Page 147 of Hard Luck (Blackstone House)

What was the old saying?Change the things you cannot accept, accept the things you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference.I liked to think I wasn’t a fool. And I knew that if Echo had made up her mind about something, I was never going to change it.

Instead, I headed upstairs. The others had disappeared a while ago. Tulsa was sleeping on the couch in the living room, and Storm was sharing a bed with Frankie. Barbie and Dice had taken the other two bedrooms. Dice’s door was ajar and I could see her asleep with her hand under the pillow—that was where she kept her gun—so she could be in charge of saving the world tonight. Cole was waiting for me. He put his phone on the nightstand when I walked into our bedroom.Ourbedroom. What a strange fucking concept that was.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“I think so? Truthfully, I’m not sure. Perry just called again. There’s been a sudden influx of guests, and every room is full.”

“How the hell did that happen?”

“There’s a problem at the Neptune. They had to close temporarily.”

“What kind of a problem?”

“An issue with the electrics. The power cut out a couple of hours ago, and it hasn’t come back on. Perry spoke with a guy he knows there, and the utility company is saying the blackout has nothing to do with them. There’s power to the building, but the lights are out, the cameras are dead, they can’t cook anything, and there are hundreds of guests in the lobby yelling at anyone in a staff uniform. I told Perry to do the best he can.”

“Good plan.”

Oh, Echo. You crazy, beautiful little bitch.

“I only hope that whatever is affecting the Neptune doesn’t spread.”

“It won’t.”

“I admire your optimism, but you can’t know that for sure.”

“Okay, I’m ninety-nine percent certain the Galaxy will be fine.”

“It’s right next door to the Neptune.”

“Remember how I told you my best friend is a hacker? She just told me that everything was under control, and I suspect this is her version of having everything under control.”

“One person can do that? Turn off the power in a whole resort?”

“I mean, she isn’t completely alone. Only half the team is here.”

“Butwhywould she do it?”

“At a guess? She found out there’s a connection between the Neptune and the unfortunate incidents we’ve been investigating.”

“You think Stanley Fuller was involved? No way. Sure, he and Uncle Mike didn’t always see eye to eye, but he’s a well-respected businessman.”

“Echo doesn’t do this shit on a whim. Anyhow, she told me to relax and enjoy my vacation, and I intend to do exactly that.”

I tore the sheet away from Cole, but he held up a hand to stop me before I reached for his boxers.

“Wait a second. I have a gift for you first.”

“A gift? The last guy to tell me that threw a hand grenade.”

“It isn’t a hand grenade, I promise.” He pulled out a velvet jewellery box, and he must have seen my look of horror because he hurried to clarify, “It’s not a ringeither,” and when I still hesitated, “It won’t bite. Just open it.”

I undid the ribbon with the gingerness of an EOD technician, then lifted the lid. Cole had bought me a necklace, simple and elegant, a slip-chain choker with a silver bar hanging from the end of the tail. Really fucking beautiful. And really fucking kinky.

“Tell me you know what this is for?”

He grinned as he picked it out of the box, then wrapped it around my neck, once, twice, and tucked the bar through the ring. Then he pulled it tighter, tighter, tighter, and his smile turned filthy.

“Our secret,” he whispered.

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