First of Summer - 8

Chapter Eight: Bank’s Closed

“I had a real swell time, Kevin.” Gwen smiled.

“Never expect anything less when you’re with me, doll.” Kevin nodded sagely as he turned around the corner towards his speakeasy. He felt his brow arc at the sight of the rust bucket parked out front but he kept his calm. “Lookie here, seems your cousin’s watch is busted. You’re not going home for another five or six hours.”

The red-head frowned, she couldn’t believe the brunette went against his promise. And it hasn’t even been a whole day! “I don’t think I can talk to Charmcaster about my employment right now, I’ll be lucky if I still have a job.”

She felt the car lurch to a stop before Kevin draped his arm around her shoulders, “Hey, you’re with Kevin Levin. Whatever I say goes. And I say you ain’t going nowhere.”

At least not until I get what I want. He silently adds.

“Tempting offer, but I don’t take handouts.” Gwen chuckled as she pulled herself free from Kevin and alighted from the vehicle.

“It ain’t a handout, it’s an offer. I could talk to Charmcaster for you about how long you’re gonna be working for us. But...” he grinned wolfishly, “You’ll owe me.”

“Gwendolyn Tennyson don’t do debts.” She countered, “Besides, I’m more than capable of discussing the duration of my employment with Charmcaster.”

“I’ll always be available to help you out, just so’s you know.” Kevin clarified.

As they entered, they found Charmcaster seated atop the counter with a surly Ben waiting nearby.

“Aww, don’t you two just look nifty together?” Charmcaster cooed. The platinum-haired woman found it interesting that Gwen neither had the doe-eyed look of someone who’s head over heels nor the satisfied expression of someone who just had the most hedonistic time of her life. The young woman just looked like she enjoyed herself but Charmcaster knew it wouldn’t last, the red-head would prove to be like all the other conquests Kevin had. “What do you think, Ben?”

The brunette just snorted, his eyes tapering into slits at the Madame.

“What’s he doing here?” Kevin demanded while his arm slipped around Gwen’s waist, eliciting a glare from Ben and look of surprise from Gwen.

“A man with a badge sent him here to drop off some stuff. I figured that since it’s Gwen’s night off he could wait for her until she got back from sight seeing.” Charmcaster explained cheerfully.

“Night off?” Kevin narrowed his eyes in displeasure upon hearing this.

“Yes, we don’t have any Big Cheeses in tonight so we won’t be needing her magic hands to rake in the dough. Which reminds me I haven’t given you your pay yet, hun.” The platinum haired woman hopped off the counter and handed the red-head what appeared to have been an envelope not too long ago.

“And here’s a little extra, just because you have to put up with Ben and Kevin.” The older woman blew both men kisses and winked, pretending she was only teasing when she obviously meant every word. She then handed Gwen the parcel from Morningstar, there was no way she was going to serve such inferior liquor but she didn’t have the heart to pour it down the drain.

Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw the contents of both the envelope and the package but discreetly opted not to say anything. She tucked away her money and held the bottle of alcohol close to her, making note to save this for a special occasion.

All of a sudden, Rojo stumbled in from outside the shop. She looked exhausted and didn’t seem to be all there, “O-oh, sorry, didn’t see you there.” She apologized to no one in particular. When her eyes fell on Gwen, Rojo’s tired expression changed into a determined one.

Which, naturally, made the female Tennyson worried. She instinctively shrank into Kevin, not wanting to relive the close shave from when she first met the rust-haired woman. He didn’t seem to mind having her press up against him for protection, in fact he relished it. Not just because he got to see Ben look positively livid but he rather liked the idea that he was being turned to for protection.

Usually it was the other way around.

“I’m not here for a fight,” Rojo promised, “Actually I’m late ‘cuz I went out and got you something to apologize.” She produced two tickets and offered them to Gwen.

Hesitantly, Gwen plucked the scraps of card from Rojo’s outstretched hands to study the words printed. “These are tickets to Sublimino’s act?”

