the noise, the colors—she couldn’t breathe deeply enough. Kat balanced against the edge of the table to keep herself upright. It’s this damn dress, she thought. Now that Sanjay had been ID’d, the plan was to be as unidentifiable as possible.

To that end, Jerrica had rejected her normal borderline goth style in favor of a pair of tailored black pants and a crisp white shirt. She wore glasses and had fixed her hair in a low bun. Her look said, Young Marketing Assistant in Town for a Conference.

Kat wore a low-cut red sleeveless dress and high-heeled sandals. Her hair was a show-offy red, and her wild curls were loose around her heavily made-up face. Her look said, Just Dumped by My Boyfriend and Out on the Prowl. Kat just hoped she looked older, at least twenty-one. Men were definitely giving her the eye.

At first Kat had worried about drawing attention. But Sanjay had insisted that she wear the dress. “They’ll be looking at you,” he’d explained, “but they won’t really see you. This is exactly the right type of attention.”

Still, every time the croupier—a heavyset African American man in a purple-and-gold brocade vest—looked in her direction, she had to bite her lip to keep from flinching.

Sanjay hovered nearby, taking small-time losses at a blackjack table. He assumed that nobody would notice him as long as he didn’t win, but he had on something of a disguise anyway—he wore rectangular glasses with heavy frames, and his hair was gelled back. His job was to keep an eye out for personnel who might be onto them. If he spotted anyone or anything suspicious, he’d give them a signal (a double cough), and they’d be out of there.

Jerrica placed her first bet, touching her thumb lightly against the double zero. Kat placed her bets and stood back as the croupier spun the wheel. The moment she had walked into the casino, she had smelled the stale, perfumed scent of her mother. Then Kat noticed a woman at a slot machine—she had Julia’s blond hair and that same blank look. The image had hit her like a fist to the gut.

The wheel slowed enough so that Kat could see the numbers, then slowed again as the white marble skipped and hopped, trying to pick a place to rest. A vision of Mike flashed in her mind. She remembered the warm breath that had moved past his lips, and she could almost feel his fingers in her hair…

“Double zero,” the croupier said.

Kat inhaled, and now the air finally seemed to penetrate her lungs. I won?

As she pulled the chips toward her, Kat felt lighter. Her hand was steady and she wanted to kiss the double zero. Quickly, Kat did the math. She would have had to work more than twenty-three hours to make this much money at the shoe store.

Jerrica shrugged slightly as Kat collected her chips. She didn’t look up from the table, but Kat knew that the shrug was for her benefit. It said, Now you know.

Kat tapped the chip impatiently against the rim of the table. Hurry up, Jerrica. Place our bet.

She couldn’t wait to slap her chips down on this felt.

The moment Jerrica’s finger drew across the number eight, Kat placed a corner bet just below it. Overhead, pink clouds painted against a pale blue sky sent a rosy glow over the gamblers. They were now in Vienna—the casino, that is—and it was the third casino they had hit that night. Low, careful bets had yielded over five thousand dollars at the Marble Palace and almost four thousand in the swirling chaos of the Emerald. Kat had been eager to leave the last casino. It was surrounded by a roller coaster. The mere knowledge that there were people screaming and falling as they rode the rails that ribboned around the building left her feeling unsettled.

But she kept her focus then and now, even as her pulse pounded through her body and she swayed on her feet. She could feel Sanjay watching from nearby and wondered how he was doing at the blackjack table. Kat watched intently as the ball landed in its bed.

“The winner is twelve,” said the petite female croupier in a heavy Caribbean accent. “Twelve is the winner.”

Jerrica’s eyes narrowed, and she frowned as the croupier swept away their chips. She bit her top lip, and Kat imagined that she was fighting a string of curse words that threatened to spill forth all over the group gathered around the black-and-red wheel. But she didn’t look at Kat, didn’t give away that they knew each other. She simply gave her head a little shake—nothing more than a twitch, really—and then placed her next bet. Her chips were on the line below twenty-one, but her index finger traced the twenty-four.

Jerrica’s system wasn’t perfect. They had lost a few bets. But Sanjay had run the numbers, and on a good night the system worked with about sixty percent accuracy. That left a lot of room to win. Sometimes Jerrica thought about the drop—the term the casinos used for the total amount of the bets on the table—and her heart ached. She felt sorry for all of them, every loser.

