Body of Trust - Jeannine Colette Page 0,66

observes me. I give her a shaky smile as I slowly put the balls inside.

“You look so nervous, sweetheart. Just place them in one at a time. No big deal.”

The woman has no idea what she’s talking about. This is like defusing a bomb. I lift the seventeen and stare at it, mentally going through the numbers again, confirming that one-seven-four-nine are the last digits of my phone number and that one-seven is indeed seventeen.

The six I need are in, so I load the rest with no problem, and Marjorie does a double take. “Looks like you’re a pro now!”

“Thanks.” I swallow my nerves as I wipe my brow.

It’s done.

It’s over.

Now, let’s just pray it works.

I take the gloves off and am about to toss them in the trash with the others, but I think twice and keep them in my hand. Sarah and Eric quickly load the red balls in.

DeLuca and I follow the machine out to the hallway. Sarah and Eric are waiting nearby, and the four of us walk with the staffers back toward the studio.

A man is standing in the hall. He’s tall and wearing a navy suit. From his profile, he almost looks like … Salinger?

“Good evening,” Marjorie says to Director Salinger. “Can I help you?”

He flashes his badge quickly. “I’m here to observe tonight’s drawing.”

My heart is light, and my smile is wide with relief at the sight of Salinger.

You came, my eyes say to him. Thank you.

He lifts a chin and looks away, letting me know we’re not supposed to know each other. I follow suit and put on a serious expression.

Salinger steps in behind me at the end of the line. I give some space between me and DeLuca.

“Is everything taken care of?” Salinger whispers into my ear.

“Yes,” I reply.

“Are those the gloves?” he asks.

I nod my head.

“Good. Now, there’s a restroom just before the studio entrance. Go in and take off the wire,” he states, and I whip my head around with a what the hell for expression, but he quickly urges me to turn around. “Have Jesse or I steered you wrong yet?”

Trust, Amelia. You promised you would put your trust in him.

We approach the studio door and Salinger moves to the front of the line, holding it open for everyone, with a gentlemanly smile. Marjorie blushes as she walks through with the machine, followed by Eric, Sarah, the staffers, and then DeLuca.

I do as he said, dipping into the bathroom. I quickly snake my hand into the top of my dress and yank the wire. Jesse secured it tightly, so I have to tear away the large piece of tape.

Holy …

My eyes scrunch closed with how badly that hurt. I lift the microphone piece and quickly snake the wire and the small attached component that was resting in my underwear out of my dress.

I exit the room, and Salinger is standing outside. A guard is near the studio door, but Salinger is blocking his view with his thin frame as he takes the device from me and places it in his inside jacket pocket.

We enter the studio, and the machine is placed on set, just as Madison Worden, the famous lottery announcer, comes out onstage, wearing a sparkly black dress and a face full of stage makeup. Eric nearly falls over himself, and Sarah keeps her composure. DeLuca, Salinger, and I are polite in our hellos.

“In five, four, three …”

The lottery begins. I didn’t realize two hours had passed. When I look at the clock, I see it is indeed time for the show.

The music blares, and Madison speaks quickly, “Welcome to tonight’s New York Mega State Jackpot drawing. I’m Madison Worden, and tonight’s drawing is being observed by DeLuca & Associates. The jackpot is now three hundred and twenty-eight million dollars. To win, you must match these six balls, followed by one of the Mega balls.”

My heart is in my throat as the numbers are announced.

“Forty-nine,” she says, and I could cry with how relieved I am.

“The next number up is twelve,” she says, and my elation quickly vanishes.

That wasn’t one of the numbers.

“Twenty-three. Seventeen,” she announces.

That’s not good.

“Five and … fifty!” she says, and my whole world comes crashing down.

It didn’t work.

It didn’t fucking work.

I look at DeLuca, whose face is green, like he’s going to be sick. Salinger doesn’t seem pleased. I know he wanted the crime for the indictment, but I still went through with it. Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it doesn’t