Shadows May Fall (37 page)

When Lou had stepped on the Gulfstream she was taken aback by the sheer opulence. The creamy white leather of the seats, the huge windows, the glossy dark wood that she had never seen before. Even the galley towards the back was amazing with the quartz countertops, two sinks, convection oven, sparkling crystal and china all in its place. There were even fresh cut flowers in crystal vases on what appeared to be the bar and the table that separated her and Dillon from where Max and Niko sat. Caroline and Abby sat in the front two seats while Frank parked himself on the sofa. It was all a little overwhelming, least of all the fact that it was the first time Lou had been face to face with Max since she had told him she missed him. Having to sit across from him for an hour had her heart racing and her palms started to sweat. Thankfully, Niko had them get straight to business bringing everyone up to speed on the Black Blood situation. Lou had no idea there was even another person on the plane until a lovely young lady in a proper flight attendant uniform brought a plate of fresh fruit for them to nosh on as well as coffee and juice. She was beautiful and elegant with her light brown hair slicked back in a tight bun, perfectly manicured nails in a nude tone that coordinated with the interior of the plane. Once again, Lou felt very self-conscious.

The flight seemed like it lasted forever thought they had been in the air only thirty-five minutes. Once the flight attendant cleared the dishes, they were on the ground and the cabin doors were being opened for them to deplane. As Lou walked down the airstairs, she could see the luggage was already being loaded into the two limousines that were waiting only yards away. Yes, this beat flying commercial coach any day of the week. The drive to the hotel took about twenty minutes and though Lou had stayed at the Golden Nugget numerous times before whenever she visited with her parents, she had never seen this side of the hotel. They were greeted personally by A.J. Madden, the V.p. Of hotel operations, who escorted them to the ninth floor where they all would be staying. A.J. went through their itinerary as they rode up the elevator to make sure it met Max’s exact specifications, including the room assignments for the other Principates who were staying on the floor just below them. There was a pair of armed security guards stationed just outside the elevator as they exited and were lead up the corridor. A.J. handed each of them their keys as they passed each room, starting with Niko and Dillon, who were sharing a room on the left while Abby and Caroline were sharing the one on the right but down the hall a bit further. Their room was technically across the hall from Frank. At the very end of the corridor, Lou was given the key to her room that was on the left and finally Max, who was across from her.

“I appreciate everything, A.J.” Max thanked him.

“It’s always an honor to have you and your people with us, Mr. Julian.” A.J. was genuinely gracious. “As usual, we have a team in place to assist with anything you need at any time. Do not hesitate to call, day or night.” He turned to face Lou. “It’s a pleasure meeting you Detective Donovan. I’ve taken the liberty of leaving a list of contacts for your team on the desk in your room. As I said, please do not hesitate to call if you need anything, and I do mean anything.” The man smiled brightly as he shook her hand. “I’ll leave you to get settled in. Have a beautiful afternoon.”

“Thank you, very much.” Lou couldn’t help but feel special with the V.I.p. treatment.

“Oh!” A.J. stopped short. “I almost forgot!” He grinned. “Your player’s cards are in the folios on your desks as well. They have been credited with your requested balances so you can just pop them in any slot or stop by the cashier for chips if you prefer.”

“Perfect.” Max was clearly pleased but Lou was confused and he could tell by the look on her face. “I’ll explain later.” He grinned at her.

“If you say so.” Lou had no clue what any of what the man just said meant.

“Excellent. I’ll leave you in peace then!” The pleasant man turned and headed for the elevator, leaving Lou and Max standing alone in the hall.

“You have time to take a nap before our meeting if you like.” He looked at his watch and noted it was barely after one. “The other Principates should be arriving here at about four.”

“The meeting is in your room?” Lou had missed that part of the briefing in the elevator.

“Yes.” Max smiled. “It’s very secure and clearly discrete.” He gestured to them being at the end of the hall.

“No, I’m good with that.” Yet again, Lou was feeling very awkward.

“Or you have plenty of time to do a bit of gambling if you like?” He was asking. “Ah! The players card!” Max explained that he took the liberty of setting up a casino player’s card for her, and the rest of the gang, complete with a little playing money. “Your pin code is your birth date but if you want to change it, just call down and they will help you with that.”

