Looting the 13th floor 2, p.25
Looting the 13th Floor 2, page 25
part #2 of Looting the 13th Floor Series
“Okay,” I said as I stared at the mountain of boxes, bags, and produce. “Let’s check out and get home with all this.”
“It is too heavy,” Cleo grunted as she tried to push the cart. “Hobble would be very useful in here.”
“I’ll take it,” I said with a snort. “Hobble would definitely draw way too much attention in here.”
I had to put all my effort into pushing the cart to the register, and we piled our haul onto the conveyor belt. The girl behind the counter barely acknowledged us as she started to scan, and a young guy helped us bag everything up while the girls observed him as intently as their crime shows.
For a while, they stood perfectly still while their eyes flicked back and forth as each item was snatched and deposited in a bag, but I could tell by the gradual narrowing of Cleo’s eyes that she was trying to work out whether this bagger was a servant or a thief. Kali just seemed to be taking mental notes in case I ever asked her to put shit into bags for me, and she nodded happily when the guy put the squishiest produce on top of the heavier ones.
“Very smart,” I heard her whisper.
It was the biggest grocery trip I had ever made in my life, and I had an initial reaction of shock when the total rang up at just under two hundred dollars. Then I reminded myself that it was barely even pocket change as I swiped my card, and I felt that rush of adrenaline that I got every time I spent a chunk of money.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
“There is sooo much!” Kali gasped as we left the register, but Cleo made a point of quickly inserting herself between the bagger and our cart as if she thought he might sprint away with it any second. “I can’t wait to get cooking!”
“Me, neither.” I smiled at the nymph, and she did a little hop-skip as she giggled in response.
We waited for another cab to pull up, and the bags barely fit inside the trunk and spare seats. The girls discussed the grocery store for the whole journey home, and the driver must have been confused why they were so excited about the yogurt section of a Whole Foods.
We struggled to carry all the bags when we arrived back home, but we managed to haul everything up the stairwell with only a few handles breaking.
“Okay,” I grunted as I dumped the bags on the ground. “Let’s get cooking!”
“Did we definitely get it all?” Kali asked excitedly as she rummaged through all the bags.
“Yup” I chuckled. “We’ve got everything we need to make the world’s best carbonara.”
Kali muttered the list of ingredients she had memorized as she pulled them out of the bags and set them down on the countertop.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s give this a try.”
“I will watch,” Cleo said as she picked out a bag of chips and headed for the sofa. “There is not much room for all of us, and I like to eat food more than make it.”
“Sounds good,” I chuckled. “The chefs will rustle some delicious pasta up for you, my queen.”
Kali bounced up and down as I pulled up the recipe video to watch again. We let it play a couple of times as she scrunched her face adorably in concentration, and I was tempted to tell her there wouldn’t be a quiz afterward, but I was enjoying watching her too much to interrupt.
“Ready?” I asked after our fourth view.
“I think so.” Kali nodded. “We will need to be so careful. There are so many steps!”
I showed her how the stovetop worked first, and I let her slice the meat before she threw it in the pan. The nymph did everything meticulously, and she rewatched every step of the video several more times to make sure she was doing it all right.
Cleo munched chips on the sofa as she watched, and she cheered every time Kali added something to the sauce.
“You are already the best chef I have ever seen,” the cat-girl praised her.
“Oh, absolutely,” I agreed, and Kali squealed as she shimmied her ass in the most distracting way possible.
I was officially a fan of cooking classes now.
Bustling around the kitchen with the nymph was more fun than I had ever had cooking before. The way her eyebrows knitted together when she focused was way too adorable, and she kept muttering the steps to herself that she had heard in the video. Then she’d look at me with big, questioning eyes before risking a single move, and I’d nod my approval before she carried on.
“This is so much fun,” she said as the pasta boiled. “I love cooking! Liam, thank you so much for helping me!”
“It’s great.” I grinned. “But it’s really the woman in the video you should thank. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, either.”
