Chapter 680: Art

Mina exited the shower wrapped tightly in an oversized and fluffy bathrobe. Nael was on the couch with one of his regular girls, and she had no way of getting to her room without walking past them. Pushing back her annoyance, Mina started to walk, angry that Nael made her rush when he clearly was not all that much in a hurry to eat.

"Hey Ami, that was fast. Want to join us?" Nael teased.

"Eww, not her," the woman on top of him whined, and Mina rolled her eyes at the comment. She was using her hand to block out the lewd scene, and fed up with the man not using his bedroom, which had a door, she decided to throw a little cold water on the couple.

"No thanks; I would like to remain free of disease."

"Sh*t Ami," Nael said, and Mina could hear him push the woman off his body. "You ruined my mood on purpose!" he shouted. She knew he was angry, but he deserved it for being a pervert. "You're an ass!" Nael said loudly, but Mina did not bother to respond, she simply flashed him a huge smile before closing her room door.

As soon as she was dressed Mina removed the bandages that were covering her 'scars,' and slipped the mask Nael bought her over her face. She looked over herself in the full-length mirror she acquired and nodded in approval. She looked intimidating, which is what she wanted.

Stepping out of her room, Mina was not surprised to see that Nael was only just putting his clothing back on, and she cringed at the memory of sleeping on his couch. Leal told her that his brother did not bring women into his bedroom because he did not want them to get the wrong idea, but Mina had a feeling none of the women Nael slept with would ever get that impression unless they were dense. The man literally force fed them emergency contraceptives, even though he used protection with them, and when he got 'bored' of their company he would kick them off his ship.

"Wow, looking good," Nael said, turning to see that Ami had returned to the sitting area. He noticed that Ami's body looked different again. She was still a little overweight, but her shape was more pronounced. He did not know if it was because he had gotten to know her as a person, and had grown to see her as less grotesque, or something else, but it was something that piqued his interest.

Some of Nael's crew had also noticed the change in Ami's physical appearance, and while none of them made a move on her, he had heard a few of them talking about thinking about it. His mind immediately went to those men and what they would be saying right now. Ami looked good and the all black ensemble that she put together to match the mask, and she was right, dressing the part did help her look more domineering.

"I should have had them put some red jewels on it," Neil said, realizing that he could have made the band that went across her forehead a little bit more intricate.

"Wait," Ami replied. "You designed this?" Nael's face turned red as he thought about his own actions. He had never gone out of his way to make anything for anyone, but something about Ami's nonjudgmental character made him want to do nice things for her, hence the random gifts.

When he was younger, Nael liked to draw. His mother used to encourage him, but after she died, so did his passion. He only finished high school because of her and the only thing that stopped him from killing himself was the fact that Leal would have been left alone. He had pushed his artistic side to the back of his mind with all the other happy memories that became painful because they involved his mother.

However, Ami was slowly healing those wounds with nothing more than a few short conversations and her laugh. She enjoyed telling them stories about her past, and a lot of times, they would respond with stories of their own. Memories that were once taboo, were now being pulled to the surface, and because Ami knew how raw they were, she always managed to change the topic perfectly anytime the mood would shift from happy to somber.

Nael could remember the look on her face when they told her about how they ended up on a ship with no real place to call home. They had killed every single one of their brothers and made sure their father had no sons left. They knew that he was big on male succession, so he did not kill them. He was oddly satisfied by their actions, but instead of keeping them around, he forced them on a ship with the threat of jail.

They had expected Ami to be sick with the story, but she focused only on the good. She told them she was happy they chose to work together instead of turning on one another, and it was those moments that moved Nael's heart. Their mother would always tell them they needed to stick together to survive, and Ami had repeated similar words many times. It was like having her in their lives all over again, only this time they could protect her.

Besides, thanks to Ami, there was nothing their father could do to them. She had somehow managed to get someone within the Pan police department to send her the crime scene information of their mother's case, and ballistics had never been tested. Their father was lying to them, and while they felt like fools, they were grateful that the only tether they had to the man was the ship they used, which they planned to replace.

Back in the moment, Nael scanned Ami's body once again. He was not used to her dressing up for a stop, and he felt the need to ask. She was uncharacteristically excited and when she told him that she had friends, not just contacts in the country, he became irritated. He was not ready for her to leave his ship and the thought of her meeting up with people who may be able to offer her safety and stability threatened the peace he felt of having her nearby.

