clothes of personal variation permitted to citizens. She turned in her chair, giving them her back and determined to not pay them any mind, but she didn’t miss the way that Mia stilled as the men approached their table.
“Slumming it, aren’t you?” a voice sneered from among the pair.
She didn’t know who spoke, but she felt sympathy as Mia flushed. Doug’s brow drew down in a furious glower, and his muscles tensed. Don’t stand up. Don’t challenge them, she willed him. Mia’s arm tightened around his bicep in a subtle reminder, and he forcibly relaxed his shoulders, but Charlie could still see the tension in his large frame. The men laughed, clearly entertained at their expense.
“Let us know when you’re done playing with animals and want a real man to show you a good time.” The second laughed, driving the nail home.
Doug jerked in his chair, shoving it back as he came close to jumping to his feet. The only thing that prevented him was the fact that Mia threw her body against his, restraining him as much as possible. He wouldn’t have been able to stand without dumping her on the floor.
“Just don’t, Doug,” Mia whispered in a choked voice, barely audible from where Charlie sat across the table from them. “Don’t give them any excuse.”
Charlie bit back a hiss of surprise when fat fingers gripped her jaw, twisting her head around to look at the asshole standing to her side. Dark blonde hair fell against his brow as gray eyes examined her.
An uncomfortable silence descended over the tables nearest to them, and several people moved away, not wanting to borrow trouble. She didn’t blame them. She kept her eyes downcast, her hand tightening around her cup as she penned in her anger and frustration, hoping it would speed things along. He would have his fun and leave.
“I don’t know, Kyle. This little mousy one might be entertaining. What do you say, mouse? Want to come with us and earn a few credits? I know you non-gratas girls can always use a few credits. Maybe you can buy yourself something pretty. Wouldn’t you like that?”
“No,” she whispered from between her pinched lips.
“Shame.” He laughed again as he released her chin with a light push that teetered her in her chair.
“I wouldn’t stick my dick in that anyway if I were you. Might catch something,” his friend said with a phlegmy click of disgust in the back of his throat.
She held her breath as they shoved their way past their table, raucous laughter following them as they went farther into the tavern. Once they were out of sight, she let her breath hiss out of her as she willed her hand to relax.
“Fucking pricks,” Doug growled, his arm circling around Mia, who snuggled into his embrace.
Jace glanced over at Charlie with a concerned frown. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she muttered. She tipped her cup back, draining the last of her beer. “I think I need another.”
Jace nodded, throwing his own last swallow back as he turned and raised two fingers to draw the attention of the serving droid. The android spun around, making its way to their table. Charlie lifted her arm to be scanned as she shoved her empty glass toward it.
“Another beer.”
“Understood. Please be aware that you are nearly at your daily allotment threshold. Once you have reached your limit, you will no longer be served.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it,” she snapped.
She yanked her arm away from the droid and scowled at it as it took up the empty glasses. Everyone except Mia was down to their last one, since she wasn’t rationed. The droid took her cup with an agreeable hum as she put in her order. Although Charlie didn’t hold it against her newest friend, she still resented the controls over her life.
Sighing, she rubbed her eyes, trying to ease the stress beating behind them. She was sassing a damn robot all because she let those dickheads get under her skin. She dropped her hands and met Doug’s concerned expression.
“You okay, kid?”
“Yeah, just fine. Tired, you know. Already been a long day.”
“Seriously, is everything going to be okay at the lab?” Ben asked. “Nothing dangerous going on, right?”
The furious glare of the alien came to her mind. She had a feeling that if he managed to get free from his confines that he would destroy the lab and leave a trail of devastation in his wake as he escaped. His presence represented a very real danger for the