“The one over at the Realto?” Charmcaster asked, leaning against the counter.

“Yup, best seats in the house.” The athletic flapper nodded and forced a smile. “Show starts in an hour. You’d better skedaddle if you wanna make it on time.”

“A show does sound like a swell way to wind down from the day.” Gwen decided.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Ben declared eagerly, pulling his cousin away from Kevin.

The cousins exited the store and Kevin watched silently as they drove off. Without needing to say a word, he reached out and had the phone handed to him by Charmcaster.

“I’ve already dialed the theater owner, hun. And I believe Rojo needs to be freshened up some.” The Madame shook her head as she led the practically wilting flapper into the backroom.

                                                           -------

The drive to the Realto had been filled with excited chatter from Gwen as she recounted the day’s events to her cousin.

“So you’re saying he never made a move? Not once?” Ben almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The man Gwen described sounded nothing like the Kevin Levin he knew. “And he didn’t lose his temper and pound on someone just for looking at him funny?”

“Honestly Ben, you make him out to be some sort of monster.” She rolled her eyes.

“Just don’t drop your guard, okay? Anyway, here we what the-?” Ben gawked and stepped on the brakes harder than he intended. Car horns honked as tires skidded to avoid a collision from the suddenly parked car in the middle of the street. Not that anyone could blame the brunette if they knew the reason for his abrupt stop.

There, standing in front of the theater was Kevin Levin.

“What’s he doing here?” Ben muttered as he was hailed down by a boy wearing the Realto’s uniform.

Gwen was equally surprised and was about to feel flattered when she sternly reminded herself that there was nothing between them but the card game. And she had already paid that debt in full. So why were there so many gossamer wings beating in her stomach?

“I’ll park the car for you, Sir.” The boy offered, “The show’s about to start so please go right on in.”

Ben seemed reluctant to hand over the wheel to the attendant but Gwen had already gotten out and he didn’t want her out of his sight.

“Fancy running into you like this,” Gwen smiled up at Kevin.

“I figured since you had such a swell day, why not round it out with a darb night?” His broad shoulders rose and fell nonchalantly as a grin spread across his face.

“It would have been if you hadn’t shown up.” Ben remarked, “Come on Gwen, the kid said the show’s about to start.”

Kevin flashed a wicked smirk, “Oh didn’t the kid tell you? The show’s actually sold out but I’ve managed to call and get us some reserved seats. I did ask for three but wouldn’t you know it, only two in the center row were left. The third one’s up in the balcony.”

“I hope you brought binoculars, then.” Ben countered.

“If you two don’t stop being ridiculous I’m taking the balcony seat.” Gwen threatened, folding her arms across her chest in finality.

Both men blinked before glowering at each other. It was Ben who made a most generous offer, “You know what, it’s fine if you have the reserved seats.”

Kevin looked at the brunette in suspicion but nevertheless shrugged. He felt Gwen’s arm slip around his and saw she had done the same with her cousin.

“Much better, now let’s go in!” She beamed, not bothering to hide her excitement as she pressed forward. Arriving at the reserved seats, Ben watched as Gwen sat down with Kevin to her left and an auburn-haired young man to her right. When the two had settled, Ben took out his badge and held it to the auburn-haired individual seated beside Gwen.

“Sorry sir, I’m going to have to commandeer your seat for official police business.” He lied before gesturing up at an empty chair in the man-made alcove above them, “You are, however, free to watch from that balcony seat.”

It was a good thing Ben never explicitly stated why he needed to have that seat or that he was with Gwen. Otherwise the red-head would have buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment and humiliation.

“What are you doing?” She hissed through grit teeth.

“Watching Sublimino’s act from one of the best seats in the house.” He replied, leaning back to enjoy the show while watching out for Gwen from the corner of his eyes.

