Setzer leaned against the airship with tightly crossed arms and a hint of a scowl. He only had a few more minutes to spare before he had to leave for Mobliz and his promised dinner with Relm and the children. But an itch in his hands on the wheel of the Falcon and a deep-seeded need for feminine companionship had pulled him here: to the Opera House. Now his very soul ached, but he couldn’t tell what it meant: a mourning for Marée lost, or a push to accept a found escape from loneliness.
“Another distraction,” he muttered.
Yet he new Maria wanted more than that. She wanted a future that he didn’t believe he could give her. He wouldn’t ground himself, not even for her. Not even for Marée. Setzer adjusted his footing as his frown hardened to a glare. One of his hands felt the bulk of his cards and his glare deepened. Ace of Diamonds! If she was truly my Ace, the fire would not have waned!
Setzer straightened and turned for the ship, pausing on the threshold with another look behind to the Opera House. The ache swelled like a wave, tightening his chest and speeding the beat of his heart as his body temperature rose. Setzer pulled in a strangled breath and turned away to enter the Falcon and leave for Mobliz. He would play the hand he was dealt; he wouldn’t deal it himself.