Kat could tell that Jerrica wasn’t happy with that ratio, never would be. She wanted one hundred percent.

“Looks like roulette’s your game,” said a voice beside Kat’s ear.

Kat looked up into a pair of almond-shaped black eyes. A handsome guy with dark skin was smiling at her. He was wearing a polo shirt and khakis—he looked like a college guy. Probably an athlete, judging by the toned muscles in his arms.

“I prefer games that don’t require any skill,” Kat told him.

The guy had an easy laugh that showed off his white teeth. “I like games I can win,” he said.

Kat lifted her eyebrows just as the croupier announced twenty-four.

“Hey, look at that,” the handsome guy said in admiration as a pile of chips moved across the table toward Kat. “But you didn’t even get the right number.”

“I was on the corner,” Kat explained.

“Does that count?”

“Ask the chips,” she teased. But when she turned back to the table, she saw that Jerrica had already placed her chips. Shit, Kat thought, glancing up. Jerrica was staring at the croupier with a face made of stone.

All right, all right. Kat looked at where Jerrica had placed chips. Below the six, on the corner between sixteen and twenty, and on the line above thirty. She had five chips in her hand—she was supposed to play three bets. Kat hesitated, half expecting Jerrica to reach out and point to a number. But it didn’t happen.

“Place your bets,” the croupier said.

Kat knew that she should probably skip the round…but wouldn’t it look suspicious if she just stood there? Just place a bet, she told herself. Anything.

She put her small stack of chips on the seventeen.

“Betting five chips on one number?” the guy asked.

“Figured I’d go for broke,” Kat told him, forcing a small laugh. Five hundred dollars down the drain—the realization hit her like a physical pain. She itched to reach out and snatch the chips back, but once the wheel began its spin, no one was allowed to touch the bets.

The wheel slowed, and Kat fought the impatience welling up inside her. Just get it over with, she thought. This was a wash—she wanted to get on to the next bet.

Click, click, click. The ball rattled like an irregular heartbeat.

“Seventeen is the winner,” the croupier announced. “The winner is seventeen.”

“Oh, shit,” Kat whispered. Over seventeen thousand dollars.

Her new friend pounded her on the back. “You won!”

Behind Jerrica, Sanjay let out a violent cough. Then another.

Kat’s heart dropped. That was the signal to get out of there. Jerrica had already vanished. Kat felt rooted to the spot. The chips—the croupier hadn’t finished handing them out. She couldn’t leave without the money. Quickly, she started scooping chips into her handbag.

“Excuse me, miss.” A finger touched her lightly on the shoulder.

Kat’s breath caught and her body went cold as she turned to face the tall blond man standing behind her. He wore a black suit and a red tie. He would have looked like a Ken doll if he wasn’t so short.

Say something. Say something. But what?

Sanjay’s warnings rang in her mind. “Don’t let them take you anywhere,” he’d told her. “Just walk away.”

But how can I walk away when I can’t move?

“Excuse me.” The Ken doll gave her a winning smile. “But are you staying at this hotel?”

“No,” Kat said quickly. It was as if the word suddenly set the rest of her body in motion—she started to move away.

“Wait a moment,” the Ken doll said. “I’d like to offer you a suite.”

“That’s awesome!” the cute guy said, laughing again.

“Wh…” Kat shook her head. “What?”

The Ken doll pressed his palms together, giving her a slight bow. It struck Kat as an odd gesture. “We like our big winners to enjoy their stay,” the man explained. He pulled a pad from the inside breast pocket of his jacket. Tearing off a white sheet of paper, he initialed the bottom and handed the paper to Kat. “Here’s a voucher. Just turn it in at the front desk and they’ll set you up.”

“Thank you…,” Kat breathed. For the first time, she noticed that the manager was wearing a name tag. ANDREW CONNORS, it read. “Thank you, Mr. Connors.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Please ask for me personally if you need anything.” With another Crest smile, he bowed again and walked away.

“This must be your lucky night!” the handsome college guy told Kat.

“Yeah.” She looked at the voucher in her hand and the pile of chips still on the table. “I guess it is,” she said.

Against the lights behind Sanjay’s face at that moment, his disguise looked to Jerrica like exactly that—a disguise. His clothes belonged to someone older, flashier. “It’s too hot out here,” Jerrica declared.

