Series Summary: Five magicians are brought together for a once in a lifetime opportunity: to become a part of a magical secret society called The Eye. But what happens when two of them are exes who never expected to see each other again? Having to work together towards a common goal, will they be able to put aside their issues in order to achieve what few magicians have done before them?
Summary: After exposing Veronika for the criminal she is, The Horsemen are in for an unexpected surprise…
Warnings: first person POV
Word Count: 2.3 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
As soon as the six of us get outside, we practically run in the direction of the Louvre. Everyone we pass gives us weird looks, but then I would too if I saw a group of people with water dripping from their clothes making a break for it. I doubt them knowing that we were put in a glass box by a crazy bitch who tried to kill us would make them look at us any differently.
“I swear the distance between here and the museum was shorter than this. Why does it feel longer?” Lula voices.
“Well, our clothes weren’t waterlogged and slowing us down the last time,” I reply.
“True.”
“Look! There it is guys, we’re almost there,” Jack loudly declares.
Merritt huffs before saying, “Thank god! If I have to run any longer, my legs will fall off.”
The closer we get, the more excited I feel. If everything’s gone to plan (which I’m sure it has), the big reveal should be happening now and Veronika will be getting publicly humiliated in front of the crowd gathered there and the whole world.
Once we get back to the Louvre, we follow the sound of the crowd until we arrive at our intended destination. Charlie is standing front and centre with June and Bosco while Veronika is being restrained by two men.
“And of course, we couldn’t have done any of this in the first place without the help of the world’s greatest magicians - The Horsemen!” Charlie announces while gesturing to us.
Talk about perfect timing. It’s a good thing that we appeared when we did otherwise that would’ve been quite awkward.
We all walk towards the trio to cheering and applause and as we stand off to the side next to them Merritt remarks, “Thank you everyone! Wow. You know, we have entertained - well, dazzled - audiences all over the world, but we have never been part of a trick like this.”
“You may be asking yourself ‘how did they pull this off?’” Jack adds.
Charlie then goes on to say, “Well, every magician needs an assistant. Veronika?”
The woman in question is brought in front of us and is forced down onto her knees, all to a chorus of jeers and boos. God, seeing her like this is even more satisfying than I pictured in my head.
After the noise settles down, fanboy continues to speak. “You may think Veronika here as Peter Vanderberg’s sole heir and the rightful owner of this diamond, but here’s the twist: Peter didn’t have one child, he had two.”
“That’s right, and that other child cheated death,” June states.
“And landed in New York City, where vengeance became his life’s work,” Bosco continues.
“But he would need help.”
“So he recruited, enticed and lured some of the most brilliant minds he could assemble, laying the groundwork for a trick unlike any other.”
“Which brings us to tonight.”
“Make some noise for the mastermind behind all of this.”
“Our best friend.”
“A ghost until this very moment.”
“Charlie Vanderberg!” They both say in unison.
While our audience clap for him, Merritt says something to Vanderberg that she clearly doesn’t like. She then turns her ire onto Charlie who says, “Hold on everyone. Veronika doesn’t seem to understand how she found herself in this position. Well, let’s explain it to her. You see, the finest magic preys on assumptions. That the car waiting for you was the same one that dropped you off…”
“That an act of mother nature is nothing but…” Bosco adds.
“That a vault in the desert isn’t just smoke and mirrors…” June explains.
“That a gun isn’t filled with blanks…”
“Or that an elevator is just simply descending into earth.”
“If you wanna trick the master of deception, you have to manipulate her reality. For our last trick, why don’t we make Veronika disappear?” Charlie comments, before gesturing to the men standing behind us to come and take her away.
As they do she screams, “You don’t win. I’m the Vanderberg family! The Vanderbergs do not lose!”
“There she is ladies and gentlemen - the real Veronika Vanderberg.”
Just before she goes out of sight, I look at her and blow her a kiss before waving goodbye.
“The world is full of illusions. One of the biggest is that this diamond belongs to the Vanderbergs at all. As my father’s only unincarcerated next of kin, I’ll make sure every one of our illicit buyers faces legal repercussions. Then I’ll give all our assets - including the Heart - to the South African communities they came from, with a few extra dollars for all of you. Horsemen crowds always leave with deeper pockets!”
“He’s good,” Jack whispers to me.
“Yeah. He is,” I reply.
I can’t help but feel proud of Charlie and what he’s achieved. It takes me back to our initiation into The Eye all those years ago, when a certain FBI agent had us do a couple of shows that helped him achieve the retribution he’d been waiting years for, much like fanboy has done here. Not only that, but he’s half the age Dylan was when all of that came to pass, which is pretty impressive.
“Thank you for joining us, all of us. Please remember: no matter what cards life deals you, you have to learn to make your own magic. We are The Horsemen. Good night!”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
After heading back to New York, we all end up at Charlie, June and Bosco’s place.
“I still can’t believe you guys were trapped in a box,” June says.
To that I tell her, “I swear to god, it was like one of those spy movies where the villain tries to kill the hero so that no one can stop them from carrying out their evil plan. Instead of being dangled over a tank of killer sharks, we were almost suffocated to death by sand. Which is way less cool.”
“Jack broke a pipe with a belt and you and Henley used your wedding rings to crack the glass. That’s pretty cool,” Lula remarks.
Merritt contributes to the conversation by commenting, “When you and Atlas first got married, I thought you were crazy for wanting to be shackled to an uptight control freak forever. But who’d have thought being his wife would save our lives almost ten years later? Congratulations on that by the way.”
“How can you say something that is both insulting and complimentary at the same time?” Danny asks.
“The same way you can be obnoxious about pretty much anything.”
“Is it bad if I told you that I missed this?” Henley mutters.
“Merritt and Danny bickering? Nope. I have too in a weird way. Reminds me of the old days.”
“We had a lot of good times didn’t we?”
“We did. Pity Dylan isn’t here with us though. He would’ve really liked the newbies,” I respond while looking over at the three young magicians.
Henley’s expression softens. “It is, but I’m sure he’ll be pleased with what we’ve done. Not only are The Horsemen back together, but we’ve made sure that one more corrupt person has been held accountable for their crimes.”
“Yeah, true.”
June soon approaches us. “Hi guys, me and Lula are thinking of playing some poker. Wanna join?”
Henley is quick to agree. “Sure.”
“Sorry, but I think I’ll pass. It’s something I actively avoid because my poker face is non-existent. It doesn’t help that Danny beats me every time we play either, so it has lost its novelty. You guys have fun though,” I answer before making my way over to Charlie.
“Hey fanboy. Actually, I should call you magical mastermind now after everything that’s happened. Or Richie Rich since you’re a Vanderberg.”
He laughs before commenting, “Nah, fanboy’s fine. It’s grown on me and I kinda like it.”
There’s a comfortable silence between us before I break it by telling him, “I want to thank you.”
“What for?” He asks.
“Reuniting The Horsemen. Ever since we split up all those years ago, I’d slowly started to lose hope that we would ever get back together, then a tarot card mysteriously arrived at Danny and I’s apartment that started a chain of events that led to us right back to our friends. I know all of us will probably go our separate ways again, but at least we’re no longer estranged and in a better place with each other now, and that’s down to you Charlie.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well I do. We helped you, but you also helped us and that’s worth more than every single diamond on earth to me, heart shaped or not.”
“Hey Y/N! Can you come over here? We need your help with something,” Lula calls out to me.
“Sure.”
After making my way over to her, June and Henley I say, “What’s up?”
“June thinks we should start a girls magic group,” she explains.
“Ooh, I like that. Inject a little girl power into the magic circuit,” I remark.
“Exactly! Only problem is, we can’t think of a name and since you’re so good at giving things nicknames, we thought you could help us out.”
“Have you got any so far?”
“Horse Girls, Horsewomen and Ladies of the Horse,” Henley states.
“Oh. Umm… they’re very-“
Before I have a chance to finish my sentence, Jack walks over and gently touches Lula on her shoulder. “Can I talk to you?”
As she gets up and follows him, June, Henley and I let out a chorus of ‘ooohs.’
“They were so good together. I hope they can work things out,” I tell the both of them.
“Going by the looks I’ve seen them give each other when they think no one’s looking, I’m sure they will,” Henley comments.
“Hey, everybody! Come on over here please. Come on guys,” Merritt shouts from his position at the breakfast bar.
Once we join him he asks, “Can you grab more of those delicious things Bosco?” clearly referring to the fruit flavoured drink in his hand. “You are going to love this stuff. It is slap.”
“No, Merritt please stop,” June pleads.
“The saying is it slaps old man,” I explain with a smile.
He shrugs before responding, “Same thing.”
“It really isn’t.”
“What I meant to say is that it’s good.”
“Then tell us that instead of giving us all second hand embarrassment McKinney.”
“I’m just going to come out and say it, but I’m really going to miss you guys,” Danny states.
I place my hand on top of his before expressing the same sentiment. “Same here. Everything’s happened so fast. I wish we could have more time together.”
“So do I. It’s been great seeing you and being a Horseman again,” Jack adds.
“Damn it, I love you guys,” Merritt blurts out.
“Don’t. I’m getting emotional,” Henley says.
“Whoa!” Danny suddenly exclaims.
Turning around to find out what warranted that reaction, I’m met with the sight of Lula and Jack kissing. While everyone else expresses their shock I smirk and remark, “Finally! It’s about damn time!”
A buzzing noise suddenly echoes throughout the apartment, drawing our attention to the lift. “Are you expecting someone?” Jack asks.
“No one is supposed to know where we are,” Charlie responds.
He then walks to the lift, retrieves a large black bag from it and places it on the nearby table. After we all congregate around it my husband voices what we’re all probably thinking. “Who’s it from?”
“Doesn’t say.”
“Open it then,” June tells him.
“You open it,” he counters.
Instead of responding, she walks up to it, takes a penknife out of her pocket and cuts through the ribbon holding it together. The black material unfolds to reveal a small object that looks familiar.
“Wait. That’s the thing from the door at the chateau,” Bosco voices.
Jack aims his next words at June. “Do you mind if I take another crack at it?”
With an amused look on her face, she gestures to the object. “Yeah, go for it.”
Once she moves to the side, he repeats the steps she took to open the door in Paris. As soon as he’s finished, a projection appears of someone I and the others never thought we’d see again.
“Hello Horsemen. Did you miss me?”
I can’t believe what I’m seeing and I can only utter one word due to how shocked I am. “Dylan?”
“I know what you’re thinking - he lied to us! But I didn’t lie to you, I just led you to believe something that wasn’t true. It was for your own good, trust me. There’s more to this mystery than you realise and the end result is that The Horsemen are back together again, which warms my heart,” he explains.
Dylan addresses the young magicians next. “Now for you three imposters brazenly pretending like you’re part of our top secret organisation? You think you’re going to get away with it with no consequences or repercussions?”
The trio look like three school kids preparing themselves for a punishment of some sorts, but it seems like they have nothing to worry about as he adds, “Well, you thought right. Welcome to The Eye.”
“Congratulations guys. You’ve earned it,” I say.
“As for the rest of you. You thought your work was done? Think again team. You’re just getting started.”
There are questions going through my head. What really happened in Russia all those years ago? Why did Dylan make us believe that he was in jail for this long? I’m sure we’ll get our answers all in good time, but there’s only one question that matters right now.
“What’s the trick?” Danny and Charlie ask in unison.
It seems like Veronika and the Heart Diamond were just the beginning. Just when we thought that we were done, we’re being given another opportunity to use our skills to make the world a better place.
Turns out that we’re not splitting up again after all - The Horsemen are back in the game.
Summary: Exchanging the diamond for Merritt was supposed to be simple, but Veronika has other ideas…
Warnings: some swearing, first person POV
Word Count: 3.4 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
While we’re on the plane flying to Abu Dhabi, we all throw around some ideas until we come up with our plan: while the original Horsemen go to meet Veronika and exchange the Heart Diamond for Merritt, the three musketeers will lay the groundwork for what is doubling as an exposé and our comeback.
The nine of us are congregated around the table at the centre of the aircraft going over logistics. “I promise that this is gonna work,” Jack says.
“But is that enough misdirection?” Henley asks from beside him.
He gestures to the map while answering. “As long as she’s here and not there.”
“We can take care of that,” Bosco confidently assures.
Lula looks at him and comments, “If you’re even just five minutes late-“
“Five? I’d say one,” Jack interjects.
“How do we even know enough people are going to show up?” Henley muses.
June shows us a TikTok post on her phone. “You guys, it’s already viral. I guarantee there will be a crowd.”
“Wow. That is equal parts amazing and daunting. We’ve got to make sure that we pull this off, especially since this is our first show in almost a decade. People are clearly expecting a spectacle,” I remark.
“This is nuts. There are too many variables,” my pessimistic husband says.
Bosco attempts to reassure him. “Hey, we’ll be in constant contact with you. If something goes awry-“
“There is no margin for error here, okay? Zero. We’re going to have to be absolutely flawless if we’re gonna pull something this risky off with this many moving parts in this ridiculously short amount of time.”
“Well speaking for myself at least, I think the eight of us have a better chance than most.”
Sarcasm practically drips from Danny’s voice as he says, “Would you look at this. When did the great Bosco Laroy go soft?”
Before he can reply June asks, “Okay guys. Are we doing this or what?”
“It has a ten million to one shot.”
“Those are my kind of odds,” Charlie comments.
“I like this kid,” Lula whispers to me.
“I do too,” I whisper back before declaring, “Alright. Time for a break.”
“Wait, what? Y/N, we need to double, triple and quadruple check that everything’s going to work,” Danny argues.
“Which we will eventually do control freak, but we’ve been brainstorming for hours and my head hurts. I need a time out from all of this.”
I can see the internal battle he’s having with himself before he lets out a sigh. “Fine, but not too long.”
“Don’t worry Danny - we’ve got this. Our plan is solid and Veronika won’t know what hit her.”
As I grab a bottle of water from the bar, Lula comes up beside me. “Hey Y/N. You got a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
In a low voice she replies, “Nothing really. Jack tried to talk to me but I panicked and came over here to avoid him.”
“Lules-“
“I know, I know. I get that I need to have a conversation with him, just not right now. You owe me a full explanation of how this whole Heart Diamond thing came about anyway. I only know what happened at the Chateau and I’ve got some catching up to do before we get to Abu Dhabi.”
“Alright. Let’s sit down.”
After making ourselves comfortable on the sofa opposite the bar, I give her the entire rundown of what happened: Danny and I getting the tarot card, meeting and recruiting the three newbies, carrying out the diamond heist and reuniting with the others.
Once I’m finished Lula says, “Whoah. That is… a lot.”
“Yep. It’s been a pretty busy and eventful couple of weeks, but it has felt good doing something like this again. I didn’t realise how much I missed it until I was back in the thick of it all. Speaking of missing things…” My eyes flit to Jack before giving her a knowing look.
“Nope. No. We are not going there Y/N,” she tells me.
“You might not want to, but I will. You can’t ignore him forever Lules. You’ve got to at least clear the air with him and get rid of any awkwardness between you.”
“Easy for you to say. I bet you’ve not been in a situation where you haven’t seen your ex for years only to unexpectedly meet them again.”
“Actually, I have.”
Lula looks surprised at my answer. “Wait. What? With who?”
“A certain control freak magician who happens to be sitting a few feet away from us.”
“You and Atlas?”
“Yes. Almost two years after we broke up, I got a tarot card that led me to the greatest adventure of my life as well as a reunion with my ex. I’m not gonna lie, those first few months were a wild and turbulent ride, but we eventually sorted our issues out and got to a better place for it. Something you need to do with Jack.”
After taking what I said in she confesses, “I want to, but I’m just so nervous. What if he wants us to get back together and then after we do, we break up again? It was bad enough the last time - I mean, I moved to a different country! I don’t know if I could go through that again.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself Lula. Let’s just start with clearing the air with him okay? Besides, giving someone a second chance isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it can lead to something even better than it was before,” I tell her before looking at my husband with a soft smile.
“You really love him don’t you?” She asks.
“Yeah. I do.”
“Alright guys, break’s over. Let’s get back to work,” Danny announces.
Lula rolls her eyes. “Even when he goes into control freak mode?”
After letting out a laugh I reply, “Even then.”
******
We all watch as a crowd forms outside of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, with images of the five of us being projected onto the walls of the building to build anticipation for our big comeback.
“You think that got her attention?” Lula comments, referring to Veronika.
“If that didn’t, I don’t know what will,” Jack responds.
Danny turns to our three mini-Horsemen. “Alright, now that you know how bad things can actually get, can you please try playing it safe this one time?”
“No,” Bosco states.
“All we need to do now is wait for Vanderberg to call and then operation riches to rags is a go,” I tell the group.
I see the confusion on Charlie’s face. “Operation what-?”
“Giving our shows code names is kinda Y/N’s thing,” Jack explains.
“Thank you street rat. It makes everything more fun, you know?”
“How’d you come up with that one?” Henley asks.
“So, the story of Cinderella is rags to riches right? Poor servant girl one day, princess by the next? Well, we’re going to take everything from a very wealthy diamond heiress - her money, her business, even her legacy - meaning that Veronika will have nothing left by the time we’re done with her and her riches will turn into rags.”
“Ooh, I like that. Very cool,” Lula says.
Right on cue, Danny’s phone starts to ring. “Speak of the devil. Here she is, right on time.”
After he answers the call he remarks, “You enjoying the show?”
It’s silent for a while until he hangs up and turns to us. “She wants us to go to her launch party and exchange the diamond for Merritt there. She also said that if we try anything magic related at all, he’s dead.”
“She thinks we’d risk our friend’s life like that? Honestly, that’s pretty insulting,” Henley comments.
“I mean, we are going to go all abracadabra on her ass, just not until McKinney’s back with us,” I add.
Jack addresses the three young adults. “You guys know what you have to do?”
Bosco rolls his eyes before responding. “We’ve went over the plan a million times. Of course we know.”
“What he said. We’ve got this,” June assures us.
“Well, no time like the present. The sooner we do the trade, the sooner we can do our show,” Danny tells us.
As I start to follow the four of them, I make a last minute decision and go back towards Bosco, Charlie and June. “Hey guys.”
“Shouldn’t you be going with the others to get Merritt?” Charlie asks.
“I will, but I have an idea I wanna run by you.”
“What is it?”
