They were nearly back at the hotel when the driver slammed on the brakes and cursed.
“What’s the problem?” Blane asked as Kade jerked awake at the sudden stop. He rubbed his eyes and looked around.
“Damn geese,” the driver groused. “They’re fucking everywhere and get in the way. The city needs to do something. They’re a nuisance and a menace, chasing people and wanting food. They’ll eat anything.” He stepped on the gas and the car shot forward.
Blane was wide awake now and he looked at Kade, who was already looking at him. They were thinking the exact same thing.
“The goose,” Kade said.
They hit the doors of the MGM at a pretty good clip and had made it nearly to the elevators before they were stopped.
“Blane Kirk? Kade Dennon?” A large man in a suit blocked their path. He face looked like it had been in one too many brawls, the nose slightly crooked. An earpiece was in his ear, the cord disappearing underneath his collar.
Security.
“Yes?” Blane answered.
“Please come with me.”
Shit. They’d found out Kade had gamed the system last night. Not that it had sounded as though Kade had tried real hard to hide it, not judging by the size of that stack of poker chips they’d left in their room.
“What’s this about?” Blane asked, stalling and stepping slightly in front of Kade.
“I think you know what this is about,” the man said. “It would be in your best interest to come along quietly.”
Kade touched Blane’s shoulder and he glanced around. Kade gave him a slight nod. Blane’s lips pressed together, but he said, “Fine. Lead the way.”
They followed the guards into the bowels of the casino, the walls and floors stripped of color or decoration. It was an antiseptic as a hospital, completely lacking in welcome or warmth. And someplace Blane would have been content to have never seen.
They hadn’t searched them for weapons yet, that happened as soon as they entered the room. On the small side, it held one table and three chairs. The two guards took all the weapons Blane and Kade were carrying and left the room, leaving them alone with the head guard.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Kade said, “Mac! Man, it’s good to see you.”
To Blane’s amazement, the guard gave Kade a handshake and a hearty slap on the back. “Dennon, why am I not surprised you’re the one causing shit?” He was grinning as he said it though.
“You two know each other?” Blane asked, glancing from one to the other in bewilderment.
“This guy helped me out of a bind a while back,” Mac said. “I said I owed him one, so now I’m here to deliver.”
“What’s the scoop?” Kade asked.
Mac sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, your winnings aren’t going to be confiscated, so that’s the good news. But Alfonso is pissed as all hell.”
“Who’s Alfonso?” Blane asked.
“Alfonso Riveria,” Kade replied. “He’s like the second-in-command at the MGM.”
“Yeah, he should be here any minute,” Mac said. “I was supposed to rough you up a bit, so look hurt.”
Kade snorted at that just as there was a perfunctory knock on the door before it opened.
Another man walked in, flanked by six security personnel. By the time everyone was inside, the room was a bit crowded.
It wasn’t that much of a stretch to realize this was Alfonso. Clad in a suit that easily cost well into four figures, gold links at his cuffs, and shoes shined to a gleaming sheen, he oozed Vegas casino magnate.
Blane’s body was stiff with tension. He didn’t like not having his Glock, he didn’t like that Kade was in here, and he really didn’t like being surrounded.
“Mr. Kirk. Mr. Dennon,” Alfonso began, “I would say welcome to our casino and hotel, but I see you’ve already made yourselves at home. Congratulations on your…winnings.”
“I always did have a lucky streak,” Kade smarted off. Blane wanted to duct tape his mouth shut.
“Why are we being held here?” Blane asked. “Is it against the law to win money in a casino?”
“Of course not,” Alfonso replied with a casual wave of his hand. “Though perhaps some might say luck had little to do with it.”
Best not to reply to that. Kade must have thought the same thing because for once he kept his damn mouth shut.
“What do you think, Mr. Dennon?” Alfonso asked. “Are you telling me you were just extremely…lucky last night?”
“Well, I didn’t get laid, so no, I wouldn’t say I was lucky.”
Fucking shit.
“Kade won that money at the slots,” Blane cut in. “How could it possibly have been anything other than luck?” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’re suggesting there’s some way to compromise a slot machine?”
Alfonso’s smile was tight. “Everyone knows that’s impossible,” he said.
“Exactly.”