Beautiful Moves (Shifting Steel Book 3)(63)

Ella walked out of the bathroom to find Drake scowling at her.

“You ever again pull a stunt like you did in the desert, I’ll wring your neck and leave your body for the vultures.” Drake tapped on his phone, but the sadistic shock collar did nothing.

Apparently, I broke more than his precious car.

Ella grinned a broad smile that hurt her cheeks. She imagined she looked slightly insane. She was. Ella reached out with her curse and snapped the clasp on the choker, then yanked it off and threw it at Drake, striking him in the chest.

“Maybe you should have considered the repercussions of keeping someone who’s cursed,” Ella informed the bastard.

In the blink of an eye, Drake had Ella in his grasp, with his fingers wrapped around her neck.

“Don’t,” he warned, as Ella geared up to do some serious damage to his precious penthouse.

Drake’s grip tightened to the point Ella found it hard to breathe. He was so livid, the freakish animal he harbored, shifted across his face. His claws and fangs elongating.

“Drake, I just got a call from security. We have a problem in the casino,” neck tattoo interrupted.

Ella gasped, when the jackal released her throat. The dim edges of her vision cleared, but she still felt numb.

“Walk,” Drake snarled in frustration as he led Ella toward the elevator by the back of her neck.

Ella’s mind was a blank as the cubicle descended. They exited the elevator when it stopped, and went to a room with a wall of monitors showing the Casino.

“Sit there and don’t fucking move,” Drake snarled as he shoved her toward an office chair. “What the hell is going on?”

“What’s not going on,” the lead guard said in frustration. “Sorry sir,” he apologized for being snippy with his boss. “We have cameras going out all over the place. Electricity is shutting off sporadically in the shops and restaurants, and the pool has somehow been drained.”

Ella perked up hearing the security guard’s abysmal report. She didn’t know how you drained a massive pool, but someone obviously screwed up.

“Excuse me?” Drake snarled, his face turning red. “What the fuck are you talking about? Chase said there’s a problem in the casino.”

“The slots are all paying out jackpots. We tried to shut them down, but the electricity keeps turning back on. We’d have to cut the main trunk.” The guard ran a nervous hand through his hair as he explained the situation. “We have at least a hundred guests complaining that the tables are rigged. From what our dealers say, some woman is going from table to table, telling the players exactly what hand the dealer has. We tried to locate her, but she’s one step ahead of security.”

Good for her, Ella smirked. From the sounds of everything, Drake was getting just what he deserved. Karma’s a bitch.

“Chase, get all of our people down there,” Drake growled, the vein in his neck standing out.

“Yes sir,” neck tattoo quickly exited the security room.

“Repeat that?” The guard touched his earpiece. “Bring up camera 73.”

“That sector is down,” one of the men in front of the monitors replied.

“Sir, I’m not sure if I’m hearing this correctly. We have a new situation,” the first guard reported, looking like he was ready to soil himself. “People are starting to flee the hotel.”

Ella looked at the working monitors. Sure enough, people were in chaos, rapidly heading toward the exits.

If you’re going to get out, now’s the time.

“Just spit it out,” Drake demanded. “I can’t believe the level of incompetence…”

Ella stood while Drake was yelling at the guard, and headed for the door. She wasn’t concerned if he followed or not.



Wolf

“Abuela’s a genius,” Char giggled. “How in the hell did she empty that entire pool?”

“What part of Aztec Rain God didn’t you understand?” Wolf asked.

“Iris, finish screwing with the people at the blackjack table, and head toward Marisol. You’ve got a suspicious character, not in uniform, who’s following you,” Cain instructed his old lady through the phone.

“Good eye.” Wolf nodded to his friend.

“Is Marisol still by the slot machines?” Iris asked.

Iris was psychic, but she didn’t see everything. She also couldn’t defend herself against the shady character on her tail. Marisol and Abuela, on the other hand, could drop the bastard in a heartbeat.

“Yes, just look for the jackpot siren.”

“I’m heading her way.”

“Babe, it looks like Trip is about to do his thing,” Cain informed Iris. “It’s time for us to switch places. You ladies come back to the van and hang with Wolf.”