“Ugh,” Basia said, grabbing napkins and handing a few to her. “I have pregnancy brain and balance. I’m basically a hazard at this point.”
At this point, the rest of our group were staring at Basia, wondering what was going on.
The woman from the lab laughed nervously and Basia leaned in, blotting the table, apologizing some more. Her body angled perfectly between the woman and the lab coat hanging on the chair. Basia moved her hand once and the badge was gone.
I felt something between awe and terror bloom in my chest.
The woman laughed at Basia nervously. “It’s okay, really. I just finished my shift anyway. I’m on my way home.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” Basia said sympathetically. “You had to work on a Sunday?”
“Yeah,” the woman sighed. “And since I didn’t feel like cooking, McDonald’s was the winner for a late lunch.”
“That’s rough,” Basia said with genuine warmth. “Let me get you some paper towels.” She headed to the bathroom and came back with some wet paper towels and a folded fifty-dollar bill.
“Here,” Basia said, handing her the money. “Use it for dry cleaning. A new book. Or all the above.”
“Oh, no, I can’t,” the woman protested. “It’s too much.”
“I insist,” Basia said, shaking her hand. “I’m really sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
The woman hesitated, then accepted the bill. “Thank you so much. That’s really kind of you.”
Basia mopped up the liquid on the table as the lab worker gathered her things, slipped her lab coat back on, and headed for the door. The second it closed behind her, Basia turned and walked back to our table. She set the ID badge down between us.
We stared at it without saying anything.
Gray broke the silence. “Damn, girl, you just stole a secured access badge in a McDonald’s. Well done, and welcome to the family. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
I rolled my eyes at Gray, but a blush colored Basia’s cheeks. “We needed options,” she said simply. “Now we have one.”
Barbie let out a low whistle. “I’ve interviewed covert operatives, whistleblowers, and federal agents,” she said. “And I’ve never seen anyone pull something that clean without breaking eye contact. So, I’m asking this as a journalist: Who the hell are you people?”
Gwen smiled faintly. “Just friends trying to right a wrong. It’s kind of our thing.”
I wasn’t sure I approved of Basia’s move, but it was done, so I slid the badge into my pocket. “We need to go. Now. But before we return to the penthouse, we need to go back to the lab and drop something off.”
Everyone froze and looked at me in shock.
“Back to the lab?” Gray finally managed to ask. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m not crazy, and we won’t be spotted,” I said. “I have an idea, and this has to be done for an important technical reason. I’ll fill you in later.”
Gray sighed, but everyone else was quiet as we headed to her car. When we were nearly there, Gwen turned to Basia.
“I hope you don’t have any regrets about stealing the ID. You did the right thing. Remember, it’s all part of the mission to save Ginger and Tootsie.”
“Honestly, Gwen, I don’t have a single regret,” Basia said, her eyes narrowed with determination. “Not one.”
Chapter Thirty
Lexi
As soon as we got back to the penthouse, Gray shut the door with a solid, reassuring thud.
“Home sweet casino home,” Gwen said, dropping her purse on a side table.
“For one more night, at least,” Gray replied, turning the dead bolt and clearing the balcony and the bedrooms.
