One Thousand & One Lies (Reapers of Beauty Book 1) Read online

  "Sweet Minju, Xia's hips aren't fitting in the damn vent." Minso snickered.

  "Nope. We fed her too much jerk chicken." Minsu giggled.

  "You three are evil. Not my fault Caribbean food tastes so good. Stop feeding me," I grumbled.

  The triplets were of Jamaican background, their mother being originally from Jamaica and ending up becoming a Reaper after arriving here a few short months later.

  I personally didn't know if she'd gotten pregnant with them from my Master since they were two years older than me, or if they were brought in when their Mother was desperate for money to feed them.

  Either way, I considered them my sisters, especially after all the years of lies we'd been through and done together. They're the reason I maintained my curves since my metabolism had other ideas and made me lose weight like a fat burner that worked in overdrive.

  "Xia. Figure something out. They're on your floor," Minso stressed.

  "Fuck!" I cursed, slipping on my heels, and running to the door. I peeked through the eye hole of the door and saw six men coming towards the last door down the hall which was mine. Ugh. I have to use magic.

  "Under the bed, Xia! Make yourself transparent and slip through the floor. I'll be there in moments," Minsu suggested.

  "Someone could be in that room and we'd be screwed!" I countered but ran back to the bed.

  I reached out for the small computer chip that was worth millions and was going to be a big chunk of our next pay and slipped it into my bra, thankful that I had a decent rack to keep it in place.

  Running to the end of the bed, I sat down on my ass and laid back onto the red carpet. I slid myself under the bed and prayed, hoping I would be able to pull this spell off. If I was lucky, I'd land on the bed I hoped was positioned in the same area in the hotel room below ours.

  There was a knock on the door, three slow knocks followed by four fast ones. Code.

  "I'm going silent. Telepath me if anything happens. I need to concentrate." I took a deep breath and began to zone everything out.

  This type of magic was tricky because you could essentially fuck up and be stuck in between a wall or, in my case, the floor.

  The knocks echoed in the room, but they sounded muffled to me as I began to calm my rapidly beating heart. Using magic took concentration, and I was going to need a lot of it.

  I began to feel the cool wave of energy run from my head down my body to my toes. That gave me hope that my plan was working. Magic, don't let me down today.

  A loud crash sounded through the room, but I remained calm, knowing under the bed would be their last place to look.

  "Fucking Rick, wake him up!" a man ordered. I could hear the squeeze of the bed as someone's weight made one side of the mattress sink in.

  "Wake up man!" someone yelled.

  "There was a chick here! Where did she escape to?"

  "How about the balcony or washroom, Sir?" another voice asked.

  "Check now!" the man who I presumed was the leader ordered. There were shuffling noises and the sound of a door closing.

  "No, Sir, and our spies saw no one leave the balcony."

  "She's still in the room. Search! Check the vents."

  I continued to remain relaxed as another cool wave of tingling magic coursed through my body. I wasn't worried now about performing the spell, feeling that I'd gathered enough energy to perform the task, but what mattered now was how long it would take to execute it and get the fuck out of here.

  "Not in the vents, Sir."

  There was a moment of silence. "Under the bed."

  Fuck! Now or never, magic! Abracadabr- EEP!

  My body fell through the floor, plunging through the air towards the floor. SHIT!

  "Gotcha!" My body was caught in mid-air and Minsu lowered both of us to the ground with her levitation magic.

  "I thought I was going to have to fight. I would have broken my new heels," I whined with a dramatic sob. I looked up to Minsu who rolled her eyes with a wide grin that showed me a glimpse of her white teeth.

  "Ya, ya. If by chance that spell didn't work you'd beat the shit out of them. Now we don't have much time. They'll be down here in a minute," Minsu stated as she released me to stand on the ground and rushed over to the bed that was on the opposite side of the room.

  Fucking bed. Why are they all positioned differently?

  I stared at Minsu, who was pulling out an outfit beneath another food tray. She and her sisters were identical triplets, all of them standing at 6'3" in height. They had natural black hair that reached past their shoulders. Currently, it was under a front lace wig that was black with silver highlights and tied up in a bun similar to mine.

