Page 23 of Ride Forever
It was just like Chaser said. Between our hand-to-hand combat training sessions on the roof of the Best Western, his crash courses in spotting security had paid off. Though, I made sure to keep my distance from my target. My first time was working out decent enough, but my stomach still churned.
“Hey.”
My heart skipped a beat as Chaser appeared beside me. Sitting on the ledge, he nodded toward the guy I’d been tailing.
“Case him?” he asked, opening a leaflet so I could pretend to look at it with wonder. It was a brochure for the Backstreet Boys residency at Planet Hollywood, and I made a mental note to give him shit about it later.
“Yeah,” I replied with a nod.
The thirty-six floors of the Halcyon Casino and Resort stood above us, daunting in its size. Outside, there were various shops and restaurants full to bursting with people. Neon signs and billboards advertised the theatre shows inside, all of them geared toward adult entertainment. For the ten minutes I’d been sitting here, I hadn’t seen one child, not like the Strip behind me.
I sighed and glanced at the man again. The enemy’s doorstep wasn’t the optimal place to test out my developing skills, but we didn’t have much choice, what with renegade bikers on one side and Hollow Men on the other.
“It’s very…erotic around here,” I quipped.
“Yeah,” Chaser said. “It’s not a family-friendly destination.”
“I’ve counted four guys in the forecourt,” I murmured, pretending to look at the brochure Chaser had brought back with him. “But that guy is the laziest. All the others have been real pros.”
“Cameras?”
“The place is crawling with them,” I replied. “There’s two at the side entrance, three at the main, one on the restaurant, and the one behind us is operated by the city.”
“Good. I see you were listening.”
“I always listen to what you say,” I replied, pinching his leg. “It’s just I don’t always agree.”
Chaser snorted, then folded up the brochure. “C’mon, I got us a room at the casino across the street.”
“Is that a good idea? I mean…” I glanced back at the man and narrowed my eyes. “If you hadn’t told me what to look for, I wouldn’t have even known.”
“I took precautions.” He slid his hand into mine, stood, then pulled me to my feet.
I pretended to know what he meant by that, just glad to walk in the opposite direction of the Halcyon. The whole place had this…vibe, like something wasn’t right. I imagined it was the kind of place that tossed cheaters and gamblers with huge debts out the back door, then kicked them three-quarters to death. I sniffed the air, almost believing I could smell the blood.
Chaser gave me a look and pulled me toward the sidewalk. “We’ll come back tonight.”
“Tonight?” I squeaked.
“Sloane, are you sure you can—”
“Yes,” I snapped, shutting off the stupid voice inside my head that was fueling my doubts. “I can.”
“Good, because tonight, we’re going inside that hellhole.”
I swallowed hard as we crossed the street, making for the casino opposite. Inside the Halcyon? Holly shit. I hoped I was ready for that because bravado would not help me face the mob. Not one bit.