“No, this is so fun because you’re here with me,” she giggled. “I feel as if I could do anything with you by my side, Liam…”
I swallowed hard as she fluttered her eyelashes at me, and I realized I was the one blushing this time.
We eventually had all the cooked ingredients of our pasta dish prepared, and I handed Kali three bowls to serve.
“Chef Kali,” I said with an over-the-top bow. “Would you like to plate up for your diners?”
“I’m nervous,” she squealed. “What if it doesn’t taste good?”
“Then we have lots of other food,” I said. “But I have a feeling it’s going to be great. It smells fantastic.”
It really did smell and look the way it was supposed to, and Kali took her time scooping it delicately into our bowls. She made sure each one was plated beautifully as I showed her how the pepper grinder worked, and I realized her servings really did look like photocopies of the video.
“It’s done,” she said with flushed cheeks. “Shall we try it? Oh, I’m so nervous.”
We went over to the sofa and handed Cleo her serving as we sat down. Kali stared at her pasta with a worried expression, but I boldly twirled some onto my fork.
“Let’s try this out,” I said, and we dug into our meal.
It was a pretty decent carbonara, and I nodded approvingly at Kali.
“My compliments to the chef,” I said. “It’s great.”
“Very tasty,” Cleo agreed as she slurped up her pasta.
“It’s perfect!” Kali yelled. “Oh, my goodness! I made this! Liam, can you believe it?”
She stared down at her bowl as if it was an invaluable treasure, and her blue eyes welled with tears.
“You okay?” I asked as I put a hand on her knee.
“I’m so happy!” Kali sniffed. “How can I ever thank you, Liam?”
I could think of a few ways I would love gratitude from the nymph, but her happiness was enough of a reward for now.
“Just enjoy it,” I chuckled. “You’re an expert now, at least at this recipe. Now you just have to cook a few hundred more dishes, and you’ll be an expert chef.”
“I’m sooo happy,” Kali sighed as she stared at her food. “This life is better than anything I ever could have dreamed of. And I can cook!”
“All thanks to our outlaw king,” Cleo purred.
“Oh, yeah, I am the special ingredient,” I snorted sarcastically, but Kali nodded in vigorous agreement.
“Yes, you are the best of all the ingredients we worked with,” she assured me.
My phone buzzed, and I put my bowl on the table before I pulled my cell out. I saw Lidia’s name flash up on the screen before I hit the receive button to take her call.
“Hey there,” I said. “Is the paperwork all okay?”
“Liam,” the real estate agent chirped. “Yes, I was just calling to say that everything is finalized. The apartment is officially yours, and you can pick up your keys from the receptionist whenever you like. I just dropped them off, so you can head in tonight if you want to.”
Another rush of adrenaline surged through my veins. My new apartment was officially mine, and this crappy apartment was no longer home.
It was time to move into the penthouse.
Chapter 16
I couldn’t wipe the huge grin off my face as I hung up the phone, and the girls looked at me curiously as they ate their pasta.
“It’s ready,” I said. “The penthouse is officially ours.”
“The big house?” Cleo gasped. “Can we go and live there now?”
“Sure can,” I said. “Let’s finish up our food and head over right away. I can’t fucking wait to start making myself at home there. No more cramped rooms and rats.”
“Oooh, this is wonderful,” Kali said as her wings fluttered. “Our first night in the fancy home! This day couldn’t get any better!”
“And we have the perfect meal to celebrate,” I said.
The nymph swelled with pride as her cheeks flushed pink, and we finished up our food before we got up and started to pack. I wasn’t overly worried about getting anything organized just yet since I still had the crappy apartment for another two months. It was actually really helpful to have that overlap of time for us to get our shit together. If I had a car soon, then we probably wouldn’t even need movers. There wasn’t any furniture that belonged to me, so it was just clothes and keepsakes that were coming.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I shoved clothes into a bag, and the girls carefully placed their new jewelry into satchels. Kali made sure to neatly fold each item of clothing she took, and Cleo threw things into her bag at random as her tail swished back and forth. We packed a bunch of the snack food we had bought so the cupboards would be stocked, and I collected some blankets and pillows for us to sleep with while Cleo brought over some fresh towels.
