Best Man for the Job

Luck was with them and they caught one of the cages just as the doors opened. Two couples in evening wear and a boy in his teens playing a portable game system stood inside.

The button for the main floor was already pressed. Eryn watched the levels ping as they dropped.

One of the men spoke up. “Do you know what the fire alarm was about?”

Eryn glanced at the mirrored surface of the elevator door. Callan didn’t speak. She answered for them. “There’s a party on our floor.”

“That’s where the police and the fire departments seemed intent on gathering. I presume there’s nothing amiss.”

“There’s no fire.”

The elevator dinged again when they arrived at the second floor. The doors opened to a group of people standing in the alcove. One of the men in the group waved them off. “We’ll take the next one.”

On the first floor, the doors opened again. Eryn led the way out, surprised to see the crowd that filled the foyer. Evidently not only the guests staying the night had come down from the towers, but the casino had temporarily lost some of its patrons as well. The security people were out in force.

“Let’s go.” Callan took the lead and headed for the side entrance.

“Wait.” Eryn turned away from him and headed back toward the concierge.

The man was absent from his post, but she spied him talking to some of the guests, letting them know that the fire scare had been a false alarm. Nobody was talking much about the shootout in the parking garage. Apparently that news hadn’t spread yet.

Eryn stopped at the concierge desk and leafed through the pamphlets in the shelves. A map of the hotel and casino lay in the mix. She pulled it out and consulted it briefly as Callan caught up with her. He was scowling again.

“What are you doing?” He loomed at her side.

“Trying to appear inconspicuous. How’s that working for you?”

“We need to get out of here.”

“We also need more information if we’re going to try to find out who took your future brother-in-law.” Eryn located the main desk and headed for the hallway just to the left of it.

“Where are you going?”

“The security office.” She avoided Callan’s grip, sidestepping and putting a chair between them at the last minute.

Callan quick-stepped and caught up with her. His big hand wrapped around her forearm but he didn’t try to stop her. “Why?”

“Because they’ll have video footage of everything that happened. I’m going to try to get a copy of it.”

“You think you can do that?”

“I know I won’t get a copy if I don’t try.”

Callan’s grip fell away and he paced her through the crowded area. He didn’t ask her any more questions.

As they passed the check-in area, Eryn gazed at the television in the corner of the room. A small crowd had gathered there to watch the breaking news on the local channels. Video footage of the hotel filled the screen while the neatly groomed male anchor occupied a corner and talked calmly. Script ran across the bottom of the screen.

Fire alarm caused near panic at th—

When Callan caught her arm and tugged, Eryn whipped her head around and just managed to avoid colliding with a heavyset man carrying a poodle. She excused herself but hurried past him into the next hallway. She turned left at the intersection and stopped in front of a metal door—Security/Authorized Personnel Only.

Eryn rang the buzzer and looked up at the fish-eye camera lens mounted above the door.

“Can I help you?” The voice was male, well modulated and slightly anxious.

Eryn took her agency ID from her purse and held it up to the camera. “Can you see this?”

The camera lens flickered. “Sure.”

“I need a favor. Professional courtesy.”

“We’re on lockdown.”

“I know. That’s why I need the favor. My partner and I were watching over a principle. We lost him in the excitement.”

“Not my problem, Ms. McAdams.”

“The principle is a high roller. Help me out and I can get you comped at the casino I’m working for. I can get your supervisor comped, too.”

For a moment there was no response. “This guy that big?”

“Big.” Eryn lied effortlessly. In Vegas everything spun around the casinos and the big money they pulled in. Whales—high rollers that spent a lot at the tables and in the hotels—were an important part of that business. The money trickled through the city, spun through the Strip’s veins like a junkie’s favorite hit. The story was easily believable. It had happened before.

“I’m not supposed to let anyone in.”

“Guy has a jones. If I let him get away without returning him to the hotel, I’m going to lose my job.”

Callan stood at her side without saying a word. For a moment Eryn thought she was just going to end up embarrassing herself. She’d been with other security agents who’d used the same bribes to get information on people they were supposed to be keeping up with. Just as she was getting ready to give up, the speaker crackled again.

“Get in, find your guy, then get back out.”

“Definitely.”

The electronic locking mechanism cycled, thumping and clicking as it opened. Finally, it buzzed. “Come ahead.”

Eryn pushed the door in and followed it.

Chapter 5

Feeling uneasy, Callan stepped into the security command on the woman’s heels. He’d filed away her name, McAdams, and the fact that she obviously worked somewhere that would give her access to security agencies.