I sniffed. “Whatever we think we know, Helen strikes me as the type to be already two steps ahead of us.”

Skyla opened her mouth to argue, but Thorin cut her off. “She’s right. Helen Locke is dangerous and should be treated accordingly, no matter what.”

Chapter Twenty-four

After suffering what felt like the two most boring hours of my life, we pulled through a security gate outside the Anchorage airport and drove into a huge metal hangar. Inside, a long Boeing corporate jet waited for us, its steps lowered to the ground like a tongue lolling from the mouth of a white dragon.

Skyla sucked in a breath and then exhaled, “Daaaamn.”

“Ditto,” I said, equally amazed. “Is this yours, Thorin?”

“Ours,” Val said, cutting in before Thorin could answer. “We’re technically partners, but I’m more the strong, silent half. Thorin likes to keep his hands dirty in the management and paperwork.”

“You keep it around in case of an emergency or something?” Skyla asked as she slid out of the truck.

“It’s a charter business,” Thorin said. “It pays for itself.”

“Mostly,” Val said.

Skyla studied the airplane’s body, caressing it with an appreciative gaze. “You guys can’t magically pop in and out of places? You have to travel by conventional means?”

Thorin arched an eyebrow at her. “Can you pop in and out of places, Skyla? How else should I accommodate your travel? We’re short on broomsticks, I’m afraid.”

Val hooted and slapped Thorin’s shoulder. It was the first demonstration of chumminess I had seen between the two. But, then, they no longer needed to maintain pretexts with us, and like most long-term relationships, I presumed Val and Thorin had experienced a lot of ups and downs together. They were compatriots, but also rivals.

Skyla pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t get so defensive. It was just a question. You can keep your secrets if it makes you feel more important.” She stalked to the rear of the SUV and tugged out her duffle bag. The rest of us followed her example.

We made ourselves comfortable in the custom cabin complete with bar, galley, and lounge. Skyla found an overstuffed recliner and plopped down with her iPhone. I went to the galley, found a can of Diet Coke in the refrigerator, and claimed another plush recliner beside Skyla’s. Val, Thorin, and Baldur stowed their bags and disappeared into the room with the bar. A TV came on, and the unmistakable patter of a news anchor filled the silence.

From my overnight bag I pulled a Carl Hiaasen novel– one I’d stolen from Val’s bookshelf when I was staying with him – and tried to sink into the story, but the roar of the engines lulled me to sleep. I dozed off not long after takeoff and woke when the jet’s wheels bounced hard against the tarmac as we landed. Skyla must have napped too; she sat up and blinked several times before rubbing a hand across her eyes.

“Rise and shine, ladies.” Val ducked through the low doorway into our section of the cabin. Skyla’s sleep-softened face turned hard. She scowled at Val for no obvious reason except her ever-present contempt and went to locate her bag.

Val ignored Skyla and stepped closer to me. “Vegas awaits. And Solina, I take it you have some shopping to do.” He waved a credit card in my direction, reminding me of my ever-increasing debt to Thorin.

Val slithered to my side and pushed the card into my hand. “Take it. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it.”

“You sound like the serpent in the garden, trying to tempt me,” I said, raising the card to study the information printed on its face. I coughed. “It’s got your name on it.”

“My cover is blown. Why should I pretend anymore?”

“But Val, I don’t want to—”

Val pressed a finger to my lips. I narrowed my eyes, but he only chuckled. “I’ve been in existence so long that I’ve lost count of the years. In fact, I existed before anyone counted years. How much do you think I’m worth, financially speaking? Do you think one shopping spree would even begin to burden me?”

I pulled back from his finger. “It isn’t about you, Val. You could have all the money in the world, but by taking it, I am indebting myself to you, if only in my mind. I’m more than a little uncomfortable with that.”

Val leaned back. His brows drew together, and he frowned. “I have no hold on you, Solina, though I have tried not so subtly to remedy that. My money doesn’t create a bond between us. Not one that I would want to enforce, anyway. What I want from you is nothing so tawdry that it can be bought.”