                                                            -------

The lights dimmed as a sight blinked on for mandatory applause. The audience put their hands together as the curtains rose and a spotlight focused on a small, blonde, bespectacled gentleman on the stage. He bowed, and motioned for the clapping to stop before tapping the microphone lightly to test whether or not it was on. Feedback blared throughout the theater and people cringed as they covered their ears.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, I am Sublimino and I shall be your evening’s entertainment pleasure.” Sublimino’s shrill voice echoed. “Be amazed as I show you feats that mere humans thought to be impossible! But don’t take my word for it. You can see it for yourself first hand.”

An attractive young woman walked in from stage right, pushing a tray laden with all manners of objects. Each item Sublimino used to display mind-boggling illusions ranging from escaping from a straight jacket with his legs cuffed, to saving his lovely assistant in half, to an empty vase that when a kerchief was pulled over was suddenly filled with freshly cut lilies.

Gwen sat transfixed in awe. It was one thing to read about these illusions, actually seeing it being done in front of you was another thing altogether. Wide-eyed with a child-like wonder she laughed together with the crowd and joined them as they let out a collective of ooh’s and aah’s as the bespectacled blonde did his best to reach (and hopefully surpass) the standards set by Houdini.

While the red-head cheered and clapped, the two men flanking her were bored to tears. Kevin swore if anyone ever invited him to watch another of Sublimino’s lame show, he’d saw them in half and it wouldn’t be a trick this time. Kevin just yawned, unconcerned that the diminutive performer could see him from the stage and he stretched out his arms overhead. Casually he brought his hand down and around Gwen’s shoulder, only to have it land on thin air as Ben pulled her away.

“You don’t really believe this yutz is doing magic, do you?” Ben remarked, drawing his cousin towards him in time to prevent Kevin from draping his arm around her shoulders. The brunette just smirked at the dirty glare the dark-haired man shot him.

“Of course I don’t,” Gwen chuckled, “But it’s still amazing how he can make it almost look genuine.”

For the finale, Sublimino declared, “For my next trick, I require brave souls to be my volunteers!”

Hands immediately flew up, mostly those from the younger generation including Gwen. Sublimino tapped his chin thoughtfully before pointing to a strapping young man wearing suspenders in the back then to a lanky blonde girl on the far right of the room. He spotted Gwen and recognized her from the speakeasy and was about to include her to his lineup when he caught sight of the dark glares from the two men flanking the red-head.

Swallowing thickly, the blonde showman picked the bald man behind Gwen instead and instructed all three to come up on stage. The chosen trio got on stage, waving to the crowd and to their respective friends.

“Now we begin the real show!” the performer clapped his hands and took out from his suit a pocket watch of an unusual design. There were no hands nor numbers, instead engraved on the face were strange swirling symbols that spun ever so slightly when he began to swing the timepiece like a pendulum. “I require complete silence from the audience and from my three volunteers your utter undivided attention. Look closely at my watch, never take your eyes off it.”

His usually shrill voice became smooth as he continued to feed them instructions. “Clear your minds. Focus only on the sound of my voice and the motions of my watch. Your eyes are getting heavy. When I snap my fingers, you will all be under a trance.”

At the sharp sound from Sublimino’s digits, the three volunteers’ lids fell close. “Tell me your names.” He ordered.

“Charlie.”

“Harriet.”

“John.”

“Charlie, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a boxer.” The man answered monotone.

“How about you, Harriet?”

“Hairdresser.”

“And you, John?”

“I work as a courier.”

“Well John, you are no longer a courier, you are now...” Sublimino paused before grinning, “A canary!”

The bald man’s eyes opened as he crouched low and began to whistle and trill. The audience chuckled as John hopped about the stage and they roared out in laughter when he attempted to fly and fell off the platform. He didn’t let so much as a groan; rather he gave a peep before continuing to chirp.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, what I am about to tell these two to do next should not be attempted nor repeated beyond this theater.” Sublimino began, “Miss Harriet, you are no longer a mere hairdresser, you are the world Heavyweight boxing champion! You are invincible!”