"When you say 'friends', do you mean an ex?" Mina chuckled, shaking her head at Nael's question.

"I have only been in one relationship, and we can all see how that ended." She pointed to her cheek and Nael let out the breath he was holding.

"It's just that I've never seen you this excited about visiting a country before."

"I have children here who I haven't seen in a long time. My friends have been taking care of them for me."

"You have kids?"

"What?!? No."

"I just told you, I have only been in one relationship. He and I hadn't crossed that line." Mina paused, feeling her chest tighten with the memories of her stupidity. President Lee had been pressuring her into sleeping with him without protection, and although she agreed, she was glad they never got to it.

Seeing the change in Ami's posture, Nael apologized. He knew that bringing up whatever person hurt her would always drag down her mood, and it had only come up because he was jealous.

----

Mina sprinted off the ferry dragging Leal and Nael behind her by the wrists. She flagged a taxi that only took them to the edge of where they needed to go, but that was more than she had expected. The men she was with were completely on guard, and when she tried to pull them into the decrepit looking bar, they protested.

"Are you walking us into a death trap?" Nael whispered.

"Why would I do that?" she replied in the same hushed tone. "I kind of like you two." The men chuckled, and Ami rolled her eyes before stepping inside of the bar alone.

They heard a loud shout from someone inside and came rushing in to see a man they knew squeezing Ami in a hug.

"We heard you were dead," Majha said. He studied the woman's appearance, taking in the differences, and noting the scars on her face before switching into the language of Bal. "Are you on the run?"

"I am," Mina replied. "And I would like to stay dead if you don't mind. By the way my name is Ami Aych." She whispered the last part, not wanting the brothers she came with to overhear.

"Say no more, but Mil-"

"Cannot know I'm alive. It would put her in danger." Mina did not waste words. She did not want to bring Mills into her mess any more than she already was.

"Those scars happen in the accident?" The man questioned, pointing to her face and Mina nodded. If he asked more later, she would tell him the truth, but for now, she wanted to keep their conversation short. "Who are you with?" Majha's eyes were drawn toward the door of his bar, and he pushed Mina behind him while drawing his gun.

"No, wait. They are with me."

"Him?" The man said in confusion. "Do you know what he does?"

"F*ck you," Nael replied. "I don't do sh*t you wouldn't do if you were in my shoes."

"I've got a different opinion on that," Majha replied, and Mina stood in front of the man with a huff.

"I don't know what he did in the past, but I've been helping him just like I helped you."

"But… Ami, he's a demon," Majha replied in his native tongue. "He killed his own mother."

"There is more to that story, but it isn't mine to tell," Mina said. She had learned that line from Leal, but she had not noticed how useful it was in tense situations. "Please?"

Majha rolled his eyes and put away his gun. He shouted for someone to call Lapeto and Mina's heart began to race with excitement. It had been a long time since she had to use her brain for anything, and she wanted to play cards with him. Majha gestured for her to sit, and after casting a smile at Nael and Leal, she did.

"You know, I kind of feel bad for Pres-"

"Stop," Mina interjected. "I don't want to talk about him." Majha nodded. He could hear the pain in her voice, and he incorrectly assumed it was difficult for her to be away from the man she loved. If Mina had listened, she would have heard what happened as it was, not the story she had conjured from her own imagination, but when the heart is broken, reasoning does not always come out on top.

Eventually, Majha invited Nael and Leal to sit with him as well, but neither man looked happy about where they were. They trusted Ami, but not the street thug she called friends. As the conversation flowed, the real reason she had brought them out was revealed and once again Nael found himself in awe of the woman.

"So, you want me to buy a ship and allow you to use it?" Mina nodded, and Majha shook his head in the negative. "No, any crimes you commit will be traced back to me, and I only just got my license to operate legally; you should know that because you helped me."

"It will be a fishing vessel; legit, no crime."

"Ami… I don't-"

"I knew it!" Mina heard. She shot to her feet, turning to see Lapeto who was wearing a bright smile that fell when she spun. Moving closer, he studied her face before sighing in relief. "Do they know it's fake?" He asked in his language, and Mina shook her head. "That man you are with. He'll kill you if he finds out."

"I'm already dead."