Looting the 13th Floor 2, page 27
part #2 of Looting the 13th Floor Series
That thought sent warmth through my whole body as I fell into a deep sleep.
Waking up between the two women gave me a rush of adrenaline to kick off the day, too. Kali mumbled as she buried her head against my chest, and Cleo stirred as I opened my eyes.
“Morning,” I mumbled as I slowly sat up.
“Mmm,” Kali muttered as she rubbed her eyes. “This bed is too comfy to leave.”
“I agree,” I said as I stroked her pink curls. “But it’s looting day!”
“Oh, yes,” the nymph yawned. “That is exciting enough to get up for!”
“Diamonds,” Cleo purred as she climbed to her feet. “I cannot wait to slice some leviathan throats with my blade.”
I hit my cell phone just as the alarm started to ring out, and we got up and ready for the day. The sun blazed in through windows near the kitchen as I walked into the living room and grabbed a smoothie from the haul we had purchased from Whole Foods.
Nothing could bring me down while waking up in the penthouse. It made me feel like a fucking king.
The girls put on their workout gear for as much flexibility as possible, and I made sure our rucksacks were emptied out. Then Cleo did distracting lunges to warm up for the day while I packed some of our snack food to have at lunch.
There was a slightly tense atmosphere in the apartment as we all prepared for the heist, and I knew we were all aware of how difficult this was going to be. Guards, leviathans, werewolves, and trophy hunters were waiting for us beyond the portal. This shit was going to push us to our limits, but our determination outweighed the nerves.
We headed down to the lobby and were greeted by the original brunette receptionist. Harry was back at the door, and he nodded cheerily as he opened the entrance for us. It was a longer journey to work than it had been from my old place, so we walked down the street a little as I ordered a cab. I couldn’t wait until I got my own car and didn’t have to rely on Uber anymore.
“That bed is even more comfy than the old one,” Cleo said as she stretched her arms. “I feel so rested and powerful!”
“Good,” I chuckled as our ride pulled up. “I need my ladies to be at their most powerful for this trip.”
“We’re ready,” Kali said as we got inside. “The big house gives us extra strength!”
The car took us to the office building just as the morning rush was starting. We hurried in through the revolving door, and Stan was on his own at the security desk. He gave me a friendly wave as we joined the sea of people making their way through the turnstiles and over to the elevator.
Several guys couldn’t seem to drag their gaze away from the Hollowfell women as we squeezed in through the silver doors. I smirked as Kali twirled a curl obliviously, and I remembered how she had fallen asleep in my arms. Her skin was so soft to the touch, and she fit perfectly at my side. It just made sense for her to join the intimacy of the relationship I shared with Cleo.
The elevator emptied out until we were the only ones left inside, and I almost jumped out of my skin as the doors slid open to reveal Roberts on the other side. He had a sickening grin plastered on his face as he held out two iced coffees.
“Good morning,” he said as we stepped into the hallway. “Ladies, I took the liberty of getting you coffee.”
He handed the girls the cups, and they took them suspiciously.
“No coffee for Liam?” Cleo asked as she tilted her head.
“He can get his own,” Roberts chuckled. “You are my cherished guests, so you get the special treatment!”
We stood awkwardly in the corridor as Roberts stared at the girls like I wasn’t even there. I cleared my throat as I gently pulled Kali’s arm.
“We better head in,” I said. “You can drink those while we go through our work for the day.”
“Yes,” Cleo said as she eyed her cup. “We will do that.”
Roberts followed right behind us like a fucking stalker as we headed into the office.
“Enjoy the day,” he said brightly as I walked over to clock in. “Ladies, do let me know if there’s anything you want to talk to me about.”
He gave them a cringey bow before he strode into his office, and we walked over to my desk as the office began to fill up.
“Why is he being strange?” Cleo hissed as I wheeled over two spare chairs. “Is it because of the talk he had with you?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “He’s probably waiting on that letter, but I think we can just say you got too embarrassed and threw it away.”
