Free Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story (5-Part BBW Military Romance Novel) by Haley Nix Page B

blackjack table at
the MGM Grand. From the looks of things, it didn’t look like tonight was their
night. Tyson was wearing a pensive look, as if he was questioning the very idea
of gambling. Garrett just looked plain pissed off.
    “How’s your luck?” I said, taking a seat next to
Tyson.
    “Not so good, not so good,” he said.
    “Non-existent,” said Garrett.
    “You up or down on the night?”
    “Down $100,” said Tyson.
    “Down four times that,” said Garrett.
    “What about for the week overall?” I asked.
    “I’m up $700 total,” said Tyson. “I’m not
complaining.”
    “What about you?” I asked, turning to look at
Garrett directly.
    “I’m up $900. But dammit, I wanted four digits.”
    “Would you boys be opposed to leaving one day
early?” I asked tentatively. I felt as if I already knew the answer to some
degree.
    “What do you mean? Tonight’s our last night,” said
Garrett. He wasn’t looking at me, as he was concentrating on the cards in front
of him.
    “Yeah, I was thinking about heading out tonight.
Right now. Drive through the night, home tomorrow afternoon.”
    “No way! Are you crazy? Why the hell would you want
to leave early?” asked Garrett.
    He turned to look at me, deciding to turn his eyes
away from the game, as if he had to look at me to believe the reality of the
absurd idea I’d just proposed.
    “Let’s face it, we’re all a bit tired. Isn’t it
smarter to walk away with some money instead of lose it all on the last night?
That happens more often than you’d think,” I said.
    “But dammit, I was up over a grand before this night
started,” said Garrett.
    He seemed annoyed with himself. I knew the feeling,
but I also knew that wasn’t exactly the best state of mind to play card games
advantageously. If we stayed, there was a damn good chance he’d be forfeiting
his entire winnings to the house. Tyson spoke up for the first time since I’d
made the suggestion.
    “I’m honestly not opposed to this idea. I feel lucky
to get out with any amount of money. I’ll go if you do all the driving,” he
said. “And buy me a case of beer for the ride.”
    “I can make that happen,” I said. “What about you,
Gare?”
    “Fine, let’s call it quits. But you gotta talk to
the front desk and see if they’ll comp our room for the night. That way I’ll
leave with over a grand in my pocket.”
    “Deal,” I said.
    “Alright, let’s get out of here then. Thanks for
nothing, buddy,” said Garrett to the dealer.
    The dealer smiled, amusedly. This wasn’t an
unfamiliar sight in Sin City. I smiled to myself as well. In less than twenty
four hours I’d be back with Cat. Just the thought of seeing her again made my
heart race. It’d been a good week for me, but a long one, too. I needed some
comforting arms to fall asleep in.
    “Let’s go, boys,” I said, getting up from the table.
    Soon we were out the door and into the bright lights
and cool desert air of nighttime on the Las Vegas strip.
     
    ***
     
    Catherine
     
    I looked up at a clock that read 1:45 AM. Fifteen
minutes till close. Last call had been at 1:30 AM. There wasn’t much left to do
but wait out those minutes, cleaning up the bar and bringing the last of the
dirty pint and shot glasses back to the dishwashers in the kitchen.
    I yawned, leaning up against the cold, hard wood of
the bar counter, counting down those last minutes as a country music song
played hazily in the background on the jukebox. Most of our customers had
cleared out now, many outside smoking cigarettes before driving off into the
night. A few slowpokes finished the last remnants of their final drinks.
    Soon I was in my car headed home. Dead tired, so
damn tired. It’d been a long day, but in the end, I felt pretty damn good about
it. My mind kept drifting back to the Bio exam throughout the entire night. I
couldn’t help that; my mind seemed obsessed. But strangely, the more I thought
about it, the more confident I felt. Sure,