“I want to use the big shower when we get there,” she said. “What else should we take?”
“I think we’ve got it all,” I said as I glanced down at our pile. “We only need to pack for tonight, and whatever we want to take for the heist tomorrow.”
“I have our adventure clothes,” Cleo purred.
“Awesome,” I said. “In that case, I think we might be ready! I’ll get us a cab.”
I ordered a car on my cell, and the girls helped me carry the blankets and bags down the dirty stairwell. It didn’t feel real that I wouldn’t have to sleep in the crappy apartment ever again. There was a weird nostalgia to it, but I was not going to miss the cramped rooms and smelly steps. My boot landed on something sticky just to remind me how much further I was moving up in the world.
The evening air was warm as we stepped outside and waited on the sidewalk with our overnight supplies. Kali’s face glowed as she clutched a pillow that was almost as big as her, and Cleo purred happily as she leaned against me.
“I still can’t believe I cooked,” the nymph said with a little squeal. “There will be so many things I can make in the big kitchen! Bigger kitchens must mean much bigger projects for food.”
“Our own private chef,” I chuckled. “We’ll never need to order takeout again.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kali giggled. “But I can certainly make some meals throughout the week for us! I want to learn every human recipe there is.”
“That might take a while.” I smiled. “But I fully believe you’re up to the challenge.”
The cab headlights flashed as the car pulled up, and we piled our supplies into the trunk before we got inside. I looked at my old building as we pulled away and felt a rush of pride swell in my chest. A few weeks ago I had accepted that I would be on that street for the foreseeable future. It had never crossed my mind that I would be able to move anywhere at all, never mind a fucking penthouse.
But I had taken full advantage of the otherworldly portal I had stumbled upon, and I had created a new future for myself. Other guys might have panicked if they found Hollowfell, or just straight-up gotten killed by the horde of monsters inside. Navigating my way through that stormy world had been my greatest achievement to date, and it had won me beautiful women and endless treasure.
I had earned this shit, and it was finally starting to feel real.
The drive to the new apartment felt like it flew by as I gripped Cleo’s thigh tightly. She purred as we watched lights shoot past us, and I could practically smell the air becoming cleaner.
“Here we go!” Kali said excitedly as we pulled onto my new street. “Everything is so crisp and bright!”
“No ruffians,” Cleo agreed as she stared out at the perfectly kept houses.
“None,” I chuckled. “Rats and ruffians are not allowed in this part of town.”
There was a new doorman on duty when we pulled up, and he hurried down the steps immediately. His blond hair was perfectly gelled in place, and his friendly face was clean-shaven and smiling.
“Good evening,” he said as he held the door open for the girls. “My name is Malcolm, are you our new residents?”
“That’s us,” I said as I got out the other side. “I’m Liam, and this is Cleo and Kali.”
“We live in the big house now,” Cleo said airily as Malcom helped her out. “That means we can own lots of cheese. Do you work for us?”
“I do, madam.” Malcom smiled. “Is there anything that needs to be brought up?”
“We’ve got bags in the trunk,” I said. “But we can grab them.”
“Not at all,” Malcolm said with a wave of his hand. “I’ll have everything up to you shortly, sir. Your keys are at reception if you want to just head straight inside.”
“Awesome,” I said. “Thanks!”
The doorman walked up the stairs with us to open the door, and then he hurried back down to the car to unload our things. I could really get used to this shit.
A new girl was at the reception desk, and I figured the evening and day shift staff must be different. She had a red bob that didn’t have a hair out of place, and she smiled as we hurried over the pristine lobby.
“Good evening,” she said cheerily. “How can I help?”
