Page 37 of Fate Awakened

“I need you to know that Brielle’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve to be mixed up in any of this. I don’t know your grand plan for getting out of my life and, subsequently, hers, but please make it a clean break so she can move on.”

His eyes stare back at me with an unreadable expression. His jaw clenches and unclenches as I speak. I can’t tell if he wants to hit me or yell, but he does neither. Instead, he opens the bag and hands me my glasses, earpiece, and receiver, which I put on as instructed.

“Just get the information we need. What do they want you to work on? Who exactly are you supposed to be working with or reporting to? And most importantly, who’s authorizing this project? Be eager to try and gather information on anything they’ll give you and find out ANYTHING you can about what they’re currently working on. They stole something important that belongs to us, and we need to know its exact location to get it back. Keith, can you handle that?”

I kiss the inside of my hand and raise a Hunger Games three-finger salute, showing my dedication to the cause with a mock whistle from the movies. His face goes hard. He stands, leaning into me and placing his index finger on my chest.

“You may not give a shit about your life, but if you care about hers, you’ll do your absolute best because if you don’t get the information we need, know that it’s her safety that you’ll be risking.”

At that moment, I don’t doubt that he would hurt her to hurt me. All my focus and energy will go into doing this one mission correctly, not for my life, but for Elle’s.

I can only nod, trying to keep fear from showing in my expression.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

Chapter 15

Keith

Afterbeingdroppedoffat work to grab my car, I drive to the meeting location, closely followed by Cain’s black SUV. I pull into the parking structure, grab a ticket, and circle until I find a spot. The parking lot is crowded, and I wonder briefly if something is happening downtown.

Seated in my car, I struggle to squash down my anxiety. After a moment, I take a last look in my rearview mirror and release a deep breath in an attempt to relax me.

This is for Elle.

I get out of the car and casually stride toward the elevator. The piece in my ear sparks to life as I wait for it to arrive.

“We have two red team members on the bottom floor of the casino, one blue team member running security for the elevator, and our green team on surveillance in the offices directly behind the restaurant. According to the green team, two men just arrived and sat in the booth in front of the center bar. Remember, you aren’t alone up there. We’ll always have eyes and ears on you.” Cain says, giving me a bit of confidence.

I nod as I remember his brief synopsis of the teams: red- rescue, blue- sharpshooters, green- electronics/surveillance. I should be on the green team instead of walking in here.

After a long pause, he speaks again with humor in his tone.

“I need you to respond with more than a nod to ensure your mic works.”

“Got it,” I say, not talking especially loud. “Do you know if they have extra people waiting around for this meeting?”

“Interesting ask, but yes, two in the casino from what we can tell and two at an adjacent table, so don’t piss them off. You’re outnumbered, and the elevator takes forever.”

I chuckle.

“Noted,” I answer as the doors open, and I step into the elevator headed down to the casino. The light elevator music seems almost comical for the situation I find myself in, and I try not to be awkward.

“Did you know that ‘Elevator’ is the company that installed these? They were just called lifts until the company installed so many that people started referring to lifts as elevators, and it stuck, kind of like Band-aids or Q-tips? It's just a company name,” I say to myself, mainly because the number of useless facts I have in mind at any given moment is astounding, but also to try and calm myself down through the distraction.

The doors open, and I do my best rendition of a confident stroll onto the casino floor. This end of the Strip is full of flashy tourist souvenirs. With rundown carpet and the smell of old cigarettes hanging in the air, the age of the casino shows despite their efforts to update and renovate it. I walk to the desk to buy my ticket, and a less-than-enthusiastic older woman greets me. She’s probably in her early fifties, and I can tell she’s more than ready to clock out.

“Welcome. Just so you know, we close in a little over an hour.” She isn’t rude exactly, but there isn’t any warmth in her voice.

“I appreciate that. Thank you, Kathryn,” I say, noting her name tag and turning on my charming smile. “I will make sure I don’t keep you late,” I finish, winking as I hand her my card, and she smiles back at me, sitting up a little as she takes the payment for my access to the restaurant.

“You’re all set, handsome,” she says with more enthusiasm as I turn and follow the signs to the main elevator.

“Ok, Cassanova, we’re going dark with transmission until you’re cleared. Try not to die in the meantime,” he says with a bit of humor in his voice.

An audible click sounds in my ear, and I exhale.

Game time.

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