King of Fools

by Amanda Foody

  “You know, it was just a few months ago that you were looking for a job with danger.”

  “It’s not me I worry about,” she grumbled. As Levi slipped past her down the steps, she called after him, “I hope your ego is worth it!”

  Levi sighed. As always, Tock knew exactly what he was up to, but all he gave her was a nod before he disappeared down the Street of the Holy Tombs.

  Enne’s Houssen was parked on the corner. Since the lockdown began, they’d spent every day clinging to the cliff’s edge of ruin. But they’d carved out a place for themselves there, however teetering, and built something good upon it.

  Levi slid into the passenger seat and gave Enne a quick kiss. “Thank you for joining me for my appointment with destiny.”

  “Funny,” she said. “My guidebook doesn’t show ‘destiny’ on the map.”

  “That’s because it’s still being built.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You told me this meeting was important.”

  “Come on...we’ve hardly seen each other these past few weeks, thanks to the curfew. And you’re always running off to South Side parties—” his eyes wandered over her uppity dress “—wearing far too much periwinkle when you could be wearing...” He stopped, laughing at his own joke, knowing she probably wouldn’t.

  “What were you going to say?” Enne prodded.

  He bit his lip to hold back his grin. “Nothing.”

  She looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened and she pushed him away, smirking. “And you wear far too much silver. You look ridiculous.”

  “You should take some off me, then.”

  She rolled her eyes and shifted the car into drive.

  * * *

  Fitz Oliver waited for them as they got out of the motorcar. He wore a red-and-white-striped suit, like peppermint candy, and his own motorcar was cherry red to match. He lifted his arms up as they approached, gesturing to the entire boardwalk behind him. A ferris wheel imposed on the skyline, the clouds behind it as idyllic as candy floss. The air smelled of sea and freshly poured concrete—like opportunity.

  “Levi!” he exclaimed. “I was ecstatic to get your call. And you brought company.” He kissed Enne’s hand, as though they were meeting at a party rather than behind a construction site. “Your boyfriend is about to make the best business decision of his life.”

  Enne gave Fitz a startled but polite smile. “And what exactly is the best business decision of his life?”

  “After today’s tour, he’s going to agree to purchase the largest casino on the boardwalk.” Fitz beamed and looked up at the sky, unfazed by the blinding sun. “I have a lot of interested buyers—in far better criminal standing, I might add. The deal wouldn’t be public, of course. But a mystery buyer?” He tipped his hat at Levi. “I know the value of a rumor. And what they say about you? Priceless.”

  Levi was easily swayed by flattery, even if it came from a man with expensive taste in hideous things. “Lead the way, then,” he said.

  But Enne was harder to convince. “The North Side has been on lockdown for three weeks, but you’re still interested in selling it to a gangster?”

  Levi shot Enne an annoyed look, but Fitz seemed hardly perturbed by her comment. “The boardwalk opens next summer. Do you really think the city will still be in lockdown by then? The curfew has everyone losing volts. No, in a few months, my firm believes New Reynes will look entirely different.”

  Levi was beginning to like Fitz more and more. He wrapped his arm around Enne’s shoulder as they followed Fitz across the parking lot.

  “This is the casino you mentioned last month?” Enne whispered to Levi. “Where are you finding the volts for this?”

  “I just...” He sighed. “I just wanted to see it.”

  Fitz stopped and pointed at an unpainted, half-finished structure. It was magnificently large, with spiraling towers and grand windows that overlooked the ocean.

  As Levi breathed in the smells of sea and construction, he felt a wistful pang in his chest. He wanted this terribly, but standing here, looking at it, he knew he couldn’t have it. Not just because of the volts, but because he already had everything. Wasn’t that what Jac had told him? That Levi was selfish and incapable of self-restraint?

  “Well,” Fitz said, beaming, “let’s give it a peek, shall we?”

  They followed Fitz inside, Enne pulling Levi ahead even as he froze in front of the threshold. Marble tiles glistened along the floor of the lobby, alternating black and white. Those same colors were everywhere he looked—on the wood of the attendant desks, on the columns, on the doors. It felt like walking into an optical illusion.

  Or a dream.

  Levi and Enne halted abruptly past the doors, and chills broke out across his neck.

  “Is this what you call destiny?” she whispered.

  This was the opposite of what he considered destiny. Levi hoped and wanted for things so much that he could see destiny in anything—in the numbers on a pair of dice, in the graffiti on a corner of Olde Town. But he always saw destiny as positive, a force guiding him toward something great.

  If this was his destiny, it felt like something darker. Something cursed.

  “This is what I call coincidence,” he answered carefully.

  Fitz turned around, his arms lifted up once again. “Tremendous, isn’t it?” He shot them an ear-to-ear smile. “And we’re only just getting started!”

  Fitz toured them through the rest of the casino. Each room, indeed, seemed more tremendous than the next. But even if it wasn’t exactly identical to the hallway, Levi still held his breath each time Fitz opened a new door, expecting to find a nightmare waiting behind it.

  “So what do you think?” Fitz asked finally, once they returned to the atrium.