“I’m Liam Walker,” I said. “Lidia said my keys are here?”
“Oh, yes,” the receptionist said. “Lovely! My name is Anna, and I just need to see some ID, please.”
“ID?” Cleo muttered as I pulled out my wallet. “He is an outlaw king who does not need to prove his wealth. Liam buys us many clothes and trinkets.”
“Here you go,” I said hurriedly as I handed my driver’s license over.
Anna’s smile didn’t falter as she studied the card, and I had a feeling she was trained to deal with whatever weird shit her super-rich customers threw at her. At least Cleo’s strange ramblings were adorable.
“Perfect,” the receptionist said as she handed my card back. “Let’s get those keys ready! Would you like me to come up with you?”
“We can manage,” I said as she pulled an envelope from a drawer.
“Here you are,” she said as she handed it to me. “The larger one is for the front door, on the rare occasion nobody is there to help. Sometimes the shift changes might mean the entrance is unmanned, but it’s very uncommon. The smaller one is for your apartment.”
I opened the envelope to pull out the keys, and the cool metal felt so powerful in my hand. It was like I was literally holding the keys to my future.
“Thank you,” I said. “Oh, I was told there’s a pool here?”
“Yes.” Anna smiled. “It’s on your floor if you want to use it, and we do have some bathing suits in your welcome basket.”
“Welcome basket?” I asked, and Anna sent me a dazzling smile and a nod. “Awesome, thanks! Let’s go.”
The girls practically ran to the elevator as I swung the keys around my fingers. Every step I took on the gleaming floor made me feel lighter, and the silver doors slid open without a sound. We went inside before I hit the third-floor button, and Kali jumped from side to side excitedly.
“This feels like a dream,” she said. “I can’t believe Liam is taking us to a huge house! The first house already felt like luxury!”
“This is real luxury,” I chuckled. “We have to check out that pool.”
The doors slid open, and we stepped into the brightly-lit hallway that was quiet and still. It felt like I was just staying at some five-star hotel, but the keys in my palm reminded me that it was actually my home.
“This is it,” I said as we stood outside the front door. “I have a new place. Holy shit.”
“You deserve any castle you want,” Cleo purred as she clutched my arm. “My outlaw king has saved us from many foes. This is a perfect reward for keeping us safe from the High Society.”
“I agree,” Kali gushed. “You protect us from the evils of the world, and you fight so hard for us. A new home is just the beginning of what you should have!”
My heart was pounding as I unlocked the door, and we stepped into the deep green sitting room. Evening light poured in through the wall of windows at the back, and the sun was only just still visible on the horizon. The black sofa glistened invitingly as the balcony sofa swung gently in the mild breeze.
The welcome basket sat in the middle of the room, and it was crammed full of gifts.
“Oooh!” Cleo purred as we hurried over to examine it. “Cheese!”
“Because we needed more of that,” I chuckled.
There were three designer bathing suits wrapped in luxury gift paper, and a selection of crackers, cheeses, and chocolates that must have cost shitloads. A bottle of champagne was wedged into the middle with a red bow tied around the neck.
This really was the height of luxury.
It was still the most mind-blowingly awesome apartment I had ever laid eyes on, and it was all mine.
There was a sudden knock at the door, and I opened it to see Malcolm with a golden trolley piled neatly with our things.
“Sir,” he said cheerily as he pushed the cart into the room. “Just leave the trolley in the hall after you unpack, but there’s no rush.”
“Thanks.” I grinned. “I think I’m going to get used to living here.”
The doorman gave us a quick bow before he strode back to the elevator and left us in our new luxury home.
We unpacked the small collection of clothes we had brought, and Kali organized them all into different drawers in the bedroom. I took the food to the sleek kitchen and made sure our chilled items were all put in the fridge. Even the small luxury of having an ice machine seemed insane to me, and I couldn’t stop smiling as we took the first steps of making the penthouse our home.
