#nysm2imagine

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XIX

“Steal something? For this narcissistic little man-boy?” Merritt complained as the Horsemen walked down a busy road in Macau. “I don’t like it, but what I like less is you deciding for us,” he told Danny.

“Yeah? Do you like that we’re the laughing stocks of the magic world and the fugitives of the actual world?” Danny questioned him. Sutton hit his shoulder. “Walter is right. We-we have nowhere to go.”

“Yeah, but we can fix that!” Lula told him.

“We can fix it?” Sutton questioned her. “So you’re officially part of this wacky tribe that I call a family?” Jack and Merritt laughed as Danny gave her a side smirk.

“Look, even if we get this stick, he’ll never let us go,” Danny explained. “We can’t trust Walter, okay? The Eye has a history in Macau. They’re the only ones we can trust. Now, if we can get it to them, they can clear our names and get us the hell out of here. Come on.” He stepped into an old magic shop, followed by the others.

“It’s a bad plan, man,” Lula told him.

As the Horsemen entered the store, Danny, Sutton, Jack, and Lula headed for the counter. Merritt, on the other hand, took a trip around the store.

“Hey,” Danny said, ringing the desk’s bell multiple times. “Hi, how are ya? Um, we-we need some things custom made, actually by tomorrow. We’re kind of in a rush, and, uh, you-you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” he questioned as he realized the two people behind the desk were ignoring him.

The woman in the rocking chair threw something at the younger man, getting his attention. They started speaking to one another in Mandarin. The man stood, turning his attention to the four. “Welcome to Iong’s. My name’s Li, not Bruce Lee,” he sang as he let a springy snake fly at Sutton’s and Lula’s heads. Sutton squealed, moving out of the way and bumping into Danny, him grabbing her shoulders to steady her.

“Got you!” Li said. Next thing they knew, he pulled out a small light, having it fly and disappear in all kinds of ways. He seemed to have stuck it in his mouth and blow it back out, putting the light in Danny’s face.

“Oh, and now it’s by my head,” Danny complained. “How fun.”

“Twenty dollars,” Li told them. Lula complained about the price.

“No, thank you. We’re kind of in a rush,” Danny explained, only to be shushed by Li.

“Ten dollars,” Li winked.

“Uh, no way,” Sutton sneered. “You’re nuts.”

“Two for one,” Li said, pulling another one out and sticking them in Danny’s face. “One for you, the other for your girlfriend, eh?” Sutton’s face began to flush at the comment.

“Okay, just give us the thumbs, yeah?” Jack told him, noticing his best friend’s discomfort. He handed Li a ten dollar bill.

“Thanks a lot,” Danny said as he took the thumb lights. “Jack, please take these.” He handed them to Jack, who smiled and gave one to Sutton. She took it, mouthing Thank you.

“So we need a, um, Keplinger holdout, and we also need roughing fluid, a Sanada gimmick, sleeves, tracks. All in plastic, though, if you can,” Danny requested of Li.

Li turned to the older woman and began to explain what Danny said in Mandarin.

“You came up with that list in, what, half an hour?” Sutton asked.

Danny shrugged. “I have done harder things.”

Jack snickered. Danny rolled his eyes. “Same,” Sutton winked, making Lula snort.

The older woman looked at Danny and said something in Mandarin. “What?” Danny asked her as she turned back to Li. “Is there a problem?”

“My grandmother wants to know why plastic. Plastic is cheap,” Li interpreted.

“Sorry, yeah, we need plastic because we’re, um, uh, we’re going through a very sensitive metal detector. Okay?” Danny explained. “So plastic, nothing,” he motioned with his arms. “Metal, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo,” he gestured, “it detects.”

Again, the older woman replied in Mandarin, mimicking Danny’s movements. Li snickered.

“What did she say?” Sutton asked Li.

“She says, just because you are talking slowly and moving your hands, doesn’t mean she can suddenly understand English.”

Lula clicked her tongue. “Oh, yeah. So sorry, he’s racist.” 

Sutton rolled her eyes. “Not helping, Lula.”

“Uh, guys,” Merritt said, “we’ll be right back.”

“Okay, kiddies. The chaperones are watching you,” Chase stated as they left. “Don’t do anything I would enjoy.”

“Okay, have fun you two!” Danny sarcastically responded. He went over to Li, requesting to use his phone. 

