Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 173: Partner Swap

"What’s Opal gonna say when I turn up beside her instead of you?" laughed Baer. "One hundred percent she’ll rat us out to the Generals."

"You’re taking Addison Street, I’m on Parramore, there’s a goat track between them. Let’s swap partners there."

Baer smirked at his best friend. "Alright man, but you owe me bigtime for this one! You know that brat Opal will dob us in."

"You’ve got a two-and-a-half hour walk to convince her not to. Use your boyish charm on her. You’ve got this, man," Niko slapped him on the back.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all that. I’m already living that dream. There’s no way I can convince her to let you off the hook."

"I don’t give a shit anyway. Just do your best. Even better if you can get her to agree to put out for you. Then I’ll owe you for a lifetime, and you’ll get to bed a hot chick. It’s a win win."

"But she’s a bunny boiler that one, mate. I’d get my rocks off sure, but the entrance fee’s too high..."

"You’re preaching to the converted."

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"Wait here while I use this laneway for a sec," Indy told Opal as he disappeared down the goat track into the dark.

"Don’t be too long," she called after him.

Opal looked around nervously. Even on a suburban street like this, being a woman out alone at this hour was not a good idea.

If anyone saw her, it would definitely attract attention. And if she stood around for too long, they’d probably send some soldiers her way to check on her.

After a few minutes, Baer emerged from the track. Opal looked behind him for Indy.

"Did you run into Niko down there?" she asked him, not understanding.

"Yep. Ran into him, and we agreed to swap partners for the walk into the safehouse. He was feeling a bit nervy about Indy. Didn’t trust me to keep her safe apparently. So here I am," Baer opened his huge arms wide, "your substitute partner. Happy to oblige you in any way you see fit to use me, Lightning Ridge."

Lightning Ridge was a famous opal town from before the War, now underwater.

"Hmmph," Opal scowled at him under her veil, turning on her heel and stalking off so that he had to run to catch up to her.

"I’m just as good as him in every way, I promise you," he called after her, as he ran. "Even better at some things than he is. Give me a trial run and you’ll see. I won’t charge you for the first go."

"Get stuffed, Baer," she snapped at him.

Indy stood with her back to the laneway, waiting for Baer to re-emerge. It was going to be a long, silent walk tonight. Baer had been in a foul mood since Wolf and Arrie had disappeared into the bush together and re-emerged, seemingly as an item.

She didn’t know what the man was expecting. Did he actually think women enjoyed sharing their partners with another woman? He must be living on planet Lala Land if he believed that...

No. He had completely and utterly stuffed it with Arrie. And thank goodness the girl had enough self-respect to steer clear of him and start afresh with Wolf. Good riddance, she thought.

She needed to do the same with Niko. She should take a leaf out of Arrie’s book.

The man just kept making it so hard for her. Did he have to be so damnably sweet to her all the time? And those puppy dog eyes he kept training on her, it was heartbreaking!

Someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind while she was deep in thought and she squealed and jumped.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear! There was Niko...

She looked behind him for Baer and Opal.

"Are you guys on this route too?" she asked him.

"Nope," he said, grabbing her by the hand and starting the walk south, "I swapped partners with Baer," he grinned conspiratorially at her.

"Niko! Opal will be furious with you. She’ll tell the Generals for sure, and you’ll be raked over the coals by General Meyer."

"So be it. I couldn’t let you do this walk on your own. I was too worried. It’s better if I’m here so I can protect you myself."

"Let go of my hand," she sighed, pulling at her hand in his, but he only gripped it tighter.

"No," he said implacably. "Our disguise is a married couple walking somewhere together. If we don’t hold hands, it will attract attention we don’t need. There’ll be plenty of curtain twitchers around here."

"You don’t give up easily, do you?"

"Nope. I told you I’m waiting for you."

"You’ll be waiting until hell freezes over," she tested him.

"That’s an awfully long time to have me hanging around bugging you. Are you sure you can wait that long?"

"Gosh you’re a pest," she lowered her eyebrows at him.

"If you’re making faces at me it’s wasted. It’s too dark to see, and you’re wearing a veil, don’t forget."

"Oh!" she huffed in annoyance.

"Now, now little wifey, don’t let the sun go down on your anger."

"Many suns have gone down on my anger, husband," she said the word like a swear word.

"How many suns need to go down before you forget about it?"

"A lot!" she emphasised.

"Can you put a number on it?"

"No."

"Just tell me if it’s more than thirty?"

"It is."

"Is it more than one hundred?" he asked despondently.

"It’s more than one hundred times one hundred."

"That’s nearly thirty years; we’ll be old by then. I thought you wanted to have children."

"Not with you."

"Who with then? Give me a name and I’ll get rid of him," he growled.

"It could be any Tom, Dick or Harry, so long as they’re not called Nicholas Espey." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What if I change my name, would that help you to forgive me? Do you like the ring of Nicholas Rose?"

"Same leopard, different spots."

The pair continued on like this for at least half their route, Niko perfectly content so long as he was holding Indy’s hand, and she was talking to him.

It all felt like excellent progress in the right direction to him. If she needed to vent at him in order to forgive him, vent away!

They were outside a blacksmith’s on Argyle Street when Niko suddenly pushed Indy up against the wall of the smithy.