“She’s reliving a memory. Why this particular memory, I don’t know. But, yeah, I think she’s in there.” I sighed. “Unfortunately, because of the detail, security will be on the lookout for us and we don’t exactly blend in. And Cynthia said Lucy’s mind would fight back, try to protect her.”
“A few imaginary security guards?” Wyatt scoffed. “Dude, you’re the Ollphiest, dust them, we’ll grab Lucy and—”
“And what? What do we do, once we’ve got her? I don’t know how to wake her up, do you?”
“Well, no, but how hard could it be?”
“If I have to fight a casino full of people, it can get real hard, real fast. Remember what Cynthia said, the magic makes all of this real. What happens when the SWAT team shows up and starts blasting away? I have a thick hide, but this is the last place I want to test its limits.”
“So, how do we do this?” Wyatt asked.
“We need to approach her in a non-threatening way, get her talking,” I said. “The problem is getting back inside. Vegas is famous for its super hi-tech facial recognition and other security protocols.”
Wyatt chuckled. “You’re thinking Vegas 2018,” He held his arms out wide. “We’re in the eighties version of Vegas, baby, there’s a good chance they’re still using VHS tape. And facial recognition? Not a chance. If we could score some different clothes, I bet we could stroll right back inside and not raise an eyebrow.”
We got lucky. The barrier extended to the hotel parking structure. It took us more time than we planned on, but we eventually located a motorhome that looked like it would meet our needs. I used two fingers to smash the locking mechanism and we slipped inside. We rummaged through the closets and drawers.
“Jackpot!” Wyatt exclaimed. The kid held up a button-down shirt with a colorful zigzag pattern.
“Um, that’s not very undercover looking.”
“Dude, it’s the 1980s and everybody dresses like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.”
I laughed. “A big fan, are you?”
“Parent’s Just Don’t Understand is a classic hip-hop anthem depicting the plight of youth everywhere whose parent’s don’t . . . you know, understand.”
“Okay, Ryan Seacrest,” I said, digging though the drawer where he had found the shirt. “None of this stuff is going to fit me.”
We got Wyatt outfitted. He added a pair of acid-wash jeans to the shirt and even I had to admit he looked like he’d stepped out of a classic MTV video. We had to get creative when it came to clothes for me. I grudgingly agreed to a plan Wyatt came up with. I crouched, hidden behind some bushes, as I watched him walk into the hotel.
Wyatt emerged a few minutes later, closely followed by a hotel security guard. Wyatt was talking fast. “I’m telling you there is a dude breaking into cars, stealing stereos.”
As the two of them passed me I sprang, shifter speed in full gear. I pulled the guard back into the bushes and hesitated. The plan was for me to snap his neck, but it all seemed so real. My brain was telling me that I was about to kill an innocent man.
“What are you doing? Hurry up,” Wyatt said.
“I can hear his heart beating,” I said.
“He doesn’t have a heartbeat, he’s imaginary, he doesn’t exist. Now stop screwing around before someone spots us.” Wyatt snapped.
I took a deep breath and broke the man’s neck. It sounded real. And the skin and bones under my hands felt real enough too. I was suddenly nauseous.
We are Ollphiest.
Oh please, not now.
We are here to save the witch.
I know why we’re here.
Then act as such.
I couldn’t believe I was getting a pep talk from the psycho who lived in my head. I gave myself a shake and began stripping the dead guard.
“Orson? What the heck are you doing, man?”
“Hold on,” I said, stepping out from behind the bushes.
I had tossed the jacket and tie. The white shirt and black pants were at least a size too small. Everything was tight and uncomfortable.
I tugged at the fabric around my crotch. “This sucks,” I grimaced.
“Hey, I found the biggest guy I could, it’s not my fault you wear size super-ass-big,” Wyatt said. “The casino is through that door, down a long hallway and up one floor.”
We did our best to blend in with the casino crowd. I suggested that Wyatt walked ahead of me a few feet so that we didn’t appear to be together. The casino was packed. On one hand it was lucky it was so full and we could wander around hidden among the crowd. On the other hand, finding Lucy in a sea of people wasn’t going to be easy. We decided to start looking for her by the craps tables because that was where we had initially landed.
