Pulling out my pad and pen, I checked my notes and found the No other Pen Bearers can find me line was gone. It figured. Worse, as I tried to write myself a secret passage to my lair, I found it didn’t work either.
A few moments later, I found that pretty much all my lines affecting the building had evaporated. The ball pit remained, but it seemed that whoever was sending the goon squad had countered my ability. Well, that was frustrating, but not that big of a deal. After all, I had a secret entrance across town.
A few quick pen strokes later, I “found” the keys to the YZF-R1 sitting in a space a few meters away, its bright blue paint sparkling in the overhead lights above.
“So, what’s the plan?” Ronnie asked, moving toward me as I approached the bike. “I mean, I’m pretty sure we need to escape, but we came in a limo …”
“That’s why I’m taking this.” I smacked the seat of the Yamaha motorcycle. As her eyes flicked to the bike like she was seeing it for the first time, I grabbed the helmet off the side and handed it to her. “Ready?”
“Um … I hate motorcycles. There is no way I’m getting on that death trap.” She looked right at me. “Seriously.”
“It’ll be fun.” I shook the helmet at her.
“Do you know how many bad decisions start with ‘it’ll be fun?’” She smirked at me. “Nearly all of them.”
“Fair point, but I’m a really good driver, and I was hoping we could go get some new clothes. I’m worried my new friends might have bugged us.” I nodded to her as I got on the bike and pulled my own helmet on. “You can stay here if you like. I won’t force you to come.” I offered the helmet once more. “Last chance.”
“You’re making me do a ton of things I’d never do,” she said a moment later, and even though she didn’t look happy about it, she pulled the helmet down over her pretty blonde head before sliding on behind me.
“Yeah, I’m told I have that effect on people,” I said as she wrapped her arms around me, holding on tightly. “You don’t have to be scared.” The feel of her warmth pressed against my back sent a shiver of excitement racing through me, but as the ping of the pen making my words true filled my ears, I sighed.
Damn. I hadn’t meant to do that either, but there was nothing for it since I wasn’t about to use the pen to make her into a scaredy cat. Instead, I gunned the throttle and took off in a screech of rubber.
10
“Wooo!” Ronnie called behind me, excitement flooding into her voice as I whooshed around a line of cars at damned near a hundred miles an hour, my pen-enhanced skills giving me the reflexes of a world-class motocross champion. “This is so much fun!”
“I know, right?” I replied as I zig-zagged around a BMW that had definitely not been washed at all recently. “I love going fast.”
I gunned the throttle, sending us careening forward. I was in a bit of a good mood after I’d relayed the information to Marty and Skye over the phone. Both of them were working on it, and both had agreed with me. I shouldn’t return to the base just yet. After all, just because that asshole had said he knew where my base was, didn’t mean he actually did.
No. It was way more likely he was watching me and expecting me to retreat so he could follow me. Because of that, I was going to send him on a huge wild goose chase and get some new clothes while I was at it. Besides, part of me wanted to see what he would do when I didn’t tuck tail and run. Would he come at me or lay low?
“Normally, I’d be scared, but you just seem so good at it,” Ronnie replied, her breasts pressing into my back as she gripped me tighter. “I want to just ride around forever.”
“You say that now, but trust me, I have way more fun in store for us,” I said as I made a hard left toward a store I’d only recently learned about from Skye. A store known only for one thing: how expensive it was.
“I can’t imagine anything better than this,” Ronnie said as I tore past a semi-truck, giving us a wide expanse of empty road. Then I really cut loose, driving the bike as hard as it would go. “Oh my god, I stand corrected.”
I could barely make out her words over the whistle of wind whipping past me, but that was fine. I had the feel of a beautiful woman pressed against me and a ton of open road. There was just one problem. We were already near our destination, and as much as I wanted to keep going, I was wary of going too far from my base.
Reluctantly, I turned off the road, and back into Las Vegas itself.
“Aww,” Ronnie said as we got onto a little, nondescript street. “Are we done so soon?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to be out here. People might have tracked us,” I said as I came to a stop in front of a storefront that looked like it’d seen better days. Its windows were boarded up, and the canopy over the entrance was sun-bleached and faded to the point I couldn’t really tell what the original color had been.
“How would they do that?” Ronnie asked as we got off the bike. I pulled a large sheet from my pocket that I then tossed over the motorcycle. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why I had done it, but it just seemed like I should hide the thing.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they watched us escape with a satellite.” I waved my hand. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we need to get some new clothes.”
Even as I said the words, I felt a little dumb because I could just make her new clothes with my pen, but it wasn’t quite the same. I’d only dealt with a tailor once, but even that one time had been enough to let me know it made you feel awesome. After everything that had happened, I not only wanted to feel awesome, I wanted Ronnie to feel awesome. After all, what good was unlimited power if you couldn’t do stupid things just ‘cause you wanted to do them?
“So, can’t they just see us enter here?” she asked, glancing at the sheet-covered motorcycle, and as she spoke, I was glad I’d made her a bit more accepting of the situation. Part of me hadn’t wanted to do it, but most of me hadn’t wanted to keep erasing every little thing that came up. That’d get old fast.
