Page 53 of Never Never

“Did you find anything out?” Fox says, selecting his own coffee and flopping onto the couch next to his brother.

“Sorta?” I rub my forehead hard. “No. Yes.” I explain the situation as quickly as I can: Nana’s ID number, the owner database, Michelangelo Darling somehow still buying dogs despite being dead.

“And then Diamond—the Mermaid—said she recognized the name,” I finish. “We figured it’s gotta be the same guy, because there can’t be that many Michelangelo Darlings, right? Some high roller at the casino, apparently.”

“Oh.” Kit leans back with his churro, nodding. “Of course.”

Something about the way he says it sets my mind on edge. Even through the hangover. “Of course what?”

Kit pauses, mouth full. “Uh, just…” He swallows. “Your whole storm-the-gates plan from last night? I was wondering if that was for real, or if you just⁠—”

“My what?” My stomach churns in a way that has nothing to do with churros, hot coffee, or even my hangover.

Kit glances at his brother. “You, uh…” He grimaces a little. “I was down in the shop, last night, when you got back? And I kinda overheard you guys.” He flushes. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear, but my headphones died and I needed to clean up my station, and you were being kind of⁠—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I wave a hand in the air and set my coffee down so I can press my fingertips hard against my pulsing temples.

Because it’s coming back to me now.

You know what I’m gonna do tomorrow? I’m gonna go to that casino, I’m gonna find the son of a bitch who took away that kid’s family, and I’m going to make him pay.

“Ah, shit,” I mutter.

“Ah, shit what?” Fox helps himself to two—no, three—churros. One of which he extends to me. “You want?”

I take it, the cinnamon sugar sticky and sandy on my fingertips, but don’t eat it.

“Just…” I exhale hard. The caffeine’s starting to hit, and my vision feels a little sharper. “I was talking out of my ass. I was just pissed at…”

At Pan, I think.

“At everything,” I say out loud.

“You should have heard her,” Kit says, to Fox.

“Damn, really?” Fox grins. “Wish I’d been there.”

I shake my head. “No. No, you don’t. I was just trying to help Wendy, guys. I was just—” I wince, head throbbing anew.

“Just declaring an entire battle plan for finding the murderer and avenging her brothers’ honor?” Kit finishes for me. “Because that’s also impressive.”

I stare at the ground, clutching my coffee. “Yeah,” I mutter. “Never mind that I have no idea what that actually would even begin to involve.”

And never mind that just thinking about setting foot in that casino makes my throat want to close.

“Hey,” Kit says. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“You do?”

“I mean…yeah, sure.” Kit’s cheeks shade a bit pink. “Granted, I’m no kind of mastermind, but I’m impressed. You’ve gotten ahold of some valuable intel, knowing that someone’s stealing his identity, and now you have a plan to go investigate it⁠—”

“Except I don’t,” I mutter. “You’re leaving out the part where I don’t actually have a clue about how to…” I spin a hand in the air. “Get into a high-roller room.”

“Oh, faf’s eefy,” Fox says through a full mouth of churro, which he swallows after a pained look from Kit. “Uh, sorry. I was saying, that’s easy. You just have to waste a lot of money on the floor and they invite you up.”

I blink. “Really?”

“I mean…that’s what I’ve heard,” Fox says. “A lot of the guys at the chop shops are pretty heavy into it. They don’t win, or anything, but they seem to drop a lot of cash there. And they brag about how they get all kinds of perks when they do go, so.”