Page 43

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Haskell

“His primary tracker isn’t responding, which means they likely found it and dug it out. But I’m having difficulty getting the secondary to activate, and that’s buried down deep toward the spinal column. The only reason that wouldn’t be activated is if it also had been removed, and that would be fatal.” The frustration in Midas’ voice was evident.

“If he’s in the mine, could the depth be blocking the signal? I mean, we know he’s at the Murphy Mine. Is it just that we need to get closer?” Haskell asked.

Midas propped his elbows on the dining room table and ran his hands along his skull. “No. The only thing that might block a signal would be if he were inside a lead box of some sort.”

No one responded to the implications of that statement.

Haskell walked up behind him. Instinctually, she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “You’ll find him,” she assured him. “He knows you’re looking for him.” She wondered if she wasn’t trying to convince herself as much as him.

Midas grabbed her arms and gave them a squeeze.

“One hour. Then you get some sleep,” she ordered. “TB’s good with computers, even if he’s not as good as you. He can work on it while you nap. You’re not good to Nemo or us if you’re too exhausted to think straight.”

Midas looked like he was about to argue, but Waters intervened. “She’s right, Midas. One hour. Then sleep, a shower, and some food. You’ve been at this for over forty-eight hours.”

Midas replied, “Then I guess I better get back to it.”

An hour later, while Midas was sleeping, the rest of the team began to work out a plan for how to get to Nemo. Without a location from his trackers, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it would require searching building by building of the compound, and cavern by cavern of the mine itself. Going in blind would be dangerous and take time. Time that maybe Nemo didn’t have.

Three hours later, Haskell stood, frustrated and feeling helpless. She’d dragged the table in from the pool deck, and with the help of electrical tape, she’d planned to grid out her kit the way Nemo had in Los Angeles. It wasn’t her normal approach, but she’d hoped it would calm her. Make her feel closer to him. Instead, her eyes were blurry with tears she refused to let fall, which also meant that her hands were shaking and unable to tear the tape.

Slamming one hand down on the table, a strangled sob worked its way up through her throat and escaped her mouth. The other hand holding the tape roll went up to her mouth, the back of the hand covering her lips, hoping to keep any further sounds trapped inside. Her shoulders rolled over as she fought the urge to be sick.

A pair of hands reached from behind and to the side, pulling the hand holding the tape away from her mouth. Quiet and low, a voice offered, “Let me help.” She looked up into the green eyes of Demon. He nodded with encouragement to her, but her fingers didn’t want to let go, as if somehow that meant she was letting go of Nemo. Giving up on him.

“Easy, Gem. Let go. I’ve got you.”

He managed to slip the roll from her grasp, then pulled a long strip of the tape clear from the roll. He gave her the free end, then he walked around the table until he was across from her. After pulling more of the tape clear of the roll to reach all the way across, he ripped off the piece and pressed his end to the edge of the table. He waited, watching for her to do the same.

Meticulously, as if the straightness of the tape made it more likely they would get to him in time, she attached her end of the tape to the table. Together, they smoothed the piece of tape down, edge to center, their fingertips meeting in the middle of the table. She looked up at Demon, and he nodded at her, saying nothing. Then he stood up, started to pull another piece of tape, handed her the end, and they continued the process until the table was gridded out to her satisfaction.

When they were done, she stood staring down at the tabletop.

His voice came from behind her again, and his hands settled on her shoulders. “Better?”

She did feel like she could get air in better. Felt calmer. Her hand smoothed over the tape lines closest to her. “Yes. Thank you,” she whispered.

He nodded and made his way outside onto the pool deck. She stared after him, watching as he stood at the water’s edge, hands in his pockets, peering down at it. Without her thinking about it, she followed him, pulling the sliding door closed behind her .

Standing next to him, she tried to find the words she wanted to say. “I really do trust you, Demon. I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise.”

He said nothing.

“Who am I to judge what’s acceptable, or not, about your… coping mechanism.” She cringed at the phrase. By trying to soften the crime, she’d said something equally as judgmental as the first statement. “That came out worse, I think. Look. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we all do things that technically aren’t good for us. Midas spends all of his time with Nova, an AI personality. He refuses to sleep, and all he seems to eat, unless we all eat together, is candy and chips. TB closes himself off to everyone except maybe Flame. Even Nemo has his own disaster with his… dating habits. I don’t know what else to call them. Hell, I allow my dead father free rent space in my head that no matter how good I am as a thief, I’m useless as a daughter.”

