Page 47

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Midas

“Nemo!” He pounded on the hotel door, but there was no answer. “Son of a fuck, Nemo, I know you’re pissed she’s gone, but we’re leaving.”

“He’s not there, Midas.”

Midas turned to see Waters leaning in the open doorway of his hotel room across the hall.

“What do you mean he’s not there? Where the hell else would the fuckwitch be?” Midas slammed his hand on the door. “He did not go and find some girl, did he? I’ll kill him! I really will kill him.”

Midas started to storm to the elevator, but Waters got in his path with a hand to the chest and stopped him.

“He made the right choice, Midas. Gem couldn’t stay with us.”

The computer expert stared at his boss, his molars grinding. He couldn’t process what Waters was telling him. Then it hit him. “He’s not there, meaning he’s no longer here ? Are you saying he left? With her?”

Waters nodded. He clearly wasn’t happy about the situation, but it was clear to Midas that he was resigned to it.

“God warned me the last time we talked that this would probably happen. I gave Nemo my blessing.”

“So Nemo talked to you, but he didn’t talk to me? What the ever-loving fuck?”

Waters gave a silent chuckle. “No, he did, but clearly, for the first time ever, you didn’t check your email.”

“I finally managed to get some sleep,” Midas groused. “I was in a hurry because I overslept.”

“Check your email. Meet us downstairs when you’re done. We’ll wait. Mythos is letting us use their jet to get home, so there’s no rush.”

Waters turned and grabbed his bag from by the door, then closed his door and headed for the elevator, leaving Midas standing in the middle of the hallway.

He had no clue how long he stood there before turning and going back to his room. He slammed the door closed, jerked his laptop out of his bag, and opened up his email. Sure as shit, there was a message from his brother. When he opened the email, all he saw was a video icon.

He dropped into the chair, his finger hovering over the trackpad, hesitant to open the file. After a deep inhale and exhale, he finally did.

When the video started, it was to see his brother sitting in his own hotel room in the clothes he had been wearing last night when he left the debriefing. Gem was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, big bro.” He smiled, but it was one tinged with sadness. “You were sleeping when I broke into your room last night, and I didn’t want to wake you. I know you haven’t slept in days, so you need it.

“Look, I know you’re not going to understand why I’m doing this, but… the Salieri can’t be allowed to keep doing this. They’re too big now. Gem gave me some more info, and… fuck, you wouldn’t believe what I’ve learned. I… have to go with Mythos. Gem is desperately needed by Mythos, so she can’t leave, and I can’t let her go again. I won’t survive it.

“You’re the best brother a guy could have, and it’s not just because you’re my twin. You saved my ass so many times. I know you think I was a shit brother to you, never considering you and what you were sacrificing for me. But I promise you, a lot of the things I did when we were younger were done to protect you. I figured if I took the heat off you, you’d be able to do all the things you were meant to do. Maybe that was the wrong way to go about it, but if I had the chance, I’d do it all the same way again.

“Now? It’s time for me to get my shit together, and I need to do that on my own. You can’t hold my hand anymore or do shit for me so that I don’t have to do it.” Nemo’s genuine smile lit up the screen. “I won’t say that you won’t have to save my ass anymore because I’m pretty damn sure you will. This isn’t goodbye. Part of what I learned… let’s just say we’ll see quite a bit of each other before long, and my ass will probably need saving big time.

“But, Kash,” he said seriously. “This is really important, and I need you to hear me. I have to go because I can’t let you keep giving up on your life, your needs, because you’re always looking over me. As long as I’m there, you’ll keep focusing on me. You’re my twin, not my father. You need to start living your own life. You don’t need to parent me anymore. I promise. I’ll be okay. God and Waters were right. Gem and I had decisions to make, and they needed to be the right ones. This is right. ”

His smile became more sedate again. “I love you, big bro. I’ll see you soon.” He started to reach toward the computer to cut the video, but then he pulled back. “Oh. Before I forget. Mom still loved me best.” He blew a big bubble, let it pop, sucked it back into his mouth, winked, and then he cut the feed.

Midas closed out the email and shut his laptop.

Fifteen minutes later, he was down in the lobby with his bag. All of the men had their wallets open and were handing Steel his money for the bet over Gem and Nemo, trash-talking him as a cheater, somehow having inside information. The man just collected the money and put it away, accepting the insults and saying nothing.

TB handed Midas a cup of coffee. “Everything okay?”

Midas blew on his coffee, took a sip, and tipped his head with a sigh. “It will be. Let’s go.”

The team of five walked out the lobby doors and headed back to Los Angeles.