Mask Gaze by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cloak games, nadia moran, cloak mage
Publisher: Jonathan Moeller

Chapter 4: Business Negotiations

Under other circumstances, I really would have enjoyed the ride. Motorcycle riding was one of the few things I did that could count as a hobby. It was an overcast day, so it was a bit chilly, but I had gloves and a thick coat, and I didn’t have to worry about overheating in the sun. Holding my Occlusion spell in place, I followed Stack into Milwaukee proper. He stopped at a chain motel not far from the freeway, the sort of place I had stayed at countless times over the years. Stack got out of his van and headed into the building.

An Occlusion spell wouldn’t be enough, so I released it and Cloaked instead. I pocketed my motorcycle keys, left my helmet on the seat of my bike, and started across the lot, intending to follow Stack into the motel. I kept a dozen paces behind him and walked past a parked car.

And as I did, I saw who was parked inside the car and hesitated for a half-second.

Two men sat in the front of the car, both burly and middle-aged and dressed like football coaches. One of them was smoking a cigarette, the other was playing a game on his phone. I recognized the man with the cigarette. His name was Bart Schmidt, and he worked for Arnold Brauner as a bodyguard and an occasional enforcer. You could say a lot of things about Brauner, some of them unkind, but the man wasn’t anywhere near stupid. If he realized that someone working for his rival Louis Bruno was prowling around Wisconsin, Brauner might take drastic action.

Stack could be in trouble.

I thought about it for a second, decided to change my plan, but kept following Stack.

Stack went through the lobby and into the elevator, and I trailed him. I squeezed myself into the corner of the elevator, but that proved to be unnecessary since no one else got on. Stack rode up to the third floor, and I followed him down the hall to his room. He let the door swing shut behind him, and I slipped through before it clicked closed.

The motel room was uninspiring – beige carpet, two double beds, a desk, a corner chair, and a bathroom. I darted past Stack, moving in silence, and seated myself in the corner chair, still holding the Cloak spell. Stack, for his part, put his gun and wallet on the nightstand between the bed and went to the bathroom.

He didn’t bother to close the door. Ugh. I heard more than I really wanted, and wondered what the hell he had eaten for lunch. Holding the Cloak spell was easier when I was motionless, and I took slow, deep breaths, keeping the spell up and waiting.

Stack emerged from the bathroom, buttoning up his jeans as he did. I waited until he had walked past the nightstand, past where he could easily lunge for the gun, and I dropped the Cloak spell.

“You really need to eat better.”

Once again, I had the satisfaction of seeing him flinch, this time almost jumping into the air.

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