“Remember when Danny was talking about a distraction on the plane? Well, the whole point of Veronika’s event is to introduce a new race car. It would be a shame if it was just sitting on display the whole time. Maybe it’s worth giving it a test drive Laroy?” I suggest with a smirk.
“I like the way you think,” Bosco comments.
“I have my moments.”
“Y/N, you coming?” Lula shouts.
“Give me a sec!” I yell back.
I return my attention to the young magicians one final time. “Listen, you guys take care of yourselves okay? See you on the other side.”
With that, I jog back and join my fellow Horsemen. “What was that all about?” Danny questions.
“Just wishing them good luck. Now, let’s go get our friend back.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
A short while later, the five of us approach the location where the Vanderberg race car launch is happening. A man greets our group near the entrance. “Welcome to the W Yas Island.”
“The Orlando of the Middle East,” Henley jokes as we walk past him.
As we get closer to the event, Veronika’s voice becomes clearer. “This track is elite, but it will soon provide our competitors with the most common view in racing - the rear wings of our cars.”
“That’s Veronika? She has a very commanding presence,” Lula observes.
We’ve clearly been spotted because a man comes up to us and says, “If you all follow me, I’ll take you to Miss Vanderberg.”
We’re led into a building and to a lounge area, where the she-devil is waiting with an older man. “I’m so glad you came! What do you say we bury the hatchet?”
“In each other’s necks?” Danny sarcastically remarks.
“Ha! He’s funny. We each possess something beneficial to the other. Perfect reason to do business. Only there’s one caveat - I fervently hope our mutual dealings are at a close. Well, shall we get on with it?”
Similar to what he did at the gala, my husband makes the Heart Diamond appear in his hand. When he goes to hand it to Veronika, she holds her hand up and the man next to her steps forward. “Of course, you have a goon. Forgive me.”
As soon as he joins us again, the man (who I now realise is a gemologist) starts to inspect the jewel. “Oh come on, you don’t trust us? After all we’ve been through?” Danny asks her.
Instead of replying, she keeps watching the expert. He must be taking too long because she says, “Is there a problem? Double check if you’re not certain.”
“It’s the Heart,” he confirms.
“Now that’s been settled, we’d like our friend back now,” I tell her.
She nods to a man standing next to a nearby door and after he opens it, our favourite mentalist walks through it.
Jack is the first to hug him. “You okay?”
“Well, now that I know I’m worth half a billion dollars-“
“Still think we got ripped off, but it’s good to see you,” Danny comments.
I pull him in for my own hug and whisper, “I’m glad you’re alright McKinney.”
“Signed, sealed, delivered. I’m a woman of my word. Stick around if you want and enjoy the party,” Vanderberg states.
The unmistakable sound of a car engine revving up can be heard, which can only mean one thing - Bosco’s about to have a hell of a lot of fun.
After Veronika jogs past us to look out a nearby window, I can’t help the giggle that comes out of my mouth, which draws the attention of my five friends. “I can’t believe he actually did it,” I mutter.
“What are you talking about?” Danny asks me.
“I may or may not have suggested to Laroy that he should take that brand new race car for a spin.”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh I did. Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted a distraction. There it is being put into action.”
“You enjoying the show? You just going to stand there gawking or get my car back?” Vanderberg snaps to her right hand man. She then turns to us. “You did this.”
Before any of us has a chance to respond, the floor beneath gives way and we drop down into darkness. After the lights flicker on, I realise we’re in a large box made of glass.
Veronika soon appears and smugly declares, “When I woke up this morning, there was only one thing I wanted more than my diamond - my Horsemen under lock and key. Now that I have both, I must admit I’m feeling a little bit spoiled. While you were prepping your little performance, I curated a trick of my own. Six Horsemen trapped, no escape. You may be national treasures but we have those here too. Only they’re hard to find because they’re buried in sand.”
As soon as she finishes speaking, sand starts pouring into the box. “To the world it will appear you died in a failed escape act. Now, let’s see some magic,” she adds before leaving.
“Fuck magic! Somebody call for back up!” Merritt shouts.
After checking his phone Jack asks, “Does anyone have service?”
Turns out none of us do which causes Lula to comment, “God, she must’ve scrambled the cell signal. She thought of everything!”
“Lula. Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on our side obviously, but she also thought of everything! Both things can be true at one time.”
“Um guys, how about we focus on the fact that there’s a pile of sand in the middle here that’s getting bigger by the second? The thing that’s gonna kills us if we don’t get out of here before it buries us alive?” I remark.
“Henley, what’s the first principle of escape?” Danny questions.
“How long is it survivable?” The redhead replies.
“Judging from the rate of the flow, the volume of the box… yeah, we’re screwed.”
I’d rather not think about how all of us could be dead in a matter of minutes so I talk to Henley. “How about the second principle of escape?”
“That’s the box itself. Is there a flaw, a weakness, a back door. Everybody needs to check!”
The six of us spur into action, checking the glass, the way it’s sealed at the corners and Jack even tests out the metal bars at the top that doubles as the box’s roof, but we can’t seem to find anything.
“Is this really going to happen right now? We’re just gonna die here in this box?” Lula asks.
“It’s funny. A week ago I wanted to die and then I get my reason to live back and now we’re actually gonna die,” Merritt states.
“How is that funny McKinney? Cause I am definitely not laughing right now,” I tell him.
“Well I mean, it was funnier in my head. You know, it’s peculiar funny.”
“Nope. It really isn’t.”
“We’re out of options,” Jack says defeatedly.
To that Lula responds, “God, I never should’ve been that horrible about your website and your costumes and the logo-“
“Okay.”
“It’s not embarrassing that the ’I’ in Wilder is a little magic wand-“
“I got that.”
“It’s cute and charming and I… I missed you.”
“Listen, I know I don’t always show it, but I really do think the world of all of you,” Danny confesses.
“I cannot believe we’re getting buried alive. I mean, it’s like a western,” Merritt ponders.
Something he says rings a bell inside my head. “Whoa, hold on a second. Buried alive. Why does that sound familiar?”
Danny’s the one who answers me. “It’s an old magic tradition. Actually, who do we know who did that?”
“Bill Shirk nearly died doing that remember? He got into a plexiglass coffin and had it covered in sand,” Henley supplies.
“But didn’t the plexiglass break?” McKinney asks.
“The sand got wet, I remember now. It rained the night before. Wet sand is heavier than dry. It broke the glass,” Jack explains.
Lula points at something above us. “Wait, if we broke that pipe then it would wet the sand and it will break the box right?”
“That’s genius! Definitely worth a shot,” I comment.
Once Jack takes off his blazer he says, “If I could wrap something around it I might be able to get some leverage.” He then pulls himself up and wraps his arms and legs around a few of the bars. “Merritt, give me your belt.”
After handing it over, we all watch as Jack manages to throw it around the pipe and begins to pull it towards him. He’s clearly struggling because he yells, “Help me, help me! Pull me down!”
Danny and Merritt rush over and do as he says. There’s a screeching noise before the pipe bursts and water quickly starts to flow into the box. I have never been so happy to see it in my entire life.
As he jumps back down Henley shouts, “It’s working! The box is filling up!”
The water soon reaches our calves and McKinney tells us, “You know if you close your eyes, you can imagine you’re on a tropical beach with sand in your toes.”
“Yeah and when you open them up you realise that you’re in a death trap designed by a maniac,” Danny deadpans.
“Ever the cynic.”
“This is gonna work right?” Lula asks Jack.
“It has to,” he answers.
******
A little while later, the water has almost filled the entire box, causing us to struggle to keep ourselves above the surface.
“Water’s coming in too fast!” Jack exclaims.
“You know I love you street rat, so I mean this in the nicest possible way - no shit captain obvious!” I snap.
“All of this for a diamond,” Merritt grumbles.
“We could use that now. Nothing cuts glass like a diamond,” Lula muses.
I see the exact moment a light bulb goes off in my husband’s head. “Wait, hold on a second. Y/N, Henley,” then holds up his left hand and wiggles one of his fingers.
I bring my own hand down off the bar I’m holding on to and look at my ring finger. “Oh my god. Our wedding rings Henley!”
“Yes! I can hold my breath for eight minutes. What about you?”
“Definitely not as long as that, but still a decent length of time,” I reply.
“Alright. Well, if anyone can get us out of this we can.”
She takes a deep breath before sinking into the water and I follow shortly after.
We immediately start pressing our rings against the glass, trying to scratch the surface. Just as my lungs start to burn, a couple of small hairline cracks appear in front of us. I take that opportunity to go back up for air and as soon as I break the surface I gasp and state, “It’s working!”
Henley resurfaces after me and says, “Everybody help! Kick the glass!”
Five of us grab a hold of the bars above for support and start kicking while Henley goes back under again. After a few seconds, the glass breaks and the water sweeps us away onto the floor of the room.
We’re all soaking wet but we don’t care because we’re alive. After exchanging hugs and high fives Merritt remarks, “Way to go girls.”
“Yeah, good job guys. Alright, we’ve got a show to catch,” Danny comments before grabbing my hand, the both of us beginning to walk towards the exit nearby.
Despite our very unexpected and life-threatening setback, I’m confident that the three musketeers have done their parts well to the point that Veronika has no idea what’s coming her way. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she realises that a group of magicians have gotten the best of her. Here’s hoping that we’re not going to be too late to see it.
Summary: After their eventful visit to the chateau, The Horsemen call in some back up.
Warnings: some swearing, first person POV
Word Count: 3.4 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
Charlie draws attention to himself by announcing, “The police took June into custody.”
It looks like he’s reading something on his phone so Henley goes up to him and asks, “What about Jack and Merritt?”
“Them too.”
We all stop walking and I say, “Seriously? First Thaddeus and now this? We cannot catch a break!”
“Okay. Let’s break them out,” Bosco suggests.
Danny is quick to disagree with him. “Whoah, nuh uh. Let’s just talk about this for a second.”
“Talk about what?”
“Listen to me, we need to be smart.”
“No. We gotta get my friend out of jail. Look, when you were researching all that stuff about us, you know what didn’t come up? Charlie and June are my only friends. You know what I really love about them? They don’t make me feel like an asshole. I’m getting June.”
He then attempts to leave but is stopped by Charlie grabbing his arm and muttering, “Wait a second.”
Danny firmly states, “Listen to me. You can’t.”
“Why? Tell me,” the stubborn magician replies.
“They’re looking for you Bosco. They’re looking for all of us,” Henley comments.
“Yeah, you’re going to get arrested too,” Charlie tells him.
To that I add, “They’re right Laroy. I get that June’s your friend and you wanna rescue her, but we can’t let our emotions control our actions right now. As soon as we do that, we’ll make mistakes and that’s the last thing I want, especially since our friends have been caught too. We need to be logical about this and try to think of a plan that will ensure that we can free them all without getting caught.”
“Exactly. If only there was somebody else who’s crazy enough to stage a jailbreak with no resources or protection,” Danny muses.
A lightbulb suddenly goes off in my head. We’re not too far from Paris, and I happen to know a woman who will be able to pull something like this off.
Henley and I speak at the same time.
“I know a person who can do it.”
“Maybe there is.”
My head whips in the redhead’s direction. “Wait… you know someone as well?”
“Who are you talking about?” she counters.
“Lula.”
“Me too!”
“You’ve met Lula?”
“Yeah. You know how small the circle of female magicians is Y/N. Plus it’s hard to forget someone like her. She’s kind of-“
“Eccentric and quirky?” I supply with a smile.
Henley mirrors my expression as she comments, “Something like that.”
Things must click into place for Charlie because he asks, “Hold on. Are you guys talking about Lula May? The geek magician who pulled a hat out of a rabbit? I’ve always wanted to meet her.”
To that I respond, “The one and only. Now that we’ve established that, how about I actually give her a call and get this whole rescue mission going? She’s probably expecting a call from me anyway since I haven’t talked to her in a couple of months.”
I realise my mistake as soon as the words come out of my mouth. I’ve failed to mention to Danny that I’ve kept in regular contact with our fellow Horseman for a few years now. That’s not been by accident though because up until last night, he was bitter and angry at the three of them leaving us, Lula included. I had no idea what kind of reaction I would get from him if I ever told him.
“A couple-? What do you mean you haven’t spoken in a couple of months? How often do you speak to her?”
I let out a nervous laugh in response to my husband’s questions. “It’s a funny story actually and one I’ll happily tell you after I get reinforcements. Let’s keep moving and try and find somewhere we can hide before it gets dark.”
As the five of us start walking again and before Danny has a chance to say anything else I take my phone out, look for the contact I need and press the call button. it rings a couple of times before someone picks up.
“Y/N, hey! Long time no speak.”
“Hi Lula. How are you?”
“I’m good. What about you?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. I’ve got a situation going on that I hope you can help me with,” I say.
“Is it serious?”
“Yes. It’s pretty bad Lules.”
“What’s happened?”
“Quite a lot actually, but I’ll give you the short version.”
After telling her the basics I finish with, “Jack, Merritt and June have been arrested.”
“Wait - Jack got caught?”
I smile to myself at Lula’s reaction. Of course that’s the part that she focuses on. She’s said to me multiple times that she’s gotten over him but going by her response just now, I don’t think that’s entirely true. “Yeah. The worst part is that there’s this woman who’s really dangerous and I wouldn’t put it past her to do something horrible to the three of them.”
“That doesn’t sound great. What do you want me to do?” Lula asks.
“Well, we were kinda hoping that you could break them all out.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. The others and I obviously can’t do anything because the police will still be looking for us, which is why I thought you could try something,” I comment.
Charlie draws my attention away from my phone call by saying, “Guys. Look.”
I follow his line of sight and see an abandoned barn not too far away - the perfect place to lay low.
“Where did you say you guys were?”
“Chateau Rousillion, so they will probably be in the police station closest to that. Does that mean you’ll do it?”
“Yes. Life’s been a bit too quiet for me lately and I’ve always wanted to do a jailbreak. It looks so cool in the movies. Okay. Where will you and the others be? I assume you’ve found somewhere to hide out,” Lula enquires.
By this point we’ve reached the barn so I send her a pin with our location. “I’ve just sent you a message with the rendezvous point in it.”
“Great. I guess I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“Looking forward to it. Take care Lules and thank you for doing this. Seriously.”
“No problem. I’m just gonna go and figure out how I’m going to do this. Bye Y/N.”
After she hangs up, I look to Charlie. “Well fanboy, looks like you’re finally going to meet the sixth Horseman.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
The five of us enter the barn. Bosco manages to find a light switch that turns on one solitary light bulb in the middle of the room - it only illuminates a small area, which we walk into since the rest of the building is in darkness and it’s giving me the creeps a little bit.
Danny wastes no time in addressing me and the elephant in the room. “So how long have you been in contact with Lula? A few months? A year?”
“It’s a little bit longer than that.”
“How long?”
A lot more than a year anyway. I guess it’s better to just rip the band aid off so after taking a breath I reply, “Remember when we came back to New York after travelling for a while?”
Danny takes a moment to do the math and when he works it out, his reaction is far from calm. “That was almost seven years ago. Wait - seven years?! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re kidding right?” I say incredulously. “Before last night, anytime I so much as brought the others up you either got annoyed, angry, or both. Can you honestly say that you’d have had a positive reaction if I said, ‘hey Danny, just to let you know that I still keep in touch with Lula, one of the people who left us nine years ago’?”
He opens his mouth to argue, but shuts it again. “That’s fair. How did you get back in touch with her anyway?”
“Well, it was actually Lula who got in touch with me. She called me one day out of the blue and seemed pretty upset. Turns out that her and Jack had split up and went their separate ways and she needed someone to talk to. At the end of the call I told her that if she ever wanted a chat, advice or just someone who’d listen while she vented, I’d be there for her. I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it but a month later, Lula called me and we talked for a long while about everything that was happening in our lives at that point, which then turned into me speaking to her once every couple of months after that. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”
I can see the guilt on his face before he counters, “No, I’m sorry that you felt you couldn’t talk to me about it. I know I can sometimes be-“
I interject with, “Stubborn? Hard headed? Single-minded?”
“I was going to say intense, but I guess those work too. Point is, I never want you to think that you can’t tell me anything.“
“Duly noted,” I reply, before giving him a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
A cough breaks us out from our little bubble, drawing attention to the three magicians standing nearby. “Just thought I’d let you guys know that we’re still here before you go full PDA on us,” Bosco remarks.
“Oh please. I’d hardly call that PDA,” I retort with an eye roll.
“Um, I have a question,” Charlie says.
“Alright fanboy, shoot.”
“What are we supposed to do now? I mean, Lula is working on rescuing the others, but what can we do in the meantime apart from hide here? We’ve got to be able to do something useful.”
He makes a good point. Our time should be spent trying to come up with a plan on how to take Veronika down, but where would we even start?
I suddenly have an epiphany. Reaching for one of my back pockets, I take out and unfold the small pile of papers I managed to grab before we left the mansion. “We can take a closer look at these.”
“Is that the stuff that was behind the painting in the chateau?” Laroy asks.
“You mean the evidence that proves that the Vanderbergs are Nazi adjacent? Yes. Charlie, you still got yours?”
He takes out and shows the rest of it to us. “Yeah.”
As we split the papers between us Bosco comments, “Some of this is in German so unless one of you guys knows it, how can we work out what it says?”
“Well Bosco, there’s this thing that’s been invented called a smartphone. It’s basically a mini-computer that you can use to look stuff up, like a translator for example,” Henley jokingly explains.
To that he deadpans, “Ha ha. Hilarious.”
“Alright, enough talking. The sooner we start reading, the quicker we’ll find out more about the Vanderbergs.” Danny states.
I respond with a mock salute and a “Sir yes sir control freak.”
Hopefully by the time we’ve gotten through all of this, Lula will be here with Jack, June and Merritt in tow because god knows what we’ll do if she isn’t.
******
After a couple of hours translating and researching the information in the papers, we’ve come to the unanimous conclusion that the Vanderbergs are the scum of the earth. As well as helping ex Nazis with their finances, they’ve funded and invested in many of their companies too. They don’t care if something is morally wrong, as long as they get a lot of money in return. I don’t know how Veronika can live with herself, but it might have something to do with her being heartless and lacking a conscience.
I can’t help but wish Thaddeus was here with us. He would’ve been able to give us some ideas or even inspiration for us to create a show that will out her true nature to the world.
