Page 72 of Vas

Tiffany leaned around to peer back at her. “What time is check-in?”

“Noon.”

She glanced at the clock on the dash and smiled. “We timed things perfectly.”

Thirty minutes later, Anna’s stomach was a ball of nerves wrapped in excitement when the first hotel came into view. Having never been to Las Vegas, she was awed by the sheer number of them lined up in a row. Sure, she’d seen the Vegas Strip on TV shows and movies but nothing compared to the real thing. She could only imagine what it looked like once it grew dark and everything was lit.

Exiting off the freeway, they pulled into the parking lot of their hotel, Luke navigating the expansive lot and only getting lost once in their search for self-parking. Then grabbing their bags, they made the short trek to the elevator that would take them to the hotel lobby.

“This place is the bomb,” Tiffany said, craning her neck and gawking like a stereotypical tourist.

On the outside Anna kept her cool but inside she shared Tiffany’s reaction as they walked across the black cut-pile carpeting with a golden fleur-de-lis pattern that matched the decorative light fixtures that lined the walls. The place was all glitzy and glam, making her feel out of place in her tee-shirt and jeans. That is, until she noticed everyone sitting at the slot machines dressed similarly and realized she fit right in. If their casino was this fancy, she could only imagine what Vas’s upgraded hotel looked like.

The line to check into their room was long, and after thirty minutes Anna was getting antsy. She had nervous energy humming through her, making standing still a huge challenge. Thankfully, once they reached the front of the line, acquiring their room key took nearly no time at all and soon they were traveling in the elevator up to the twenty-second floor.

The room wasn’t as snazzy as the lobby, but it was nice, decorated in burgundy and gold and complete with a TV and mini bar. But the view is what drew Anna’s attention and it was incredible. Gazing out the window from so high above, Anna could see clear down both directions of the Strip. She saw Vas’s hotel and spied the Eiffel Tower in front of the Paris Hotel as well as a ginormous Ferris wheel farther down.

“What are we going to do first?” Tiffany asked the room at large, flopping back onto one of the queen-sized beds.

“I say we hit the casino,” Luke answered. “I’ve got two hundred bucks burning a hole through my pocket.”

“Pace yourself, high roller.” Tiffany got off the bed and went over to Luke, hugging him around the waist. “We’ve got all night to gamble. Besides, I plan on getting so drunk off free drinks tonight, you’ll need to carry me back to the room, and it’s too early to start that freak show.”

Anna internally cringed, envisioning a drunk Tiffany, glad she was staying the night with Vas, though she doubted she’d be able to hook up with him until early evening when he was done with work so suggested, “Why don’t we go out and do a little sightseeing? I’ve heard there’s tons of free things to do up and down the Strip.” That would kill a few hours so she wasn’t sitting around waiting, growing more anxious.

“What do you say, lover?” Tiffany leaned away from Luke to look at him.

“Yeah, okay.”

Anna turned to hide her smile. He didn’t sound overly excited, but she was pretty sure Tiffany was right. Two hundred bucks wouldn’t last long if he didn’t pace himself.

After taking a tour of the nearby casinos, eating chocolate at the M&M’s store and washing them down with a variety of soda flavors at Coca-Cola World, they got back to their hotel, decorated in Mardi Gras beads and sporting pinkened cheeks from the sun.

Tiffany looked up at Luke as she hung on his arm. “Okay, baby, now we can hit the casino.”

“Finally,” Luke said, making Tiffany giggle.

“You coming with us, Anna?”

She shook her head. “I think I'll grab a shower, change my clothes, then head over to the Venetian. By then it will be late enough that Vas should be there soon.”

Luke’s face turned stern. “Be sure to give us a call if there’s a problem. I don’t want you walking back here alone once it gets dark.”

“I will. You two have fun.” She gave them a wave and headed up to the room.

Anna’s prediction had been right. Vas’s hotel was very nice. Stepping through the entrance, she was met with brown and white checkered marble floors, rows of marble columns topped with gold, and a vaulted, Renaissance-style painted ceiling. Everything was super fancy, which made her very happy she’d changed into a dress.

She found a bench to sit on, took out her phone, and waited for it to find Vas. It showed him about two miles away on Valley View Blvd. Good, she hadn’t missed him. Though she didn’t know Vas’s exact room number, her tracking app had been able to pinpoint that he was staying in the Palazzo Tower. Pulling up the hotel map on her phone showed only one bank of elevators leading to it. If she wanted to be sure to catch him when he arrived, that’s where she needed to wait.

Turned outwaithad been the operative word. After an hour when Vas still hadn’t arrived, discouragement and boredom had her second guessing her plan. Then doubt set in. What if he wasn’t happy to see her? What if he got angry? She worried her lip and was starting to think she should go back to her hotel and call him first to give him some warning, when a look at the tracker showed he was on the hotel property. All doubt fled and excitement returned.

Vas was close.

Chapter 25

Nolen Jennings hadn’t been a hard man to pin down. The inquiries Vas had sent out before leaving for Vegas had paid off. Turned out, Nolen was pretty well known. Not because he was smart but because he wasn’t. Seemed Mr. Jennings wasn’t one to keep a low profile.

Through his sources, Vas discovered that not only did he peddle Rohypnol to entitled frat boys and trust-fund babies but he also put the drug to use himself, preying on unsuspecting females at all the hippest nightclubs. So far dumb luck and an overtaxed police force had protected the asshole. As Vas set off for Vegas, he was feeling pretty good that he'd be the one to end that winning streak and bring the bastard down.

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