  Levi looked at Enne. She hadn’t said anything the entire tour, only nodded politely at Fitz’s many comments. She gave Levi a thin smile.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” Levi answered.

  “Think about it? But this is a dream!” Fitz said, and Levi cleared his throat at the word choice. “The boardwalk’s grand opening seems far away, but the contractors can’t wait for a buyer much longer.”

  No matter how many times Levi had dreamed of the hallway, it was still only a dream. He shouldn’t let superstition sway him from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  Not that he could take it, anyway.

  “How much is the down payment?” Levi asked, keeping up the charade.

  “Same as before—fifteen thousand volts down.”

  Levi cringed inwardly. Between Vianca’s request and the lockdown, he was far from one of the richest men in the North Side anymore.

  “Can I talk to Levi in private for a moment?” Enne asked, and Levi numbly let her pull him away to the other side of the room. “I think you should take it.”

  Levi gaped. “With what voltage? You were just saying earlier that it was impossible—”

  “Just look at this place. We never talk about it, but I know you see the same thing I do.”

  “Zula called it a shade. That isn’t anything good, Enne.” And he worried that dwelling on it would send their one good thing over that cliff’s edge.

  “That’s just Jac rubbing off on you,” she pushed. “You want this. I know you do.”

  “I want everything!” The desires he’d once admitted freely now felt tainted with his friend’s disdain. Because if Levi got this, he would go on to wanting bigger, better things. He might have the Irons, and Enne, and the reputation he’d always wanted, but the problem with ambition was that it was never satiated. “Besides, it’s impossible.”

  Enne slipped her arms around his waist, a touch that would normally make him relax, but the dangerous glint in her eyes did quite the opposite.

  “There is a way,” she whispered. “There has always been another option.�
�

  The last time she’d suggested this, Levi had immediately declined. Making volts was dangerous—even criminals needed an explanation for their fortunes. But the two of them were far from the nobodies they’d been only a few months ago. Every breath they took was already accompanied by danger.

  But the more he thought about it, the more the image of his father lingered in his mind. Levi had built a life for himself that had nothing to do with the bloody history of his family, and he was proud of that. How could he rationalize all the years cursing his father if he carried on his legacy after all?

  “Enne...” He smiled apologetically and squeezed her hand. “It’s not worth it.”

  She bit her lip, like she was considering pushing more. Instead, she only nodded. “It’s your decision.”

  The two returned to Fitz. “I’m sorry,” Levi said, with what he truly felt was a heavy heart. “I can’t accept. But I really appreciate your offer.”

  Fitz’s smile fell. “Well, if you change your minds, you know how to reach me.” He handed them both fresh copies of his business card. “Can I trust you to show yourselves out? I have another appointment in a few minutes for a taffy shop.” Then he waved his goodbyes and left.

  For several moments, the two of them stood there in silence.

  Levi shook his head bitterly and wandered into the card rooms. No matter how unsettling the decor, he liked how little this place resembled St. Morse. Inside that casino, he always felt trapped beneath Vianca’s shadow.

  He leaned against a white card table—they, too, alternated colors—and tried to imagine himself owning it.

  “Jac would probably hate this place,” he said.

  Enne wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You can’t keep punishing yourself for what happened. You’ve been friends for years. You’ll get through this.”

  But Levi thought of the words flung between them that day, and he wasn’t so sure. Lately, he wasn’t sure of anything—not his instincts, not his survival, not his destiny.

  “A long time ago, before I came to New Reynes,” Levi said, “someone in my life taught me to believe that I needed to be punished for every mistake.” He’d never talked to Enne about his father before, and he almost felt silly bringing it up now. It was a lifetime ago—sometimes, he even forgot his father’s voice. But he’d never forgotten his father’s lessons. “I thought I had unlearned all of that since then, but I guess you never really do.”

  Enne pressed her head against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  She took his hand and interlaced their fingers. He liked the gesture, how it reminded him that they were in this together. Enne was by far the most dangerous of all the things he wanted, but truthfully, even if the whole cliff collapsed, it would feel so sweet to fall.

  With his other hand, he pulled her into him. Someone could happen upon them, but he didn’t care.

  “I have something I need to tell you,” Enne said warily, lifting her head to look at him. “Vianca is giving us another assignment.”

  Levi groaned. “Are we not paying her enough already?”

  “She doesn’t trust Worner to face off against Harrison. She wants us to stop the debate at the end of the month. With a...demonstration.”

  “A demonstration,” he repeated.

  “Like a small riot.”

  “A small riot.” As if Levi wasn’t already dealing with enough. As if the South Side needed another reason to send more soldiers across the Brint.

  Enne gave him a weak smile. “No one innocent will get hurt.”

  “The Irons could get hurt.”

  “Not if we plan it right,” she assured him.

  He sighed and lowered his arms, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she pushed him back against the table. Her hands fiddled with the top button of his shirt, and Levi’s heart sped up.

  “You don’t even sound angry,” he said. “Do you agree with Vianca, or something?”

  “Of course not, but I trust us.” Her hand slid behind his neck, pulling him toward her. “Don’t you?”