Instantly Harriet’s eyes shot open as she took on a fighting stance and even in three inch heels managed to move as smoothly as any professional boxer.

Sublimino continued, “And to prove just how invincible you are, Charlie I want you to give our heavyweight champ a punch in the stomach.”

An indignant gasp rippled throughout the audience, a man hitting a woman was known to happen behind close doors but it was a social taboo that no one spoke about. Let alone witnessed. But here they were at the edge of their seat, waiting to see how this would end.

“Don’t worry, Ladies and Gentlemen, Harriet won’t feel a thing.” The bespectacled man promised.

Gwen felt like the tension in the room would smother her and to keep her calm she gripped at Kevin’s arm as well as Ben’s. Both men felt her nails dig into their skin but neither said a word, it didn’t particularly hurt but it wasn’t a pleasant sensation either. Ben was just as uncomfortable as his cousin. Hitting a girl didn’t sit right with him even if it was all just an act. Kevin placed a reassuring hand atop of Gwen’s and gave her a light squeeze even if he himself didn’t think she had a reason to be so tense.

Because neither Ben nor Kevin would accept anything in this little sham of a show was real.

Charlie’s muscles bulged through his shirt as he flexed his arm before giving the lanky woman a good wallop right in her gut. Harriet’s three-inch heels scratched the stage floor as she was pushed back, but beyond the fact that her position had changed, she barely even flinched.

“John, Harriet and Charlie, when I clap my hands you will not remember a thing and it will be as if nothing happened to any of you.” Sublimino declared before his palms came together to wake the three from their trance.

And indeed, Harriet looked as if she had just gotten on stage as opposed to having just taken a punishing hit. Charlie didn’t even seem aware of what he had done and was wondering why everyone was giving him such indignant stares. John seemed a bit confused at suddenly being off-stage.

“Give these three a round of applause, folks!” Sublimino gestured as he bowed while his assistant helped escort the volunteers off the stage. “And that concludes our show! I’ll be here for another week, tell your friends to watch.”

The audience obliged the bespectacled performer his request before they milled out of the theater with mixed feelings. Some were utterly dumbstruck at how the magician managed to get such a lanky girl to withstand a punch. Some were scandalized over the whole thing; imagine making a man hit a woman in front of everyone?

Gwen was feeling a bit uneasy over the whole performance and tried to assure herself that it all had been an act. No one in their right mind would do something like that for real. It was all in good fun, right?

“That last bit was a real shocker, wasn’t it?” Kevin asked with a grin. He found the audience’s reaction far more amusing than the actual show.

Gwen nodded in agreement, “Sublimino certainly put on quite a convincing show.”

Ben suspiciously eyed the dark-haired man, “Why aren’t you making your way to your own car?”

“Sparks.” Kevin snapped his fingers and the driver suddenly appeared beside him. “Go get the car.”

“Soitenly, boss!” he smartly saluted as a show of open mockery for Ben before scurrying off to fetch their vehicle.

“Come on, Gwen. Let’s head back home, you look a bit tired.” Ben suggested as he got the car keys back from the attendant.

“If you noticed she’s tired why make her walk all the way to the car?” Kevin wondered aloud.

“It’s fine, Kevin. I’m used to rigorous activities.” Gwen assured him before blushing from the suggestive smirk that suddenly skittered across Kevin’s features. “A-anyway, Ben you lead the way and I’ll catch up.”

The brunette glared in warning at Kevin but reluctantly started off.

“I want to thank you for a lovely evening and for trying to get along with my cousin.” She smiled before getting on tiptoes to give Kevin a quick peck on the cheek. The apples of her cheeks blossomed red as she waved goodbye to chase after Ben.

Kevin watched Gwen’s retreating figure and he grinned, widely. He’ll have Gwen begging for more from him soon enough, not realizing there was the possibility that it would be the other way around.