“I’m already having fun.” And it was true. He enjoyed being with Christine. He didn’t miss the rush of an extreme sport or fight the need to keep moving. Instead, he wanted to linger, stay in one place and gain Christine’s full attention.
“I know you said I don’t have to pay you, but I still—” Christine bumped into a tall, thin man. “Oh, excuse me.”
“I’m sorry. Are you all right?” The man had a faint accent that Travis couldn’t place. He frowned as he noticed the man’s baseball cap and sunglasses.
Travis immediately recognized him. It was Underwood, dressed casually and keeping his head down as he boldly made contact. Underwood expertly slid his hand across Christine while pretending to hold her steady. Underwood’s hand splayed against her wrist bag in a classic pickpocket move.
Travis grabbed her hand, blocking Underwood from completing the theft. Travis’s stealth move revealed his training, but he had no choice in the matter. His protective instincts had kicked in and he wasn’t going to allow this man anywhere near Christine.
He knew Pitts would be nearby. One glance in Underwood’s sunglasses and Travis saw the guy right behind them. He and Christine had to get out of there before Pitts and Underwood discovered the emerald in his shirt pocket.
“Let’s go,” Travis told Christine as he quickly pulled her away. He needed to find a spot that had heavy security.
“Sorry!” she called out to Underwood over her shoulder. “Wow, I swear that guy came out of nowhere.”
That was close. He should have predicted it, but he was taken by surprise that they had gone after Christine. Why did they think she had the emerald? Unless it was a move to distract him so Pitts could pick his pockets.
Travis’s hands shook as he escorted Christine to the entrance. He realized it wasn’t adrenaline flowing through his veins. It was fear. He had placed Christine in danger. What if Pitts or Underwood had a weapon? How would he have protected her?
This babysitting job was over. He was returning the emerald to Aaron immediately. “I have to make a call before we go,” he said to Christine.
“Sure,” she said as she headed directly to the slot machine by the entrance. “I’m going to give this one more try.”
“So much for quitting,” he said with a smile. He turned around and scoped out the casino. Dressed like the other weekend tourists, Pitts or Underwood couldn’t be spotted in the crowd. Travis reached for the phone in his jacket pocket and casually checked for the emerald in his shirt pocket. It was still there. He didn’t care if Aaron thought it brought good luck. He couldn’t wait to get rid of it.
As he dialed, Travis heard loud bells and whistles. Someone had hit the jackpot nearby. Someone whooped with sheer joy. It sounded a lot like Christine. Travis slowly turned and saw her jumping up and down.
“I won!” she shouted as he stared wordlessly at the flashing lights on the slot machine. “I finally won!”
* * *
“I WON!” CHRISTINE couldn’t stop smiling as she crammed the cash into her small purse. “I won. I won. I won.”
“I’m as stunned as you are,” Travis said as he pressed his hand against her back and guided her out of the casino.
“I can’t believe I won.” She was excited. Relieved. She’d completed a challenge and was ready to accept the reward. “I have no idea what to do with this money.”
“This is Vegas,” he reminded her. They stood on the sidewalk and inhaled the desert air. “Where do you want to go? You can get almost anything. Clothes. Jewelry. Or do you want to gamble some more?”
“No, none of that interests me.” It was only a few hundred dollars, but she knew she wasn’t going to put it away for a rainy day. She wanted to use it on something fun with Travis. “It doesn’t matter. I won!”
More important, she could cross entry number forty-three—win money—off her list. A satisfied sigh staggered from her throat. She was almost light-headed with relief. Tomorrow she could return home knowing she had accomplished what she had set out to do.
The sun was beginning to set and the golden lights reflected on the buildings. Her weekend was almost up, but she wasn’t ready to go home. Not when she could add Travis to her dream list.
She imagined the entry on her list. One hundred and one: Travis. Not a one-night stand. Not a fling. Simply Travis. She didn’t care how she got him as long as he wound up in her bed.
But she didn’t have that much time. How was she going to do it? The idea made her jittery and nervous. He thought she was a sophisticated and mysterious woman. She wasn’t that experienced. Her last boyfriend had dumped her because she wasn’t exciting enough for him.