I sigh heavily as I let that thought sink in, which draws the attention of Danny. “You okay Y/N?” He asks.
“Yeah. Just thinking about Thaddeus. I can’t believe he’s gone. He didn’t deserve the end he got.”
“No - he didn’t.”
“What I wanna know is how the police even found us,” Charlie muses.
“Isn’t it obvious? One word fanboy - Veronika,” I tell him.
“You think she’s behind the police busting us?”
“Well, we infiltrated her very exclusive party and stole her family’s most prized possession from right under her nose. Does she honestly seem like the kind of person who would let the authorities deal with it? We were obviously not as inconspicuous coming here as we thought and Vanderberg probably has connections in the Gendarmes, which means that all she needed to do was call in the right favours to make sure they found us for her, which she did. I’m sure killing someone wasn’t a part of the plan, but she wouldn’t care about that as long as she gets her diamond back at the end of it.“
I direct my next words at my husband. “We have to make her pay for it Danny. She has been left unchecked for too long. By the end of this, I want her rotting away in a jail cell thinking about all of the choices that led to her being there. How it was a group of magicians that undid everything she and her father have built. I want everyone in the world to know what kind of person she is. It’s the least she deserves.”
“We will get justice for Thaddeus Y/N. I promise,” is his response.
“Guys, do you hear that? It sounds like a car,” Henley says.
The five of us are silent as we listen for a noise. Sure enough, I hear the faint sound of an engine which is gradually getting louder by the second. Blue flashing lights begin to shine through the windows, which can only mean one thing.
“Shit. It’s the police. What do we do?” Bosco asks.
Henley is quick to provide a solution. “Let’s go over here. It’s dark enough to hide us from anyone who comes in. If we stay quiet, they won’t know we’re in here.”
We all follow her into the darkness and keep our eyes on the door. It’s not long until it opens to reveal some very familiar people.
After Jack and June enter the barn he shouts, “Hello? You guys in here?”
While Bosco and Charlie go towards their friend, I waste no time jogging over to Jack and giving him a hug. “Thank god you’re alright street rat.”
“You could’ve told us you were coming in a police car,” Danny comments before giving him a hug of his own.
Upon seeing Lula he adds, “Look, we’ve made the sixth Horseman reappear. Hello Lula.”
“Hi,” she replies in a monotonous tone. Come to think of it, she doesn’t look that happy either. Before I have a chance to ask her if she’s okay Henley asks, “Where’s Merritt? Is he still outside, or-“
“They have Merritt,” June answers. “I escaped but he couldn’t.”
“Shit,” I mutter.
Lula interjects by commenting, “Yeah, very emotional time for everybody here. Clearly a lot going on. I’m really trying not to take any of this personally but please can you tell me, did The Eye contact you directly?”
Almost as if we rehearsed it, Danny, Henley and I reply in unison. “Yes.”
She aims her next question at me. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“I’m sorry Lules. I meant to, I really did, but everything happened so fast. Danny and I got swept up in research and planning, then we recruited the kids and done the heist, the others were there too and things got pretty emotional, then we-“
“Okay okay, point taken. I really would’ve liked to be involved before, but I’m glad to be included now. So what happens next?”
“Abu Dhabi!” Charlie suddenly exclaims. “Sorry, I just… I’m a big fan of yours by the way.”
After looking at his phone, he continues. “I was trying to figure out where Veronika was gonna be next and apparently, Vanderberg Global has a motorsports team. They’re introducing a new car this weekend in Abu Dhabi, so we can get Merritt back and expose her.”
“No, no, no. I am not exposing her. I am not exposing anyone, okay?”
“But-“
“I don’t care what The Eye wants. We are swapping the diamond for Merritt and then we’re done.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now. After all of the hard work we’ve put in, I will not be giving up.
I don’t hesitate to make my opinion known. “What the hell Danny? Did you forget the conversation we just had before they came here? You promised we’d make her pay for what she’s done!”
“That was before our friend became a hostage! I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to risk Merritt’s life for a diamond,” he counters.
“We have not come this far to back out at the last minute. Thaddeus’ last breaths were used to tell us to stop her and not let him die in vain. We quit now and that bitch will continue to make this world a worse place without any consequences. We quit now and Bradley’s death would mean nothing.”
“I’m with Y/N on this. Are we really going to go back to our lives and let her walk away?” Jack comments.
“After Russia you said, ‘magicians are entertainers, not superheroes’ and I am starting to think that you are right,” my husband tells him.
“She doesn’t just launder money like her father, she kills people! You saw what happened to Thaddeus.”
“Obviously I’m playing a bit of catch up here, right? I don’t have all of the information but I don’t think that should stop me from having an opinion about what we do next.”
“Of course it should,” Danny states.
“No it shouldn’t Atlas, and I think that we should expose Vanessa.”
Jack quietly corrects Lula. “Veronika.”
“Veronika. For murder and- what is the other thing?”
“Money laundering.”
“Right. For murder and for money laundering!”
“See? Even Jack and Lula agree with me,” I remark.
“No! It is too dangerous, and Atlas is right,” Henley says.
“Wow. I expected that sort of thing from Danny, but not from you. I don’t get why we can’t just get Merritt back and take Veronika down at the same time. Why does it have to be one over the other and not both?”
“We are done sacrificing ourselves. I’m sorry, it’s just not worth it,” Danny answers.
Just as I’m about to argue with him some more Charlie shouts, “That’s bullshit!”
“What?”
“You’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
Fanboy seems to recollect himself and apologises. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry. Say it,” June comments.
“You are. You’re wrong. It’s just… before I discovered The Horsemen, I didn’t give a shit about anything. My family gave me up, I hated the whole world and then I saw a video of you guys. You were trying to make the world less corrupt, less terrible and that made me give a shit.”
His words make me get a warm feeling in my chest. In all of my years of being a Horseman, it has never once crossed my mind that we may have inspired people through our unique brand of justice, but there’s living proof of it standing a couple of feet away from me. I wonder if we’re the reason he became interested in magic too.
I look over at Danny and see a small smile on his face. Looks like Charlie’s speech has struck a chord with him as well. He then proceeds to walk over to the young magician and asks, “So what’s the trick?”
When I make eye contact with Danny, I return his smile and give him a subtle nod. Thinking of a plan isn’t going to be easy and we’ve got a lot of brainstorming ahead of us, but between the eight of us, we can figure it out. One thing’s for certain though: we’re going to return to the spotlight with a bang.
Summary: The Horsemen go to the chateau to try and find some answers.
Warnings: character death, some swearing, first person POV
Word Count: 5.3 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
Hidden in the French countryside outside of Paris lies a place where magicians (most likely members of The Eye) spent their time honing their skills and thinking of ways to make the world a better place - Chateau Rousillion.
As the eight of us approach it, I take in the large and slightly imposing building. It somehow manages to look both old and new at the same time. This place has obviously been around for a while, yet it still seems slightly modern for a chateau.
June’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “What are we supposed to be doing here?”
“The Eye will let us know,” Danny says.
“Alright, picture time,” Bosco states before taking out his phone to take a selfie of him and June with the building in the background.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a photo. Hey Y/N, you wanna get in on this?”
“Sure,” I reply before standing behind them and placing two fingers behind Laroy’s head.
Pulling away, I’m met with an unimpressed expression from my husband. “Seriously?”
“What? It’s just a little bit of harmless fun.”
“You need to stop encouraging them.”
“Oh come on control freak, loosen up! They’re just excited about all of this. Being a part of a Horsemen heist is a big deal for them, especially since the others are here now. It’s like they’ve went from being muggles to finding out they’re going to Hogwarts, or been transported to Oz by a tornado. Put it this way: if a magician you admired as a kid gave you the opportunity to do a big trick with them, would you be able to act normal about it, or would you be excited like triple trouble?” Gesturing to the young adults ahead of us.
He lets out a sigh before telling me, “Fine. I’ll let them have this.”
“Thank you. Let’s catch up with others.”
Everyone has congregated in front of a large gold door with a circle in the middle of it. It doesn’t seem to be a conventional one though, because intricate patterns cover its surface and I can’t see any kind of handles or keyholes on it either.
Henley walks up the steps to have a closer look at it. “I’ve never seen a door like this. Okay, I can’t open it. You got this Jack?”
“Wait. Don’t you mean June?” Charlie asks.
The four of us look at him in disbelief as Henley explains, “Jack’s our lock pick.”
“He hasn’t met a door he can’t unlock fanboy - Jack’s got this,” I add.
“Whoa, looks like a little healthy competish,” Merritt remarks.
“C’mon, this isn’t fair. I’ve been picking locks since before she was born,” my friend comments before taking Henley’s place at the door. He then begins to repeat her actions, looking around the ring in an attempt to find something that he can work with, but it seems like he can’t find anything.
While he continues his attempt, I start to look at the door with a different perspective. If this chateau is associated with The Eye, then there’s a reason why this simple task isn’t as clear cut as it’s supposed to be. There’s got to be something that we’re not seeing, like an inscription or code hidden on it that can give us a clue into how to get into this place.
Just as I’m about to voice my thoughts June says, “Hey Jack, I don’t think this is a lock you pick - I think it’s a lock you solve,” before joining him in front of the door.
She proceeds to push a small triangle to the right, which causes a brief rumbling sound.
Turning to my friend she asks, “Mind if I just figure this out really quickly?”
He moves away to let her have a shot.
“If you’ve ever done an escape room, you’d know that there are all kinds of different puzzles. It’s not just about locks and keys,” June tells him before moving the thin outer ring anti-clockwise and the inner one clockwise, which reveals an eye in the centre of it. She then pulls a latch which causes the door to swing open.
I’m sure the shock at this development is written all over my face and as I look at my fellow Horsemen, their expressions mirror mine.
Seems like Jack just got schooled.
The girl then says, “You might want to update your game Jack. But by all means, lead the way,” gesturing to the chateau.
As we all make our way into the building Danny murmurs to me, “I think he loosened it for her, ultimately.”
“Mmm-hmmm. Let’s go with that,” I whisper back with a smile.
Taking in my surroundings, it looks like we’ve entered a large foyer filled with magic memorabilia, like-
“PT Selbit’s coffin?!” Charlie exclaims before running over to it.
Henley draws my attention my saying, “Guys, Houdini’s straight jacket.”
Danny, Merritt and I join her beside it. “Yes it is. Hey, can I put you in here for old times sake?” Danny asks her.
The redhead gives him an unamused look. “No.”
Turning around, I spot Charlie and Bosco standing in front of a projection of the bullet catch trick. Once I walk over to them I comment, “You know, one of the first mentions of this trick was near the end of the 16th century in a book called The Theatre-“
“Of God’s Judgements,” Charlie completes. “How do you know that?”
“I used to read a lot of books about magic growing up. I can’t remember most of the information within them, but some facts have stuck with me.”
“Hey guys, it’s a dead end,” Jack loudly declares from the other side of the room, where a few large bookshelves are situated against the walls.
When we all reach him, Merritt goes on to remark, “Maybe not. Open sesame!”
Unsurprisingly, nothing happens after he finishes speaking, but it doesn’t stop me from running a hand down my face and muttering, “Oh my god.”
“Way to represent Merritt,” Jack sarcastically comments.
“What? It was worth a shot,” the mentalist replies.
“Was it?” Danny asks.
“Well you never know.”
“I think you do know.”
Between this and Jack being outsmarted with the door, us Horsemen are not coming across in a great light right now. Luckily for them, I have an idea about how we can get rid of this dead end.
I go to the bookshelf and start to pull each book out slightly before putting them back in their place.
“I don’t think now is the time to read Y/N.”
“Obviously not McKinney, although I am tempted to hit you on the head with one to give you more brain cells after that little demonstration you just gave us,” which illicits quiet laughter from some of the others.
“What are you doing though?” Henley asks.
“In almost every spy movie, there’s always a hidden switch or button that reveals a concealed door to a secret room or the bad guy’s lair. It could be underneath a desk, twisting an ornament a specific way or-“
“Pulling the right book off a shelf,” Jack interjects.
“Exactly. I knew you’d get it street rat.”
“Looks like all those hours watching those movies with me have finally paid off Y/N/N.”
I rolls my eyes and smile at him in response. I try a couple more books before giving up with a sigh. “I guess I was wrong.”
“It was still a better idea than shouting open sesame at a bookshelf,” Danny tells me.
“You’re right. I could’ve shouted abracadabra instead.”
I notice Charlie go to a table nearby and look at the objects on it. “That’s weird. The die should be here and the ball should be there.”
He picks up the ball from the box and the die from on top of a miniature pillar and swaps their positions, which in turn causes some of the books on the bookshelf to my left to fall down on their sides.
Henley walks over to it and says, “Four rows: one, five, eight, four. Is it a code?”
“Maybe we need to figure out what it means in order to get further into the chateau,” I suggest.
My mind then starts to go through all possible solutions. Adding them together, allocating the numbers to letters of the alphabet…
Charlie suddenly comes up with a solution. “1584. The Discovery Of Witchcraft. It’s the first book on stage magic, that’s when it was published.”
“How does he know that?” Henley asks.
“He’s basically a computer full of useless information,” Danny responds.
Charlie goes up to the main bookcase, finds the aforementioned book and once he pulls it down slightly, the wall ascends to reveal a second, much larger room. Facing my husband he says, “Useless?”
“Good job Charlie,” I remark before patting him on the shoulder in approval.
I get a big smile in return. “Thanks.“
This room has floor to ceiling bookshelves lining almost every wall, a fireplace directly in front of us and a few tables spread out amongst the space too, one of which has a sphere in the middle of it.
As I admire some of the artifacts that are nearby Charlie calls out, “Hey guys, it’s the floor plan of the chateau. But it’s different somehow.”
I go to check it out for myself but a familiar sounding voice echoes around us, stopping me in my tracks. “Up is down. Left is right. Even the rooms have tricks.”
A man I haven’t seen in a long time appears out of nowhere in front of the fireplace.
“Thaddeus! So good to see you!” Henley exclaims, before going over to give him a hug.
“You could’ve just checked the ring camera and buzzed us in,” Merritt comments.
The old man has a mischievous smile on his face as he replies, “Now where would be the fun in that?”
Like a little excitable puppy, fanboy introduces himself. “Sir hi, I’m Charlie. I’m such a big fan of yours.”
“Hi Charlie.”
“I’ve never seen a lubor lens this big in person.”
“Really? Well you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Oh, so that’s how he made himself invisible to us. Figures.
“So you sent the tarot cards,” Jack voices.
“No. I’ve long since given up such foolishness and your collective dysfunction. No, the only magic I do now is for my grandchildren. Some weeks ago however, a card did appear on my doorstep, warning me to prepare this chateau for the arrival of eight soon to be fugitives from the law,” the old magician explains.
“That tracks,” Merritt states.
Danny goes on to ask, “Why does The Eye want us here?”
“Yeah, what’s the link between this place and the world’s most expensive diamond?” I add.
“Well I can only assume that whatever it is they want you to do next is hidden somewhere in these walls. See this chateau - Chateau Rousillon - used to be their home. In 1943, the Allies needed military miracles from every source,” Bradley tell us before going to the table with the sphere in the middle of it, then does something to make black and white footage appear within it.
Once we all gather around, he continues to speak. “They enlisted the aid of some of the most talented magicians of the time. They built a false city using mud, cardboard, lights and thousand of inflatable rubber tanks to misdirect the Germans.”
“The genius of Jasper Maskelyne,” Charlie says.
“Somebody knows his history.”
“So what do the Nazis have to do with the diamond?” June wonders.
“That I do not know. But the answer is here somewhere. We just have to start looking.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
We all split into different groups to cover as much of the chateau as possible - three sets of pairs (Charlie and Henley, Jack and June, Danny and Bosco) while Merritt and I decide to go our own ways.
I end up in a corridor where one of the walls has multiple optical illusions on it, designed to confuse the viewer. The opposite wall is covered in framed paintings of every size: portraits of old men who are probably some of the magicians who helped out during the Second World War, landscapes of what I can only assume is the French countryside-
Wait a second, is that one a Monet? I look closer at it and see his signature at one of the bottom corners.
Oh my god. I wonder how The Eye got hold of that.
Further along there is a life sized painting of an opulent door, except there is something on it that distinguishes it from the others - it has a round, three dimensional handle. Hmmm… I wonder what would happen if I turned it.
Sure enough, it opens to reveal a set of stairs that lead down towards who knows where. Maybe it could provide me with an answer in relation to what we were discussing earlier. Only one way to find out I suppose.
It’s only when I reach the bottom that I realise I’m in some sort of underground tunnel. I can only walk straight ahead, so that’s the way I go. After a short walk, I discover that there’s another route to my left so instead of continuing in my intended direction, I decide to take a detour. It takes me to a dead end with another set of stairs leading to the ceiling. That’s weird, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming a Horseman, it’s that things aren’t always what they seem.
By the time I walk up them, my head is almost touching the ceiling. Looking up, I notice The Eye’s symbol so I take a chance and touch it, which then causes a gap just big enough for me to get through to appear just above my head. After taking a rather large step up, I realise that I’m back in the library. “I see you’ve found the hidden tunnels,” Bradley states.
“You weren’t lying about this place being full of secrets,” I comment.
“Did you manage to find anything?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Hopefully the others will be more successful than me.”
There’s a short period of silence before Thaddeus says, “I’m sorry to hear about Dylan.”
“How do you know-“
“Just because I’ve been out of the game for a while doesn’t mean that I don’t know everything The Eye has been up to.”
After letting out a sigh I tell him, “Yeah well, it’s not one of my - our - proudest moments. I mean, we thought we prepared for every eventuality, but we clearly didn’t.”
“If there’s one thing I learned in all my years of being a magician, it’s that a trick goes wrong from time to time. You could practice it over and over again until you can do it with your eyes closed, but the one thing you can’t prepare for is new variables coming into play.”
“But your failure didn’t result in someone spending the foreseeable future in a jail cell.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Before I can probe more into what he meant by that, Danny and Bosco walk into the room with the former saying, “One trick, okay? No charm, no gift of gab, just one trick.”
With a scoff Laroy replies, “Dude, I do not have to prove myself to you.”
“I mean you kinda do. Show me why The Eye picked you.”
As they reach the table with the globe he adds, “You know what? Prove to me that you don’t need a babysitter,” placing a deck of cards between them.
When Bosco doesn’t respond Danny snarks, “What, now you’ve stopped performing? You’re done showing off because your misfit friends aren’t here?”
