I’d heard word that Sherwood and Jehanne were at a retreat that a group of vampire casino owners attended every six months. They usually holed up in the penthouses of one hotel or another to discuss business and party nonstop with other vamps. This time they were only a few blocks away, at the Diamond Hotel and Casino, but that was enough. I needed the physical distance. If Sherwood was around, I’d probably do something stupid.
I exhaled.Chill, girl. Just chill. He’ll get his.
Robin had assured me we’d get vengeance. Redistributing Sherwood’s cash was one of his plans, although he hadn’t shared the others with me. I had to admit that I probably wasn’t ready for it, anyway. I was still coming to terms with how I would soon become a thief.
I shook my head.What did Robin say his title was? Financial manager? Ha.
We planned to rob the filthy rich and give to the poor, but no matter how you spun it, that still made us thieves. I didn’t like the taste, but I would have to swallow that bitter pill because I wanted revenge more than I wanted to keep my moral code intact. I wanted Sherwood to hurt as badly as I did after I lost my parents.
After the heist, I would return to honest work. Of course, it would have to be in a different town, because after I robbed my employer, I’d be on the run.
That was fine. It was about damn time I left. I hated this casino and yearned for something new. I may not have a clue where to go, or anyone to go there with, but getting the hell out of Vegas was a must.
I gathered the dirty sheets and threw them into the cart. They barely fit into my hamper, which meant I’d have to take a trip to the laundry chute before moving on to the next room. It would put me even more behind, but less so than if I had to traipse down to the laundry room.
The chute was a rare instance in which an antiquated invention survived in a Vegas hotel. It remained for three reasons. The chute saved time, money, and most important of all, Sherwooddespiseddirty clothing being kept in his penthouse, so he used the chute to send his laundry down to the laundry room right after disrobing. What a priss.
I made my way through the halls, smiling at guests who passed by as though I wasn’t planning to steal millions of dollars from my employer.
And stake him, if I get the chance.
I opened the chute and, pretending the dirty pile of sheets was Sherwood as a pile of ash, shoved them through the tiny door. They began to fall, and I stuck my head into the opening, making sure they made it all the way down. Once, some drunk idiot had clogged the chute with a full bag of trash. That had caused a backup in all departments. What a disaster.
This time, though, things seemed just fine. I watched as the sheets soared downward, toward a laundry basket brimming with linens and blankets. They landed, and I caught sight of a pop of bright blue—Sherwood’s clothes. My jaw clenched and a desire to light a match and toss it down the chute to set the whole bin on fire came over me.
If only I were a fire elemental. I’d send my fire to his penthouse too. I’d crisp that son of a—I gasped as an idea struck.
This chute traveled all the way from the top floor of the hotel, Sherwood’s penthouse, to the laundry rooms in the basement. And the laundry room was near the manager officesandthe vaults. While the chute wasn’t large enough for humans to fit through it without getting stuck, some animals could fit easily. Foxes included.
Holy crap, that’s it!
Using the chute, we’d be able to bypass the armed security that roamed the casino floor and prevented guests from entering the back of the house. It was a direct way to the vaults with zero surveillance.
Now the question became, how would we get into the chute?
Chapter Six
I gripped my steering wheel,my excitement mounting. It was weird, considering I’d spent years trying not to think about him, but I honestly couldn’t wait to tell Robin all that I’d discovered. Besides the chute, I’d found two locations in the casino that appeared to be blind spots for the cameras. Those wouldn’t help us in getting in and out. But if someone needed a moment off-camera for some sneaky criminal stuff, they were good options.
Of course, there were still questions to work out. I hadn’t figured out how we’d getintothe laundry chute without attracting notice. If the cameras caught someone walking down the hall, transforming into an animal, and then jumping down the laundry chute, the security team would definitely be suspicious. But I wouldn’t give up so easily. There had to be a way.
The car jostled as I hit a deep pothole on the long dirt road, ripping me back to the present. I shook my head and put on my brights, just in case. There weren’t many lights out here. “Where the hell are they staying?”
Seconds later, my question was answered when my phone announced that my destination was on the right. I turned and squinted down the long driveway. The place Robin and his gang had rented appeared to be an old ranch turned luxury home. It was only a mile or two from my house, but I’d never seen it. I never came out this way. Few people did.
A good sign for a criminal hideout, I guess,I thought as I punched in the gate code. The intricate sheet of iron swung open without the slightest noise.
As I drove closer, I could make out people milling around inside the mansion. Outside, a bonfire streaked toward the night sky, and people gathered there too. Robin had mentioned that his gang was sizable, but there had to be at least twenty people here. Would everyone infiltrate the Oasis? I gulped. That would make things even more difficult.
I slowed my old Saab to a crawl and nestled it into a parking spot right between a sparkling new Audi and a tricked-out truck that easily cost what I made in a year.
I examined the truck’s custom paint job that depicted an image of a wolf running over the desert plains and scowled.So thieving is profitable. How annoying.
I huffed and flipped down the visor to freshen up my makeup. My lipstick smoothed on and I grabbed a tissue from the consul and blotted. I pursed my lips to check that there were no cracks and, pleased with the result, was about to move on to refreshing my blush when a knock sounded on my window.
I jumped and twisted toward the window in time to see Robin bend down, a smile splitting his handsome face. My heart rate slowed, and I shook my head, annoyed.
“Robin!” I flipped up the visor and opened the door. “You scared the crap out of me!”
