Amber

My plastic smile, wide and shiny, only faltered when a clumsy waitress dropped her tray. The sound of crashing plates and shattering glass broke me from my act, sending me back into a dark place.

The feeling of warmth on my arm, alongside a lecherous laugh, dragged me quickly back to the present.

"Aw, was that scary?" the Mondion man asked, his hand lingering on my arm. "Don't worry, babe, I'll protect you."

Mr. Woviuya leaned back in his chair, a cigar in his free hand as he looked me up and down. I blinked away the last dregs of panic and let out a high-pitched, innocent giggle.

"Guess she wasn't looking where she was going!" I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. Mr. Woviuya and his friends chuckled alongside me. His hand trailed down my bare arm, down to my wrist where he gripped a little too forcefully.

I slipped myself from his sweaty grip to hold my water pitcher with both hands. The gesture was fluid and easy, as if I hadn't even thought twice about his intentions. The ice pellets clinked against each glass as I filled them almost to the brim.

"So, Mr. Woviuya, what are we celebrating today?" I asked with wide, impressed eyes. There were three empty highball glasses in front of him alone. That was the magic number for loose but lucid lips, according to Conii.

"Profits are up!" he cried. "A new all-time high with no end in sight!"

I placed a hand on my chest in shocked admiration. "Incredible! What did you say your company does again?" I asked, bending over to show a little more cleavage to my esteemed guests.

"We didn't."

The voice was harsh and full of suspicion. I looked toward its source at the end of the table. I didn't have a name for the pointed face staring back at me, but I knew who he was all the same. The self-designated sensible one. Every group of professionals has one on board to play the role of buzzkill. His single glass was cupped in his hand, half full with condensation pulling around his fingers.

"Why exactly does a hostess want to know?" he asked. The others, including Mr. Woviuya, seemed to sober up slightly at his question.

I faltered, but only for a moment. Failure wasn't an option here.

"Maybe I wanna invest!" I replied with a little sassy hip pop. Mr. Woviuya pointed between me and his underling, laughing so hard that his face seemed about ready to explode.

"Amber, darling, come here," he said, waving me over. My stomach went ice cold. I'd only worked here a few days, but I was already intimately familiar with what that statement meant. I did so, regardless.

Mr. Woviuya snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me into his lap. I worked even harder to keep my smile as natural as possible.

"You never want to invest in iridium at its high point. The best time to invest was two days ago, but I'll give you a little pointer." He pulled me closer, making a show of whispering in my ear. "Five days from now, around midday, that's when you'll wanna buy in. But you didn't hear that from me."

I giggled and playfully slapped him on the chest as I disentangled myself. "I'll stow away some tips for the occasion." Then I sauntered off, giving the men a little show as I did.

So, insider trading, market manipulation, or a mix of both, I thought to myself. Either way, I filed the information away to pass on to Conii when my shift was over.

They didn"t deserve it. I tried to take some comfort in the character flaws of the people I was hurting. Even Mr. Woviuya, lecherous as he was, notoriously paid his miners above market and gave them benefits unheard of in the industry. His success threatened to raise the labor standards across the board.

And I was working to bring it to an end.

None of them deserved it. Mrs. Perkins was so sweet and tipped so well. I felt terrible letting Conii know her dogs go to the groomer every fifth day of the month, leaving her place unguarded. And Sashei Umo seemed genuine in his desire to start a charity for the orphans in the Under. I was heartbroken when I told Conii his funding came from one benefactor who may be swayed to reconsider with the right pressure.

I didn't like what I was doing. But the truth was, I didn't have a choice. Not as long as Isa was trapped. She was a sweet, kind girl. The sunshine to my grump. The best friend I could have ever asked for.

And if I didn't do exactly as Conii wanted, they'd kill her. That was made abundantly clear. I would ruin a thousand companies and help rob every nice old lady in the galaxy if it meant protecting Isa.

I had always been a natural actress. It had helped me get through the bad times all my life. So that's what I did again.

I returned to my hostess stand as a young couple approached. Mr. and Mrs. Arkahn. Newlyweds, just back from their honeymoon and celebrating the upcoming merger of their storefront with another business.