“They’re my family. I don’t have to impress them.”
Walking over to them both I tell my husband, “Yeah control freak. You’d do well to remember that he and his misfit friends are the reason why we have the Heart Diamond right now.”
“Alright fine, forget it. I just wanted to see what Bozo here is capable of when he isn’t trying to win cheap applause, but I guess the answer is nothing.”
Both of them participate in a silent stand-off, staring each other down until Bosco finally yields. After taking his jacket off he grabs the deck of cards and walks away from the table. He then remarks, “Alright. You wanna see a magic trick? See, the problem with you Atlas is that you just like to over-complicate things man. It is a lot easier to find a diamond than you think.”
He waves his hand over the cards and when he moves it away, the ace of diamonds is revealed. Not bad. A little bit on the simple side for a trick, but still impressive.
It seems he’s not done though as he continues, “It’s also easy to make it disappear,” he repeats his previous action and sure enough, the card is no longer at the top of the deck. “Check your pocket.”
Danny follows his instruction, checks the pocket on his blazer and takes the missing card out of it. “Not bad. Card to an impossible location. But don’t play checkers on a chessboard because I am already five steps ahead of you.”
He flicks the card and it turns into the seven of diamonds before throwing it aside. “Check your pocket.”
As Laroy finds the ace on his person, the elderly magician in front of us expresses his annoyance. “Hey! Those are priceless antiques.”
Danny takes the deck off Bosco and replies, “You’re probably right Thaddeus. But not before they have one last shot at glory,” making the cards disappear into thin air once he finishes speaking.
From behind me I hear Charlie ask, “What’s going on here?”
I turn and see that everyone else has entered the room. Making my way over to the five of them I say, “Danny and Bosco are having the magician equivalent of a dick measuring contest and trying to outdo each other’s tricks.”
“Well, we can’t let them have all the fun,” Henley comments before going to Bosco and snatching the card he is levitating off him. “I’ve never been great at poker, but is a diamond trumped by a heart?”
Once she has folded the card, she covers it with her hands, shakes them then reveals the Heart Diamond in her palm. Charlie soon takes it off her before heading over to a table nearby where a few golden bowls are stacked. “Nice misdirection, but let’s not forget what this is really about - making a jewel disappear.”
Picking the bowls up, he places one over the diamond and puts the other two on either side of it. As he shuffles them about he tells us, “Keep your eye on the prize. Round and round they go, where they stop nobody knows.”
The young magician stops and takes each bowl off the table, revealing that the diamond has indeed vanished. The illusion soon vanishes as Danny walks up to the table and states, “Black art, table’s rigged. Saw it when I came in,” before tipping it at angle to reveal a hidden drawer where the diamond is.
Jack catches it just as it falls out and comments, “Time for a quick escape,” before running towards and getting into a large trunk, closing the lid for good measure.
While Merritt and I walk towards it the mentalist remarks, “Jack in the box? That’s a trick?”
When he opens the lid, there’s no one in trunk so he jokingly adds, “If I had known he was this easy to get rid of-“
“Not that easy,” Jack injects from behind him, eventually coming to stand beside me.
While McKinney gets June to pick one of the cards he’s holding up, I feel Jack slip something into my jacket pocket. I already have an idea of what he gave me, but I subtly put my hand in to double check. Yep, a very expensive rock.
My attention is drawn back to June as she walks over to Thaddeus and dips a playing card into his drink. “Hey! That whisky is older than you!” He chastises.
Not sounding apologetic at all she replies, “Sorry boss, so sorry. Look you guys I’m not gonna lie, this has been really cool, but I think I just wanna make it a little cooler.”
While she’s been talking, June’s ripped the card up into tiny pieces, keeping a hold of them until she grabs the white fan nearby. As she throws the pieces up into the air, Henley walks through it and her black ensemble suddenly turns into a white dress. “I always wear white in winter guys,” she says.
Making my way over to where June is, I address the group. “I gotta say, all of the tricks you’ve pulled off have been impressive, so I think you all deserve your flowers.”
Picking up the red fan, I wave it a couple of times before it suddenly turns into a small bouquet of red roses.
As the others applaud me Merritt compliments, “Very nice Y/N.”
I mockingly curtsy and reply, “Thank you McKinney. Wait, what’s this?”
I reach into the flowers and pull out the diamond. “Well would you look at that. Seems like roses are the way to a girl’s heart.”
Charlie’s expression is priceless as he tries to understand my trick. “Wait, hold on a second. Jack had it a minute ago, how did you-“
After placing the bouquet on the table next to me I tell him, “I thought it was obvious: magic,” then make eye contact with Jack, who sends me a conspiratorial wink.
“You set yourself up for that one Charlie,” June comments.
I walk towards Danny but as I’m passing Bosco, he grabs diamond off me and says, “Roses are red, violets are blue, watch as this diamond disappears from view.”
I jokingly groan then remark, “Seriously? That’s the best you could come up with?”
Instead of answering me, he covers it with both his hands and when he opens them again, the diamond has indeed disappeared from view.
“How’d you do a vanish so good?” Danny asks.
“A magician never tells,” is Laroy’s reply.
Danny proceeds to briefly pat him down, but finds nothing. Clearly satisfied at this outcome, Bosco states, “Check-“
“Mate,” my husband finishes as he makes the diamond appear in one hand, throws it in the air and catches it with the other. Danny even has the nerve to wink at him.
“Face it Bosco, wisdom and skill overcome youth and arrogance every time,” Merritt voices.
“He’s right. Confidence will only get you so far Laroy. You’ve still got a long way to go before you get to our level,” I add.
“Never assume you’re the smartest guy in the room - prove it,” Danny comments.
A clearly annoyed Bosco responds, “Give me a break. You didn’t prove anything.”
“Can I just remind everyone that we still haven’t figured out why we’re even in this World War Two relic?” Jack interjects.
“You guys didn’t find anything either?” I ask.
I’m met with a chorus of nos and shaking heads, which causes me to let out a frustrated groan. “Why is it so hard to find what we need? How are we supposed to take down that rich bitch without any evidence?”
Charlie draws our attention when he walks up to a portrait of an old man. “Wait! Jasper Maskelyne, the magician who vanquished the Nazis. He built fake cities, fake tanks… I wonder…”
He lightly touches the canvas and it gives way slightly, almost as if it’s made of some kind of elasticated material. Feeling more confident, he then pushes it harder until he makes a hole with his hand and when he pulls it back out, he’s holding a roll of paper tied with a piece of string.
As he walks over to the nearby table he says, “Oh my god. I was right?” before removing the string and flattening it out.
“Magic 101: never act surprised when the trick actually works,” Danny remarks.
“Sorry.”
I make my way over to Charlie along with Henley, Jack and Danny to get a closer look at what he found.
I might not understand German, but I’d recognise that symbol anywhere. Seems like the Vanderbergs have ties to one of the worst and most reprehensible groups of people in history.
“What is all that?” June asks us.
“An encyclopaedia of Nazi war criminals,” Jack answers.
“Which apparently includes Veronika’s dad,” Henley adds. “After World War Two, surviving Nazis fled around the world. I’m not an accountant, but it looks like Peter Vanderberg got rich cleaning their dirty money.”
“Seems like Veronika took over right where he left off using his criminal network,” Danny states.
I express my opinion of it all out loud. “Discovering this information is all well and good, but what does The Eye want us to do with this?”
“Well if I’m not mistaken, The Eye wants us to unmask the Vanderbergs. Bring down two generations of criminals with a single sleight of hand,” Thaddeus discloses.
Bosco gets his phone out and tells us all, “I’ve heard some interesting rumours about the Vanderbergs online. Looks like fifteen years ago, Veronika’s mum took her own life then a week later, the housekeeper’s breaks failed. Her car crashed, she and her son died. There was something suspicion of foul play, but nothing was ever proven.”
All of a sudden, we hear the muffled sounds of sirens outside. Looks like the French police have found us.
“Shit. How did they know we were here?” Laroy muses.
I turn to Charlie. “Hey fanboy. Take some of the papers you found and I’ll grab the rest. We need all the evidence we can get to bring Veronika down.”
“Okay,” he answers with a nod.
While the both of us do that Thaddeus says, “Listen closely. Split up, find a way out. Go!”
As the others do as he instructed, I decide to follow Danny and Bosco. It’s not long until we hear the sound of footsteps behind us and a quick glance behind me confirms that a few police officers are gaining on us.
“This way!” Danny shouts before turning a corner, which I discover leads to an… upside down room? Weird.
As we make our way through it a voice suddenly yells, “Freeze!”
Looking over my shoulder, three officers are coming towards our group with their guns pointed at us.
“Turn around,” the same man instructs as we get shoved against the wall.
“You heard him Bosco - turn around,” Danny comments.
Next thing I know, the room starts to rotate and I can feel myself falling, but I manage to adapt at the last minute with a surprised yelp.
The police have been taken off guard just as much as I have so before they right themselves, I grab the closest thing to me and throw it at the one nearby, temporarily incapacitating him while I make my way over to Danny.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good. Laroy, it’s time to go!”
While the three of us run away Bosco questions, “Where are we going? There are police everywhere in this place! How are we going to get out?”
It’s at that moment that we run into Henley and Charlie, with former stating, “Thank god we found you guys! Where are June, Jack and Merritt?”
“No idea. But we need to get out of here now,” Danny answers.
Thinking back to my discovery a short while earlier I say, “I know a way. Folllow me!”
I retrace my steps until we enter the corridor with the optical illusions and the paintings.
Taking it all in Bosco observes, “This place is just full of pictures. How are they gonna help us escape?”
I reach the picture of the door and turn the handle, opening it to reveal the hidden tunnel beyond, much to the shock of the others.
“Woah. That is so cool!” Charlie comments excitedly.
“An exit hidden in plain sight. Clever,” Danny remarks.
I then explain, “There’s an underground tunnel network down there. I found it when we all split up to look around this place. I didn’t manage to walk through the whole area, but there’s got to be a way out somewhere. Come on!”
After the five of us reach the bottom of the stairs, I go the route I went when I was here previously. As we turn a corner, Thaddeus appears from the tunnel that leads to the huge library we were in. Once we reach him I comment, “Thaddeus! Thank god you’re okay. What’s the fastest way out of here?”
“Around this bend, there’s a passageway. Just follow the creek through the forest,” he replies, before collapsing suddenly.
It’s then when I notice one of his hands is covering his side and when he moves it away, it’s covered in blood.
“No. This can’t be happening. Come on Thaddeus, stand up! We’ve gotta go now. We need to get you help. Please stand up,” Henley pleas as she kneels in front of him.
“You have to stop Veronika Vanderberg,” the elderly magician says.
Danny shakes his head. “No, we can’t do it without you Thaddeus.”
“You don’t need me. But you do need each other - never forget that. I knew when I came here this was… probably my final trick. Now, don’t let me die in vain. There’s work to be done.”
We suddenly hear shouting in the distance. Looks like the police have found a way into the tunnels. Bradley looks at us and tells us, “Go. Go now, please. Before it’s… too… late.”
He suddenly goes limp and the tears I’ve been holding in start to run down my cheeks, which is then accompanied by a loud sob.
The shouting sounds louder now, which means the officers are getting closer. “Let’s go guys. We’ve got to go,” Bosco orders.
We all start to move, but Danny is still standing and staring at Thaddeus with a mixture of sadness and disbelief. I think he’s in shock so I gently grab his hand and say, “I know it’s hard and I hate that he’s gone too, but we have to move now.”
The both of us catch up with the rest of the group and we follow the instruction Thaddeus gave us. We find the passageway that leads outside to the forest and we start to follow the creek.
I quickly get lost in my thoughts. I can’t believe what just happened. Poor Thaddeus. He didn’t deserve an ending like that. He should’ve died surrounded by his family, not in the middle of an underground tunnel. The best way to honour him is to expose Veronika for the duplicitous bitch she is, especially since he lost his life protecting us and helping us escape.
Speaking of, I have no idea where Merritt, Jack and June are, but I hope they’re okay. I just got my two friends back and I’d hate to lose them again and as for June, I don’t think my conscience could take anything bad happening to her. Even though I’ve only known her a short while, she’s grown on me a little bit. In fact, so have Charlie and Bosco.
Looking at our group now, I can see that today’s events have affected them as much as they have me if their solemn and serious expressions are anything to go by. We’re emotionally and physically drained and clearly in need of some rest. Not only that, but we need to think of a plan for how we’re going to find our missing friends and how we can use the information we found in the chateau to take down the Vanderberg empire.
It’s not an easy task but if anyone can do it, we can.
Summary: After years apart, The Horsemen have an unexpected (and heated) reunion. But will a much needed conversation clear the air between them?
Warnings: some swearing, mentions of depression and suicidal thoughts, first person POV
A/N: One of the things I found unrealistic about this film is how all of The Horsemen go from arguing on the boat to being okay with each other again. I’d like to think that they would’ve had some kind of conversation where they’d air everything that they’ve been holding in since their split and get some closure from doing it, so I’ve decided to write something along those lines for this part.
Word Count: 4.8 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
Silence.
Something that’s never been present any time the five of us have been together. Conversations were always constant, easy and ranged from being completely random to honest and deep. Then there was the laughter that came from the witty banter and goofing around that temporarily gave us a break from worrying about what would happen next. It was never quiet like this. I can’t help but feel sad that we’ve reached this point.
It’s broken by Bosco asking, “So… which one of you has the diamond?”
After Jack hands it to him, he leans on a nearby container and analyses it by turning it around in his hands. “You know, I thought it would be shinier.”
Danny walks over to him and orders, “Alright, give it back.”
Laroy proceeds to play hot potato with a multi-million dollar jewel. “Oh it’s so slippery, I can’t- heads up!”
He then throws it at my husband, who catches it and scolds him. “Don’t do that again.”
I laugh at their exchange, but it soon turns into a shiver due to the slight chill in the air. Danny must notice because he takes off his suit jacket and holds it out for me. “Here. Put it on.”
“What? No, I’m fine,” is my stubborn response.
Almost right on cue, another shiver goes through me. “Okay. Thank you.”
I put it on and instantly feel the difference. Warmth quickly envelops me and it smells like him too, which is also comforting.
My attention is drawn to Merritt as he gestures towards the young trio and says, “Can I address the infant in the room? Who are these guys?”
“These are the wonderful kids who deepfaked our show,” Danny answers.
“What? You had the cops sent to my house and freaked out my kids!” Henley exclaims.
The guilt is clear on Charlie’s face as he apologises. “Sorry.”
“How are the kids though? How is the whole boring suburban life you left us for?” Danny asks.
It’s then when I notice the very prominent ring on her wedding finger. “I believe some congratulations are in order. When did you get married?”
“Almost a year after our first kid was born,” she replies to me.
“That’s great! Can I see the ring?”
She hold up her left and shows me. “Wow. It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s no Heart Diamond, but it’s impressive,” Danny comments.
“I already told you Danny, I didn’t feel safe trying to escape from a straight jacket hanging upside down. I was six months pregnant!” she argues.
“Come on, we would’ve flipped you right side up at the end. You’d have been fine.”
That earns a scoff from Henley. “You guys didn’t even miss me. How long did it take you to replace me? An afternoon?”
“And the better part of an evening,” Merritt contributes, before directing his next words at Jack. “Hey, speaking of, how is Lula? Are you guys still-“
“No. She moved to Paris,” is his sullen answer.
“Oh no, she dumped the great J. Wilder. I’m sorry, my apologies. Don’t you need to be on some cruise ship somewhere humiliating yourself?” Danny sarcastically remarks.
A clearly pissed off Jack retorts, “Humiliating myself? I make five figures per cruise plus perks.”
“Plus perks! He said plus perks. I thought Merritt drinking himself to death in Mexico was depressing.”
The mentalist walks towards the door to the cabin and says, “Speaking of, I got to get back to it. This liver’s not going to destroy itself. Can someone dry dock this thing?”
“Wait. You’re leaving?” Charlie asks.
“Yeah. I mean, great catching up. I don’t know, see you in another ten? Nice to meet you little tadpoles,” he responds before dumping his tarot card on the container nearby.
“You know what? I’m out of here too. I have a gig to get to,” Jack tells us as he places his own card next to Merritt’s.
“Really? They’re covering your Uber?” Danny snarks.
“Signed an NDA. Can’t say a word.”
They’re really going to bail on us - on me - again? Just because they don’t like a few home truths Danny dealt them? No. I’ve had enough.
I let almost a decade’s worth of anger and hurt out by shouting, “You two are a couple of cowards! You’re doing the exact same thing you did nine years ago - running away when things get hard. I expected more from a couple of ex Horsemen, but since I’m currently looking at a guy who perform party tricks for a living and another who enjoys day drinking as a hobby, I should’ve set the bar a lot lower. You clearly aren’t the people I thought you were.”
“That’s not fair Y/N,” Jack protests.
“Really? Cause where I’m standing, I’d say it’s pretty accurate.”
I completely forgot that the kids were even here until June speaks up. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what’s going on with you guys. I’m getting the feeling there’s a lot of weird history here and things are a little awkward.”
Charlie adds, “You guys used to be The Horsemen. I don’t get it. Why did you break up?”
Gesturing to Merritt and Jack, Danny comments, “Ask them. Ask them why we broke up because if it was up to me and Y/N, we wouldn’t have.”
It’s quiet for a couple of seconds until the mentalist lets out a heavy sigh before relenting. “The Eye wanted us to expose a Russian arms dealer-“
“Do we really have to go through this again?” Jack groans.
“We made some huge mistakes. We got sloppy-“
“Cocky. Because of us, Dylan Shrike will never see the outside of a Russian prison again.”
“Who?” Bosco asks.
“Dylan Shrike. He’s a Horseman. Do your homework man,” Danny responds.
“I’m so sorry guys. I had no idea. He’s stuck in there forever?” Henley says.
“Which is obviously a tragedy and something I’ll never forgive myself for, but it didn’t mean that the both of you had to quit. Y/N was devastated when you guys up and left us. She tried to put on a brave face, but I know her well enough to tell that she was hurt. I still don’t think she’s fully gotten over it. I know what you guys think of me, but she didn’t deserve to be frozen out by you. She’s got the biggest heart out of all of us - in fact, it’s one of the many things I love about her. But it also means that she feels everything deeply, including you quitting on us.”