“That’s fine! It’s extremely generous and kind of you, and totally unnecessary.” Lou wasn’t sure she could feel any more awkward.

Max chuckled. “Consider it a business write-off for the company. See you at four?”

“Okay. Thank you for all this!” Lou was really overwhelmed and out of her depth. “I could have taken care of my own stuff, you know?”

“Was I presumptuous with the arrangements?” Max suddenly felt a twinge of panic. “I sincerely apologize if...”

“No!” Lou laughed. “Everything is amazing! I just feel like a burden. I can carry my own weight is all.” The expression on Max’s face made Lou feel much less nervous. She could see that he was feeling a bit out of his depth too and that made things much easier for her.

“You could never in a thousand lifetimes be a burden.” He hated that she could ever think of herself as such. “Get some rest, or go play.” He smiled again. “I know this is business, but I would like you to relax and have a bit of fun if you can.

“Thank you.” Lou dared to brush her hand along his arm as she thanked him. It was another bold move, but it was an instinctual one. She seized upon a rare moment of them being alone in that hall. Something she doubted would happen again during their trip.

His heart skipped a beat, but he managed not to stammer. “My pleasure, truly.”

Lou turned and slid the key card in the slot then stepped into her room, propping her back against the door to catch her breath as soon as was it shut. When she managed to open her eyes, her breath was once again stolen when she looked at her accommodations. This was not the single room deluxe accommodations she usually got upgraded to when she visited, oh no. Lou stepped in from the dark wood paneled entry of the Spa Tower Suite to see a two-story wall of windows that looked out over the pool of the hotel. The suite was larger than the average New York apartment with a massive living area, bar and a dining area nestled into the round cutout of the staircase. As Lou turned to look upstairs from the first floor, she could see a glass wall that enabled you to see the spectacular view from wherever you were in the suite. Now Lou understood how it was possible for the meeting to take place in Max’s room. At first she had envisioned the rooms she usually stayed in and that had seemed odd. Fitting two people in a standard room seemed a bit snug to her but this, this was something on a whole different level. As she ventured upstairs to investigate her accommodations further, she was surprised to see her bags waiting for her in the bedroom. There was another door to the upstairs hallway so she expected a porter had snuck in while they were just making their way to their rooms. Lou figured it as good a time as any to unpack and see what Caroline and Abby had packed for her weekend wardrobe. As she hung everything up, she could not recall that she owned any of the clothing. This was becoming a regular issue with her and she planned to go through her closet to familiarize herself with her own belongings as soon as she got home.

After everything was in its proper place, Lou looked at the time. Only ten minutes had passed since she left Max in the hall and she was way too wired to try and take a nap. She wandered downstairs and found the desk that A.J. was talking about, complete with a magnificent arrangement of flowers that was almost as big as she was. Lou wondered how she could have missed that when she first came in but then she remembered how flustered she had been and had to laugh. The sound of a doorbell startled her but then she reached the door and peeked out the peephole, she could see Caroline and Abby bouncing on the other side of the door.

“Let’s go play!” They demanded in unison as soon as she opened the door.

“Play?” Lou asked as she waved them in. “Did you see this place?!”

“I know! Right?” Caroline giggled as she bounced on to the rich brown velvet couch. “Did you see your bathtub?!”

“I am so taking a long bubble bath tonight!” Lou was giggling now too as she sprawled out on the other couch.

“You girls want to pop this sucker now or go down and get a real cocktail while we play some slots or blackjack?” Abby asked as she pulled a chilling bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket on top of the bar.

“Where did that come from?” Lou hadn’t seen that either.

“Pop it!” Caroline demanded. “Let’s have a girlie toast!”

“Definitely!” Lou agreed, getting up from the couch and taking a seat at the bar, Caroline following suit.

Abby popped the cork on the expensive bottle of champagne and poured some for each of them. She raised her glass and looked at both Caroline, then Lou with a huge smile. “Here’s to mixing business with pleasure!” Abby toasted.

“I’ll drink to that!” Caroline tapped her glass to Abby’s, then Lou’s.

