Nate levels a very flat stare at him. Then at me.
He exhales sharply, pushing back from the counter. “Fill your idiot friend in. Then, let me know how you plan on fixing this.” He grabs his phone, muttering, “Unbelievable.”
He turns back to me, unimpressed. “You owe me.”
The door slams shut behind him. Sebastian raises a brow at me, waiting.
I grit my teeth into a forced, razor-sharp smile. “Well,” I mutter, “that went well.”
Sebastian isn’t just some idiot I keep around for entertainment. We’ve known each other for almost our entire lives. Our fathers ran their slice of the Irish mob together. Now they share a prison cell, while we take advantage of the money and connections they left behind.
That’s why I need him. I deal in power and influence. I run with the people who pull strings behind the scenes. Sebastian? He knows the streets. He’s not afraid of the people who learned to navigate them out of necessity rather than convenience. Even though his upbringing was the furthest thing from rough, he’s always had a way of gaining their trust. When we combine our skills, this entire city belongs to us.
The head of casino security looks like he already regrets letting us into the surveillance room. He keeps glancing at the closed door, like he’s waiting for someone to walk in. Or praying for it.
“You said she took something?” the man asks, voice gruff.
“Yeah,” I reply. “A watch worth more than your entire camera system.”
His jaw tenses, but he clicks through the footage anyway. He keeps glancing at Seb, who isn’t saying a word. Just watching, arms crossed, eyes scanning the monitors.
A few minutes in, I spot a blur of black satin in the sea of flashing lights. “Stop, that’s her. Back it up three seconds.”
He rewinds. There she is, weaving through the maze of slot machines, casual and calm as if it’s just another day. The doors glow with the blue light of dawn as she slips outside.
Seb moves closer, squinting at the screen. “What street is that?”
“First,” the security guard answers quickly. “Looks like she took a right. Probably headed down Fremont Street.”
“Thanks,” I say, pressing a folded $100 bill into his palm. “For your trouble.”
The moment we step outside, Seb pulls out his phone. “Calling in that favor. I need as much camera footage going south on Fremont Street as you can get. Look for the girl in the photo I’m sending now.” He hangs up and sends the message as we walk.
Moments later, image replies start coming in. Grainy shots from traffic cams, hotel exteriors, even a convenience store. In one clip, they circled her. Another highlights a neon sign she passed.
I pull out my phone, zooming in on the map to trace her path with my finger. “This is the store she passed. There are three pawnshops within a few blocks of it. She definitely hit one of them.”
Seb nods, looking over my shoulder at the cluster of red dots. “Then let’s start knocking on doors.”
I nod in agreement as we head toward the closest shop.
Chapter 6
LOCKE
The air inside the Treasure Trove Pawn Shop is thick with stale cigar smoke. Sebastian slouches against a glass countertop, letting me take the lead while he idly scans a case of overpriced vintage cameras. He’s just here for the show.
I brace my hands on the counter before me. “I’ll make this easy for you…” I trail off, giving him an opportunity to introduce himself.
“Milo,” he reluctantly mutters, lifting his chin and exhaling a puff of smoke into the air. “And what are you yappin’ about?”
I pull out my phone and place it gently on the counter. When Milo glances down, it’s me staring up at him, smiling and holding a glass of whiskey. I zoom in on my wrist, giving him a clear view of what I came here for.
“You’ve seen this watch today, correct?”
Milo’s poker face is shit.
His eyes flicker, just for a second, but I see it.