“You’re not wrong about me, Gem. I am a liability to them, but for some reason, I can’t force myself to leave them. It has nothing to do with my ‘disappearing’ if I do, either. Some days, I think it might be better if I did.”

“You’re not a liability, Demon. The guys don’t see you like that.”

“They should. I’ve no excuse for it. Not that there ever really is an excuse.”

Haskell knew he expected her to ask why he used, but she wasn’t going to. It wasn’t her business. She only knew of one person other than Demon who should hear that story.

“Do you know how I know that they see you as an asset? Whatever your motivation for using, it was there before you came to Tribe. That means everyone who mattered knew already, but you’re here anyway. If there’s one thing I know about your boss, God, is that he never would have approved hiring you if he didn’t think you were the best person to do what you do. Waters never would have recommended you to him. The guys wouldn’t joke around with you, and I know for a fact that Nemo believes in you one hundred percent. He even told me that he’d rather have you being as you are than working with anyone else.” She put a hand on his arm, staring intently at his profile. “Cherry wouldn’t be so pissed if she didn’t care.”

“Don’t try to justify it, Gem. You can’t. It’s weak. It’s dangerous. Just because I’m a functional addict doesn’t mean I won’t screw up.”

“No. No, it doesn’t. Any of us could screw up for any number of reasons, and we don’t use narcotics on a regular basis.” She threaded her arm through his and placed her head along his bicep, mirroring his stare at the water as if it had all the answers. “But look at how you choose to handle yourself. When you know you’re headed out, you’re able to cut yourself off. You can do it; you’re just not ready yet. When you’re ready, you’ll stop.”

Through clenched teeth, he swallowed tightly. “What if I’m never ready?” The question came out as a whisper, the fear in the question ringing loud.

Haskell squeezed his arm. “I have a sneaking suspicion you’re closer than you think.”

She felt him shift, so she looked up to find him looking at her quizzically.

“I think you’ve been ready for a while. There’s something you want, and it’s so close. The only way to get it is to quit. Unfortunately, you feel unworthy, so you maintain the status quo. You’ve set yourself up to fail on purpose, but all you’re really doing is breaking both your hearts.” She patted his arm and laid her head back on it. “Just think about it.”

They stood in silence together, contemplating the ripples in the pool from the light breeze. Eventually, he said, “You should know… I promise you—nothing and no one is going to get to you unless it comes through me.”

“I’m not worried about me,” she told him.

“I know. But you need to know that just the same. And we are not allowing them to get their hands on Zahra. She’s safe and in good hands. More importantly, Gem, as long as even one of us is still breathing, we are not leaving him in that mine. I refuse to make promises I may not be able to keep, but I’ll do everything until I’m physically no longer breathing to get him back.”

She nodded. “I know. He’s tribe.”

He dislodged from her hold and turned to her. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“I do. Really. Loyalty is everything to you guys.”

Demon sighed. He turned his head toward the dining room table, where TB was smiling tightly and talking with someone quietly. “TB! You done flirting with Flame yet?”

TB rolled his eyes. He got up from the table, laptop in hand, and carried it outside to the pool loungers. He handed a pair of earbuds to Haskell. “Encryption is running. Just don’t touch any of the keys. She knows that she should close out first, which activates the kill switch on her end.” He pulled her to one of the loungers and sat her at the computer. His focus went to the computer screen. “Thanks, princess.” He smiled at the redhead on the screen.

She shooed him away with her hands flapping in the camera. “You’re welcome, love you, go away while I talk to my new muse. Go play doctor with your medic.”

Haskell smiled at the quiet “Eww” she heard from Demon as he went back inside.

TB chuckled. “Add five more swats to the list for brushing me off, little Flame. You’re not going to sit for a week. ”

“Pfft! Like that scares me, Godzilla. Go destroy a city or something. Shoo!”

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 know exactly what’s going on there. I don’t know how much you 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, but other 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 they all were 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?”

Haskell hesitated, then nodded. “I didn’t want to love him, but…”

Flame giggled. “Yeah, it’s difficult not to love the big idiot. I swear, if there’s a way to eff something up, that boy’s got it down on how. Nemo’s heart is as big as his stupid. But without him, TB might never have got his head out of his gorgeous butt over me.