I slowed down as a security guard approached Wyatt.
Damn, it looked like our cover was blown. Things were about to get interesting.
“Excuse me, young man,” The security said to Wyatt. “The casino floor is only for guests over the age of twenty-one.”
I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. Wyatt was getting busted for being underage. It made sense, even with the clothes he looked like a kid. I on the other hand was a large, hairy man. If people stared, it was because of my size, not because I looked like an eighteen-year-old.
“What? Dude, I’m like twenty-three,” Wyatt said, trying to sound offended.
The security guard smiled. “If we need to call your parents, they could face a serious fine. Please exit the casino floor, now.”
Wyatt turned and walked past me, giving a slight shrug. A loud, raucous cheer erupted from a couple of tables over. Wyatt, the security guard, and I all turned to see what the excitement was about. A large group of people were clapping, pointing and laughing. The crowd parted to let a cute girl in a green dress with an arm full of chips pass through.
My jaw dropped open.
“No freaking way,” Wyatt said, stunned.
It was Lucy, but a 1980s Valley Girl version of Lucy. Shoulder pads, big hair, the whole package, and from the looks of it she had just won a crap-ton of money.
CHAPTER 7
Lucy was trying to weave her way through the crowd. She needed to cash out because money was much more portable than hundreds of plastic chips. Morgan and Penny were doing their best to help her navigate the throng, but people were being pushy. Lucy, momentarily, worried about someone grabbing her winnings and making a run for it. However, since that big Schwarzenegger guy did his table-hopping thing, security was out in force.
The three of them finally reached the cashier where Lucy could exchange her chips for money. She watched the lady behind the counter expertly check the stacks of one hundred dollar chips. A supervisor stood behind her, verifying the count.
“Do you want this as a cashiers check or cash?” the woman asked.
“Um, I’m not sure, hold on one sec,” Lucy said, turning to Morgan and Penny. “Should we take it all in cash? That sounds, I don’t know, kind of dangerous?”
“Yeah, but don’t you want to roll around in all of it? I know I do,” Penny said.
Morgan gave Penny the side-eye. “While that sounds fun, maybe we could get half in cash and the other half in check form?”
“Perfect,” Lucy said, turning back to the waiting cashier. “I would like half in cash, please. I will take a check for the remainder. Thank you.”
Watching the woman count out $8,600 in cash was hypnotic. The resulting stacks of bills were much larger than Lucy imagined they would be. Lucy had Morgan and Penny grab several each and between the three of them they were able to carry it all without looking like total spazzes. They walked straight to the suite tower elevators. A few people stopped and stared, and Lucy just ignored them. Next time she would bring her purse so she wasn’t so conspicuous.
They walked into the suite and shut the door behind them. They stopped and stared at one another, then started screaming their heads off.
Lucy clicked on the stereo and cranked
up the volume. She and Penny were dancing around the room, fanning each other with stacks of cash.
“I’m holding more money in my hands than I made all of last year,” Morgan said.
Lucy collapsed onto the sofa. “Which casino do we hit next?”
“Yeah, we could use another twenty thousand or so,” Penny giggled.
“Maybe we should wait until later tonight,” Morgan said. “The casinos are open twenty-four-seven. And we can’t forget, they don’t like losing. We need to be careful.”
“Don’t be a baby,” Penny said, slapping Lucy with a high-five.
“Yeah, Morgan, don’t be a baby,” Lucy agreed.
“I’m not being a baby,” Morgan insisted, sounding a lot like a baby. “You both understand that the actual mob, La Costa Nostra, the Mafia—I’m talking real-life Michael Corleones—they run Vegas. And when you win large sums of money that means you’re taking their money. No fooling, that’s how they see it.”
Lucy and Penny were laughing hysterically.
“This isn’t a joke,” Morgan said.
Penny made guns with her fingers and pretended to shoot at Morgan. “Pew. Pew. Pew.”
