Gavin had a hand on my lower back, guiding me toward the line where five people stood. The line for the Revolver slot machine wasn’t as long as I’d thought it would be. I guess you could call it luck or fate, but no sooner than we secured our spot in line numerous people filed in behind us. We stood there watching a large digital clock on the wall above the machine count down each second until the Revolver would go live. Talk about hyping up the game, they were making it a point to have the entire casino revolve around this one machine. My mind was baffled.

“Want me to grab us something to drink?” Gavin spoke quietly at my ear.

“You don’t have to.”

“It looks like we’ll probably be here a while.”

“Okay, sure.”

He smoothed a hand down my bare arm. “I’ll be right back.” A gentle kiss pressed against my lips and I watched him walk away. I turned my attention back to the countdown on the wall. It seemed like it was moving slower and slower by the second, when in reality it was my nerves hoping like hell it would hurry up.

I listened to the people in front of me chit-chatting about the machine and what they would do if they won the jackpot, which was up to fifty thousand dollars. Winning the jackpot would be nice, but we needed an in for the party. If we didn’t manage to grab that, I wasn't sure what our next step would be.

My hands were clammy as I watched the timer count down. Everyone in line was giddy with excitement; I couldn’t help feeling the same way. I rubbed my hands down the sides of my dress and made sure my holster was firmly secured around my thigh. Thankfully the material it was made of was thin enough so it wouldn’t show in my outfit of choice. Gribbins had made sure of that.

“It’s tonic water.” Gavin startled me. “Jumpy?”

“Maybe a bit.” I took the glass from his hand and downed a gulp.

“You need to calm your nerves, Blair. I’ve never seen you like this.” His emerald eyes were full of worry as he gazed into mine.

“I know,” I rolled my head around my neck and exhaled slowly. “I’m not sure why I’m so tense, or nervous, or whatever.” I twirled my freehand in the air.

“There’s a lot riding on this. I understand being nervous. Just try and get it under control. You can do this.”

“I can do this.” A shaky smile tipped the corners of my lips.

A roar of cheering erupted from the line and my eyes went directly to the countdown.

“Five, four, three, two, one!” Everyone shouted in unison.

A man dressed in a solid black suit guided the first person to the machine. Like everyone else in the line I stood on my tiptoes to try and see what was going on, but without stepping completely to the side all I could see was the zeroed-out countdown and the top of the machine.

“Can you see anything?”

“The man in the suit looks to be explaining the game to the couple at the machine,” Gavin gave me a play by play.

“I wonder how long you get to play.”

“With a line like this, I’d say a few turns and you’re done.”

A couple minutes passed before the first couple walked past us in line complaining about the machine being rigged and how anticlimactic it was once you get the chance to pull the lever on Revolver.

Music sprang to life and my attention was directed back at the machine. This time I could see between two people that the man at the machine had hit some kind of special level. The screen at the top illuminated and a cloaked figure carrying a gun stepped into a dark lit room. A few people oohed and ahhed.

“He made it to the cage,” the man in front of us told his buddy.

“He might hit the jackpot.” His buddy looked annoyed.

“If the second player hits the jackpot tonight, I’m going to be highly pissed off.”

“Excuse me,” I smiled widely at the man. “If he hits the jackpot, does that mean the game will turn off until two weeks from now?”

“Yeah,” He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. “That’s why people line up early. You never know when it’s going to hit…and it almost always hits. This jackpot is the highest that’s been since Revolver was first introduced.”

“Wow!” I glanced back at Gavin, giving him a knowing look. “I had no idea.”

“Part of the allure.”

Dinging turned everyone’s attention back to the machine. I clenched Gavin’s hand in mine as my heart rate spiked from the anxiety the machine was causing me. If we didn’t even get a chance to play the game, we sure as hell wouldn’t have a chance to catch the murderer.

“Son of a bitch!” the man at the machine yelled as he slammed a fist against the small table connected to the machine.

“That’s all for you.” A security guard pulled the man from the seat and escorted him toward the exit as he argued about having a couple more turns.

With each player that took a seat, my heart galloped in my chest. I was afraid it would explode when the only thing that stood between us and our turn was a leggy redhead guzzling a martini and flirting with the man in the black suit.

“Does she think propositioning him will give her a better chance at winning?” The disgust in my voice was evident.

