Chapter 37 #2
“Yes, a confession, dear.” Levi places a hand over his heart, his expression serious but his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Like, I would write that I once fell hopelessly in love with a forbidden barista who spelled my name wrong every single time, intentionally. The tension was unbearable. I ordered lattes I didn’t even want just to see him smirk.
But alas, he was married to his craft…” He pauses for dramatic effect, then whispers, “And the oat milk.”
A ripple of laughter spreads through the crowd, a few people snorting audibly.
“Sounds like you have some competition, Ez,” Sylus teases through the earpiece, knowing full well that Ezra can’t respond since he’s standing in the middle of the police officers, watching the show to make sure it stays orderly.
Koen groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “For the love of God, Levi.”
“The oat milk?” Veronica blinks, her perfectly arched brows drawing together as if trying to determine whether he’s serious. Meanwhile, Sylus’s muffled laughter crackles through the comms.
Levi shrugs with a wistful sigh as if the tragedy of it all weighs heavy on his soul. “Some things you just can’t compete with.”
A louder laugh echoes from the back, and someone shouts, “Oat milk’s undefeated!”
Veronica exhales sharply, smirking as she finally takes the paper and pen. “Very well.”
Koen spins around without a word, presenting his back to her as an impromptu surface.
Nova snickers softly beside me, leaning closer to whisper, “She’s going full Bond villain.”
I bite back a laugh, watching as Veronica places the paper on Koen’s back.
On the screen, she shields it dramatically with her hand.
When she’s done, she folds the paper neatly and slides it into the red envelope.
Levi steps forward with a flourish, taking it from her before sealing it tightly and handing it back.
Koen gestures for her to hold it up to the crowd and hands her a flashlight. “Make sure it’s not see-through.”
Veronica obliges, holding the envelope up and against the light. “Nothing,” she agrees.
Koen steps closer to her again, placing a single finger lightly on the envelope. He closes his eyes, his brow furrowing as if in deep concentration. The crowd holds its breath, and for a moment, even I forget to roll my eyes.
Then Koen huffs dramatically, dropping his hand with an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll need more time for this one.”
The crowd bursts into laughter, the tension dissolving into mirth.
“All right.” Levi raises his hands to quiet them. “All right. I’ll jump in while Koen figures it out. We’ll come back to that one later.”
The crowd’s laughter still echoes in the air as Koen steps back, leaving Levi to take center stage again. I glance at Nova and find her eyes already on mine, filled with determination.
It’s our turn.
We untangle ourselves from each other, breaking the connection that’s been steadying me all night.
At the same time, we pull our masks down over our faces, shutting the world out further, narrowing everything to the task at hand.
The buckets are heavy, loaded with stacks of decks, but Nova doesn’t hesitate.
She hoists hers up with both hands, gliding forward on her blades.
I follow her lead, gripping the bucket handle tightly.
It bites into my palms, the weight straining my arms. The crowd shifts, buzzing with movement and energy, and Nova starts to drift farther ahead.
She glides through the sea of people like she belongs there, weaving effortlessly between bodies, while I lumber behind her, every glide heavier than the last.
The masks. The noise. The crush of the crowd.
It all presses in from every side, brushing against the frayed edges of my nerves.
The bucket swings slightly in my grip, and I almost lose my footing.
My chest tightens, my breaths quickening as I struggle to keep my eyes on Nova, who’s slipping farther into the chaos.
I can’t see her anymore.
The realization slams into me, and the weight of the bucket feels unbearable now, dragging me down. The mask makes it harder to breathe, the air hot and stale against my skin. The crowd surges closer, their voices swelling. It’s too loud. Too tight.
My chest burns, the pressure climbing higher. I clench my jaw, trying to push it down. Breathe. Just breathe. The words sound hollow in my mind.
Five things I can see.
A flash of sequins from someone’s jacket.
The neon lights flickering above the street.
The drone with the camera floating over our heads.
