“I know. Breathe. You have to be smart about this. They could kill her if they think she’s a liability.”
“Fuck!” I roared, my voice more demon than man, and I knew it was the Reaper’s reaction combining with my own. “Just pull up and park. Now!” I yelled as we screeched to a halt outside of the casino.
Both of us exited the car simultaneously and ignored the valet, rushing around him as we ran inside the building. I thought I heard the rumble of motorcycles closing in but didn’t have time to figure out if that meant Scorpions or Royal Bastards.
“Left!” Twitchy yelled as I darted ahead, fighting the growing anxiety that was clawing at my insides.
Slot machines and bright lights seemed to fill the entire area. The noise was deafening as the holiday crowds took advantage of the booze and atmosphere. People packed the area and there were lines behind the slots. Up ahead was a hall, and I took it, my boots pounding against the hardwood floors as I noticed the dead end up ahead. The corridor split two different ways.
“Right or left?” I called out, refusing to slow down.
We were so close. So fucking close.
“Right!”
I veered off in that direction and noticed multiple banquet rooms down the long, carpeted hall that stretched even farther than the last one.
“Where?”
“Elevator,” she exhaled, catching up to me as we darted around people and huffed, pumping our arms and legs to move as quickly through the crowd as possible.
Did they know their city wasn’t just full of sin? That the evil of powerful men corrupted it?
“Where are we going?” I asked as we darted inside the open doors of the elevator at the same time as a couple exited.
“Lowest level,” she panted, bending over to place her hands on her knees.
“Straight to hell,” I observed, oddly excited by the prospect.
“You’re so weird, Shadow.”
“We all have our quirks.”
“True enough,” she agreed as she straightened, pulling out her phone. “Intel says it’s one of the private rooms. The big one they keep hidden from the normal guests. You’ve got to have a keycard to get inside that area of the lower level.”
Shit. “You have one?”
“Of course,” she replied with a wink, whipping it out of her back pocket. “Nothing is stopping us.”
I had no idea how or when she got it or who gave it to her and I didn’t care.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened as we rushed out into another hall. This place was a maze of levels and hidden areas. A true testament to the old days when Vegas was first built, and bootleggers, gun runners, and the mafia ruled the streets.
“Here!” Twitchy called out, and I followed her, noting the door with keycard access only. She swiped the card, and we entered, both of us pulling out guns.
I wasn’t too worried about being shot because Grim already told me that our Reapers were invincible. I just had to let him surface. The rage and worry I’d hidden until this moment was unleashed, and I felt my body change as a red haze filled my vision.
Twitchy glanced behind her and gasped, slapping a hand over her chest. “You fucking scared me. Those Reapers are terrifying.”
Chuckling, me and my Reaper enjoyed her reaction.
We kept moving through the underbelly of the casino, passing rooms as we determined each one wasn’t suitable for an auction. There needed to be plenty of space to conduct their business.
There was a banquet room on the end with another keycard entrance. Twitchy swiped, and nothing happened. A red light appeared.
“Fuck!” I cursed as I thought I heard a girl scream from inside.
She swiped again, a little slower, and the light turned green. We tugged the door open and entered through some kind of foyer. The area was decorated with antique furniture and crystal lighting fixtures. Sofas lined the walls with end tables cluttered with glasses and empty bottles of expensive whiskey, bourbon, and scotch.