“I don’t know why she did that.” Sanjay was bewildered, but also hurt. He looked at Jerrica with eyes as soft as melted chocolate.

It was a coincidence, Jerrica wanted to explain. She knew that Kat hadn’t seen her signal. “I don’t know, either,” she said instead. Then, with a flash of guilt, she added, “Do you think we should be worried?”

“About Kat? No way. She can take care of herself.” But Sanjay ran a hand through his hair, so Jerrica knew that he was worried.

“I hope.”

“Maybe we should go somewhere else?” Sanjay suggested.

“Like where? Most of the security systems are linked.”

“Not to the reservations.” Sanjay held her gaze.

“I will not take money from Native Americans.” Jerrica tugged primly at the crisp white cuff of her sleeve, which glowed greenish in the lights from the casinos behind them.

“What are you talking about?”

“These casinos are just corporate icons, Sanjay.” Jerrica tipped her chin at the various casinos that lined the Strip. “I don’t want to take money from tribes of people who actually need it.”

“Foxwoods is the biggest casino in the world!” Sanjay countered. “They have more money than they know what to do with.”

“Isn’t it in Connecticut?”

“Well…yeah.”

“How am I supposed to explain being away that long to my dad?”

“Tell him you’re a finalist in the national spelling bee.”

Jerrica felt the tense muscles in her face melt into a smile. She shook her head. “You’re nuts.”

“National mathlete roundup?” Sanjay’s eyes danced—he was teasing, of course.

Jerrica smirked. “Marginally more believable. But still no.”

They were silent for a moment.

“So—what?” Sanjay asked. “Do you want to quit?”

“I can’t. Not until the Principles are perfect.” The longer Jerrica lived with her talent, the more frustrated she grew. The ability to see the numbers was starting to make her feel lonely—she just wished she could share the burden, even a little…Being with Sanjay helped. “I can’t quit.”

“Me either.” Turning, Sanjay looked down over the lip of the wall. She can’t quit. I need those equations. For now, it was fine to just tag along and let Jerrica work her magic. But in the end, what he really wanted was to be able to do the magic himself.

Amid the mad rush and swirl, a heavyset woman pushing a stroller caught his attention. Her husband was filming the lights around them with his video camera. “Why do people bring their children to Las Vegas?”

“Because they’re idiots.” Jerrica’s reply was as quick as a reflex kick.

“No.” Sanjay looked at her face, at the changing lights that glowed on her pale skin. “Really.”

“Maybe…,” Jerrica said after a moment. “Maybe they’re just chained to them. Even when they’re trying to have a wild time.” His lips were by her ear. His warm breath sent a tickle down her neck. Jerrica turned her face to him.

“Guys!”

They jumped apart, as if hit by an electric shock. Kat was hurrying through the crowd, weaving her way around a couple in matching T-shirts. She found her way over and grabbed Sanjay’s hand. “They comped me a room!” she said breathlessly.

Sanjay gaped for a moment, but at Kat’s eager smile, he started to laugh. “A room?” He looked at Jerrica.

Jerrica took a deep breath in an attempt to control her heartbeat. They’re going to go off together…

“A suite!” Kat held up a voucher.

“Let’s see.” Jerrica took the voucher. She kept her movements quick so Kat wouldn’t notice the waver in her hand. On the voucher was a photograph of the casino lit up at night, like a monster creeping out of the dark. Turning, she noticed an older man watching them, listening in on their conversation. He looked like a typical senior citizen tourist, but still, an inchworm of doubt crawled up Jerrica’s spine. “Listen, let’s get out of here,” she said in a low voice.

She led the way down a long flight of stairs and took a quick left at the corner. They walked briskly, not speaking, for two blocks, until they were well off the Strip. Once they were far enough away for the lights to have subsided, Jerrica felt a bit more normal.

After three more blocks, they slowed down.

“Kat, let me take your chips,” Sanjay said, pulling open his black messenger bag. She tossed in her chips, which clicked against the others Sanjay had in the bag.

“They just said that I should stay and have a good time.”

“They want you to lose your money back to them,” Sanjay said dryly.

“In most cases, a smart strategy,” Jerrica added. “So—what are we going to do?”