“Now c’mon, that’s not what happened,” Merritt states.
I scoff before making my thoughts known. “Isn’t it? After everything went down in Russia, Dylan being put in prison was a major setback, but he sacrificed his freedom for us so that we could continue without him.”
“You don’t know that,” Jack argues.
“Yes I do! He gave himself up so that we would still be free to do what we were brought together to do in the first place - hold the powerful, corrupt, assholes to account and take them down, yet how do we repay him for it? Oh yeah, we split up. Danny’s right. You leaving wrecked me. I was a mess the first few months after everything happened. You all walked away from what we built together like it meant nothing. Getting shot or stabbed would’ve been less painful. It made me feel like I wasn’t a good enough reason for you to stay. I’ve missed my friends. Hell, you were more than that - you were my family. But I guess that word doesn’t mean the same thing to you as it does to me.”
By the time I’m done, I’m crying my eyes out and Danny comforts me by giving me a hug and whispering just loud enough for me to hear, “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
I hear a yawn before Bosco deadpans, “That is… really a bummer guys. Sorry about that.”
Is he being serious right now? Merritt must share my sentiment because he remarks, “‘A bummer?’ I love the way your generation sums things up so eloquently,” which elicits an eye roll from the young magician.
He did not just do that.
I look towards his two friends and say in as calm a voice as I can muster, “June. Charlie. May I suggest keeping your idiot in line and teaching him how to read a room before coming out with comments like that? It’s been an emotional few minutes for us, but I still have some left over anger and frustration in me to come over there and kick his ass, maybe even off this boat.”
I make sure to glare at Laroy to show that I’m not kidding and I see him visibly gulp in response. Good - the last thing he wants to do right now is test me.
“Someone explain to me why these pre-pubes are even here,” Merritt says.
To that Danny answers, “Same reason you are, man. The Eye wanted them.”
“Well we got the Heart. What does The Eye want us to do next?” June muses.
“I know one thing. You’ve got a diamond worth half a billion dollars in your hands. They’re gonna get in touch,” Henley voices.
“Whoa. Wait. Atlas, can I see your card?” Charlie asks.
“Yeah,” my husband replies, before handing it to him.
All of us watch as he takes the four tarot cards, turns them face down and arranges them until they make a complete picture.
June is the first person to work out what it is. “It’s a map.”
“Hey Atlas. It’s your Dad,” Bosco jokes.
“It’s a map that only reveals itself when The Horsemen are together,” Charlie explains, looking at I and the other Horsemen emphatically.
“Don’t look at Danny and I fanboy. You already know that we want to do this. It’s these three who need convincing,” I remark.
“Fat chance,” Merritt states.
“Really dude? I mean come on, The Eye obviously wants you guys to do this. You’re The Horsemen! Start acting like it,” June counters.
I look expectantly at the two men next to me. It doesn’t take long for the mentalist to come around. “Alright. I suppose Rosarito can wait a couple days.”
Jack sighs before saying, “I can try to reschedule this gig. It’s not gonna be easy, but I’ll figure it out.”
“I mean, I have kind of missed running for my life and jumping off roofs with you guys,” Henley tells us.
“It’s good to have you back,” Danny comments.
“Thanks.”
I make eye contact with June and mouth ‘good job’ to her and get a smile in return. It’s the least I can do since she gave the others the push that was needed to become a group again.
“Okay, so what is this place?” Bosco muses, referring to the tarot card map.
“I have no idea. This is unlike any map I’ve ever seen,” I answer.
“Considering how it was The Eye who brought us together, it has to be connected to them somehow,” Danny suggests.
It’s silent for a moment until Charlie points to the symbol in the middle of it. “Hold on a second. I recognise this. It was in a book I read about a year ago. It’s associated with Chateau Rousillion.”
“What’s that?” McKinney remarks.
“It’s a place in France some magicians used as headquarters almost a century ago.”
“France? Well, at least we don’t have to travel too far to get there. Where specifically is it?” Henley asks.
Bosco takes out his phone and looks it up. “Seems to be a couple hours from Paris.”
“Okay. Looks like we’re taking a trip to a chateau then.”
Merritt goes on to say, “If it’s all the same to you guys, I’d rather not go to a different country right now. What I need is some R and R after all of that excitement.”
“Where can we go? We’re wanted criminals. There’s nowhere that’s safe for us,” Jack comments.
I’m quick to offer up a solution. “That’s not completely true. The five of us have been staying in a safe house outside of the city. The area is pretty quiet, so there won’t be a high chance of us getting spotted or caught.”
Taking in my surroundings I add, “It shouldn’t be too far from here actually.”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright then. Let’s do it.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
After we all get off the boat, it doesn’t take us long to reach the safe house. The journey there has given me some time to think about The Horsemen’s relationship with each other. Just because Jack, Merritt and Henley have decided to join me, Danny and the kids in taking down Veronika doesn’t mean that we’re suddenly okay again. There’s almost ten years worth of feelings to address and we need to do it now, otherwise things will still be awkward and weird between us, which I really don’t want.
Before the opportunity passes and I lose my nerve I get everyone’s attention by blurting out, “Guys… I think we should talk about some stuff before we call it a night.”
Danny looks intrigued at my suggestion. “What kind of stuff? Like working out a plan for tomorrow, or-“
“No. More along the lines of clearing the air between all of us. The original Horsemen that is.”
“Wait a minute. Are you seriously suggesting some sort group therapy session?” Merritt asks.
“If that’s what you want to call it, then yes.”
“Do we get a choice on whether we participate in this or not?”
Gaining more confidence I reply, “Nope. What happened on the boat was just the tip of the iceberg. If we’re going to be working together again, we’ve got to lay everything out on the table. We need to be a strong, united team and the only way to achieve that is to be truly honest with each other about how we’re feeling. That way we can address it, move on and start over.”
“She’s right man. We have to talk about it, otherwise it’s gonna to be like a grey cloud hanging over us,” Jack comments.
Henley nods in agreement. “We won’t be able to pull this whole diamond thing off if we’re still holding grudges against each other,” then proceeds to look pointedly at Danny.
Before he has a chance to use a snarky comeback that will prove the redhead’s point, June joins the conversation. “It does seem like there’s still a lot unsaid between the five of you. I bet putting it all out in the open will make you feel better.”
“Good communication skills are important when working with other people because it can establish a relationship based on trust,” Charlie adds.
I look towards Merritt and remark, “See? Even the newbies agree with me. Thanks guys.”
“They’re right. We need to talk this out. It’s going to be hard being honest with each other, but it’s something that I’m willing to do if it gets us back on the same page again,” Danny says.
The mentalist seems to realise that he’s outnumbered in this situation so he reluctantly agrees to my idea. “Fine. Whatever. The sooner we start, the sooner we get it over with.”
Satisfied with his answer, I then turn to the trio of young magicians and tell them, “Okay you three - it’s time for you to get out of here. This conversation is for Horsemen only.”
“What? Aren’t we after what just happened?” Bosco asks.
“Let me rephrase. Only people who weren’t in middle school twelve years ago can stay for this conversation.”
“God that makes me feel old,” Merritt comments.
“Tell me about it,” Henley mutters.
“Look, we have a lot of shit to sort out and we’ve already given you enough of a show tonight, so scram,” I order.
I watch them walk away before shutting the door to the living room and facing the others. “So… who wants to go first?”
I’m met with an awkward silence and uncomfortable looks, which tells me that all four of them are reluctant to start this thing off.
“Alright. Looks like it’s going to be me then,” I mutter.
Turning towards Merritt and Jack I state, “I’m pissed at you two. Splitting up and going our seperate ways is one thing, but going completely no contact with me hurt like hell. I tried to keep in touch with you both, but I barely got anything back - no calls, no texts, nothing. So I stopped trying. There’s only so much effort a person can make before they just give up.”
I aim my next words at Jack. “Do you have any idea what it feels like when the guy who’s supposed to be my best friend freezes me out? Basically turns into a stranger after everything we’ve been through together? I thought we were closer than that.“
He sighs before speaking. “We were, it’s just-“
“Why then? Why did you cut ties with me?” I interject.
“Everything that happened in Russia scared the shit out of me. Dylan being captured made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of being a Horsemen anymore. I mean, if I couldn’t stop him from being caught, what would happen if any of you guys ended up in a similar situation and I couldn’t save you? I never wanted to be put in that kind of position again, so I quit. I thought it would be easier to become a solo act than a possible liability to the group. I didn’t want to lose contact with you Y/N but every time I tried to reply to your texts, I couldn’t get the idea of you being disappointed in me for leaving out of my head. I went from being a member of The Horsemen to a magician for hire, which is a pretty big drop from what I used to be. I thought you’d be ashamed of me and what I’d become - a sell out who performs party tricks for a living.”
I wince internally as he repeats the words I said to him on the boat. After processing the rest of what he said, I start off by apologising. “I’m sorry I said that to you Jack. I was angry at the thought of you leaving again and lashed out. I was disappointed with your decision to leave the group, but I have never been disappointed in you as a person because you haven’t given me a reason to be. It does hurt me to think that you believe I wouldn’t want to hear from you though. I wanna know all about the highs and lows you go through, as well as every random thought that pops into your head. It would take more than some time, distance or a different career for me to change that. You’re one of my favourite people in the entire world J and I want you back in my life. So what do you say? Can we be partners in crime again?”
I’m suddenly on the receiving end of a tight hug. “I’ve missed you a lot Y/N.”
“Not as much as I’ve missed you street rat.”
After he pulls away, Jack huffs out a laugh and tells me, “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that.”
I smile before responding, “Yeah well, expect to hear it a lot more. Promise me that we’ll never go this long without speaking ever again, alright?”
“I promise.”
I can’t speak for Jack, but I immediately feel a little bit lighter after our exchange. I’ve now gotten closure on why he decided to leave as well as the lack of contact I’ve had with him and we’ve been able to get to a better place because of it.
“I started to regret walking away from you guys a couple weeks after Russia.”
Merritt’s statement causes Danny and I to look at each other before my husband says incredulously, “Wait, what?”
“Why didn’t you get in touch with us?” I ask him.
“Call it what you want - pride, stubbornness, I don’t know. Before I knew it, the weeks turned into months, which turned into years and I had talked myself out of doing it. I’d eventually accepted my fate and thought, ‘I’ve made my bed, might as well lie in it’”. I then decided to use drink to help me forget and cope with the situation I’d put myself in. That was when things started to get dark,” the mentalist replies.
Jack attempts to get him to elaborate. “How dark?”
“Dark to the point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be here anymore.”
I can hear the shock in Henley’s voice as she comments, “Merritt, you’re not saying-“
“That I was thinking of ending my life? Yes I am. Put it this way: the tarot card came at the right time.”
A sombre silence settles over us as we let his words sink in. I can’t believe that he’s been feeling like this for so long. But then again, that’s the thing about depression - you rarely know when someone is suffering from it unless they are brave enough to speak about it.
After sitting down beside him I say, “I’m so sorry Merritt. I shouldn’t have stopped trying to contact you, maybe if I didn’t you wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”
“No. Don’t think like that Y/N. I chose to isolate myself from all of you guys, so I only have myself to blame for all of this. It’s like Jacky boy said - I didn’t feel worthy of you guys anymore. Add that to the fact that all of us going our separate ways reminded me of another low point in my life involving my asshat of a brother, it didn’t make for a good mental state to be in.”
“I’m glad you didn’t do anything man. The world would be a worse place without you in it,” Jack voices.
Henley is quick to agree with him. “He’s right. It breaks my heart knowing that you’ve been going through something like this on your own. You are one of a kind Merritt and we may not have been there for you recently, but we’re definitely here for you now. Even though we haven’t spoken in years and have gone on to do our own things, it doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped caring about each other.”
The mentalist offers her a soft smile. “Thanks red.”
“I mean, I love my family and I know I made the right decision leaving when I found out that I was pregnant, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you guys too. I had some of the best and most fun moments of my life when I was a Horseman and I miss the thrill that came with performing. When I got the tarot card a few weeks ago, I was shocked but also excited that I had the opportunity to do something like this and see you all again. I haven’t exactly been great with the whole keeping in touch thing either, but I want to change that.”
Danny, who has been silent up until now, decides to speak. “The reason I was so harsh to you guys on the boat was because I felt like you all took the easy way out when things went south. We put in years of hard work to get where we were, then it was all erased when you decided to quit as soon as everything happened with Dylan. I felt so angry and betrayed that you could leave so easily, but hearing the reasons behind why you did helps me understand why you left. For the record, I’ve never thought either of you unworthy of being a Horseman. You bring things to the group that I and the others lack, which makes you valuable.”
Merritt looks to Jack and asks, “Did Danny boy just admit that we’re better than him?”
“I think the word he used was valuable,” Jack replies with a mischievous smile.
My husband tries to interject by saying, “Now hold on a second-“
“I never thought I’d see the day J. Daniel Atlas admitted to having a weakness,” Henley remarks.
“Hell hasn’t frozen over has it? Are pigs flying outside?” The mentalist jokes.
As I let out a hearty laugh at their antics Danny tells them, “You’re already making me regret being nice to you guys.”
“It’s almost as if being married to Y/N has mellowed you out.”
To that I respond, “Oh he’s still a control freak McKinney, but in an endearing way.”
“As much as I’ve missed making jokes at Atlas’s expense, I’d really like to know more about how those three kids have ended up involved in the middle of this diamond thing. Did The Eye really put them forward for this?” Merritt enquires.
I then go on to explain how Danny and I received the tarot card and the extra things with it, what we found during our research and ending on us going to the fake Horsemen’s show and meeting the trio afterwards.
“I saw a few clips online - I have to say, they did a pretty good job. Robbing a guy like that is definitely something we would do,” Henley compliments.
Jack goes on to add, “I did too. They definitely made us look good.”
“The three of them are a little rough around the edges, but I’ve got to admit that they held their own tonight, especially when you consider that they haven’t done something this big or risky before,” Danny comments.
As soon as he finishes talking, I hear a creak which is soon followed by hushed voices. Seems like we’ve got ourselves an audience.
I get up, walk to the door and when I open it, the newbies practically stumble into the room before righting themselves.
“Now what are you guys doing up past your bedtime?” Merritt remarks.
“First rule of sneaking around, don’t get caught,” Jack states.
Clearly trying to save face Bosco says, “We weren’t sneaking around.”
Henley looks unconvinced. “Really? What were you doing then?”
“Well, we were just, um-“
“Going to the bathroom,” June supplies.
After sitting down between Danny and Jack I ask, “All three of you needed to do that?”
I linger my gaze on Charlie, who looks like he’s going to break any time now. “I-I-I tried to stop them, but they wanted to listen in to you guys and-“
“Way to throw us under the bus dude,” June tells him.
“I didn’t mean to! It’s just that Y/N was looking at me really intensely, like she knew I was hiding something.”
“The ‘I smell bullshit look’. I’ve used it on my kids and husband on many occasions. Works every time,” Henley comments.
“Yeah well, we’re not kids, so maybe if you stopped treating us like we are we wouldn’t need to resort to eavesdropping,” Bosco responds.
“Ah yes, eavesdropping - the universal sign of maturity,” Danny remarks.
“Could you be any more condescending?”
“Probably.”
“Care to demonstrate, or are you saving that for a masterclass?”
Danny scoffs before snarking, “Didn’t anyone teach you to respect your elders Bozo?”
“The ones that aren’t complete dicks, sure.”
Before either one of them can get another word out I loudly state, “Alright, that’s enough you two. If you think I’m just gonna sit here and listen to you bicker like a couple of damn children for the rest of the night, you’ve got another thing coming.”
They both have the decency to look apologetic with my husband whispering, “Sorry.”
Jack then leans closer to me and mutters, “You do realise that this guy is basically Danny in a different font right?”
“As much as I love him, the last thing the world needs is another Daniel Atlas,” I whisper back, making him chuckle.
“So what happens now?” Charlie asks.
“We all get some sleep then wake up early tomorrow to think of a game plan for how we’re going to tackle this chateau business,” I answer.
“Finally something that I can get behind,” Merritt comments.
I know I’ve made the right call when I begin to feel the combination of adrenaline and energy drain from my body. The past twelve hours have been a rollercoaster: we successfully stole a multi-million dollar diamond, got reunited with three of our fellow Horsemen and reconciled with them after a much needed discussion. We may be fugitives again, but at least we’re back together and on good terms with each other.
The next step now is to find out more information about The Eye’s mission for us. We know why Veronika was chosen by them as our target but apart from stealing the Heart Diamond off her, we have no clue about how we can use it to expose her publicly and take her down. Hopefully our field trip to France will be able to provide us with some answers.
Summary: It’s time to carry out the diamond heist, but it seems the five of them aren’t the only party crashers in attendance.
Warnings: some swearing, first person POV
Word Count: 4.6 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
“You know, if you had led with a free trip to Europe on a private jet, I would’ve been on board with this way sooner,” Bosco remarks.
“How did you score something like that anyway?” June asks me.
“Well, even though we’ve been out of the game for nine years, we still have a few connections that are useful when the situation calls for it,” I answer.
The five of us are currently in Antwerp, which we travelled to on a private plane, much to the trio’s shock and pleasure. Their reactions when they found out that we weren’t flying commercial were priceless.
“You know, a little known fact about Antwerp is that-“
Danny interrupts Charlie by snarking, “Oh great, more magic trivia. This is fun.”
I elbow him not so gently in his side before telling him, “Stop that. There’s no need to be a jerk about it. Besides, I happen to be interested in what he has to say. Tell me your fact fanboy.”
“I was just going to say that they make great biscuits.”
June clearly likes the sound of that because she suggests, “Do they? Can we actually get some please?”
“On Atlas obviously,” Bosco comments.
“No. No, I’m not getting you biscuits. I just got you chocolates okay?” is my exasperated husband’s reply.
“Maybe later if we’ve got time,” I whisper to the three of them.
“I heard that Y/N. This is not a vacation okay? We have three days to prepare a trick that will make your barely passable Pepper’s Ghost trick look like a cave painting. Alright, come here.”
We all huddle around Danny as he shows us a magazine article with a picture of the very thing we’re going to steal at the top of it. “The Heart Diamond. The most valuable jewel in history and the foundation of the Vanderberg Mining Corporation. For years, the family has kept this big rock hidden inside their secret vault, seventy stories underground and not just any ground - the Arabian Desert. No one beyond their most trusted team has been inside. Access through a single elevator constantly monitored by armed guards and behind a multi-level biometric security system. The world will be watching because or the first time in half a century, that diamond is being travelled here to Antwerp, to establish credibility and to spur bidding at a private auction for the company’s latest finds in three day’s time.”
