Play Along

“You should,” he snaps.

I walk over and sit on the bed next to him. His eyes meet mine. “Kiss me,” I breathe.

The room is filled with unbridled desire, so thick you could cut it with a knife.

He puts his hand up, cups my face, and gently kisses me. My eyes instinctively close. “Stace,” I breathe. I feel like I’m about to break, this is too much. The intimacy I feel from him is too much. I need to hate him. How am I going to do this?

As if sensing my fear, he whispers, “Shh.”

I screw up my face as we kiss.

“This has to stop,” he breathes.

“I know.”

“Last time,” he murmurs into my lips.

I kiss him and feel myself lift off the floor. “Okay.”

* * *

I look left, I look right. It’s just past noon and the coast is clear.

Stace has called a meeting about Vikinos’ visit next week. They need to get everything in ship shape. This is probably my only chance where everyone is preoccupied. The girls are up on top deck sunbathing, and all of the staff are on the maintenance level going through operations. I told everyone I was going to be sleeping.

I walk along the rows until I get to the container I need and I take out the two keys. I don’t know which one is which. I turn the first key and it doesn’t work. Fuck.

I take the second key and jiggle it a bit and it opens. I smile as my guilty eyes dart around. I open the padlock and remove the key and then put it back on the lock and swing it until it looks closed. I then open the door and peer in. Pitch black, I take out the small flashlight I took from the maintenance floor the other day and peer around. It said under the floor. I walk in and slowly pull the door to so it looks like it is closed from outside.

I put the flashlight in my mouth and bend down and tap the floor. Yep… It’s under the flooring. I walk around the perimeter of the container concentrating on the floor. I need to find a bit I can jimmy off. How do I do this without making noise?

Fuck it.

I think for a minute.

Behind me are some timber crates. Perhaps under those I will find a place to lift. I move one to the side, and then the one under it, and then the bottom box in really long and has a crack in the top. Yes… I put the flashlight in the crack and pull it up as I use it as a tool. After ten minutes of hard work the timber lid lifts.

I pull the shredded cardboard back and I smile.

A crate of Barret’s M98B—Sniper rifles.

Yessss.

Thank God they were where they were supposed to be. I rummage through the crate but there aren’t any bullets.

Fuck.

I pull the crate above it apart and still nothing.

Holy shit, screw this.

I pull apart the top box and finally find a metal case containing the ammunition.

I stand still for a moment and let the euphoria sink in. I take the rifle apart and load the gun. I load another and take all of the bullets. I then stand and put the crates back where they were.

My heart is pumping hard. I walk to the front of the container and stand with my back to the door. I frown.

I can hear footsteps.