“The point to all of this is… Nemo loves you. He claimed you, loud and proud, to the guys. Now, I’m not going to lie. He made a lot of mistakes regarding how he handled that emotional commitment to you the past few years, but the love itself never wavered. And because he loves you so much and so deeply? Those five men he calls teammates will do everything they can to bring him back. Yeah, his boss wants him back. We girls want him back. But for you alone, because he loves you, they are willing to burn the world down so that you can have him back. They’re the same way about me, the same way about Kubrick, and the same way about Cherry. World. Burning. No questions asked.”

Flame smiled at Haskell. “Look around, Gem. Those guys have let you into their world in a way that Kubrick and I can never experience. You were almost one of them, I hear. That factors into this as well. Don’t hold yourself off from them. The big lumps will never admit that your inability to connect to them hurts their feelings. Which I get because they are men, and that whole X-Y chromosome thing makes it nearly impossible for them to articulate they even have feelings, let alone that they hurt. Trust them, Gem,” she pleaded. “They’ve got Nemo, and by extension, they’ve got you, too. You’re not alone anymore.”

There was a shouting noise from inside the house. Haskell turned around at a knocking sound on the glass door, and TB was standing there, twirling his finger in the universal “wrap it up” gesture.

“Is that Mr. Grumpypants telling me you need to go?” Flame asked.

“Yeah.” Haskell nodded.

“Okay. Remember what I told you because it means everything. World burning. Now, go be amazing at what you do. So jealous! Well, not really, but when this is all over, you and I need to sit down with some ice cream and chat. There’s got to be a novel in this somewhere about a cat shifter,” Flame mused.

Haskell felt the first honest smile on her face in several days. This woman and her shifters!

“Take care of yourself, Gem. And do me a favor. Give TB a smack on the ass for me. ”

Haskell felt horror spread across her face. “You know he’s going to add more swats for that. And I’ll probably get a few myself.”

Flame giggled. “He wouldn’t dare swat you because I can be a jealous witch with a ‘b.’ As for me, I’ll enjoy the extra swats, so no worries there. Just wish I could be there to see what happens when you do it.” Flame giggled, winked, blew her a kiss, and cut the connection.

When Haskell stood to go back inside, TB came out and collected the laptop. “We finally got a communication from Pharaoh Kader, so Nova was able to pinpoint Nemo’s secondary tracker.”

Relief flooded through her. “That’s great.” He had barely passed in front of her when Gem said, “By the way, I have a message for you from Flame.”

He set the computer down and looked at her. “What’s the message?”

She looked at him nervously. “I’m kind of afraid to give it to you.”

He chuckled and turned back to the table. “No need to be afraid of me, Gem. What could she possibly tell you to tell me that would make you worry?”

SMACK!

TB froze in his slightly bent-over position at the table.

All of the guys in the room were wide-eyed, gazes bouncing from her to TB.

Haskell crossed past him, using Demon as a shield. She looked at TB and shrugged. “Please don’t shoot me. I’m just the messenger.”

There was a silence that hung in the air for another moment or two, then there was a snort that someone couldn’t hold in, followed by a “holy shit,” and then everyone exploded in laughter. Except TB .

He turned on her, nostrils flaring, eyes shooting flames. She wondered if maybe she’d made a mistake in trusting Flame. Then she was pretty positive she had when TB started stalking her around the table. Before she could get an apology out, he swooped in, threw her over his shoulder, took her out through the patio doors, and tossed her in the pool.

When she came up sputtering, it was to see Scheherazade standing on the edge of the pool barking her fool head off and all the guys clutching their sides and stomachs, bent over laughing with tears coming out of their eyes. She smoothed the hair out of her face and looked up at TB. Just the one corner of his mouth was tipped up in the slightest smirk.

Haskell grinned. “I told her it would cost her five extra swats if I did it, but she said she didn’t care.”

“Oh, it’ll be way more than five.” TB reached his hand down to her to help her out of the pool. She latched on, and with one yank by that single arm, she was up out of the water and standing along the edge.

“Don’t be too mad at her,” she begged.

“Nah. Gotta love my princess,” he said. “She always knows the right thing to say and do in a crisis. Go on. Go get dry. We got shit to do.”

Haskell scampered into the house between the men still laughing and rehashing the event, including impersonations of TB’s face, and ran upstairs to change clothes.

The tension had been eased. Now they could all get back to work.