Sure, I knew I could also just leave her behind, but that might put her in harm’s way. After all, Wayne had gone after pretty much everyone I was remotely close to. I wouldn’t let that happen again.
“That’s why we came here.” I pulled a key from my pocket as I moved to the battered metal security door. “This is what I like to call a secret.”
As the key slid into the lock, there was a buzzing sound from inside as the imaging software scanned me. The door pinged as the electronic locks disengaged, and a moment later, it slid into the wall with a hiss of compressed air, revealing an empty room with a similar door in the floor.
“Where does that go?” Ronnie asked, following me inside as I pocketed the key.
A moment later, the door slid shut behind her, locking us inside. Then the lights began to flash, letting me know they were performing a secondary scan. Should they find me not to be, well, me, nerve gas would fill the room.
“It goes to a secret tunnel that leads to the best store in Las Vegas.” I nodded to it.
“You have a secret room with a secret tunnel that leads to a store?” she asked as the lights flashed green, letting me know I had the all clear.
“I do now.” I smiled at her as I knelt beside the door on the floor and pressed both hands to the reader beside it. The glowed with soft red light for a moment before turning green. A ping filled the air as a flat panel on the door slid open to reveal a keyhole.
“You know,” Ronnie said as I put key to lock once more, “normally, I’d care a lot more about how you can do all this stuff, but I just don’t.” She gave me a confused look. “It’s a bit weird, honestly because while part of me does want to know, I just …” She waved a dismissive hand.
“Oh?” I said as the door slid open to reveal an escalator that led downward because there was no way I was climbing down a mile of stairs.
“Yeah, my ex used to complain about me asking tons of questions …” she trailed off as I offered her my hand.
“Ah.”
I smiled at her as she took my hand and we stepped on the escalator. “Well, to answer your question, I told you before. I know magic.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
“It’s true.” I shrugged as the door above closed. “Remove the door above.”
“Remove the door above?” Ronnie asked, looking at me strangely as the door overhead melded back into the nearly impenetrable steel floor. “What do you mean?” She craned her head back looking upward.
“I used magic to get rid of the door, so if they find us, they won’t be able to get through.” I shrugged. “They might not have been able to otherwise, but why take chances.”
“The people after you sound like they’re pretty dangerous.” Ronnie took a step closer to me.
“They do, but they’re old and complacent.” I nodded at her.
It was true. One of the main reasons I’d been able to take down Wayne was because he’d been too sure he’d win. I wasn’t sure what this new threat could do, but I was willing to make myself bait to find out more about him. It was risky, but as it stood, even with Skye and Marty scanning everything for him, we had next to no leads, and Agent Smith’s line had gone directly to voicemail.
“Holy fuck, is that a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO?” Ronnie asked, snapping my attention back to the present. We had reached the bottom, the floor opening up to reveal a fleet of cars and a long stretch of underground highway.
“No,” I said, shaking my head as I began moving toward the Ferrari. “It’s two 1962 Ferrari 250 GTOs. Three hundred and two horsepower. Does zero to sixty in five point four seconds with a top speed of one hundred seventy-four miles per hour.” I nodded to the left one. “I made yours pink.”
“You made mine pink?” she asked, looking at me like I was insane.
“Yes.” I smirked as I got into the right Ferrari. “How else are we going to race if you don’t have one?”
“That’s a thirty-eight-million-dollar car.” She stood a few feet away, mouth hanging open.
“I have a lot of nice things, just not a lot of liquid cash.” I started the car, causing the engine to roar like a savage beast. “And it’s hard to fly a helicopter underground. I mean, I can do it, but it’s way less fun.”
“Who are you?” she asked, finally getting in the pink Ferrari. “And what happens if I crash?” She frowned at the car. “I don’t even know how to drive this.”
“Just try. I have a feeling you know how to do more than you think.” With that, I took off, ripping down the highway.
11
“That was fucking amazing,” Ronnie said, grinning from ear to ear as we parked the Ferraris below the escalator at the far end of the tunnel.
“I know, right?” I said, unable to help myself from smiling too. I’d almost forgotten how much fun using the pen could be, and as I took Ronnie’s hand in mine and made my way toward the exit, I felt more fulfilled than I had in a long time. It was strange. Until I’d stepped out of my base, I hadn’t realized how long I’d been cooped up inside.
Now though? Now, I had a new challenge to overcome. I knew part of me should have been upset or worried, but I just wasn’t. No, I was excited for my team to tell me they’d found something. Then I’d make sure the son of a bitch from the casino was in the ground.
“Seriously. I knew being rich was awesome, but I had no idea it was this awesome.” She winked at me as we got on the escalator. “It’s like nothing even matters.”
“Things matter, but magic makes a lot of stuff go away.” Even as I said the words, I felt myself unconsciously slipping the pen in my hand so I could feel the contours of it. The pen had changed my life, and now someone was after it. Well, they’d find it harder to take than they expected. Especially if they decided to take the bait and come after me again.
“Well, I definitely need to learn some magic then,” Ronnie giggled as we stepped through the exit at the top of the escalator.
