As we drove, the desert gradually gave way to the city.

Buildings began to rise up out of the sand and grit, and the road gained a border of tall palm trees. A fast-food restaurant sailed by, then a motel, and finally, the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino towered on our left. It was our first glimpse of the Strip.

I hadn’t been to Las Vegas before, but it was one of those places people thought they knew all about because of what they saw in the movies. Elvis impersonators marrying drunks in gaudy wedding chapels, seedy strip clubs, glitzy casinos with rows upon rows of roulette tables, and all the concert residencies put on by fading pop stars. Nostalgia and regret was the scent I was picking up as we approached ground zero.

Chaser stopped at a traffic light, and ahead, I could see a billboard—that looked like it was twenty stories high—flashing advertisements outside of the MGM Grand.

“Your mouth is hanging open,” Chaser said, looking at me out the corner of his eye.

“I’ve never been to Vegas before,” I replied. “It’s not what I expected.”

“It has a way of surprising people.”

The lights changed, and we moved off, coasting through the heart of the city.

My nose was practically fused to the window, my eyes flicking back and forth, taking everything in. The throngs of people walking up and down the sidewalks were unbelievable. Neon lights flashed brightly even though it was daytime, and the casinos were an overwhelming mass of extravagance. One minute we’d passed a pyramid, then a New York cityscape, and then we coasted past the Eiffel Tower.

“It’s so…” I couldn’t think of a good word to describe it.

“Outrageous?”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “Outrageous.”

I glanced at Chaser, wondering how we were meant to surveil anything around here. It was so busy, built up, and there would be security to the max. We were here for one man, but I didn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone else.

“How are we going to do this?” I asked. “It’s so…” I was lost for words again as the enormity of our task was smooshed right into my face.

“With great difficulty.”

I settled back into the seat, my sight blurring away from the glitz and glamour outside.

After we passed a few more casinos—Harrah’s and the Venetian—Chaser turned the car off the Strip, and we zoomed into a self-parking garage. Artificial lights flicked past as we circled around and around looking for a space to park. When we finally found one, Chaser deftly backed into it, then cut the engine.

“Here.” He reached over to the back seat and produced an awful black trucker hat with an embroidered Las Vegas motif on the front. He put it on my head and tugged the bill down.

“Are you trying to make me look like a redneck?” I asked.

“Like a tourist, but that works, too.”

“Very funny.”

“The more we can blend, the better.” He showed me his own hat, and I smirked. “Don’t even say it.”

“I never said a thing,” I retorted.

“When we get a chance, we need to get you a burner phone,” he went on.

“Why?”

“In case we get separated. Then we’ve got a way to contact one another. It won’t be traceable.”

“No safe words or meeting points?”

Chaser leaned toward me and placed his palm on my thigh. “I don’t intend to let you out of my sight if I can help it.”

I smiled and caught him in a quick, blistering kiss.

“This might go down quick, or we might be waiting a long time,” he murmured. “Either way, we have to be ready to get out of this city as quickly as we can.”

“We’ll be ready.” I nodded. “Where will we go?”

“Away.”

“Let’s go to Montana.”

“What the hell is in Montana?”

“Horses,” I replied with a shrug.

“Horses? They have them all over, you know.”

“I think the point is that it’s far away.”

Chaser raised his eyebrows and put on his trucker hat. Ironically, he looked really good in it.

“Let’s go,” he said, opening his door and sliding out.

I followed, waiting as he locked up and rounded the hood.

“Where are we going to stay?” I asked, shying away as my voice echoed a little too loudly. Luckily, there was no one around.

“We’ll do a sweep first, then figure it out.”

“A sweep?” I asked as we walked toward the exit. “What does that mean?”

“I want to test the perimeter of the Halcyon,” he explained. “See where their security begins, where the cameras are, and who’s on their payroll outside.”

I frowned. This was more complicated than I first realized. I mean, I knew it was going to be hard, but all this? I wasn’t a secret agent with specialized training. I was just a woman with an ax to grind. Chaser was the guy with all the smarts.

Doubt clouded my mind as we left the parking garage and headed toward the Strip. Ahead, I could see the world beyond, and I wanted nothing more than to puke in the gutter, then turn around and run.

Chaser tugged me forward, my boots feeling heavy on my feet, then we were on the border between the old and the new. The new wasn’t so hot if you asked me.

I glanced up and down the street, watching the flow of foot traffic. There were so many people. My stomach gurgled, and I realized I was nervous. We’d talked, done all the research, prepared for what was coming, and now we were here… I wasn’t ready, but I had to be. There was no backing out once I stepped onto the street.

