Page 49 of Just My Luck

I stood next to Beth, who I had to confirm officially represented me, and clearly stated my innocence.

Bail was set at a million dollars, and I tried not to choke on air.

“This is good.” She turned to me and hugged me. “I’ll see you in about an hour.”

“Nova?”

“She’ll be there.” She winked at me as I was shown out of the room.

Just over an hour later, I stepped out into the Nevada heat and right into the arms of Nova and my mother.

I wouldn’t admit it to anyone later, but I cried holding onto them.

After a very long hot shower, with Nova sitting just outside the glass doors, I dressed in my shorts and a T-shirt I borrowed from my brother and sat on the sofa and replayed everything once more to my family and hers.

“The good news is you’re free,” Beth said. “The bad news is you’re stuck in Vegas until your preliminary hearing or trial. I’m going to file for a bail modification hearing and prove you’re not a flight risk, but until then, you’re stuck. They’ve already taken your passport. Sorry, kiddo.”

“It’s okay,” I said, looking down at Nova’s hand in mine.

“Food’s here,” Rick called out from the door.

For the first time, I glanced around the room. I’d been in a daze before and had stupidly assumed we were in the suite at the Apex. But this wasn’t the same room.

“Where are we?” I said as Rick helped wheel in two carts full of food.

“I thought it best to move to a different hotel,” Nova added. “Rick managed to get us suites at one of his other client’s places.”

“We’re at the Grayson Suites. It’s a few miles off the Strip,” Rick added. “Eddie Grayson is a California buddy of my partner’s. He got us both suites. The folks are across the hall from us.”

Much like the suites at the Apex, there were two rooms on either side of a larger sitting room. The furniture in this room was a little more worn than that at the Apex but just as nice.

I nodded and dove into the massive double cheeseburger someone set in front of me.

Talk continued while I shoveled as much food as I could bear into my stomach. When I was done, my head felt dull. I refused to let go of Nova and wrapped my arm around her while she talked quietly with Sofia.

The whole crew had come out for me. Even my brother Chris was sitting in the corner, looking at his computer. Probably studying.

I must have dozed off for a while. I woke when a door shut. Suddenly, I noticed how quiet everything had gotten.

“It’s okay.” Nova smiled over at me. “Want to head to bed? My folks and your mom went across the hall. Sofia and Rick are showering and then heading to bed.” She glanced over at Chris. “I think he’s taking the sofa.”

“Yup,” he called without looking up from his computer. “Exams are in two days.” He waved at us. “Glad you’re not some pedo, by the way.”

I held in a laugh and stretched. “I could use some air.”

“We could go out on the balcony in our room,” Nova suggested.

“Is there a mini-bar?”

She nodded and bit her bottom lip. I followed her into the room and dug into the mini-bar until I found orange juice and a candy bar.

She laughed as I held out one of the orange juices toward her. She took it and then burst out crying. Setting the juice down, I held onto her, rocking us both as she soaked my borrowed shirt.

“I was so scared,” she said into my chest.

“Me too,” I admitted.

She said something that sounded like, “It was Kit.”