LOVE ON THE RUN - Sample Chapters

Chapter 15 - Part 2

* * * 

Ms. Pierce entered the front lobby of the Devlin casino as the cage-doors lowered back down behind her. Zinio knew her name because he'd already googled her, using the camera on his cell phone. 

He regarded her from the blackjack table. Delaney, following his eyes, caught on to what was going on. "Oh, hell," she said. 

Now probably wasn't the time for a tell-all confession. "Relax, it's not us-trust me." 

"You ready to let me win yet?" 

"Not just. Hit her." 

Dealer happily hit her. She lost, making a sour face. The fate peddler gasped. Zinio allowed himself to be temporarily distracted as Dealer reached into the portable stacked washer and dryer combo he had on the table, each the size of a bread box, pulled a fresh handkerchief out of the dryer, folded it neatly, and wiped the latest sweat off his forehead that was draining into his eyes-just so he could confirm the identity of the cards.  

Zinio returned his attention to the matter at hand. Now, instead of playing conductor, he made jerky movements with his head and neck, which he covered by rubbing his neck, as if just trying to get the kinks out. All the while he was giving more directions to his crew. 

Once inside the casino entrance, Kerry said, "Take me to the video room." 

Sam shook his head. "Lady, we don't need to watch the reruns-this is going out live." 

"The video room." 

Across the way, Kerry noticed a woman doubled over in pain at the black jack table; she could hear her squealing from here. The man seated beside her, rubbed her back with a helpless look on his face. Probably some poor customer with the dumb luck to sit next to her, hoping for a good time, until she threw a pipe wrench into the mix. With a better look at more than his bent over profile from this distance, his hair covering half his face, moreover, she might be able to tell if he had the sense to get medical help or not. But for right now, she had more pressing concerns.

* * *

From the Devlin casino's video room, Ms. Pierce took in the escape antics of Zinio's crew on monitor one. There were thirty monitors in all. Just along this one wall. The room would make NASA think twice about relocating. 

In the basement, a Chinese acrobat scaled the oncoming guard mountain-climbing fashion, finding his first foothold on the guard's arm that was reaching for the gun, and then pressing his second foot down on his shoulder.  

Once "on the summit," he performed a backwards somersault off the guard's shoulder. He kicked the guard in the face as he rotated out of the somersault, knocking him out. 

Ms. Pierce's face alighted watching Acrobat do his thing.  

Sam, regarding her queerly, said, "I see you appreciate genius-whatever form it takes."  

Acrobat sprinted towards the nearest intersecting corridor. He spied the arms with guns attached, feeling the space in front of the guards like sensitive insect antennae, before the rest of the guards' bodies made it past the wall in the adjoining hall.  

He ripped off a strip of molding running along the wall to his right at shoulder level and used it to pole vault over and between the two guards. 

Ms. Pierce gasped with delight, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle.  

The poorly trained guards feebly emptied their six-shooters at the target soaring overhead. They watched helplessly as Acrobat landed and used the flexing "pole" to swat them in the faces, blurring their vision long enough for him to get in close.