Wilde Card: Immortal Vegas, Book 2 by Jenn Stark Page B

pockets and rocked up on his toes. “The black box we recovered from the Binion’s explosion last month was a complete bust, but their hands were all over that place.” He grimaced. “We’ve been trying to track down Techzilla’s power base, but we keep running into minions. Who keep ending up dead.”
    “Well, the guy in charge of Binion’s was in bed with SANCTUS, I can tell you that much,” I said. “If you’ve found Techzilla gadgets in the wreckage beyond standard security measures, then the odds are really high that SANCTUS and Techzilla have more in common than a burned-out building.”
    “Now that would be something worth exploring.” Simon’s eyes were sharp, almost feral with intensity. He turned to Kreios. “You coming, K? Because if Tech-Z is running security at the hangar, this could be fun.” He shrugged. “And if they aren’t, there’s a great hot-dog stand out that way, and I’m starving.”
    “I’m otherwise engaged,” Kreios demurred.
    “Your loss.” Simon shifted back to me. “You ready?”
    I glanced over to the doorway through which Nikki had disappeared. “And what about her? Eventually she’s going to notice that I’m gone.”
    Kreios lifted his elegantly arched brows. “Not for a very long time.”
    “Right.” I turned toward Simon as another thought struck me. “Hey—while I’ve got you here, I wanted to show you…” I reached into my hoodie for the crumpled-up drawing of the dragon, but nothing greeted my fingers. The other pocket also came up empty. “That’s…weird.”
    I could feel Kreios’s gaze on me. “What’s weird?”
    “Oh—nothing.” I scowled and tried again, but the scrap of paper was nowhere to be found. Instead my gaze snagged on the gleaming case of “Atlantean” coins Kreios had featured in the center of the…
    Those were gone too. In their place was a set of ornamental jewelry, artfully displayed to catch the light. I lifted my startled glance to Kreios, who watched me with amusement. “I’m happy to answer all your questions, Sara Wilde, when you see fit to ask them. But for the moment, let’s see what magic the Fuggeren family has hidden away from the Council lo these long centuries.”
    Simon’s laugh was derisive. “Trinkets, you ask me. A lot of smoke, no fire.”
    “Perhaps.” I could tell from Kreios’s expression, though, he didn’t think so.
    No—it wasn’t solely his expression. Expressions could be altered, faked. The Devil’s very energy burned differently today. It was eager. Excited. Or was I the different one, with the third eye whammy Armaeus had put on me? I tried to remember my reactions to others—but nothing stood out. I hadn’t noticed any change in Nikki either.
    Nikki. I hadn’t heard her voice since she’d disappeared with Kreios’s better half. Or better fifth, whatever. “Go easy on her, okay?” I asked, turning back to him. “She’s frail.”
    Kreios smiled. “I assure you she will be in good hands,” he said. “Several of them.”

Chapter Eight
    McCarran International Airport was a short five mile drive from the city and seemed smaller than it should be, given how many passengers flowed through its gates. Still, that made for an easy recon mission. We headed toward a cargo building behind Terminal 3, and I surveyed the place critically as we pulled up in our bright white utility van, emblazoned with a FedEx logo.
    C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. Too slow, too slow, too slow. I ached to jump out of the van and hit the building on foot, my skin too tight over my bones. Instead, I ran the plan through my head again, locking it down. Get to the goods, assess the goods, and, if the stars aligned, make off with the goods. My favorite kind of job: simple, clean, easy.
    Except for all the workers, buildings, and tech standing in my way.
    “A lot of bodies for a cargo center. I thought these places were automated.”
    “On the inside, sure. Otherwise our job would be a lot harder. Out here,