There she is again. Nova, weaving through the crowd, looking graceful, no trace left of the dying baby goat.
My feet in the blades are steady even when I feel anything but.
Four things I can hear.
The hum of the crowd, waves of chatter overlapping.
The rhythmic thud of music in the distance.
The faint scrape of the bucket against my jeans as it shifts in my grip.
Someone laughing too loudly.
Three things I can feel.
The rough handle of the bucket digging into my palms.
The fabric of my shirt sticking to my back where the sweat clings.
The cool brush of air through my hair when I glide forward.
Two things I can smell.
The sharp tang of a cheap cologne.
The faint, metallic scent of smoke hanging in the air from Levi’s fire entrance.
One thing I can taste.
The bitter trace of adrenaline on my tongue.
The noise fades just enough to loosen the grip around my lungs. I focus on Nova, the way she moves, and how the crowd seems to bend around her instead of the other way around.
I should follow her.
I’ll always follow her.
Nova glances back at me as if hearing my thoughts, and her green eyes anchor me more than anything else could.
Levi’s voice booms over the speakers. “When I was fifteen, Uncle Oscar gave me a deck of cards. That deck started everything, this entire journey that brought me here, to this stage, to you. It led me to become the greatest magician of all time.” There’s a pause, and Koen clears his throat audibly, the mic picking it up.
Levi grins, chuckling. “Oh, fine. One of the greatest magicians of all time.”
The crowd bursts into laughter, and I catch a soft chuckle from Nova through the earpiece.
Levi spreads his arms wide, making Pebble flutter for balance, his voice taking on a dramatic tone.
“I want you all to make some magic with us tonight. I want you to play with a deck of cards, and maybe in fifteen years, you’ll be the one standing in front of a crowd, pulling off something incredible. Who knows?”
“Our assistants are coming around to you right now,” Koen announces.
“Grab a deck of cards.” Levi takes over the instructions. “And when you’ve got one, hold it up in the air so I can see that everyone’s ready.”
Nova’s approach to the crowd is direct, gliding up to groups and handing out decks with ease, but I keep the bucket at arm’s length, offering it for people to grab a deck themselves.
The thought of touching anyone, even accidentally, sends a ripple of discomfort through me.
Her bucket is already half empty by the time I spot Ezra standing to the side with a group of cops, but I don’t stop.
He watches me, his sharp eyes tracking my every move as I glide past, offering the bucket to others but skipping him and his officers entirely.
Ahead, I spot Nova handing a deck to Nicholas. He’s doing a good job looking bored as hell as he takes the cards from her, his fingers brushing hers briefly, but she doesn’t linger and is already moving to the next person.
My bucket grows lighter as I hand out the remaining decks, watching as more and more arms stretch into the air, each one clutching a brand-new pack of cards. By the time the last deck is gone, I’ve long since narrowed my focus on the task, my only goal being to empty the bucket.
“Wow, that’s pretty amazing!” Levi beams. “Thank you all for participating. Everybody, open up your box and take all of the cards out. Hold them in your hand, face down, like me.”
On the screen of the Lane Building, Levi demonstrates, pulling the cards from his box and holding the deck neatly in his hand. His motions are exaggerated, playful, and the crowd eagerly follows along.
Nova and I circle back to the van, slipping into the shadows where the crowd can’t see us. The buckets hit the ground with a dull thud, and I exhale slowly, rolling my shoulders to shake off the tension as I pull off my mask.
“Quick work,” Nova praises, her voice muffled slightly by the mask before she pulls it off and crouches down to slip off her rollerblades. “You were right. So much faster than we would have been on foot.”
I grunt in agreement, following suit. The relief is instant as I tug off the skates, swapping them for the black sneakers I had in my bag.
“Make sure the box is empty.” Levi continues the act. “Don’t leave a single card in there. Then toss the box aside. Just keep the cards.” The audience rustles with motion, and Levi grins. “Is everybody holding the deck face down in their hand like me?”