“Maybe I’ll teach you one day, but be warned, a magician never reveals his secrets,” I replied with a shrug as I used my pen to make the cars, escalators, and the tunnel itself vanish back into thin air.
Ronnie opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but instead just stopped, her mouth falling open as she caught sight of the building in front of us. Her gaze roamed over the super-expensive, super-exclusive boutique, and I smiled. It was the kind of place that wouldn’t have let me in before I got my pen, but now? Now this place was my bitch. Or it would be anyway since I’d never actually been here before.
“Is that Le Château de Tissu Extraordinaire?” she said, pronouncing the French far more correctly than I could have. “I know you said we were going somewhere nice but this …?”
“I hear they have nice stuff here, and I’m rich. I keep hearing how awesome this place is, and, well, you needed some new clothes, right?” I said, smirking at her. “Besides, this has been one of the most fun days I’ve had in a while despite the attacks, or maybe because of them. I’m not sure, really.”
“If you say so …” She looked at me for a long moment as she intertwined one hand with mine and moved a bit closer to me. “I knew they’d opened that second store in New York after opening the original in Chicago, but to think there was one in Vegas …”
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “I really only know about it because my friend said she’d been here a few times. I think she said they have an entire room dedicated just to lace.”
“How can they possibly have a whole room dedicated to lace?” she asked as we moved toward the door.
I pushed it open to reveal a room not much larger than the entrance. Even still, it was nice. No. Beyond nice, what with the marble floors, Greek-style columns, and decorative art on the wall behind the front desk. A pretty, pint-sized pixie of a clerk with spiked blue hair sat in front of a locked door, and as the bells above the entrance us jingled, she looked up from her magazine and smiled at us happily.
“Hello, do you have an appointment?” she asked, putting her magazine down on the blue granite desk and moving to the computer on her desk. “If you do, just give me your name, and I’ll be happy to assist you.”
“We actually don’t have an appointment,” I said with a shrug.
The girl stiffened noticeably, and her smile faltered for a second. “We aren’t taking any walk-ins right now, sorry.” She gave me a once over. “If you’d like to make an appointment, I’ll be happy to help you with that, provided you have the five-thousand-dollar reservation fee …” She waited, no doubt expecting me to balk and walk away.
“I want to go inside,” I said, now annoyed. I knew I could magic my way inside, hell, I could probably use my pen to give myself an appointment, but something about her not just letting me inside angered me, and not just because I had Ronnie with me, though that was part of it. No. It was more that she expected me to balk at the reservation fee. That was it.
Releasing Ronnie’s hand, I strode up to the counter with a pleased smile on my face. “Look, my friend here would like to pick out some new clothes, and I’d like a new suit.”
“As I said, sir—”
I cut her off by slapping twenty grand down on the desk between us.
“This is twenty thousand dollars in cash.” I pushed it toward her before pulling out a second bundle. “This is another twenty thousand.” I grinned as I tossed it onto the desk next to the first one. “Both of them are pretty sure you’ll let me in.”
As I spoke, her eyes went wide, and she swallowed hard. Then she shifted her gaze to me, eyes suddenly bright and helpful.
“So, how can I help you?” she asked in a voice full of bubbly enthusiasm. Her eyes darted from the cash to Ronnie before settling on me.
“I need a new suit. Something nice,” I said before reaching back to take Ronnie’s hand and pull her toward us. “Also, something for Ronnie.” She nodded at me, and as Ronnie beamed at me like she’d just won the fucking lottery, I turned back to the girl at the counter. “And ge
t something for yourself too.” I waved a hand at her. “Whatever you like.”
“Right away, sir,” she said, a broad smile on her face as she leaped to her feet and swiped a keycard across a panel by the door before opening it and gesturing inside. “Our custom tailors are just through here.”
An hour later, I’d been primped, pruned, and stuffed into a crisp white button up, an imported red silk tie, and pants that cost more than a small house. I looked awesome, especially with my custom-tailored suit jacket, and better still, it felt nice to be wearing real clothes over the bodysuit.
Besides, it wasn’t like the cost mattered to me in the slightest because, well, magic. I could just write paid in full on the bill and be done with it. Better still, I’d gotten to shower and shave. I don’t want to go into it much, but there was nothing quite like having a professional shave you.
Unfortunately, I was left with two problems. One, Ronnie wasn’t quite ready yet, and two, no one from the evil pen bearer’s team had found me yet. I mean, okay, I wasn’t exactly inclined to go outside and give them another crack at me, but they should have found me by now… maybe the guy’s surveillance wasn’t as good as he thought it was?
I was half-inclined to find out, but either way, as soon as Ronnie was done getting dressed, I was going back to my base. That left me with a bit of time to kill, and after a quick call to Marty, who had assured me they were following up on leads, I found myself sitting in a quaint little speakeasy-style bar inside Le Château de Tissu Extraordinaire.
I glanced up from my old fashioned and smiled at the busty brunette standing behind the bar. She was dressed like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and even though she had a way better body than Audrey ever had, I wasn’t going to fault her for being off on that particular detail.
“So, why is there a bar here?” I asked, nodding over my shoulder back toward the rooms full of lace, dresses, and makeup. “I mean, you even have cigars.”
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