She knew where the girl was right then, knew the federal marshals who were guarding her. Marie deserved to live the rest of her life in some kind of peace. She was young enough to put this behind her, so long as the system could keep her alive.
Olivia wandered off the Strip on foot until she was far enough away from the courthouse and anyone who’d seen her in her current disguise. Inside a smoke-filled casino, one that didn’t depend on the glitz of the Strip but the desire of old-school gamblers for its income, she found a public bathroom and eased into the appearance that had rented a room a few blocks away.
She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and checked the feeds to the surveillance system on her phone. Once she knew it was safe, she left the smoky casino.
Inside her room, Olivia deadbolted the door, did a sweep, and then finally sat down.
Her right hand reached for her head and pulled the third wig of the day off. With it gone, she removed the cap that held her natural hair out of the way and shook it loose.
She sniffed . . . twice.
Her hair stunk.
She flopped back on the mattress, arms wide, and closed her eyes.
Thirty minutes elapsed, giving her brain enough time to tune out and her body a chance to soak in the cool air of the air-conditioned room.
A few more days and she could disappear . . .
Again.
Maybe this time she’d leave and stay that way. Find that beach, that mountaintop . . . that sanctuary that allowed her to forget.
Olivia pushed herself into a sitting position and placed both hands on her thighs.
Once the trial was over and Marie was in the hands of the good guys, Olivia could walk away. The promised money would go far so long as she relocated outside of North America.
Dismissing the thoughts of her future—any future—she pushed off the bed and took a few steps to the bathroom.
The water out of the shower was hot, even on its coldest setting.
Adjusting the water temperature was a simple thing when considering life’s pleasures. But cheap hotels in Nevada as summertime winded down didn’t always have the ability to do such a minimal task.
Hard, hot water washed the grime of the day and refreshed her enough for round two.
She dried her hair completely before putting it back in the cap and donning a wig. This time dishwater blonde and halfway down her back. Blue contact lenses, a beauty mark on her cheek . . . a pair of short shorts and a sparkly tank with a jacket that covered her enough to suggest she wasn’t looking for a paid date. Although she’d play that card if she needed to.
Once she was far enough away from her hotel, she grabbed a taxi and made her way to the Wynn. Upscale, cosmopolitan without the themes that many of the other resorts on the Vegas Strip used.
Inside, the hotel bells and whistles of the casino floor were slightly muted in comparison to the other resorts on the Strip. It was early and very few chairs in front of the slot machines were occupied. A handful of tables were open, and most had lone dealers standing behind them with their hands folded waiting for someone to sit down and open their wallet.
Olivia knew how to play all the games, but never saw the point. She only dipped her hand in when it suited her assignment.
She circled around the casino, making mental notes as she went. Where the secluded rooms that high rollers congregated in for private gambling were located, where employees slipped behind walls and into kitchens or bars, the exits that dumped deeper into the casino, or close to an actual exit. She landed in the cocktail lounge with a view of the casino floor.
After ordering a club soda and lime, Olivia pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.
A security screen masked her activity from anyone sitting close by, and certainly from any cameras above. She logged in to a secure space and pulled open a handful of pictures.
Players. All of them from the same family.
That’s what the mafia called those close to them.
Family.
And in the case of Mykonos Sobol, the man standing trial, he was both blood and chosen. Some of his extended family had flown in to support him. By support, that meant take over his connections and operations until his name was cleared. Olivia knew from experience that the