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Dominic
Ihate this.
It’s ten at night. The sun has set and the bright lights of the neon signs shine in the dark. People are wandering about on the streets, walking from casino to casino, chasing lady luck.
I’m in the Grand River’s underground parking lot, standing in front of Gabby’s rental car. “You don’t have to do this,” I say, for the hundredth time. “The Grand River is just a casino. You are more important.”
“You’re going to be right outside,” she points out, her voice calm. I’m a nervous wreck, but if Gabby is, she’s not displaying any signs of nerves. She taps the brooch she’s got pinned to her bodice. “And I have Carter’s gadget.”
The brooch is a cleverly disguised camera. We’ll be able to see and hear everything as it happens. Carter has a quasi-legal security team surrounding the restaurant hosting the poker game. If Gabby is in danger and we need to act, we can be inside the building in less than a minute.
A lot of things can go wrong in sixty seconds.
“I still don’t like it,” Carter mutters, echoing my unease. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“Carter, this asshole hurt Ed. He could have hurt Noah.” Her expression is determined. “I’ll go in, show Vittoria the photos, and leave.”
“We could text them to her,” I point out. “We could email it to her. Anything except you risking yourself.”
“We’ve had this conversation before. Yes, we could. And if there really was a risk, I would go along with that suggestion. But there isn’t a risk. You said it yourself last week. Mitchell isn’t going to resort to violence in his poker rooms.” Her voice is persuasive. “You know it’s better that I show Vittoria these photos in person.” She glances at her phone. “Shit. I’m going to be late. I better go.”
She stands up on tiptoe and envelops Carter in a hug, and then me. I can smell her perfume, the subtle tones of jasmine and mint messing with my mind. I cling to her for an infinite second, then she pulls away.
The poker game is happening in a Mexican restaurant in Pleasantville. I get into Carter’s car, and we prepare to follow her.
Gabby’s brave and spirited, and she can take care of herself. But she is precious to us, and we are going to be right behind her. I can only hope it’s enough.
