Adonis and Aphroditus (12 page)

He appeared to be in deep thought as he
looked from Julie to Nettie. “It could work,” he mused out
loud.

It was true there was a strong resemblance
but they seemed so different to me. It might be the air of
confident authority that she exuded or her slightly more mature
looks. She looked sexier, instead of the innocent fresh faced look
Julie had. Afrod had a shock as sexual desire shot through him and
he felt his cock come to attention.
Oh, shit
! He shifted in
his seat to get more comfortable and tried desperately to think of
anything but sex and Nettie. If what Julie said was correct, Nettie
would bust his balls if he tried to hit on her.

Damn and double damn, he had missed something
important. Everyone was looking at him. “Yes,” he said
uncertainly.

“Afrod, you will go with Nettie. She will
smuggle you in past the guards and you will come back to help take
them out when Eros and one of the others drives the delivery van to
the gate to distract them. Once they are taken out, we will come in
en masse. Pluto will take out the alarms and cameras before Nettie
hits the gate. That will leave just the guard downstairs which
either Nettie will take out or we will once we enter. Everyone
understand?” Hades asked but his eyes were on Afrod who nodded
quickly.

Hell, yeah, he understood. He was just a
little worried about being alone with Nettie. He wasn’t sure he
might not touch her because he was tempted to and he didn’t know
what she’d do. He was sure it wouldn’t be what he wanted her to do.
He examined her cautiously not wanting her to be aware of his
scrutiny. He was hyper aware of every move she made and every
expression on her face.

She didn’t appear to notice him which made
him feel both relieved and oddly disappointed. The female certainly
affected him and he found it incredibly confusing. They had nearly
an hour before they had to leave so everyone dug into the food. He
noticed for little females, both Julie and Nettie had good
appetites. It was probably because they were constantly in motion
hardly able to sit still. He still felt protective toward Julie but
he wondered if it was more of a brotherly feeling now that he had
met the big sister.

Everyone started to clean up the residue from
lunch, it was all paper and cardboard with no food left at all
except bones. Once that was accomplished, they all began to check
and load their gear. Guns, knives, and baton style stunners all
were packed into the proper pocket on pants made to carry a lot.
Restraints of more than one kind were also brought along because
their intent was to capture not kill.

Hades hollered, “Everyone ready?” They all
nodded or answered affirmatively. Only Pluto would be left behind
to keep everyone updated and help handle any emergencies.

“Is the kid able to manage what he’s
assigned?” Nettie whispered in his ear causing goose bumps to break
out all over his body. When had she moved so close? He breathed in
her sweet scent and his body reacted even though he tried to keep
control.

“The kid’s a genius with communications and
good on computer hacking. He’s the number two in his
generation.”

“He’s a god? I thought all of you were
older.”

“So did we, until we found the kids recently
at an unknown facility.”

“At least you saved them. Now let’s go save
this Apis or my sis will kick all our butts.”

The way she phrased that made me wonder if
the attachment between Apis and Julie was all friendship and fun.
Maybe he was the one that would be claiming her and maybe Afrod
would be claiming another. The thought excited him as much as it
terrified him. Nettie was so strong and sure, she had even stood up
to Hades something Afrod couldn’t even imagine doing.

He followed Nettie out the door to Julie’s
little bug. It was perfect for Julie, but Afrod looked at the small
backseat and knew he was about to become a contortionist. This was
where the on again off again yoga lessons that the mates gave,
would come in handy or not. He hadn’t really had enough lessons to
be a big help and if he made it through this without losing a major
body part due to lack of circulation he swore he would take the
lessons more seriously when he got back home.

“Well, big guy, how ya gonna fit in that
tight spot?” Nettie asked with a smile. She wasn’t giving comfort,
no, she was enjoying his discomfort.

“Anyway I can,” he said as he started
twisting around and sliding into the back. His knees were bent to
his chest and chin was down. He felt like a Jack in the Box ready
to spring free at the slightest opportunity. Nettie threw a blanket
over him and set a box on top of it. He was thankful she wasted no
time starting the car and taking off.

