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Thirty-One
Abby heldonto the car door as they hurtled through the darkness, trying to settle into the disorientation that came with beingblindfolded.
Max squeezed her hand from the driver’s seat. “You sure you’re okay? You can uncover your eyes if you promise not topeek.”
She smiled. “I’m okay. I don’t want to ruin yoursurprise.”
“We’re almost there anyway,” Maxsaid.
She laughed. “Where are you takingme?”
She could hear the answering smile in his voice. “You’llsee.”
It was the first time they’d been out in the week since Jason’s death. Abby had been so happy to see Max — whole and unharmed — when he’d walked through the door that night she’d almost collapsed withrelief.
She’d insisted on every detail, marveling at the zip-line above the city, the painful crawl through the Tangier’s air shafts, the disarming and disabling of Jason’s men with only a single unsilenced shot fired by Bruce Frazier before Nico killedhim.
She had seen it all as Max described it to her, but it was the image of Jason, standing with his arms open, acknowledging that Max had him, that stayed withher.
What had he thought about in the end? Was it worth it? Did he have any regrets? Was he relieved to finally stopfighting?
The questions had haunted her, until she’d finally forced herself to let themgo.
Jason could never hurt themagain.
Max wasalive.
It was all she caredabout.
Max and Nico had left Jason’s body in the suite with Bruce Frazier’s. Abby tried not to think too hard about what it meant that she was glad to know he was gone forgood.
The Syndicate’s team had removed their tactical gear, donning the extra Tangier uniforms Locke had stolen when he’d taken the cleaning staff uniforms to plant the surveillanceequipment.
They’d split up and exited the suite dressed like members of the Tangier’s staff, melting into the crowds at the casino level as an alarm shrieked inside the hotel and guards rushed for the elevators. Then they returned to the Drew to make sure they’d retrieved all theirequipment.
The news had been full of the story, the headlinesscreaming.
Financial WunderkindDead.
Investigation Reveals Casino Owner’s Ties to VegasMob.
Was Murder of Jason Draper Mob-RelatedAssassination?
Five days later, the world had moved onto somethingnew.
“Here we are.” Max’s voice pulled her back to the present. Gravel crunched under the Porsche’s tires before they came to a stop. He shut off the car. “Hang tight and I’ll help youout.”
A few seconds later, he opened her car door and she felt his hand onhers.
He pulled her to her feet. “Almost time to take off the blindfold. Just hold onto myarm.”
He led her along a gravel path, then onto something spongy that might have been grass. She felt the October wind on her face, smelled sage and eucalyptus. Even with the blindfold on, she sensed the stillness of the desert allaround.
They came to a stop. “Youready?”
She laughed at the excitement in his voice. “I’ve beenready.”
“Here wego.”
