Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Finally, the same guy from before reappeared.
“Come on back,” he said to Jace. Isla and I moved to follow, but he held up a hand. “No looky loos allowed. You two will have to wait here.”
I started to panic because I definitely didn’t want Jace going back there alone and getting locked in just like Elias had. Technically, what they were doing was illegal, but then again, this place didn’t seem like it gave much heed to the law.
“I’ll be fine,” Jace said, calm as a cucumber as he ran a hand down my arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back with Elias before you know it.” He looked to Isla. “Keep an eye on her, yeah?”
Isla nodded, and my heart gave a hard thump as I watched Jace walk to the back of the casino and then slip through a dark door. A small quiet fell, and I realised this was the first time I’d been properly alone with Isla where we had to make conversation. She was American, like Dixon, but other than that, I didn’t know much about her.
“Is he really that good at poker?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. Jace is a natural. He often won even against his dad, so that’s saying something. Only thing is, when the other players realise he’s not a rube, there could be trouble.” I paused to glance at her. She wasn’t a large woman, but she looked like she could handle herself. Still, perhaps having more backup would be a good idea.
“Do you think we should call Dixon to come over? Just in case?”
Isla checked the time on her phone. It was almost midnight. “I don’t fancy facing his wrath if we wake him up.”
“You two are close, though, right? Surely, he’ll be understanding, given the circumstances.”
Isla shook her head. “I mean, we’ve worked together for three years, but I wouldn’t say we’re close. Dixon is a real closed book, doesn’t like to get personal, you know?”
“But didn’t he hire you?”
“No, that was Angelica, the band’s manager. Don’t get me wrong, Dixon is cool. I just wouldn’t want to bother him when it’s my turn to be on duty.”
I nodded, dropping the matter since it was clear she didn’t feel comfortable calling her colleague. Instead, I asked her some questions about where she grew up and if she had any siblings. It turned out that she did other security work when the band wasn’t on tour, but it wasn’t as well-paying as looking after Astro, so in a way, being called in to watch Jace was a stroke of luck for her. Although she was sorry about the catfish.
Then we got into a deep discussion about possible new suspects, though Isla said that personally she didn’t think it was Dean from my work.
“It just feels way more personal than that. To frighten you with the car and all. This is someone with an axe to grind. You and Dean had one drunken kiss, so unless he’s an absolute psychopath, it just doesn’t feel right to me that it’s him.”
Her words gave me pause, and I started to wonder if she was onto something, but I just couldn’t think of anyone who could hate Jace, and by association, me, so much that they’d do something this despicable.
Before I could give the theory more thought, there was a ruckus from the other end of the casino. A second later, I spotted Jace and Elias headed our way, walking swiftly. Jace was carrying a small black bag, but I couldn’t see what was inside. He slid his arm around my waist and helped me off the stool. “We need to leave. Now.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you in the car.”
“Hey! Get back here!”
Several men—including the slimeball who’d offered for Jace to take part in the poker game—came rushing through the casino after us, so I let Jace hustle me out of there double quick. Moments later, we were in the car, Elias sliding into the back seat. I’d never seen anyone start an engine so fast, and then we were driving away at speed. I twisted to look behind us and, with relief, saw that Isla had made it to her car and was following us.
“Ha! That was incredible! Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat,” Elias exclaimed while punching the air in triumph. His eyes were alight with excitement, while beneath them, there were grey bags that told me he hadn’t slept in a day or two.
“More like defeat from the jaws of victory in your case,” Jace shot back, annoyed. “Most of those guys were idiot posers. How the hell did you manage to lose so much money from them in the first place?”
“Just an unanticipated string of bad luck,” Elias said, losing a little of his exuberance. “It happens to the best of us.”
“I swear to fuck, El,” Jace swore. “Never again.”