Chapter 4

FOUR

COLLINS

“Hit me.”

I shook my head. “Tallulah, you have twenty.”

She shrugged. “You took another hit.”

“I had seventeen. I took a risk.” I pointed to the three open cards on the blue felt table. “And lost.”

“Daddy will just give me more.” She grinned up at the dealer then tapped her long nails on the table. “Hit me.”

The dealer flipped a card . . . a Four of Spades.

She pouted her bright-red lips. “Boo.”

The high roller in the pinstripe suit sitting on her right side leaned in and slid a stack of chips to her. “Here you go, princess. No need to call daddy yet.” He winked suggestively.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. Daddy. Also known as the owner of the Sapphire Casino who hired us, but Tallulah pretended like he was our father. Our job was to look gorgeous and spend the casino’s money in hopes that men would be men and want to play with us. We’d been working this job for a year now and the plan was flawless. Especially once we could drink legally. All we had to do was show up looking hot and spend the chips the casino gave us. Every dealer knew who we were and what we did. There were a few other girls who did the same job, but most of the time we alternated nights.

Tallulah and I had different tactics. She played the na?ve girl who didn’t know anything about gambling and the men ate that shit up. I, however, couldn’t force myself into that performance, so I just got them talking about themselves so they wouldn’t realize how much money they spent. We were paid well, along with free food and drinks while working . . . and hookups at all the other casinos. It was a win-win. For a couple college girls like us, there wasn’t a better situation to be in.

I twirled my long hair around my finger and glanced around for the millionth time. There were no cops or any suspicious behavior, just the regular high rolling whales sitting at the tables gambling away all their pocket change. The high roller’s section here at The Sapphire Casino was one of the prettiest on the strip. The walls were a soft blue but the crown molding at the top was adorned with glowing blue flowers made of crystals. Whenever I described to people how everything in this casino was a shade of blue they always cringed and suspected it to be tacky looking, but it was quite elegantly done. In fact, it looked bougie as hell.

The room itself was tucked in the back of the casino and built in the shape of an octagon. Wait, no it’s bigger than that. Nonagon? I glanced around. No, I think it’s a decagon – Collins, really? Are we counting walls now?

Ricky winked at me so I gave him a little smirk back.

Tallulah gasped, and it was worthy of an Oscar. “An ace is one or eleven?”

“Isn’t that . . .” Mr. Pinstripe, Roger, brushed the back of her hand, “exhilarating.”

“Twenty-three,” the dealer said in her elegant voice.

Roger cursed and pushed back from the table. “Well, I think I’ll back out tonight.”

“Aww, Roger, you’re leaving?” Tallulah pouted.

I didn’t miss the way she subtly tucked her arms into her sides and leaned forward to let her chest practically fall out of her dress. None of the other guys missed it either. She really did pull a lot of the weight with the physical stuff. Granted, I didn’t have that kind of weaponry to use.

“The missus will be getting out of her concert now, and I ought to greet her.” Roger’s cheeks flushed. He smirked and his white mustache twitched. “You ladies enjoy your evening.”

I smiled. “Bye, Roger. Make sure to tell your wife about that store?—”

“She’ll love it.” He nodded and then turned and slipped out of the high rollers’ section, leaving one empty seat at our blackjack table.

“More fun for us,” the ginger guy who was sitting next to Roger said under his breath while eyeing Tallulah like she was dessert.

We never did anything with the guys. This was work. But they didn’t need to know that. Plus, we never intentionally led them on, particularly since we usually had a big group of them following us around. Tonight, there were six of them . . . and they all seemed old enough to be my father.

“Excuse me, miss?” a deep voice rumbled just as a warm finger tapped my shoulder.

I jumped and half spun in my seat—and gasped. A man in a plain, slightly faded blue suit and lopsided tie stood just behind me. My heart stopped. There was something just so cop about him, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. He gave me a lopsided smirk under a scruffy black beard.

I blinked up at him, unable to get words out of my mouth.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He reached inside his jacket. “I’m Daniel.”

I gasped and gripped the edge of my seat, the leather creaking under my fingers. Behind him, the neon lights of the casino flashed like lights on a cop car and my heart skipped. Oh God. They found us. This is a cop about to arrest us. That’s his badge he’s pulling out. We’re done. We’re busted. We’re going to jail— he pulled out a rectangular piece of paper.

“I don’t belong here with the high rollers, but I lost a bet with my friends . . .” he chuckled, and his cheeks flushed. He held the paper out to me with one hand and pointed behind him with the other. “And they made me come in here and talk to you. So, to not take up your time and totally embarrass myself, here’s my card. I’d love to take you out some time.”