Conii wanted to know which one bought them. So, with a smile, I'd find out exactly that.

* * *

I clockedout of my shift, face aching just as much as my feet. But I couldn't let the smile drop. I was still in the casino and couldn't chance one of my coworkers or marks seeing me as anything less than pleasant and accommodating.

My post-shift meeting took place on the other side of the building. That gave me a nice long walk to consider what an awful person I was for ruining so many lives.

It was okay, though. I could be the bad guy, so long as it meant Isa's freedom.

My ears perked up as I shuffled through the crowds. Ryrik, my day job boss, had taught me more than I think he'd meant to. People will say just about anything around you if they think you don't matter. And who mattered less on Thodos than an indentured human woman?

"I'm telling you, the Geushin family is about to go under. Their piece of shit son's been running around with some nobody chick. He's going to take the family fortune and ruin them, mark my words."

"It's a pump and dump scheme. Everyone is so blinded by the bright colors and loud parties that they can't see the obvious scam right under their noses!"

I wasn't sure if any of this was useful to Conii, but maybe if I added some extra intel here and there, she'd look more favorably on me. I just had to get her to trust me. And then, I could convince her to let Isa go.

I felt a little bad. Ryrik had been trying to help me with my job. At least, what he thought my job was.

Too bad I'd been hustling my whole life.

Sure, there was something about him that drew me in.

I didn't just trust him as a manager. He made me feel like he genuinely cared about me, even more than what I could offer his casino.

And that couldn't be true. He was acting, just like I was. I wasn't so stupid as to think that he had any feelings for someone like me. A wealthy, successful man like him? Please.

Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part. Ryrik was handsome. Those horns made me horny. They just added to his rugged beauty. No one with two eyes could deny that.

And I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of a connection when he had put his hand on the small of my back, gently guiding me through the casino.

But that didn't matter. I had other things to worry about than the flutters in my belly that woke up at his touch.

My contact stood in a corner playing some match-three game on his percomm. I walked over to the Quilthar and collapsed on the nearby empty couch, looking like nothing more than an exhausted employee at the end of her shift.

"Do you know if there are any iridium statues in the gift shop?" he asked.

"Yeah, I heard it'll go on sale in five days. They update the prices around noon," I replied, keeping to the code Conii drilled into me. "And they"re pretty rare, too. I heard the Pryna Corporation bought them all up."

"Now that is interesting," he said, poking around his very fake game application. Every tap was another coded message, sent back to Conii.

"I have some more recommendations if you're interested?" There was no protocol for passing on extra tidbits. I hoped he understood what I was trying to say.

"No need. But I'll let my wife know in case she gets an appetite for more decor." His wife, of course, was code for Conii. He closed out his percomm and walked over to me. "Good job, I like the initiative. But make sure to stay focused on the task. Got it?" He offered me his hand.

Mentally, I deflated. It sounded like I was being chided for trying to be more useful. I accepted his offer and stood.

"Let me buy you dinner." And that was something I was in no position to refuse.

He took me to the nearest bar where a sweet woman with red hair greeted us. She looked me over, noticing my uniform, and gave me a look that said she'd call a manager if a guy tried anything. I smiled to let her know everything was fine.

It was sweet of her, but really… What could she do against a Quilthar boss? That was the way of the universe. The powerful did whatever they wanted, and the rest of us did the best we could to survive.

"Some talmo skins for the lady and, uh, whatever you have on draft. You girls work too hard, you know?" He winked at the bartender as she took his order and walked away.

"Feels like you're putting it on a little thick," I muttered, barely thinking my statement through. I froze, feeling his hand grip my shoulder a little too tight. My heart raced, blood turning to ice as my body screamed in panic.

"You let the professional worry about what is and isn't too thick," he whispered. He pulled away as the bartender came back with a crisp, golden ale in a frosted glass. He paid while I snatched it up, downing half of it in one gulp.

"Hey, don't worry so much," he said, getting too close again. "I know you're new to this, uh, line of work, but you're doing fine. I'll make sure Isa eats just as well as you are tonight."

He gave me a harsh pat on the back and left me with that cold, empty comfort.