“I think of them as ideas. Suggestions. They aren’t set in stone,” Travis said. His chest tightened as he decided to follow an impulse. “You know, you could extend your vacation.”
He saw the pleasure bloom in Christine’s face at his words. Just when he thought she was considering the option, the light dimmed in her eyes and the corner of her mouth tightened. “No, that’s not going to happen,” she said as the sadness tinged her voice. “I have to leave tomorrow.”
“Come on,” Travis wheedled. He was also going to leave tomorrow and get ready for his next adventure, but he would delay his trip if it meant being with Christine. “What’s the worst thing that could happen if you missed your plane?”
Christine shuddered. “I don’t want to even think about it.”
He wasn’t surprised by her response, but he wanted her to consider it. He wanted more time with Christine. “Maybe the question should be, how important is it for you to cross something off your list?”
“It’s important,” she said with great urgency. “I can’t begin to tell you how important it is. Ooh. Another slot machine.” She ran over and fed the machine a dollar. Travis stood by her side, arms crossed as he shook his head. As the bells rang and the symbols rolled, he caught the reflection of Pitts and Underwood several machines away.
Damn. Travis gritted his teeth. He was still being followed. He hadn’t seen them all day. Either they were getting better at surveillance or he was getting too distracted with Christine.
Fear twisted in his stomach. He knew Pitts and Underwood weren’t going to follow for much longer. They were going to make their move very soon. The high-stakes poker game was going to be over tonight. He needed to find a way to stay in a public and crowded area.
After this weekend, he was not going to babysit the emerald for Aaron again. Even if the next poker game was in Macau or if Aaron offered more money. His friend knew Hoffmann was after the emerald. The guy had to get over his suspicions about hotel security or hire a true professional.
Christine’s shoulders slumped as she lost again. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I should have won something by now. Even a quarter. A penny. I don’t care as long as it’s something.”
“You’ve been feeding these machines all day,” Travis said. “I think it’s time to take a break.”
“It’s on my list,” Christine admitted. “Win money is number forty-three.”
He stared at her. That was the kind of goal she had? It didn’t make sense to him. “What kind of wild adventure is winning money?”
“It’s not.” She shrugged. “This is why I don’t share my list. Some of the goals aren’t exciting. But they are my dreams and there’s usually a reason behind them. I added ‘win money’ because it was always a struggle to get the cash to go on a trip.”
“Well, that would explain why you have difficulty walking past a slot machine. It’s good to know I don’t have to stage an intervention.” Travis shoved his hands through his hair as he thought about her goal. The odds weren’t good for this dream, but he understood it. After all, he was babysitting an emerald to pay for a trip to Indonesia. “If you want to win money, try something different.”
“No, I give up.” She turned and strode away from the row of slot machines. “Win money was my backup goal in Vegas. I’ve wasted too much time on something that isn’t going to happen.”
Travis hurried to catch up with her. “Now isn’t the time to give up. It’s the time to adapt. Change course,” he encouraged her. “Try blackjack or roulette. Throw some dice.”
“Those games are too expensive,” she said.
“Too expensive to fulfill one goal?” Travis never allowed anything to get in the way of accomplishing a dream. There were times when he took a gamble and failed, but he wasn’t afraid of losing it all. He knew he could recover and start over.
“Yes,” she said definitively. “I don’t want to go all in.”
“You should try it once,” he insisted. “The adrenaline rush makes it all worth it.”
“I’ve gone all in before,” she said as her expression darkened. “Gave it everything I had. Sacrificed more than I should and it still hurts. I haven’t recovered.”
Travis had a feeling she wasn’t talking about gambling.
“No more slot machines,” Christine stated with determined cheerfulness. “Let’s go to the Mirage and see the white tiger exhibit. I know it’s not as exciting as zip-lining, but we might come up with an idea while we’re there.”