Page 86 of Double or Nothing
Grabbing the bottom hem of my red dress, I jerk it over my head and cram it into a plastic bag. The red wig is the next item to come off.
I pull out a short blonde wig from my handbag and tug it on. Without a mirror, I don’t know if it’s on straight or backward. Quickly, I stretch down the tight, white bodycon dress and step out of the stall.
Natasha is already waiting for me at the sink. She doesn’t utter a single word, only rolling her eyes when she sees my wig. Reaching over, she turns the wig around to position it correctly. She has already stripped down to her skintight blue dress and is wearing a dull, mousy brown wig with a shaggy haircut, making her look almost ordinary.
“Give me your bag,” she says.
I hand over the plastic bag containing my red dress and the wig. After tying a double knot to close it securely, she tosses it into the trash can.
“I hate to throw away the beautiful clothes,” she whispers to me with a regretful glance at the trash can. “Eva said we must get rid of everything.”
“You can buy plenty more with your share of the winnings.”
“Yes, I know,” she replies. “I went without for so long that I hate to be wasteful.”
“These big handbags should go too,” I suggest.
She nods and we remove our phones, along with the tiny purses we brought along as extras. I stuff my big handbag deep into the trashcan, then she does the same. As a final measure, I wet a handful of paper towels and cram them down on top of the bags. Hopefully, no one will be dumpster diving on Christmas Eve.
“Now what?” I ask.
“Call one of your guys to pick you up and I’ll go to Platinum,” she replies. “We’ll all meet up there as planned to regroup.”
“It’s over?” I say in frustration. “We’re bailing? Just like that? We were counting on a big score at the Imperial to make this all worthwhile.”
She shrugs, causing her full breasts to almost spill out of her low-cut dress before she tugs the neckline back up. “What else can we do?”
“Keep going,” I say. “Our appearance is different now. They won’t spot us. We can’t quit. I won’t quit.”
“Security is searching for two women,” she reminds me. “Trust me, they’ll spot us. We’ll be caught.”
“Then I’ll go alone.”
“No,” she protests. “You need someone to watch your back.”
“They’ll be searching for a tall woman,” I say. “You’re hard to miss, no matter what you’re wearing or your hair color. Go to Eva’s suite at the Imperial and switch places with her. She can back me up. I’ll wait for her to arrive downstairs in the Imperial before I begin playing.”
Indecision crosses her face. She doesn’t want to quit either.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“Yes! We’re wasting time. You go out first and I’ll follow behind you in two minutes.”
“What about the camera?” she asks, pointing at the bodice of my dress. “Is it positioned correctly?”
I pull out the top edge of my bodycon dress to show her the tiny camera pinned to the lacy edge of my bra. “It’s fine. Go!”
She doesn’t argue with me. Slinging the gold chain of the dainty purse over her shoulder, she strides out of the restroom.
As soon as the door closes behind her, I quickly unpin the camera from my dress and palm it. Now that the casinos are on to us, using an electronic device is too risky. If I get caught using the camera to cheat at the casino, I’ll be in big trouble.
The plan has changed.
If we want to finish this, I must do it alone. I don’t need the camera or the signal from my laptop. All I need is my photographic memory and the uncanny ability to remember long sequences of numbers in my brain.
I can do it.
After checking my reflection one last time in the mirror, I straighten my shoulders to project confidence and go out the door. On my way through the hotel lobby, I pass a coffee bar set up in one corner. Picking up a napkin, I dab at an imaginary spot on my dress, then drop it into the trash can along with the camera in my palm.
