Page 25 of Forbidden Empire

SELENE: MULTIPLE EXITS COVERED. Aidon’s and Zeno’s. You’re fucked.

SELENE: Let me know where to send the funeral flowers.

Sweat trickled between my shoulder blades as I weaved through the labyrinth of slot machines.

A man in a dark suit by the craps table touched his earpiece, eyes scanning the crowd.

One of Zeno's. I ducked behind a bachelorette party, their shrieks of laughter providing perfect cover.

Twenty feet to the side exit. Fifteen. Ten.

The taxi stand stood just beyond those doors. Then the airport. Then freedom.

My fingertips tingled with the phantom sensation of a boarding pass. The taste of champagne at thirty thousand feet. The sweet relief of disappearing.

A ghost in the wind.

A forgotten memory.

The Vegas casinos were designed to be a series of labyrinths that swallowed exits whole and made it almost impossible to leave.

The pathways twisted and turned like a monstrous snake, ensnaring me in a relentless loop, making me feel like a frantic rat trapped in a never-ending maze.

With every labored step, my frustration swelled, each breath more ragged than the last.

I stumbled to a halt by an elevator with a small map beside it, scanning the sea of faces in the glass reflection.

My heart thundered against my ribs as I spotted one of Aidon’s men locking eyes with me, charging forward just as the elevator doors yawned open.

I dove inside, my fingers slamming the buttons with frenzied urgency to shut the doors. My luck teetered on the brink, but for some reason it held, and the doors slid shut mere seconds before the man reached them, sealing him out and propelling me skyward.

"God, thank you," I gasped.

I jabbed the top button, praying for a path to the roof, a sanctuary to lie low.

In moments, the elevator rocketed me to the top floor, revealing a vast, opulent, carpeted hallway.

Gold gilded mirrors adorned the walls, their frames cradled by rich red velvet damask wallpaper, imbuing the corridor with an air of extravagant luxury. At the far end loomed a pair of heavy, intricately carved wooden doors, flanked by gleaming gold sconces.

"Of course, the high rollers level," I muttered, my gaze darting all around.

I turned my head to the other end of the hallway and saw what I was looking for.

I bolted toward the roof access, my heels digging into the plush carpet with each frantic stride. Freedom waited just beyond that door.

All I needed was twenty minutes on that rooftop to disappear.

My fingertips brushed cold metal when the knob twisted. The door exploded inward, slamming against my shoulder.

Ares filled the doorframe, his scarred face twisting with recognition.

"You," he snarled, lunging forward. “You can’t get away from us here.”

His hands clamped around my biceps like steel traps, fingertips digging deep enough to leave bruises.

"Call the boss!" he barked over his shoulder, his breath hot against my ear. "NOW!"

I thrashed against him, my dress tearing at the shoulder. The second guard's phone glinted in the hallway light as he punched in numbers.