It was a business card.

A business card.

Not a police badge.

I forced a smile and prayed it looked normal. When I glanced over his shoulder, I spotted a group of five other guys watching with grins on their faces. I took his card and looked at it. My breath left me in a rush. It said Detective Daniel Day.

“You’re a . . . cop?” I hated how meek my voice sounded.

He grimaced. “Just cyber-crime, nothing crazy. I know you’re out of my league, but you miss all the shots you don’t take, and you’re beautiful.”

Cyber-crime, Collins. Not thievery. He’s not here for you. I sighed with relief. “Thank you, Daniel. You’re sweet.”

“You’re welcome. Have a nice night.” He waved and then turned and practically ran out of the high rollers’ section.

The guys at the table with us were all grumbling about Daniel’s audacity, but I was too overwhelmed with relief to care that he’d pissed off these rich dudes.

“Bro, it’s been two hours,” Tallulah whispered in my ear. “If they were gonna come for us, they would have already.”

I nodded and glanced down at the business card. “You’re right. I mean, we’re right here. Just freaked me out for a second.”

She shivered. “Samesies. But hey, Daniel was a hottie.”

He was, actually. I glanced behind me just as Daniel caught back up with his group. They smiled and waved and pointed to me. Daniel looked over his shoulder and winked. I smirked, then turned back to our table. My job was to encourage the high rollers to keep gambling, so flirting with other guys wasn’t going to fly with my bosses.

I bent over to my purse and opened the inside pocket. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if I only shoved Daniel’s card in my purse because I liked the idea of having a cop’s number if Lilian’s actions got us in trouble. But Tallulah was right, he was handsome—much older than me but handsome. I tucked the card safely into my stolen Louis Vuitton purse and my stomach turned.

We have to give these back somehow. Maybe Daniel could give some advice?

“Hi! Join us!” Tallulah purred, and I instantly recognized it as her flirting voice. “The seat’s all yours.”

Beneath the table, Tallulah smacked my leg repeatedly.

Code: Hottie alert.

In my mind, I imagined the exact guy who must’ve just walked up. Tallulah had a type. She loved guys a little rough on the edges, with a scruffy five-o-clock shadow, wild eyes, and a leather jacket. They always had midnight-black hair styled in a modern Elvis Presley slick-back, with that single strand that dangled in their hazel eyes.

I chuckled and sat up straight, expecting to have to wipe the drool from her mouth.

Instead, my gaze landed on eyes so pale-blue they might have been white. I gasped. This new stranger’s eyes flashed. He arched one pale eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, his gaze locked on mine. Heat rushed through my body and exploded in my cheeks. My pulse thundered like a jackhammer in my veins, drowning out every other sound.

He just stared.

No words in greeting. No smile. No nod to acknowledge anyone. Just those piercing bluish-white eyes locked on mine as he slid into the empty seat beside the dealer.

The dealer delt him two cards, but he didn’t even look at them.

Tallulah smacked my leg under the table. “Collins, your turn.”

I tapped on the table because my mouth was not working. The dealer flipped a card but immediately turned to the guy next to me. The table fell into silence as the play moved from person to person. I knew there wasn’t actually silence. I knew Tallulah was laughing beside me and the guys were battling for her attention . . . but I heard none of it.

This stranger had hypnotized me somehow. All of my other senses were drowned away. It was like I had water in my ears. His gaze never wavered for more than a second—if at all. I tried to look away from him, to focus on my job, but every time I did, I simply noticed more of him. Like the hair that fell straight to his shoulders. It was such a pale blue that it was almost as white as his button-down shirt. The top three buttons were open, which made the three silver necklaces hanging against his skin sparkle under the casino lights.

“Nine plus seven?—”

“Sixteen, darling,” the ginger purred across the table to Tallulah. “You definitely need a hit.”

Tallulah chuckled. “You heard him. I need a hit.”

“Ten makes twenty-six,” the dealer announced.

“Just the luck of the draw, I guess,” my best friend purred again. But she squeezed my hand under the table. Hard. “ Collins. ”

Shit. Get yourself together, woman. I tapped the table and focused on the card being flipped down in front of me. But then he tapped his fingers on the table, like he was drumming along to music, and my gaze snapped to them like magnets. As he wiggled his fingers, I noticed super thin ring bands between his two knuckles that seemed to be solid crystal, like there was no metal at all. I’d never seen a guy in midi rings but they weren’t even slightly too feminine for him.

