Chapter 681: Ultimate Variable

Mina sat across from Lapeto completely engrossed in their game, but she could tell the man's mind was occupied. He obviously wanted to say a lot, but she was almost certain she did not want to hear it. He kept telling her that she changed, but he never quite explained how, so she decided to take it as a complement.

At some point during the evening, Nael and a random woman began to cuddle up to one another and Mina could not help but to keep looking in their direction. Nael was a mystery to her, he did not have a 'type' and she wondered if he would ever look at her the way he was looking at the woman in front of him now.

"Do you like him?" Lapeto asked in Bali, startling Mina back into the game.

"He's interesting, but I'm not sure."

"He's violent," Lapeto corrected. "I've had past dealings with him before." Mina nodded because there was no denying that the man was cruel, but in her mind, he had become her protector.

"Sorry Ami, you're going to have to find your own way back," Nael loudly declared, and her eyes snapped to Lapeto who was studying her expression.

"What if I run into trouble on the way?" Nael shrugged before planting a kiss on the lips of the woman he held.

"Then stay here if you want. Leal will be back." Mina sighed, once again taking in the appearance of the woman who Nael was quite literally abandoning her for, and she felt strangely inadequate.

"You deserve better," Lapeto said, knocking on the table to get her mind back into the cards.

"I deserve something, but I'm not necessarily sure it's 'better.'"

----

After spending hours with the woman he had taken from the bar, Nael returned to his ship, surprised that Leal was there, but Ami was not. He asked his brother about the woman, but he claimed not to have seen her since he left, and judging by the scratch marks on his brother's shoulders, he was not exactly looking for the woman.

"You f*cking left her there?" Leal shouted, quickly putting on a shirt before sliding his feet into his boots.

"I was busy," Nael replied.

"With what?"

"With the same thing you were doing."

"Oh, forgive me Nael; after I don't know how long I take an hour to myself thinking you wouldn't leave the one person who genuinely cares about me to fend for herself."

"What do you mean by 'the one person'? You think I don't care about you?"

"Come on Nael, you know what I mean. Ami came onto this ship looking to get away. She has had plenty of chances to settle, but she is choosing to stay, and do you know why?"

"Because she's f*cking dumb?"

"No Nael, it's because she knows how much I hate this life. Mom wouldn't have wanted this for us, and neither does she."

"She isn't our mother!" Nael shouted, feeling his anger rise because he did not like to compare Ami to their mom. More than once, he had found himself becoming physically aroused by the woman, which was also the reason he had to find a date for the night.

Watching Ami laugh and giggle in a room full of hardened men without fear made him angry; jealous even, and when he tried to make her feel the same way by flirting with the women around, she had no reaction to his efforts.

When Nael left her alone, it was because he wanted her to beg him to stay, just like when he called a woman into his suite after waking her, he wanted to see what emotion it would spark within her, but she was as cold as ice.

"Where are you going? It's dangerous being out at this time."

"Exactly Nael, and you left the only other person who doesn't see you as a mother murdering monster to fend for herself."

"She was with her friends!"

"But she came with us. You just showed everyone that she doesn't mean sh*t to you."

"You know that isn't true anymore."

"Really? Because last I checked, giving someone a mask to hide their face wasn't a compliment."

----

Mina waited for Leal to return for as long as she could before Lapeto offered her a ride. She agreed, but during their drive she became hungry. He invited her to dinner, and she accepted, seeing no harm in joining the man for a meal, however, as soon as he opened the door, a very happy and obviously pregnant Melony jumped into his arms, planting a huge kiss on his lips.

"Your home!" She said excitedly, and Mina withdrew from the woman's gaze. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company." Melony tilted her head to the side, and once again Mina felt like she was the ultimate variable. In all the world of coincidences, what was the chance that Lapeto's fiancé, who he spoke very highly of, was also Mills' ex-girlfriend. "Have we met?" the woman asked, and Mina laid into her fake accent heavily. "Oh wow! You're from the same place my ex is from."

"Sweety, my guest is hungry and shy. I know you cooked, which is why I brought her here."

"Oh okay, I'll go make her a plate." The woman extended her hand and Mina duplicated the gesture. "Nice to meet you…."

"Ami."

"Nice to meet you Ami, and don't worry; Mills isn't allowed to talk to me anymore." Mina flinched and Lapeto gasped in shock.