Sutton glared at Danny, knowing just who he was calling. She walked over to Lula, who watched on as Jack approached Danny. The two stared as Jack let out a heavy sigh and Danny turned away from the group. Sutton hung her head, tears pricking at her eyes as she remembered what Danny did that day in the tunnel.

Lula noticed the uncomfortable tension floating in the room. “What is wrong with this thing?” she said as she stuck her fingers in a Chinese finger trap. She drew Jack’s attention to her.

“Relax, it’s just a kids toy,” Jack told her as he tried to help.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Jack apologized. As the two struggled to remove Lula’s tense fingers, Jack asked Sutton, “Is that why you broke up with him?”

Sutton hummed a response as she looked up at Jack. Jack gestured to Danny with his head. “Danny. Did you break up with him because you knew he was contacting The Eye?” Sutton looked away. Jack nodded. “I wish I could say I’m surprised, Sut, but…”

Sutton sighed. “I know, Jack. You warned me. You all did.”

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XII

It had been about a week since Lula had joined the team. They were putting the finishing touches on their plan to destroy OCTA. Sutton was still skeptical of the new addition to the team, not sure whether it was safe to get too close to Lula just yet. 

On quite a few occasions, Sutton saw Lula hitting on Jack. He would give her his signature heart-melting smile and brush her off. If only Jack knew what that was doing to Lula. Merritt, on the other hand, was doing the opposite. Much like he always did to Henley, Merritt threw little compliments and weird comments her way. Sutton would roll her eyes, laughing to herself, remembering Merritt had been out of practice for some time now. Dylan seemed to be enjoying his newest addition. He constantly had side conversations with her. It seemed Lula’s role in the heist grew each day.

Then, there was Danny. Her Danny. Sutton watched Danny closely every day, seeing as his eyes lit up every time he spoke about the heist. His lips seemed to have a permanent curl to them now. However, every night, Danny went back to their apartment, and Sutton went to Merritt and Jack’s. The feeling of not knowing what he was doing there haunted Sutton every night. Was he hurting too? Was he with someone else? Was he thinking about how to get Sutton back?

“Sut!” Jack’s voice knocked her out of her trance. “What do you think?” Sutton stared at him blankly, praying no one else would notice. Jack did and quickly saved her. “You think you can take Henley’s place in the flirting department?”

Sutton let out a heavy sigh. “Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m not sure if my flirting skills will fool anyone.”

“They always fooled me,” Danny murmured, looking up at her and giving her a side smirk. Sutton blushed, wanting so badly to kiss the smirk off his face as they held their gaze.

Lula cleared her throat, dragging Danny and Sutton’s attention from each other. “So, we’re all set, right?”

“I think we’re ready,” Dylan nodded. “Meet here bright and early tomorrow morning.” The five groaned as they left Dylan and walked out of the Horsemen Hideout.

“Hey, Sutton,” Lula peeped up, grabbing hold of her arm. Sutton spun around to face her. “It’s still early. Want to get something to eat?”

Sutton looked back at the others. “Go have a guys night. Talk about what you did before…” She trailed off, realizing what she was about to say.

Danny cleared his throat. “Yeah, okay. Have fun, Sut.” They gave her a smile, then the three of them walked off as Sutton watched.

“So, what’s your poison?” Lula asked, rubbing her hands together. “Sushi? Chinese? Italian?”

Sutton smiled. “Nah, I’m a burger and fries type of girl.”

Lula looked at her in shock. “Really? You don’t seem like it.”

Sutton sighed. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Lula.”

Lula smiled. “That’s why I want to hang out with you. I know you aren’t comfortable with me quite yet, and I get it. Danny told me it takes a bit for you to let your guard down.”

Sutton chuckled. “Danny told you that?” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her face heat up.

“He did,” Lula stated, taking note of how Sutton acted at the mention of Danny.

The pair went to a nearby restaurant and called their order in. Lula went and retrieved it, the two walking a short distance to Lula’s apartment. By the time they sat down, Sutton’s walls had started to crumble. Lula wasn’t that bad, just a little crazier than Sutton was used to.

“So, what happened with you and Danny?” Lula asked as she ate a fry.

“W-What do you mean? Sutton stuttered as she squirted ketchup in her to-go container.

“Oh, come on!” Lula laughed. “It’s pretty obvious something happened between the two of you. I mean, every time Danny talks to you, you get this look in your eyes and a goofy smile. Hell, I catch Danny full on staring at you whenever you’re doing something, especially if you’re helping Jack. He looks like he wants to tackle you and tie you down.”

