A Fistful of Trouble (Outlaws of the Galaxy Book 2) Paul Tomlinson (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

were light and fluid, combing smooth ballet motions with toes pointing out and lively elbow moves and Charleston kicks and jumps with toes pointing in. Even landing on the balls of his feet, he shook the floor and dust sprinkled down off the old light fixtures above. In time to the music, he threw his head back in chin high fashion poses and crossed and swung his arms in counterpoint to the leg moves. He threw out a couple of leg extensions that looked like soccer kicks and then leapt up, spinning a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, landing with legs apart, hands behind his head, elbows out, and finishing with the hip thrust.

The music ended and there was a brief silence, then both Danny and Harmony applauded.

“He’s light on his feet for a big feller,” Harmony said.

“He’s just showing off because he has an audience,” I said sulkily.

“Do you dance, Quincy?” Harmony asked, stroking my arm.

“Like a puppet with tangled strings, apparently,” I said.

Harmony leaned in close, her lips almost touching my ear. “I don’t believe that for a moment. I’ve seen some of your moves, remember?”

Behind her back, Floyd was flashing ‘Don’t trust her!’ across his eye screens. I waved a dismissive gesture to get him to knock it off before she saw it.

Floyd was right, I knew that. I couldn’t trust Harmony. But he didn’t understand that this was part of her attraction. She was a challenge. I was under no illusions. My relationship with her wasn’t going to last. Neither of us was in it for the long-term. But in the short-term, it was going to be fun. Two thieves at the height of their games, each trying to outwit the other. How could I possibly resist that?

Of course, it was thinking like this that got me stranded on Saphira in the first place.

Floyd was now repaired and fully-charged, but I decided to leave him at the shop for another night. I paid Danny for the cooling unit, the electricity and two night’s lodging for my partner. Danny tried to insist on a cash discount and then a friends and family discount, but when I refused he didn’t push it. I resisted the urge to talk to him about his work. Threesomes had never been my thing. I would just worry that the other two were having more fun than me. Or less. And then there was the whole comparing yourself to the other guy thing. His body versus yours. His tricks and techniques versus yours. His stamina versus yours. And what would happen afterwards? Sharing a bed with one person was tricky enough. No, I was strictly a one at a time guy. And right now Harmony was more than enough for me. Luckily, Harmony didn’t bring up the subject again. I think she had other things on her mind.

Outside in the street, Harmony told me that she wanted to go off shopping on her own for a while. “I want to get you a gift,” she said, “for being such a sweetie.”

I insisted that this wasn’t necessary.

“I won’t buy anything expensive,” she promised. “It’s been so long since I’ve had someone to buy presents for.”

I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given me a present. I waved her off and we agreed to meet back at the hotel later. Did I need to get her a present too? I decided that paying her hotel bill would be enough. But I wasn’t going to do that until after the robot auction tomorrow – in case she did have some devious plot up her sleeve.

Given what she had eaten for breakfast, I assumed Harmony would skip lunch. I’d go back to the hotel and have a beer and a chicken salad sandwich. We could have dinner together later. I was still thinking about her when I turned ‘our’ corner. And I almost tripped over Casey’s feet. He was leaning back against the wall, waiting. He didn’t smile when he saw me.

Chapter Ten

“Let’s you and me take a walk,” Casey said. There was nothing in his tone to tell me what he was thinking and his pale blue eyes were inscrutable. Had he seen Harmony and me walking arm in arm and figured us for fellow pickpockets? Or had someone told him what I said last night about his ass? He set off back in the direction of the hotel and I followed.

“You’re not upset about last night, are you?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said. “You can have her. I have a girl of my own.”

“And the whole thing with the wallet...?”

“Forget about it,” he said, waving a gloved hand dismissively. “I know she took it. But it wasn’t worth brawling over.”

“Why don’t I buy you a beer?” I said.

Casey stopped and turned his cold eyes on me. “I didn’t come down here so we could be friends,” he said. “I’m just here to deliver a message.”

“From the Colonel,” I said.

He nodded. “From the Colonel.”

“I ran into some of his boys yesterday,” I said.

“I heard about that.” There was a flicker of a smile at one corner of his mouth. Not besties with Deke, I guessed. “I’m here to make sure you haven’t forgotten about the robot,” Casey said.

“What about him?”

“Colonel Hodge wants him.”

“I’m selling him tomorrow,” I said. “Noon. Highest bid gets the robot.”

“I’d heard that,” Casey said. “The Colonel asked me to come down and offer you two thousand dollars, here and now.”

“Two thousand Alliance?” I asked.

Casey nodded.

“That’s a good price,” I said. “But it may not be the best price. Someone might offer me more tomorrow.”

“You think the mayor and the town council can come up with more than two thousand?” Casey asked. “I don’t think so.”

“Even so, I think I should give them the chance, don’t you?”

“No,” Casey said. “Three thousand. Last offer.”

I had never been offered three thousand dollars for Floyd. I’d only once before been offered two thousand.

“The Colonel must want him pretty bad,” I said. “Why’s that?”

Casey shrugged. “The Colonel’s