A sharp staccato laugh left Gavin. “She probably does think that. She’s a good-looking woman who’s here alone, and that man is eyeing her just as hard. Sexual attraction at its finest.”

I narrowed my eyes at Gavin. “Sounds like someone has some sexual attraction himself.”

“I do…” I scoffed and he pulled me into his arms. “One hundred percent sexual attraction and downright full-blown love for my wife.”

Each time the word wife passed his lips I wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor. I’d never thought about marriage much, but hearing the endearment come from Gavin had the idea flowing through my head. What would my dress look like? What would our life be like? Would we be just as happy? Would there be children shortly after? A future with him was what I wanted, but we’d never acknowledge just how far off our forever was, or if we wanted the same things out of life. That was a conversation that would soon come up, after we closed this case.

“I love you.” I pressed my lips to his.

“And I love you.”

“Another round, and your time's up,” the man in the suit informed the redhead.

She pouted her lips and ran a hand over her cleavage, knowing damn good and well his eyes would follow the path of said hand. A wicked smile showcased her pearly whites and she motioned for him to come closer. We couldn’t hear their conversation, but from the looks of things she was saying all the right words to get her way. She pulled the lever and the three sections spun, each one stopping a few seconds after the other. I almost squealed when nothing lined up in her favor.

Her eyes locked with the man in the suit and he gave her a nod. I went to step forward but Gavin stopped me, knowing things could escalate quickly if I confronted the situation. The crowd behind us started to fuss about the fact that the redhead was reaching for the lever again while the man didn’t seem to care. Her hand wrapped around the metal rod and pulled it back toward her. I wanted so badly to jerk her out of that seat, and tell her lives depended on us having a turn on that machine, but I couldn’t.

“Patience,” Gavin smiled.

The machine went wild as two revolvers lined up perfectly on the screen and my heart stopped as the third row kept spinning. Lights flashed as the last row picked up speed and quickly stopped, showcasing a giant black question mark. The man in the suit stepped behind the redhead, blocking the view of others from seeing what was going on. He leaned down and spoke at her ear as she nodded in understanding. The screen above sprang to life and the figure in the black cloak appeared just like before. But this time he wasn’t holding a gun, he was motioning toward a rusted old door. She pressed the center button on the machine and the door opened to reveal a lavish room, like one you’d see in an old plantation home that had been restored. Hundreds of people filled the room, dressed in gowns and suits. Waiters walked around serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres. She squealed with excitement as another man dressed the same stepped beside the machine.

“You can follow me,” the initial worker escorted her away, leaving the other man to take his place.

My head whipped in Gavin’s direction as the light bulb beamed in my head. You didn’t get an invitation to the party by winning the jackpot. It was a completely separate aspect in the game.

“I’ll go first,” Gavin mumbled.

“What?”

He shook me off, stepped up to the machine, and took a seat. My pulse was racing as I stayed back in line, giving us a separate chance to score an invitation. The chance the machine would award two tickets back to back was highly unlikely. But I couldn’t do anything except wait for Gavin to lose and take my own crack at it.

I nibbled my lip as I watched him pull the lever once, twice, and a third time. Not hitting anything on the machine. He nodded at the man guarding the machine and stood after his last try, buttoning his suit coat before walking off, his eyes never connecting with mine in the process.

“Ma’am,” the man motioned for me to come forward.

The swooshing of my pulse in my ears roared as I took a seat in the black leather chair. The man stepped beside me and placed a hand on the back of the chair.

“First time player?” He smiled.

“Yes,” I managed to say without my voice shaking.

“Okay, you get three tries for twenty bucks each. The final fee will be charged to the card on file. Between each round you can tell me if you’d like to keep going or toss in the towel. It’s up to you. I’m here to observe and for your protection if need be. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I smiled widely and shook my hands out. I wanted to laugh at the thought of needing his protection. Hell, he’d probably need mine if shit hit the fan.

I turned my attention to the machine and placed my hand on the lever. I inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly as I pulled it toward me. Each row began to spin as the ticking sound slowed.

One revolver.

Two revolvers.

I linked my hands in my lap, not believing my eyes. My lip was tucked between my teeth, digging into the flesh almost hard enough to draw blood. As the last row came to a stop the breath I was holding left my lungs, deflating my body as a set of cherries stared back at me.

