Chapter 2:

By the time Rae was done washing, drying and putting the dishes away Nick had made his way into the shower whistling a classic tune that she snickered at. When he left the bathroom to dress in his room Rae had claimed his coffee table as her own as she set up her outlines and laptop for work. Her shirt had been swapped for a dry one, a pencil was stuck in her twisted hair bun, another tucked behind her left ear, and a third sat in her right hand as she tapped the eraser against her cheek while reading over her plot and dialog.

Before Rae knew it several hours had gone by and Nick was asleep in his room and she hadn't made a dent in her work load. Groaning she removed all the writing utensils from her being, pulled a pair of jeans on, and took the house key Nick had given her. She had decided she needed some inspiration if her writer's block was ever going to go away.

With her purse thrown over her shoulder Rae hopped into her Ford and made her way into the glitzy Vegas that people dreamed to visit. She drove along the Strip several times, but she didn't want to get lost in a casino, so she headed just off the Strip. There was a museum that her editor had suggested when she mentioned that she was heading to Las Vegas, and Rae was eager to visit.

It was a museum dedicated to the early life of Vegas, with the mobsters and show girls. Rae's editor, Ronny, thought the place would help with the criminal back story to her main character, and give her outfit design ideas for when he needed to do some spying. Rae's face lit up upon entering the building, it held the 20's feel that she loved to incorporate into her art style. She spent almost an entire hour in the first room adding notes and doodles into her travel-sized sketchbook that she always kept in her bag.

While in the second room with a large collection belonging to a mobster named, Louie, Rae sat on one of the provided benches in the center of the room with her pad in her lap. Her hand was flying about the opened page as she drew her main character, Riddle Lang, in the same white suit Louis wore along with a sharp fedora. She loved the look on her half Asian beauty, it fit his dark humor and witty personality.

Suddenly there was a tap at her shoulder sending her heart drumming against her ribs, and a friendly voice at her side.

"Riddle Lang? Are you a Lucas Ryan fan?"

Turning around Rae came face-to-face with a familiar guy. Blond hair spiked, bright flirtatious brown eyes, and a half smile that sat nicely on his handsome face. When their gazes met the guy took a step back stunned while Rae tucked her pencil behind her ear.

"Ah, Liberty right? Nick's friend," he said.

"Call me Rae, please. And you're Greg, right? From the lab," she replied.

Holding out her hand they shook, Rae offering a small smile while Greg stood awkwardly next to her. As he retrieved his hand his gaze slinked back to her sketch where they analyzed her work.

Curious to know his thoughts Rae said, "So you're familiar with Lucas Ryan's work?"

Greg's face brightened again as he spoke. "Oh yeah! I love his work with the do-good underground syndicate, and the gang leaders polluting the world. Plus his art style is original with an almost Japanese undertone. Not to mention Riddle Lang in an interesting and complex protagonist," he praised.

Rae bit her bottom lip as she listened to him, her cheeks flushed at the excitement in his tone as he went on. Rae had met several fans in secret, but none ever spoke about her work the way Greg did. They were always dissecting her work in the middle of a bookstore and questioning why the guy never had book signings.

"You're quite the fan," Rae chuckled.

Scratching the back of his neck from embarrassment Greg said, "Yeah, guess you could say that." Lowering his hand he gestured to the sketch in her lap and added, "Your skill and style is very similar to his."

There was a very small group of people that knew Lucas Ryan was her pen name, Nick being one of them. He clearly was capable of keeping her secret from a fan of Greg's level. Tilting her head she took a hard look at him before concluding, Who better to tell than a guy who works with cops.

Smirking Rae said, "It should, The Riddle's Game is my work."

Greg's face scrunched up in confusion, then twisted in denial before settling on shock all in the span of eight seconds. Rae sputtered a laugh as Greg's mouth tried to form words to the many questions dancing in his eyes. Tucking her pad under her arm Rae stood and held her hand out to him again making the meeting official.

"Hi, I'm Lucas Ryan," she said.

Greg fumbled to accept her hand, a new grin pulling at his lips as they shook. Excitement rolling off of him in waves that fueled Rae's already bright mood.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting Lucas Ryan. I mean you, I mean I can't believe Nick is friends with a popular graphic novelist," he rambled.

Retrieving her had Rae said, "Your words are flattering, but I wouldn't use popular."

"Really? Unpopular writers don't get their work published in eight languages, or have requests for more books," Greg countered.

Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear without the pencil Rae flushed while scuffing the toe of her shoe against the worn red shag carpet.

