Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Her Majesty raises her eyebrows. “You’ve never asked to use the bathroom before.”
“Yes, but I ate something that doesn’t agree with me. And it would be improper for an employee to use the guest restrooms during service hours.”
She purses her lips but gestures out the grand suite. “Have at it. I’ll be right behind you.”
I cross the club and make my way to Her Majesty’s red door. I open it slowly and sure enough, Miss Wonder and Mr. Hathaway have opened the secret door behind the armoire in the office. I step through. The two of them are surrounded by a small pond of red diamonds and have their noses pressed into Her Majesty’s manifesto.
All the evidence they need to put her away. And this is all the evidence I need to put them away.
“Miss Wonder. Mr. Hathaway.”
Mr. Hathaway looks up, gives me a look I’ve never seen from him. As if he’s actually glad to see me. “Chet,” he says. “We need you to escort us out of here as quickly and discreetly as possible.”
I clasp my hands and slowly crane my neck over my left shoulder. I’m positively giddy. All my players have landed exactly into their places. “You might want to see what’s going on in here,” I call out.
Her Majesty narrows her eyes at me but then glides into the office, her lips pursed. When she sees Miss Wonder and Mr. Hathaway through the secret door in her armoire, she draws a slow hand up to the diamond necklace nestled in her cleavage, her eyes widened. She glares at the two invaders. “It looks like you two have been palming an ace.”
They don’t move.
Her Majesty raises her scepter. “I’m afraid Aces Underground has a strict policy about cheaters in the Diamonds section. This applies to all patrons, even the King and Queen themselves.”
Miss Wonder shrieks.
Mr. Hathaway lunges toward her, placing himself between my angel and my Queen.
But Her Majesty is quick, and she smacks her scepter to the back of Mr. Hathaway’s skull.
He crumples to the floor, and in a flash Miss Wonder is lying beside him.
I instinctively kneel at her motionless body, place a finger against her neck. She’s okay, thanks be to the heavens. A small welt on her forehead, but that will go down in a few days’ time.
Her Majesty lowers her scepter, moves toward her desk, and takes a seat. She reaches into a drawer and pulls out two small needles. She injects a small amount into both of their necks. “This will keep them unconscious until after service. Then you’ll have to take care of them. Florian is out of town this week.”
“Take care of them?” I ask.
“It is not nearly as often that I find myself dispatching patrons, but it is not unheard of.” She scans the two bodies. “But their organs are in perfect shape, I’m sure.”
“My Queen”—I bow my head—“if I may, perhaps it would be prudent to keep them alive. Mr. Hathaway still maintains some influence in the city’s political sphere, and Miss Won—I mean, Miss Maravilla—could make an excellent bargaining chip to get him to do what you want.”
She scrunches her forehead. “The Hathaway legacy is in tatters. Maddox has no more influence than his father.”
“For now. But people’s memories fade. It’s been well over a decade since Mr. Hathaway’s father died. I believe there is potential for us. And either way, his family’s reputation notwithstanding, he remains a person in the spotlight. A sudden disappearance would draw suspicion.”
She crosses her arms. “Perhaps you’re right. Take them to the Caterpillar then. Break into their phones. Concoct some cock-and-bull story to their closest friends about going on a vacation together. Fish their keys out of their pockets, go to their apartments, and make them look as though they’ve packed a bag for a long trip. We’ll starve the two of them out at the Caterpillar Hotel until they’re ready to play ball.”
“As you wish, my Queen.”
“And Chet?”
“Yes?”
Her Majesty looks over the pair of bodies, her lips curling into a shrewd grin. “Once you finish, meet me back here. I believe you are entitled to a reward.”
I did as my Queen commanded. Dropped Miss Wonder and Mr. Hathaway off in separate rooms at the Caterpillar, wrote texts to their loved ones and employers saying they would be out of town for an unspecified amount of time, and then staged their individual apartments to look as if they’d both gone on an extended holiday.
I’m not sure I trust Her Majesty to play nice with them once they agree to do her bidding.
The small shampoo bottle I left at Miss Wonder’s apartment, however, will remain untouched.
A small clue—perhaps one of their friends will discover it.
Tiny seeds yield bountiful harvests.
A month has passed. Her Majesty checks the Caterpillar Hotel weekly. Neither she nor I—and certainly none of the cards—have actually communicated with Mr. Hathaway and my angel. They remain in their hotel, slowly getting thinner. Soon they will be on the brink of demise, and that will be when we strike.