“You guys have really done your research,” Charlie comments.
I try not to be too offended as I respond, “Of course we did. You can’t attempt a heist like this without knowing as much information as you can about the target, how it’s protected as well as when and where you have the opportunity to steal it. This plan has been three weeks in the making and we’re leaving nothing to chance.”
“Obviously I’m down for stealing, but what makes this diamond so special?” June muses.
“Well, because the magical tarot card told us to June,” Bosco jokes sarcastically.
“Okay, that’s very cute. But can I please finish?” Danny asks.
“You’re not finished? Jeez, you’ve been talking forever,” June voices incredulously.
“Yes and I’m about to talk some more, so please pay attention. For decades - first Peter Vanderberg, now his daughter Veronika - have been selling these diamonds at inflated prices to arms dealers, traffickers, warlords the world over to help launder their money. The cash is dirty and in some cases it’s literally blood soaked. But then voila, it’s cleaned in exchange for these precious stones. She makes all the world’s worst people possible.”
Charlie interjects by saying, “So whoever sent that tarot card-“
“Are the few truly honourable people left in this world. The only people who still care about justice. The Eye wants us to do something that the Horsemen never could. This is a chance to drive a stake through the heart of the devil herself.”
“Let’s do it.”
******
After three days of more planning and final preparations, it’s the night of the private auction. Once I’ve finished doing my make-up, I look at my reflection in the mirror. The black floor length dress I’m wearing is gorgeous and is such a nice change from the casual clothes I’m used to wearing.
My eyes are suddenly drawn to Danny as he walks into the room looking really good in the suit he’s wearing.
He must feel my eyes on him because he meets my gaze and comments, “What? Is something wrong?”
“Quite the opposite actually. I forgot how handsome you look in a suit.”
“Not as beautiful as you look in that dress.”
I can’t help but blush at his compliment. “Thanks. I think it’s safe to say that the both of us will be the hottest party crashers at this auction tonight. I’m just going to check on the three musketeers and find out if they’re ready to go.”
When I turn towards the door, Danny gently grabs my wrist. “Hold on a second.”
Looking at him now, I can tell that something is bothering him so I ask, “What is it?”
He goes to say something, but stops himself at the last minute. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”
I take one of his hands in mine and attempt to get him to open up. “Hey. Don’t do that. Talk to me Danny please. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
After letting out a heavy sigh, he voices his thoughts. “This whole situation has got me thinking about Russia. What if this heist goes wrong and one of the kids get hurt, or worse? I still feel guilty about what happened to Dylan and not being able to stop him from getting caught and if something happened to them or you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Look, we’ve double, triple and quadruple checked every part of this plan to make sure nothing unexpected happens. Our trio will be wearing disguises when they meet Veronika, which means that she’ll have no reason to suspect foul play during her photo shoot and if it make you feel better, I’ll tell the kids that if things turn out worse than expected, to come straight back here to the safe house to make sure nothing bad happens to them and they stay out of trouble. Okay?”
“Okay. I just don’t want them to be collateral damage in all of this.”
“They won’t be because they’ve got us and we’ll make sure they get out of this heist unscathed. Besides, I don’t think we should underestimate them too much. They seem more than capable of handling themselves and looking out for each other,” I add.
What I don’t say out loud is that their dynamic also reminds me of what The Horsemen used to be like - a group that felt like a family. Seeing the three of them together is bittersweet: it’s nice to see the close bond that they share with each other, but it makes me miss the one I shared with my fellow magicians. It’s especially hard now since this is the first heist Danny and I have done without them.
I don’t dwell too long on it and instead say, “Speaking of, I better go and make sure triple trouble are all set for their debut into the big leagues. Don’t worry about tonight too much control freak - we’ve got this.”
Once I arrive outside their room I knock on the door. “Alright people, I hope you’re ready because it’s showtime.”
The door suddenly opens to reveal Charlie. “We were just- woah. You look-“
“Smoking hot,” Bosco supplies as he comes up behind him.
“Dude. What the hell?”
“I was going to say like you’ve just stepped out of a fashion magazine, but that works too,” June contributes.
I smile at her comment. “Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get all glammed up like this, plus if you’re gonna steal the most expensive diamond in the world, you’ve got to look your best. How are you guys feeling?”
I’m met with three different answers.
“Good.”
“Great.”
“Fine.”
I can sense that they’re holding back their true feelings so I tell them, “It’s okay to feel nervous you know. This is a huge step up from what you’re used to and the stakes are even higher as well. In fact… I’m nervous too.”
“What? But you’re a Horseman. You’ve done this sort of thing before,” Bosco says.
“Yes, but just because I’ve got experience doing heists doesn’t mean that I don’t still worry about the possibility of things going wrong. On that note, I want to make something clear: if this situation really goes to hell before we get the diamond and things get dangerous, I want you all to stick together, get out of there as fast as you can and come back here.”
“What about you and Atlas?” Charlie wonders.
“Don’t worry about us. All that matters is that you three stay safe. Can you do that for me?”
“But-“
“No buts. I don’t care if The Eye put you forward for this, I do not want any of you to get hurt or worse. Do we have an agreement?”
I can tell they want to argue with me but think better of it. “Alright. But only because you’re the one asking. If it was Atlas, the answer would be hell no,” Bosco remarks, which causes me to laugh.
Speak of the devil, my husband approaches the four of us and asks, “What are you laughing about?”
“Nothing important. Since everybody’s ready, let’s get this show on the road.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
Danny and I are currently in the midst of the upper class of society walking around the venue and looking at the jewels on display.
“Wow. These diamonds are definitely something else. That one is almost the size of my fist,” I mutter to Danny.
“Pity they’re going to be bought by figures in the criminal underworld,” he replies.
“If this was my auction, I’d donate a lot of the proceeds to charities that need it, not fund the people who are making the world a worse place.”
“That’s because you’ve got a big heart Y/N. Veronika on the other hand, doesn’t have one at all.”
“Well, she kinda does control freak - it’s big, sparkly and very expensive. It doesn’t give her a conscience or allow her to feel any guilt or remorse for her actions, but at least it’s pretty to look at.”
He rolls his eyes good-naturedly at my words. “I see what you did there. Hopefully we’ll be the ones in possession of it by the end of the night.”
I go to tell him that we will, but I see Veronika walking in our direction, holding court with a small number of her guests. I draw Danny’s attention to her by saying, “Rich bitch incoming.”
“Let’s go and introduce ourselves, shall we?”
After tucking my hand into the crook of his arm, we make our way towards the group. As we get closer we hear her say, “One of the great truths left is the power behind a natural gem. Real diamonds fill people with passion, as they have for centuries.”
My husband interrupts her by commenting, “That’s right. In fact, Marie Antoinette wore the Hope Diamond for a single day and a month later was dragged to the guillotine by some very, well, as you say, passionate folks.”
“Marie Antoinette didn’t die because of a diamond. She died because of a monstrous lack of empathy,” she counters.
I look the South African up and down. Perhaps she should hold up a mirror to herself before throwing around statements like that.
Vanderberg then adds, “Truth is she never even wore the Hope, people just believed she did.”
“Really? That’s kind of interesting. So it was not the mob that killed her or the guillotine, it was a story,” Danny muses.
We’ve definitely got her attention now. “I must not know my own guest list. Are you in the diamond business?”
“No, we’re in the illusion business like you. For centuries, diamonds were worthless until some very smart, very rich people like Veronika here, told us that not only are these little shards of glass rare, but that no self-respecting couple could possibly get married without one.”
I decide to contribute to the conversation by telling Veronika, “Excuse my husband and his ranting. To answer your question, our job entails making sure that people don’t get conned by others pretending to be something they’re not. Let me use parlance that you’ll understand. Diamonds like this one here,” I hold up my left hand for emphasis, “Are real - crystal clear and you can see right through them, much like people with pure intentions. Fake diamonds however are not and can be very hard to spot sometimes, but there is always a slight flaw or imperfection that gives them away. The trick is to look very closely to make sure that people don’t get fooled by them and to expose them for what they really are.”
Danny leans slightly closer to Vanderberg and utters, “The problem with the trick is, all of the good ones have a twist in the tale.”
His words cause her to look unsettled. “Is it you?”
“Is what me?”
She shakes her head before responding, “Of course not.”
“No, you wouldn’t have let us in had we not demonstrated the finest moral fibre like some of your other guests. I notice Luis Briseno the arms dealer over there and of course Maria Bortnick, when starstruck, how she manages to mingle while monopolising her state media.”
“Perhaps you’d care to reveal yourselves then we can apply the same scrutiny to you,” the South African comments.
“Not just yet. We’re sorry for interrupting.”
We walk away before she has a chance to answer, but are soon stopped by two members of security blocking our path. They let us pass after a couple of seconds as Veronika orders, “That won’t be necessary. Let them eat cake.”
Once we are far enough from her I remark, “I know what to do with her cake. I’ll take a piece and shove it up her-“
“Alright, let’s tone the violent urges down a notch and try to blend in until Bosco, June and Charlie are done,” Danny tells me.
“Okay, fine. But that’s bitch is going down.”
******
Forty five minutes after our encounter with Vanderberg, there’s still no sign of the trio. It’s making me nervous.
“They should’ve been done with the photo shoot by now,” I say to Danny.
“It’s probably just running over slightly,” he voices.
“What if it’s not? What if something bad’s happened?“
“It hasn’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, actually. Look behind you.”
Following his instruction, I see our mini-Horsemen coming toward to us. Thank god they’re okay.
“I take it everything went according to plan?” He asks them.
“Yes. We switched the case and she didn’t suspect a thing,” June comments.
I look at each of them approvingly before remarking, “Good job guys. Let’s go and cause a little trouble, shall we?”
As we all begin to spread to different parts of the room, I walk beside Charlie and ask him, “Can I get the remote for the case please, fanboy?”
He takes it out of his pocket and gives it to me. Before I walk away I tell him, “Things are about to get real for you and your friends. We do this, and you all become fugitives alongside Danny and I. Are you okay with that?”
“We knew what we were getting into when we said yes to you guys. It comes with the gig, but it’s worth it if we can stop someone from making the world more corrupt,” he responds.
I look at him with newfound respect. Despite giving him a ‘get out of jail free’ card for him and his friends he decided to stay, which very few people would do when faced with the reality of what is to come. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders Charlie. I can see why The Eye chose you. Never lose that.”
I head towards the crowd of guests in front of us, making sure that I’m close enough to the case for the remote to be in range but not so near to be spotted by Veronika.
I just get into position before she steps up onto the podium next to the covered case, gaining everyone’s attention by saying, “At last, the auction we’ve all been waiting for. If you’re here tonight, you probably think you’ve seen everything. So it is to you that I ask… everything?”
She then proceeds to pull the cover off, revealing the Heart Diamond within and draws gasps from the guests, with some moving closer to get a better look at it. “It’s not been seen in person for a quarter of a century. Still the largest diamond ever discovered - the Heart.”
Everyone claps in approval, but as it begins to die down, one person continues to do it obnoxiously, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Congratulations to all of you for getting away with it for so long. Well guess what?”
Bosco pulls open his shirt to reveal a T-shirt underneath that has a cartoon version of earth on it, accompanied by the words ‘make love, not CO2’. He then adds, “Climate change doesn’t believe in you either. You tore your fortunes from our Mother Earth, set fire to her skies in your private jets, bled her dry with your insatiable-“
While he jumps onto a table with a large ice sculpture of a diamond on it Veronika interjects, “Young man, we all want to save the world here but time is also precious and you’re wasting mine.”
“Zip it sparkles! Why don’t you stop sucking on plastic straws and suck on this?”
At the same time he pushes the sculpture off the table and gets dragged away by security, I press a button on the remote that will cause the Heart Diamond to shoot out the side of the case and a fake one to take its place on display. The theory is that June will catch it, roll it on the ground towards Charlie in amongst the broken pieces of the sculpture, then he will give it to Danny for his big moment, which should happen right about now.
Sure enough, my husband makes his presence known by stepping onto a small plinth and declaring, “Honoured guests. My name is J. Daniel Atlas. You may remember me as your personal favourite of The Horsemen. Now watch closely as I make the famous Heart Diamond appear on my palm.”
“Gee-wiz, he must be as starved as for attention as Greenpeace here. Rest assured that the diamond is completely safe,” Vanderberg remarks.
“Is it? A wise man once told me - in the mirror, in fact - never assume you’re the smartest person in the room: prove it.”
“Be my guest.”
“Alright, let’s see if we can get that case open. Uh… abracadabra. Nope. Alakazam. Wait… open sesame.”
That’s my cue to press the button that will cause one side of the glass case to slide open, which it does, much to Veronika’s surprise.
She proceeds to take the ‘jewel’ out of the case and holds it up for everyone to see. “Still safe with me.”
Pushing a third button, I watch along with everyone else in the room as it shatters in her hand, causing the room to break out into gasps of shock.
“Relax Veronika. As your ads like to remind us, diamonds are forever,” Danny comments before making the real diamond appear in his hand.
While she is escorted away by a couple members of security she shouts, “Stop him!”
I see a man cocking his gun then walking towards him. Dropping the remote on the ground, I begin to speed over to my husband but one of the waiters steps in from of him and slams a metal tray into the bad guy’s face, incapacitating him.
Arriving at Danny’s side, his mysterious saviour turns around and his identity shocks the both of us. While I’m still processing what I’m seeing he asks, “Jack? What are you doing here?”
“Saving both of your asses. You’re welcome,” he replies, then flicks a card at me.
After catching it, I see that it’s the Strength tarot card. “So you got one too. Huh,” I mutter, before giving it back to him.
We are then flanked by June and Charlie, with the former introducing herself. “Hi, I’m June.”
Jack looks at her with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. “Who’s she?”
“Sorry, she’s with us,” Danny explains.
He suddenly gets tackles from behind, which causes him to lose grip on the diamond and throw it into the air. The four of us run to get it, with Jack catching it before it hits the ground. Phew - that was a close one.
Turning our attention back to my husband, we see that he’s been slammed against a wall by Veronika’s lackey. Jack throws a card at the man’s face, causing him to let go of Danny and allowing him a chance get away.
Members of security begin to surround and close in on us, but a nearby table with a champagne tower on it catches my eye. June and Danny must have the same idea, because she grabs a couple bottles of champagne and throws them at an unlucky man, while Danny pulls the table cloth off and uses it to disguise his exit. I on the other hand grab a glass and throw the drink in another bad guy’s face. Once he’s distracted, I shove him to the ground and kick him where no man wants to be kicked.
“Take that asshole,” I say, before spotting Charlie nearby. Running up to him I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Where are the others?”
“I think they went this way. Come on!”
After catching up with them, We ambush the men who have Bosco. When he’s freed, our group makes a run for it up some stairs.
“Hurry up Y/N!” Danny shouts from ahead of me.
“Have you ever tried to run in a floor length dress and heels control freak? It’s a nightmare!”
“Okay, what now?”
“My card just said to get you out of there. I don’t know,” Jack answers.
As we all get to the landing, the pair of security guards are still in pursuit. Just before they get to us, a very familiar looking redhead appears from nowhere and hits them with a champagne bottle before kicking them down the stairs.
Charlie looks like a kid on Christmas morning. “Henley Reeves? I have so many posters of you. You’re my childhood-“
“Alright, fanboy later. But it is really nice to see you,” Danny tells her.
She shows us her High Priestess tarot card before saying, “We gotta go up,” causing us to start moving again.
The seven of us soon end up on the rooftop terrace with seemingly nowhere to go, so I ask the question that’s probably on everyone’s minds. “What’s the plan now?”
Henley turns to me and explains, “We need to get to that boat down there. There’s a zip line further up that we can use to do it.”
Before I have a chance to tell her how insane that sounds, three guards appear at the opposite end to ours and shout, “Put your hands up and don’t move!”
While they run towards us, Bosco loudly declares, “This is some bullshit!”
As soon as the words come out of his mouth, two immediately stop and start to play imaginary violins.
“What is happening?” June voices.
I can think of only one person who can make people do something like that, and Jack must come to the same conclusion as I have since he responds with, “Beethoven’s Concerto in D major.”
The final security guard is getting closer, but Merritt tries to stop him by shouting, “Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!”
Unfortunately it doesn’t work, but fortunately Jack has a mean right hook and knocks him out.
Danny is the first of us to speak to the mentalist. “Merritt? What the hell was that?”
“Atlas, I would love to see you hypnotise three dudes in Belgian.”
“You mean Flemish.”
“Okay, that explains it.”
Henley steps in from of him and remarks, “Lovely reunion, but we have to go.”
Merritt’s face lights up as he looks at her. “Henley Reeves! Welcome back! May I say, you are-“
Jack interrupts their interaction by shouting, “Okay, come on, let’s go!”
When we start moving towards the roof McKinney comments, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was paying her a compliment because it was nice to see her and only her.”
“We get it!”
After some more climbing we end up on a helicopter landing, where one is waiting on standby.
“Whoa! Is that for us?” Henley asks.
“Do you see any other people trying to escape?” Merritt counters.
We all then run towards it and go through the door, which takes us right back onto the helipad. “Who’s idea of a joke was it to put a god damn cardboard cutout of helicopter here? Not helpful at all!” I exclaim.
“What do we do now?” June muses.
“Follow me!” Henley orders.
A large and bright flash of light suddenly appears, disguising our getaway towards a different (and higher) part of the roof.
“Wow. This is… high,” Bosco states.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” Danny says.
“No! It’s just a long way to the ground from here.”
“Make sure you don’t trip then.”
“No shit.”
Henley “Okay guys, this is it. Grab a handle, take a running jump and don’t let go until you set foot on the boat. Who wants to go first?”
I decide to volunteer myself. “Me. The sooner I get off this roof, the better.”
Without giving myself time to rethink my decision, I follow her instructions and land onto the boat. The others aren’t far behind me and after the last person arrives, the wire is untied from the boat and with a signal from the redhead, we begin to move.
