A Chip and a Chair (Seven of Spades, #5)(99)

Levi draped his tie around his neck and paused, considering his reflection in the hotel bathroom mirror. Sluggishly, as if moving through water, he crossed the wide part of the tie over and pulled it back underneath.

“You ready?” Dominic appeared behind him, dressed in a somber dark suit.

“This uniform is so ugly,” Levi said, still transfixed by the image in the mirror. Halfway through tying the tie, he realized the proportions were way off and started again.

“It looks fine to me.”

“Did you know the LVMPD won a ‘best dressed police department’ award a few years ago? Whoever made that decision must have been high.” Nobody in their right mind could believe that the combination of an olive-green shirt with tan pants was flattering to any human being in history.

Dominic came closer and rested his hands on Levi’s shoulders. “We don’t have to go,” he said gently.

“Gibbs died saving Martine’s life. We’re going.” Levi pulled the knot in his tie too tight, winced, and loosened it up. “Besides, we haven’t left this hotel in weeks.”

“Okay. My mom should be here in a few minutes. I’ll go make sure your parents are ready.”

With a light squeeze to Levi’s shoulders, Dominic left the bathroom. A few seconds later, Levi heard the main door open and shut.

He pinned on the LVMPD-issue tie tack, then smoothed out the lines of the department’s dress uniform. It was ugly, sure, but there was no question of wearing anything else to Jonah Gibbs’s long-delayed funeral.

His badge was the last element, placed on the left breast. He’d already shrouded it; a half-inch stripe of black tape ran diagonally across the face of the badge, a symbol of mourning for a fallen officer.

No more stalling. He grabbed his dress hat and said goodbye to Rebel before leaving the hotel room.

His parents, who were staying in a room several doors down, were waiting in the hallway. “Oy,” Nancy said as she took in Levi’s uniform.

“I know, it’s the worst.”

“I think you look sharp,” said Saul.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re always handsome.” Nancy reached up to fuss with his hair. “But you need a haircut.”

“Dominic likes it longer,” Levi said irritably, twisting away. “Speaking of which, where is he?”

“Meeting Rita in the lobby.” Nancy pinched Levi’s chin and tipped his face down, her eyes narrowing. “Have you eaten today?”

“When are you guys going back to New Jersey, again?” Levi snapped.

She arched an eyebrow. Deflating all at once, he pressed his face into her shoulder, and she hugged him tightly. His father rubbed his back.

His parents had arrived in Las Vegas the day McCarran Airport reopened, and he knew they wouldn’t leave until they were sure he was okay, no matter how long that took. He and Dominic couldn’t have gotten through the past few weeks without the unwavering support of their families.

Once Levi had composed himself, they traveled down to the lobby, where Dominic was standing off to the side with his mother. Rita brightened when she saw them approaching.

“Oh, what a gorgeous dress!” Nancy exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace her.

“And you!” said Rita. “Where did you get these earrings? They’re stunning!”

They fell into an animated discussion. Dominic grinned at Levi over their heads, and Levi couldn’t help smiling in return. Recognizing a kindred spirit within seconds of meeting, Nancy and Rita had formed an instant bond that had quickly cemented into a steadfast friendship.

While the two women continued talking, Saul put a hand on Levi’s arm and spoke so only he could hear. “I know today is going to be difficult for you.”

“I’ll be okay. It’s not like Gibbs and I were close.”

“I don’t just mean the funeral. I mean . . . going outside. Being seen.”

Levi swallowed and glanced at the hotel’s large glass doors. He hadn’t walked through them since he and Dominic had checked in under pseudonyms, and he was no more eager to do so now. For one thing, the press hadn’t found them here yet. Neither had any remaining Utopia members seeking revenge for the utter destruction of their organization.

The immediate aftermath of the explosion at UNLV was a blur of hospitals and FBI debriefings, but everything after that was clear as day: The exhaustive investigation. The shockwave that had rocked the country when the truth of that night-and the Seven of Spades’s identity-hit the news and blew up into an overnight sensation. The constant hounding from reporters and the occasional threats of retribution that had driven Levi and Dominic from one makeshift safe house to the next while they tried to recover.

Even Dominic’s relatives had reporters camping outside their houses-a barrier to their resolute, self-determined mission of bringing Levi and Dominic as many home-cooked meals as possible. But none of them had uttered a word of complaint. Like Dominic, his mother and siblings all had a keen sense of adventure; they relished the challenge of shaking their pursuers, to the point of making it a competition among themselves.

The moment Levi stepped outside, though, everyone would know who he was. There probably wasn’t a single person in America who wouldn’t recognize his face. Even now, whispered conversations were springing up across the lobby as the other guests noticed him. Everyone knew who he was and what had happened the night of the riots.