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swearing under her breath. Anyone who believed Shareem weren’t masters of manipulation hadn’t met Justin.
    He didn’t go far. She caught up to him when he stopped at a coffee vendor’s and ordered two cups of thick Bor Nargan coffee, which was grown in the northern mountains. People came from planets far, far away to get Bor Nargan coffee.
    A rare open space beyond the coffee vendor’s stall provided tables. Justin deftly took one from three workers who were leaving and set down a coffee for Deanna. He waited for her to sit first at the high table, but she really shouldn’t sit down in public with him. She was the patroller, he the former prisoner.
    But he’d stand there all day waiting, she realized, so she plopped into a seat.
    She snatched up the coffee and drank, closing her eyes at the taste of the deep, rich brew. He’d bought the top of the line—at least, as top of the line as you could get in Pas City.
    Deanna opened her eyes to find Justin sitting across the table from her. He kept his gaze on her while he took a sip from his own cup.
    He didn’t do anything radical with that sip—he simply drank the coffee. But the way he drank it . . . He took it lovingly into his mouth, closing his eyes while he savored the taste. His throat moved in a slow swallow, then he slid his tongue over his lips to catch any lingering drop.
    Deanna’s knees went weak, something hot stabbing the space between her legs. The man couldn’t do anything without being over-the-top sensual.
    He opened his eyes and carefully set down his cup. “Wear the veil.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t. Not while I’m in uniform.”
    Justin moved his gaze to her coverall where it hugged her bosom. “Patrollers live in those uniforms. You should have said, not while I’m on duty. Are you?”
    Deanna rolled her cup between her palms. “No.”
    “Why not?”
    She didn’t want to tell him. Being a patroller was Deanna’s life. She’d been a patroller since she’d graduated from the academy, had moved up the chain with ease. She stood to be promoted soon.
    Until Justin.
    She clutched the cup while humiliation crawled through her. “This morning, I was told to take a leave of absence.”
    She waited for Justin’s laugh, his satisfied glee, but he watched her without changing expression. “I thought they were only holding up your promotion.”
    “Today they decided I should take a few days off while they look into my performance and decide what to do.”
    “Fucking patrollers,” Justin growled.
    Deanna shrugged, shoulders shaking a little. “It’s procedure. I screwed up.”
    “Don’t justify it. The arrest was legit, and we both know it.”
    “They’re embarrassed and looking for someone to blame. I guess Brianne d’Aroth’s word carries a lot of weight.”
    To her surprise, Justin grinned in true mirth. “I believe it. I haven’t known Bree long, but I can see that she gets her own way. She’d have to have that kind of moxie, to put up with Aiden and Ky.”
    “Moxie? What does that mean?”
    “Word I picked up on Sirius. Means she has balls, guts, lots of determination.” Justin leaned forward. “You do too, I’m thinking. Wear the veil. To hell with them.”
    She shouldn’t. Deanna had learned from day one, Respect the uniform.
    Patrollers never went off duty, not really. They kept their eye out for crime every minute they were awake. Deanna had an alarm next to her bed wired straight from the stationhouse so they could wake her whenever she was needed.
    Patrollers kept the streets safe for citizens of Bor Narga. Off-worlders came here by the ton, beings from all over the galaxy, and not all of them respected Bor Nargan laws. Deanna had stood between off-world rioters and the homes of Bor Nargans more than once, fought a slaver hand-to-hand when he was getting ready to abscond with two children. She’d hauled his sorry ass to her cells and got him transported to a maximum security station to await trial. Which