It was also lucky that they didn’t have far
to drive and as she slowed down to enter the gate, his body tensed,
worried they would catch them. It was a groundless fear as she
stepped on the gas so they must have waved her through. She pulled
as close to the building as possible, just like they’d planned. It
was in the shadows and he slowly started to sit up and stretch.

“Get down,” she directed so he pulled himself
back down to the floor.

“Hey, there Sweetheart. You remember the boss
that you met last night?”

“I remember him but I didn’t catch his name?”
Nettie said sounding clueless.

“Broheimer, he probably didn’t bother to tell
you. Anyways, he’s coming back tonight and you impressed him. He
wants to offer you a job. So don’t go anywhere, okay?”

“Sure, maybe I’ll get a raise,” she said
sounding excited.

“Sure, Sweetheart,” the voice that was
probably the male guard from inside, sounded like it was moving
away.

“He’s heading in. Wait a minute until the
door closes before you try to get out,” she whispered. “I’m betting
they were going to take Julie with them, willing or not.”

That had been Afrod’s thought exactly. They
had just made it here in time to prevent a tragedy, more than one
it seemed. “Let me know when I can sit up.”

“Now, the door just closed. We better get
things done fast before the extra guy shows up. Any idea who he
is?”

“No, but Julie mentioned him and he said the
whole operation was about to move. I guess he meant tonight. Things
worked out perfectly and we’ll get a high level boss.”

“Yeah, you guys really lucked out, but don’t
count your chicks yet. If you take out the inside and outside
guards, he’ll know something’s up. We also don’t know if he’s
coming alone. We could be in a world of hurt.”

“Hades, did you hear?”

“I did and she’s right but we have to take
these two out. I’ll replace them with two of our guys and match
them as best we can. Maybe he doesn’t know these guy and maybe
he’ll just drive right on through.”

“That’s a lot of maybes,” Afrod observed.

“It sure as hell is but it’s all we’ve got.
Meanwhile you two spring Apis, a helicopter is coming and it will
set down just out of sight. I want him out of there because he’s in
no shape to be in the middle of a fight.”

“Okay, we’re headed in right now,” Afrod said
as he finished extricating his large body from the tiny backseat
area. Nettie was waiting for him patiently and as soon as he
stepped out of the car she moved toward the door. She went in first
and then waved him in. He listened with his sensitive hearing but
no one was near.

They followed the directions Julie had given
them and found the door to the section Apis was imprisoned in.
Nettie found the master key and opened the door. They went down the
hallway and she opened the other door. That was when they heard the
sounds of voices.

“It’s nothing personal, man. I’m just
following orders. He’ll kill me if I don’t take care of you,” an
unsteady male voice explained.

Afrod rushed in catching the guard
unsuspecting. He took him down disarming and restraining him like a
professional. Years of training paying off when it was most needed.
Nettie had opened the door and went in to Apis.

“Who are you?” Apis demanded. “Where is
Julie?”

“I’m her sister and I took her place so she
wouldn’t be taking any chances.”

“Nettie?” Apis asked.

She flashed a smile at him. She whispered,
“Yes, in the flesh.”

“I wasn’t sure if rescue would come in time,”
he admitted relaxing into a slump.

Afrod examined Apis and realized that Julie
hadn’t exaggerated. He was a walking talking skeleton barely able
to sit up or move. He would get the best of care and once his god
healing kicked in, well he would be a different god. He would flesh
out and loose the gray complexion. He would be healthy and happy
once more. No, he would be free and healthier and happier than he
had ever been.

They left the guard on the floor for now.
Afrod had restrained him well, both hands and feet. He wasn’t going
anywhere. They led Apis out of his cell and through the building to
the exterior door. Another god took him from there getting him to
the helicopter that would take him to medical aid and eventually to
an airport where he would catch a plane to Olympus.

Before Apis left, he hugged Nettie. “Take
care of my Julie, I’ll be back for her.” Nettie just nodded. Afrod
swore she was blinking away tears. It seemed his tough female had a
soft side. Yes,
his
, now he was truly in trouble.