  It wasn’t Enne he didn’t trust, but it was hard to think when she pressed herself against him. The violet storms of her aura made him dizzy.

  She pressed her lips to his, and everything about the way he kissed her was full of want. He wanted what she said to be true. He wanted to own this casino. He wanted her in this place beside him.

  Enne smiled against his lips. “Did you know I have one pistol and four knives hidden on me right now?”

  Levi turned her around so that she took his place on the table. He braced one hand against the felt to steady himself, and with his other, he traced up the stocking on the inside of her calf. Her fingers undid the rest of his shirt buttons, and a thrill stirred in his stomach. He liked how she looked, with her pearl necklace crooked, her chest pressed against his, smiling up at him.

  It was fitting that this place resembled a dream—a dream he couldn’t let himself have.

  Not yet, his ambitions whispered, rising—despite himself—at Enne’s touch.

  Levi’s hand found something secured at her mid-thigh, but even as he traced over the grooves of the metal, he found himself far more interested in the lace around it. Still, he slid the knife out from its holster and tossed it on the table.

  “There’s one.”

  ENNE

  It was a beautiful day, all things considered.

  The Park District of the South Side was still lushly green even in late September, and a tent had been erected among the trees. At precisely noon, Enne held out her identification papers for whiteboot inspection and entered the tent. She searched the throngs of reporters and campaign assistants for Poppy and found her seated on a fold-out chair, a romance novel Enne had recommended in her hands.

  Poppy’s face brightened as Enne approached. “Thank you so much for coming—I’m so glad you’re here. Father’s making me introduce him today, and I hate speaking in front of crowds.”

  “But you’re a performer,” Enne said. One of these days, Enne assured herself, she would go see one of Poppy’s ballets. She might’ve only attended the South Side salons on Vianca’s orders, but her friendship with Worner Prescott’s daughter wasn’t a farce—she genuinely liked spending time with Poppy.

  “Elegance, not eloquence.” Poppy ran her hands down her conservative, stiff dress. “I don’t even feel like myself.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Enne assured her. Because if everything goes to plan, you’ll be quickly interrupted.

  “Well, I’m no more nervous than Father is,” Poppy told her. “He’s been in a tizzy all morning. I covered his face with powder because it’s so red.” She nodded toward him, seated across the tent, fumbling with a set of speech cards. “I’m just so anxious for all this to be over. Did you hear that Vianca Augustine is throwing a party the night the results are announced? Her son agreed to go, and now everyone has to be there to watch and gossip.” Poppy smiled conspiratorially. “I hope it’s dramatic.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” Enne replied carefully. She didn’t like discussing Vianca with Poppy—Enne was always afraid she’d reveal more than she meant to about how well she knew the donna.

  “You’re dressed nice. Is today when I get to meet this lover you’ve told me nothing about?”

  Enne laughed. “You’ve been reading too many of those books.”

  “I read mysteries, too, you know.” She tapped her fingernails on the paperback’s glossy cover. “I’m collecting clues. I almost have your North Side boy figured out.”

  “You’re still stuck on your North Side fantasy?” Enne also wanted to avoid talking about Levi and remembering the lies she’d spun this past week in preparation for this day. He’d be furious when he found out, yet even though the Phoenix Club had tried to kill Levi, he didn’t still hear the timer tic
king down in his mind. He didn’t still tremble at the thought of facing them once more.

  But the Phoenix Club had taken more from Enne than she could ever forgive.

  Before Poppy could respond, Worner appeared behind them and rested a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “The manager wants us to stand together and prepare to go outside.” He nodded to the tent’s entrance, where Enne spotted Harrison Augustine in a navy suit that matched his eyepatch. Enne’s stomach churned. Estranged or not, he looked every bit as intimidating as his mother.

  Enne reminded herself of the Irons and Spirits stationed all around the stage area to keep watch, but there were still so many ways today could go wrong. She wouldn’t forgive herself if anyone she cared about got hurt.

  Poppy gave Enne a final smile. “Let’s celebrate tonight when this is over,” she said. Enne nodded politely, but her mind was already on murder, and whether she truly could kill a man in cold blood.

  She could, she decided. From the moment she’d lost her mother, she could.

  After the father-daughter pair went outside, amid cheers throughout the park, Enne slipped out herself and made for the building she and Grace had scouted earlier. Using the crowds as a distraction, she turned into the alley unnoticed, hiked up her skirts, and climbed the fire escape, up two floors, four, six.

  Once at the top, she examined the rest of the climb between her and the roof with unease.

  No worse than a trapeze, she told herself. Besides, she’d made the same leap last night to plant her supplies.

  Enne hoisted herself over the metal railing of the stairs and reached, carefully, for the closest window. Then she clung to the bricks and climbed the rest of the way up to the roof.

  To her surprise, she found Grace waiting for her, dressed in her usual all black, though her pale skin was pink from sunburn.

  Enne huffed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “How did you get up here? Shouldn’t you be with the others?”

  “I’ve been here for hours.” Grace marked her place in her novel and set the book on the ground. “I decided someone needs to keep an eye on you.”