Chapter 26 - Dax #2
Reed hauls himself onto my lap. The safe, like a disabled missile, topples over between us. His hands cup my face as he kisses me. He puts his whole body into it. The sensation snaps my thoughts shut.
There are a million combinations to undo the lock on Wendell Blitz’s safe, but clearly only one for my heart. Reed’s kiss is the universal key. I open my arms for him.
“A robot couldn’t kiss like that,” Reed says, pulling back for a second. His joke diffuses some of the time-based tension growing between us.
I darkly laugh.
I think back on Warehouse 451327. I wonder if Wendell was right that the modernization would increase output and continue his ascent to e-commerce domination, or if humans can’t truly be replaced.
Robots can’t learn the desire to survive.
Dina, Raj, and all the others on my team were driven by family, house repairs, food insecurity, and healthcare bills.
Robots don’t need any of those things, and while they can be fine-tuned and sped up, they can’t be motivated like a person can.
The warehouse number I saw every day on my employee badge burns brighter in my mind.
4-5-1-3-2-7.
Six digits.
I scramble for the canister, jostling Reed off my lap. He thumps into the grass.
“What are you doing?” Reed asks, obviously disoriented.
“I think I know what it is,” I say. My fingers twitch with anticipation as my heart pah-plunks at a ridiculous speed.
I grab the dial, line up the numbers, and twist. The lock gives way with a clunk. The top of the safe falls off in my hand.
“Holy shit,” Reed says, rising to his knees to see over my shoulder. “What was it?”
“My warehouse number,” I say. “He told us in the call that it was the first to move toward full automation. That it was his test site. It’s like he handed us the code.”
“My mom always said that a man will reveal his secrets if you listen closely enough because he never thinks anyone is as smart as he is,” Reed says. Clearly eager, Reed takes the capsule and turns it over to inspect our treasure.
Two large, dazzling, cornflower-blue, silver-and-gold earrings sparkle in Reed’s palm.
“That’s it?” Reed asks. He shakes the safe again before staring into the open end, plunging his hand inside to feel around.
“They look old. Like antiques. Maybe even family heirlooms. If Wendell buried these, they must be one hell of a protection plan,” I say.
Reed may sound disappointed that cash didn’t come pouring out in a shower of green bills, but I eagerly inch closer.
Joy rises thick in my throat. “I learned a lot about luxury items back in the robbery ring. I’m no expert, but I think those are Kashmir sapphires.
Those up top are definitely diamonds, and this has to be real gold. ”
“I guess billionaires have to diversify their portfolios somehow. It can’t all be crypto and cars.” Reed sets the canister aside and joins me to inspect.
“Depending on the carats and the weight, these could be worth millions,” I say, heart speeding.
“Millions?” Luck sparkles between us, brighter than the jewels.
I nod, overcome. “Reed,” I say. His name tastes honey-sweet on my tongue, which ties itself into knots, stopping my words.
“The sapphires look like Nova Ranger’s main weakness, Stargazine,” Reed says.
He’s not wrong, and his nerdiness, even in this incredible situation, makes me smile. “Except this isn’t going to shut off our superpowers. These are going to make us unstoppable.”
He fingers the earrings in my palm, turning them over. “One for each of us,” he says.
I snap my hand shut like a Venus flytrap. “There’s still time to back out,” I say.
“Not a chance,” he says, eyes tunneling into mine with unmatched intensity. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
I suppress my immediate happiness. “You know this means a lifetime on the run.”
“I never skip cardio day,” he says.
“You’ll constantly be lying and looking over your shoulder for fear you’ll get caught.”
He clicks his tongue. “I pretended to be straight for eighteen years. I can lie with the best of them. And once I came out as a gay man in Wyoming, I was never not hypervigilant of my surroundings. My neck is so flexible I could probably pull an Exorcist and spin it all the way around at this point.”
A single chuckle escapes me. “We could go down in flames,” I say.
He moves into me, and his right hand caresses the side of my face. “I’d burn with you.”
I drag him in for a delicious, sweaty, sooty, can’t-believe-this-is-happening kiss. Euphoria flows through my entire body. I’m drunk on emotions as trust uncaps itself and steadily pours into my bloodstream. Bubbly and intoxicating.
In my head, a film trailer of our life together somewhere tropical, remote, and untraceable plays. The best damn movie ever. Better than all of the Nova Ranger franchise entries combined.
I place an earring in his hand, close his fist around it, and then kiss his fingers. It might as well be a marriage proposal, except there won’t be any churches, tuxedos, thrown rice, or families gathered. Reed accepting the earring means we’re partners. In crime. In life.
I kiss him again. “Welcome to the dark side,” I whisper.
He sports a sly grin. “Happy to be here.”
My watch lets out three fast beeps. We press our hands over each other’s ears to dampen the impending sound. The earth under our feet shakes.
In the distance, the king’s castle crumbles while the jesters get away with the crown jewels.