Stuck in the Astral with You by J.S. Morin

Author:J.S. Morin [Morin, J. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64355-109-8
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press

The lift doors opened. Their escort stepped aside.

“Who the fuck is that?” Janice called out, neck twisted to view them over the back of her couch. The holovid in front of her showed a Bronze League fight in progress: Cashman vs. Epstein by Tanny’s expert eye. If this were a live feed, they would have been vying to earn a shot at the title against Pérez.

The penthouse suite was everything the casino below wasn’t. Everything was spotless, new, and had the sheen of expensive manufacture. Her couch was dinosaur leather, softened to a feathery suede yet keeping the predatory patterning. The holo-projector came from Phabian, one of those hard-to-pronounce brands named in a laaku heritage language. The wall behind the holo was a single pane of glassteel overlooking the city of Santa Croce. Other walls bore paintings from colonial masters but nothing from Sol. It was the only hint of humility in the whole place.

Tanny knew it was because Don refused to let any Old Earth masterpieces past Mars.

She took all the decor in within seconds of the doors opening.

Their pet guard stepped into the suite and waved them inside. “They have something to present; your eyes only.”

Growling at the back of her throat, Janice paused the holo-projector and got up. She wore a black sports bra, matching leggings with a white stripe up the side, and bloodred trainers. The half-empty EnerJuice clutched in her fingerless-gloved hand suggested a recent workout, not one upcoming. Her long black hair was gathered into a ponytail. Out of place with her attire, she wore silver hoop earrings and a diamond necklace fit for a dinner party.

“You know, not every jackass who says that gets a free pass to a meeting,” Janice told their escort. Nevertheless, she stalked over to size up Tanny and Esper in their disguises. “So, what’s the deal with you two?”

Tanny caught a glimpse of the bodyguards lurking in the kitchen. She knew that if she stepped out of line, they’d be on her faster than dogs on steak.

“Bounty collection,” Tanny replied, holding up the case.

Janice sneered. “Below my pay grade. Go talk to Bill Harker.”

“It’s not for you,” Esper put in.

That caught Janice up short as she headed back to her couch. She’d just unpaused the Bronze League bout only to freeze it again a second later. The fighters shifted positions as they traded probing punches. “Then why the fuck are you bothering me with it?”

“Caught the dust-lister on your turf,” Tanny explained. “Didn’t want to off-world it without clearing it.”

“Cute,” Janice said with disdain. “But I don’t care if you export bodies as long as you don’t get caught with them. Especially not if you carried a goddamn head into my casino. I assume that’s what you’ve got in the case.”

Tanny nodded.

Janice ran a hand over her face and clenched a fist. “What am I going to do with the two of you stupid bitches?”

“Buy the head off us?” Esper proposed.

“Buy it?” Janice echoed incredulously. “You’ll be lucky if you walk out of here alive.

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