After breakfast, Jax stopped somewhere he was the exact opposite of enthusiastic to stop at. It had taken little thinking to decide to take the job after he scrolled through the tablet and saw the offered payment. He finished breakfast and told Ichiko he’d take the job but that he needed time to assemble a crew. The other man had agreed, and they’d set a departure time for the following evening. Jax assured him that’d be sufficient to do what he needed to do.
A moment after he pressed the announcement button next to the door, it slid open. “Well, this is a surprise,” Kori Lightning said from the entry of Marshall Delphino’s quarters. She’d changed her hair, the long braids replaced with two spherical afro puffs, one on each side of her head.
Jax grimaced but kept the job in mind. “I need to talk to them.” He looked past Kori. “Big dummy around? Yo! Marshmallow!” He moved left and right to look past Kori and her obstructive hair. She mirrored his movements as best she could to block him.
Kori rested a hand on Jax’s chest. “What do you want, Jax? Marshall and Stevie aren’t here.”
“I’ve got a job. I need Steve and Marshall for it.”
Kori didn’t hide her surprise. “Marshall? Steve? What for? What kind of job?’ She shook her head. “I want in. I thought you hated them? I know they hate you. What makes you think they’d work with you?”
Jax shook his head. “What is this? Twenty questions? How long are you even here for? Why would I want to split the payout even more?” He tried to remember the rest of her questions. “And, yeah, we’re not besties, but they’re professionals, I’m a professional.” He grinned. “Credits are credits.”
“I’m leaving in two weeks. My boss will need me back on Jericho station then. Until then, if you’re taking the Delphinos, you’re taking me.”
He turned slightly and exhaled. “We’ll be done by then.” He turned back to the ebony-skinned woman. “Come on, let’s go find your new boyfriend. You and he can work out the money.”
She smirked. “He’s not my boyfriend, new or otherwise.” She left the room and let the door slide shut behind her. “You can’t still be mad about us breaking up. My understanding is that you and Stevie—”
Jax held up his index finger, then spun and stalked towards the lifts that ran up and down the center of the kilometer-long, cigar shaped station. Jax said, “Where are we heading?” He pressed the call button nearest him.
When the lift doors slipped apart, the two entered. Kori said, “Private mech bays, topside. They’re visiting someone that Marshall said owed them some money.” She looked away, unable to meet Jax’s gaze, knowing what that meant.
Jax nodded. “Better give lover boy a call, let him know we’re coming.”
“Stop being a child,” she replied, removing a gPhone out of her pocket.
By the time the lift stopped at the upper level of the thick donut shaped section of the station where ships docked, Marshall and Steve Delphino were waiting for them in one of the small conversation nooks that dotted the main walkways of the station. Kori walked up and planted a kiss on Marshall’s cheek before sitting next to him.
Jax glanced at Steve, his face reddening slightly. “Hey.” Steve said nothing.
Marshall and Kori looked at the two uncomfortable men, then at each other. Marshall cleared his throat. “Kori says you have job you want us in on? What in the name of the Emperor makes you think we’d work with you?”
Jax sat down opposite them. He looked at Steve, then the couple. “Actually, just you two.” He pointed to the Delphinos. “She insists on tagging along.”
Kori said nothing, flipping Jax off.
Marshall leaned forward. “What’s the job?” He casually placed a hand on Kori’s thigh, his eyes never breaking contact with Jax’s.
Before Jax could open his mouth, Kori very deliberately lifted Marshall’s hand off her leg. She looked at Jax, one eyebrow quirked. “The job?”
Jax took that as his cue. “I need to boost a train car or two of raw ore. Out on Jebediah. Gotta get the schedule, the transit details, and get it done.” He spread his arms. “Bigger job than me and the boys can do on our own.”
Steve snorted. “The boys? Your droids, you mean?”
Jax snapped his head around. “At least they don’t lie or use people.”
Steve leapt to his feet. “Goddamnit, I didn’t lie to you!” He glared at Jax, then his brother and Kori. “Whatever!” He stormed toward the bank of lifts, slamming an open palm to the controls. When no lifts arrived immediately, he stomped to the wall to lean against it.
Marshall leaned over to Kori. “They have recent history.”
Kori rolled her eyes. “I know that.” She turned to Jax. “So why us?” She saw the look on his face. “Why them?”
Jax composed himself. “Marshall is, well…” he gestured to the heavily muscled Delphino brother, “…Marshall.” He looked over to where Steve was leaning against the wall. “Stevie is an engineering whiz. We’ll have to rig something up to get those cars. The Osprey should have the power, but she’s not a cargo lifter.” He paused, then said, “You, well you’re smart, I’m sure we can find a use for you, so long as Marshall pays you out of his cut.”
“I sometimes wonder what didn’t work out with us.” Kori’s brown eyes looked as fierce as ever. “Today isn’t one of those days.”
Marshall chuckled. “Burn.” He turned to Jax. “We’re out. We’ve got a run to Shin Nihon, can’t wait. Full hold of grapefruit. They spoil.”
Jax pulled his gPhone out of his jacket pocket and swiped up on the screen. Marshall and Kori’s devices both beeped at the same time. She had hers out first. “Holy shit.”
Jax nodded. “Yeah.”
Marshall snapped his fingers to get his pouting younger brother’s attention. When Steve got closer, he said, “You two need to figure your shit out. I’ll make the Shin Nihon run, you go with him.” He pointed to Jax. “And Kori.”
“Marsh—” the younger Delphino started but stopped when his much larger brother held up a hand. Steve may have been the smarter of the two, but Marshall was in charge.
Kori looked at Steve. “It’ll be fun. We can share stories about his shortcomings.”
Jax rubbed his face. “I have a bad feeling about this.”