“Don’t worry, Morgan,” Lucy said, still laughing. “We’ll protect you from the Godfather.”
Morgan threw his hands up in defeat. “You guys are crazy.”
“I do agree, though,” Lucy said. “About waiting until later tonight. Right now I feel like lying out in the hot sun with a cold drink, thinking about how I’m going to spend all my money.”
“Preach, sister,” Penny crowed.
‘The pool?” Morgan said. “That’s a great idea. Let’s go hang by the pool, maybe grab some lunch?”
At the mention of lunch Lucy suddenly remembered how hungry she was. “I’m going to order two cheeseburgers,” she said, kicking off her shoes.
Lucy was on the most amazing natural high. She skipped toward the bedroom pulling her dress over her head, aware Morgan would get an eyeful of naked back and panties, but she didn’t care. Magic was real and her life would never be the same again.
* * * *
Wyatt and I followed Lucy and her friends. We watched them cash out what had to be close to ten thousand dollars.
“That’s a lot of moolah,” Wyatt observed. “Do you think Lucy’s been holding out on us? I mean, is she some kind of professional gambler?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “How old do you think she was in the eighties? I always assumed she was in high school or just graduated. I don’t think she’d be older than nineteen, twenty tops.”
“From what little she’s shared, I think that’s right. She certainly looks young.”
“If we’re right, then she’s not old enough to gamble, which means she’s got a fake ID, but like a really good fake ID, because Vegas doesn’t mess around.”
“So, young Lucy was a criminal?” Wyatt said.
“Criminal is a strong word,” I said. “But she’s definitely a rule-breaker.”
I watched Lucy and her friends grab the fat piles of bills and wondered what originally led her here to Vegas, and why she was reliving this particular point in time.
“They sure don’t seem worried about someone stealing all their money,” Wyatt observed.
“Yeah, they’re a pretty naïve bunch. Let’s follow them and see where they’re staying. Maybe we can figure out how to approach her.”
We trailed the three of them to a group of elevators that had a guard on duty.
“Stop,” he barked at us when we tried to casually walk by. “These elevators are for guests staying in the suite tower only.” The guard’s tone was clear. We didn’t belong, and he knew it.
Wyatt and I played dumb and found a place to wait that had a view of the elevators.
“She’s staying in a suite? What’s up with that?” Wyatt said, perplexed.
“Maybe her family was rich? Maybe the guy or the other girl is paying for the room. I don’t know. If Lucy wasn’t so cryptic about her past, this would be a lot easier.”
We didn’t have to wait long. Lucy and her friends reappeared dressed for the pool. I was sure Wyatt’s eyes would bug out of his head. I could tell my own eyes were wide in shock. Lucy was wearing a very skimpy electric-blue bikini and she looked amazing.
“Holy bikini, Batman,” Wyatt said. “Look at her, she’s super-hot.”
“Stop staring or you’re going to draw her attention. And put your tongue back in your mouth.”
Wyatt smirked. “Man, I wish I had my phone. Of course, it wouldn’t work here in Lucy’s version of Wonderland, but a picture of this? I could tease her forever.”
“She would turn you into a toad or something,” I pointed out.
“Dude, that’s not how magic works.”
“You’re right. She would just slice and dice you, and then set you on fire.”
“Point taken.”
We followed the threesome out to the enormous pool area. It wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be with how hot it was and this could be where we made our move. I observed the dynamic between Lucy and her friends. The other girl was every bit as gorgeous as Lucy. She was a tall blonde, and she was wearing a fire engine red bikini that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Her walk was more of a strut, she knew she looked amazing and was proud of it. The guy was interesting. He was a little taller than the blonde, maybe Wyatt’s height. He wasn’t fat and he wasn’t skinny, he was average. He also looked uncomfortable, almost like it bothered him that the girls were dressed in such revealing bikinis. Did he have a crush on one of them?
Maybe.
