“Is that legal?”
“Definitely not.”
Seri frowned. “What…if they somehow connect you to the account?”
“Ender is the one who handles the transferring for me. According to him, it’s done in a way where no one could trace it back to me.” Severo shrugged.
“I see…well…that’s even more reason to not spend so much on random things. For now, I don’t really have access to money, not that I had much before all this. But I’ll try to pay you back, after everything is said and done.”
He grimaced. With the cost of the apartment, all the flights…between what he’d owe Severo and Ender…the total was likely already astronomical.
“You don’t have to pay me back, Seri. The money was just sitting there being unused. I’m happy to spend it on keeping you and Skya happy, healthy and safe. I mean, we could use Ender’s money if you want.”
“D-did you not use the cards they gave us at all?” Seri wrung his hands together.
Not that he really wanted to spend Ender’s money either…though he supposed it was more Ender’s rebel group’s money—Cryptid Means.
“No. I don’t need to. And you should keep those in case something happens to me and you need to flee on your own. Which reminds me, we should get a bug-out bag setup for that.”
“It’s too much, Severo… You shouldn’t be spending your money on me…”
“It’s not. Really, it’s not. Not to sound like I’m bragging, but I have a lot saved up. I’m not as rich as that butthole, Preston, but I am rich. And I should be spending it on you, because I want to. Would you feel better if we used the cards and cash the Cryptid Means members gave us?”
Seri grimaced and shook his head.
Severo chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”
He sighed. “Can you…do it in moderation? No thousand dollar toys.”
“Moderation, I can do.” Severo grimaced and glanced down at the playmat. “I suppose this thing was a bit overpriced anyway… Not worth five thousand now that I’ve thought on it more.”
“Five thousand! I thought you said a few grand?!”
“That is a few,” the Dweller defended.
“Three is a few, five is more,” Seri huffed, and sternly said, “No big purchases without discussing it first.”
Severo’s cheeks flushed. “F-fine.”
Seri shook his head in exasperation. “Let’s get this back in the box before Skya wakes up from her nap.”
The little girl was currently fast asleep right next to him—her car seat in bassinet mode. Skya was thankfully a deep sleeper.
“Speaking of…” Severo hesitated.
“What?”
“Could she possibly nap in my room? In the dark?”
Seri stiffened. “Why?”
“Just…I don’t want to scare you, but…the whole Dweller thing. We do need darkness to survive.”
“And?”
“We can get sick without it.”
Sick… Seri hands balled. Was he hurting his daughter? “She…hasn’t… I mean…”
