Paradox (Travelers Series Book 2)

  His face turned red with embarrassment. “God, no. I just wanted your take on it. I’ll figure it out. If I decide to do anything about it, that is. So don’t go telling her what I just told you.”

  “I won’t, I promise.” She linked her arm into his as they walked out of the big empty room. “Moose, have I ever told you that when I first met you, I thought you were the biggest jerk?”

  His deep laugh echoed in the vast space. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that.”

  When Etta got back to the house she shared with Cooper, she couldn’t help but smile. Despite their current situation, everyone still had room in their hearts for love. That, Etta surmised, is what’s going to keep them one step ahead of Thornberry.

  They had something to fight for.

  Chapter Twenty

  Viva Las Vegas!

  Aunt Maggie totally bought the story about being in Richmond and that we’re going to stay the night. Of course, I had to swear to her that Cooper and I would sleep in separate rooms. She doesn’t have to worry though, we really weren’t going to be staying together there, or at any other hotel. I could tell over the phone she was pleased I was finally taking an interest in college.

  I don’t know why the twins have to come with us to meet with Moose, but Cooper explained that the less jumps he has to make, the better. So, here we are, at Logan International Airport, about to board a plane to Vegas. I already feel like a seasoned traveler. After that, Cooper intends to jump the three of them to the Thornberry reality to meet up with Jenny.

  The Dyson twins have been getting on my nerves since before we arrived at the airport, so I take my cue from the other passengers on the flight and put on my new noise canceling headset. Before we boarded, I begged Cooper to buy me a pair at one of the airport shops, knowing I wouldn’t be able to stand the five hour flight to Vegas without them.

  Not knowing what to expect, I imagine Las Vegas to be entirely different than the one I grew-up with—the one featured in the movies, that is. I learned a lot about it from watching Casino and Ocean’s Eleven. A lot of things are different in the various realities, like books, actors, and even school. So why not Sin City? As I watch the sparkling lights of the Vegas Strip come into view as the plane begins to descend, I know the lure of greed and luck has no inter-dimensional boundaries. We’re in Las Vegas.

  The four of us wait in line for a taxi that’s going to take us to the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Secretly, I’m overjoyed; that’s where the movie Oceans Eleven was filmed.

  “Hey,” I whisper to Cooper as we step into the taxi. It’s not like the twins don’t know about traveling, but I don’t want the cab driver to overhear. “So, when do we jump to find this Moose guy?”

  “We don’t. This is his reality too.”

  “Oh.” So the Dyson twins share the same reality as this Moose guy. I wonder how that happened. I was under the impression that everyone we were recruiting was from their own respective alternate world.

  Once we leave the airport, I tune out the twins for the second time tonight and stare out the window to take in the scene. I don’t want to miss any of the sights, as this is probably the only chance I’ll get to visit Vegas. It’s well past dark, but that’s what makes this city so beautiful, I think to myself as we pass all the glittering lights and neon signs.

  It only takes about twenty minutes, due to some light traffic, to arrive at our destination. The actual ride itself is uneventful and quick, aside from all the bright lights and flashy billboards.

  “Okay, guys, now I don’t want to see any Rain Man action while we’re here,” I tell the twins as we begin to step out of the taxi. The attendant at the hotel helps me out of the car and directs me to the double doors.

  “What?” The twins reply in unison behind me. This is going to get annoying real fast.

  “It’s a movie about an autistic…oh never mind. Just don’t use your powers or brains to read cards or whatever it is you guys can pull-off here,” I say as they catch up to me.

  Cooper soon joins us in the lobby after he finishes paying the cabbie. “I’ll take the guys with me. Why don’t you go walk around and take in some of the sights while I go look for Moose,” Cooper suggests.

  “Sure.” I’m totally excited about being in my very first Las Vegas casino. It’s just like in the movies. It’s amazing how many people are milling about, either dressed to the nines or in sweatshirt attire, even at this hour of the night. Even though we left Boston at a late hour and gained several back traveling to Vegas, it’s still late when we arrive. Whoever said New York is the city that never sleeps is wrong. It’s definitely Las Vegas.