I tensed as Chaser slid his hand into mine. It wasn’t like him to be all public display of affection, but knowing he was close, made my anxiety settle some.

“This is it,” he murmured, leaning close. “There’s still time to turn back.”

I lingered on the edge of the sidewalk, my life flashing before my eyes. Well, it wasn’t quite like that, but I thought about all the things that had brought me here. The multiple times my father had attempted to sell me to King, the attack behind Teasers, and the incident on the train with Pube Face Bailey and Blue Eyes. The beatings, my mother’s murder, the childhood I’d missed out on, my escape from Fortitude all those years ago, and the future I’d so desperately tried to find. So much had happened that I hardly understood who I’d become.

Then there was Chaser. He was in this deeper than I would ever be. The Hollow Men had stolen everything from him, and the FBI—the people he’d dedicated his life to—had betrayed him and abandoned his wife to her fate. The law had driven Chaser to take matters into his own hands, and as a result, King had killed Madison right in front of his eyes.

Yeah, Chaser was in this deeper than I would ever be.

Thinking of the things he’d done for me, I knew I couldn’t abandon him now. If I backed down, he’d still carry on with the plan, with or without me, and I’d be another person on the list of those who had betrayed him. I had to stay. For myself, but mostly, for him. That was what love was, right?

I took a deep breath and slid my sunglasses on. “Let’s go.”

* * *

I pulled my trucker hat lower and peered across the square.

The sun was hot as sin, and I leaned a little further into the shade. Across the flow of tourists, I could see a guy watching the comings and goings, a bulge in the left pocket of his shorts. When he angled to the left, I could see the telltale antenna on a hidden walkie-talkie.

It was just like Chaser said. Between our hand-to-hand combat training sessions on the roof of the Best Western, his crash courses in spotting security had paid off. Though, I made sure to keep my distance from my target. My first time was working out decent enough, but my stomach still churned.

“Hey.”

My heart skipped a beat as Chaser appeared beside me. Sitting on the ledge, he nodded toward the guy I’d been tailing.

“Case him?” he asked, opening a leaflet so I could pretend to look at it with wonder. It was a brochure for the Backstreet Boys residency at Planet Hollywood, and I made a mental note to give him shit about it later.

“Yeah,” I replied with a nod.

The thirty-six floors of the Halcyon Casino and Resort stood above us, daunting in its size. Outside, there were various shops and restaurants full to bursting with people. Neon signs and billboards advertised the theatre shows inside, all of them geared toward adult entertainment. For the ten minutes I’d been sitting here, I hadn’t seen one child, not like the Strip behind me.

I sighed and glanced at the man again. The enemy’s doorstep wasn’t the optimal place to test out my developing skills, but we didn’t have much choice, what with renegade bikers on one side and Hollow Men on the other.

“It’s very…erotic around here,” I quipped.

“Yeah,” Chaser said. “It’s not a family-friendly destination.”

“I’ve counted four guys in the forecourt,” I murmured, pretending to look at the brochure Chaser had brought back with him. “But that guy is the laziest. All the others have been real pros.”

“Cameras?”

“The place is crawling with them,” I replied. “There’s two at the side entrance, three at the main, one on the restaurant, and the one behind us is operated by the city.”

“Good. I see you were listening.”

“I always listen to what you say,” I replied, pinching his leg. “It’s just I don’t always agree.”

Chaser snorted, then folded up the brochure. “C’mon, I got us a room at the casino across the street.”

“Is that a good idea? I mean…” I glanced back at the man and narrowed my eyes. “If you hadn’t told me what to look for, I wouldn’t have even known.”

“I took precautions.” He slid his hand into mine, stood, then pulled me to my feet.

I pretended to know what he meant by that, just glad to walk in the opposite direction of the Halcyon. The whole place had this…vibe, like something wasn’t right. I imagined it was the kind of place that tossed cheaters and gamblers with huge debts out the back door, then kicked them three-quarters to death. I sniffed the air, almost believing I could smell the blood.

Chaser gave me a look and pulled me toward the sidewalk. “We’ll come back tonight.”

“Tonight?” I squeaked.

“Sloane, are you sure you can—”

“Yes,” I snapped, shutting off the stupid voice inside my head that was fueling my doubts. “I can.”

“Good, because tonight, we’re going inside that hellhole.”

I swallowed hard as we crossed the street, making for the casino opposite. Inside the Halcyon? Holly shit. I hoped I was ready for that because bravado would not help me face the mob. Not one bit.