Page 77 of Never Enough

“Yeah. I’ve got video. It’s fabulous.”

She stared at him. “I don’t think I want to know.”

“Oh, no, you totally do.”

A throat cleared off to the side of them. “Thought I confiscated all those DVDs.”

Gem turned to see Waters standing behind them, hands on hips, a scowl on his face.

“I guess you missed one?” Nemo posited innocently.

“How many more are there since I’m still finding them now, months later?”

“I have no knowledge of the exact number of copies that were made,” Nemo answered truthfully as he turned his back on his team leader.

He leaned over his brother’s shoulder at the laptop. Out of his peripheral vision, he watched Gem roll her lips inward to prevent from laughing. Her eyes flashed to Waters’ face. Waters’ mouth tipped up into a smile, and the man winked at her to show he wasn’t really pissed off. She let her own smile show through as she shook her head over their antics. Nemo felt a soft glow in his chest. His kitty cat fit in so well here.

Maybe when this was done, Waters would offer her a job with Tribe. Wouldn’t that make life so much easier?

29

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Haskell

Thirteen hours and a jump over the international date line later, the group was deplaning in Melbourne, Australia, to meet with a contact for the things Cerberus needed, as well as to collect the rest of Mythos. Loki met them at the airport. It would only be a short ride to the hotel where the group would be staying overnight before going to collect Cerberus in Colombo in Sri Lanka, then heading on to Vilanculos in Mozambique. The plan was to use a beach house there as their home base for a few days while they planned their final steps.

Before heading to the hotel, the group split into pairs so that they attracted as little attention as possible.

Medusa and Waters took the waiting truck and drove to pick up Cerberus’ supply order. Once that was done, they would take it back to the airport, where Loki and the copilot would be waiting to load the items into the cargo hold fortakeoff and pay off customs. Scheherazade would be staying with the copilot on the plane so that she didn’t end up quarantined.

Steel and TB went to a local bar and stayed for a meal and the bulk of a football match so that they would arrive later than the others.

Demon disappeared toward the beach for the night—surfing with Midas as his guard, having dinner, and connecting to the local WiFi at a beachside café.

Haskell and Nemo headed straight to the hotel, where Gilgamesh met them in the bar and passed them their room key.

Haskell was torn on whether she wanted to protest the rooming arrangement. On the one hand, she felt that it was presumptuous on everyone’s part that she would room with Nemo. On the other hand, she knew she wouldn’t be allowed her own room, given their circumstances. Being a part of a couple helped them blend in a little bit. She knew Medusa would be rooming with Loki under the guise of being a couple as well, so she felt trapped in the situation, but she had to admit… deep down, she wanted to stay with Nemo. This gave her permission to do so without guilt, although why she felt guilty about it in the first place, she wasn’t sure.

’Cause you know he’s just using you, child. That’s all that boy’s ever done. You’re only convenient to a loser like him.

“I am not,” she whispered to herself, trying to brush the voice aside.

“What did you say?” Nemo asked as he used the key to open their door.

“Nothing. Sorry. So tired I’m talking to myself.”

Nemo raised an eyebrow at her, blocking the door.

“I’m fine, Nemo. Nothing a shower and some food won’t solve.”

After searching her eyes for a moment, he nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do. Follow right behind me. Once you’re in the room, step immediately to the left of the doorframe and put your back to the wall. Do not move until I’ve cleared the room. Got it?”

“Got it,” she replied.

He gave her a smile, drew his weapon from under his shirt, then stepped into the room. After doing a rapid check behind the door to the hallway, he checked behind the curtains, out on the balcony, and inside the closet. He followed that with a look under the bed and inside the bathroom. Once he was satisfied no one was hiding, he told her, “All clear.”

He grabbed both of their bags, placing his on the bed. Holding out his hand to her, he tilted his head in the direction of the bathroom. She laced her fingers with his, her heart thumping erratically as she followed him into the stark whiteness.

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