“Do you want to go again?”

“Yes,” I said with so much conviction the man gave me a crooked grin.

I grabbed the lever and without hesitation I pulled it back with force, hoping the machine knew I meant business. I was our last shot at getting what we needed to be able to start our investigation. If I failed at this one task I was allowing people’s lives to be in jeopardy. The cards had to align for me, they just had to.

The first row stopped with the giant question mark and the others kept spinning. The screen above roared with noise as the cloaked man made his appearance. The speaker in front of me turned on and a chilling voice came through it.

“In a life or death situation do you help or run away?”

The buttons before me flashed the words help or run. My hand slapped the word help and the man on the screen disappeared.

“Good, girl,” the voice spoke once again.

How it knew I wasn’t a man was beyond me. Maybe it was something the machine just automatically said. But chills rose on my skin as the second row began to slow. I nervously watched as it came to a stop, revealing yet another black question mark.

“Luck be a lady,” the man beside the machine praised.

I shrugged, not knowing what the second question mark meant.

“Pick up the revolver and give it a spin. If luck's on your side, you just might win.” The man’s voice filled the speaker as the spin button on the machine flashed.

I quickly pressed the round red button. The third and final row spun faster than I’d seen it go before coming to a creeping halt and reversing to spin in the other direction. This game was a mind fuck; it wanted to keep you guessing what would happen next.

My heart was racing and my throat dried as I awaited the fate of the last row. I’d downed the tonic water before it was even our turn, and I was wishing a drink would miraculously appear before my eyes. A loud boom startled not only me, but the man watching the game and I jumped from the chair to see what the fuss was about. People had taken cover thinking it was some form of danger. My eyes scanned the crowd looking for Gavin, but I couldn’t find him.

“What the hell just happened?” The man by the machine spoke into the tiny microphone clipped to the collar of his shirt.

I tried to focus on what he was saying when another boom echoed through the room and a group of men swarmed into the crowd.

Before I could make heads or tails of what was happening, my body was spun around and tossed over someone's shoulder. I couldn’t focus on anything but the ground as everything went dark.

“Put me down,” I beat on the man’s back.

“Calm down, Blair. It’s just me,” Gavin’s voice calmed my erratic heart.

“What the hell just happened?”

“I’m not sure,” he quickly replied as we ascended stairs.

“You can put me down now.”

“Not until we get to our room.”

I gave in and allowed Gavin to haul me up the stairs, knowing he could move a helluva faster than I could in heels. He jerked open a door that led directly onto our floor and lowered me to my feet. Our room was around the corner from the emergency exit we’d come barreling through. Thankfully there were no witnesses in the hall, besides the security cameras.

My arms wrapped around Gavin’s neck and I shoved him against the wall before we reached our room. Pressing my lips to his, he groaned. Our tongues started the familiar dance as his hands cupped my ass, lifting me so that my legs could wrap around his body. The material of my dress was stretchy enough that it slid up my thighs on its own, stopping just before the nose of my gun. Gavin fumbled with the keycard as he swiped it in the door and pushed it open with his foot. Once the door closed I dropped my feet to the floor and stepped out of Gavin’s arms.

“What the hell just happened?” I ran my hands through my hair.

He adjusted himself in his slacks. “I wasn’t expecting that, but nice play in front of the cameras.”

“Thanks.” I kicked my heels off and took a seat on the bed. “I thought it would look odd if you carried me up the stairs over your shoulder and we just moseyed into our room like nothing happened.”

Gavin tossed his suit coat onto the chair and paced the area in front of the bed.

“A giant fight broke out near the bar where I was waiting to see how your turn panned out. When that group of men swarmed the room, I knew I had to get us out of there. Not knowing what was coming next.”

“People were frightened, Gavin.”

“I know. Something definitely wasn’t right.”

“No, it wasn’t.” I dropped my head into my hands. “Now we’ve lost our chance to get into the party.”

“Did you get to finish your game?”

“No.” I lifted my head and grabbed his arm, pulling him to stop directly in front of me. “I had two of those black question marks; I’m not sure what the third row landed on. It seemed like I was getting close to something.”

“Dammit.” He fisted his hair. “This was our one shot. What are we supposed to do now?”

“Maybe I can go back down there and talk to someone. I paid for my second round, I should be able to finish it or have a redo.”

