Star Wars - Kenobi

myself here for years more—for years, just to help a friend!”
    “That’s why we have to get married,” he said. Orrin walked to the counter and lifted the hinged section. “The bank said—”
    “You told the bank before you proposed to me?” Annileen nearly split apart with outrage. “How romantic! Did they give their blessing?”
    “They’d be satisfied,” Orrin said, walking back behind the counter. He reached for her hand. “They’d know you and I were in it together for the long haul, to make both the farm and the Claim a success.” He tried to smile again. “They won’t foreclose. And Jabba won’t foreclose on me. We’ll all be fine.”
    Annileen tried to draw her hand away. She couldn’t go along with this, but she didn’t want anything to happen to Orrin, either. For a moment, she wondered whether Jabe knew anything about all this. Had he even returned with Orrin?
    And then she thought of something else, and yanked her hand away violently. “Wait,” she said, stepping to the cashbox and datapads. “How did you know what’s in my accounts? And how would the bank know the value of this place?”
    Head drooping in the low light, Orrin sighed. “I made copies of the records this morning after you left.”
    “You did what ?” Annileen’s mouth fell open.
    “And I made some holograms.”
    Annileen slammed her hands on the back counter. It made sense, now, Orrin getting her out for the day. A family trip to Mos Eisley to get a new landspeeder—that would do it. “Did Tar Lup help you snoop through my files?”
    “No, no. But you had lent me the codes so he could work. I logged in before Tar showed up.”
    “Get out,” Annileen ordered.
    “Annie—”
    “Don’t ‘Annie’ me,” she said. She turned her back on him. “I won’t help you fix this. Get out.”
    Orrin approached her. “Annie, they’re going to kill me.”
    Standing at the end of the counter, she said nothing. There weren’t words.
    “Annie, I’m begging,” he said, choking up. “You’ve got to marry me. The bank says—”
    “Just go,” Annileen said, tearing up. She felt his presence behind her, could hear his fast breathing. He’d ruined his life and was here, now, invading the one place that was absolutely hers, trying to take it away. “Just go.”
    “Okay,” Orrin said, arms sagging. He turned around and started to walk. But after a second, Annileen heard the footsteps stop. Orrin lingered behind the counter with her, calculating. “Maybe there’s another way,” he said.
    Annileen looked back but said nothing.
    “The store’s just got to be in the family,” Orrin said, stepping toward her, eyes wild. “Maybe the kids—”
    Annileen winced. It was almost comical, now. “I really don’t think Mullen is marriage material!”
    “No,” Orrin said. “But I could marry Kallie.”
    Annileen’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
    Orrin raised his hands to explain. “She’s nearly twenty—”
    “In three years!”
    Before Orrin could say more, Annileen’s right fist impacted his jaw. Krakk!
    Hand on his bleeding mouth, Orrin looked at her, betrayed and bewildered.
    “Get out!” Annileen yelled, shoving in an attempt to force him out from behind her bar. But the larger man turned instead, his hands grabbing her shoulders like a vise.
    Rage entered his eyes. “I don’t care how it happens! But I’m done asking! I’ve got to save myself, can’t you see?”
    Annileen struggled. “Let go!”
    Orrin wrestled with her in the cramped space. Overturned bottles smashed from to the floor. His anger grew, and he shook her. Annileen struggled. “Annie, just listen—”
    Kr-chowww!
    A blaze of blue light lit the darkness, striking the wall just behind Orrin’s shoulder. Annileen still frozen in his clutches, Orrin looked across the bar. There in the moonlight stood Kallie, in her nightshirt, rifle quivering in her hands. “Get away from her!” Kallie yelled.
    “Kallie, you wouldn’t shoot me—”
    “Don’t bet on it!” Kallie fired again, shattering a bottle just to his left. “I’ve never liked you people!” Her face twisted in anger. “You always take advantage of Mom, and now you’re trying to ruin Jabe! Now let her go—and tell me what’s going on here!”
    Orrin released Annileen and shook his head. “Kallie,” he said, “you just don’t get it. None of you do.” He looked up, his face lit by the light from outside. “Jabe is dead.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
    A’YARK