In the commotion, the Horsemen failed to notice the man in the dark sunglasses slip into the booth behind them.
The man checked his watch. Nearly six, he thought. I suppose we'd better get this show on the road, then. He was relieved that he had finally located the troublesome magicians. The man was no stranger to hunting, but the Horsemen were no strangers to hiding. It had certainly been a long day.
He remembered when this all began, just hours before. He was at home with his wife, asleep, when he got the call.
"This is Agent Rhodes from the FBI. We need your help."
From there, it was all rapid-fire briefings, promises of secrecy, and more cups of coffee than he could count. His mission was to locate the international criminals – magicians, he thought to himself with a chuckle – and tail them until they settled somewhere, before reporting back to Rhodes. The man relaxed into his booth. Sure, it had been a bit of work tracking the Horsemen down, but the illusionists were exhausted. Their guards would be down, and the man would be able to return to his wife before lunch. He pulled a cheap cell phone from his pocket to text the burn number Rhodes had provided. Found them, the message read. He clicked off the phone and used the black screen to reflect the booth behind him, but was unable to make out the figures behind him. He stood up as if to get napkins, glancing at the Horsemen's booth. The man stopped dead in his tracks.
They were gone.
The man bit back a scream of frustration and instead muttered, "Fucking magicians."
Jack's heart pounded as the Horsemen rushed through the alley behind the restaurant. He slid his arm around Daniel's waist to hold him upright, practically dragging the sleepy man along behind him. Ahead, Merritt was talking in a hushed whisper.
"It's a damn good thing I was paying attention back there," he began. "You two lovebirds could have got us killed – or worse, jailed," he accused, pointing at Daniel and Jack. "And you," he said, rounding on Henley, "encouraging them! We nearly got caught!"
Henley began to respond, her face flushing a bright red, but Daniel cut her off.
"Everyone shut up. The motel is just a bit farther from here. How about we stay quiet and try to actually make it there? Who knows how much backup this guy had?" His voice carried its usual authority despite the fact that he still leaned on Jack for support.
Henley swallowed her angry response. "Yeah, Danny. We can do that."
The rest of the walk to the motel was spent in silence.
The motel was a small yet sturdy building. Time had softened its edges, and the warm glow radiating from its windows was tantalizing. The Horsemen stopped just outside the door to regroup.
"Alright," Henley began, peering through the front window. "I'll get the rooms – I'm betting the guy on duty won't say no to me. You wait here." Henley winked before ducking inside the lobby.
Merritt sighed. "Why does she get all the fun jobs? I could seduce him just fine." Jack and Daniel rolled their eyes. A minute later, Henley reappeared, her expression worried.
"Good news or bad news first?" she asked.
"Good," Daniel replied.
"Well, I was right – no questions asked. The guy even gave me his number." She held up a slip of paper before crumpling it and tossing it in a nearby trashcan.
"And the bad?" Merritt inquired.
"They only have one empty room left – two twin beds and a sofa sleeper." She paused nervously. "I said we'd take it." Merritt, Jack, and Daniel groaned.
"Really, Henley?" Merritt complained.
"Listen, I knew you'd be pissed, but we need to get somewhere safe for the night. Do you want to be wandering around in the morning rush with every paper on the streets plastered with our faces? Come on, let's go."
The Horsemen followed her inside without another word. As usual, Henley was right.
Dylan Rhodes groaned and massaged his temples. He knew sending Alexanders to tail the Horsemen was a bad idea. The man was an idiot, frankly. But at least he had a general location.
Leaning back into his seat in the cab, Dylan stared out at the New York streets rushing by. He mentally kicked himself for not leaving a line of communication between himself and the magicians. Sure, it was risky, but so was this. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was now past six. He had to find his Horsemen – and soon.
a/n: Hey Horsemen! A bit of plot for you this chapter. Things are gaining speed! And what of our lovely couple? Three beds… four people… Need I say more?
See you tomorrow!
Julia