  Minsu wore the main uniform of the hotel we were in; the white and red combination looked wonderful on her, especially on her hips.

  They each had a rack women would die for and hips that men loved now that the curvy look was in. I was glad we bought American Fashion Nova jeans because there was no way their plump booties would fit into the Japanese jeans, even if they were ranked "plus" size.

  She threw the two-piece maid outfit to me, her pink eyes showing how urgent my speed at changing was. It would determine if we got out of here in one piece.

  "Hurry, DragonFly," She pressured. The triplets loved to call me DragonFly. Not because of some meaningful shit, but because I got a small dragon tattoo done on my wrists with little wings when I was sixteen, thinking it was cool.

  I slipped the red skirt on that fit me just right and slid the top on while Minsu rushed over to situate my wig on my head. It was a silver bob cut with red highlights. She gave me my apron with the hotel logo on it while she quickly applied red lipstick on my lips. I kicked off my heels and replaced them with the shiny red ones she'd brought.

  She ran across the room, bringing the cart of food down with her to where I stood, and we shoved our belongings in the bottom and straightened up right when the door slammed open.

  "EEP!" we both screamed and hugged each other for dear life as we dropped to the floor, looking at the three angry men with guns pointed at us.

  "No English! No English!" we chanted, realizing the men were Caucasian and trying to play the language barrier card.

  "Was anyone in here?" one of the men requested in Japanese. I took the opportunity to answer since the three men’s eyes were on me and not Minsu.

  "No. Room empty. That's why we asked to clean from the manager. Person check out with a female!" I declared, trembling and blinking my eyes.

  The three of them exchanged glances and cursed. "Back to the room. There must be clues there. Hurry!"

  The three of them rushed out, leaving us there as they entered the elevator that was being held by a fourth member. Once the elevator doors closed, we grinned, rising up to our feet.

  "Racists, I tell you. Do they think a black woman can't speak Japanese? They should bring their asses back here so I can give them my 10 languages speaking speech before I kick their motherfucking asses!" Minsu snarled. That was what we joked as the "black side" of her coming out, which meant her Jamaican accent was thick compared to her usual Japanese accent. Yes, you could switch accents.

  "As much as I’d love to hear your rant about the racism that still lingers here in 2094, can you guys come down here so we can leave? I'm hungry," Minso whined.

  "I'd love a drink. You think Master will let us go out tonight?" Minju asked.

  "Just let Xia sweet talk him. Oh Papa, please let me go drink with the triplets and enjoy the night of money and success." Minsu spoke with a breathy French accent, and I shook my head.

  "You three need to decide what accent you want, and we're coming with you. I'd love a drink too. Maybe a few, and no, I'm not sweet talking Master and don't remind me." I sighed.

  I knew they were just joking around, but remembering I was born into the world thanks to that sick man only left a bad taste in my mouth.

  Minsu pushed the cart forward, and I quickly peeked into my bra to make sure the chip was ther
e. With a smile, I caught up to Minsu who was already out the door and heading for the elevator.

  When the ding of the doors opening sounded off, we were greeted by Minso and Minju, both of them in maid outfits. We moved into the elevator, waiting for the doors to close just as we heard another set open. Shit...

  We crowded into the corner of the elevator, Minju pressing the closed door button and we watched the doors begin to close, just as we heard a loud voice.

  "Where did those two maids go?!"

  The doors closed and we immediately jumped into action, the triplets pulling out three pieces of luggage and passing clothes around.

  I knew what my role was. I closed my eyes and used my magic to stop the elevator from moving when we reached the 4th floor. I waited until the triplets were all dressed in new outfits and pulled off their wigs to let down their long black locks. With a quick brush of their locks, they moved to undress me while I concentrated.

  I'd gotten so used to our quick wardrobe changes that I could do it in my sleep if I had to. By the time I opened my eyes, I was in a hot red dress that showed every curve, and my hair was now down in loose curls.

  I let go of my hold on the elevator, allowing it to open on the third floor. Minso kept it from closing while Minju moved the cart into the maid closet that was just down the hall. She raced back, and we headed down to the first floor.