* * * *
Lucy was feeling amazing. She had debated on which bikini to wear. She had packed her new thong bikini, but wasn’t quite brave enough to put it on. She knew she had the body to pull it off, but wasn’t sure if she wanted the attention it would bring her. Already too many people had watched her as she played at the roulette table. She chose to go with her blue French-cut and even it was catching more eyes than she expected. She and Penny were turning a lot of heads as they headed for the pool.
Morgan had sputtered when she and Penny had emerged from the bedroom. He was such a typical boy sometimes.
Penny had been merciless, twirling and doing a few high kicks, and Morgan had turned a funny shade of red. Lucy stopped the show before the poor boy’s head exploded.
They checked in with a member of the hotel staff working the pool area, and sure enough, a cabana had been reserved for them. Marcus really had pulled out all the stops. The pool attendant handed them large, soft towels and escorted them to their cabana, then offered them an assortment of tanning oils and called a waiter over to take their lunch order.
Morgan took charge of ordering as Penny and Lucy oiled up. “To start, we’ll take four fully loaded double cheeseburgers, an order of cheese fries—wait, make that one order of cheese fries and one order of chili-cheese fries, and two buckets of beer, please.”
After the waiter had scooted off, Lucy turned over and said, “Morgan, can you do my back please?”
“Me too,” Penny said, flopping over.
Morgan let out a long sigh like rubbing oil on the back of two sexy girls was a chore.
“If it’s too much of a strain,” Lucy said, teasing, “We can enlist the help of any one of the other handsome gentlemen here at the pool.”
“Shut up,” Morgan said, chuckling.
“Hey, isn’t that the guy who jumped up on the table in the casino earlier today?” Penny asked, tilting her head nonchalantly toward the left.
Lucy had her sunglasses on, so it was safe to stare without worrying about being seen. He had changed his clothes, but yep, it was most definitely the Schwarzenegger dude from earlier.
Morgan stopped rubbing Lucy’s shoulders. “I think you’re right, and that’s the same redheaded kid too. What are they doing out here? Security must still be looking for them.” Marcus craned his head around, surveying the pool area.
“Wha
t are you doing?” Lucy asked.
“I’m looking for a staff member, those guys could be dangerous.”
“You’re so paranoid,” Lucy said. “It’s none of our business, leave them alone. And you haven’t finished my back yet.”
“Sorry,” Morgan said wryly, resuming his oil-rubbing duties. “I just don’t want to end up in the middle of a thing, you know, since we’re here under false names, breaking a laundry list of gaming laws, federal laws, and state of Nevada laws.”
“Lucy’s right, stop being paranoid and do my back,” Penny demanded.
The Schwarzenegger dude and the kid parked themselves at a table several cabanas over. Lucy thought she should stop thinking of him as the Schwarzenegger dude, because while he was the size of Arnold, he was way better-looking. He had long, wild blonde hair and a scruffy beard. The hair reminded her of Jon Bon Jovi and the scruff of George Michael—and the guy was pulling off both looks perfectly.
“Looks like they’re going to grab lunch,” Lucy said.
“Not if security spots them,” Morgan said, under his breath.
Their waiter showed up with their buckets of beer, six ice-cold Coronas per bucket with an assortment of limes. He told them their food would be out shortly. Morgan thanked him and handed the guy a five-dollar tip.
“Did you just tip the waiter?” Penny asked.
“Yep. We just won a giant pile of cash, it’s expected,” Morgan explained, popping open three beers. He added a wedge of lime to each beer and handed one each to Lucy and Penny.
Morgan and Penny were chattering on about tipping. Lucy tuned both of them out as they continued to discuss the finer points of gratuity giving. She was watching Mr. Muscles, and she was positive he kept checking her out, which made her very happy. Lucy knew she would catch grief from Morgan about once again flirting with the resident bad-boy, but Lucy didn’t care, in her experience bad-boys were way more fun than the Barneys of the world. She played with the neck of her beer bottle, stroking it lightly with her fingers, and when she raised the bottle for a sip, she did it really slow and sensual-like. Oh yeah, she totally had his attention.
Lucy: A Paragon Society Novel (Book 3) Page 7
