Page 37 of The Devil Went Down to Laughlin
Because she couldn’t get off the sofa/chaise/bed, she had no way of knowing how large her prison truly was.
So…what happened when she got thirsty or hungry, or needed to use the bathroom?
Oddly, though, her body felt almost neutral, as if it had evolved into a state where she didn’t need to engage in any of those natural functions.
She wasn’t sure whether she should be relieved by that realization…or even more freaked out.
Freaking out wasn’t going to solve anything, though. Somehow, she’d gotten in here, and that meant there must be some way of getting out.
She just had to determine what that was, no matter how long it might take.
All the same, she couldn’t help sending out a little pulse of thought, a little hope that somehow, somewhere, he might hear her.
Find me, Caleb.
Chapter Nine
The hour was getting just late enough that the casino at the Aquarius was fairly crowded. Probably not anything close to what it would be like when dinnertime rolled around and people decided to go out to eat and then stay to gamble afterward, but enough visitors wandered the gaming floor and paused at the bar that Caleb hoped no one would pay too much attention when he and Ty and Prudence walked in.
Of course, with that hair, Pru would get noticed pretty much anywhere she went. He wondered why she chose such outrageous hair colors when you’d think a private detective would want to be much more anonymous, but maybe she thought that by being so conspicuous, no one could possibly think she was anything more than a chick with a penchant for wild hair.
However, nobody seemed to be looking in their direction as they moved through the enormous sliding doors at the entrance of the casino and onto the gaming floor, so that gave him a little hope.
“What’s your plan?” she asked in an undertone.
“What plan?” he quipped, and she frowned.
Ty, on the other hand, didn’t seem too worried. “I looked up August Sellers when Pru was driving us over here. As far as I can tell, he’s still employed by the casino, and it’s definitely business hours, so he should be around somewhere.”
Maybe that solved a tiny bit of their problem. On the other hand, just because the man was in the building, that didn’t mean they could go right up to him and ask him what his business card had been doing on the floor of Aaron Sanchez’s grandmother’s basement.
Not for the first time, Caleb wondered what he’d done in a past life to get stuck dealing with these kinds of messes.
“I’ll handle it,” Pru said, and both Ty and Caleb stared at her in surprise. She gave them an almost condescending look as she added, “Private detective, remember? I’m good at talking to people. You two get a drink and let a pro handle this.”
She wandered off toward one of the craps tables, leaving the two men to stand there awkwardly, not sure what to do with themselves.
This was ridiculous.
“I don’t know about you, but I actually could use a drink,” Caleb said. He’d already spied a bar in the middle of the gaming floor as they came in, so he began walking in that direction.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea — ”
Caleb sent a sideways look at the half angel, hoping he’d get the signal. “Let me guess — you don’t drink.”
“Not usually, but — ”
“Well, I wouldn’t say this is a ‘usually’ sort of situation. Besides, the lady said we should get a drink. Don’t worry — I’m buying.”
And he marched over to the bar, halfway expecting Ty to lag behind or possibly even go in search of Prudence, even though she’d explicitly stated that she could handle this on her own.
Instead, he sighed and sped up his pace so he wouldn’t be left too far behind.
“One drink,” Ty said as he seated himself next to Caleb at the long bartop. “That’s all.”
Most of the seats were occupied, but since it seemed as if everyone was absorbed in their individual conversations, he hoped they wouldn’t pay any attention to him or his companion.
Still, he kept his voice low as he replied, “With any luck, that’s all we’ll have time for.”
