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.How somethingso simple could feel so invasive still stunned him.Anonymity hadbeen ripped away.He d been hunted like an animal.That thissomeone would take whatever deranged ill will against Nick outon a nine-year-old girl made him sick.It was terrifying.He also didn t want people snarking about Brandon s daughterbeing gone and he hits the strip.Plus, New Year s Eve, they dhave better odds at winning the Megabucks Jackpot than landinga room in town, or even Henderson or Green Valley.Somewherereasonably quiet, outside the city would be good.Nick threwQuerida in reverse, backing out of the drive.Brandon d movedthe van out to the street earlier.He headed toward State Line and a set of resorts therethat catered to the camper crowd and truckers.If anyone everquestioned it, well that s where they could get away from the wellALL OR NOTHING 197meaning people who kept asking what was going on.Folks therewere less likely to have caught the media blitz.It was a passing-through along the highway kind of place.Still, when comparedto Atlantic City, where Nick d been to gaming conferences, theselocals dives were huge.Where Nick headed boasted three resorts,close to seven-hundred rooms, a massive pool and a roller coasterpeople traveled across the country just to ride.If the GCB putevery Electronic Services Agent on 24/7 detail they might beable to test each slot on the floor by the inside of two years.So, while casino employees might have seen the local publicity,probably the average Joe yanking the slots would be clueless andhe and Brandon could disappear into the crowd.A little less than an hour and fifty some odd miles later, Nickpulled into an asphalt lot surrounded by a small collection of resortcasinos.Above their heads in the outdoor parking, late afternoonwinter wind carried the rattle of the roller coaster some twohundred feet above their heads.When they hit the casino doorsthe hard sound of metal rain hitting a hundred trays assaultedthem.Casinos everywhere had one thing in common, chaos.Nick could stomach chaos for Brandon.They threaded their wayto one of the video poker bars.A table off to the side, sans insetscreens and slot play, hopefully would keep Nick s bosses fromroasting his butt since his employment contract nixed gambling.Nick stuck to Diet Coke and rum, pacing himself.Brandon wentfor harder flavors premium cost extra but Nick just threw it ona card.After a cocktail waitress recognized Brandon from thenews, even the good stuff came for free.Alternatively drifting in silence and rehashing the week minuteby minute, Brandon was getting sloshed.Nick could only repeat, I know.I know. , and hope it was enough for the moment.Theyonly had a few hours to be together home by midnight or soto keep Brandon from freaking out.Brandon needed to unwind,relax some and then everything he d held inside was going topour out.When that happened, Nick wanted to be off the floor.Late afternoon, heck anytime, drinking wasn t uncommonin any casino.Drunks lost.The casinos wanted you to lose.Of198 James Buchanancourse, that usually meant they expected people to play.Still whenNick wobbled from the barstool and announced they needed aroom to avoid a DUI he got a Casino Host.It wasn t like theyhad gambled for that courtesy.But notoriety had its rare benefits.Nothing special, just a typical room offered at the advancereservation price.Considering that, even this far off the strip, theresort was fairly packed, it equaled a distinct advantage.Nick stashed Brandon at a fast food franchise with a couple ofburgers then took care of the details.When he returned, maybefifteen minutes later, a soccer mom chatted with Brandon whileher kids ran wild.Her hand was on his arm and she offered up athin smile every so often.Trying not to come off as possessive,Nick dropped his hand on Brandon s shoulder,  You okay? Healmost missed, considering how much he d had to drink and howlittle he d eaten that day. Well I keep getting hugs from little old ladies I ve nevermet, Brandon barely slurred the tail end of his vowels.The onlyreason Nick noticed was he tried to keep at least a moderatetab on how bombed they both were.A jerk of Brandon s chinindicated the woman across the table. This is Margo, we ve beentalking. He shoved the last bite in, chewing it like he didn t tasteit. Food was a good idea though. Hi Margo, Nick mumbled as a little blonde boy crawled intothe woman s lap, demanding attention.Brandon s face went hardwith a combination of what looked like jealousy and sadness. The next good idea is let s go grab some sheets. For Margo sbenefit he added,  I don t know about Brandon, but on top ofeverything else, kicking it on my couch for the last few days hasn thelped. Nick flashed a tight smile at the woman,  You knowwith strangers all over and the phone ringing almost 24/7.Patting Brandon s hand as she shifted the boy to her hip, People are praying for your angel. Thanks, Brandon mumbled as he stood.He grabbed hisjacket and stuffed it under his arm.Pensive, quiet, they threadedthrough the casino.A few times, Nick thought he should saysomething and then just didn t.Once on the elevator, BrandonALL OR NOTHING 199sighed. Do you believe in God, Nicky?Nick chewed on his bottom lip.That wasn t a subject heever thought too much about.Yeah, he d done the whole firstcommunion, altar boy to confirmation shtick when he was young.But, truthfully, other than funerals or weddings for people heknew, Nick hadn t stepped into a church in ages. I don t know,babe. The bell chimed and they stepped into the hall.RubbingBrandon s arm, thinking as they walked toward their room, Nickhuffed,  I guess not so much at times like this.The door opened onto a cramped little box with two queen-sized beds.Nick shucked his leather duster as he walked inside.Too many patterns, too little space, the ceiling felt low and theone window barely took up a third of the wall.The floor wascovered in gold and brown zebra stripes.Add the pale woodlaminate of the furniture and you had a fairly nauseating package.Well it wasn t designed to be where you spent your time.That wassupposed to be the casino floor.And for their purpose, décordidn t much matter, either.Sage, tan and chocolate flowers exploded under Brandon ashe flopped across the first bed.His jacket slid off the end andonto the floor.God he looked so drained.Every time he movedit was like all his energy had seeped out through his boots.Nickcouldn t stand seeing Brandon this torn up.And it hurt like hellthat he was the reason why.As he walked past the bed, Nick grabbed Brandon s jacket offthe floor.He tossed both onto the other mattress and continuedto the tiny window. Maybe you should just sleep. Nick pushedaside the ivory chintz drapes, staring eight stories down towardthe four-lane strip of the 15.Another perfect Nevada wintersunset bathed the sky in gold and blood.Could Shayna see it where she was? Did she see anything anymore? Assoon as the thoughts popped into his head, Nick booted themout.He had to focus on more mundane things& think aboutwhat he could deal with. You can t have been sleeping well onthat tiny little cot. He pushed past the fake plant and perchedon the arm of the lone guest chair.Picking at the hound s-tooth200 James Buchananupholstery,  Edith s right.You need to just relax some.Brandon held out his hand. Shut up and come here Nicky.His fingers beckoned Nick to the bed. You know. Nicky stood and shoved his hands in his jeanspockets [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]