A loud whoosh and a collective “Yes!” echoes back from the crowd.
I glance at Nova as she laces up her sneakers. The show’s back in full swing, and for the moment, we’ve done our part.
“Great! Here’s what I want you to do now,” Levi continues.
“Take a small group of cards, cut the deck, and turn it over to reveal a card. Just like this.” He flips the top pile of his deck, holding up the revealed card for all to see.
“Five of Spades. If your card is the Five of Spades and you’re matching me, the odds of that are one in fifty-two! ”
The crowd erupts into a mix of cheers and laughter as people hold up their matching cards, waving them in the air for others to see.
“We got some matches! Great!” Levi beams, pointing toward the crowd as he acknowledges the participants. “Okay, now everybody put that pile face up, just like this, on top of the face down deck in your hand.”
Sylus zooms in on the drone’s camera to Levi’s hands as he demonstrates. “Now you’ve got your card face up. Let’s say you cut ten cards. This time, I want you to cut deeper than you previously did. Then, turn to a new card.”
He flips a new pile dramatically, revealing a Queen of Hearts. “Let’s see if anyone matches me twice! If you match me this time, the odds of that are one in the thousands.”
The crowd chuckles as some people glance at their new cards. There’s a murmur, but no one raises their hand.
“No one?” Levi teases, looking around.
“What a surprise,” Koen says sarcastically, earning a wave of laughter from the crowd.
“All right,” Levi cuts in with a laugh. “Everybody, take this pile with your new card facing up and put it face down on top of the pile that’s in your other hand. Just like this. You all do that? Perfect!”
Levi’s eyes sweep over the audience as he points seemingly randomly toward Annabelle standing near the front. “The lady with the pink sweater? Yes, ma’am, could you please tell me a number between one and five?”
“Three!” she shouts back with a wide grin.
“Three? Great choice! All right, everybody, take three cards from the top of your deck. One, two, three. And put them face down on the bottom of your deck.”
The audience shifts again, laughter and murmurs rippling through them as they follow his instructions.
“Now,” Levi continues, his tone dipping conspiratorially. “Take the next card… and nobody look at it. I mean it. Take that card, and I don’t care where you hide it… your pocket, your bra, your sock, but hide it.”
Nova snickers softly beside me. “This is chaos.”
Levi keeps the energy high. “Don’t look at your neighbor, either.
Nobody should see your card. Not even you!
Everybody hide it. Keep it hidden. No peeking.
” A new wave of chuckles comes from the crowd.
“Okay, now that your card is safely hidden… let’s check back with Koen.
Maybe he’s done figuring out Ms. Harrington’s confession by now?
” Levi’s voice trails off as he gestures toward Koen, and the camera pans to his twin, who is standing in the center of the circle, holding the sealed red envelope from earlier.
I lean against the van, arms crossed, watching as Koen closes his eyes with exaggerated concentration, milking the moment.
Nova nudges me lightly with her shoulder. “I didn’t know he had such a flare for dramatics.”
I grin down at her. “He’s probably stalling so Dove doesn’t get all the attention.”
Nova laughs softly at that.
“Well, it seems this still needs a little more time,” Koen says with a casual shrug, his words drawing a ripple of laughter from the crowd, and even Veronica cracks a smile. Turning to her, he adds smoothly, “How about we move on to the next part while I think some more on this one?”
“Of course,” she replies, her polished smile radiant as the crowd erupts into cheers.
This is what Oscar would’ve wanted—a show so seamless it feels like magic, every detail pulling the crowd further under its spell. But standing here, in the shadows, I know the truth.
It’s not magic. It’s control.
And tonight, that control is ours.
“Ready for our next job?” I ask, turning to Nova.
She grins up at me, her eyes alight with the thrill of what’s to come. “Ready when you are.”
I pull her close, and our lips meet in a deep, lingering kiss that speaks of trust and the unspoken stakes between us. As I let her go, I whisper, “I dare you to be safe.”
“And I dare you not to get caught.”