Sutton bit her lip as she dipped a fry in the ketchup. “It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Lula asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she bit her burger.

Sutton contemplated her options- to tell Lula or keep her in the dark. She took a bite of her burger and decided it wasn’t fair not to tell her. “After our first show in Vegas, we slept together,” Sutton blushed, Lula’s eyes growing. “I had been falling for him for almost a year before that. Apparently, he had been too. We hid it from the others, until after our last show, when Jack and I met the others in Central Park at the-”

“Lionel Shrike Tree,” Lula stated. “Jack mentioned how it led you all into hiding.”

Sutton chuckled. “Right. Well, after we went into hiding, Danny and I were officially dating. I was living with Henley and he was living with Merritt and Jack. He would visit just about every other day, and I would visit him. When Henley left, he moved in with me.” Sutton let out a sigh. “It was amazing, to be living with him, to wake up beside him every morning.”

Lula giggled. “You were living a fairytale. You know, if thieves had such luxuries.”

Sutton smiled. “Yeah, I guess we were.”

They ate in silence for a moment, Sutton reliving the beautiful moments she had with Danny. Suddenly, Lula asked the question Sutton had been dreading.

“So, what changed between you two?”

Sutton sighed. “Let’s just say Danny did something that made me not trust him.”

“Damn,” Lula groaned. “That’s awful. You have no choice but to see him every day now. Break-ups suck.”

“It’s not really a break-up, just a break,” Sutton clarified.

“Look, Ross,” Lula joked, “it sounds to me like Danny fucked up. How can you forgive him?”

Sutton sighed. “It’s hard to understand, I know. Jack and Merritt are still confused. But, I just have this feeling that Danny is going to fix everything. He’s going to fix us.”

Lula scoffed. “Danny’s one lucky guy for you to just wait for him to somehow fix things.”

Sutton chuckled. “You just don’t know Danny like I do. No one does.” She smiled, feeling as though her heart was in the right place with her decision.

Lula shrugged. “So, tell me- Is he a control freak in the bedroom?” Sutton snorted. “Did he tie you up? I can totally see him having a kink for that!”

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XIII

After the voice told him to leave, Danny wandered through the tunnels aimlessly, trying to come up with a way to excuse his absence to Sutton. He sat down in a dry area of the tunnel. Sighing, Danny ran a hand over his face, upset with the betrayal he just committed. If Sutton were to ever find out, she would never forgive him. Was he really that desperate to perform magic that he was willing to risk losing her? Finally, he took out his phone, calling Sutton. It rang seven times before going to voicemail. Danny wasn’t even sure what he would have told Sutton if she answered.

Shaking his head, Danny stood slowly, making his exit from the tunnel. He threw his hood up as sunlight started to emerge. Again, he absentmindedly tried calling Sutton, hoping to hear her voice ask him where he was. Again, nothing. 

Danny let out a breath. His stomach responded, forcing him to go in the direction of some fast food. Danny smirked, knowing just what would make Sutton smile after how he had treated her yesterday, and hopefully soften the blow when he told her of his latest adventure. He called Sutton again, letting out a breath. Sutton’s voice didn’t come through.

Danny found a fast food restaurant, grabbing him and Sutton some food. He immediately started toward the apartment. One more time, he told himself as he called Sutton. As the phone call went to voicemail, he started up the steps to their apartment. Sighing, he ended the call as he reached the top of the stairs. He noticed their door was opened. Danny wiped his eyes to give him more clarity. As he walked into the apartment, he noticed the culprit lying on his couch.

“Oh, hi!” a woman welcomed him.

“Who are you?” Danny questioned. “What are you doing in my-”

“It’s actually a funny story,” the woman said, cutting him off. 

Danny ignored her as she began to ramble. “How did you get into my apartment?” His foot hit a trip wire. Danny watched as her set up began, ending with a blade cutting her head off. Danny nodded. “Okay. Seriously, how did you get in here? Are you some kind of crazed fan or something?” He set the food down, the smell of food now making his stomach clench. He shook his head, shaking it off. “Oh, my God. No, no, no. I recognize you. You did that-you did that B-grade, geek magic thing. You pulled a-”

“Pulled the hat out of the rabbit,” the woman’s voice cleared up for him.

“A hat out of a rabbit, that’s right.” Danny walked over toward the body. “No, it was actually kind of disgusting.”

