Chapter 66

By the time no more men entered the booth I sat in I was exhausted and about ready to cry. I’d lost count of the number of men, but a collection of names had been added to my database and beside my purse sat a small pile of tokens.

Every man had tipped me, and some of them had tipped me well. It was one of the few things I could be truly grateful for.

For a moment I sat on the edge of the cushioned table, sore, achy, and so tired my limbs felt impossibly heavy. I didn’t want to move, but a small amount of curiosity got me to do so. I reached for the device in my purse and checked my earnings. Five men had paid me almost seven hundred credits. I had made the money I needed and some. If I wanted I could go home.

But I still hadn’t seen Tomichii. Or Kioshi.

After checking my appearance and tucking the hundred credits I also had in tokens away, I got to my feet and pulled back the curtain. The room was busier than I’d expected, the night feeling later than it clearly was. Edward appeared b