Too Broke For Afterlife

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I prick up my ears and lean against the cold plastic door.

"Dude, finding her was a real struggle. She's got a new body but I felt the energy. No idea where the other ones are."

Okay, I would bet my entire life savings of 40 dollars and 28 cents on the fact that this man is the art trader and that he is talking about Isabella. 

"No, she didn't suspect a thing. Even dumber than she looks. So what now?"

Apparently the guy is listening to directions as he stays silent. Then he sighs.

"Yeah. Okay. But...yeah. No, I understand. Will do. Bye."

I guess he ended the call because now he is muttering to himself. "Motherfucker. Asshole."

So the whole auction thing was just a trap?

Now thinking about it, I guess it does make sense to eliminate him. He hasn't given away any details about Isa's new body yet. Once he does, she will be in danger again.

"Stupid cunts. Why can't I just shoot them?"

As quietly as possible, I unlock the stall and push the door open just a bit to peek out.

I can see how the man is standing with his back to me, facing the sinks and typing on his phone.

This is my chance.

I look around to find a weapon to grab. My eyes stop at a stack of tiles leaning against the wall.

Apparently, somebody has been renovating. 

Quiet like a ninja, I creep over to the stack and grab a few of the hand-sized tiles.

My heart is beating like crazy and I can taste my pulse on my tongue.

The guy is still on his phone and sighs. 

Okay Parker, now or never.

I walk up behind him and lift up the tiles until my arms are up in the air..

He must have spotted me in the mirrors as he suddenly turns around. Without second thought, I quickly smash the shit on his head.

The man doesn't even get a chance to scream as his body immediately slumps and falls to the floor like a wet sack. 

Okay, so both table lamps and tiles are great choices for incapacitating someone.

I kneel down to press my fingers against the side of his neck, searching for a heartbeat.

It's slow but it's there. He is just unconscious.

Cool. 

So...what now?

After a bit of thinking, I pull out my phone.

<<<

"You guys have to be shitting me."

I gawk at Walter and Isabella who are maneuvering an empty wheelchair over the barrier.

Both seem to struggle with lifting the weight over the metal chain. Fucking weaklings.

Once the wheelchair is back on the ground, they follow.

"What's this?" I hiss. 

"The perfect way to transport an unconscious man." Walter looks at me proudly but I just shake my head. 

Why did I even ask them for help?

That's when a security guard comes around the corner. He looks at us and immediately rushes over.

"Hey! What are you doing there? The pool is closed! Did you not see the sign?"

Great. If he comes over and checks out the bathroom...

Isabella swirls around and smiles at the tall, broad man.

"I'm sorry but my brother wanted to use the toilet. He went without his wheelchair but now can't make it back."

"But the toilets are out of order. They are being renovated. Again, read the signs!"

She sighs deeply. "Don't tell me that. I'm aware. But my brother is a bit...you know."

Wow. She really knows how to lie.

The guard seems pretty uncomfortable now, not wanting to get involved in family drama or disrespect a physically and mentally ill man. 

He takes a step back. 

"Alright but hurry up. Okay?"

"Of course, thank you."

The guard nods and leaves, but not without watching us.

Once he is gone, I quickly grab the wheelchair and pull it into the bathroom.

The man is still knocked out on the floor and I try to lift him up with Walter's help.

The unconscious guy lets out a quiet groan and I realize that time is ticking. He could wake up at any moment and once he does it's going to get ugly.

"Alright. That's done."

Walter steps back to look at what we have achieved and nods happily. "Disguise?"

Isa steps next to us and pulls out a pair of sunglasses and a base cap.

I stare at her, hardly holding back a laugh. A laugh of disbelief. 

"Okay, now it's getting ridiculous. Do you guys have a glue-on mustache as well? This stuff works in movies but not in real life!"

"We have to make it work."

She puts the glasses onto the man's nose and the cap onto his head so that it covers half his face.

"Alright, does that look convincing?" 

The three of us examine the act but I honestly don't know who we are going to fool with this. 

"Has to be good enough, I guess," is what I say and then grab the handles of the wheelchair to push it out of the bathroom. 

If anyone catches us, that's going to be the most embarrassing moment of my life. I try to change my thoughts. 

"Where is Judy?" 

"Waiting in his room."

Of course, skipping on the team activities once again.

Back at the metal chains, Walter, Isa and I have to work together to lift the wheelchair with the grown man over the barrier and slowly let them down on the other side. 

Just in time, the guard comes back. 

"You got your brother, I see." He leans down to him. "Hello Sir, this toilet is out of order."

Of course the guy doesn't answer. 

Isabella chuckles nervously. "He is asleep. So exhausted from all the walking. We will bring him to his room."

The guard scans her, probably feeling that something is off but he can't tell what it is and waves us through with a sigh. 

"Enjoy your evening then."

I grab the wheelchair and push it past him, the others following me. 

Once we are out of hearing range, I whisper: "Where did you get this wheelchair from?" 

"We saw it standing next to the bar and took it." 

I stare at Walter in disbelief. "You stole a wheelchair? Are you mental? There are security cameras every-" 

"We asked at the reception and they gave us one. No stealing." Isabella giggles, amused by my panic. "We said that ours lost a wheel."

"That's smart," I admit.

"Thanks."

We push the wheelchair through the entire outside area and I can feel eyes being glued to us. Do we really look that suspicious or am I just imagining things?

Then, we finally reach the side entrance.

Once we are inside the hotel, I sigh. "Okay, let's hurry up a bit before he wakes up. Which room?"

"Wait."

Isa ignores my request and takes her sweet time walking over to a vending machine.

I hiss. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm getting some sour worms."

"Seriously? We are kidnapping a guy and you're thinking about sour worms?"

She doesn't answer and instead puts in a dollar note and a number. But nothing happens.

"Gosh. Not again." She kicks the machine with her foot. Then she grabs and shakes it.

After that, the bag falls down and she takes it out of the slit.

"Touch them like this and they can't resist." She winks at me.

"This is not the right time for sex advice. Let's get going already."

We ride the next elevator up to floor number 4 and then start walking down the hallway. 

"So. What's up with the auction stuff?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

Walter takes out his phone and opens a notes app. He seriously had to write this down?

"The guy you beat up introduced himself to Isabella as an art trader and told us that tomorrow, at an auction in Miami, a set of gold coins will be sold. Those coins carry the symbol of a gem which led us to believe that they are the ones that got stolen."

"So we just turn up there and buy them? I heard the guy talk to someone on the phone. This is a trap, guys. They want us to come so they can catch us."

We stop in front of room number 444.

Walter turns to us.

"We already assumed that. That's why only Isabella and Judy will be going, as they are disguised. You and I will stay here and take care of the spy."

I sigh. "Thank God, I thought I'd have to attend that stupid auction and get turned into beef jerky."

Walter knocks against the door and a few seconds later it gets opened by Judy. She stares at the wheelchair.

"You gotta be shitting me."

"That's what I said too but no, they were dead serious."

Isa pushes me into the room. "And it worked.. Now, let's prepare our plan."