“Well, it was way worse for the rabbit.”

“Yeah, well, your drop was obvious,” Danny told her, “and your body shell is,” he picked up a hand and watched it fall, “is flimsy.” He dropped the empty shell, picking up the couch’s compartment. “So if you wouldn’t mind crawling out from under my couch and leav-” The sound of a straw being sipped within an empty cup rang throughout the apartment.

“Ta-da!” the woman responded to his surprised look. “Now I’m sitting over here. Crazy! By the way, that rabbit thing, that was like eight years ago, okay?”

Danny shook his head, walking toward the girl and grabbing some rope as she claimed to have gotten better at her magic since then. Danny took the now empty cup from her. “Have you? Okay, come here.” He started tying her hands. “What is it you want?”

“Well, I wanted to meet you,” she admitted as she watched Danny. “Everybody, really. I wanna be part of The Eye.” Danny tied the knot tightly, looking up at her. “Okay? I said it. I do. And I wanna use my magic for good. Like you and Merritt and Jack, especially.”

Danny looked at her again. “Oh, that’s right. I know that Jack is alive. I know that he, and Sutton, faked their own deaths. I am a huge fan of faking deaths! That was crazy!” Danny finished the knot. “What is this?” the girl asked. “Trucker’s hitch? Terrible.” She took the rope off with ease, handing it back to Danny.

“Embarrassing,” she told Danny as he pulled her arms behind her back, trying again to tie them. “By the way, I’m so sorry that Henley left you. Ow! God!” she yelled as Danny pulled the rope a little too tight out of anger. He apologized. “That’s actually a little better. You know what I heard? About Henley?”

Danny rolled his eyes. He knew why Henley left. Who cares about what this freak had heard? “I heard she got tired of waiting around. She lost faith so she asked for an out, and The Eye gave it to her. But who knows, right? In matters of the heart, so difficult to tell. I mean, maybe she got sick of you. You ever think about that? Control issues. Maybe you just didn’t tie her up tight enough. Ow!”

Danny cleared his throat, tired of her talking about things she obviously didn’t know. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. Uh, you’re going to stay here and stop talking.” He made for the landline that Dylan insisted they have. “I’m going to make a phone call and in about five minutes, some people are going to-” He looked back at the girl but she was gone. 

Just then, he got a text message. He was hopeful, praying it was Sutton. Instead, it was Dylan calling a meeting for tonight. He shook his head, leaning against the counter.

“Shit,” Danny heard the one voice he wanted to hear, curse.

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter VII

Danny jumped a bit, startled by the door’s sudden closure.

“Welcome, Daniel Atlas,” a voice which sounded animatronic boomed around him. 

“Who am I speaking to?” Danny asked the voice as he walked to the center of the dark room. “I asked to see the face behind all of this.” Out of habit, he sat his phone down on the ledge of what appeared to be a bowl. Looking inside, he saw his reflection a number of times in broken pieces of glass. It was almost poetic, if he was being sentimental.

“You’ve asked many questions and registered many complaints,” the voice responded. “You can be rest assured that we’ve heard you.”

“Have you?” Danny replied, his anger starting to take over. “Because I don’t-”

“Trust?” the voice questioned. “Your leader? Your fellow Horsemen? Perhaps even us?”

Danny shook his head, knowing fully well what they were trying to do to him. “I don’t like that we’ve been living in hiding for a year. I don’t like that every message we get from Dylan is, ‘Wait! Be patient. The Eye has a plan.’”

“Wait!” the voice mocked him and Danny let out an annoyed chuckle. “Be patient. The Eye has a plan.”

“This is games,” Danny complained, “and it’s not working for me.” He turned for the door.

“You feel it is you who should be leading the Horsemen, not Dylan.” Danny froze, his body slowly turning around. “If that is what you desire, stay the course. Trust that your unique talents and remarkable mind will not go unrecognized.” Danny couldn’t help but smirk to himself.

“We have a new mission for the Horsemen. Dylan has a plan and will gather you together soon.” The lights dimmed around Danny, the only visible light coming from his phone. “Now leave.”

~~

Sutton left the tunnel, the hood of her sweatshirt wrapped tightly around her face, hiding Sutton’s delicate features from the rest of the world. Aimlessly, she began walking around New York City. The sun was just coming up when she took a seat on a bench.There she sat, alone with the one thing that scared Sutton the most- her own thoughts. What was she going to do? How could she even pretend to look at Danny like she knew nothing? Hell, she didn’t even understand why Danny would ever go behind her back to seek out The Eye.

