Death in the Desert: A Miss Adventure Misadventure (Death By Miss Adventure Book 2) by S.G. Tasz

Author:S.G. Tasz [Tasz, S.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Uglycat Press
Published: 2024-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-One

“Miss me, Boss?”

Russ looks up from his phone as I join him at the bar on the edge of the casino floor.

“Uh, hello,” he says, his tone friendly but his face perplexed. “I thought you were on special assignment?”

“I am, but I’ve got some downtime until later on tonight, so I thought I’d check in.”

He narrows his eyes. “You’re on a break from work, so you decided to...work?”

I shrug. If he knew how many hours (or days) I’d spend on a case in my old gig, he’d know this isn’t that weird of a move for me.

“Okay,” he relents. “As long as you’re sure that Levi can spare you.”

“He’ll be fine,” I say, wiggling my fingers as the sigil hums around them. I’d put it back on the minute I’d returned to the casita this morning after confessing everything to Ruth, from the breakup with Jake (which surprised her) to the depth of my feelings for Breitling (which didn’t). Her presence had been a godsend, and her advice had been sound, which was that breaking a heart too early is far better than too late. Still, it’s likely Russ’s casual name drop would have sent me spiraling if I didn’t have the sigil to dull my emotions.

Of course, the true test will be tonight when I see him again. That’s the real reason I’m here—being useful to Russ is a much more appealing idea than sitting around the house awaiting (or more likely dreading) the stroke of seven.

“What’s going on there?” Russ points at my right hand where the opera glove peeks out from the sleeve of my black blazer.

“It’s a long story,” I say, leaning back on my elbows as I look out across the casino. “What have I missed?”

He smiles and taps his phone. “A lot. The Knights lost on the road last night, which means we’re going to Game Seven. Fans on both sides are feeling at once lucky and insecure, which creates massive potential for Chaotic invocations.”

My phone dings. I pull it out of my pocket, expecting an email containing the activity report from Russ. But it’s not alone. I have seventeen missed calls, all from the source: Unknown Number.

Breitling?

The butterflies fluttering in my stomach disintegrate quickly under the sigil’s merciless hand. No, it wouldn’t be him. The only reason he’d call me is if something happened to Nikki, or Lord. But if that were the case, he’d leave a message. I scroll through my voicemail to confirm my hunch. Seventeen calls, no message. There’s no reason for him to do that.

“Adina? Did you get it?”

“Yeah, sorry.” I swipe into my email and open the activity reports from the last few days. As expected, there are spikes that coincide with the start of the games and increase throughout the night. In theory, things should taper off after the game ends. But this is Vegas. The gaggles of tourists who’ve come for the spectacle of sport stay for the gambling, and it shows. The inclines continue to

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