Our limo slowly rolled down the Las Vegas Strip. Lights of blue, gold, and purple sparkled against the evening sky. People strolled down the sidewalk, taking in the majestic casinos from the mysterious pyramid at the Luxor to the dazzling fountain show at the Bellagio. Their faces were alive with excitement, eager to be here. I rubbed my aching shoulders, kneading out the tension. Jo “oohed” and “ahhed” when we passed the Mirage’s volcano spewing lava, making me smile. Despite the insanity of the last few hours, it was worth seeing the light in her eyes.
“Your back hurting again?” Jo reached over and massaged the spot on my back that always seemed to ache when I was stressed. Though lately it seemed to throb on a daily basis.
“Oh, that’s better. You’re an angel. If it hadn’t taken the poor stylist so much time to tame my bird’s nest, I would’ve tried out the Thai massage.” My head lolled back as Jo’s magic fingers eased the dull ache. “Remind me why I’m doing this.”
“Because you love me. And because deep down you want to see Tristan again. I can’t wait for him to see you. You look amazing.”
I barked out a laugh. My hair was already starting to frizz despite Vegas’ dry heat. Jo’s luscious black curls were just as perfect as when she stepped out of the salon.
“Yeah, it only took five layers of makeup and massive amounts of hair product. Besides, this”—I waved a hand over my face and hair—“wasn’t for him. This was for us. I only want to see him so I can give him a piece of my mind.”
I admit, it was nice being treated to a spectacular hotel room, limo, and VIP tickets, but it was how Tristan did it that bothered me. The guy was so used to getting his way, especially with women, he needed to hear that it was not okay to sneak into other people’s hotel rooms or invade their privacy.
“Oh, I think he wants more than that.” Jo waggled her eyebrows, settling back into the leather seat. “I mean look at this.” She flashed front row tickets to The Revelationz show. “Their shows are sold out for the rest of the year. The tickets alone are worth hundreds—not to mention the back stage passes. You know how many women would kill for these?”
“Yeah, well, not this woman.”
“Ugh. Sometimes I just don’t get you.” She turned back to her phone, scrolling through it.
“Okay, I admit it. I am a little curious about the show.” I wasn’t thrilled about being tricked by Tristan and his friends, but at least he was apologetic. Even if we did go backstage, he’d probably be too busy to notice us anyway. “Other than having extremely bad taste in how they get publicity, Val was pretty amazing. I’m still trying to figure out how she floated over the water like that without any wires showing. It looked so real.”
“I know, right? And look at this.” She handed me her phone. “They’re live streaming.”
My lips pressed together as I watched Tristan and Zac pushing their way through a crowd. Manicured fingernails clawed at them, tugging at their shirts as various women begged for their attention. Screams of adoration filtered out of the phone’s speakers like a wall of static.
“Tristan! Tristan!”
“Marry me, Tristan!”
“One night with me is all the magic you’ll need!”
“Zac, be my baby daddy!”
“Tristan! Over here! I love you!”
A pair of red lacey panties flew across the screen and landed on Tristan’s head. With the same sexy grin he’d given me, he took hold of the panties and twirled them with his finger before stuffing them into his jean’s pocket.
I rolled my eyes. This guy’s moves were so predictable. He loved every minute of the spotlight.
The camera zoomed in on an attractive redhead. It closed in on curvy legs, slowly moving up the tight-fitting black dress that left little to the imagination. The redhead sauntered over to Zac, pressing herself into his body. Zac turned bright red, nearly matching the woman’s fingernails as she stroked his beard. She was obviously drunk, swaying and laughing, oblivious to his subtle movements to get away from her.
When they reached the building’s entrance, he said something to her, his deep voice barely heard over the crowd. “Excuse me. I’m sorry. We need to get through.”
I raised an eyebrow as I watched him carefully place his massive hands on the woman’s tiny bare shoulders and gently move her to the side.
Interesting. If I didn’t know better, it looked like the Greek god hated having women throw themselves in his path to worship him—so different from Tristan.
I giggled as the woman’s jaw dropped in disbelief. She obviously wasn’t used to being turned down. Scowling, she whirled around. There was a scuffle as girls elbowed their way past her to get their shot at Zac. She yelped, swinging her purse.
“Move it, you old fart!” she shrieked, hitting someone next to her.
At that moment, Tristan froze. He looked at the ground then back at the woman. His handsome features shifted as blazing eyes narrowed.
“Leave.”
His harsh tone surprised me. The woman definitely looked like his type.
Tristan disappeared for a moment as his body dipped into the crowd. When he popped back up an elderly man was at his side. The man looked like one of the dozens of homeless people wandering up and down the strip. His thin body was lost in the oversized shirt he wore tucked into faded black pants.
Tristan clapped the man’s shoulder, hovering near him protectively. He bent his head, whispering into the man’s ear as they walked away from the crowd. The man looked up at Tristan, his brown face beaming as he gave Tristan a toothless grin.
I blinked in shock as he and Tristan went through the entrance together.
Women, young and old, filled every plush red seat in the three-story theater. Some talked excitedly, gawking at the pictures in the glossy program, while others took pictures of the heavily muscled security guards standing along the front of the stage. Everywhere I looked there was one gorgeous man after another.
“Jo, are you sure this is a magic show?” I glanced down at my program, wondering if this was an all-male revue show.
“Yes, why do you—”
Jo stopped midsentence, standing frozen in the middle of the aisle.
“Ay papasito,” she breathed.
I followed her awestruck gaze. A guy wearing a snug Revelationz t-shirt and killer dimples headed straight for us.
“May I help you find your seat?” He held out his hand to her.
“Ooh, you can help me with anything you like,” Jo said, batting her lashes as she placed her hand in his.
