Page 83 of Nothing to Fear

Rho shot to his feet. “Why not? I’m rock-steady. Ready to roll.”

“I need you here with Daedalus. If anything goes wrong and Stone makes it past me—”

“What are you saying?” Rho’s dark eyes narrowed.

“If something goes wrong, I need you to make sure Daedalus doesn’t go apeshit.”

No one planned for their own funeral, not in this business. And Omega wasn’t about to start. He couldn’t care less about dying, but he wouldn’t be able to focus unless he knew Rho would cover down and keep Daedalus safe.

Omega scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “If you don’t hear from me, Daedalus should let Cobalt burn, then cut and run while he can.”

“You should be the one to tell him.” Rho lowered his gaze and shook his head. “He only listens to you.”

If that were true, things would be simple. “I’ll tell him.”

A lot needed to be said. The time for such talk was never right. Work always came first, and he’d never unload before going out on something this big. Omega would only talk about what mattered most to him in the world: keeping Daedalus safe and alive, no matter the cost.

“You’ll need to remind him,” Omega said. “Just in case.”

“We go out, but we come back. Always, bro. Get your head straight. Stone rattled you, threw you a curveball, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. When we’re in a fight, we’re like gods. We can tackle anything thrown our way.”

Even gods fall, but now wasn’t the time to remember the damn Titans. “Yeah, you’re right.” He threw Rho an easy smile to put his brother-in-arms at ease. “You know me. I cover all bases. Worst case, do whatever’s necessary to keep him safe.”

“That’s the prime directive.”

Daedalus wasn’t just a mission and Rho knew it, but Omega didn’t need to say the words.

“Oh, G-G-God,” the woman whimpered.

What was her fucking name? Lauren? Laura?

“You’re going to k-k-kill me. I’ve seen your faces. You’re talking about your plans. I’m not going to see my girls again, am I? Simone is going to steal my life. I should’ve fired her.”

Rho grabbed a roll of duct tape and unpeeled a long strip to muzzle the woman.

Omega lifted a palm, stopping him. “Listen, little momma, I hate tears and whining. If you don’t pipe down, I’ll have to pay your family a visit once I’m done with your sister.”

He picked up her wallet from the table, plucked out her driver’s license, read off her address in North Haven, Connecticut, and slipped out a photo of two blond girls from the plastic picture holder. “Twins? Six? Seven? A tough age to lose a mother. And a father. Think of your children and how you don’t want them to be orphans.”

The woman sucked in a shuddering sob, and then blessed silence.

“Ahhh, see? No need to waste the tape.”

34

Grand Cayman

Sunday, July 7 9:19 p.m. EST/10:19 p.m. EDT

After a shower, Willow blow-dried her hair, longing for a brush, elastic bands, and hair pins. Minuscule items that meant nothing separately but added up to the pieces that held her together.

On the boat, she’d been removed from the real world—her problems seemed an ocean away—and had created a new routine with Gideon.

Here, she stared at the gun on the counter, praying there’d be no reason to use it.

Gathering her damp auburn strands as if for a ponytail, she coiled her hair into a tight bun, tucking the ends, and secured it with a ballpoint pen. The twist was messier than she preferred, but she was grounded, better prepared to handle the unexpected.

She stared in the mirror. Could Gideon be with someone like her back home?