When they arrived at the Golden Club, Ashton was already waiting outside. He passed Summer a coin pouch as soon as she was close enough. “You forgot this in my car,” he told her.

  Summer never had a coin pouch, so it was obvious that whatever was inside wasn’t coins. She was glad he had this covered because they hadn’t actually discussed how he would get her share of the bugs to her. The guards were wary of Ashton’s presence and Kayla was a bit surprised. Right. Summer had forgotten since it had been on her mind so much, but they hadn’t known Ashton would be joining them.

  “Maskz invited me,” Ashton told them, not bothering to give any further explanation, “Let’s get inside.”

  Getting in was just as easy as it always was despite the extra crowd. Summer swore she saw one of the staff give Ashton a slight bow. Was he being treated as some kind of VIP? Did that mean the staff knew about his old villain identity? No, Ned wasn’t the type to spill secrets carelessly like that.

  MysteriousMaskz was waiting in the same private room as last time, and wearing the same costume as well. Now that she had a mission to accomplish, Summer took a careful look around the room. This was going to be more difficult than she expected.

  The private room had a table for dining as well as a separate section with a far lower set coffee table. However, other than the table and chairs there wasn’t much in the way of furniture and decor. It would be impossible to plant any of the bugs Ashton had given her without being seen by someone, especially since she had never done anything like it before.

  “Welcome,” Ned greeted, “Would you like something to eat while we have our discussion?”

  This was it! Even if she couldn’t bug the private room, if she could plant something on the employees that would be good enough. Not only that, the food and dishes would serve as a distraction.

  “I would love some snacks,” Summer replied before Ned could rethink his offer.

  Ned called for some snacks, and Summer tried to subtly remove one of the bugs from the coin pouch while he did so. It was harder than she expected. Luckily, he immediately broached the topic for their meeting. He was completely focused on the guards.

  “Those higher ups of yours sure have a lot of expectations for me,” Maskz commented, “I may have an idea I want to test but that doesn’t mean I actually know how to improve Kayla’s powers. Are you sure you won’t be disappointed.”

  “We are just following orders,” the first guard replied.

  “In that case, let’s begin,” Ned said, “Use your power on me, Kayla.”

  It was completely different from last time. He did not ask for any explanations nor give any further instructions. Instead he powered forward with a confident smirk that seemed to say he knew all the answers. The moment Kayla activated her power, Ned nodded and made a small sound as if he suddenly understood everything.

  “What is it?” the second bodyguard demanded.

  “Don’t you feel that resistance?” Maskz asked as if he were speaking of the most obvious thing, “Most powers are affected by the thoughts and emotions of the wielder. A power like this would be even more. Trust, safety, and connection are the keys. All things that are the opposite of what Ms. Penn feels towards me.”

  Summer knew that part of it was true, but it still sounded way too convincing. She had been worried that Ned would be able to pull acting off, but he made it look effortless. It probably helped that his natural expression was a smug smirk so no one would find it suspicious.

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  “How can we be sure?” the first guard demanded.

  MysteriousMaskz turned to look at Summer and both of their gazes followed. “Isn’t there someone she has been working with closely, and even befriended right here?”

  Summer locked eyes with Kayla. This was it. They had to make things work better than usual but not so well that the guards and whoever was behind them got suspicious. Something that wasn’t Summer’s original power but still close enough that she could easily control it. If she was the source of light, maybe Kayla could make her the source of darkness?

  Just like that, all light in the room vanished. It was a darkness that no light could penetrate. Realizing the opportunity, Summer scrambled to get out a bug or two and just haphazardly threw them in opposite directions. Was that good enough? Was Ashton still hiding things? She couldn’t drag this out, though.

  “That was insane,” Summer gasped as she withdrew the darkness. It was actually one of their most successful attempts so far. Maybe she and Kayla had been on the same page.

  “There,” Maskz said, his smirk widening even more, “Proof.”

  While the guards didn’t look pleased, it looked like they had bought it. Wait, did that mean that this was over already? Summer still hadn’t had a chance to do much of anything yet! A knock on the door saved Summer from her panic as the food was carefully delivered to the table. She was now even more glad she had thought to ask for food.

  As Summer spotted the soda that had also been provided, she got an idea. There were two bugs somewhere in this room at least, even if they had just been chucked somewhere. Wouldn’t it be easier to place them outside of Ned’s sight? What better excuse to step further into the Golden Club than a sudden need to use the restroom? With that in mind, Summer grabbed her soda and chugged it down.

  “Are you okay?” Kayla asked her, a bit startled by her sudden behavior.

  “Yeah, just a bit surprised. I didn’t expect to be able to use the new power so quickly and easily. It was definitely different than mine,” Summer told her. That was a good enough excuse, right? It wasn’t like she was lying about nerves or about being surprised.

  One of the guards left the room as they ate, most likely to make some sort of report. Good riddance! Unfortunately they still had one more watchdog on their tail. Summer decided it was time to act before she actually had to use the restroom.

  “Excuse me,” she said a bit awkwardly, “Is there a bathroom I can use?”

  Ned looked over at her with the strangest expression of confusion and surprise until he noticed her empty glass. Being judged like this by their greatest threat and enemy was mortifying, especially since he was a temporary ally in this situation.

  He gave her quick directions to the restrooms, and told her to feel free to ask the staff for help if she got lost. Kayla quickly jumped up to go with her, which meant the watchdog was coming too. Was it going to be alright to Ashton alone in that room with MysteriousMaskz? Summer could only hope everything would be alright. For now, he was doing a great job distracting Maskz so she could plant the rest of her bugs.

  On the way out, she dropped one in the hallway, but she didn’t do anything more until they got to the bathroom where the guard couldn’t follow. Once she was alone with Kayla, Summer pulled out the rest of the bugs and examined them closely. They were small, some with tiny clips and others with suction cups to stick them in place.

  “What are you doing?” Kayla hissed, already seeming to catch on that something was off.

  Summer passed Kayla half of what she had left. “What do you think? We got invited to the enemy’s lair. Isn’t it about time we got him back for spying on us all the time?”

  “Alright, but let’s not put any in here,” Kayla said, “This is the woman’s restroom so he won’t be coming in. Did you plant any yet?”

  “Just a couple, but not properly,” Summer admitted.

  “Then let’s get lost on the way back from the bathroom,” Kayla decided, “MysteriousMaskz practically gave us permission. I think he wants us to take a long time.”

  “You’re right,” Summer agreed reluctantly, “Ashton should be able to handle himself, but let’s not take too long. I’m still worried.”

  “If something happens, we can save him,” Kayla promised. With their newfound understanding of her power, that promise felt a lot more reassuring.

  The girls ignored the guard’s protest and set out to explore the Golden Club, happening to drop tiny listening devices in the much more decorated areas meant for showing clients. He probably didn’t spend much time in the more public areas, but it was the best Summer could manage. After saving a couple for dropping in the lobby somewhere, the two finally headed back to the private room.