His smile froze as he stared down at her hand.
“I think he wants these.” I choked back a laugh. Taking the tickets out of her other hand, I gave them to him.
He chuckled, but kept hold of Jo’s hand as he took the tickets. That was when I noticed the familiar intricate markings on his forearm. It looked just like Longhorn Cap Guy’s tattoo with the dog paw and wings.
“Ah, you’re VIPs, and I see Tristan’s given you backstage passes for this evening.” Twinkling emerald eyes looked us over. “I should have known. You two are the most beautiful girls in this theater.”
This evening? He said that as if Tristan preselected a woman for every performance.
I sighed. Of course he did.
“My name is Calder. Allow me to escort you to your seats.” He tucked Jo’s hand into the crook of his arm and headed to the front of the theater.
“They’re so lucky,” a voice behind us whispered. “I heard Tristan sometimes takes two, even three, girls a night.”
“That could’ve been us,” another girl said, sighing. “I was standing right next to the short one on the bridge.”
“I know. You’re much prettier than she is.”
I gripped the program, ready to whip around and slap the girl upside the head with it.
Jo let out a high-pitched giggle as Calder whispered into her ear. She swayed her hips as she continued to walk down the aisle. Sexy, flirty Jo was back.
I walked faster, not wanting to hear any more fangirl gossip. Tristan could play man-ho all night if he wanted as long it was not with me. Jo was happy, and that was all that mattered. She deserved to see how utterly desirable she was.
“These are our seats?” she squealed when we reached the center of the empty first row.
Calder glanced at the tickets, appearing surprised. “Hmm, it appears to be so. We usually keep these seats empty for security purposes. Special guests are usually in row two.” The lights flickered and the noise in the theater grew even louder in anticipation. “We’re about to begin. If you’ll take your seats.”
“I’m so excited. Aren’t you excited?” Jo asked as we took our seats.
“Yeah, this is great.” I scanned the theater, wondering if anyone else would join us. So far we were the only ones in the front row.
A cluster of girls dashed down the aisle, giggling as they settled into their seats in the row behind us. They were about Lucy’s age. One of the girls looked just like Lucy as she had the same cute smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
I glanced over to the line of guards in their “Revelationz Security” t-shirts, their hulking arms folded across their massive chests. They also had markings over their right forearms. I wondered if getting inked was a job requirement for Revelationz employees.
At the bottom corner of the stage, I was surprised to see the elderly homeless man talking to one of them. He looked different with his damp hair combed back as if it’d just been washed. He had on a clean Revelationz t-shirt that he had tucked into his pants. Calder paused as the old man motioned to him. Calder bent down, nodding as the man said something to him before wobbling to his seat. He was the only other person sitting in the front row with us.
I was confused. Did Tristan bring the homeless man in out of the goodness of his heart, or was this just another publicity stunt? Before I could point him out to Jo, the theater went dark. Symphonic metal music blasted through the theater.
“Welcome to the Mystic Casino,” a booming voice announced over the music. “R.E.M.I. Entertainment is proud to present the worldwide phenomenon, The Revelationz!”
A loud boom came from the back of the theater and everyone turned. The auditorium filled with flashes of light. A large blue orb spun in the center of the auditorium. It swirled, growing larger until there was another bang, and the words “The Revelationz” lit the entire theater. It floated over the audience, slowly turning until it morphed into a hologram of Val’s heart-shaped face.
“With the ever-enchanting Val!” the announcer’s voice cried.
My jaw dropped at how real the hologram looked. It was as if Val was really floating inside the circular-shaped light.
The hologram shifted. It now showed Val falling off the Hoover Damn bridge. The music turned to a soft melodic tune as the image moved in slow motion, capturing Val’s beautiful face with the rippling blue water behind her. A number of girls cried out Val’s name with admiration.
When the music faded, the hologram morphed again, and Zac’s ruggedly handsome face appeared.
“The God of Magic, Zac!” The announcer’s voice cried again. The crowd went hysterical. Freckles let out a scream so long, I wondered if she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
The crowd gasped as they watched the hologram with Zac’s image wrapped in heavy chains jumping into a pool filled with sharks.
The music shifted yet again, and an electric guitar and wild drums blasted as the announcer’s voice boomed, “And the magician who will make you fall in love with magic, Tristan!”
There was another flash of light, and Tristan’s image appeared. The theater went wild.
Tristan exuded masculinity dressed in an all-black outfit. His fitted shirt, tucked into leather pants, hugged every inch of muscle. His hologram flicked a deck of cards, fanning them out. He covered half his face with the cards, sapphire eyes smoldering, making the audience scream even louder.
In one swift movement, he threw the cards. They blew toward the audience, swirling into a tornado that grew larger, until the cards looked like they were coming out of the hologram.
The music crescendoed, and there was another flash of light. The tornado suddenly exploded, sending thousands of cards fluttered into the air, drifting down toward the audience.
“Oh my god! These are real!” Jo squealed, snatching the cards from the air and stuffing them into her purse. “Remind me to get these signed. I wonder how much I can get for them on eBay.”
“You’re so crazy,” I chuckled, grabbing a couple. College tuition was expensive.
A loud cracking sound made me jump in my seat. The crowd gasped as a large light flashed then broke into three beams of light, which zoomed across the theater to the stage. There was a loud boom and the stage filled with smoke. Behind the gray mist stood three figures.
The crowd went wild as Val, Zac, and Tristan emerged from the cloud of smoke. They looked amazing, especially Tristan. He had on the same leather pants and shirt he had on in the hologram. He gazed out into the audience, soaking in the admiration, his striking face radiant.
Then simmering blue eyes drifted down to the front row, resting on me.