“Yes,” Kali said. “I’m not sure I could bring myself to say nice things to him.”
“I agree,” Cleo said as she tapped her cup. “He is not a man to be trusted. Is this drink poisonous?”
“No,” I said. “Well, I doubt it anyway. He’s just being a creep.”
“Eww,” Kali groaned as she took a sip. “It might as well be poison with how icky this tastes!”
Cleo took a careful drink of her cup and wrinkled her nose in agreement.
“This is bitter,” the cat-girl said. “Liam, why does this taste so bad?”
“He probably didn’t sweeten it,” I said. “Just put it on the desk and try to avoid eye contact with the creep himself. I can get you drinks you actually like at lunch.”
The girls giggled as they shimmied their seats closer to me, and I fired up my computer for the day. It was easy to waste time with my gorgeous women at my side, and we browsed an endless amount of websites showcasing luxury cars and vacations. Kali decided we should visit Bora Bora, and Cleo was enchanted with the idea of a theme park.
It was a fun afternoon as we dreamed of how to enjoy my riches, and Roberts only slunk by once to try and force conversation. I ended up having to get up and do a total of fifty-three minutes of actual IT work, but the women pretended to pay dubious attention to every detail while I helped my co-workers with mundane tasks.
Then the clock finally struck five as my colleagues packed up and started to clock out. I stretched out my legs and made sure Roberts was busy inside his office. The last thing we needed was an invitation to dinner to try and get out of, and I had a feeling he was amping up to invite the girls out.
“Let’s get going,” I said under my breath as I got to my feet. “Those mines are waiting for us!”
The girls couldn’t stop grinning as I clocked out, and we hurried out into the corridor. We made sure nobody was looking as we headed to the stairwell and raced up to the twelfth floor. I knew there would still be people milling about as the day wrapped up, but I hoped most of them would be heading home as soon as possible.
Cleo pushed the door open to reveal that the heart-shaped desk was empty, and it looked like Katy had finished her shift. The hallway was pretty quiet as we turned the corner, and I was relieved to see a crowd step into the elevator as we passed. I spotted the gray-suited law firm boss amongst the group as the doors closed, along with Stacey and Katy.
The remaining people in the corridor hurried past without giving us a second glance as they closed up briefcases and buttoned their jackets. We kept our heads down as we walked to the hidden doorway, and I looked over my shoulder once we came to a halt. There was only one guy in the hall, but he had his back to us as he leaned against the wall and spoke on his cell phone.
“Go,” I whispered, and Cleo vanished through the door silently.
Kali followed right after, and I made sure the man was still facing away before I jumped after them.
“It’s time!” Cleo purred. “We get to go and steal blue diamonds!”
We raced up the stairs and into the hidden corridor as the glow of Hollowfell pulsed invitingly ahead of us. Every step we took down the hall made my heart beat faster as I hyped myself up for the trip.
I made sure we were fully stocked with ammo as we picked up our guns, and we each checked the sharpness of our blades. The empty rucksacks were ready to be filled with loot, our cloaks had dried up, and I hurriedly picked the lock until I felt the familiar clicks of freedom. Kali slipped the smoke bomb potions into her bag after she studied the labels carefully.
“Ready?” I grinned as I put down the lock picking kit.
“Outlaws ready to go,” Cleo purred.
“Bring it on!” Kali cheered with surprising gusto as she punched the air.
“Awesome,” I snorted. “My outlaw queens are ready. Let’s go and fuck up some leviathans.”
There was a huge gust of wind as I opened the portal to the other world, and screams filled the swirling sky. Torn wanted posters blew in every direction as I caught glimpses of our illustrated faces.
It was absolute fucking chaos as usual, and I breathed it all in as I stepped onto the bumpy terrain.
We were about to begin our biggest looting session yet, and it would be worth it for the eye-watering reward.