  "Thirty seconds." Minju squealed in delight.

  "What did you do?" Minsu accused, knowing that mischievous look on her sister's face wasn't a good sign.

  "Oh, nothing." Minju hummed.

  "Ya right." Minso shook her head, fixing her dark blue dress and looking at Minsu who wore a neon pink dress, and Minju who wore a black dress.

  "Let's do this," I declared, and they nodded in unison as the elevator reached the first floor. The moment the door opened, two large men were standing there.

  We gave them sweet smiles as we laughed and giggled.

  "Let's have a good night! I'm getting wasted!!!" Minsu announced.

  "I'll get us drinks!" Minso grabbed her sister's arm and cheered.

  "Our Uber is here! Hurry up," Minju stressed.

  I followed the three out and looked at the two men who were concealing weapons in their leather jackets.

  "Have a good night, sexy beasts.” I winked at the both of them, making sure to give them a seductive look as I glanced between them. I slowly walked away, working my hips from side to side while feeling their eyes on me.

  Once I heard the elevator doors close, I quickened my pace with the others. The moment I went through the rotating doors, the fire alarm went off.

  "Huh?" I exclaimed. Minso and Minsu looked just as confused and we all turned to Minju who smirked. "Can't just leave the evidence in the closet now, can we?" she declared with sass and began walking away.

  "Our sister is possessed by voodoo." Minsu sighed.

  I laughed. "You say that every time she thinks of something that none of us thought of."

  "Yes, but it's true. Totally controlled by Satan." Minso nodded in approval which only made me laugh harder. Minju turned around.

  "Rebuke the voodoo possessing me! Now move along slowpokes. I need some hard liquor and a man to fuck!" she shouted, getting a few wild stares from those standing near us. People began rushing out of the hotel.

  I wrapped my arms around Minso and Minsu’s shoulders, the three of us giggling as we made our way to catch up with Minju.

  "Another mission accomplished," the two said in unison.

  "Almost," I said in a sing-song voice.

  "Huh? What do you mean almost?" they asked together. Minju walked back to where we'd stopped, the three of them now looking at me.

  "Well-"

  *Booom*

  The three of them flinched as a wide grin formed on my face. I turned back to see that the fifth floor where I'd been staying was now engulfed in flames.

  "There we go." I sighed in relief, turning to stare at the triplet's gawking expressions. "Mission successful."

  "Nah, nah, nah. See that right there? Evil, I tell you, and you all say I'm possessed by voodoo!" Minju huffed.

  "I take it back. Xia is possessed," Minso added.

  "Jeez, girl. Who pissed you off in the last life?" Minsu sighed, shaking her head. I grinned and began walking again, the others following right behind.

  "Master said to eliminate all suspects. They wouldn't dare leave the room once they couldn't find us. They'd search while the two guards would return back upstairs to stay on guard. Six suspects, easy kill. Fire alarm made sure everyone began moving out from their rooms, and I made sure to check that the first half of the fifth floor was reserved and had no people in it. The second half of the floor are wedding guests who are currently out at the reception." I explained my secret plan as we continued walking.

  The triplets were silent for a few minutes before Minju whispered. "I rebuke the devil possessing our sister, Xia. Ahh sababababa."

  The other two girls laughed at Minju's poor attempt at speaking tongues. "Have you made up what religion you are in our hopeless world? Last time I checked you were Catholic," I noted.

  "Nah, that was last month, honey. You haven't been checking in enough on my life," Minju sang.

  "She's Christian now." Minsu sighed.

  "She was Christian three months ago," I countered.

  "Minju can't decide her religion. Watch, she's going to be atheist next month when she trips on the escalator and thinks God isn't watching." Minso shook her head.

  "I will not!" Minju negated. "I'm a changed woman. I believe!"

  "Get this woman some rum so she'll shut up," Minsu teased.

  We were giggling and laughing, walking down the street and off the block before the fire trucks and police sped by towards the hotel.

  My ears picked up a ringtone and Minju pulled out my phone from her dress pocket. "Here you go, DragonFly. From that ringtone I’m guessing it's Master."