Sanjay thought for a moment. “Well,” he said at last, “I guess we should have a party.”

“And attract more attention?” Jerrica demanded.

“Shouldn’t we at least check it out?” Kat asked.

“But they can’t know we’re together,” Jerrica insisted.

“Well—they can’t know we’re with you,” Kat shot back. “Sanjay and I could go.”

Jerrica looked at Sanjay, her heart beating double time. The idea of him taking off for a hotel room with Kat…

He just stared at the paper voucher.

“Sanjay’s the one who’s been spotted,” Jerrica said after a moment. “He’s the one who’s been ID’d. If they realize you’re with him…”

Kat nodded. “You’re right.” She took back the voucher and looked at it sadly. “It just seems like such a waste, doesn’t it? Too bad we can’t get some money for it.”

“Oh, well.” Sanjay turned to look at Jerrica with large eyes, then plucked the voucher from Kat’s hand and placed it in the black messenger bag.

Jerrica was too overwhelmed even to notice the car pull up to the curb beside them. She snapped into the moment at the screech of the tires. Footsteps pounded. Two guys—one was tall, in a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, and one was small and thick, like a fire hydrant—ran toward them.

Kat stumbled backward as the tall one reached for Sanjay’s bag. Jerrica screamed and hit the guy in the shoulder.

“Quit it, bitch,” the short one said, shoving her away. Jerrica was surprised by his strength. As she hit the pavement, her wrist twisted; the heel of her palm was skinned raw.

Sanjay gripped the handles of the bag, but the tall guy smashed him in the temple with a short piece of pipe. Blood poured through Sanjay’s fingers as he touched the wound. The short guy landed a vicious kick to Sanjay’s stomach. Sanjay doubled over, sinking to the pavement and finally letting go of the bag.

“Game’s over,” the short one said, and then they disappeared into the car with the bag. The tan sedan turned a corner before Jerrica could look at the license plate.

“Sanjay?” She heard the panic in her own voice as she crawled toward the place where Sanjay lay in a heap, gasping for air. “Jay!”

Sanjay let out a low groan. Pain throbbed at the side of his head, and he felt as if his face had been ripped in two. “I’m okay,” he managed to say.

“You’re not.” Jerrica looked up at Kat, who was standing to the side, shivering like someone had just airlifted her from a glacier. “Call 911,” Jerrica yelled to her.

Kat reached for her purse, but Sanjay said, “No.” He shook his head. “Don’t. I’m fine.”

Kat’s delicate thumb hovered over her phone, ready to dial, but she was staring at Jerrica. “What should I—”

“No cops,” Sanjay said. “Are you insane?”

Jerrica pulled a packet of tissues from her purse. She struggled with the plastic wrapper, tearing it off and tossing it away before she pressed a wad of tissues to the side of Sanjay’s face. “Can you sit up?”

Sanjay struggled to sit upright as the blood soaked into the tissues.

“We have to get you to a doctor,” Jerrica said, inspecting the wound.

“Is it bad?” Sanjay asked.

“No.” Actually, the cut wasn’t as deep as she’d feared. Sanjay was going to have a nasty bruise, though.

He looked up into her eyes. “Oh, thank God,” he said. “My beautiful face…” A slight smile curled the edges of his mouth.

“Not funny,” Jerrica told him.

Sanjay struggled to his feet, and Jerrica helped him. “No,” he said. “Not funny.”

“We should still go to the emergency room,” Kat said. Her eyes were huge and her cheeks were pale. She looked sick, like she might vomit. As if she’d spent too much time on the merry-go-round, Jerrica thought. “We don’t have to tell them what happened, Sanjay, but someone has to look at your face.”

Sanjay winced at the blood-soaked tissues. “All right,” he said at last.

“How much was in the bag?” Jerrica asked. She knew that he’d been planning to cash out some chips.

Sanjay sighed. “A lot,” he admitted.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jerrica said quickly. “We’ll get it back.” She snaked her arm around his shoulders, half to hold him up and half to feel the weight of his body. She had to assure herself that he was real, that he existed, that he was all right.

Sanjay smiled after a moment, but it felt forced. “Yeah, it’s okay,” he said. Although it wasn’t, not one bit. Who were those guys? he wondered.

And deep inside Jerrica, something shivered. Why hadn’t she seen this coming?