Girl Master of Disguises (Lesbian Story, GirlxGirl)

Chapter Fourteen - This Wasn't In My Job Description...

Laina looks warmer than four hours ago when Buggy comes back to the Starbucks doors. Her cheeks are rosy, and a big cup of coffee is being held by her two hands. As soon as Buggy appears (not wearing any of her disguises), Laina sighs with relief. 

     The coffee is practically shoved into Buggy's chest. "Take it!" Laina says. "It's so hot I don't even need to wear my gloves out here." She shows her hands as proof.

     Laughing at the outburst, Buggy takes the cup and tentatively sips from it. If she knows her flavors, Laina's whipped up some pumpkin spice for the drink. "So what's so important you couldn't tell me before?" Buggy asks.

     "First, drink that coffee," Laina orders. "And then we'll talk."

     "I have a feeling you're stalling for time," Buggy mutters as she takes another sip.

     The barista smiles. "That's for me to know right now," she responds. She looks behind Buggy, and before Buggy can acknowledge what's happening, Laina grabs her arm and practically yanks her closer to the building. Confused, Buggy turns her head in time to see a person passing the girls. He nods to them before he keeps walking. 

     Buggy's face heats up in embarrassment. "Um, thanks for that," she says. 

     "Doing my job," Laina informs. "I think I know where they're meeting."

     After processing what the girl said, Buggy holds up a finger and takes out her phone. That was faster than my best time, she muses as she checks the date. Looking up, she sees Laina staring at her. "What? Oh. Um--" Buggy puts down her hand. "You can keep talking now."

     Amused, Laina asks, "You remember what Peptin said about going in the alley and witnessing an argument between the two guys?" Buggy nods. "Right before that happened, I've been tracking them for a time. And as much as I like catching the bad guys, I much prefer them a little more complicated than what they've been doing."

     Buggy scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. "Can you translate that to English?" 

     If the barista wasn't telling something confidential information, she would have smacked Buggy out of stupidity. "They don't bother to go somewhere new most of the time," she explains. "They go to few places. One is their hotel, another is the Starbucks--I mean, yay for me, but still not complicated to keep track of them--and the third is nearby the alley."

     "Huh." The people do sound like they're trying to get caught. Taking another sip of the coffee, Buggy cocks her head to the side as she asks, "What's the place by the alley?"

     "I thought you'd never ask." Laina smiles wide. "It's some underground club a couple of thugs run. The only way you can get in is if you know one of the people there and--what is so funny?" she asks the now giggling Buggy. 

     Another burst of laughter surprises Buggy. "Sorry," she tries to say in between, "but right now it feels too much like an (giggle) action movie. Underground clubs, a pair of--whatever the hell we are (guffaw)--and a celebrity kidnapping." 

     By now she's gasping for air and holding her sides with her free hand. Laina patiently waits for her partner to calm down. Blowing some air a couple of times, Buggy starts getting serious again. "Okay, now that we got that out of the way," Laina starts, "We have to know someone in that club to get in. And by 'someone', I mean one of the thugs who founded it." 

     "Roger that." Buggy giggles again at how funny it sounds when she says it.

     "That's another thing 'anti-heroes' don't do," the girl says, annoyed. "They don't laugh at things like this."

     "But you admit that they laugh," Buggy states. She's met with a stare. Holding up her hands, she soberly adds, "Keep talking."

     Laina rolls her eyes. "From what I gathered from a couple of people who knows about it, not only do you have to know someone, you have to have money with you as well."

     Taking another sip again, Buggy can feel the top half cooling, and the bottom half is still heated. She takes the lid off and starts chugging down the rest of it. She throws it away in the trash can near her as soon as the cup is empty. "How much?" she asks.

     The question is answered with Laina reaching into her pockets and taking out a folded piece of paper. Buggy looks over her shoulder as the girl opens the paper. All she sees is a list of numbers. "I figured they'd like the minimum amount to be well in the double digits, but how much is enough, I'm still thinking."

     "Can I?" Buggy asks, holding her hand out. Nodding, Laina gives her the paper. "Thanks." Buggy trails her finger from top to bottom, moving her lips as she reads the numbers, starting from eighty-five to two-fifty. Any numbers lower than eighty were crossed out with a pencil over the penned writing. 

     "Well?" Laina asks after Buggy's been quiet too long.

     "Even if we settle on a number, where would we find the money?" Handing the paper back, she adds, "I may have a peculiar life, but I sure as hell don't walk around with that kind of money."

     Laina mutters under her breath, "Maybe after this, you'll want to."

     "I can still hear you. And I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen." Buggy stops talking long enough for another stranger to pass by. "Please tell me you know the names of the founders."

     Smiling a little, the barista shows struggles to put the paper back in her pocket. She gets out her gloves and slowly tries to get them on. Sighing, Buggy takes one of the gloves and helps Laina put it on. 

     "Thanks," Laina says as she barely succeeds in putting on the other. "And yes I do. Got another list of the names and their descriptions. After we get the money, then we'll tell the bouncer who we know, get in, watch what's going on to keep ourselves from being caught, and probably lose some of the bills before we can find the kidnappers."

     Buggy snorts. "As long as none of the money's mine, I'm fine with the plan."

     "Seriously? You're worried about that?"

     "You'd understand if you're attending at a university out of home state."