“Sounds pretty easy,” Phantom said, taking a swig of beer.
“It always does,” Mustang shot back. “And it never is.”
“Truth.” Phantom chugged the rest of his beer, the can clinking against the table as he set it down.
“After we get the page from Giovanni, we then have to pay a visit to Remy’s mother: Amelie LaFleur, a famous Parisian baker who lives and works just streets away from the Louvre. Her son left her a huge fortune before his death and warned her of the potential for treasure hunters like us coming for the page, so it won’t be as easy as waiting until she’s out of the house to break in and snatch it.”
“And why is this book, these pages, why are they so valuable?” Wyatt asked, the words feeling weird coming out of his mouth. He had felt like a visitor, an observer. Someone sitting in the audience as the curtain is drawn up and the actors hit their marks. Having a voice, asking questions, it took him out of the audience and placed him directly on the center of the stage.
Roman didn’t answer immediately. Even though the room was dark, Wyatt could see him weighing out different answers, trying to parse which slivers of information he could give out and which ones he needed to hold back.
“Remy was a fan of puzzles,” Roman said. “Not only was he a technical savant and a Nostradamus-lite, but he also liked to play games, and still does even after death. He specifically tore out those two pages because with them in hand, the book turns into a key, and with that key, we can unlock all of our wildest dreams.”
Wyatt couldn’t hold back the eye roll this time. More vague answers and runarounds, talking about dreams and keys when he should really be talking about specifics.
“And why am I being dragged along?” Wyatt asked, determined to get a solid answer.
“Because once we have all the pieces of the puzzle, that’s when the final roadblock appears. We’ll need you to hack through a virtual vault, using the information we gathered along the way to help you get in. Once you’re in, we’ll have reached the pot of infinite gold. We’ll all be rich, beyond our wildest imagination.”
That earned a loud cheer from Mustang and a hoot-hoot from Bang Bang, Phantom dancing his empty beer can across the table. Wyatt couldn’t deny he felt the same kind of excitement spark in his chest, even though it was quickly overshadowed by the doubt and fear still multiplying inside him. Roman wasn’t saying everything—that part was clear, and it made him nervous. It didn’t help that the last time he had worked with Roman, he’d got himself expelled from college and nearly jailed for doing exactly what Roman was asking him to do now. He had given up his black-hat-hacking life after nearly losing everything, and yet here he was, reaching for the same black hat.
But if it meant never having to worry about money again… the things he could do. His sister had always wanted to go to Disney World, and from the way Roman was speaking, Wyatt started to think he’d be able to buy Disney by the time this was all over. Sure, he’d have to work alongside the annoyingly cocky (and devastatingly fucking handsome, ugh) Roman, but as long as he kept him an arm’s length away at all times, then Wyatt figured he’d be fine.
“Any more questions?” Roman said, moving toward the light switch.
“When do we start?” Mustang asked.
“Our flight to Spain leaves tomorrow.”
Bang Bang got up, nearly knocking over his chair. “Ah, shit, I have to pack. Think we’ll have time to spend at a beach?.”
Roman laughed, raising the remote. “Yes, we’ll have a free night. But wait, before you leave to go pack your lube and Speedos, I wanted to finish with one more thing. I know the majority of us have been working together for some time now, and through all that time, we’ve gone through some shit, but we’ve always done it without a banner. That changes tonight, because I’m officially welcoming you all to…”
The image changed, creating a bright white backdrop that highlighted the rainbow already painted on the wall. Letters began appearing, as if drawn by an invisible hand, following the curve of the mural, spelling out the words that Wyatt would always remember:
Rainbow’s Seven.
Chapter 8
Wyatt Hernandez
Rainbow’s Seven.
The name rolled around in Wyatt’s thoughts as he set his backpack down next to the neatly made bed, the white linen sheets looking extra comfortable after the intense day that had unfurled behind him. He found a semblance of comfort in knowing the plan and meeting the others involved, although he still didn’t have the full picture, Roman clearly holding things back for reasons only he knew. This was when the trust factored into the equation, except Wyatt didn’t have all that much trust to begin with. Roman had screwed him over once before, and there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen again.