Now that all of the running and avoiding capture is over and done with, I feel like I can finally take a breath. Despite all of the chaos that came with it, we actually managed to steal the most expensive jewel in the world. Not only that, but Danny and I have been unexpectedly reunited with our fellow Horsemen. They all got tarot cards too and from what I’ve put together so far, their instructions seemed to have revolved around helping the five of us escape. I wonder what The Eye’s thought process is behind this - do they want us to get back together to take down Veronika? That’s definitely not going to happen, especially with the tense and awkward atmosphere currently surrounding us.
We haven’t spoken in many years and we didn’t exactly leave each other on the best of terms either. There’s a very big elephant in the room that has to be addressed, but I’m not going to be the one to initiate that conversation. One thing is for certain: this boat ride is definitely not going to be plain sailing.
Series Summary: Almost a decade has passed since The Horsemen’s last show in London. In that time, the group have split up and decided to go down different paths and do their own things. But when The Eye contacts two of its members with a new mission, it sends them to a trio of young magicians who are the key to helping them pull the heist off and bring The Horsemen back together. (sequel to An Eye For An Eye)
Summary: After watching ‘The Horsemen’ perform, Danny and Y/N meet the young adults they’ve been researching for the past few weeks.
Warnings: some swearing, first person POV
Word Count: 4.5 k
Previous Part | Series Masterlist
After two painfully slow days, it’s finally time for the both of us to go and see The Horsemen’s big ‘comeback’. I don’t know about Danny, but I’m really looking forward to it and think it will be interesting to see how they manage to pull this whole charade off.
Once we get to Bushwick, we soon notice that many others clearly have the same idea as us so we put our hoods up in order to stay under the radar. It’s not long until we find the venue because there’s a large amount of people queuing to get in and the words ‘The Horsemen’ are being projected right above it like a beacon attracting everyone to it.
As we enter the warehouse, I immediately realise that the line outside is nothing compared to the crowd in here. In fact, the whole place looks pretty full.
“I can’t believe that this many people have come to see us. Well, fake us. I would’ve thought that after being out of the public eye for nine years, people would have lost interest in us or we would be forgotten about all together,” I tell Danny.
“Seems like we’re more popular than ever,” he responds.
“I guess we are.”
We both then make our way past the bar and take the stairs nearby to the upper level - that way we can get a clear, unobstructed view of the stage and of what’s going on below us.
“So… what tricks do you think these kids will have us doing tonight?” I ask my husband.
“Well considering how this is a Horsemen show, it would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t publicly expose someone who deserves it. That’s why all of us were brought together in the first place.”
“True. Giving assholes a rude awakening was so damn satisfying. Seeing the look on their faces when they realised what we’d done? Absolutely priceless.”
“Hopefully we’ll be seeing that exact same look on Veronika’s face soon,” Danny replies.
“Yeah, here’s hoping.”
As soon as I finish speaking, the lights in the warehouse dim and a number of spotlights shine onto the stage, causing the crowd to cheer and chant, “Horsemen! Horsemen! Horsemen!”
“Looks like it’s showtime,” I mutter to him.
A fake version of Danny suddenly appears, making the audience get even louder. When they’ve settled down a bit, he begins to speak. “Did you think that we abandoned you? Or that we’d run out of magic? Well, think again ladies and gentlemen, because you are about to be amazed. If you’re here right now, then you have followed the clues and cracked the code. Congratulations, and welcome. It’s been almost ten years since The Horsemen last appeared, but we are back! So come in close. Mmm, closer. Because the more you think you see, the easier it will be to dress up old tricks and fool you that they are new. My name is J. Daniel Atlas, and allow me to speak as I often do for my less charismatic colleagues when I say… whoo! It is very good to be back!”
The crowd goes crazy at that. Faux Danny then continues talking. “Yes we vanished for a while but in the world of magic, everything that disappears, reappears. Well, at least if the trick is done right.”
He points to his right and Merritt materialises out of nowhere. “I’m Merritt McKinney. Unlike my very good buddy here, most of you checked your egos at the door tonight. You found this little underground soiree because you wanted to get fooled.”
On a platform to our left stands a perfect imitation of my best friend. Correction: ex best friend. Seeing him reopens the wound that I thought had healed years ago - god I miss him.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Jack Wilder. Wars, pandemics, climate change, AI. Let’s face it, we all need magic more than ever. So I want you to pay very close attention. You are not gonna want to miss this next trick.”
My favourite redhead then presents herself opposite him. “Henley Reeves, now Henley Reeves Stanley. Three kids, two dogs and a master’s degree. It’s been a while. Did you miss us?”
As the audience erupts into cheers and applause, a fake version of me appears to Danny’s left. “Who are we kidding? Of course you did! I’m Y/N L/N and tonight all of you are in for a treat. This show is definitely going to be a memorable one.”
It’s at that moment that something in my peripheral vision catches my eye. Looking down at the bar, I see a small group of guys that are sticking out like sore thumbs - expensive clothes, flashy watches and… is that a gold phone case?
I lightly hit Danny’s arm to get his attention. “Check those guys out,” I say before pointing them out for him.
He scoffs before remarking, “If you looked up ‘finance bros’ in the dictionary, I’m sure that a picture of them would be right next to it. They are definitely not the target audience for something like this. Unless-“
“Unless what?”
“Unless we’re looking at the people who are going to have a very big part to play in what happens next,” he muses.
“You think that they’re going to get exposed for something?”
“Yes, especially since June is currently stealing their phones.”
I quickly turn back towards the men and sure enough there she is blending into the background, sneakily removing them from their persons before making her way into the crowd.
I chuckle before commenting, “Quick, subtle and efficient. Not bad at all.”
Turning our attention back towards the stage, all five of The Horsemen are now together, with fake Danny explaining, “Each of you just received a playing card. If you wouldn’t mind pulling it out? Now we’re gonna shuffle the deck, so everybody find a random person near them and switch cards with them.”
“Then when you’ve done that, find somebody else and switch with them,” Henley adds.
The both of us watch as everyone in front of the stage follows their instruction until Danny speaks again. “Okay, great. Now… you there, down there.”
The woman he’s singled out shouts, “Me?”
“Yeah. What is your card?”
“Ace of Diamonds.”
“Ace of diamonds. Okay. Let’s make things a little more complicated here. Does anybody else here have the ace of diamonds?”
A male voice soon calls out, “Wait, it’s me. Ace of diamonds!”
“Looks like we have a sixth Horseman not named Lula,” Merritt jokes.
“Come and join us on stage, you’re gonna help us out with our trick,” I comment.
After the guy gets on stage and turns around to face the audience, Danny and I exchange knowing looks with each other. That’s not just anybody up there - it’s Bosco Laroy, another member of the trio we’ve been researching. This just got more interesting.
Merritt goes up to him and says, “Now, look into my eyes and… sleep.”
Bosco suddenly becomes limp and unconscious, causing the crowd to gasp in amazement.
“Still got it. Now, this might look like an ordinary kid to you but tonight, he is going to do extraordinary magic like a man possessed. Literally. Henley?”
“Yes Merritt?”
“Would you mind stepping inside his body?”
With a snap of his fingers, she ‘enters’ Laroy’s body.
The mentalist then asks, “Jack, why don’t you throw yourself on in there, too?”
“What I do best,” he replies before repeating what Henley did.
“Hey Y/N. Do me a favour and join the others would you?”
Fake me answers, “Of course. See you later guys,” waving to the audience before disappearing into Bosco.
“And… Oh, God help you. Atlas, why don’t you slither on inside, as well?”
After he does Merritt tells everyone, “I might as well wedge myself in there too. It takes a village to make magic.”
With one final snap of his fingers, he gets absorbed too. There are a couple seconds of silence before Bosco becomes conscious and does an imitation of my husband. “J. Daniel Atlas in the house. So, who wants to see a magic trick? Take it away Merritt.”
As the crowd cheers in approval Danny mutters, “That sounds nothing like me.”
“Well… he’s not completely wrong.”
He looks at me in disbelief. “Seriously Y/N?”
“What? He’s got a couple of your mannerisms on point and I see a little bit of your cockiness in him too, but you don’t need to worry control freak. No matter how many people may try to imitate you, you’re one of a kind.”
Speaking of the amateur impressionist, he goes on to say, “Hello, you beautiful people. Everyone knows that Merritt McKinney reads minds. Well, now, I’m him. Or he’s me. Who knows? Uh, I’m sensing someone came here tonight not to enjoy magic, but to tear it down. Is there a Brett Finnegan in the house?”
A spotlight shines down on a group of people in the middle of the crowd and what do you know, it’s the finance bros from the bar. The one with ginger hair - which I assume is Brett - is pointing at himself and looks pretty smug that he’s been singled out. It seems that Danny was right about them being included in the show. I wonder what Brett and his buddies have done to warrant our little trio’s attention.
“Now, you and your friends here set up the Camp Hobart Crypto Exchange. Took the good people of New York’s employee pension and welfare fund half its cash.”
As the audience boos, Brett attempts to justify himself. “Uh, you’re rounding up and also, the risks were laid out very clearly. Everybody knew what they were getting into, dude.”
“Did you hide the profits offshore? Account ending in 53297?”
Mr finance bro chuckles nervously while patting his pockets. “You couldn’t know that without my, uh-“
A very familiar looking phone suddenly appears in the young magician’s hand. “Oh, is this real gold? Brett, you ought to be more careful with your things man. Merritt’s a psychic but me, Jack, I’m into sleight of hand.”
He then makes three more phones appear and adds, “Ask your friends. They’ve just done their part to close the wealth gap.”
“I told you guys earlier that you’d be in for a treat and some of you are about to get one right now courtesy of me, Y/N. Now, who wants a new phone?” Laroy asks, before proceeding to throw each of them into the very eager audience.
A very angry Brett shoves through the crowd in order to get closer to the stage. “Lawyer up, dude! I’ll kick your ass!”
“Uh-oh! Someone forgot Henley can fly.”
Bosco then elevates himself off the ground to a very impressive height, much to the crowd’s pleasure. When he comes back down, all of The Horsemen reappear and he acts like he has no idea of what’s just happened.
Fake me goes on to say, “We can take it from here, but could you all please show some appreciation for our fabulous volunteer and the best addition to the Horseman we ever could have hoped for!”
As he makes his way off stage, we can see Brett attempting to get to him, but is stopped by the crowd.
Faux Danny comments, “Okay everybody, I want you to take your drink, and I want you to pour it onto the face of your card. Can you do that?”
“Those twelve unique words on each of your cards form the password to your new crypto wallet.” Jack states.
“Log on and you’ll find Brett’s stolen millions more… fairly redistributed,” Henley explains.
The woman who had the ace of diamonds earlier suddenly shouts out, “Oh my God. Fifty… fifty thousand bucks! Fifty thousand!”
As the audience cheers Brett yells, “You’re freaking done, dude!”
In response Merritt remarks, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cool your head gingerbread, because I am having a vision. Maybe cops are gonna come bursting through that door!”
“So perform a magic trick of your own and disappear in three, two, one.”
The second that fake Danny finishes speaking, The Horsemen disappear and everyone in the warehouse rushes to get out. The only exceptions are the both of us and Brett, who jumps onto the stage and walks right into a clear sheet.
Watching from the shadows, we then see him pick up one of the black boxes at the edge of the stage, an image suddenly appearing onto his shirt.
So they used projectors to bring us to life. They were small enough not to attract too much attention and the clear sheets near the back obviously helped us look three dimensional. That’s actually pretty ingenious.
“Oh my god no! No!”
I smirk at Brett’s reaction before muttering to Danny, “Looks like someone just met the consequences of his actions.”
“Yeah. He deserved it though.”
“He certainly did. Now come on, we need to beat the kids to their hideout so we can surprise them.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
We manage to get there in plenty of time and once we get to the top, the two of us are met with what looks like an empty floor but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be a curtain hiding their home from prying eyes.
After pulling it to the side, I walk into the makeshift apartment and take in everything before me: there’s a living area with mismatched couches and a number of desks situated near it with various bits and bobs on them, a life sized hologram of Danny is at the back of the space amongst what looks like a work station of sorts and there’s a kitchen opposite it complete with a breakfast bar and Coca Cola fridge. Behind it is a small set of stairs that I can only assume leads to where they sleep.
As I finish looking at my surroundings Danny comments, “You know, I expected this place to be… messier.”
I close the curtain then reply, “I’d say that it represents them very accurately - different, mismatched parts that oddly work well together.“
Walking past the poker table I decide to go to the work station, which is partially covered with a large number of books. Taking a closer look at the titles, I notice that they all revolve around magic: The Modern Conjurer, The Art of Cardistry as well as Misdirection and Sleight of Hand. Those are just the ones I see at first glance, but there’s more piled or stacked around the desk. Considering what we’ve learnt about our trio over the past few weeks, these have to be Charlie’s.
“As much as I hate to admit it, the three of them have done pretty well for themselves with this,” Danny says.
“Yeah. I mean, they’re clearly breaking some rules by living here, but you’ve got to admire their initiative. They made an empty, unused space into their home, and a nice one at that.”
I’m silent for a couple of seconds before I ask, “Do you think these kids will do the heist with us? We’ve seen how good they are at deceiving people and putting on a show, but they’ve never done anything as big as what we’ve done in the past. They will be getting thrown in at the deep end with this whole diamond thing, and I’m worried that they’ll turn us down because of it. Maybe they’ll think that it’s too big of a job for them.”
Before Danny has a chance to respond we hear the lift moving, signalling that our three potential recruits are on their way up here.
“We need to find a place to hide. Now,” he states in an urgent tone.
Quickly scanning the apartment, I come up with an idea. “Hide behind your hologram.”
“What?”
“It’s an identical replica of you and will disguise you perfectly. I’ll hide behind the pillar next to it.”
We barely get into our positions before the lift stops and we hear muffled voices, which soon become clearer as the curtain gets pushed to the side.
I stick my head out slightly and see June walk towards one of the desks, taking a couple piles of cash out of her bag and putting it in a black box before closing it and remarking, “That guy is so screwed. Who’s rich now?”
“Charlie, can you turn that thing off please? I think I’ve had enough Atlas for one night.”
I stop myself from laughing out loud at Bosco’s request by biting my lip. Oh if only he knew that he’s not gonna get away from my husband that easily.
“Bosco can you check for pizza? I’m so hungry,” June half whines.
“Me too. No pizza, but we got beer and… no, literally just beer. Any takers?”
Before either of his two friends can reply, the hologram of Danny gets shut off and the real one is revealed. “Yeah, I’ll have one.”
“Dude seriously, turn that thing off,” Bosco says.
“I did! Okay, real funny guys. Where’s the other projector?” Charlie asks.
After Danny stands in front of him he tells him, “I’m not a hologram.”
“‘I’m not a hologram’. Right. Exactly what a hologram would say,” the young magician responds before lightly touching my husband’s cheek.
I can hear the shock in his voice as reality sinks in for him. “Oh my god, you’re real.”
“Never touch my face again.”
I decide to come out from behind the pillar and remark, “Give the kid a break Danny. It’s not every day that you get to meet a Horseman in the flesh, or two for that matter.”
“Y/N L/N? No way!” June exclaims.
Charlie goes to reach for me but I stop him by placing a hand on his arm. “I’m real too, so no touching needed.”
Turning to June and Bosco I add, “Oh, and it’s Y/N Atlas now.”
“Wait. You’re married to him?” Bosco wonders.
“Yes.”
“Willingly?”
I can’t help the small chuckle that comes out of my mouth. “Also yes.”
“Why? You’re you and he’s-“
“Bosco shut up,” June mutters.
“What? it’s a genuine question,” he explains.
“Oh my god.”
Charlie grabs my attention when he starts to ramble. “I’m so sorry I thought you were a hologram. I would never do that. I’m a huge fan of yours. I can’t believe two Horsemen are standing in front of me right now. This is insane. I mean.. how did you find us?”
“I don’t know, took us about thirty seconds,” Danny tells him before sitting in the chair next to the desk.
After rolling my eyes at his exaggeration I add, “The both of us have over ten years experience of staying under the radar and being ghosts, so it wasn’t that hard to put ourselves in your shoes and discover where you lived.”
“Plus if it was this easy for us to find you, how hard would it be for the police?”
That grabs June’s attention. “Woah hold on. The police?”
“Why would the police be looking for us?” Bosco asks.
“I don’t know, what about that heist you just pulled? Or the fact that you’re squatting in this place or that your electricity comes from the circuit box in the corner? It could be anything - am I right Bozo?”
It takes everything in me to resist the urge to sigh. Of course Danny has decided to embrace his obnoxious side right now. Guess I’m going to have to make sure he doesn’t piss off these guys too much.
“It’s Bosco. Bosco Laroy.”
My husband gets up from the chair and makes his way over to him. “That’s right, Bosco Laroy. What, did you type ‘fictional magician name’ into Chat GPT?”
“It’s actually my real name Atlas. Did your mom have sex with a map?”
While Charlie and June laugh at their friend’s comeback, I attempt to hide mine behind a cough. I’m obviously not successful in doing so because I and the others receive a glare from Danny, silencing the three of us and causing Charlie to quickly mutter, “It’s not funny.”
“You don’t know anything about us dude,” Bosco says.
To that Danny replies, “Y/N and I know everything about you. The dubiously named Bosco Laroy. A promising acting career cut short by crippling student loans. It’s a bummer you had to drop out of Juilliard, but you never stopped performing. If memory serves your last paid gig, I think, was dressing as Elmo in Times Square?”
“Okay first of all, I was never Elmo. It’s the red Teletubby.”
“Po!”
Four sets of eyes focus on Charlie after his little outburst. “The red Teletubby. Her name is Po,” he explains.
“She’s my favourite one,” June discloses.
“Her name is Po. Cute,” Danny mocks, before booping Bosco on his nose.
We really should’ve had a conversation about him toning down the snark and sarcasm when dealing with these guys. Looks like I’m going to have to be the good cop to his annoying one.
Before he has a chance to say anything else that could antagonise them, I decide to intervene. I turn towards the girl and state, “June Rouclere. Going by what we’ve found out about you, it seems that you have quite the rebellious streak. You obvious weren’t a fan of boarding school since you were kicked out of every single one you attended. Honestly, I don’t know if I would’ve faired any better. The kids that go to those kinds of places can be… how can I put it? Rich spoilt assholes. I assume that’s where you got into pickpocketing - there was probably tons of expensive stuff just there for the taking.”
June looks impressed at my analysis. “There was actually.”