The vibration from her phone knocked Sutton out of her trance. She wiped her eyes, unaware that tears had fallen down her face. “Hello?” Sutton sniffed.

“Bonjour, mon amour!” Henley’s voice cooed through the phone. Sutton smiled, happy to hear her cousin’s voice for the first time in days.

“Henley!” Sutton laughed through her pain. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“It’s so good to hear yours too, ma beauté.” The way Henley could speak French words almost made Sutton fall in love. “Tell me- what’s wrong?”

Sutton scrunched her eyebrows and looked around her, unsure of how Henley knew something was off. “What are you talking about? Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why did I get a frantic phone call from Jack?” Henley questioned. Sutton sighed, placing a hand on her face.

“Damn it,” Sutton whispered. “I totally forgot we were supposed to go for a run before dawn.”

“Mhm,” Henley responded, wanting more.

“It’s just been a crazy morning, Hen.” Sutton forced out a laugh.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Henley insightfully guessed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Sutton explained, “It’s just that I’m really confused.”

“It’s Danny, isn’t it?”

Sutton sighed. “Yes, but-”

“Say no more. I’m coming back.”

“What? No, Hen!” Sutton fought back. “That’s crazy. You can’t come home every time I have a problem.”

“Like hell I can’t!” Henley responded. “What did he do, Sutton? Did he cheat on you? I swear to all that is good in this world, if he did, I will cut off hi-”

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” Sutton begged her. Sighing, she said, “No, he didn’t cheat on me.”

Henley sighed. “Sutton, what happened?”

“Like I said, it’s just really confusing right now. I need to talk to Danny.”

“Okay, but if you need me-” Sutton pulled her phone away from her ear as it began to vibrate. Seeing it was Danny, she ignored it. “Got it?” Henley’s voice rang out.

“Yeah,” Sutton smiled. “You’re always there for me. Thanks, Hen.” Sutton sighed. “So, how’s Paris? Prettier than when we robbed the bank?”

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XV

“As the Horsemen like to say,” spoke an eerie voice to the audience, “magic is about controlling perception. You see them as champions of the truth, but are they, or is that just another one of their illusions?”

Sutton ran out from backstage and into the crowd, frantically searching for Jack.

“So since they clearly love secrets, let’s reveal some of theirs.” 

“Danny, everyone, get off the stage,” Dylan’s voice commanded through the earpiece. “Abort! Jack, go with them. I’ll see you at the meeting point.” Sutton’s eyes flew through the crowd. Finally, she saw him.

“Do you recall the deaths of Jack Wilder and Sutton Reeves?” 

Jack grabbed Sutton as they met in the crowd. “We need to get out of here now,” he told her, his eyes wide.

“What if I told you they’re not just alive, but they’re actually right here!”

Sutton and Jack froze, a spotlight blinding them. People in the crowd started yelling for them as photos were snapped. Sutton pulled on Jack, and they began to run.

“And do you know who else is here? The FBI! Let’s let them in, shall we?” the Horsemen heard as they reached the exit of the building, leaving the voice locked inside.

“We gotta get to the chute!” Jack yelled behind Sutton. “Go!”

“Who are those guys?” Lula shouted back.

“Who cares?” Sutton responded as she climbed a ladder behind Danny. “Come on! Keep going!”

“How the hell could this have happened?” Merritt questioned. “I thought Dylan had everything under control.”

“Yeah, apparently he didn’t,” Danny responded as they took out his headset. “You okay?” He asked Sutton.

Sutton smiled weakly. “Besides coming back from the dead in a way I didn’t want to, sure. Just peachy.” Danny gave her a side smile, brushing a few hairs out of her face.

“You know,” Merritt continued, “maybe you’re the leak, Dan. Where have you been sneaking off to?” Sutton’s eyes grew.

“Don’t do that,” Danny yelled back. “Don’t you dare for a second insinuate that I had anything to do with this.”

“I’m not insinuating anything!”

“Let’s get to the truck! Come on!” Jack yelled at the three.

They ran to the pipe they needed to take to the truck, everyone sliding in, Sutton after Jack. As they slid, Sutton heard what sounded like a voice talking to her. Suddenly, she became sleepy, then everything went black.

