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I spot Knox at the bar, grumpily sipping on his no doubt overpriced beer. At least a dozen different spots are available to grab a refreshment on this floor of the casino alone. I’m about to join him when out of the corner of my eye—
A woman. She anxiously looks over her shoulder at some unknown danger as she walks up to the reception desk. This casino, like many others on the Strip, is also part-hotel. Against the backdrop of all the glitz and glam of Vegas, she stands out like a sore thumb. I normally wouldn’t pay any mind. It’s not polite to stare, but something about her shifty nature and wide, frightened blue eyes makes me pause.
Curiosity gets the better of me.
I take a few steps in her direction, leaning against one of the many decorative pillars lining the hotel lobby. The ceiling is painted a light blue, accented all around with bright lights to give the illusion of an open-air dome.
“I need a room,” she says to the hotel receptionist working the desk. Her voice is shockingly soft, almost angelic. The sound makes my heart drum a little faster.
“For how many nights?”
“Just one. The cheapest one you’ve got.”
The receptionist types quickly into his computer. The entire time, the woman continues to throw cautious looks over her shoulder. She reminds me of a rabbit on the lookout for a fox, ready at a moment’s notice to sprint in the opposite direction. She hasn’t noticed me, and a part of me doesn’t want her to. The last thing I want is for her to spook and run.
I watch her from a few feet away, stunned silent by her beauty.
She’s dressed conservatively in a pair of jeans and a baggy coat, so I’m unable to make out her silhouette. Her eyes do me in. Electric blue, so rich and vibrant I can clearly see them from where I stand. The woman has a cute button nose and full lips, her arched brows pulled together into a worried frown.
A strange sensation stirs in my chest.
I want to know what’s troubling her. I want to make sure she’s safe, but I have no clue why. It’s really none of my business, and if she’s as scared as she looks, I doubt she’d want help from some random man she’s never met. In this day and age, there is no such thing as the kindness of strangers. Though it’s obvious that’s what she needs—someone to be kind.
“That’ll be a hundred and nine dollars,” the desk clerk says. “How would you like to—”
The woman pulls out a thick wad of cash and quickly slides the money over.
A sick feeling churns in the pit of my stomach. Something isn’t right. Everything about her radiatesdistress, from her disheveled clothes to her flightiness to the slight quiver of her bottom lip and the quickened pace of her breathing.
“May I trouble you for your name?” the desk clerk asks. “To have on file.”
The woman slides an additional fifty dollars over the counter. “That’s for you. To make something up.”
The man is obviously confused at first, but his features quickly melt into a polite smile. “I hope you enjoy your stay, Ms. Doe. Here’s your keycard.”
The woman is surprisingly fast considering her small stature. She snaps up the key and immediately heads to the elevators.
As do two men, tailing her a few paces behind.
My body reacts before my brain does. I follow them down the hall, stepping around other guests trying to check in and check out. I arrive just as the elevator doors slide open, the four of us cramming into the elevator car together. The woman presses the button to the top floor, my first clue that she’s aware of the danger she’s in. A penthouse suite is worth way more than a what she handed over.
She’s buying herself time.
Not a single word is spoken, nothing but softdingsover the speakers counting every floor we pass. I stand at the back of the car, silently sizing the men up.
They’re double her bodyweight and twice her size, dressed in fitted black suits and polished leather shoes. To the untrained eye, they could easily be mistaken for businessmen, but their ugly mugs and visible neck tattoos are a clear indication that they’re probably not here for the big pharmaceutical convention on the ground floor.
We pass Floor 28…
Floor 29…
Floor 30…
The doors slide open. There’s nobody in sight; just a lonely maid’s cart left unattended.
One of the men puts his hand on her shoulder. “Ms. Allegra, you’re coming with us.”
The woman whips around in an instant, nailing the man square in the groin.