Apis was home free so they headed back to the
guard that was still near Apis’ old cell. “What will we do with
him?” Nettie asked.

“If he’s helpful, we’ll turn him over to the
local authorities. If he’s not, he may just disappear.”

The guard started crying and begging. “I’ll
tell you anything, everything.”

“When is this boss coming?” Nettie asked.

“He doesn’t tell us exactly but last night it
was around lunch. I usually leave for lunch but I had to stay,” he
explained.

“It’s a while until lunch. What do you say we
go check out the files in the offices and bring him along?” Afrod
asked.

“Sure, sounds like fun to me,” Nettie
replied.

Afrod picked up the guard and carried him
over one shoulder. They stopped at the first office they got to and
entered. There were file cabinets and a computer. “Flip you for
choice,” Nettie offered.

Must be a human thing
. Afrod agreed,
“Sure Sweetheart, whatever you want to do.”

Nettie pulled out a quarter flipped it and
when it landed on the desk she said, “Call it.”

“Heads,” Afrod said not really caring one way
or the other.

“Shit, you got it. What do you want?”

“What do you want?”

“Doesn’t everyone prefer the computer?”

“I’ll let you have it, Nettie.”

“Thanks big guy!”

Afrod wondered if she knew his name because
she’d not used it once. He hurried to the files starting at the
ones in the bottom. They all seemed to be patients at the fertility
clinic part of the operation. They would be helpful to track down
the baby gods. He stacked them all on the desk thinking they would
need boxes to pack them in. He moved up to the next one up and it
was only half full with something Afrod couldn’t make sense of.
They were probably important if they bothered to make them
confusing.

The top drawer was full of personnel files.
Afrod wasn’t sure if they were potential employees or current ones
but they were all females. The other cabinet was empty. It held no
secrets they could use. He wondered how Nettie was doing on the
computer. He was sure it had been password protected but she seemed
to have gotten into it. She was scrolling through information,
pausing once in a while before moving on.

“Anything interesting?” he asked.

“You could say that. They seem to have some
ties to known criminals. This is something the local boys will want
to know about.”

“I’m not sure Hades will want to let them in
on this,” Afrod stated.

“Too bad, I just sent an email to an old
friend and he’ll see it in the morning.”

“Damn it, Nettie. You can’t just do whatever
you feel like.”

She raised her eyebrow and stood up walking
right up to him. She poked him in the chest with her finger for
emphasis. “I do what I think is right. Always!”

“So I should do the same?” he asked his voice
low and dangerous.

“Everyone should,” she agreed.

He was lightening fast as he pulled her into
his arms and lowered his lips to hers. Hesitant at first, his
confidence built until they were burning alive. He felt zings of
electricity raging through him. It confirmed everything for him.
She was
his
! Why, dear Father Cronos, had she been revealed
to him at a time like this? His mind was having a hard time
thinking but a thought kept trying to work its way clear of the
pleasure he’d found plundering her lips and holding her tight. A
sound kept going off in the background and reluctantly the part of
his brain that understood its significance kept telling him to stop
and let her go. Reluctantly, he did and stepped back.

The sound was his radio so he answered.
“What’s going on? You weren’t answering the radio!” Hades
growled.

“Everything’s fine,” he said ignoring the
question.

“That’s good because the boss is on his way
in. We’re closing in behind him. You can intercept or stay back.”
Afrod understood that Hades had given him a choice. If Nettie was
good, get the bastard. If she was delicate, they would handle
it.

“Come on, Sweetheart. Let’s get busy,” he
said. He pulled her out the door and along the hall. The boss was
close, he could smell him. They slid along the wall going toward
the place where it met another hall. That was where they would run
into him. He kept in physical contact with Nettie. Not because he
needed to but because he liked it.

Afrod wasn’t surprised when the boss came
around the corner literally walking into him. He took him down and
restrained him quickly. He searched him for weapons finding a gun
and knife. Nettie reached into the man’s boot and pulled out a back
up gun. It was small, but it could still be lethal.