"You make it hard to be humble," she sighed awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry. I'm. . . I'm a big fan," he stammered.

"Don't get me wrong the praise fuels the ego, I'm just not use to hearing it come straight from the source. It's kind of strange," she admitted shyly.

They stood there in an awkward silence for what felt like forever before Greg ran a hand through his hair and spoke.

"Can I ask you some questions about your books?" he inquired.

"I'll answer what I can, but only if you can help me with some background images I need," she offered.

"Sure, I'd love to," Greg grinned.

As she tucked her work back into her purse Rae added, "This means I'm holding you to secrecy. If you tell the world my lawyer will eat you alive, and trust me Nick's mom isn't the sweet Southern bell her brownies make her seem to be."

Greg's eyes widened as he replied, "You have my word: mum."

Rae laughed, "You're funny."

"Thanks," he half smiled. "Um, you forgot," he began.

Lifting his hand he reached for the side of her face. The motion made Rae freeze and her heart to race nervously as she watched his hand disappear around her head and reappear. As it came back into view Greg was holding her forgotten pencil.

"Here," he said.

"Thanks. You have no idea how many pens and pencils I go through in a week because of this bad habit," Rae chuckled.

After taking the pencil Rae followed Greg through the rest of the museum answering his character questions while they stopped to ogle some of the historical exhibits. Rae was entertained by Greg's questions, they weren't like the letter or emails she received from the other fans. They were questions only a person who studied crime for a living would ask. It was like she was talking to Nick when she wanted to make sure there were no holes in her fictional science, but there always was. It was fiction for a reason.

They were stopped in front of a wall of pictures commemorating the greatest of mobsters' rides. Almost all of them had removable tops and flashy rims and girls to decorate them.

"Why write the good guys as bad guys?" Greg asked.

"Because it's always annoyed me at how black and white stories define the two sides, when in reality it's almost impossible to tell the two apart in the real world. I mean there are people who obviously work towards helping yet their work hurts more than they meant to. So the real question is are the good guys in my novels really the good guys?" she explained.

A cloudy realization crossed Greg's face. He lifted his hands, a habit he had when speaking or thinking, Rae quickly noticed. He was a hand-talker.

"Then is Riddle really a bad guy turned good or. . . Damn," he muttered.

"Did I actually make you speechless? I was starting to think that wasn't possible," Rae commented in amusement.

"Am I asking too many questions?" he nervously asked.

"No, not at all. You have me thinking about the reasons why I write TRG. I haven't done this since I started the original plot. It's a nice reminder," she said thoughtfully.

"Then I have one more question before we move on to you samples," Greg said.

Crossing her arms Rae raised her chin in a challenging stance. Her blue eyes bright with curiosity and exhilaration. It had been months since she had been so worked up over her job. One day in Las Vegas and Rae was already getting her mojo back.

"Bring it," she declared.

"What ever happened to Missy Wilde?" he inquired.

Rae's brows pinched together, the name not ringing any bells, but after some thought she recalled a minor character that only showed up in the second volume. A nerdy redhead with a science degree and a sweet tooth; Missy Wilde. Riddle had saved her from a hit on her life, and to repay him she hacked a secure government file and mixed him a lethal chemical injection that he was saving to use- Rae hadn't quite decided on who yet though.

"There's a name I haven't heard in a while. Everyone always asks Riddle and Kara are going to wind up together, or if he's gay for Hector," Rae chortled.

"Nope, Missy Wilde. Is she ever coming back, or is she just working for Ring Corp?" he questioned.

Rae eyed Greg as he eagerly awaited her reply. There were plenty of answers she could have given him, but being reminded of a very usable character got her mind working. Missy could fill the hole Rae had with Riddle receiving the info he needed to go after his next target, and she could also replace Teal who had to die. Missy had potential to neatly wrap up Rae's current open-ended plot.

"Honestly," Rae began. Meeting Greg's gaze her smile slipped away as a feeling of uncertainty took over. "I can't say. It's a good question though," she admitted.

"Should have known,"" he sighed. "She was very much a side character."

As his shoulders slumped Rae read something about Greg's reaction. It was a cute realization.

"You have a thing for the sassy redheaded type don't you, Greg?" she smirked. "Or is it the free willed scientist that you like," she teased.

"Wha-?" he flubbed for a response. His face took on a pink hue that amused Rae.

Patting his cheek Rae said, "Relax, I'm just joking. Lighten up."

