The Fire and the Sky (Book 3 of the... - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

A confused and awkward silence filled the small office.
"This hardly seems like a time to be celebrating," Welkin sniffed.
Undeterred, Grant strode into the room and leaned against a dusty and discarded desk covered in stacks of old newspapers. "I made a few phone calls and, as luck would have it, your timing couldn't be better. Necar Devereaux is holding one of her auction galas tomorrow night and we have scored a private audience with her majesty herself."
"No way!" Lety almost fell through the door with surprise. "How did you pull that off?"
Grant gave her a lopsided grin. "Nothing gets the attention of a black market goods baroness quite like telling her you'll be in the company of the Gardeners' daughter." He pointed at May and gave her a wink. "She's very interested in meeting you, missy."
"Wait, back up," May said, frowning. "What's a black market goods baroness?"
"Necar Devereaux runs the most profitable black market auctions in the country," Lety replied. Her eyes shone with admiration. "She's ridiculously well connected — if you have something hot and pricey you want to move, she's your ticket to the best cash out."
"If Oli and Dawn found a buyer for the wishing star before they were caught, Necar would have been the one to arrange the deal," Grant added. "And if they managed to hand it off to someone else, there's a good chance she's heard something about it over the years. She's the best starting point we could ask for."
May lit up, her heart lifting with excitement and promise. "That's fantastic news! Grant, you're amazing!"
"Don't get too excited," he cautioned. "This is just the first step. It's going to be up to you to convince Necar to open up. A big part of the reason she's so well connected is she's notorious for keeping details of her buyers and sellers under tight wraps. We've got 36 hours to get you ready to win her over."
Taking a deep breath, May nodded. She had no idea what it would take to win the trust of a career criminal like Necar Deveraux, but she had to try.
Grant, sensing her worry, gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you won't have to go it alone. I'll be there every step of the way. Which reminds me, they're only letting three of us in the door. Lety, I know you'd love to be there but I'm going to need you behind the wheel."
Ever the consummate soldier, Lety didn't let the news phase her. "All good, boss."
"That leaves you two." Grant looked between Welkin and Dom. "Who's it going to be?"
Dom threw both hands up and took a step back. "As fun as this soiree sounds, the fanciest thing I've ever been on is a date, and even calling that fancy is pushing it. I'm conceding victory, good buddy." He gave a little bow to Welkin.
"If experience is the barometer of suitability then I'm afraid neither of us should be going," Welkin replied, smoothing the front of their robes with careful hands. "That said, I would like to be privy to this conversation."
"Alright, sounds like we're set." Grant stood tall with a loud clap of his hands.
"Wait," May said. "This means you weren't kidding when you said you hoped we had something nice to wear, doesn't it?"
Lety laughed. "You heard the man say it's a gala, didn't you?"
"Well then, we've got a problem. It's not like I carry a cocktail dress in my backpack," May snarked
Welkin glanced down at themself. "I am wearing every article of clothing I own."
Grant dismissed their concern with a wave. "We can take care of it. Lety, can I get you to pay a visit to our friend Yumi? See if she can set our guests up with something nice. And when you're done with that, let's get the town car shined up, the one with the white walls."
"You got it, boss." Lety flashed a thumbs up and turned to May. "Let's see, one sexy little number, size tiny."
May scowled.
"And you..." Lety placed her palm on her jaw line and drummed her fingers across her cheek as she looked Welkin over. "I have no idea what to do with you, friend."
Welkin shifted, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. "Let's go with something modest, shall we?"
"Righto, a tux it is." Lety spun on her heel and waved over her shoulder as she retreated from the room. "I'll see you cool kids later."
"Good stuff." Grant rubbed his hands together. There was a fire in his eyes. May could tell he was excited. "I've got some work to take care of. Gonna see if we can slide any of our more exclusive vehicular acquisitions on to the auction block — two birds, one stone kind of deal. We'll regroup in a bit."
He gave Dom a manly slap on the shoulder on his way out of the office. Dom watched him leave, hands shoved in his pockets. He turned to May and Welkin, his usual charmingly boyish smile firmly in place.
"Well, this sure is exciting, isn't it?"
May swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "It's something, that's for sure."
Lety wasn't gone long. Within an hour she had returned with another woman in the passenger seat of her glossy roadster. May watched them pull in and shrank as the passenger stepped out of the car.
Yumi, the woman Lety had been dispatched to fetch, exuded confidence and effortless glamor with every firmly planted step of her stilettoed feet. Pin-straight black hair hung to her waist, and when her eyes turned up to find May watching from the catwalk, her perfectly painted red lips split into a sensational smile.
"Oh, this will be fun!" Yumi trilled. Behind her, Lety was carefully withdrawing two garment bags from the back seat.
Forcing a smile, May gave a small wave and retreated into the office.
But she couldn't hide for long. Before she knew it, Lety and Yumi were blowing into the room, complete with garment bags and razor sharp smiles.
"Hello, sweetie. My name is Yumi and I'm here to dress you." With one hand she pointed a finely manicured finger at May while she reached back to Lety with the other. "We'll start with you. The suit will take longer. Lety, be a darling and fetch the mirror."
Hanging the second bag on a hook behind the door, Lety waggled her eyebrows at May before disappearing once more.
"No need to blush, sweetie," Yumi sang as she unzipped the bag in her hand with a flourish. May pressed her hands to her cheeks — she hadn't realized she had turned red. "Who knew Lety had such an eye for fashion. She picked the perfect gown for you. Let's get this on."
May's heart dropped when she saw the wisp of shimmering teal silk Yumi called a gown — there was barely anything to it. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Welkin attempting to creep away. Unfortunately for them, Yumi saw them too.
"Not so fast." She waved at the second garment bag. "We don't have time to waste. Get dressed."
Welkin blinked. "I thought I might give you both some privacy."
"Nonsense. This isn't a peepshow, darling, it's fashion."
When neither May nor Welkin budged, Yumi sighed dramatically and kicked the door shut with her heel. "Better?"
Realizing this was the best they could hope for, the two turned their backs to one another and changed out of their clothes. With Yumi's help, May stepped into her glorified slip and held her breath to hide her embarrassment. The neckline plunged in a dramatic V and the back was nonexistent, save for an intricate web work of dainty straps.
"Oh, but you wear it well," Yumi crooned, all starry-eyed. "Now these." She laid a towering pair of heels at May's feet and held her hand as she climbed into them.
As far as May could remember, the last time she had gotten dressed up was for the end of season gala held by the theater director back in her hometown of Omea and, compared to this outfit, she had looked downright chaste at that event. She glanced quickly toward Welkin, hoping to share a look of commiseration, but their back was turned. Standing in a pair of crisp slacks, Welkin reached up to the hanger for their shirt. In a quick motion, their long golden hair swung just enough to reveal a long, lean back, and the massive scar that marred its middle. May's breath hitched. She blinked, and the scar was gone, covered once more by a curtain of hair, but the memory of its shape — as if Welkin had once been rended clean through — was already seared into her mind.
A knock at the door jarred her back to the moment. Lety peeked through a crack in the door, a floor-length mirror clutched in her hands. She spotted May and her mouth split into a wicked, fanged grin.
"Lookin' good, Tiny!" she crowed, following up with a whistle.
"I hate you so much right now," May growled, teeth gritted.
Yumi tutted. "Come now, you look divine. I'll just make a few alterations and this gown will fit you like a second skin."
It only took Yumi a couple minutes of expert tugging and pinning before the dress indeed looked as though it had been made for May. No longer did she feel like she was going to slide right out of it, though she still harbored a grudge against Lety for no doubt picking the most revealing thing she could find. Turning carefully, May examined the fit and imagined what Em would say if she could see her now. She watched her cheeks grow red again in her reflection, but this time it wasn't a bad thing.
Another knock sounded at the door. Lety stepped away from Welkin, who she had been helping figure out the finer points of their tuxedo, and answered it. Grant poked his head in first and, when Yumi waved him in with an impatient hand, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"Well?" May asked as their eyes met in the mirror. "What do you think?"
Grant turned, gave Welkin a nod of approval and then looked back to May with a grin.
"I think we're ready to rock this auction, Maybe Baby."