Free The Truant Officer by Derek Ciccone Page A

cameras.”
    Lilly ran her hand down the length of the tie, pressing against his chest, and then kissed him. “If we’re going to be on the run, then we’re going to need money.”
    Nick broke away from the kiss, looking unsure.
    “Do you trust me, Nick?”
    “You saved my life by getting me out of there. I trust you.”
    Lilly smiled at the answer, then grabbed him by the hand and dragged him toward the danger zone.

Chapter 17
     
    Lilly led Nick into the main lobby of the Mirage. Nick looked hesitant, but not scared—she’d yet to see fear in his eyes. She was confident that he trusted her and would follow her into battle. It remained to be seen if that was a wise choice.
    The room was a tropical oasis, filled with palm trees and the sounds of waterfalls. Lilly breathed in the smell of exotic flowers as they passed over a bridge that sat beneath a ninety-foot high glass atrium. They momentarily stopped and kissed, while taking in the surroundings like a newlywed couple. Thoughts of the FBI and Russian gangsters briefly washed away into the numerous fountains.
    Their next stop was the grand casino. The tropical aromas morphed into the smell of money. And Lilly loved the sound of slot machines in the morning. She felt at home.
    The first time she ever played cards was with her older brothers in their tiny Phoenix apartment. They always tried to get rid of her, but being the nosy little sister, she was determined to stay. And the only way for her to stay was to be better than the boys. And soon she was.
    She earned the right to tag along when her brothers made trips to Vegas. She knew they were gambling in casinos to launder their drug money, but Lilly had a protective nature, and she always believed that if she could stay near them she could keep them safe. But Nick was right about not being able to protect those you love in the end. She couldn’t protect her brothers from the bullets, anymore than she could protect Darren from her addiction.
    And her return to Vegas reminded her the old adage: once an addict, always an addict. She wasn’t drawn to gambling per se—it was just a symptom—she was really attracted to the high stakes. Her life with Darren had served to cover up the problem. Now her actions were about to rip his life apart—if they hadn’t already—and she was knowingly putting Nick’s life in jeopardy.
    As if in a trance, she moved to a blackjack table and entered a double deck game. Since making the decision to leave last week, she had drained a couple thousand dollars from their joint bank account. Darren wouldn’t know it was missing until they were long gone, since she handled the finances. It was the only money that she and Nick had to survive on.
    The dealer was a good-looking thirty-something with a shiny shaved head. His bulky chest was busting out of his tuxedo. He read down the rules—players could double down on any two cards, when splitting aces players receive one card on each ace, and late surrender was offered. Lilly never surrendered in anything.
    From the card games with her brothers, and on their Vegas trips, she had picked up the ability to effectively count cards. In fact, she had become so good that she had been banned from this very casino. So she took her act to the Gila River Casino on an Indian reservation south of Phoenix. They eventually cut their losses, and instead of banning her, offered her a job as a blackjack dealer. It was the first step toward her new life. The one that wasn’t real. She used the job to put herself through school, and toward her teaching degree. It was also where she met Darren. She thought of his devastated face on TV this morning and wished she’d never agreed to go on that date with him. She knew she’d eventually hurt him.
    Lilly won the first game when the dealer “busted a stiff.” He wasn’t as good as he looked. On the next hand, she doubled down with a ten and a three and won again. The dealer then made a brief comeback, winning