I let out a breath for the count of six, and then let the air slowly back into my lungs for a count of three, using the Aunare breathing technique just like Declan had taught me.

Tonight, I’d be gone. I could do anything for a few more hours. I’d been through so much worse.

But still, as his thumb moved up my arm, I couldn’t think of one worse second in my life.

“You been in Albuquerque long?” The sound of the perv’s slightly nasal voice irritated me.

“All my life.” The lie I’d uttered so many times before slid smoothly off my tongue. I had to get away from him without causing a scene, but how?

“You ever been off planet?” he asked.

An idea came to me. This would end in bloodshed, but not his.

The perv’s eyes stayed glued to my breasts as I slowly reached for the multitool again. “No,” I said.

“This close to the oldest spaceport on Earth and you’ve never gone anywhere? You’ve never been off planet? Not even once?”

“No, sir.” My heart hammered. Why was he asking me this? What did he care?

“You ever meet any Aunare?”

“No, sir,” I answered him as calmly as I could. My voice didn’t waver, but it was a little higher than normal. I had to fix that. “I was only a little kid when Liberation Night happened. I don’t remember them at all.” My voice sounded more natural. I knew he wasn’t asking because he suspected anything. He didn’t know anything about me. The perv was just being a jerk.

“You sure? Pretty girl like you would attract them. You almost look like one, but then you can’t be a halfer. Right? I saw you using a chip earlier.”

Shit. I should’ve worn my hair down.

I took another practiced breath, hoping to prevent my skin from glowing. He didn’t know anything. Not yet. But I couldn’t give him any reason to ask more questions, and I had to get out of there. Now. “The Aunare were exiled from Earth when I was barely more than a baby, so there’s no way that I could know any.” I flicked the corkscrew open under the bar with my thumb and twisted it around in my hand. It was awkward, but I managed to slice my palm.

“Ouch!” I said with a heavy dose of whine and jerked my arm free from his grasp. “Damn it.” I held out my bleeding palm. “Excuse me. Gotta clean this up.” I tucked my palm against my chest and spun toward the kitchen a little too fast.

My skirt flew up. Air brushed the back of my legs.