“Tawdry is your middle name.”

He winked at me and grinned. “Only when it suits me. But I don’t want to buy you, Solina. I want you of your own free will.”

Val made my head hurt, not to mention my heart. “Fine, then, I accept. But I owe you nothing in return?”

“Only your company for dinner tonight.”

I nodded. “I can do that.”

Val leaned in closer. “Just you and me.”

“Sure.”

“Buy something nice to wear. You’d look luscious in red, I bet.”

I pushed him away, unnerved by his scrutiny. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Thorin called for us all to come along, so I jumped up, found my bags, and scurried for the exit. A limo waited to take us to the hotel. I didn’t know what to expect, but based on the accommodations so far, my escorts would spare no expense, and I wasn’t disappointed when we pulled into the circular drive leading to the Bellestrella Hotel and Casino.

Thorin had told us Helen Locke owned the hotel through multiple layers of corporate organization, and she had created an architectural monstrosity that epitomized Las Vegas excess. Fountains danced in a massive lagoon stretching from the front of the hotel down to Las Vegas Boulevard, and Thorin’s yacht could have comfortably puttered around in it. The hotel extended a full city block and rose high enough to touch the heavens. Its stucco exterior and red-clay tile roof accents suggested a Mediterranean villa. A Mediterranean villa on steroids.

The visitors and guests making their way past us gave little attention to the grandeur, but I fought to keep my mouth closed and my eyes forward so I wouldn’t bump into anyone or trip on the cobblestone drive. Baldur lingered beside the car, gazing at the hotel and wearing a befuddled look. He was beautiful and godly, but in the short time I had spent with him, I sensed he was a bit… disconnected. He was in this world, but he wasn’t quite of it. Val accused Baldur of being a hermit, and he hadn’t seemed to take it as an insult.

Skyla scooted to my side as bellhops rushed to take our luggage. Someone wearing a tailored suit and a Bellestrella nametag came through the front door and strode toward Thorin, hand extended. He introduced himself as an executive vice-president and fussed and fawned over us—Thorin in particular. Even in his most humble attire, Thorin exuded an undeniable essence of confidence, money, and superiority. To the hotel guy, Thorin’s arrogance probably smelled like Eau de High Roller.

“See,” I whispered to Skyla. “You don’t have to be a god to have people worship you. You just have to have a sickeningly excessive amount of money.”

“If you will please follow me, I will show you to your villa,” said the hotel exec. “If you find anything that does not suit your expectations, please let me know right away.”

“Villa?” Skyla whispered. She clutched my hand and hugged it tight against her chest. “Villa?”

“If it’s too plush,” I said, “maybe you can ask them to pitch you a tent out back.”

Skyla jabbed a knuckle in my ribs. I moved to retaliate, but she ducked away, putting Thorin and Baldur between us. Val came around from the far side of the limo and took my hand. “This is the kind of place you could live in all the time, Solina. I could give it to you.”

“You said on the plane you didn’t want to buy me. You wanted me to come of my own free will.”

“Do you blame me for trying to grease the wheels?”

I looked over the extravagant building, the dancing water fountains, the bustling people. The exorbitance of it all overwhelmed. “I really am a simple girl, Val. But no one seems to believe me.”

“You keep denying the truth. You are the sun, Solina. A queen. You deserve to have your throne.”

“Keep hissing at me, snake,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I’m not going to bite your apple.”

Val laughed and threw an arm around my shoulder. He was obstinately cheerful. It was the thing that most attracted me to him when we first met. Now I wished Val would chuck the forced smiles and take me seriously, for once. “Let’s go see our rooms. I’m sure Thorin picked the best.”

We traipsed through the casino, following our escort. The slot machines chimed around us, and a crowd cheered at the craps table. None of the games tempted me. I liked the sure thing—bird in the hand and all that. Besides, with Val and Thorin at my side, who needed a slot machine?