“Me too!” Lou clinked with Abby and the circle was complete. “Don’t let me get drunk! Yet!” Lou laughed.

“Oh, you have plenty of time to sober up!” Abby insisted. “Besides, this will help take the edge off those nerves.”

“Good point.” Lou sipped and realized she couldn’t get the stupid grin off her face. “Is it awful that I am having a blast right now?”

“Why would that be awful?” Abby was puzzled.

“Uh, because I am less than eight hours out of a mass murder case?” Lou reminded her. “And there’s that pesky little matter of the blood smuggling? Oh and someone just tried to kill Niko?”

“Oh.” Abby felt bad that she hadn’t remembered all that.

“Lou...” Caroline turned to face her friend. “...if there is anything that all of the past few months has taught us, it’s that life is way too short.”

“Well for some of you.” Abby snorted as she took another sip of champagne.

Caroline just rolled her eyes at her then looked back at Lou. “This is all a blessing!” Caroline waved her hands, gesturing to their surroundings “You should feel guilty if you don’t enjoy it and appreciate it!”

“Amen to that!” Abby concurred and drank again.

“You’re right.” Lou nodded in agreement. “We need to be in the moment and enjoy the hell out of every little stinkin’ thing!” She raised her glass again. “Sláinte!” She shouted the traditional Irish cheer then clinked her glass with theirs.

“Drink up, ladies!” Abby ordered as she refilled her glass. “Then let’s go play a little blackjack before Lou has to get to the meeting.

It didn’t take long for them to polish off the bottle so Lou grabbed her player card and room key, stuffed them in her bag then they all headed down to the casino floor. The place was bustling with people and the sights and sounds were a welcomed respite from what Lou had been dealing with for the past week. They headed to the cashier to get some playing money and when it was Lou’s turn in line she handed the woman behind the gilded cage her players card and asked if she could get some chips.

“Good afternoon, Detective Donovan. We are so happy to have you staying with us!” The woman beamed a smile at her and Lou wondered how she knew she was a cop. “How much would you like at this time?”

Lou wondered a moment. “Well, how much can I get?”

“Well, you can get all of it if you like, of course.” The woman grinned at her. “But I am sure you won’t be gambling all of it right away.”

“No?” Now Lou was actually wondering. “Why not?”

The woman looked a little uneasy. “Well, I’m sure we can arrange a table for you with a higher bet limit but...”

“Wait a minute.” Lou stopped her. “How much do I have on that thing?”

The woman hesitated a moment, hit a couple keys then leaned over the counter, closer to the bars so she could speak quietly. “You currently have two-hundred, fifty thousand in your account with us.”

“What?!” Lou shouted. “That has to be a mistake!”

“Lou?” Abby rushed to the counter when she heard Lou yell. “What’s wrong?”

“She says I have a quarter of a million dollars in my players account!” Lou’s voice cracked.

“And?” Abby looked at her like that was a regular thing.

“Are you people out of your freaking minds?!” Lou couldn’t believe it.

“Excuse us one moment, would you?” Abby told the woman behind the cage and pulled Lou to the side. “Lou. Do you have any idea how much money I have accumulated over the last hundred years?” Lou didn’t answer, but Abby could see she was trying to comprehend where she was going with the statement. “Now keep in mind that we have the finest financial brains in our arsenal and add to that the fact that Max has been alive a shitload longer than me. Money is not an issue. Having a way to spend it is the actual problem for us.”

“Abby!” Lou screamed and whispered at the same time. “That is more money than some people make in their entire lives!”

“Lou!” Abby laughed. “Just because it’s there doesn’t men you have to use it all! It’s just there if you want it or need it!”

“What’s taking so long?” Caroline wandered up, slightly irritated.

“Lou’s having a freak fit over the money in her players account.” Abby explained.

“Oh shit, I forgot to talk to you about that!” Caroline suddenly remembered. “That’s a huge shocker, I know. You should have seen me when my momma and daddy told me how much my real trust was worth. You thought I was a shop-a-holic before!” Caroline rolled her eyes. “We need to put our heads together on charity stuff soon. I need your help with that. Now hurry up and get some chips so we can play!”