RISK(4)

I graciously accepted the praise my supervisor gave me along with a hug from the couple who Shelby had duped. Once I'd filled out my incident report, I was free to go.

The wallet is back where it belongs, and Shelby is at a local police precinct, waiting to be booked.

"It's my job, Ad." I pluck the printed slip from the slot machine out of her hand. "I'm going to give this and the tickets to the magic show to my friend Jersey."

"You're talking about Wally Hampton, aren't you?" She wiggles a thumb in Jersey's direction.

"Wally Hampton?" I pause and look at Jersey. He's still winning. The toothy grin on his face is a dead giveaway. "That's Jersey. Does he look like someone you know?"

"He looks like Wally Hampton because he is Wally Hampton. He just so happens to be the greatest quarterback ever to play the game." She shakes her head. "You're going to give him your measly twenty-seven cent voucher and two tickets to a magic show? The man is worth a fortune, Ellie."

"That can't be right," I whisper even though Jersey is out of earshot. "He's never mentioned football to me. He's a big baseball fan. He's always wearing that Yankees ball cap."

"He's retired." She shoots me a look. "Do you know how much his autograph goes for? If you ask him to sign one of his jerseys, you could sell it online and spend your days living the high life in Vegas instead of busting your ass catching purse snatchers and chasing minors out of the casino."

"I happen to like my job." I open my purse and pull out the folded piece of paper I printed our tickets on. "I'm giving him these so he can take his wife to the show."

"He's a huge deal, Ellie. If he wanted to see that magician, he'd just have to show up at the door and they'd seat him in the front row."

"To do that he'd have to be Wally Hampton," I say quietly. "Tonight he can sit in the tenth row and he can just be Jersey. A man on a date with the woman he loves."

***

"I thought that you'd be able to leapfrog the line since this club is technically inside the resort you work at." Adley scrunches her nose. "There are at least a hundred people in front of us."

My gaze wanders down the line of people all waiting to get in Shade. The club opened two months ago in the new wing of the resort along with several high-end boutiques including Belese designer handbags, Whispers of Grace jewelry and the soon-to-be-opened new location for Matiz Cosmetics. Celebrities and their entourages have been descending on the property in droves.

The only impact it's had on my job as a casino security guard is that I have to hover if I'm assigned the task of watching over someone recognizable when they have the urge to gamble.

When a gorgeous actor and his pop star girlfriend indulged in a night of poker last week, I spent my entire shift on a comfortable chair inside Ollie's Room, the high-stakes playground. I lucked out that night, but the actor didn't. He lost more money than I'll make in two years. It didn't seem to faze him. He was all smiles when he walked out of the room with his arm around the woman who has the number one song in the country right now.

"I might know the guy working the door tonight." I half-shrug. "If I do, it'll be an easy in."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get us inside." Adley traces her fingertip along her bottom lip. "If you know what I mean."

I rub at my forehead. "You didn't just tell me that you're willing to blow some random to get inside Shade, did you?"

She nods. "It's the hottest club in Vegas. I want in."

"You told me you hated going down on Leo." I grin at her. "Weren't you the one who said blowjobs are overrated?"

She chews on her lip. "Leo's penis was not appetizing. It scared me."

"You were together for two years, Ad. You were getting it on with his scary dick that entire time."

"We did it in the dark." She glances at two women who join the line behind us. "I saw it on our second date, and after that, we only did it with the lights off."

"I didn't need to know that." I tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I'm going to go see if I can get us in. Promise me you'll stay in line."

She stomps both her heels on the black marble tile. "I'll hold our spot, but I'm counting on you to pull some strings. If you fail, I'll have no choice but to resort to plan B."

"Plan B?"

"A blow for the bouncer," she says it with a straight face. The only indication that she's joking is the faint lift of her right eyebrow.

"Keep your lips together, Ad." I tap her chin. "I'll be right back."

"Roger that, Bean." She offers me a mock salute.

I turn toward the club. All that stands between my best friend and I having an unforgettable last night together in Vegas is the long line of people in front of us all wanting the same thing we do. The temptation of the buzz from a stiff drink and the allure of getting lost in the rhythmic beat of the music are irresistible. I have a feeling this will be a night to remember.





Chapter 3


Nolan




"Ellie Madden," I say it without the slightest hint of a variance in my tone. That, in itself, is a f*cking miracle. Before I'd said it aloud, I'd whispered her name to myself. Not once, but twice since I left the restaurant an hour ago and went straight to my suite to pour myself a stiff drink. The name is unfamiliar. The exquisite redhead claiming it as her own isn't. "It's my understanding that she works at the resort."