Locke’s hands tighten on my hips. “I know, it’s just once you step in there, there’s no going back,” he murmurs.
I nod, and a part of me wishes we could stay here forever.
Chapter 30
LOCKE
Back in the familiarity of Vegas, Arden, Lexi, and Zoe slipped right back into their everyday routine. I’ve watched them from the sidelines for the past few days, struck by the simplicity of their life together. We have a plan to execute and a man to expose, but in the waiting, they’ve just been the same little family they’ve always been.
I left the ladies to themselves and stepped into Arden’s bedroom for one last brief with Seb over the phone. He’s been lying low since we arrived, and I’ve kept it that way. After his stunt in the stairwell, I wasn’t about to invite him into their home. Although, frankly, I’ve been too buried in prep to notice, or care, if he’s still lurking in the shadows.
For the last forty-eight hours, he’s helped me track down the hacker and the tools we’ll need to take down Luke Holloway. He’s been the one running surveillance and mapping the casino’s layout. With the tech dialed in and the layouts memorized, the plan feels as solid as it’s going to get.
Sleep hadn’t really been part of my schedule. Neither had eating. I’ve been holed up alone, every hour bleeding into the next until the neon buzzing outside the windows felt like the only thing keeping me awake.
Tiernan, one of my dad’s old mob connections who’s somehow still alive, is my ticket to tapping into the casino’s internal security system. The man is a legend. Decked out in a sharp suit and even sharper paranoia, he’s a goddamn artist when it comes to breaking into complex security networks. He’s agreed to crack the code to the casino’s security cameras, so we’ll have eyes everywhere.
Hacking the security feed gives us a full visual of every corner of the lounge, and her earpiece will allow us to keep in contact the entiretime. I even convinced Tiernan to reroute the casino’s backup signal so no one could trace the interference back to us.
So now, here we are, watching her enter this giant neon playground from a hotel room high above the club she’s headed to. On the cameras, she looks small. But even through the video feed, there’s a sharpness in her posture that makes my heart race.
As she drifts through the casino, light catches on gleaming stones hanging from giant chandeliers and bounces off her jewelry. It’s a palace built for people who think they’ll never lose. She blends in perfectly.
Word on the street is that Luke will be here all day. Gambling, drinking, parading around like he owns the place. Arden’s job is simple, on paper: just catch his eye and wait for the right moment to flatter him. I feel the knots in my stomach forming already. The thought of watching her flirt with another man yet again makes me want to end this entire operation.
I could walk in there myself and settle this with my fists, but that would just be another headline Luke could spin in his favor. We need a clean execution. Watching Arden work her way into his orbit is torture, but it’s the only way that guarantees we walk away with his career in our hands. I’m not here for theatrics; I’m here to collapse his whole empire.
I watch her walk casually into the high-roller lounge, turning heads the entire way. The security guard by the door follows her with his eyes as she sits at a blackjack table near the center of the room. So it isn’t just me… is everyone this mesmerized by her?
Well, how could they not be? That red silk dress clings to her like it was custom-made, threadlike straps glinting against her skin. A black leather jacket is draped over her shoulders, and she wears her usual lace-up heeled boots. Only, they’re not her usual? No, these have silver rivets and spikes trailing down each heel. She looks morelethal than ever. I force myself to look away as the pressure of my cock, hard against my zipper, mounts.Fuck me.
Scanning the cameras, I spot Luke sitting at a table in the room’s far corner. His head is down, focused on the cards in front of him, but when he looks up, his line of sight will lead directly to her.
“If you can hear me, tuck your hair behind your ear,” I say, my voice low and steady. She does. A small burst of satisfaction flares in my chest.Oh, this could be fun.
“Okay, now bend down and tie your shoe. Turn a little this way.” I see her subtly shake her head on the camera. “Get back to work,” she mutters, sliding a neat stack of chips to the center of the blackjack table she’s chosen.
It’s then that I notice Luke has glanced up from his game. He’s staring straight at her. “Oh, I think you’ve got an admirer.” I murmur. “Game on.” I can’t see her face from this angle, but her body goes still. Through the mic, I hear her suck in a slow breath and release it, steadying herself.
She lifts her cards, hiding behind them just as Luke pushes his seat back. He cashes out, says something to the dealer, and then he’s stalking toward her.
Watching them through screens like this, I feel detached. Like I’m not here at all. Like I’m watching a scene straight out of a nature documentary. The lion spots his prey, completely unaware that the creature waiting for him isn’t prey at all. She’s a predator disguised as something timid and harmless, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and he’s running straight into her trap.
Chapter 31
ARDEN
I notice him standing up just after Locke mentions my admirer. I try not to stare. Trying not to draw attention, I catch his eyes narrowing. It’s a look I’ve seen before, a predator stalking its prey, but there’s something darker behind it.
Maybe it’s just the alcohol. He sways slightly as he walks, trying to play it off as an overconfident swagger. The idea of his being drunk raises the hair on the back of my neck. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that a drunk asshole can be very good or very bad. Now I just have to figure out which one he’ll be today.
The casino is a whirlwind around me. Slot machines trill and chime, chips clatter on the table, and laughter bursts like gunfire. The air smells like money, expensive cologne, and a hint of desperation. It’s a familiar symphony I’ve known my whole life. For most, it might distract, but the chaos is just white noise to me. It drowns out everything except for what I’m here to do.
“Talk to me, Arden,” Locke’s voice crackles in my ear, low and steady. His tone isn’t worried yet, but it’s close. “He’s moving toward you.”
“I see him,” I whisper, keeping my smile glued in place. I reach for my drink, pretending to be absorbed in the game. “Relax, Locke. You’ll give us away.”
“I’ll relax when you’re back home,” he mutters, his voice a rough edge that reveals just how much he hates this. I hide my smirk behind the rim of my glass. He worries too much.