"You've met? He asked, but Melony shook her head in the negative, earning her a chuckle and a kiss to the forehead. It was obvious they had met, but she was letting them know that she understood that they were 'complete strangers.'

"How did you know it was me?"

"Do you really think contacts and that mask is fooling anyone? And what are you wearing underneath your clothes?" Mina slapped Melony's hands away from her shirt while Lapeto sighed and walked into his home. She suddenly became serious, and Melony could sense the change in atmosphere, so she reeled in her playful nature as well.

"She can't know that I'm alive. No one can."

"I understand. I don't know what happened to you, but you always have a home with us. When I was here with Mills, Lapeto told me how much you helped him. He said you used your name and connections to vouch for him. I was really jealous of you for a while, but I won!" Melony drummed against her tiny baby bump and Mina laughed loudly. "Come in already," she said, pulling Mina into her home with a warm smile.

----

Nael's leg bounced in fear as the hours passed and Ami was nowhere to be found. Leal was right, he should not have left her alone, and now that he did not know where she was, he regretted not being open with the woman about how he felt. She may not have been the most attractive, but she was real, her smile was genuine, and even her insults were in good nature. She never judged him, meanwhile, he was having custom masks made to hide her face.

At the time, Nael thought it was a good idea, and he hid the gift under his bed for weeks, too afraid to give it to Ami. He had gotten the idea to design it for her when her bandages had fallen off her face, revealing her scars. She had not yet mastered shooting and running, so she had fallen behind, and was attacked by a man who caught up to her. Had Leal not insisted for them to double back, she would have been killed by the man, who for whatever reason, did not immediately shoot her.

It was then that Nael noticed Ami's scars were beginning to chafe under the material. The skin was red and irritated, and it literally looked as though her scars were falling off her face, and not in a good way. It made him think of the mask Shani made for her and he knew exactly where to go to get it done. He had gone completely out of his way to make a stop he did not have to make, and now he was not even sure if he had done something nice.

"I changed my mind; she needs a phone too." Nael was against Ami having her own device because it was the rule of his ship, just like guns were not permitted. It was strongly enforced to keep him and his brother safe, but now, he was hating that he had not made the woman an exception.

"You mean like I've been telling you?"

"What do you want me to say Leal? I messed up; again, but I did not know the place would close. What kind of bar closes at night?"

"The kind that only exists for show," Leal replied. "You should have known that."

----

Mina did not get to see 'her' children, but she did get updates on all of them. It felt good being around people who knew who she really was and what she looked like, and Mina took the opportunity to take a hot shower, remove her contacts and padding, and she even gave her skin a break from her collodion scars. As a beautician, Melony immediately inspected her skin, and worried about the damage the fake scars may cause long term, she suggested for Mina to use cosmetic wax and spirit gum instead.

Mina took the advice, and feeling too comfortable to move, she found herself drifting into sleep. The couple could see that she was relaxed, and they both sympathized with her. Lapeto was worried about her safety; he knew of Nael from past run-ins with the man, so he knew what he was capable of. Even if Mina did not want to see it, the man was foul, and she was in danger just by associating with him.

"You can stay here for the night, and I will take you back in the morning, but I want you to know that I can hide you, if you want to stay."

"I would be a danger to you and your new family. I'll be fine, and when I'm ready, I'll come back to visit as a new person." Mina smiled as her eyes closed, and Melony draped a blanket over her.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch; we have a spare room."

"I may have to take you up on that offer," Mina admitted, but before she could move, she was already asleep. Seeing that Mina was fine where she was, Melony looked to her boyfriend, and gestured for him to follow her into their bedroom.

"I'm guessing she isn't with good people." Not wanting to lie to his future wife, Lapeto told the truth.

"Mina is a smart woman, she knows what she is doing, which is why she hasn't allowed the people she is with to know what she looks like."

"But what will happen if they catch her? Is there nothing we can do?"

"You heard what she told us. She is in danger if she goes back. The only thing we can do is make sure she knows our doors are open."

"If they do find out, what do you think will happen?" Lapeto shrugged but his mind had gone completely dark. He knew that Nael was once a human trafficker, and while Mina said he had changed, he was not completely sold.

"I don't know what will happen if they find out. They seem like friends, but I do know that if President Lee discovers she's alive; she's as good as dead."

"But I thought he loved her."

"He does." Melony frowned in confusion, and Lapeto hugged her.

"Then why kill her?"

"Does she look pregnant to you?" Melony gasped.

"No! She wouldn't have..."