the city filtered above her so that she couldn’t see the stars.
 
 The conference organizer had provided everything she
 
 needed, including a tram pass that went from the event center
 
 to her hotel, but she still found herself walking down the
 
 sidewalk, her heels clicking against the pavement, her heart
 
 knocking at the underside of her ribs.
 
 When she spotted a cab pulling over, she walked faster,
 
 sliding into the backseat, no matter who it was intended for.
 
 She gave the guy, who was probably in his late twenties, the
 
 name of her hotel and leaned back against the leather seat. She
 
 didn’t do up her seatbelt. The driver didn’t tell her to. There
 
 was a screen on the backseat, playing ads for restaurants and
 
 shops. She watched the flashing lights across the screen,
 
 registered the lights outside, the bright, bright lights of a city
 
 that came alive at night.
 
 She’d never felt more alone.
 
 Chapter 4
 
 Cassia
 
 Cassia barely noticed any of the strangers in the crowded
 
 lounge. It was just one of many at a popular hotel on the Strip.
 
 She pulled her phone out of her bag, sipped at the cranberry
 
 vodka she’d ordered after selecting a table, and dialled Stu’s
 
 number. No one had bothered to ID her. She was two years
 
 away from being the legal drinking age, but the guy behind the
 
 bar must have thought she was older than she looked.
 
 Stu answered right away, since she knew to only call him in
 
 the event of something very wrong. For anything else, she
 
 could call Nathan or Martin, Sam or Luke, one of the security
 
 guys who was on call and would be working the Strip in case
 
 any of the girls got into trouble and needed them. She had a