Snapping out of it Greg composed himself as he said, "Redheads are nice."

Maybe if Rae didn't have auburn hair herself she wouldn't have found his statement so blunt or adorably flattering.

"Uh, how about those scenery samples?" she said stepping around him.

He was a fan, fans flirted, romances with fans never ended well, or so her Editor warned her. That was why Rae had the pseudonym, it saved her the trouble, but now she had broken her safety net.

"Right. What are you look for?" Greg nodded. He followed her out of the museum and into the afternoon Nevada heat.

"How about a burlesque shop," Rae blurted out without even thinking.

"Oh. . . Kay," Greg replied slowly.


Rae was tucking her camera back into her bad as they made their way back towards the museum where they had left their cars. She had gotten some great shots for her book, which Greg had inquired about but she couldn't say.

Tucking a stray hair behind her ear Rae said, "Sorry again. I should have phrased that differently. I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"I wasn't startled, just impressed at your work ethic," Greg said.

"Right," she giggled.

"No really. How many writers go out to Vegas just to take in the architecture instead of the gambling and shows," he challenged.

"With the growing internet, I guess not many," she admitted.

They shuffled along down a side street not far from the museum parking lot, soon they would part ways. And Rae was having a good time, it had been a while.

"So how long are you in town for?" Greg asked.

"Not entirely sure. I'll probably stay until I finish my draft, could be a week or it could be a month," she answered.

"Well if you need another tour I'd be happy to be your guide," he grinned.

They had just reached Rae's tiny Ford Focus, and she had energetic butterflies in her stomach. How long had it been since she had flirted with a guy? Several years, back before work took over all her time.

"For that to happen I'd need your number," she said with a soft blushing smile.

"I can help with that," he said.

After they exchanged cell phone numbers they shared an awkward farewell and went their separate ways. Rae was about five minutes away from Nick's place when her phone rang.

"Hello," she answered it.

"Where's ya go?" Nick asked. He sounded groggy lie he had just woken up.

"Did some sightseeing. I'm on my way back now," she answered.

"How far?"

"Just passed Lilac Lane."

"Good, take Wesley and I'll meet you at the diner on the corner," Nick said.

Rolling her eyes Rae put on her directional so she could get in the turning lane. "You're lucky I'm starving. Some of us have work to do," she teased.

"I'll see you in five, Liberty," he joked back.

"See ya Nicky," she laughed.

Hanging up she took the turn down Wesley and tossed her phone in the passenger seat. A nice greasy burger sounded fantastic at the moment, with a nice tall chocolate milkshake. Her stay in Las Vegas was already turning her dull day-to-day into something much more interesting.

Getting out of the car Rae made her way into the retro diner the smell of coffee and fries a pleasantly familiar scent. As she made her way to a booth across the diner she bumped into a guy on his way out. He dropped his wallet and a bronze old fashion pocket watch at Rae's feet.

Kneeling down quickly she picked up the man's belongings and handed them over to him. "I am so sorry. I hope that beautiful watch isn't broken," she said.

"It's fine. It's stronger than it looks," the man said politely.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said standing.

"Have a good day Miss," he nodded.

"You too."

The man left and Rae took her seat . The waitress was quick to serve her and Rae ordered for her and Nick. When he finally arrived he was clearly dressed to head straight to work afterward.

"I ordered for you," she told him.

"Good or prank?" he questioned hesitantly.

"I resent that. I'm not the one that messes with food," Rae retorted.

"You put one habanero in a jelly donut and you never hear the end of it," Nick snickered.

Rae scoffed as she leaned against the table. "I totally forgot about that. I was referring to the cow tongue sandwich," she grumbled.

Nick's snicker grew to a full gut shaking laugh while Rae leered at him. "That was you idea too," he said between chuckles.

"Yeah and we were suppose to pull it on your older sisters not me," Rae pouted.

"I won either way," Nick proudly said.

Rae kicked at him under the table and Nick grunted. A pleased smile curled her lips as she scrunched her nose at him.

"Now I won," she hummed.

"not cute," Nick muttered. A faint smirk on his own face.

"Never try to be," she said.

"And here are your two chocolate shakes," the waitress announced on her arrival. She sat one down in front of either of them, and the straws in the middle of the table.

"Thanks," Rae said.

"Your food will be out shortly. Let me know if you need anything else," she said before leaving.

"Chocolate shakes and double cheeseburgers with home fries?" Nick inquired.

"Of course," she grinned.

"I knew there was reason we were friends," he smiled back.


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