A Dangerous Gamble

Chapter Ten

 "....Kat?" Laura heard the slam of the club door behind her, and she whirled back to face it hoping to see her sister in front of her, but Kat wasn't there- All there was, was a sleek, black wooden floor door shut tight. She slowly bent her head to listen against the board, barely hearing the anger in her sister's voice as it was addressed somewhere else. Then, some guy's voice- a handsome voice at that- answered her.

..So Kat had found somebody, too....Interesting, considering all the guys that had tried to get Kat interested all ended up offended by her attitude at least some point in the relationship- If Kat even let it get that far..

 Now, Laura had two options at this moment. One is to threaten whoever this guy is on the other side of the door, or go find the person in charge of the establishment to break down the door. Since she, herself, wasn't such an intimidating figure, she thought it best to find the owner.

 The sounds of working slot machines caught her ears' attention, and she turned to look over the bar to stare amongst the crowded blue tables at the desperate, sleep-deprived gamblers. One voice singles out from the chaos of the casino, and she turns to the voice-mesmerized. Lucas.

"Chanelle, honestly. You never let other deals interrupt an ongoing game before.."

But, didn't he say that the casino had lost its shine for  him?

 Yet, there he was, alone, at an isolated table dealt by the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Mixed golden skin and perfect blonde hair framed this woman's portrait.

"Sorry about the interruption last time, Lucas. I had a few debtors to get. Shall we restart this course?" The woman's voice seemed sharp and mocking- as if giving a command rather than a choice.

Laura had half a mind to storm over there and confront him about lying to her, when she saw his eyes lift from the table and catch on to hers. Panic flashed through his iris', before he turned to this, 'Chanelle'. She turned, looking straight at her and her smile widened. "You must be the famous Laura, yes? Neil hadn't told me a lot about you- except that he was willing to bet you on the table."

Neil was here and he bet her? Surprise hit her face, and a shiver ran down her spine as the woman's smile widened completely and two teeth seemed to be longer than the others, but the look of surprise on the woman's face surprised her more than the creepy smile. "Why, Lucas, you didn't tell her?"

"You didn't tell me what, Lucas?" She interrupted, walking from the inside of the bar and across the full tables to stare at him face-level. Up so close to his face, she could see tiny beads of sweat forming in every open spot and his face seemed so pale.. He was sick, still. That softened her tiny bit of anger towards him, and he cleared his throat. "I am only here trying to win against Chanelle so that you can get your life and freedom back."

 "What.." She took a step back, staring from him to Chanelle. ..Neil was seriously going to need to tell her some things. Surprised by her own intense, riveting anger, she demanded, "Where is he, now? Where's Neil?"

 Lucas turned his head away, rechecking his cards, and Chanelle rolled her eyes, refusing to say anything until she saw Lucas not responding. "I want to talk with him, now." Laura said, sounding the most angered she had ever been at anyone for that matter.

 "Well, that's impossible now. He's dead."

Guilt rose onto her figure, because at that moment, it seemed that her heart lifted. She should not be feeling light- especially not happy- at this moment. Shouldn't she be crying her heart out? Angered beyond words? BUt, it seems all the anger that had moment's before been boiling beneath her surface seemed to drain from her entire being...

 "I..." Laura let her eyes drift to Lucas, who was staring at her calmly as if he had expected her reaction, and she shook her head, detaching herself from her thoughts. "...Does anyone know where I can find the owner? See, my sister's in trouble..."

 Chanelle looked surprised and almost amused, but she didn't answer. Lucas did, with a look of focus, "Usually he's upstairs." He pointed across the casino at side stairs, guarded by a well-muscled, dark haired, young man. "Thanks." She started to walk towards the man, completely focused on saving he sister when she stopped for a moment. "Thanks for everything, Lucas." She finished, before jogging through the desperate, gambling crowd. There was one muscled, young man blocking her way from the stairs. She would have to admit, he seemed to be Kat's type, if she ever wanted a ripped, dedicated bodyguard.

"Hello, I need to see the owner. Would you mind me going on up?" She politely asked, pointing behind him. He raised an eyebrow, sniffing once as if a smell bothered him. She wasn't wearing perfume, so she knew it couldn't have been her in any case. He answered, "Usually, yes, I would but it wouldn't matter in this case. He's not upstairs. He's got some personal business with... Someone."

"Well, do you know where I can reach him? Please, it's urgent. My sister needs some assistance, and I'm not the most intimidating person." She glanced behind her, at the bar and then back at him with a look of despair and hope.

"I-I'm sorry, miss, but he usually doesn't want me to share his whereabouts. You can leave a message, if you want, and I'll be sure to get it to him."

Her shoulders deflated, and with a resolute sigh, she answered, "Just let him know my name; It's Laura. He can look up my room number later. Goodbye..." It was probably the shortest thing she had ever said without any manners, but she didn't feel like wasting time with them at the moment. She had to find this guy and help her sister, so she took off-running out of the casino and into the Hotel- hoping that maybe the other employees had seen him.