“I don’t know…”

“Let’s wait a few minutes and head back down. If things are still in a fuss, we’ll come back up.” I lifted to my knees on the mattress and pulled Gavin closer to me. “Lives depend on us, we can’t back down because there’s a chance shit's getting deep.”

“You’re right.” He shook his head. “Five minutes and we’ll go back down. Make sure your firearm is secure, I might’ve knocked it loose.”

I saluted him and flopped back on the bed. “Sure thing, husband.”

Gavin grinned and covered my body with his. “Do you need me to check it for you?” His hand slipped behind the hem of my dress and slowly moved up my thigh, stopping once he reached my gun.

I pulled my dress high enough for my holster to show and spread my legs so he could make sure it was properly secured. Gavin’s eyes lifted to mine and the green was almost entirely gone. His dilated pupils were on full display thanks to the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His eyes stayed on mine as his hand bypassed my weapon and stopped at the apex of my thigh. A heavy breath fell from my lips as he squeezed my hip, running his fingers beneath the top of my panties.

“Gavin…” I knew he was teetering between ripping them from my body and having his way with me or pressing on with our mission.

The lines had blurred from the alcohol and unexpected adrenaline rush, but I couldn’t succumb to the desires we were both feeling. I closed my legs and removed his hand from my thigh. He dropped his forehead to my leg and groaned.

“I’m sorry. My emotions got the best of me for a second there.”

“No need for apologies.” I slipped from the bed and adjusted my dress. “Head in the game, Gavin. We can do this.”

He pulled his gun from the waistband of his slacks and knelt. “Can you hand me my ankle holster?” I retrieved it from his bag. “Thanks. I’m leaving that fucking coat in here; it’s too damn hot for it.”

I giggled. “I don’t blame you.”

He stood to full height and tucked the front of his shirt back into his slacks. “I’m going to hang back while you talk to the guy by the machine. He’ll be persuaded easier to let you have another turn if you’re alone.”

“Like the redhead with the other guy.” I grabbed my wristlet and hooked it around my forearm.

“Exactly.”

* * *

The casino seemed to be running as normal. There was nothing out of place, people gambling and drinking in abundance. It was as if nothing happened.

“Don’t you think it’s odd?” I glanced around.

“Maybe we overreacted.” He scratched the back of his neck as he guided me through the crowd.

“I don’t know…” My eyes landed on the man who was working Revolver during my turn. “it seemed like something major was going down.”

“That it did.”

I removed my hand from Gavin’s and put some distance between us. “The guy who was working the machine during my turn is walking around. I’m going to have a little chat with him.”

As I turned to walk away Gavin took my hand, pulling me to a stop. “Be careful.”

A grin tipped my lips. “Always.”

He squeezed my hand and let go. We went in opposite directions, him toward the bar and me toward the worker. The man was chatting with a few other guys as I stepped up to the group.

“Hi,” I placed a hand on his arm. “do you have a moment, by chance?” I smiled widely and batted my eyelashes, hoping and praying he would take the bait.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” His eyes left mine to take in the rest of my body.

Hook, line, and sinker.

He excused himself from the conversation and we stepped to the side. My eyes landed on his name tag, which I hadn’t noticed before. I stepped closer, putting myself in his personal space to make the conversation between us seem a bit more private, and by the look on his face he was hoping the conversation was going to go a bit differently than I had in mind.

“I was playing Revolver when all that broke loose earlier.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“What happened exactly? I didn’t get to finish my turn and was escorted to safety by a man who thought something serious was going on.”

“It was a misunderstanding is all.”

“Oh, come on, Brandon.” His eyes twinkled at the sound of his name. “You can’t give me any more than that? I spent money on that game and didn’t even see how it turned out.” I pouted my lip.

He placed a hand on my arm and leaned closer to my face, his perfectly straight teeth on display as his eyes focused on mine. “Some men thought they could do damage here tonight, but they were quickly proven wrong. If you go to customer service you can get your money back on the game, or I can see what we can do about getting you something a bit more special,” Brandon winked.

“Well, I don’t want any kind of handout, but I like the sounds of that.” I smoothed my hand up his chest and smiled widely.

His hand linked with mine. “Follow me.”

