Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 181: Opal Keeps Digging

Much to his disgust, Opal held Niko’s hand as they wandered the Salamanca Markets, posing as a married couple, him in the tradesman disguise with a fake beard itching his chin.

"Can you let my hand go?" he hissed, looking frantically over in the direction of Indy and Baer to see if she had seen them.

"No," she said calmly, "we need to appear as an ordinary married couple. Of course we should be holding hands."

"I say we pose as the more traditional married couple, where the husband walks in front and the wife walks a few steps behind," he growled at her.

"Definitely not," she said implacably. "You heard the Generals. After Delphi’s experience, us women are not to be left unattended out here for a moment."

"You won’t be unattended, you’ll be two steps behind me," he scowled at her.

"Niko, why must you be so horrible to me?" she complained. "I’ve been waiting for you to man up and take responsibility for your actions that night, but it seems like you’re going to try and wriggle out of it. Isn’t that beneath you? The only reason I gave my first time to you was because I was certain you were a man of integrity. I’ve seen you lead soldiers under fire, and you don’t miss a beat. And yet, you take my virginity, then run a mile like a frightened little boy."

He shook his hand free of hers with a rough tug.

"Opal, please stop!" he pleaded, rubbing his brow. "You know I like Indy, not you. Why would you want to marry a man who doesn’t love you?"

"We all know that marriages that start with friendship and progress to romantic love are the best and most long-lasting," she replied.

"We barely even have a friendship to speak of Opal. I hardly know you."

"That’s not fair. There’s no need to be hurtful, Niko," she pouted. "How can I marry another man after what we’ve done together? It’s alright for you, nobody will care. But they’ll blame me for seducing you and I’ll never find a good man to agree to marry me."

"That’s not true. Outside this small group nobody needs to know about what happened."

"You know how small the Island is, Niko. There are no secrets that stay hidden for long."

On that point, he had to agree with her.

"After the Rebellion succeeds, Delphi plans to make sure old-fashioned rules like that for women don’t apply anymore," he was clutching at straws now, he knew.

She raised her eyebrows at him sceptically, "and you really think those attitudes will change overnight just because we win the Rebellion, do you?"

"I’m sure the attitudes of the men that help win the Rebellion will change rapidly, just like ours have changed since we joined up."

"Have you thought about taking two wives?" she asked him bluntly.

If he had, he wasn’t telling her, he thought. And for sure, one of them was not Opal.

A woman with whose name was a different gemstone... colour red... maybe...

He scratched his head. Best not to even think about it in case Indy read his mind, which seemed to be a thing for women. Then he might not even be in the doghouse. He could just be shivering outside in the elements...

He shook his head vigorously. "Absolutely not."

That was the safest answer he could think of.

Opal was starting to get desperate. He couldn’t even be tempted by marrying the both of them? She had thought that would be a surefire winner if she offered it up as a compromise.

Although she knew full well Indy would never agree to marry Niko, if he planned to marry her as well; so it was a winning formula.

If all else fails... She started to cry.

"Opal..." Niko shuffled awkwardly from foot-to-foot, completely at sea here. After all, he hadn’t had a sister ever since Loveday left home when she was young. "I’m sorry," he muttered, "I really am. I just know I would make both you and me miserable if I agreed to marry you because of that one mistake."

She started to cry even harder, and Niko looked around with concern. They were attracting attention now.

She took a step towards him, seeking comfort, but he took a matching step backwards.

He realised he was earning the scornful looks of women in the market crowds.

An old granny walked past and waved her finger at him, tut tutting.

He raised his hands and shoulders at her in a gesture that said, ’what can I do?’

The old lady motioned at him to embrace the crying girl.

’But she’s not my wife or my sister,’ he mouthed at the granny.

Her eyes flew wide with shock. "Walk away then, quickly, walk away," she hissed at him behind her hand.

If only he could. He looked around desperately for Baer and Indy. There they were on the far side of the stalls. He gave Indy a wave, gesturing for her to come over quickly.

"Don’t cry, Opal. Indy’s coming over now. She’ll be able to talk to you and give you a hug. I can’t do anything useful in public, I’m sorry," he said helplessly, his shoulders bowed.

Hmph! thought Opal. Of all people he thought Indy could comfort her? Indy was the source of her tears of frustration! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Niko, I don’t want Indy to comfort me. I want you," she sobbed. "What’s wrong with me, Niko? Am I not attractive?" she looked up at him, her big blue eyes brimming with unshed tears that were caught on her thick lashes, under perfect arched brows and porcelain skin.

It was impossible to say that the woman was not attractive. Of course she was beautiful by any standards. But all of these women were. She just wasn’t beautiful inside and out, like Indy was.

"O...of course you’re attractive. You don’t need me to tell you that."

He had a sudden flashback to that night on the boat, and his cheeks reddened.

Gotcha! she thought with satisfaction.

Indy arrived on the scene, and it wasn’t a moment too soon for Niko.

"Indy!" Niko said with relief. "Opal’s u...upset about something. I’ll leave it with you two women. I’m ham fisted with girly stuff like that. I know I’ll only make things worse," he was tripping over his words in his hurry to be gone.

Indy stood with her back to Opal, and she rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.

’What?’ he mouthed at her, raising his hands innocently.

He walked away a few metres and stood with Baer the Builder, leaving poor Indy in the company of the secretly fuming Opal.