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bun. Her gray eyes flashed as they connected with Cassia’s.

Her head was already high, but her shoulders lifted almost

imperceptibly, and that steel gaze pinned Cassia in place. She

could barely suck in a breath to relieve her burning lungs.

Adalynn didn’t smile, and so Cassia didn’t either. She

walked over to the table but didn’t pull out a seat. Instead, she

dropped a white key card down in front of Cassia.

“I need to be discreet,” Adalynn whispered. “I paid for the

room in cash. I want to talk in private, if that’s alright?”

Cassia tensed further. If Stu knew she was about to go off in

private to meet someone, he’d be furious. It wasn’t safe, for

starters. If Adalynn had been a stranger, well, more of a

stranger, and if she’d been a man, there was no way Cassia

would ever consider her request. She knew it could still be

dangerous and unwise of her to go, even with a woman, but

she didn’t think Adalynn was setting a trap for her.

She felt herself nod.

“Meet me in five minutes.”

Adalynn walked away, making a lap through the lounge to

the bar. She ordered a drink, paid for it, then walked straight

out. It probably wasn’t out of the ordinary for guests to get a

drink and leave, off to walk through the casino and test their

luck on machines, or just amble around aimlessly, enjoying a

few hours that they didn’t feel the need to fill with anything at

all.

Her heart beat against her ribs so loudly that Cassia kept

looking around to see if someone else noticed. No one was

looking at her. Before any of the waitresses could come around

and offer a drink she didn’t want, she grabbed the small white

key card and stood up. She forced herself to stay composed as