I snorted in derision. Caesar’s Palace, it ain’t. This wasn’t a casino the high rollers and professional gamblers would set foot in, or come within a hundred yards of, really. Which suited me fine. No one from Talon—no one important, at least—would be caught dead here. And I wouldn’t have to share the queen-size bed with anyone else; Ember was in the room next door and the other two—Wes and the soldier—had their own individual quarters across the hall. Money had never been an issue; during the years I’d worked for the organization, I’d racked up quite the nest egg. When I had gone rogue, those accounts had been frozen, but not even Talon’s security was a match for Wes after he joined my team. The money was now hidden in overseas accounts under false identities so that Talon couldn’t trace it back to us. Not to mention, having an elite hacker around was pretty helpful for those times I needed other things: bank codes, fake IDs, false reservations and the like. Most times, I didn’t even have to touch my own accounts.

Now, if only my other contact would be as helpful.

As if on cue, my phone finally buzzed. I yanked it out and stared at the message on-screen, short and to the point. I smiled grimly. Time to get to the bottom of things, or at least have some questions answered. Making sure I had my wallet and fake ID, I left the room and stepped into the green-and-gold corridor.

I met Wes in the hallway, bottle of Mountain Dew in hand as he headed back to his room. “Griffin finally get back to you?” he asked, lowering his voice as he paused beside me. I nodded.

“Heading down to meet him now. Where are the others?”

“In their rooms, last I saw them.” Wes pointed the green bottle down the corridor. “One sulking, the other doing bugger all. Hope the blasted hatchling doesn’t wander off. She looked quite put out when you told her not to leave the floor.”

I groaned inwardly. Boredom and following orders were two things that Ember did not excel at. And below us was an entire casino full of flashing lights, games, shiny objects and other things that could tempt a curious dragon.

“Keep an eye on them,” I said. “Make sure Ember stays put, but watch the soldier, too. He might’ve broken from the Order, but he’s still St. George, and that will never change. If he moves or leaves the room, I want to know about it.”

Wes smiled grimly. “Want me to stick a bug in his lamp when he’s asleep?”