“Hit me—oh shit, an ace. Nice. Hit me again.” The guy beside me cheered, then immediately huffed. “Well shit.”

Heat rushed over the side of my face. I glanced over to Tallulah and found her bright-green eyes watching me. I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes and smirked.

Busted. She knew I’d lost myself with this guy. I sighed and shook my head.

She blinked twice.

I nodded.

She grinned and threw her arms out into a wide stretch. This was our code. Two blinks meant are you ready to move?

I just needed to snap out of this moment with the new guy. I needed to break this hold he had on me and focus, which meant he needed to get the hell out of my sight. He has blue hair. Why is that so hot? It was so chic looking too. Not some punk-rock-emo dude.

Tallulah stood and arched her back in a way that made her boobs almost pop out the top of her dress, which was one hundred percent intentional. “C’mon boys, let’s play something wilder.”

The guy on the left with hair as red as hers, Ricky, laughed. “How about roulette?”

Tallulah purred. It was almost a moan. “Lead the way, handsome.”

Ricky and Mr. Pinstripe laughed and led the way across the high rollers’ section toward the roulette table where a few other guys in suits and a woman in a dress shorter than mine were already playing. Our little ducklings settled in around the table and started talking to the dealer.

“You all right, Collins?”

I looked up at the dealer and smiled. She was a middle-aged woman who reminded me a lot of my mom. She was new, so I hadn’t memorized her name yet, but her tag said Sharon. “Yeah, just been a weird night.”

“You can say that again,” Tallulah mumbled as she slid in beside me. “Thanks, Sharon. I’m sure we’ll be back.”

Sharon nodded and smiled. “Stay safe, ladies.”

My stomach groaned. I was a hot mess express, and the train had derailed.

“What’s wrong with you? You never get this wacky over a dude.”

At that exact moment, he leaned his hip into the roulette table and looked right at me.

“At least you’re not solo in this.” Tallulah chuckled. “Go get it, bro. He’s hot.”

I spun around to break the eye contact, then squeezed my eyes shut. “We’re working?—”

“If he’s a ten, then it’s not work.”

I opened my eyes to glare at her.

She flipped her wild red curls over her shoulder. “Look, not everyone in this casino has to be work. Why don’t you go get us drinks?”

Tallulah winked at me and then sashayed over to the roulette table. I pushed my shoulders back and marched straight for the private bar in the back. With every step, I felt eyes on my back, like burning hot lasers. Unable to help myself, I glanced over my shoulder and my pulse skipped. The heat in his stare sent a shiver down my spine. I looked away just as goosebumps broke out across my skin. I’d half expected him to follow me to the bar, yet he’d still been at the table.

Do I want him to follow me? Do I want to talk to him? I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. Obviously, I did. He was breathtaking, and I never had this kind of reaction to a guy. Just play it cool, Collins. He just showed up and hasn’t even spoken yet . . . and he’s been staring. Tallulah is right. There’s no harm in a little flirting until our shift ends.

“Hey, Collins!” The bartender, Marla, grinned up at me while sliding a chocolate martini to a woman dressed in more diamonds than I’d ever seen on a person. “How’s your night going?”

“Hi, Marla.” I stepped around a barstool and sat my stolen shiny purse on the bar. “Honestly? Weird. That’s where you come in.”

The bar ran the expanse of the wall, with a curving polished counter, and lines of chair running the length of it. A soft blue glow came from behind the glass shelves of the wall and from under the edge of the bar itself. Those glass shelves ran nearly to the ceiling and were stacked with high-end liquor. My favorite part of this high roller’s bar was that they stocked that display wall with only clear bottles so the blue light would shine through. But they’d placed about two dozen-ish blue bottles on the shelves to make the shape of an S for The Sapphire. The bottles in the front, sitting on the counter were all the bougie ones with fancy shapes or labels – and of course all the fan favorites.

Marla chuckled and wiped her hands off on a blue towel. She was a total knock out kind of beautiful, it was why the casino had her in the high roller’s section – the big spenders liked having something pretty to look at. Those vibrant amber eyes really sparkled against her dark complexion in an intoxicating way, especially with the deep blue smoky eyeshadow. Men swooned over her. Her figure was the epitome of the hourglass shape most women coveted – and she sure flaunted it in her little blue uniform. It looked more like lingerie than anything else, though I knew that was the point.

“I’ve got you. What are you and Miss Tally having?”

