So This Is Love? {NYSM: J. Daniel Atlas}

Chapter 7

The show went on without a hitch. Jack did a few tricks with cards and got the audience excited. He managed to throw his cards so swiftly that they cut through the pencils that different people in the audience held up.

Merritt was next and he hypnotized about twenty people from the audience so that when some unfortunate soul yelled "Freeze" they would run towards him/her and tear them limb from limb.

Thankfully no one had been stupid enough to tell "Freeze" and Amber hoped, well more like prayed no one would. For that person's sake.

Daniel had come on and was creating massive bubbles with his hands. He released them to the audience and they all chuckled appreciatively.

Finally he began pulling his hands apart and created the biggest bubble yet.

A figure moved in the corner of Amber's vision and she gasped slightly as she saw Henley racing towards the bubble.

The woman leapt into the bubble and spread her arms wide. The shimmering orb caught her and supported her within it as she floated above the audience.

She smiled widely at everyone and waved as it carried her around. Henley even did a flip inside the bubble as she continued floating upwards.

Suddenly the enchanting sight was shattered. Quite literally.

The bubble popped with a loud snapping noise, sending Henley to her apparent doom. The woman shrieked in shock as she plummeted downwards.

The spotlight followed her down until she landed safely into Daniel Atlas' awaiting arms. She smiled at him and patted his cheek tenderly as he gently set her down.

The spotlight vanished then reappeared on center stage.

Jack and Merritt stood with their hands behind their backs.

"We have one last trick for you!" Jack yelled.

"A quite generous one, I must say," Merritt grinned out at the audience.

He actually caught eye contact with Amber and winked.

Her own eyes narrowed.

This was it.

The Horsemen's next trick.

And if the cops had their way, their last.

"But first!" called Daniel as he ran back up on stage, hand and hand with Henley.

"We must thank our benefactor!" Henley finished as she released her hand from Daniel's to gesture upwards.

"The Arthur Tressler!" finished Jack proudly.

The light beamed upon them split in two and a part landed on the top box were an old man with white hair sat and waved.

"Come on down here to the stage, Mr. Tressler," Daniel called making a motion with his hands.

The spotlight stayed on the millionaire just long enough to see him get up before flicking back down to The Horsemen.

"Alright, while Mr. Tressler is getting down here I need everyone to pull out that paper and pencil you have underneath your seats!" Jack called to the audience.

"Go on!" Daniel encouraged loudly over the sound of people scrambling to reach under their seats, "Once you have it we need you to write the current amount of money you have in your bank account!"

Amber smirked in her seat as she peered at the paper. She could make out a tiny watermark with her phone flashlight. Peering closer, she could make out a faint 7.

What were they up to?

Meanwhile, Tressler gotten to the stage and was carefully mounting the steps.

"One more round of applause for our generous benefactor please!" Jack called to the crowd.

A splattering of claps could be heard from the audience but died down quickly as Daniel held up a hand.

"We have his balance written out as well in a rather larger envelope," Daniel said chuckling.

The crowd joined him in laughter as  Henley came onstage carrying a huge envelope. Jack followed her, carrying an even bigger flashlight.

"I have marked certain envelopes  in this crowd!" He called, "If you look on your paper and see a red star in the corner please say so!"

Several people stood to their feet in the audience and began shouting.

Daniel pointed to a dark skinned woman in the balcony, three rows away from Amber and Dylan.

"Yes you!" He called, "What is your balance?"

"Five hundred and seven dollars," she replied slightly shyly.

"Alright who else has a red star?" He asked.

"Yes what about you, Sir?" Merritt asked to a man in the lower section, "What's your balance?"

"Seventeen thousand, four hundred and fifty six dollars," the man called back.

"Next!" Henley called before pointing at a young teen, "How 'bout you, girlfriend?"

"One thousand dollars!"

Daniel clapped his hands together loudly and shook his head.

"I'm afraid you're all wrong!" He yelled, "You see, that's what your bank accounts did hold before the show! However that balance has changed, drastically."

Discontented murmurs began circling the crowd. People turned to one another in consternation and surprise.

"You!" Daniel yelled up to the woman he had questioned first, "Your balance was five hundred and seven, correct?"

"Yes," she called back.

Daniel grinned to the crowd and extended a hand to her.

"Would you please take that flashlight you also have under your seat and please wave it across your envelope?"

The woman looked surprised but obeyed.

The crowd waited on baited breath.

The woman's flashlight flicked on and she nervously waved it across the paper. What happened next nearly made her drop the paper.

"What does it say now?" Daniel called up to the woman cheerfully.

"Oh my Odin," the woman murmured, "IT SAYS HERE MY BALANCE IS SEVENTY THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVEN DOLLARS!"

"What on earth?" Daniel cried as he turned around to look at the giant envelope behind him, "Wave the flash light for us, will you Jack?"

The shorthaired man nodded and carefully began moving his flashlight across the check bit by bit.

"Here it says that Mr. Tressler's account as lost seventy thousand dollars!" Merritt yelled to the audience, "Oh my!"

Amber's eyes widened as she studied her envelope.

There was a pale outline of 70,000 written on the paper.

So this was their trick. They were stealing money from their benefactor.

That's gonna go over well, the brunette thought wryly to herself.

AN-
Can anyone guess what's going to happen next???? Comment your guesses!!