Miguel and Samuel turned to face each other as I started to walk away. At the same time, Olivia and Bai pretended to bump into each other, and Olivia surreptitiously dropped her clutch on the floor. Was there some kind of recording or listening device inside it? They both noticeably trailed slowly behind me.

A few minutes later, just as I got to the chairs, I heard SSA Black exclaim, “They’ve done it! Samuel’s just told Guerrero where he wants his pay-off to be transmitted to. So he must have given Guerrero something. Maybe a chip or thumb drive …”

I blew a breath out in relief and asked Jack through the mic clipped behind the mock-turtleneck of my top what I should do next.

And then, all of a sudden, the room went completely dark. In the ensuing chaos, I heard Jack’s voice muffled by something as the room exploded with haphazard sound and violent movement.

F^&%$(@!

SSA Black was screaming into the earpiece just as Bai and Olivia were both shouting at me to get away from the bar area and run to the designated meeting point I’d been told to go to in case of an emergency. Judging from the noise of frantic movement going on around me and shouts and hollers, it sounded like both had been jumped by men who’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

I kicked off my heels and hiked my dress up as I tried to get my bearings, heart pumping, adrenaline shooting up. Moving towards Jack was not an option because it sounded like he was fighting off people. Where to go?!

Just as I decided to run in a direction I felt was the way to go, someone picked me up by the waist, and I felt myself being carried aloft. I kicked and screamed with all my might, and used my fists to beat on the head and back of whoever was carrying me. In the midst of panic I thought I heard Jack’s voice, not in the earpiece, but a feet away from me.

“Serpico, Aerin! Serpico!” he shouted, as a door opened, and I was carried out on the shoulders of two men now, into the bright lights of the Vegas night.