Their laughter followed them into the tunnel, the protective shading on the windshield rapidly fading to compensate for the brightly lit tunnel. Now that sunlight was no longer burning down on them, the world looked a littleclearer.
Alexei had never been to Las Vegas before. Hell, the first time he’d ever been on an airplane was when he immigrated to America. If he hadn’t joined the Army, he probably never would have traveled so much. His family had been working-class poor when he’d grown up before clawing their way to the lower rungs of the middle class through sheer hard work. They didn’t have funds back then to take a familyvacation.
Alexei ignored the holographic adverts embedded in the tunnel’s smooth gray walls as they drove. Traffic slowed a little when they came to the section of the tunnel that funneled each lane into a fully enclosed area capable of holding half a dozen cars in each section. A double layer of gates that sealed tightly shut in timed intervals, set on either end, ensured that the hard-fought-for temperate environment beneath the biodome didn’t escape through the tunnel linking Las Vegas with the airport. For that reason, it was always abottleneck.
When they finally left the tunnel behind them, merging onto I-15 heading north, the world was a shade darker. It had nothing to do with the polarized tint layered in the SUVs windows and everything to do with the biodome rising high above Las Vegas. Alexei peered through the windshield, amazed at how strange the sprawling city looked in perpetualshade.
It wasn’t night-dark, more as if he viewed it through dark sunglasses. The dome above was a darker blue than the sky they’d flown through on their way west. The difference was startling, and Alexei couldn’t stop staring. He only managed to pry his attention away from it when Annabelle drove off the highway and onto South Las Vegas Boulevard. The towering, neon-bright casinos of the Strip glowed against the dimdaylight.
Many had gone through a dozen different iterations over the decades, and still one or two were the classic mainstays that had never changed their trademarked names. Where once signs and statues had graced the front of the casinos lining the Strip, now three-dimensional holographic images filled the space in ever-changing designs. Due to the biodome, aerial traffic was illegal within Las Vegas, but aerial pedestrian walkways linked casinos in dizzying spirals. Alexei eyed the maze-like structures as Annabelle drove them to their finaldestination.
Olympus was located midway down the Strip, on the right-hand side of the street. Aporte cochèrejutted out toward the boulevard to receive guests, the Greek columns holding it up made of gold-veined white marble that practically glowed in the shade. Annabelle took a sharp right onto the drive leading to Olympus, braking to a gentle stop behind another car in line for thevalet.
The casino workers were quick at their jobs, and it took less than a minute for them to pull into the shade of the overhang and park in a VIP spot, giving up the code-keys to the valet. Alexei undid his seatbelt and opened the SUV door without waiting for someone to open it for him. He got out, noticing immediately that the temperature outside was dry and warm, but not overwhelmingly hot. Nothing like the choking, swampy feel of New Miami or Washington, D.C. in the height ofsummer.
Sean slipped out behind him, squinting a little as his eyes adjusted to being outside. “Chloe said someone would escort ustoher.”
Gone was his normal accent, replaced with the Brooklyn one he’d cultivated for the cover. Alexei didn’t like it all that much. He much preferred Sean’s original way ofspeaking.
“Am hungry,”Alexeisaid.
“You ate on theflightover.”
“Still hungry. Don’t casinos havebuffet?”
“Yes, but you can eatlater.”
Just the thought of unlimited food was enough to make Alexei’s stomach growl. He ignored it in favor of tracking the people heading their way. The number of workers scurrying to assist them told Alexei the Wolcotts had probably warned their employees to keep an eye out for Sean and Alexei. The man in the neat black suit who greeted them on the red carpet stretching from the drive to the casino front doors definitely didn’t work in valetservices.
“Mr. Miller, Mr. Dvorkin, allow me to welcome you to Olympus,” he said with a too-big smile and a booming voice. “My name is Javier, and I’m the general manager of this wonderful establishment. Mrs. Wolcott is waiting for youinside.”
“Thank you. We’ll see her now,” Sean replied forthemall.
A trio of bellhops stacked their luggage on a hovercart, guiding it down the red carpet to the wide front entrance. Javier escorted them into Olympus at a steady pace, promising them a decadent stay and offering up their choice of amenities. Alexei perked up about the roomservice.
“Can get anything sent up?” he asked as one of the five pairs of plas-glass front doors slid openforthem.
“Anything your heart desires,” Javierpromised.
“Can get lunch sentup?Now?”
“Whateveryouwant.”
“Do a spread, chef’s choice,” Sean interrupted, already scanning the foyer of the casino. “Enough for tenpeople.”
If Javier thought that might be too much food for only five people, he didn’t question the order. He turned his head slightly, lowering his voice as he instructed someone on the other side of the line to bring lunch to their suite. Alexei took a moment to look around, takingeverythingin.
The white, gold-veined marble motif was duplicated inside the casino. More pillars lined the edge of the large, circular foyer that opened up on either side to the massive ground floor gambling and retail areas. The lighting was a bit dimmer in the gambling area, but Alexei could easily make out the three-dimensional holographic pictures and vids erupting over the slot machines as people played. Conversation and laughter blended together, forming a buzz of white noise in thebackground.
The check-in desk at the center of the foyer formed a half-circle around an indoor fountain topped by the statue of a woman holding a spear and wearing a toga and armored headpiece. Behind it was situated a long hallway, which Javier ushered them toward. Alexei soon saw why, as a bank of elevators came into view, with people milling in front of each set of doors. At the very end of the hallway was a pair of private executive elevators manned by an alert casinoworker.
“Please place your hands on the scanner. This will ensure you have access to the penthouse suite where you will be staying. If you have any problems, Artemis, our smart-building AI, will be more than happy to assist you,” Javierexplained.
One by one, they all placed their hand on the scanner, letting Artemis read their prints and the modified identities found in their RealIdent chips. The black doors to the large, synthwood-paneled elevator opened soundlessly. The bellhops with their luggage stayed behind and would come up in a second group. They rode the elevator up to Level 45, soft elevator music a counterpoint to Javier’s smooth chatter that Alexei tuned out. The doors opened onto a small foyer lit by a crystal chandelier. The entrance to the penthouse suite was open, and they stepped inside the decadentspace.
Alexei only got a quick initial impression—a sleek and modern open-plan design with too many windows for decent cover—before his attention was taken up by the woman waiting togreetthem.
Chloe Wolcott looked a far cry better than the last time Alexei had seen her. The tall blonde woman wore a flowy sundress over a bikini and strappy high heels, showing off her long, tanned legs. She came toward them and extended her hand in greeting, a smile on her gorgeous face. Beyond her stood two tall, burly-looking bodyguards in suits, though the way they held themselves screamed military. Considering Declan’s company, they were probably ex-SpecialForces.