My heart was racing as he led me through the crowd toward the employees only door near the restrooms. Thankfully we passed Gavin on the way, I gave him a wink and he returned a barely knowledgeable nod, trying to be discreet.

As we reached the door Brandon came to a stop. He displayed a keycard in his hand. “Wait here for just a moment. I’ll see what I can do.”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his cheek, hoping the gentle kiss would give him the extra push to go above and beyond. “I’ll be here.” I dropped my hand from his and watched him disappear behind the door.

With my body pressed against the wall I watched the crowd, passing my eyes over Gavin who was having what seemed to be a comical conversation with two older men. He tossed his head back and laughed with a smile present on his face. I adored the sound of his laughter, some of the best medicine for my soul. I didn’t want to keep my attention on him so I continued to scan the crowd. Nothing seemed out of sorts, but the amount of men dressed in solid black suits had tripled. It might not have been obvious to the normal bystander, but it was to me; the casino was on high alert from what had transpired.

The door opened and I quickly turned my attention to it. Brandon stepped out and waved me forward. “Come on.”

I beamed with happiness as I stepped over the threshold and he closed the door behind me. “Am I allowed to be back here?”

“Not usually, but there’s always an exception to every rule.”

He took my hand and guided me through a plain white hallway, stopping just outside a heavy metal door. The door seemed odd, and very much out of place. You only secure important things behind a door like that, and I wasn’t sure why Brandon was about to lead a complete stranger through it.

“What’s in there?” I waved my hand toward the door.

“I like to call it the bank.” He grinned. “If you win over a certain amount our security team escorts you back here to go over the paperwork and to collect your winnings.”

“That seems like a bit much, don’t you think?”

He shrugged. “It depends on how safe you want to feel with thousands, sometimes millions of dollars.”

He had a point, but it still seemed off to me. Brandon pressed a code into a keypad by the door and it clicked open. I noticed the camera in the right corner beside the door as we passed into the room. Six men, who were dressed like him, all greeted us as we entered.

“Is this her?” A man with shortly cropped auburn hair asked.

Brandon nodded.

“The name’s Joel.” He extended his hand for me to take, but instead of shaking it he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back without diverting his eyes from mine.

“Nice to meet you, I’m—”

“Blair.” He smiled widely. “I know who you are.”

My heart was in my throat.

“You do?”

“Of course, Mrs. Aimes.” He chuckled and my chest deflated. “We know everyone who steps foot into this facility.”

“Makes sense.” I smiled. “It’s good to know that the customers wellbeing is thought of.”

“Indeed.”

I followed Joel to a desk in the back of the room, thankful that my cover wasn’t blown. I was going to rip Gribbins a new one for not giving us completely different names, the anxiety of people using my real first name was nerve-wracking.

“So, Brandon informed me that you were playing Revolver when that mess happened earlier.”

“Yes, I’m not sure how my turn ended up.”

“We reviewed the security tapes and found that you actually won two grand.”

“Oh, lovely!” I squealed, trying to play up the fact that I’d won money even if I was disappointed that it was not an invitation to the private party.

Joel reached beneath the desk. He laid a check before me with my name written on it. “On behalf of Roulette, I’d like to offer you a gift. A little apology on our behalf for the incident earlier.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that,” I waved him off.

He held two tickets out to me. “These are for the private party. I’m sure you’re familiar with it, aren’t you?”

I gasped, “Absolutely. Anyone who comes here has heard about those parties.”

“Good.” His dark eyes connected with mine. “Here are two tickets for tonight. You’ll need to wear appropriate attire, which is explained on the back of the ticket. Someone will be calling your room around midnight with instructions on where you’ll need to go.”

“This is so exciting!” I took the tickets from him. His other hand coming up and gently touching my face.

“If you need someone to attend with you, we can arrange that as well.”

A nervous giggle passed my lips. “That’ll be quite all right, but greatly appreciated.” I tucked the tickets, and check, into my wristlet.

With a nod of his head, Joel called for Brandon who escorted me back into the casino. I was beginning to think they ran an underground sex ring from all the flirtatious vibes the men put off.

I made my way through the crowd, trying to locate Gavin but came up empty. We’d had an agreement to meet back at the room if we couldn’t find one another, so without wasting any more time I headed that way. His plan of us acting separately worked like a charm. I couldn’t wait to fill him in on the good news.