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“You have an offer for me,” I say to Gideon.
“I do. The Red is impenetrable. At least it was until Marco figured out a way. I don’t think he’s that smart, so he must have had help from the inside. Someone that knows your systems.”
“Yes.” I agree. That’s the only explanation.
“Which means, we need to get inside too.”
“Exactly.”
“You know everything about that building.” He pushes a blue folder in front of me. “Show me what’s missing.”
I open the folder to find the blueprints for the casino. They’re detailed, as much as I allowed them to be when it was first built. But it’s missing a few key elements. Hallways and tunnels meant for my personal use. Or escape, if the need ever arose.
“If I do that, what will you do?” I ask.
“Give you men. Weapons. Whatever you need to get in. I’ll provide support until you make sense of whatever mess is going on in there. Who you can trust.”
“Why?” I lift my gaze from the blue prints. “I’m on your hit list. Why help me?”
He smiles and leans back, smoothing the fabric of his coat. “Sean Murphy was there when my father was murdered.”
“I’m aware of that. I’ve done my research.”
“So have I. And I’ve learned a lot about you, little Gav-Gav. I know about the house and the mortgage you took out on it and how you invested that money into The Red. But when I did the calculations of his investment versus the profit you’ve made, it tipped the scales in your favor.”
“Mmm. Lucky me.”
“It’s a good offer, Gavin,” Rowan says. “Accept it.”
“I haven’t heard the other side yet. You’ve only told me what you’re willing to do for me. But what is it you want me to do for you?”
“I’ll help you in exchange for one little favor.” He makes the universal sign for small, bringing his forefinger and thumb close together. “Once you have The Red back, I want you to keep something for me. It’s so tiny, you won’t even know it’s there.”
“What is it?”
His grin widens. “Did I say it. My bad. I meant she.”
23
ANDIE
I tug the flower-patterned quilt over Lola’s shoulder. After her ice cream with Diana, she came up to shower. While we waited for clothes she could put on, she fell asleep on Lou’s childhood bed.
She’s been so brave. More than I would have been at her age. Then again, I didn’t have two adults protecting me. Because it wasn’t just me there. Gavin used his own body to shield her.
A soft knock has me turning to the door. Lou walks in with two bags full of clothes and sets them on the floor near my feet.
“Oh my God, Lou!” I whisper loudly as I pull out a pink blouse with a unicorn on it. The tag hanging from the collar is one of those handwritten ones you get at fancy stores. “A hundred dollars?” I pull out another, this one white with tiny rainbows. “I hope you didn’t buy all this just for us.”
“Mom’s neighbor owns a children’s boutique. She keeps a lot of inventory in her house. Trust me when I say my mother was in heaven picking these out.”
“But it’s too much, Lou.”
She leans over the bed and gently grazes Lola’s cheek. “After all the ugly she’s seen, she’ll need something pretty to help erase some of those memories.”
It’s true. She’s seen more than I wanted her to. “Some memories can’t be erased, unfortunately. Even with something nice.”
“Yeah. But it can make them fuzzy around the edges. Like a bad dream.” She smiles at me and squeezes my shoulder. “Come on. I have some stuff for you too.”