~~

“Ahhh!” Sutton screamed as she landed with a jolt. She sat up, seeing Jack beside her. “Oh, thank goodness. I’m not dead!” She hugged Jack who gave a light chuckle.

“But I am,” Lula complained as she pushed Danny out of the laundry bin she was sharing with him.

“What the hell is going on?” Jack asked once they all had brushed themselves off.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be a truck?” Lula questioned.

“Where the hell are we?” Danny asked.

The people in the kitchen they were somehow in started yelling in a language none of them understood. One of them grabbed Danny and Jack.

“Hey, hey!” Danny yelled. “Wait, did you misrun the tube?”

“No, I put it in the truck!” Jack confirmed. “I know I did!”

“Yeah? Because we’re really not in the truck right now.”

“Somebody must have moved the tube,” Merritt clarified. “Were we above a Chinese restaurant?” Someone stole his fedora and he grabbed it back.

Suddenly, they were all pushed out some doors, Sutton knocking into Danny who helped her stand up right.

“Okay,” Danny said, “why are we here?” Sutton grabbed Danny’s hand, fear rushing through her. He interlocked their fingers tightly, his actions pulling at Sutton’s heart as she moved to his side.

“Why am I freaking starving?” Lula questioned her stomach.

“Yeah, I’m weirdly starving too,” Jack admitted. 

“This makes no freaking sense,” Merritt stated, rushing out of the restaurant. 

Danny ran a hand over his head, trying to make sense of everything. “None of this adds up,” Sutton told him in an attempt to calm Danny down.

A lady with a sizzling plate pushed past Lula. “Sorry!” Lula apologized. “At least, and I know this isn’t much consultation, but apparently we’re now surrounded by Chinese food. Right?”

“Guys,” Merritt emerged, “I think where we are right now, they don’t refer to it as Chinese food. It’s just called… food.”

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XI

“Hi,” Danny replied sarcastically. Jack and Merritt gaped. Sutton stared at the woman, biting her lip. Danny glanced at Sutton as she leaned against the railing beside him.

“You met Lulu?” Dylan asked knowingly.

“I’ve met her,” Danny replied, fiddling with his gloves. “What is she doing here?”

“I’m the new Horseman!” Lulu told the group. Sutton’s breath caught in her throat as panic surged throughout her body. Danny placed a hand on her lower back in comfort, just as he always did, as Lulu cheered for herself. “Nobody? No excitement? Jack?” Jack glared at her.

“Dylan,” Merritt started as he turned toward the stairs, “tell me what’s going on here.” The group followed, Sutton brushing off Danny’s touch.

“Well, Lulu’s been on the underground scene for the last decade, and I think she has some real talent. I’d like to try her on stage to balance out the duo,” Dylan explained.

“What?” Jack gasped. “No, are you serious, man? After Henley left, you said I could get back on stage again, not someone who just showed up.” Sutton didn’t say a word about his comment.

“And I told you,” Dylan responded, slapping a hand to Jack’s shoulder, “I’d think about it, and I have, and I really need you behind the scenes with me for just a little while longer.”

“Dylan, come on,” Jack groaned. “I’ve been behind the scenes my whole life.”

“Which is a crime, might I add,” Lula piped up. “Have you seen that man’s face?” Jack gave her a look.

“As much as I appreciate the addition of some femininity to the group, over and above what Sutton and Ass-las provide,” Merritt insulted as each gave him a look, “I think the real issue is, we’ve been in this-”

“Yeah, the issue is that we have been rehearsing for months for something we don’t even know what it is,” Danny interjected.

“And you’re going to keep working until-”

“Until we work as a single organism. I know, I’ve heard you say that,” Danny responded cockily. Sutton smirked, biting her lip. She had missed Danny’s cocky remarks. “The thing is, when you say that, I think what you’re referring to is us.” He gestured toward his fellow Horsemen. “You know, not you.”

“Listen,” Dylan responded, obviously annoyed. “I’m getting my orders directly from The Eye. Okay? Then I give them to you. Now if you don’t like that, you’re welcome to go.”

“No, I’m not going anywhere,” Danny reassured everyone. “But I’m-I’m taking care of myself.” Sutton put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart ache. She knew Danny’s words were only said out of anger and annoyance. However, they still hurt. 

“Guys, can I just weigh in here, really quickly?” Lula asked. Sutton rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Cause I think I see what’s going on here. You guys are this amazing, tight-knit family unit and I’m a new person-”

“No, no, no,” Merritt told her. “We are anything but a family.” 

