Page 94 of Gathered Sparkle

God, I miss her.

And with Ace back, it’s somehow worse. It’s as though her absence has grown louder, the space she used to fill more glaring now that there’s someone here who knew her the way I did. Who bickered with her, laughed with her.

I blink hard, focusing on Ace as he gives me an encouraging smile. For a moment, it’s enough to quiet the hollow place in my chest.

“You’re doing fine.” His tone is patient but amused as I almost lose my balance again. “Relax your knees a little. If you’re stiff, it’s harder to stay steady.”

“Easy for you to say,” I mutter, trying to loosen up. “I’m one wrong move away from becoming a skid mark on this driveway.”

Ace chuckles, steadying me with a gentle grip on my elbow. “You’ll get better. We’re going to practice every day until the show. Not only the skating but also getting me outside with you. It’ll be good for both of us.”

I glance at him, his confidence calming my nerves a little. “We can’t hand them out by foot, I guess?”

“Nope,” he says, popping theP.“Not fast enough.”

I nod, biting my lip as I try to focus on keeping my balance. “Okay, but you’re going to have to break this plan down for me because I still have no idea what the hell we’re all doing.”

Ace pulls me along gently as we circle the driveway, and it’s already so much easier. “At first, Levi and Koen will kick thingsoff with some magic tricks in honor of Oscar. Something big, flashy. Exactly what he would’ve wanted. After their opening act, we’re going to trick Veronica into joining them onstage for some… interactive magic.”

“That sounds ominous,” I mutter, wobbling again, but Ace steadies me without missing a beat.

He grins. “After that, Levi has a trick planned that involves the audience. That’s where we come in, handing out decks of cards to everyone.”

“Okay, so far, so good,” I say, nodding. “Then what?”

“Once that’s done, Koen will get Belmont, Foster, and Blackwood to the front for a little hypnotism. While that’s happening, the evidence we’ve gathered will be plastered on the screens of the Lane Building.”

“The evidence on the screen outside will look impressive.”

Those things are massive and on all sides of the building.

Ace nods. “Yeah. I’ve got to admit Levi’s idea was a good one. I’d love to have the evidence plastered all around them, though. Make it inescapable.”

“What about the Heights? They don’t have screens, but Sylus said something about projectors. We could try to project it on the front of the building?”

He shakes his head. “I like the idea, but the Heights always has lights pointed at the façade in the dark. It won’t work.”

“Then we’ll put those lights out,” I say, shrugging.

Ace raises a brow. “And how do you plan to do that if Sylus wasn’t able to get access to the Heights?”

“I swiped a key card from an employee when I went in for Levi. Don’t know if it’ll get us everywhere, but we could scope it out. See how far it gets us and if we could make it to a control room. The guy I lifted it from said something about it working in the back.”

He stares at me, a mix of exasperation and admiration on his face. “That’s risky. But fuck, it would be epic.”

I smile. “Then let’s at least take a look.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Even if it’s a good idea, it won’t work. My job is to be on the rooftop at that time, breaking into the glass container and the Lambo, getting everything ready for Koen so he can jump in and drive off.”

“I could do that.”

His gaze sharpens. “No.”

“Why not? Breaking into a glass container and a car? That’s child’s play. You know I can handle it.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

“Fine, then I’ll be the one who puts the lights out in the Heights.”

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