"Every round for an entire hour?" The dealer shook his head. "I would rather not outwardly accuse you of cheating to the casino manager, but—"
"Cheating?" Angela blustered. She started scooping the chips off the table in a hasty and rather nervous motion. "Of all the nerve! I've never been so insulted in my life!"
The man nodded for security, and two evenlarger men in tuxedos and matching earpieces came to join them. All the men who had been ogling Angela and Janie moved out of the way, their gazes now firmly fixed on the patterned carpeting or the ornate gilded ceiling instead of the ample displays of female cleavage in the room.
Before Angela could grab any more of her winnings, one of the security guards grabbed her firmly by her upper arm.
"I think I'm going to be very fair about this whole situation," the casino manager said. "I will not call the police. I will simply ask you two ladies to leave the premises and not return. If you step foot inside this casino again, you will be dealt with much more harshly. Do you understand?"
Janie frowned. Did he saytwo ladies?
The other security guy's hand clamped around her arm. Her first thought was to fight him off, possibly by breaking his arm and shattering his kneecap, but she decided that might be a bit excessive.
She craned her neck searching the area. Didn't Quinn say he'd be nearby? Where the hell was he?
They were thrown out of the casino and onto the cold sidewalk outside. In the nicest, most civilized way possible.
Janie brushed off the front of her dress. TheEiffelTower loomed tall above them. A couple of tourists sidestepped to get past her to reach the entrance.
"And I usually do the bouncing," she said. "That was a new experience."
Angela glared at her. Then she turned around and started walking away on her very highFerragamo heels. Across the street, the Bellagio fountains danced and sprayed around. The stars were out in the night sky, but the Vegas strip blazed bright as day.
"Hey!" Janie called after her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Why are you still talking to me? Shut up!"
Quinn and Barkley ran up beside her. "What happened?"
"Where were you? I could have used your help in there."
Quinn gritted his teeth and gave Barkley a dirty look. "Wolf-boy got us kicked out. Saw a leg he couldn't help but get… friendly with."
"It's a compulsion." Barkley looked away. "I'm so ashamed."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Quinn continued. "Is everything okay?"
Janie waved in Angela's direction. Her throat felt thick. "I think she's got amnesia. She doesn't remember me at all."
Angela turned around. "I don't have amnesia." She looked at Quinn, her heavily made-up eyes widening slightly and then taking their time to take him in completely from head to foot. A smile spread across her features as she approached him. "Well, hello there. And what's your name?"
He glanced at Janie, then back at Angela. "Uh… you can call me Quinn."
Angela took his hand in hers and turned it over. "You know, Quinn, I can tell a lot about a man by his hands." She ran a French-manicured fingernail along his palm. "Your lifeline is very long."
"Well, I am currently immortal."
She laughed.
Janie couldn't believe it. Her sister was flirting with Quinn.
And he didn't seem to be stopping her.
"So youwere cheating in there," Janie said. "And not just with that guy."
"I wasn't cheating." Angela's pleasant expression soured.
Barkley stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Matthew Barkley, at your service, Angela. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Finallymeet me?"
"I've been having visions about you. And, may I say, you are a vision tonight. Of loveliness, that is."
Janie wrapped her arms around herself to keep the desert chill away. "We don't have time for this."
Angela's expression brightened. "You've been having visions about me? You're psychic, too?"
Barkley nodded enthusiastically. "I think I'm in love with you. Am I moving too fast?"
"Hold on, Romeo," Janie said. "One thing at a time. Angela, listen to me and listen to me carefully. You have amnesia. You are my sister. You are in danger. You have to leaveLas Vegas immediately. Like,
now . There's no time to waste."
Angela turned her back on Janie to look Quinn. "Can I ask a favor?"
Quinn nodded. "Of course."
"Will you see me back to my hotel? I'm staying right next door at the Aladdin. Like the genie in the lamp?" She moved close enough to him to run a hand down his arm. "And you do know what happens when you rub the lamp properly, right?"
Quinn actually laughed but managed not to show off his fangs. Janie shot him a look.
He nodded. "They say that you get a wish."
"That's right." Her hand moved to his chest. "Any wish you want."
"Believe it or not, that's already my goal tonight." Quinn grabbed Angela's hand and removed it from his person. "Unfortunately, I already have my wish in mind. And… it's not what you're thinking."
She pouted. "Well, damn."
"You're leaving Vegas tonight," Janie said, louder this time. Was she being ignored on purpose? "There is somebody who wants to hurt you, Angela. He will kill you if you're not out of this town as soon as possible."
Angela raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually serious?"
"Deadly serious. Now, if you'd like to ignore what I'm telling you and pretend it's all just a big joke, then be my guest. However, if you'd like to keep yourself from being eviscerated—which, FYI, is the same as disembowelment—while you're still alive, I strongly suggest leaving."
Angela's mouth now gaped wide open in horror. "Who would want to do that to me?"