots or something.”

“Sounds boring.”

“I think it’s interesting. And I can sit down doing it. I’ll be playing poker. You don’t have to stand there the whole time, watching me.”

“I kind of do,” Hernandez said.

“I’ll front you the money to play poker with me.”

“You know I can’t do that. I need to have freedom of movement, and I can’t do that with my back to the door. If you’d just change your seat...”

“It’s my lucky seat, with my back to the door.

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