  I groaned and took a deep breath as we stopped in an alleyway so I could answer the incoming call.

  "Good evening, Master," I greeted.

  "Evening, Xia. Report."

  "Chip retrieved. Suspects dead as you requested. All evidence destroyed," I replied with an expressionless voice.

  "Excellent, Xia. I knew you wouldn't fail me. How should I reward you?" he asked.

  "I'd like to go to the bar tonight with the triplets. May I, Master?" I requested. He hummed for a long moment, and I could hear his amusement as he replied.

  "Will you cause me trouble?"

  "No, Master." That was a lie. I knew with the triplets together we'd cause some type of mischief that would either cost us some of our endless amount of fortune to fix whatever was destroyed, or would end up with two of us carrying the other two who'd surely be drunk; Minsu and Minju usually being the drunk dead weights.

  "An easy lie."

  I smirked, knowing he wasn't upset with it. "After falling through the floor and blowing shit up, I think a drink would surely be nice, Master."

  "Hmph. Indeed. Your request is granted. However, I'd like Minju to come back."

  I frowned and gulped, my red eyes landing on Minju who bit her lip, knowing exactly why I was staring at her.

  "She can't come with us, Master?" I inquired.

  "Not this time. I need her services tonight. Let her bring the chip as well, and go enjoy your reward with Minsu and Minso," Master ordered.

  "Understood. Thank you, Master, for the opportunity," I replied, ready to hang up, but Master spoke up.

  "1000."

  I blinked at hearing the number and my jaw grew slack. "What?" I whispered, saying the word in Chinese.

  "Congratulations, Xia Hung Su. You've reached 1000 Lies and you are now an Elite Reaper of Beauty. Come to me tomorrow afternoon, and I'll read you your new status and privileges. Remind me on your next mission to give you a bonus lie for how shocked you currently are.” Master sounded pleased and a slight chuckle escaped him before he continu
ed.

  “Carry the message to Minso and Minsu that they're at 950 and Minju is at 999. Enjoy the night," Master praised, and the line went dead.

  "Xia?" Minso whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. I lowered the phone and stared at it in shock.

  "What's wrong? What did Master say?" Minsu pressed, placing her hand on my other shoulder and shaking me a little. I lifted my gaze to look at the three of them, blinking back tears.

  "1000," I whispered. "I reached 1000 Lies."

  They all gawked at me before they squealed, moving to wrap me in a group hug. "You did it!" they cheered, hugging me tightly.

  I sobbed in their group embrace and laughed at the same time. "I did it, guys!" I cried, feeling overjoyed at finally making it.

  "Now we HAVE to drink. We're getting you wasted and laid tonight," Minsu cheered.

  "I'll cover drinks. We need to celebrate! Let's go buy cake too!" Minso giggled.

  "Is that all he said, Xia?" Minju asked.

  I wiped the tears from my eyes and gave her a sympathetic look. "He wants you back home. Said he needs your services."

  Her sisters frowned and looked at Minju who shrugged. "Duty calls. Can't help it."

  "I tried, Minju. I'm sorry," I murmured. Minju shook her head and pulled me into a hug.

  "Stop being silly, Xia. I was right here and heard you. Don't apologize for something that's not in your control."

  "At least you’re at 999. One more lie, and you'll get your privileges too." I pulled back from her hug to look at her sisters. "Minsu and Minso, you two are at 950."

  "Close! Only a few more missions and simple lying tasks and we'll all have our Elite rights. Maybe we'll be allowed to live outside the shrine," Minsu mused.

  "That's possible?" I asked. Minso grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.

  "I heard that's something Master wants to do. It would make doing missions easier, especially in these parts of Yotako."

  "That would be amazing," I whispered, in awe at the idea of being free to have my own place and live a life separate from my Reaper of Beauty ways.

  "You guys go celebrate. Xia, chip." Minju presented her hand.

  "Right," I replied, quickly getting the chip out from my left breast and handing it to her. "Sorry for any boob sweat." I winked, trying to cheer her up.