At Merritt’s words, Sutton’s head began to spin. Everyone was complaining about “me, me, me” and not even caring that they were still a “we.” She rubbed her temples, trying to block out Lula’s stupid story. Finally, she had enough. “Shut up!” Sutton erupted. “All of you! You’re all acting like idiots!” The group fell silent. 

Sutton looked around at the others, her chest heaving in anger. “Each of you is acting like you are the one and only solution to this mess we’re in,” Sutton told them. “We need each other to get through this, and you all know that.” The men looked at each other, nodding in agreement. Lula snorted a laugh.

“And you,” Sutton pointed at Lula. “You need to stop acting like an entitled bitch.” Lula gasped. Merritt and Jack let out a chuckle as Danny smirked admirently. “You do not get to come in here and act like my cousin was nothing to this team. You do not get to come in here and think you are going to take my spot, or Jack’s spot. Because, let me tell you, when we come back from the dead, it’s going to be ten times better than one of your “faking death” acts.” Lula stared at Sutton, mouth agape. Sutton heaved a heavy sigh, holding onto the table for support. She wasn’t sure where her anger had come from, but Sutton felt her body tell her it needed to be done. 

“Damn, Sutton,” Jack spoke after a minute.

Merritt clapped slowly. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, beautiful.” He took Sutton’s hand in his, giving it a kiss.

Danny was still slightly in shock. “I can’t believe those words came from your body.”

“You’ve made your point,” Dylan told Sutton, nodding. “Lula?”

Lula looked at Sutton. “I-I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess I never thought about how you would feel with me joining the Horsemen.”

Sutton nodded. “I might do 75% of the feeling for this team, but you’re all required to pitch in 5% each,” Sutton joke, cracking a smile.

Lula smirked. “You got a deal, Reeves.” She stretched her hand toward Sutton, who shook it. “Much respect for showing dominance in a very clearly male-dominated group. You scared the shit out of me!”

“That was the point,” Sutton smiled, mentally patting herself on the back.

“So, does this mean we’re actually going to do something?” Merritt asked, bringing everyone back to the sole-purpose of the meeting.

“Yes,” Dylan told them. Everyone looked at each other. Danny gave Sutton a slight smile which she returned. “You’ve all heard of OCTA and their playboy CEO Owen Case. His partner Walter Mabry died about a year ago. You wanna know what all of this has been leading to?”

“Yeah,” Lula said, grabbing something off the floor.

“OCTA’s hosting a launch of the next-gen cell phone,” Dylan explained as Lula rolled out a blank blueprint. “Once these phones hit the streets, he’ll siphon the user’s information to the black market. Meaning, OCTA’s selling privacy to up their profit. So, The Eye’s decided to expose him for it. Our mission is to high-jack the show. Rehearsals over, guys. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Now it’s time to get to work.”

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XI

Danny looked up to see Sutton standing there, caught between wanting to stay and wanting to go. Her eyes wandered the room as her fingers twiddled.

“Sutton, please,” Danny started as he ran towards her. “Please don’t go.” He took her hands in his.

Sutton looked at their hands, then up at Danny. She looked into his eyes- filled with pain and uncertainty. She cleared her throat. “Um, Danny, I should really-.”

Danny squeezed her hands, forcing Sutton to go quiet. He sighed, shaking his head. “What do you know, Sutton?” Sutton didn’t look at him. “Please. Tell me what you know and I’ll explain.”

Sutton chewed on her lip, contemplating how much to tell him. She decided on the truth. “I followed you, through those tunnels.” She looked up at Danny. He gulped. “I couldn’t get in, obviously, but I know it was The Eye, Danny.”

“Sutton, I can explain everything,” Danny told her, his voice straining through the pain. “There’s a reason why I did it- why I needed to do it.”

Sutton scoffed, tears in her eyes. “Really? You just “needed” to go behind our backs? There is no good reason for betrayal, Danny.”

“Dylan said you aren’t as focused as you once were!” Danny blurted. He breathed in heavily, relieved to have the truth finally out.

Speechless, Sutton sat down on the couch. Her face was frozen in confusion. “Why would he say that? When did he say that?” she asked Danny as he squatted in front of her, holding her hands once more.

“About a week ago,” Danny confessed, moving to his knees. “I went to see him, to explain that Jack, Merritt, and I decided to give Dylan one more month. If he couldn’t find a way for us to perform, we were going to find a way ourselves.”

