Page 16 of Gambler's Conceit
I look at the sleeping kitten on the bed, my fingers itching to reach out and pet his soft fur. He must be dreaming about something because I can see him twitch, and the urge to soothe him back to a steady sleep is strong.
But I can’t.
I can’t linger for another minute, because the longer I’m here, the more likely it is that Caleb Spade himself will return and come for me—and then I really won’t be able to get out of here.
I pad quietly out of the bedroom, nudging Miss K aside with my foot when she tries to dart past me, and close the door behind me. My heart is already heavy, and it’s ridiculous. Nacho deserves a good, stable life, and that’s not something I can give him while I’m on the run.
Fuck.
We don’t use those words, baby.
I shudder, but I remind myself that I’m my own person now, and I can say or think whatever the fuck I want.
I find the pair of flip-flops in the bag Vortex had brought up for me and slide them on, running my hand through my hair and scowling at myself in the mirror near the foyer. I look like a joke, but at least I’ll be able to get through the casino without seeming out of place with this ridiculous get-up on.
Of course, that assumes I can get past Goon A and Goon B to get downstairs to begin with.
I nibble on my bottom lip, considering. Caleb had made it pretty clear to them that I was a guest who was meant to stay confined to this suite, but he’s nowhere around. It’s late, and they’re probably sleepy and bored. Maybe they’ll even welcome the thought of going downstairs, and once we’re in the crowd…
What are they going to do? Chase me through the casino?
Nodding to myself, I cast one last glance in the direction of the guestroom, then stride confidently out of the suite.
There’s only one guard out there, and I catch him yawning before he snaps to attention.
“You’re… Uh, you’re Mr. Spade’s guest.” He reaches down for his walkie talkie, but I put my hands on his.
“Yep, I’m his special guest,” I say, smiling. “He’s still down there, right? I’m a bit cold, so I thought I’d pop down to the shop for a sweater.”
The guard frowns at me. “Just let me contact Mr. Spade.”
Nope. I absolutely cannot have him reaching out to Caleb right now.
My fingers curl around the guard’s, and I wonder if I’m even barking up the right tree. It doesn’t really matter if I am or not. I don’t need him to fuck me. I just need him distracted, disoriented. Justsomething, so he doesn’t do what he normally would.
“He was pretty busy the last time I talked to him,” I tell him. “I think he’d be a little annoyed if you bothered him about something so small. I promise I’ll be fast. He’ll never even know we left.”
The guard is clearly weighing his options, then sighs. “We’ll go down to the gift shop and straight back.”
“Yeah, of course,” I say, staying in his personal space to make sure he’s not going to have a change of heart and go for the walkie-talkie.
He doesn’t, and I’m able to hit the button on the elevator that’s just beyond him as my chest brushes against his.
My heart is hammering in my chest, and I half expect to see Caleb himself standing in the elevator when it finally gets to the top of the building. In a change of luck, it’s empty, and I step inside, huddled up with a shiver like I really am cold.
The guard keeps his head straight up. As we go down, a few people join us on the elevator, dressed for a night out on the town.
One of the women who gets on looks at me and laughs. “They lost your luggage, too?”
The more people who get into the elevator, the better. I can get off with them and maybe lose the guard that much more quickly, especially if I build up a rapport with them.
At least, that’s what I tell myself. In reality, being around so many people has my skin crawling, and I itch to get away from them.
“Can you believe it?” I ask with a self-conscious laugh. “And they keep these rooms so cold, too!”
“It happened to me on my last trip out here,” she says with a smile. “I think I bought the same shirt. At least you’ll have a good souvenir of the trip.”
Right. A good souvenir.