Page 88 of Scattered Glitter

I drop my phone to my lap, exhaling slowly as I lean back against the headboard.

“She’s moving again.” My earbuds crackle, and Koen’s voice filters in. “Making her way toward the Harrington Heights. You’re really going to make her steal from a security guard?”

“Yes.” My answer is immediate. She needs to prove herself. Not only to me but to the others and, most importantly, to herself. If she can’t handle this, then what the hell are we even doing here?

“You’re relentless, Ric.” There’s a chuckle in Koen’s voice, and I can tell he’s moving again, the noise of the Strip growing louder in the background. “I think she’s up for it, though. The way she handled Belmont…”

It’s true, she’s already better than I expected. I’d wanted her to succeed, sure, but there was still a part of me that doubted she would, that she’d stumble, that her cockiness would cost her.

Except she didn’t stumble.

“Yeah, well,” I mutter, trying to downplay the way my chest tightens at Koen’s words. “She’s got one more to go before we’re impressed.”

Koen hums a noncommittal sound. “This one’s riskier.” His voice has shifted, losing some of its earlier lightness. “The guards there aren’t only for show, and you know Veronica’s got them on high alert these days.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing away the anxiety thatgnaws at the edges of my thoughts. He’s right. The Harrington Heights Casino isn’t some dime-a-dozen tourist trap. It’s Veronica’s fortress, her domain, and every inch of it is under scrutiny. However, if that girl wants to be part of our crew, she needs to prove she can handle pressure. More than that, she needs to show she’s not afraid to push boundaries.

“She’ll do it…” I say, keeping my voice steady, letting my confidence in our tests for this girl show. “Or she’s out.”

There’s no room for doubt, not for her and definitely not for me. This is the only way forward for her, the plan, all of us.

Koen doesn’t reply right away, but the shuffle of his feet, the movement of people around him echo over the line. “She’s approaching now,” he says quietly, almost as if he’s speaking more to himself than to me. “Goddamn. She’s fearless. Look at that swagger. She’s already got his attention.”

I lean forward, gripping the phone tighter, wishing, if only for a moment, that I could be there, too, watching her to see the way she moves. Apparently, she’s a force, whether she knows it or not. And maybe that’s what I’m scared of most.

Because forces like her, they’re unstoppable. They’re also unpredictable. She could make or break us. And I need to know, before anything else, which way she’s going to go.

“She’s flirting,” Koen continues. “Classic shit, really. She’s got her hand on his chest… oh, he’s folding, Ric. This guy’s melting right in front of her.” That makes me chuckle. “He’s taking the bait,” Koen murmurs, his tone growing more impressed by the second. “She’s got the glasses. And… she swapped them out without him even noticing.”

A beat of silence stretches between us, and something in my chest unclenches. Relief. Pride.

Fuck,maybe both.

That was fucking quick. “She’s done?”

“Yep. She’s walking away now, and… oh man, he put the Elvis glasses on, and she took a stealthy picture of him. He’s looking around, but she’s already gone.”

My phone buzzes with two messages from her. Two pictures. One of some aviators in her hand, and the other of the security guard wearing Elvis glasses.

A laugh bursts out of me, louder than I intended, surprising me.

“Did she send you the picture?” Koen asks.

“Yep,” I say, forwarding it to him. A few seconds later, he chuckles.

Another buzz.

You’re welcome.

Took you long enough.

I know she’s rolling her eyes at me, even without seeing her. I can almost hear the exasperated huff she’s probably making, and it’s enough to make me smile like a dork.

You could at least say thank you.

Don’t push it.

“That only leaves the last test,” I mutter, my thumb hovering over the screen. Let’s see if she’s got the nerve to do what needs to be done when it counts.

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