Page 113 of Never Enough

He was still chuckling as he walked back inside, closing the sliding door behind him.

Haskell turned back to the screen.

“Hi, Gem.” Flame’s face still had a smile on it, but it had concern in it. “How are you holding up?”

“Umm… okay?”

“Is that an honest answer or a question?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure.”

Flame nodded. “I hear ya there. I’m sorry Kubrick’s not here. She wanted to be once she heard I was going to be talking to you, but she’s in meetings today for her new film.”

“I’m not really sure why TB called you…”

“It was actually Demon’s idea to have you talk to one of us because he’s worried about you, and TB agreed with him that it was a good idea. We’ve been through some serious crap with our guys, so we understand the worry angle. Mostly, it’s because he’s worried about you. They all are.”

“Worried about me? Why?”

“Because you’re Nemo’s. He thought maybe talking to one of us would help you see some things differently.”

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to see Nemo being in the hands of a crime lord differently than what it is.” Haskell scoffed.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean that. Yes, that’s bad. But the guys will have that handled. And you’re there to do your thing, so it will all work out.” Flame said it as if there was no question of it working out any other way.

“I appreciate your confidence, Flame, but I’m not sure you understand just exactly what’s going on here.”

The redhead’s bark of laughter was jarring. “Oh, hon, I knowexactlywhat’s going on there. I don’t know how muchyou know about my situation or Kubrick’s. Did they share any of it?”

Haskell shook her head. “I know you were targeted by a trafficker. That’s it.”

“Mmm.” Flame bit her lip, clearly thinking about her next words. “I’m not sure exactly what I’m allowed to tell you, but given the circumstances that TB asked me to talk to you, I’m guessing I can share the basics. When I was very young, my parents and I lived on the streets of New York City. When they died, I was taken in by their drug dealer, Gendry. Let’s just say he was less of a guardian and more of a groomer.”

Pieces of a vague puzzle began to piece together in Haskell’s head. Conversations at Tribe and their over-the-top protectiveness of Kubrick, Flame, and Cherry. Past conversations she had overheard with members of Mythos.

“I managed to run away and start a new life. Unfortunately, Gendry wasn’t about to let go so easily and tracked me down. He’d connected himself to some sort of trafficking ring, and he was using me as his ticket to move higher up in the organization. I spent months being terrorized from a distance and the better part of two days in a metal box, waiting to be shipped to who knows where. TB and the boys saved my life.”

“I’m sorry you went through that, Flame, but I’m not sure what it is that I’m supposed to see differently.”

“You.”

“Me?” Haskell asked. “I don’t get it.”

“This isn’t about Nemo, Gem. This is about you.”

“I’m not following.”

She watched Flame scrunch up her face in consideration. “Let me try this approach. Kubrick and me? We know these guys better than they know themselves. They’re supposed to be so smart”—she rolled her eyes—“and most of the time they are, like Demon and TB realizing you needed to talk to me, butother times? Let’s just say their self-awareness elevators don’t always go to the top floor. I’m sure you’ve seen it with Nemo.”

Haskell gave a small smile. “Yeah. His reality of our relationship and my reality don’t always mesh.”

“Exactly. You and Nemo will mesh eventually, but right now, it’s you who needs to be seeing things from another perspective.”

“I’m very confused,” Haskell admitted.

“You see yourself as an outsider. Separate. I get that. I was in that same headspace for a bit. But after I realized that I was all in with TB, no matter how petrified I was in that box, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was coming for me. That theyallwere coming for me, including Medusa’s boys, because I was tribe, as they call it. You don’t have to worry about Nemo because he knows they’re coming for him. That they would never ever leave him, but you’re not seeing that it applies to you as well.”

Flame folded her arms in front of her on her desk and leaned into the camera. “Look. It’s simple. You love Nemo, right?”

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