“She’d like an espresso martini and me . . .” I pursed my lips. “I need a calmer pick-me-up. Something sweet. What do you suggest? You know our drink preferences.”

“Tally seems a bit hyped already, so I’m gonna give her a halfsies on the espresso.” Marla shook her head and black curls bounced over her bare ebony shoulders. “For you, what about . . . French martini? Vodka, raspberry liqueur, and pineapple juice.”

I sighed and smiled. “Perfect. Thank you.”

She winked one amber eye at me, then spun to the bottles of vodka. Marla took care of us. She knew we were freshly twenty-one and weren’t the heaviest of hitters when it came to handling liquor, so she made sure our drinks were weak but still tasty—especially since we usually had a few during our shift.

A wave of sharp energy prickled the nape of my neck and then traveled down my spine. I gasped and stood up straight just as heat slammed into my back. Those same goosebumps spread across my skin again and my pulse skipped. I took a deep breath and a heady scent shot through my senses. It was a most intoxicating smell that I couldn’t quite identify.

Something moved in my peripheral vision. I held my breath, soaking in that heavenly scent because I knew who had just walked by. I knew who that intense presence beside me belonged to without looking. And I knew how my body would react to seeing him despite knowing it was going to be him. I waited a second or two before I looked to my left—and there went all the oxygen in my lungs, just flying up and out of my mouth. I gripped the edge of the bar for support because these stilettos were far too unfamiliar for me around him.

Miley Cyrus’s Cant Stop Won’t Stop blared from inside my purse. I jumped and then dove into my purse for it. Wait. That was Tallulah’s text tone. Why is she texting me? I grabbed my phone and let it scan my face to unlock it, then glanced over my shoulder to where my best friend was twirling a red curl around her finger and grinning at Ricky.

I looked at her text. Why don’t you two get a room? Damn.

My cheeks burned. Shut up, I sent back.

Those three bubbles popped up instantly, followed by, Be BOLD, bro.

And how do you propose that? I sent back and shook my head.

You’re the evil genius between us, she said, followed by another text. However, if it were me, I’d give him that little packet in your clutch.

My eyes widened. Bro.

Bro, she said back.

I shook my head. And say what?

IDK burn that bridge when you get there? she sent with the cry laughing emoji. Just do it. BE BOLD WITH A BOY FOR ONCE.

I looked over my shoulder and glared at her.

She giggled, then looked down at her phone and typed. A second later, my phone vibrated in my hand. I’ll make you a deal . . . be bold with tall, light, and gorgeous there, and I WON’T make you meet up with Detective Daniel. Your choice.

I bit my bottom lip and shoved my phone back in my purse. She was unbelievable. And predictable. Tallulah thought I didn’t date enough, so I knew the moment I saved Daniel’s card that she’d make me go out with him. Detective Daniel was handsome, hot even . . . but this beautiful stranger was incomparable. In my mind, I heard Daniel’s words about missing the shots you didn’t take.

Screw it. What do you have to lose? You stole designer stuff tonight and fled the scene of a crime. You can hit on a stupid pretty boy.

I glanced to my left and found him still watching me. He wasn’t blatantly staring anymore, but he was watching my every move. Silently. Why hasn’t he said anything? Maybe because you’ve been on your phone, stupid. Give him a chance to make the first move. If he hasn’t by the time the drinks are ready, then I will.

He was still watching me, so I made a show of flipping my hip-length chocolatey brown waves over my shoulder. His pale eyes tracked the movement and I saw flashes of blue in a sea of white. He was leaning against a barstool, barely sitting on it really. He wore navy-blue slacks that fit slim to his long, toned legs. And then I spotted his shoes and my eyes widened. They were the mirror brogues—as in, metallic-silver oxford style loafers. They matched my purse. I’d never actually seen a man in real life wearing them.

My gaze snapped up to his face and his left eyebrow twitched. I licked my lips and tried to tell him I loved his shoes, but words were dying on my tongue. I was bitten by silence and choking on my infatuation for this unicorn of a man. He smiled, not a full smile but a soft, crooked little smirk like he knew exactly what he did to me and was pleasantly surprised by it. My breath came out shaky. I peeled my eyes away from his and my gaze landed on a single line of elegant black scroll tattooed on his inner left forearm, which poked out from under his rolled up white sleeves. Ugh. Why are forearms so hot? I couldn’t read the tattoo from here, but I was dying to know what it said. Just ask him what it says! Great intro!

