Chapter 13
After he tipped out for the night, Aiden ducked out of the Flirtatious Fox, walking to the end of the street. There he stepped into an old ATM vestibule he often used to change. Even though he wasn’t scheduled to patrol tonight Aiden had brought his gear with him, stored in the bottom of his backpack. It was a habit he’d developed before he joined the Arch City Guardians. He liked to be prepared in case he needed to address a situation in the Playground as Stardust.
Aiden quickly stripped out of the casual clothes he’d thrown on an hour before and stuffed them in his backpack. He pulled on his Stardust pants, jumping once to get them up over his ass. They were skin tight but the specially designed liquid latex material stretched and moved with him. His custom leather weapons holster went on next. He buckled it around his waist and cinched the straps closed around his thighs, then slipped the two golden sai into their holders.
To put his boots on, Aiden sat down on the small window ledge. The knee-high boots were made of soft, durable leather with steel toes to protect his feet, and thickly padded insoles for comfort. They were functional but sexy, the flat heels painted gold, and thin gold chains with dangling star charms decorating the shafts. Finally, he shrugged into his jacket. He’d braided his hair before he left the Fox so all that was left was his mask.
Aiden pulled the gold mask from his bag. The hard material protected his face, deflecting nearly all blows without harm. The only openings were for his eyes, but the gear maker had designed a mesh so fine that it was nearly undetectable to fit over his mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe. Aiden inhaled a deep breath as he fixed the gold mask over his face. When he was in this gear hebecameStardust. Nothing could hurt him.
He left the vestibule, making a quick detour to store his bag under his bike’s seat before he strolled to the area where he’d agreed to meet Mike. It was five minutes before their scheduled time to meet, but Mike was already there. He stood waiting in front of a casino, the big neon money sign above him casting gold and green lights over the black of his outfit. “Hey, Beefcake,” Stardust called out once he was within speaking distance.
Mike turned around. “Hey.”
“Thanks for coming out.”
“No problem. Let’s get started and see if anything turns up,” he said.
They set off through the busy streets. There was so much weird to see in the Playground, that no one looked twice at Stardust with his gold mask and weapons holstered on his thighs or the big man with green tinted sunglasses at his side. They kept their eyes open, watching for any hint of trouble, but after nearly an hour of patrolling, they hadn’t encountered a single sign of the muggers.
“Damnit,” Stardust cursed in frustration. “I thought for sure they’d be out tonight after what happened earlier.”
“Maybe they’re pacing themselves. A protest one day. A mugging the next.”
Stardust snorted a dry laugh. “Maybe. I’m sorry I made you come out on your night off for nothing.”
“It’s not a bother. Really.”
Stardust slowed to a stop and looked around. He wasn’t ready to give up yet. A familiar building caught his eye, giving him an idea. “Let’s go sit on one of the rooftops. We’ll have a good vantage point to spot any trouble brewing. If we don’t see anything after twenty minutes, we’ll call it a night and go home.”
A single eyebrow rose above those green glasses. “I told you I can’t fly, right?”
“Come on. It’s not that high up.”
Stardust led the way to a building a block up on the other side of the street. Before they could cross, they had to wait for a mini-parade of red and black costumed harlequins to pass, leaving a glittering trail for guests to follow back to their erotic acrobatic show. Unlike most of the other establishments in the Playground this one was dark. Not a single neon light flashed, there was no sign on the roof, and all the windows were blacked out.
“Is this place open?” Mike asked.
“It is. But it’s a speakeasy so they keep a low profile.”
This time both of Mike’s eyebrows rose high above the green lenses of his glasses. “I thought everything was legal in the Playground. What are they serving in there that they need to keep a low profile?”
Stardust laughed. “Oh, it’s all legal here, baby.” He turned around to skip backward in front of his partner, leading him forward with a beckoning finger. “Drinking, drugs, gambling, sex. But for Bessie’s Lounge it’s all about the vibe. You have to know somebody who knows somebody to give you the password to get in. They have a strict dress code too. Even with the right password, if you show up in jeans or any basic bitch outfit you won’t make it pass the bouncer. See?”
He pointed at a couple walking up to the front door. Two women, the first a short brunette in a skinny gray suit and silver stilettos, face beat to the gods, and hair slicked back into a high ponytail. Her taller partner wore a form fitting red silk dress with a side slit so high it was clear she wasn’t wearing any panties beneath it. They paused in front of the entrance, the brunette’s hand casually resting on her partner’s ass as she leaned in to speak into a small window set into the door. She must have given the correct password because the door opened and they disappeared inside.
“I don’t own anything nice enough to get into that club.”
“Doesn’t matter since we’re not going in. We’re going up. Come on.”
They ducked into the alley next to Bessie’s Lounge, where Mike grabbed the fire escape ladder and pulled it down. Stardust went up first, his boots hitting each rung with a metallic clang, the chains on his boots lightly jingling with his movements. Once they were on the roof, Stardust led the way to the edge. From there, they could see over a good portion of the entertainment district. Bright lights were all around them, flashing and sparkling and strobing in a chaotic kaleidoscope of colors. But in their spot on top of the Lounge it was a peaceful oasis of darkness.
“Good choice,” Mike said.
“Thanks. I know all the good spots for whatever you need in the Playground,” he said with more than a little pride in his voice.
“You always sound happy when you talk about this place.”
Stardust smiled as he stared out over the sea of colorful lights, listening to the muted sounds of music floating up to where they stood. “Yeah, I guess I do. I love it here.”
