Free The Steel Harvest by J.D. Miller Page A

Corbin. After that—”
    “We can both get back to our lives,” Silvia joked, finishing for him.
    Carter nodded, grateful.
    “That’s quite the journey,” Ramus remarked, refilling his plate. “So you’ll be stopping in New Manhattan, then?”
    “Yeah.”
    Ramus turned to Silvia. “That will be fun for you, little lady.”
    “Eh?”
    “New Manhattan is a huge city. Some of its buildings go as high as five or six stories!”
    This finally drew Silvia’s attention away from her food. Looking up, her jaw hung open slightly. A bit of fish hung off her lower lip as she stared at Ramus. Carter covered his eyes with his hand.
    She’s such a kid.
    “Five stories?” Silvia marveled. “How do they stay up in the wind?”
    “Honestly, I have no idea.” Ramus gave an honest grin, exposing his teeth. “That’s way beyond my paygrade.”
    Silvia turned to Carter in a flash. “Can we see them while we’re there? Please?”
    “S-sure.”
    “All right!”
    Ramus snickered under his breath. “So, how do you plan on funding this grand expedition?” he asked.
    “Well, between the two of us I think we will be able to keep up a decent amount of trade—”
    “Wait, ‘the two of you’?”
    “Yeah,” Silvia spoke up. “Carter and I are partnering up until we go our separate ways.”
    Ramus nearly choked on his food. Slamming his hand against the table, he leaned over, laughing hard. Carter chuckled awkwardly, shrinking back in his chair. Silvia, however, failed to be amused, her half-grin slowly warping into a scowl. She stared at Ramus as he pulled himself together.
    “Hahaha. Sorry, that’s just… Carter, what are you doing teaming up with a tenderfoot ?” Ramus wheezed.
    “Excuse me?” Silvia interjected, her brow furrowing even further.
    “Oh, um, I didn’t mean offense, miss. Really, it’s just that Carter doesn’t team up with people. Ever. He just doesn’t strike me as someone who’d be patient enough to show a greenhorn the ropes, is all.”
    “She might be new, but she’s far from worthless, if that’s what you’re implying,” Carter muttered. “It comes naturally to her from what I’ve seen. She’s got a keen eye and can play most people like a fiddle.”
    This improved Silvia’s mood dramatically. Flushing slightly, she grinned at him.
    Still, Ramus crossed his arms, eyeing the duo carefully. “I don’t know, man. Plenty of people have raw talent, but they’re still a pain in the ass to lug around.”
    Carter flinched, waiting for the hammer to fall, but Silvia stayed surprisingly calm. She smiled brightly and then giggled flirtatiously. Carter’s mind went blank. Across the table, Ramus seemed equally dumbfounded.
    Silvia only giggled more. Standing, she walked behind Carter, putting her hands on his shoulders. Despite himself, Carter stiffened. Ramus watched, clearly uncomfortable, as Silvia leaned down farther, wrapping her arms around Carter’s neck and hugging his head to her. Carter’s mind completely stopped functioning. The warmth of Silvia’s chest against the back of his head melted all ambitions, leaving him limp in her hands. Every nerve in his body stood on edge, screaming for him to run.
    “He’d be lying of course if he said my feminine charm wasn’t a part of it.” Silvia cooed, her voice soft and alluring.
    Carter shivered. Ramus gaped at the two of them, his eyes wide.
    Both Silvia and Ramus burst into laughter almost simultaneously. As Silvia’s weight left Carter’s shoulders, he resisted the urge to blush, scowling deeply instead.
    “Heh. Wow. Okay, I withdraw, you win.” Ramus lifted his hands in surrender.
    Silvia responded with a victorious grin as she plopped back down next to Carter. “Oh no, I’m sorry, did I hurt someone’s pride?” Silvia jeered.
    “Shut up.”
    A second wave of laughter filled the room. After a moment or two, Carter finally broke. He smiled weakly as the other two doubled over in their chairs.
    “Anyway,” Ramus said,