“What’re you thinking? Computercafé?”
“No, too impermanent. I hope it’ll only take hours, but if it takes days I donotwant to be setting up and tearing down constantly. . . This’ll do.” Jo pointed at a random hotel as they passed. A golden statue of a man on a horse, flag in hand frozen mid-wave, was positioned out front, the letters HOTEL REGINA emblazoned in the same on a black plaque by the door. Five gold stars were proudly displayed belowthem.
“A hotel? I didn’t take you for moving thatquickly.”
Jo rolled her eyes at the implication. Still, after Wayne’s earlier moment of genuine. . . what would she call it? Attraction? Whatever it was, after that moment, his quirks seemed more bearable. “We can get our own room to make our commandcenter.”
The lobby was stunningly art nouveau. White and grey marble were diagonally laid in a checkered pattern under classic furniture, all polished to a mirror shine that picked up the sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains of the curving windows lining the frontwall.
Jo was given pause by the chandelier, the ironwork of the banister, the carvings inlaid at the lobby desk. She was reminded of the decadence of the mansion in the Society, but this truly felt real. There were indents in the counter from a long history of people leaning against the edge. There were scuffs on the floor, and the couches looked as if invisible people still sat inthem.
It was a place with spirit, not a place ofspirits.
“This way.” Jo walked over to the check-in counter, completely ignored by the people behind, bellhops stepping aroundthem.
“What’re you looking for?” Wayne asked. He was back to flipping his nickel, a rhythmic up and down that was almost impressive. (But she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of sayingso.)
“I just need a. . . a. . . ah.” Jo saw a side office with a halfway open door—just enough to squeeze through without needing to activate their watches. Ignoring the bolded “PRIVATE” sign that warned off the regular hotel patron, Jo helped herself into the room. “Close and lock thedoor.”
Wayne didn’t question, lifting his wrist and pushing in one of the knobs on the side of his watch. He closed the door with his back against it, presumably to avoid being seen, but his nonchalant and undeniably suggestive lean after it was locked saidotherwise.
“If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do wasask.”
“Sorry.” Jo rolled her eyes. “I was looking for some time with my firstlove.”
Jo activated her watch and felt reality come back to her in full force. She could touch things again, interact with things, and she’d never been happier to feel the clicking of keys under herfingers.
“What’re you doing?” Wayne strolled over, pocketing his nickel on the way and leaning over hershoulder.
“Just getting us aroom.”
“A room?” Wayne looked over her shoulder. “Doll, the penthouse suite is notjustaroom.”
“Didn’t you say that every now and then, you like to enjoy yourself a bit? Well, I want to stay in style.” Jo flashed him a grin. This was the life she’d always dreamed of, right? Why not? What were they going to do if they caught her? Jo doubted there was an “out of time and space” jail she could be sentto.
Wayne roared withlaughter.
“Quiet down or you’re going to get us caught!” shehissed.
“I already pulled out.” He tapped his watch. “No need to wastetime.”
“I thought we couldn’t be seen by people in the real world?” Jo could see Wayne clear as day, even though her stopwatch wasticking.
“We can’t be. But you’re not a part of, as you put it, the ‘real world’ anymore,dollface.”
“Right, magic.” Jo’s fingers tapped over the keys with renewed enthusiasm. Magic. She existed with real magic. Her mind began to whir around the possibility as her hands moved on instinct. “Almostdone. . .”
Her fingers flew over the keys and tapped the touch screen. The universe contained in binary unfolded before her. There were the familiar pathways she’d traversed before, but now, new tracks made themselves known to her. If she wanted to stall out the hotel system, it would be simple. Take down the email client they used? Child’splay.
She saw the entire framework of the hotel’s digital existence through the light of the computer screen, and knew just how to dismantle it, if she wanted, without even needing to think about it. It was that same feeling she had found in the recreation room, but this time it was out in the worlditself.
Why couldn’t she have felt this way taking down the Black Bank? If she had, she and Yuusuke wouldn’t have had to spend so much time locked down. They mighthave—
Wayne’s mouth appeared next to her ear and the husk of his voice broke through herthoughts.
“Your magic isstunning.”
Chapter 16
