The security guard shakes his head behind her and shoots me a warning look. ‘We’ll take her from here, officer,’ I say, as though he’s the police.
Big Mand loops Cherry’s arm, and we hurry away. ‘I’ll message Ged to say we’re on our way back.’
* * *
‘So, where’s Liberty?’ asks Tash an hour later. We are sitting at a booth in the Minus5 bar, the sub-zero temperature ensuring we are all attentive and wide awake after our brief nap. I was so disappointed to get back to my room, after having helped Ged and Big Mand carry Tash and Big Sue to their suites, to find Matteo was not back from his ‘work’ thing with Birdie and no message from him to say where he was. At least the hotel cleaners had been in to clear the glass away and I was able to have a proper shower, apply the cream that Ged gave me to get rid of the green face and spruce myself up.
Sister Kevin is sitting beside Tash. No longer missing in action. He was already in their room, waiting. Apparently, he’d been searching everywhere and hadn’t thought to check his WhatsApp group messages.
Everyone looks refreshed.
‘Liberty has met someone,’ chips in Big Mand, and they all make an ‘aaah’ sound.
‘Well, she has been here for almost two hours,’ says Tash. ‘She’s a fast worker when she wants to be.’
‘At least it’ll take her mind off Luke,’ says Big Sue. ‘By the way, Connie, I’ll put an APB out for him. See if he shows up. We can get his full MO.’
Big Sue is still talking like she’s a fully paid-up member of the NYPD. Things are getting way too out of hand.
‘No!’ I squeal. ‘No APB, whatever that is. To be honest, I’d almost forgotten he’d followed me here. I’m sure he’ll have realised what an idiotic thing he’s done, and will most probably be at the airport, heading back home on the next flight.’
She gives me an unconvincing look as our gazes are drawn to the gigantic screens that surround the entire bar and casino area. Luke’s huge face is lighting up the screen. He smiles shyly at the camera with a huge bunch of red roses in his hand.
‘I have an announcement,’ he says. ‘This is a message to the most beautiful woman on the planet. If you can hear me, “Mi Amore Mi Amore”…’ He pauses to hold up the flowers to the camera. He totally looks as though he’s been in hair and make-up. ‘It’s from a man who loves you from the bottom of his soul.’ He shakes his head slowly. ‘A man who hopes you can give him a chance to get his proposal right this time…’
My heart is in my mouth.What is he doing?
‘He proposed?’ barks Tash. ‘He fucking proposed and you didn’t think to mention it?’
‘He was steaming drunk at the time,’ I say in my defence.
‘How else are you supposed to do it?’ she says, frowning.
I watch, horrified, as the camera tilts to show Luke bending down on one knee. ‘So where else than here, in the best city on the planet, Sin City’ – he stops to treat everyone watching to his self-deprecating A-list-film-star smile – ‘with all the other fools in love.’ Cue small chuckle and wink to camera. He’s so extraordinarily comfortable in the limelight. Perhaps from his decade on stages around the globe. There’s no denying, the camera loves him. He leaves a beat for his words to sink in. He’s probably got every woman in the place swooning by now. ‘And this fool simply wants to know, will you marry him?’
There’s a huge cheer around what sounds like the whole of Las Vegas. I am instantly mortified. ‘Be here tomorrow, midnight… at the love sign’ – he pauses dramatically – ‘if your answer is yes.’
‘Oh, my fucking word!’ howls Cherry. ‘How corny.’
‘How staged,’ adds Big Mand.
‘How desperate,’ says Liberty, walking towards us, hand in hand with Dripping-Wet Guy.
‘Aw, shoot. And there’s me thinking that was romantic and charming,’ says Dripping-Wet Guy. ‘I reckon that little show of his is guaranteed to melt hearts and have the girl of his dreams running back to him quicker than a streak of lightning.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’
Oh, shit.
Matteo is standing glaring from the screen, to me, and back again. ‘Well? Are you thinking of going?’
Matteo and I stand mutely while the group continue to express their opinions as to what my next course of action should be.
I blink slowly at Matteo. ‘Where have you been?’ I ask without answering his question.
His face immediately softens. ‘Yeah. Sorry about that. Birdie insisted on phones off as we went through some sequences she wanted to change. We lost track of time. I’ve only just escaped from her.’
He sounds tired, and a bit fed up. Thankfully, Luke’s big, handsome face disappears from the screens. Adverts for shows and restaurants have replaced him. I pray they don’t stick our Cocktail Hour advert up there, but it’s not meant to be. The screen not only flashes up a life-size image of me posing while I look over my shoulder at the camera, but a loud trumpeting akin to a royal announcement blares out across the whole place. Tash lets out an excited scream. ‘Connie, it’s you!’ It alerts the whole bar to my presence. Followed by, ‘You look fucking gorgeous, pet! Doesn’t she? Look at the arse on that! Who wouldn’t want to marry those plums?’ Which is nice but not what I need right now.
