Page 5 of Written in the Stars

I didn’t know any of them, and none of them looked like readers. I kept my smile in place anyway. In this place, few people looked bookish.

“Welcome to Written in the Stars, gentlebeings,” I said, greeting them. One, the long-limbed, green-scaled lizard, looked in my direction and hissed. The other two ignored me, heading deeper into the store.

As they passed, I saw the armband each wore. White cloth with a circle so black it seemed to eat the light falling on it. Not a crew I knew, but the constant turnover of gangs and pirates on the station meant there was always someone new.

They looked through the piles of books at random, ignoring the signs to browse whatever came to hand. At least, I didn’t think the droid with the damaged optical sensor was interested in paranormal romance, though who knew? Perhaps their circuits got hot for shifters.

The third one made his way over to the counter with a big smile on his red face. Eyes like black pits watched me as he approached, making him appear more like a demon than an alien. Looking up at him—I had no choice; he was over six feet tall—I refreshed my smile.

“Hi! I’m Megan. Is there something I can help you with?” He might look like a demon, but that was no reason to be rude to him. “If you’re looking for something specific, I’ll do my best to find it for you.”

His laugh was low, menacing, and his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Why thank you, sweetheart, that’s very kind. There is one thing I need from you, but it ain’t a book.”

He left that hanging ominously for a few seconds before continuing. “Your payment to the Community Protection Fund is late.”

My mouth dry, I glanced at the calendar to be sure I hadn’t fucked up. “No, see, I paid up ten days ago, right on schedule. There’s been a mistake…”

I trailed off as the demonic alien’s grin widened. He wasn’t here for the usual payoff to the Stellar Kings. As much as I hated paying for their protection, it was a predictable expense.

This kind of shakedown was harder to budget for.

“I don’t think she gets it,” the droid said through a speaker that had seen better decades. Static crackled through their words. “She didn’t pay us.”

“Don’t care what you paid the Kings.” Lizardman’s voice was so deep I felt it as much as heard it. “That’s their business. You didn’t pay A’Lun, and that we care about.”

“I don’t even know who that is,” I protested, raising my hands.

“That’s okay,” Demon Face said. His grin was wide and entirely unfriendly, despite his soothing words. “Simple oversight, easily fixed. Just pay up now and we’ll forget all about it. Won’t even charge you for the delay.”

Droid tromped forward, ‘accidentally’ brushing past a display of books and scattering them. “Oops.”

I couldn’t help noticing that, while their belt held at least five knives, one of their arms ended in a red-hot thermal blade. If that brushed any of my books, I’d find out if the fire suppressors worked.

My bet was ‘no,’ and I couldn’t afford the risk.

“Okay, okay, not a problem. Happy to oblige.” I knew I was babbling, but that didn’t help me stop. “How much?”

“Not much, just a thousand CrImp.” I winced at the figure. I could afford to pay that once, but no protection racket stops there. Pay up and you keep paying.

“What about the Kings? What happens when they want their money?”

“Pay ‘em.” Devil Face shrugged. “Or don’t, makes no difference to us. All I know is, if you don’t pay the fund, we can’t keep your community safe. Bad things have a way of happening.”

“Books are very flammable,” Droid said, making a play for the all-time title of least subtle gangster.

“And you look like you have breakable bones.” Lizardman added, effortlessly stealing the crown from Droid. Demon Face rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Yes, thank you, I think she gets it. No need to assume she’s an idiot.”

“Can’t tell,” the Lizard said, his grin showing off a set of dagger-sized teeth. “Remember that Arrodix? Seemed like a smart fellow, but I broke both his knees before he understood about paying. Wouldn’t want the same to happen to this one.”

I glowered at the three of them, pulse pounding in my ears and a tight knot of fury in my stomach. If I didn’t watch myself, I’d say something I’d regret. Here I was, barely hanging on, scraping together money for a ticket back to Earth, and these assholes were going to empty my savings and ruin my shop.

Demon Face watched me with an apologetic smile that made me see red. His colleagues’ lack of tact annoyedhim?When they were extortingme?My hands balled into fists at my side, despite the obvious futility of picking a fight with these idiots. Any of them would tear me limb from limb one-on-one. All three at once? There were less painful ways to commit suicide if I wanted to die.

I wasn’t hiding my feelings well enough. Demon Face’s smile twitched, and he shook his head, reaching out to grab my chin with one hand.

“Now don’t go doing anything stu—what the fuck?”

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