“What was the best thing you stole?”
“Probably a Rolex watch. No wait - a Tiffany bracelet.”
Now it’s my turn to look impressed. “Not bad. Let’s get back on topic though. After your last expulsion you ran away from home and came to New York, where you met this guy at Tanin’s Magic Shop - Charlie Gees.”
As I stand in front of him I tell him, “Cool collection of books you’ve got there by the way. You clearly know a lot about magic. In fact, you probably have way more knowledge than me on the subject.”
“Oh I don’t know about that,” is his bashful response.
“Well I do. You’ve probably got all sorts of interesting facts and information inside that head of yours fanboy.”
“Fanboy?”
“Uh huh. You know, since you went into full fanboy mode when we appeared. It was pretty adorable actually.”
Danny then interjects, “We couldn’t find a lot about you online. Although I do know you were an orphan and you were in and out of foster care your entire childhood, and that you didn’t know the meaning of family until you hooked up with these two. The three of you have been working your little Robin Hood act for years now, trying to change the world one trick at a time, all leading to your riskiest theft to date - our identities.”
“You were there?” June says incredulously.
“You had our faces plastered on every scaffolding and subway stop in the city. That’s copyright infringement by the way. Of course we were there.”
“So… what’d you think?” Bosco asks.
“Your Merritt needs work,” Danny answers.
“I knew it!”
Focusing his attention on Charlie he continues, “But overall design was impressive. That’s you I assume, the quiet guy? Textbook behind the scenes.”
“Alexander Herrmann-“
“Oh boy.”
“He said that the people who designed his tricks were the real geniuses.”
“The fact that you know that man’s name, behind the scenes clearly.”
Turning to June he comments, “Your slight of hand was advanced. Good dexterity, quick and nimble on your feet. Really, I’m impressed.”
“Stealing five phones without any of them noticing? Now that’s talent,” I add.
Going by the small smile on her face, she seems pretty happy with our feedback. “Thanks.”
“Sounds like we’re pretty great,” Laroy notes.
“You’re far from it. But maybe with a little fine tuning, you could be. I could see why The Eye sent us to you.”
After Danny and I walk to the poker table, the three young magicians are quick to follow. “I’m sorry. Did you say The Eye?”
I answer June’s question by saying, “Yeah, The Eye. How do you think we knew your names and all of your backstories? They didn’t come to us out of nowhere.”
Danny takes the Judgement tarot out of his pocket and shows it to the kids. “This card arrived at our apartment three weeks ago, along with five plane tickets and instructions hidden in the lining for a trick bigger and better than anything you have ever seen. A trick that for some reason, includes the three of you.”
“Us? Why not the other Horsemen?” Charlie asks.
“No. The other Horsemen are dead.”
While they all express their shock at his statement, I send a glare to my husband before correcting him. “They’re not dead. They’re just… look, all you need to know is that we’re not together anymore and that it’s been a very long time since we’ve last seen them.”
The excitement is clear in Charlie’s voice as he comments, “So now you need us?”
“According to that card, yes,” Danny replies.
“Well, we don’t need you, so..” Bosco voices, much to the displeasure of his two companions.
“Bosco!” they both exclaim at the same time.
“What do we need these guys for? We’re crushing it.”
“You’re crushing it? You’re stealing a little money from a crypto bro. We’re talking about big fish here man,” Danny tells him.
“Your show tonight is child’s play compared to what we’re giving you the opportunity to do here. We’re talking about something that will make a real difference,” I explain.
“I think we can catch our own fish,” Laroy states.
“Really? Alright then. Seems like The Eye made a mistake sending us to you. For whatever reason they thought you guys would be perfect for this, but they were obviously wrong if you’re passing this up. Come on Danny, we’ve already wasted enough of their time.”
As we begin to walk towards the lift Charlie pleads, “No, no, no wait! Just give us one second.”
We stop far enough away to give them some semblance of privacy, but we can still hear them talking.
Charlie wastes no time expressing his disbelief to his friend. “What are you doing? Are you out of your mind? This is Daniel and Y/N Atlas!”
“Yeah, I know who they are.”
“They’re freaking legends!”
“Y/N is, but he’s kind of a dick.”
I huff out a laugh at Bosco’s statement, much to the annoyance of Danny. “What? He’s not wrong. You were pretty hard on him,” I whisper.
We then hear June attempt to reason with him. “He is kind of a dick, but Y/N seems pretty cool. Besides, they’re Horsemen. I mean come on - just trust us on this please.”
Deciding that we’ve given the trio enough time to talk it over, the both of us head back towards them, with Danny saying, “Okay, decision time kids. What’s it gonna be? Are you in… or are you out?”
They have a silent conversation between each other before Charlie eagerly asks, “What’s the trick?”
Summary: After almost a decade of not hearing anything from The Eye, Danny and Y/N receive a very interesting piece of mail…
Warnings: first person POV
Word Count: 3.0 k
Series Masterlist
It’s crazy how one decision can alter the course of your life.
For example, if I didn’t choose to become a magician as a kid, I wouldn’t have received a tarot card years later that would set me on a path to becoming one of the world’s most famous magicians and a member of an elite secret society. I wouldn’t have met four of my favourite people in the entire world or my lovable control freak husband. But just as making one good decision can lead to some of the best things in life, all it takes is one wrong choice for it all to come crashing down - something I and the other Horsemen found out the hard way when a mission in Russia resulted in Dylan being caught, arrested and thrown in prison, which in turn caused The Horsemen to split up.
Danny and I tried our best to convince the others not to leave and that if we took some time to regroup and learn from our mistakes, we could keep carrying on doing what we do best. But it wasn’t meant to be. Fast forward nine years and we’re all doing our own things in different places far away from one another. Danny and I traveled for a while before returning to New York, where we’ve established a new normal without our friends. It’s crazy how we can go from being our own version of a family to where we are now because of one miscalculation.
Will we ever get back together? That’s a question I don’t have a definite answer to. It hasn’t stopped me from holding out hope that it could happen someday. Maybe we can get to a point where we can reconcile and be The Horsemen again.
I’m walking through the city’s downtown area when I pass a news stand and a headline on one of the gossip magazines catches my eye. Doubling back, I pick it up and go to the counter.
As I’m paying for it, the vendor looks at me suspiciously. “Do I know you? I swear I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
I respond the same way I’ve done every time I’ve found myself in this exact situation for the past nine years. “I don’t think so. Maybe you’re thinking of someone else. I’ve probably just got one of those faces.”
Before he has the chance to ask any follow up questions, I make myself scarce. Danny and I have prided ourselves on remaining invisible since the group disbanded and I don’t want anything to jeopardise that.
I walk for a while until I find a small park nearby, the perfect place to stop and read. After sitting on one of the benches, I place my bag on the ground, take out the magazine and flip to the pages that correspond to the headline that piqued my interest:
Now You See Me Now You Don’t: Where Are The Horsemen Now?
It’s been nearly a decade since the group of magicians known as The Horsemen exposed two generations of criminals in London through an unforgettable show of magic and misdirection. They left the world anticipating what they would do next and how they could top their New Year’s Eve spectacular, yet they never re-emerged.
For almost ten years one question has lingered on everyone’s lips: what happened to The Horsemen?
To some, it seems impossible that a group so infamous could stay out of the spotlight for such a long period of time. However, after months of investigation (and a few whispers from insiders in the magic world), it has become clear that The Horsemen didn’t just disappear - they scattered across the world.
Jack Wilder: Magic At Sea
Trading land for the high seas, Jack has established a solo career for himself as a cruise magician. He’s been dazzling passengers with close up magic and his signature card tricks. Wilder never stays in the same place for long though, only taking residences that last a few months before going on to the next. Jack has clearly taken advantage of the fame he achieved as part of The Horsemen and has carved out a decent living from it.
Merritt McKinney: Procrastination in Paradise
Last spotted in Mexico, the group’s mentalist seems to be living a life free from magic. According to locals, McKinney enjoys spending most of his time frequenting local bars, using alcohol to self-medicate and has seemingly given up on performing all together - a far cry from his previous life as a world famous hypnotist.
Lula May: Au Revoir Horsemen, Bonjour France
After The Horsemen’s shock split, Miss May appears to have moved to a different country for a fresh start. Swapping the States for Paris, my sources tell me that she can occasionally be seen throughout the city performing shows that include her own unique (and sometimes disturbing) brand of magic.
Henley Reeves: Life Out Of The Spotlight
Once The Horsemen resurfaced a year after their dazzling shows in Vegas, New Orleans and Queens, many were quick to note Henley’s absence. Why wasn’t she at the Octa launch with her fellow magicians? Turns out that she had chosen to forego being a Horseman in order to become a mother. In the years since, she has gotten married, had a couple more children and fully settled into suburban life. Whether she has given up on magic entirely remains to be seen, but she seems to be enjoying spending time raising and being with her family right now.
Daniel Atlas and Y/N L/N: A Couple Of Ghosts
As for the two remaining members - Daniel Atlas and Y/N L/N - their whereabouts remain a mystery. They were last spotted together in Australia around eight years ago but they’ve managed to stay incognito ever since. According to the message boards, there have been sightings of the pair in various different locations, but those haven’t been officially confirmed. Compared to the other members of the group, they have been the most quiet and elusive, doing their best to avoid detection and the spotlight.
Final Thoughts
From becoming solo acts to giving up on magic completely, The Horsemen have clearly chosen different paths for themselves in the wake of their separation. Whether a reunion is on the cards in the future is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for certain: if they do stage a comeback, you can be sure that it will be a show-stopping and amazing spectacle that will captivate the world.
Wow, this is pretty thorough and accurate. The reporter clearly knew where to look. I can’t help but feel smug that she didn’t manage to get much on Danny and I though: we really have been a pair of ghosts. It also dredges up a few unwanted feelings - sadness, anger, longing. If I had my way we would all still be together and articles like this wouldn’t exist, but everyone else had other ideas.
The sound of my phone ringing snaps me out of my thoughts. Putting the magazine down, I take it out of my bag and see that it’s Danny. After accepting the call, I don’t have the chance to say anything before he asks, “Where are you?”
“Hello to you too control freak. I’m just sitting in a park taking advantage of the sunshine. I’m actually reading-“
“I need you to come back to the apartment right now.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
“Kind of,” is his reply.
“What do you mean ‘kind of’? It either has or it hasn’t,” I say.
He sighs before telling me, “Something came through the mail for us and when I opened it up, there was- no, I don’t want to tell you like this. It would be better if you come back and see it for yourself.”
Hmm, sounds ominous. “Alright, I’m on my way. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
******
A short while later, I walk into our apartment and find Danny standing in the centre of our kitchen next to the island. “Alright, what’s this thing that you didn’t want to talk about over the phone?”
Once I reach him, I take note of the various pieces of paper on the island’s surface, one of which I’m immediately drawn to - a Judgement tarot card.
Struggling to hide my shock, I face Danny and ask, “What the hell is this? It’s got to be a joke or something right?”
“That was my first reaction too, but I don’t think it is. The last time we both got a tarot card was when we were chosen to become Horsemen, so I think we should take this one just as seriously,” he answers.
“You think that it’s The Eye getting in touch with us? After all this time?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly do they want us to do?”
Danny then goes on to explain, “I wasn’t sure at first, but it turns out that once the envelope was unfolded, there was something written on the inside of it.”
I point to a medium sized piece of paper. “Is this it?”
After he nods in response, I pick it up and begin to read the words on it. “‘Veronika Vanderberg. On the surface, she is the owner of a successful South African diamond company, but there is a darker side to her business, one which you must expose. In a few weeks, the Heart Diamond - the most expensive jewel in the world - will be on public display for the first time in decades. Your task is to steal it and use it to hold her accountable for her crimes.’ I’ve got to say, it definitely sounds interesting, but it seems a bit vague, don’t you think? We know who the target is but we don’t know why she’s been chosen, only that there’s a ‘darker side’ to her company. It also fails to mention where this Heart Diamond is going to be too. Talk about giving us the bare minimum.”
“Actually, I think the answer to that is in these,” Danny comments, before placing his hand down next to a small pile of plane tickets.
I pick them up and look at the first one, which happens to be mine. “Antwerp International Airport. Looks like we’ll be taking a trip to Belgium then. Wait. This is dated for just over three weeks time. That’s a pretty tight timescale don’t you think?”
“We’ve done a lot more in less time. Remember Macau? Anyway, that’s not the only interesting thing there. Look at the others.”
Following his instruction, I flip through the rest of them. There’s one for Danny, then the other three are for-
“Bosco Laroy, June Rouclere, Charlie Gees? Who are these people?”
“I don’t know, but The Eye sent us this envelope and everything in it for a reason, so if there are plane tickets with their names on them, then chances are-“
“They want us to recruit them for this,” I finish.
“Exactly.”
I really don’t know how to feel about this. Why bring in three strangers when we already know a handful of perfectly capable, qualified people who can help us pull everything off? It’s also a very touchy subject for my husband, but it’s better to just come out with it and rip the band aid straight off. “What about the others?”
Just as I expected, his expression hardens at my question. “No.”
“Danny-“
“It’s not happening Y/N. We haven’t spoken to them in years, what makes you think they’ll do it now?”
“We’ll never know unless we try.”
He scoffs before saying, “They made their choice when they walked away from us. Besides, why should we convince people who don’t want to be convinced? It would just be a waste of time.”
He’s got me there. If they haven’t changed their minds about becoming Horsemen again in the nine years since we’ve split up, they’re probably not going to do it now. “Alright, fine. But before we recruit these three newbies, we need to do one hell of a background check on all of them.”
“Obviously. The Eye clearly thinks they’re good enough, but we’d be stupid not to research them ourselves.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight: we’ve got a few weeks to find out as much as we can about Vanderberg, her business and our mysterious trio, try and figure out a plan on how to steal the most expensive jewel in the world without getting caught then work out how we can use it to expose her in the most public way possible.”
“That’s basically what it comes down to,“ Danny answers.
“Well then - let’s get started.”
🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨🩶✨
A couple of weeks later and we’ve got a much fuller picture of everything that we need to know. Our target Veronika is in the laundering business. Not the good kind, but the one that involves helping some of the worst criminals out there keep their money clean. As for our three strangers, they’re young adults and going by their backgrounds, we’ve got a college dropout, a runaway and an orphan. We’ve also discovered where they live (or should I say, squatting) and what sort of things they’ve been up to over the past couple of years, which have involved causing all kinds of trouble for people who have deserved it. It’s no wonder The Eye selected them - they sound like Horsemen wannabes.
I’m looking up some information on the Heart Diamond when I hear the apartment door shut and my husband comes up to me with a yellow piece of paper in his hand. “You need to see this,” he tells me before placing it on the table in front of me.
Turns out it’s a poster with all five of the original Horsemen’s faces on it with the words ‘The Horsemen, one night only, Bushwick’ written on it too.
“I saw it when I came off the subway earlier. We obviously know that a reunion isn’t happening anytime soon, so someone is clearly using our image for their own gain,” he says.
Taking another look at it, I notice that it’s missing a couple of key details. It doesn’t say when the show is going to happen or the specific location that it will take place either. I mean, if they want people to come and see it, you’d think they would advertise it properly.
Just as I’m about to voice my opinion to Danny, I notice a small QR code near one of the corners. I draw his attention to it by pointing at it and asking, “Did you try this?”
“I didn’t actually. I was more focused on the fact that our identities are basically being stolen.”
Getting my phone out of my pocket, I use my camera to scan it. A few seconds later, a page pops up telling me that I have to work out a number of clues in order to discover the date, place and time our supposed comeback will happen. Showing the screen to my husband I tell him, “Looks like we’ve got to earn our way in. Wanna help me out?”
He sits down next to me and replies, “Sure. Seems interesting.”
After spending almost fifteen minutes thinking of answers to the clues, I decide to re-read everything to make sure that we’ve not made any mistakes. Looking at the questions again, I can’t help but notice a pattern running through them.
I chuckle before murmuring, “Sneaky little delinquents.”
Turning towards Danny I add, “I don’t think that it’s just anyone who’s behind this.”
“What do you mean?” He asks.
Instead of answering him, I grab a pen and write out the first word to every question on the back of the poster, circle the first letter of each then put them in three groups of two.
“Look,” I instruct, drawing attention to what I’ve found - CG, BL, JR.
I see the exact moment everything clicks into place for him. “Charlie Gees, Bosco Laroy, June Rouclere. They included their initials in the clues.”
“Yep. They’re hiding themselves in plain sight and no one will pick up on it,” I comment.
“Looks like the kids are more intelligent than we thought.” Danny muses.
“Wow. If you’re complimenting them, they must’ve done a pretty good job,” I jokingly remark.
“That wasn’t a compliment, it was an observation. There’s a difference,” he counters.
“Say whatever you want control freak, but I know you’re secretly impressed.”
In a very obvious attempt to deflect he asks, “What do all the clues lead to?”
“Well, if we’ve done everything right-“
“Which we have.”
“Then our supposed comeback is happening in two nights time at eight pm in an abandoned warehouse in Bushwick.”
“That’s good. This is our chance to see what kind of skills they have first hand and find out if The Eye was right about them,” Danny comments.
“We can also have a little meet and greet with them afterwards and lay everything out on the table. See how they react,” I suggest.
“Good idea. Kill two birds with one stone.”
“Now it’s just a case of waiting two days until we can do it.”
With just over a week until the Vanderberg gala takes place and the Heart Diamond goes on display, this show gives us the perfect opportunity to set the first part of the plan into motion - persuade our trio to join us on our very high risk mission to steal the most expensive jewel in existence from one of the most dangerous people out there. The whole thing sounds insane, but we need their help for this. Danny and I won’t be able pull everything off by ourselves so if they turn us down, we’re screwed. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’re convincing enough that they won’t want to say no to us. I guess we’ll get our answer in a couple of days - here’s hoping that it’s the one we want.
So after five months, I have finally finished writing the series based on Now You See Me Now You Don’t (sorry it’s taken so long, but things have been busy and hectic for me recently and I’ve had very little time to write). I will post the first part tomorrow and like the previous two series, I’ll be posting a new part every three days so you don’t have to wait too long for them to come out.
So I’ve just finished Young Sherlock (which is 100% my new hyperfixation) and I really, really need some x reader fics that revolve around these three. Sherlock, Moriarty, Mycroft… I’ll take all of them to be honest
