newer hotel that Cassia had never heard of, she paid him cash
 
 and got out. She felt wobbly on the heels she’d worn. She
 
 couldn’t decide on an outfit and had spent the better part of the
 
 past few hours throwing things around her tiny bedroom.
 
 She’d sold most of the clothes she’d brought from home and
 
 been forced to purchase far less expensive items for her
 
 current wardrobe, so she didn’t have much of a selection. It
 
 should have been easy, but she kept vacillating between an
 
 emerald blouse and black skirt, or a black dress. She’d gone
 
 for the blouse and skirt and paired it with one of the two pairs
 
 of black heels she still owned.
 
 The hotel wasn’t big like the ones on the Strip, and there
 
 appeared to be only one lounge. A few people, mostly couples,
 
 were seated, engaged in conversation. A single man dressed in
 
 a suit was perched at the bar, watching the sports highlights on
 
 the huge flatscreen TV behind the bar.
 
 Cassia walked in and pulled out a chair at a table with three
 
 other seats. They all had four chairs. She waited, feeling
 
 exposed and naked in the too bright lights. The other lounges
 
 were so dark compared to this one.
 
 Her tongue flicked out and she licked her dry lips. She felt
 
 charged with energy, filled with a nervous current of
 
 electricity. She didn’t need to check her phone. She knew she
 
 was fifteen minutes early. She hadn’t wanted to be late. She
 
 was too excited to be late.
 
 When Adalynn entered the lounge, Cassia knew. It seemed
 
 irrational, but it felt like some invisible string was wrapped
 
 around her neck and tugged on. She turned in her seat,
 
 swiveling to look behind her, and there she was. Her raven
 
 hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck, done in a tight