I looked up to ask him when my gaze landed on three crystals hanging from the silver necklaces. One was definitely raw amethyst. It was one of my favorite crystals. I had a slight obsession with crystals. The other two were more surprising. One was a piece of black obsidian with sharp edges and the other was a chunk of raw black tourmaline. I narrowed my eyes on them and wondered if he chose them for their purposes or if he’d just liked the way they looked.

Crystals had meanings and uses. And with all of those on, he was doing some serious work warding off bad juju.

My phone vibrated from inside my purse, and I jumped. Again. Even after I’d turned it to vibrate. I knew it would be a text from Tallulah, and I wasn’t wrong.

FOR FUCK’S SAKE DO IT. OR YOU CALL DANIEL TONIGHT.

I shook my head and shoved my phone back in my purse, and my fingers brushed my clutch tucked inside. Just do it, Collins. This was about to be my boldest moment in my entire life but . . . what the hell. I unzipped the clutch and pulled out the single condom packet I kept in my bag for emergencies—also known as dumb boys.

Butterflies danced in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this. I palmed the condom and made a tight fist around it so no one would see it before I was ready to make my move. The sharp edges of the foil dug into my skin. The timing had to be right. My drinks had to be ready and sitting in front of me and then I’d make my move. I hooked the strap of my purse on my shoulder and eyed Marla. She was almost done.

I looked back up at my beautiful stranger and found his gaze locked on my hand. Oh, you’re an observant one, aren’t you? He probably hadn’t seen what was in my hand, otherwise he wouldn’t have still been sitting there. I took a deep breath, then turned to fully face him. Those pale eyes widened just a fraction, and it sent my pulse flying.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Marla putting the fruit garnish on my drink, so I met his eyes and closed the distance between us. That heady scent I’d smelled before hit me like a wall. My pulse skipped. It was intoxicating. I had no idea what it was, but it was like some kind of spicy vanilla rose scent. I inhaled through my nose and licked my lips. He was obviously tall as hell, because even with him sitting, I still had to look up a bit. This close, I saw the specks of sky blue in his pale, almost white, eyes. They looked exactly like moonstone. He leaned forward a little and ducked down so our eyes were almost level. Light flashed from his chest. I glanced down and found the casino lights reflecting off a fourth crystal necklace I hadn’t seen before. This one was a huge piece of moonstone . . . and it was identical to his eyes.

“Here you go, Collins,” Marla said suddenly.

I glanced up just as she sat two martini glasses right in front of me. She glanced to him, then back to me and winked. My cheeks warmed. Go big or go home. When I turned back, I found his gaze locked on my face. It was a tad unnerving that he hadn’t spoken a single word yet, but all the other signs were there to suggest he was interested. Or maybe I was seeing what I wanted to so I could feel less weird about my body’s reactions to him. Quit stalling.

With faked bravado, I sat the condom on the bar. His gaze shot to it and locked on. Slowly, and with only one finger so there was no confusing what it was, I slid the little packet across the top of the bar and stopped it right in front of him.

I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip, then tapped my finger on top of the packet and grinned. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get there.”

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Yet still no words came out.

I winked, picked the two martini glasses up off the bar, and walked away with my heart hammering in my chest. I could not believe I’d just done that. Up in front of me at the roulette table, Tallulah was cackling the kind of laugh where no sound came out and tears pooled in her eyelashes. She stood up straight and clapped her hands.

In my mind, I sauntered away from him like a runway supermodel, but chances were good I looked like a baby flamingo learning to stand on one leg. Thank God I’d pulled that stunt while waiting for a drink, because I desperately needed one now.

“Bro . . .” Tallulah laughed and held her hand out for her drink. “ Epic. ”

I placed her espresso martini in her hand. It looked like a hot chocolate served in a martini glass. Marla had stuck a caramel on a stick as garnish, which made it look even more like a dessert than a drink. My martini was a pink concoction. It packed a tasty little fruity punch yet wasn’t so in your face.

She wiped under her eyes with her free hand. “I didn’t mean to literally say that. Damn, that was classic. Iconic.”

“Oh . . . well . . . I panicked.” I snorted and waved my arms and my pink drink splashed, dripping down my leg. “Shit. I’m a mess.”

“Boy has got you all twisted up.” Tallulah cackled. “Give me that.”

I sighed and let her take my drink. With a stream of curses, I bent over and wiped my leg. But then I noticed my anklets were tangled on the spikes on my shoes, so I squatted down to fix them. Metallic-silver shoes stepped into my line of sight. I gasped and jumped up to find him standing right in front of me.

And then everything went black.