AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Let me guess: The coffee is from the Deli, too," I surmised with a smile, feeling a hint of triumph.
“No,” Stephan now replied, and I almost thought I detected a grin in his otherwise rigid mask. “The coffee was a gift from Mr. Baldur.”
With these words, he exited the car and left me flabbergasted. Despite my diversionary maneuver, he had actually managed to make me think of Tanael again. Such a clever fox.
Unmoved, the butler opened the car door. Avoiding his gaze, I left the car and walked directly to the church's main door. After a few steps, I thought I heard giggling behind me, but Stephan was not a man of mirth.
Chris was already waiting for me, and when we arrived at the training room a short time later, there was an unusual excitement.
Everyone was talking wildly, and no one had spotted me yet.
“Guys!” Chris suddenly shouted into the room. The group stopped their conversations and turned to us. Aspasia was the first to take me in her arms, beaming.
“Are you okay, Myrina?” she whispered against my ear.
"Everything is all right. My voice is back, and that's the most important thing!" I reassured her and was glad that my neck was not visible under the high collar of the dress.
Edward also pressed me briefly against him. Only Alex kept his distance and merely nodded at me. In his eyes, however, I could see the pain and worry I was causing him.
“What’s going on here?” asked Chris now.
"We have good news from the other team," Aspasia told them excitedly. She looked like she wanted to jump up and down. "They finally found a way onto the pier area and into the ship. Also, based on the activity they observed, it really seems to be where the abducted women are being taken. We just don't know yet what will happen to them after that and how long they will stay aboard this ship."
“That’s fantastic news!” both Chris and I exclaimed at the same time.
"When will we make our move? When can we sneak onto the museum ship?" asked the priest full of beans.
“Your brothers will do all the errands during the day. We need things like flashlights and ropes, but also bandages, medicines, and more,” explained the Amazon, whose shopping list bore witness to the suspicion of finding terrible things on the ship. “After that, we can start right away!”
The group began to talk in confusion again. But suddenly, silence fell again, and I felt their eyes on me.
"Myrina, we all understand if you don't want to come," Aspasia said, approaching me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.
“No, Aspasia! You know very well that I don’t want her to come!” Alex shouted angrily.
"But she still has an opinion of her own that we must accept, Alex!" The Amazon fired back, and I sensed that this wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion.
"I'm coming with you. That's it," I said loud and clear.
“Rina! Please! You’ve been through so much lately! It’s too dangerous!” Alex tried to persuade me.
“No, Alex. I’ll go with you. I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, but this is my decision.”
Contrite, he pressed his lips together and avoided my gaze. He was seething, and I knew he wanted to play the ‘I-as-a-man-have-the-say-about-you’ card. But fortunately, he didn’t. My words during our argument had apparently made him think about everything again.
“So it’s decided then,” Aspasia declared, winking at me conspiratorially.
“Absolutely,” I assured them again emphatically, avoiding the stares of the men, all three of whom didn’t seem quite as convinced as I felt.
“Let’s hear what exactly the other squad has found out so far,” Chris tried to break the tension.
Aspasia pulled a roll of paper from the large compartment of her bag. She spread it out on the table, weighed down the edges with a few books, and then pointed her finger at a drawing that was supposed to represent a map.
"Right here is where the ship is located." We all leaned far over the table's edge to glimpse the markings the Amazon kept pointing to in what followed.
The other group had precisely mapped out every guard post, gate, and security breach.
