I laced my hands in his and accepted his gentle kisses against my cheek. “I love you. Thanks again for breakfast. As long as this is just a pit stop, I’ll do my best to keep the peace. If that bitch so much as rubs against you, it’s not going to be pretty.”
He smirked at my threat. “I like it when you’re overprotective.”
“Don’t make me get physical. She’s got nothing on a country girl like me. I’ll rip out every damn extension she’s got in that pretty head.”
“Good to know. Good to know,” he repeated.
After breakfast we dressed and prepared to go out on the town with our new roommates. Tammy had picked my outfit, insisting I needed to look the part. She chose a pair of cut off jeans with a tank top and a tied thin flannel shirt overtop. I looked like Daisy Duke, especially when she told me not to wear flip-flops, but my winter cowgirl boots. “Is she for real?” I asked Brant.
“With your southern drawl you’ll have every old man in there not needing Viagra, that’s for sure. I could bend you over and fuck you right now if we had the time. You better save that ass for me tonight, or I’m going to take it from you anyway. Damn, woman, you make me insane.”
I gave him a quick cackle and checked my makeup in the mirror. I did feel sexy, although it was probably the most inappropriate way to go about it.
For the ride there, I kept to myself, sitting in the back of the car with Brant without saying much. My boyfriend was the only one in the car to know how much I loved to talk, yet refused to carry on a conversation with people I didn’t care for. He fidgeted with my hands, running his over my palms. When they started on me about the plan, I knew I couldn’t back out. It was now or never, and as I looked into my boyfriend’s eyes, I knew I was doing this for an important purpose. Morals were going to have to be thrown out the window. My innocence was about to disappear, and what came next would be nothing but regrettable.
Chapter 5
Cassie
“Do you understand the plan, Cass?” Brant’s question went in one ear and out the other. I thought I’d mentally prepared for this, but in all honesty I was petrified, mostly of being caught.
“Yeah,” I exclaimed while nodding. “I get it. I’m to go over and play the slots near several elderly people. I’m to bet the minimum so I can keep playing for a while. Each time they hit for whatever amount I’m to congratulate them, befriend them even. I’m the distraction, right?”
Brant patted me on the shoulder. “You got it, baby. See, I told you it wouldn’t be hard. All you have to do is be yourself.”
He made it sound easy, legal even. Little did the elderly people know, he planned on robbing them of their wallets that sat next to or beneath their chairs in bags. He made it seem simple, even though I doubted it to be true.
“Good. Now, once we’ve made the pickup, you need to remain seated. Remember, do not acknowledge we know each other. Once you walk into the casino we’re strangers. Do you understand?”
I nodded again. A voice from the front seat gained my immediate attention. “Tonight is just little stuff. We need to know you can be undetected before we get into the bigger stakes.”
If they thought I was going to do this long-term they had another thing coming. I didn’t want to steal from people. In fact, I wanted to call the cops and turn them in, except I’d be ratting on the man I loved, and I was stuck right in the middle to protect him; to protect the future I longed for us to have.
“I understand. So where will we meet?”
“You’ll get a cab and meet us down the road. I’ll text you the location. Remember, no contact once we’re inside. None of us can be seen together.”
I wanted to cry. Bile rose to the top of my throat when I imagined people working hard for a trip to Vegas, then to have it cut short when they lost everything to a thief. My family would be appalled I was a part of such acts. While determined to do what was necessary, I held back the tears, hoping I could manage and make it out with my conscience intact.
I was dropped off a block away from the casino. Tammy got out at the front door, while the guys took the car to park it somewhere close. I adjusted my clothes, strapping my little purse around my shoulder. I most definitely deserved to be robbed for doing it to other people.
Walking inside was like stepping off a high cliff to my death. That’s how unnerved I felt. Right away I could smell the cloud of cigarette smoke looming inside of the establishment. People all ages, sizes and races were crowded in rows of machines, gambling their hearts out in hopes of a payout. The fancy designed carpet led the way in all directions, and as I scoped out a place where I’d do my job, I wondered if there was someone present who deserved it more than another. Maybe I could steal from a criminal, so that it wouldn’t hurt so much afterwards.
I’d never been much of a gambler. My father was too frugal to condone it. The most I’d bet in my life was a few bucks on a friendly game of family cards. My sister Cammie was always better, so I didn’t play much. My other sister Callie and brother Josh liked to cheat, so I refused to play anything they were a part of.
I thought about Cammie, and the fact that she was in California studying to be a doctor. She’d chosen to attend college. I was too caught up in love to worry about a future education. I wished I could be more like her; studious, admired, trusted. I wished we were closer. Perhaps we could stay with her for a little while instead of doing illegal acts to get by.
My mother was probably praying for my return, all while I was struggling but too ashamed to admit they may have been right. I suppose since I was the second child I was a pretty big disappointment to my parents. They never acted like they favored Cammie any more than the rest of us kids, but you could tell they were super proud of her. I was the one they worried about; the one all bets were on to fail. The more they smothered me, the further from them I pulled. Now I was about to do things that would make them disown me. Even though I argued with Brant about them, I knew it was our only choice. We couldn’t wait for a job to fall into his lap. More than ever we needed to keep moving and we couldn’t do it unless we had enough funds available. We’d have to go to extremes, even when I knew we’d have to break the law to do it.
In a corner of the casino I found a crowded area of people playing a popular machine. Some were even cheering as I sat down and placed forty dollars into the device. A jingle let me know my funds had been accepted, and with a deep breath I sat there pretending I was there to hit a jackpot, the legal way of course.
Twenty minutes went by. I’d ordered a cocktail, nothing too strong so I’d be able keep up with the plan easily. The older woman next to me had won a hundred, while the man to my left was down a significant amount. He was chain smoking, coughing and gagging all at the same time. His bushy beard hadn’t been groomed in God only knew how long, and the way he was staring at my breasts when I wasn’t looking was disgusting to me. That’s when I knew I was looking for reasons to make him my mark. The only problem was that instead of an easy grab, someone was going to have to unchain his wallet from his pants loop.
Then he hit for a large amount. After giving a celebratory shimmy, he stood and walked away. For a moment I thought I’d have to scope out another victim. Then, as I reached over to hit the cash out button, I saw him sit back down, flashing a wad of cash around in my face. He placed the money in the chained wallet and went back to gambling, stating this was how he always stayed up. He knew he’d spend if he didn’t put the cash away to save it.