Those blue diamonds were going to bring us even more riches and glory back on Earth. I was ready to storm the mines.
Chapter 17
There was suddenly a gust of wind so strong that Kali went flying into my side.
“Whoa!” I said as I steadied her by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” the nymph grunted as she scowled at the sky. “The weather is horrible!”
“It is always horrible,” Cleo said sourly. “But this looks like a very bad storm is coming.”
“Perfect,” I sighed. “But hey, maybe it will help us. Wind and rain will make it harder to track us.”
There was a flash of green lightning that created a spiderweb over the whole sky as booming thunder rumbled. More wind picked up around us while droplets of rain bounced off the dark leaves. It was like no storm I had ever seen before, and the air had a burning smell that carried on the wind. The usual screams and howls that filled Hollowfell seemed more amplified than usual as they cracked through the rolling thunder.
“Let’s get Hobble!” I yelled over the thunder. “Kali, should you do it?”
“Of course,” the nymph said as she cleared her throat. “I am his master after all! I think.”
“Okay,” I said as I pulled my cloak tighter around me. “Let’s get going.”
“Hobble!” Kali cried as she threw her head back. “Hobble! This is Kali, your master! We need your help! Please come back to your master!”
She looked around as the trees danced in the wind, and some more shredded posters with Cleo’s face on them flew by. We waited a few minutes, but there was no sign of the huge creature. I was worried he had been stolen by someone else who wanted a heavy lifter, but at least we knew he wouldn’t have been taken by someone for the sake of eating him.
He’d worked so well for us last time we were here, so I’d hate to think of him meeting a deep fried or barbecued end.
Kali called out again as loud as she could as the rain picked up above us, and we waited another minute. Hobble being taken would seriously fuck up the amount of diamonds we could take, and I knew Kali would be devastated. Her pretty face crumpled with worry as she tried calling out again with no success.
“Let’s just start moving,” I said as I looked around. “Maybe he can’t hear you over the wind. He probably just wandered a little too far.”
“Yes,” Cleo agreed. “It is very hard to hear anything other than the wind and screams.”
“I suppose,” Kali sighed. “But what if he’s just run away? Maybe he hated me.”
“That’s impossible,” I assured her. “I bet he loves you, maybe he’s just not as smart as we hoped. Come on, we’ll find him later.”
I didn’t fully believe my own words, but Kali’s trembling bottom lip was breaking my heart.
We started to make our way down the hill as another eruption of lightning crackled overhead. The ground was muddier than usual from the rain, and I had to steady myself a few times as we hurried away from the portal.
Then I heard a noise that sounded like tiny claps of thunder ringing out again and again. It sounded too close to be coming from the sky, and I spun around as I grabbed my rifle.
A wave of relief washed over me when I saw Hobble’s bulky frame pounding through the trees toward us. His feet hammered against the ground with alarming speed as his pig-like nostrils flared.
“Hobble!” Kali cried as the ugly creature skidded to a halt beside us. “Oh, you came! You really do love us!”
The creature licked her face with an enthusiastic grunt as he stomped his feet. Kali threw her arms around the animal’s neck as he honked gently, and he nudged her to get onto his back. Cleo pulled his saddle and bags from her pack, and Kali helped slip the leather back onto the creature.
“Well, he’s a pretty loyal guy after all,” I said with a grin. “Good to see you, buddy.”
“Yes, you are not fun to look at, but I am pleased to see you all the same,” Cleo added.
Then Hobble bent his knees so we could all scramble on, and I sat behind Cleo as Kali clung on at the front. The creature started to run again as Cleo yelped in surprise, and a cold wind stung my face as I pulled my cloak hood down further.
“Take us to the mines!” Kali called as she gripped the animal’s curly fur. “Thank you so much!”
Hobble’s feet were much sturdier than ours on the wet ground, and his saddlebags stayed in place between our legs.