“So, no one thought it would be okay to talk to me about this first?” Sutton questioned.

“Sutton, I was afraid that if we waited any longer, you would leave too,” Danny admitted. “I couldn’t risk that. I told Dylan exactly that. That’s when he said that you loved the Horsemen too much, that you caring too much would cause you to mess up in your performance.”

Sutton breathed out. “If that’s how Dylan feels, I might as well leave.”

“No, Sut. That’s why I did what I did,” Danny explained, now sitting beside her on the couch. “After I left Dylan’s that day, I received a message. It clearly was from The Eye.”

“But why, Danny?” Sutton interrupted him. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” Her eyes began to water.

Danny shook his head, ashamed of his actions. “I don’t know, Sutton. I guess I was afraid that you would just be upset that I was trying to go over Dylan’s head.”

Sutton sat, again biting her lip. She bit hard, knowing exactly what she needed to tell Danny. “I’m upset that you went over Dylan’s head, yeah, but, I feel betrayed that you went behind my back, Jack’s and Merritt’s too, to meet who you thought was The Eye. For all you know, the person behind the voice could have killed you.”

Danny scoffed. “That’s pushing it, Sutton.”

“No, it’s not!” Sutton yelled, standing up and pacing the room. “You could have exposed us, you idiot!” She took a deep breath. “Danny, I think we need a break.”

“W-what?” Danny stuttered, standing up and moving toward Sutton. “Sutton, you don’t mean that. You’re just angry.”

“Yeah, I do mean it, Danny,” Sutton admitted. “I saw that text message the other morning. I thought you were cheating on me. Can you believe it?” Sutton scoffed. “Honestly, I wish you had been, because this feels so much worse.” Sutton walked to their bedroom, pulling out her backpack and throwing clothing into it.

“Sutton, please,” Danny pleaded with her. “I messed up. I admitted to it. What else can I do?”

Sutton rolled her eyes. “You know how I feel about liars, Danny. Start telling the truth. Every chance you get. With me. With Merritt. With Jack. Hell, even with Dylan. Until you can do that, I can’t be with you. I can’t be with someone I can’t trust.” Sutton zipped up her backpack. “I’ll see you at the Hideout tonight.”

“Where are you going?” Danny asked, his voice cracking. “Merritt and Jack’s?”

Sutton sighed, her hand on the apartment door. “I don’t know, Danny.”

With that, she left. Danny’s knees hit the hardwood floor. His breath caught in his chest, a sharp pain erupting within his heart. “She’s gone,” Danny croaked. He felt his breathing go ragid. Suddenly, he felt hot tears rolling down his face. Danny’s greatest fear was coming to life, and he helped it grow into a reality by betraying the woman he loved in the worst way possible.

~~

Sutton breathed heavily as she stood in front of the door. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Despite her fears, she lifted her fist to the door and pounded.

“What the hell is with people-” The door swung open and there stood Dylan. “Sutton? What are you doing here?” He stood to the side, allowing her space to walk inside.

“Not much,” she said, her voice obviously still off from her encounter with Danny. She sat down on the couch as Dylan took a seat opposite of her.

Dylan studied her for a moment. He sighed. “What happened with you and Danny?”

“A lot, actually,” Sutton admitted. “However, it all seems to have stemmed from something you told him.”

“Me?” Dylan gasped. “What did I do?”

Sutton huffed. “Dylan, you know I hate confrontation. It’s the last thing I ever want,” she admitted. “But what Danny told me you said, well, it hurt. And if I don’t get to the bottom of this, I might just leave.”

“Sutton, this is crazy!” Dylan shouted.

“Danny told me you think I will lose focus,” Sutton told him. Dylan looked at her, his face contorting. “He said you think I care too much which will end up affecting my performance.”

“Sutton, I didn’t mean it how it sounds,” Dylan said. “I just meant that sometimes a big heart gets you into some big trouble, especially in this line of work.”

Sutton bit her lip. “Maybe you’re right,” she told him. Sutton cleared her throat. “Danny and I are taking a break.” Dylan’s eyes grew. “Don’t worry- I’m not leaving the Horsemen over something like this. I’m just taking a break to see if I can trust Danny again. I’ve challenged him to become the best version of himself. I know he will fix us.” Sutton side-smiled at her own words. She was starting to believe it, because she believed in Danny’s love for her.