Some blue bolts of lightning mixed in with the green as we were carried down the hillside. It was hypnotizing to watch the crackle of colors over the darkness, and it made the world seem even creepier than normal. The light was dimming as evening set in, and it was difficult to see anything further than a few feet away. Shadows had a strange glow as the lightning raged on, and I squinted to try and work out where the hell we were.
“Are we going the same route as before?” I asked. “I don’t recognize anything.”
“He is leading us down a different path,” Cleo said as she frowned up at the sky. “But this will take us around so we do not go near the market. We will end up on the opposite side of the mines to where we were before.”
“Smart,” I said. “We are definitely not welcome back at that market right now. Hobble’s pretty clever.”
Hobble honked in response, and I gave his side a sturdy pat. Then I clung onto Cleo’s waist as we traveled under the worsening storm, and it was hard to keep an eye out for danger when everything was so dark.
There seemed to be even more wanted posters pinned to the trees around us, but they had all been ruined in the rain. Black ink was smeared all over the parchment so that our faces were distorted and alien.
“We will have to be sneakier than ever,” Cleo said. “Getting inside the mines will be so hard, even for someone as silent as me.”
“Seeing the other side of the perimeter will help,” I said. “We’ll get a better idea of how many guards are around, and we can work out the best option for breaking in and out. It might make it easier to slip in unnoticed if there’s a storm going on. People will have their heads down and won’t be able to hear as much.”
Cleo’s ears twitched as she peered over Kali’s shoulder into the darkness. The cat-girl’s body tightened as she looked from side to side, and I could tell she had heard something nearby.
“What is it?” I asked quietly.
“I am not sure,” she said. “It seems like there is a river close by, but it sounds much louder than it should. The noise is like an ocean.”
Hobble slowed down after a moment, and the sound Cleo had heard made sense. There was a small slope that led into a valley which would have only taken a few minutes to cross, but it had been completely flooded. Dark water swirled around between the trees, and it looked like it was way too deep for Hobble to wade across. The river sat just beyond the valley with water pouring out over the banks, and several fallen trees littered the flooded ground.
The storm had caused chaos to this part of the forest, and the river water had merged almost entirely with the murky ground.
“We’ll need to find another way around,” I sighed. “Come on, Hobble. Let’s keep going.”
The creature trotted around the edge of the water, but the flood seemed to only get worse as we traveled. Then we found a huge fallen tree that reached from one end of the valley to the other, and it was thick enough for all of us to walk over. It stretched from our side of the valley right across to the far bank of the flooded river.
“Maybe we could use this.” Kali pointed to the felled tree. “I think Hobble could cross that easily enough.”
“It looks slippery,” I said. “We would need to be really careful.”
“I can fly above you all,” Kali said. “Then I can steady anyone who stumbles!”
“That could work,” I agreed. “I think it might have to. This storm is just getting worse, and I don’t want to spend all night trying to find a place to cross.”
I slid off Hobble’s back as I stepped forward to examine the tree. Its twisted roots were still half in the ground, which anchored it into a solid crossing. The thickness of the trunk would keep it still, but it was soaked from rainwater.
“Should you stay on Hobble?” Kali asked. “He has very good footing in the rain.”
“Maybe,” I said as I studied the wood. “But then if he falls, we’re all fucked. I don’t want our guns to get wet.”
“My balance is excellent,” Cleo purred as she jumped to the ground. “I think I can walk over.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s all walk separately. I’m not as slick on my feet as you are, but I reckon I can do this.”
“I’ll be right here,” Kali said as she hovered off the ground. “I’m ready to steady you both.”
She fluttered over the water as Hobble stepped up to the tree.
“Gently,” the nymph said in a cooing tone. “Take your time, Hobble.”
The creature grunted as he hauled himself up onto the thick trunk and began to trot down the length without issue. He was very graceful for such a wide beast, and I waited to make sure his large frame didn’t sink the tree or damage it too much. But the bark held up fine under the heavy footsteps of our new steed.