  Cooper’s quick to take hold of my arm before I set out to check out the casino. “But don’t get to close to the casino floor. You’re still underage and you could get us all kicked out,” he warns.

  I guess it’s my turn to be told what not to do. “Oh, come on! You really expect me to just watch from the sidelines? Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna gamble or anything. I just want to see what all the fuss is about.” It’s just my luck the gambling age in this reality is eighteen; I have several weeks to go.

  “Just be careful,” he cautions me again.

  “I will, jeez,” I say, walking away from him and towards the slots. There’s nothing wrong with me just watching, right?

  Careful not to bring attention to myself, I go over to one of the smaller sections of the casino that house a short row of slot machines. I watch as an elderly woman punches buttons on a machine boasting flashy half-naked mermaids. You’d think she’d be over at one of the more conservative slots, the kind with the cherries, not one where you have to match three scantily clad merfolk for a chance to win.

  After watching her punch the buttons for awhile, I begin to suspect the woman is here by herself. This strikes me as sad for some reason. Does she have a family? Is this her yearly solo trip to Vegas or did she come here with a group of other retired seniors, riding a cramped tour bus from some mid-western state, hoping for a chance to win the jackpot?

  I now begin to imagine her winning and being able to retire in some snazzy retirement community in Florida, the kind where old men spend their days playing golf and pinching women’s bottoms, with grandchildren visiting during their summer vacation, and then—

  Sirens. Lots of them ringing. It’s like the sounds are coming from every direction. Everyone around the slot machines stop what they’re doing to see what all the fuss is about.

  JACKPOT.

  WINNER.

  The marquee atop the slot machine whizzed the words ‘jackpot’ and ‘winner’ in a rotating fashion. The flashing lights and buzzing sound is so mesmerizing, I can’t help but be impressed at the spectacle of it all; it takes me a few seconds to realize the implication of what just happened.

  Oh, holy crap! The old lady I was watching just won the jackpot! I look back up to the screen. It’s a quarter of a million dollars!

  I’m still standing near the woman, with a big smile plastered on my face, while everyone around me goes rushing up to her. I don’t dare move, less any of the security people think I’m there to gamble. But despite the large crowd that’s gathered around the woman, I can still see her jumping up and down, screaming, “I won! I won!”

  Then I hear another voice. Only this one isn’t very nice. “What the hell did you just do?”

  For a second, I figure the hostility is aimed at the elderly woman, but now I know it’s directed at me. The big tip-off is the jerk pulling on my arm. What did I do? I made sure to stand away from the slots. There’s no way they can accuse me of gambling.

  I spin in the direction of the man holding my arm and stare into the big, round eyes of a giant. He’s more than just big guy. The man borders on menacing. His cold steel eyes, coupled with the scars on his face, is enough for me to freak out—just a little.

  “Have you lost your mind?” The giant asks.

  “I didn’t do anything,” I say, pulling myself away from his grasp
. “I stayed behind the rope.” They can check the security cameras. I wasn’t gambling.

  “Not that,” he says. “That.” He points in the direction of the old lady.

  My head turns back to the woman who just won. She’s still being congratulated on her big win. The hulk notwithstanding, I’m still grinning at the thought of her winning. If she doesn’t live in some fancy retirement village, maybe she can afford to now.

  “You think this is funny?”

  I look back at the giant and sneer. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “The slots. You manipulated the slots.” His grunts could be heard above the bells of the still ringing slots.

  “Dude, you keep accusing me of things, I’m—”

  “Etta! Moose! What’s going on here?” Cooper runs over to us, amid all the commotion.

  “Wait, what? You know this guy?” I ask. Of course he does. Nothing Cooper does amazes me anymore.

  He closes in on us and stands directly in-between me and the hulk. “This is Moose.” He turns to the guy we’ve been searching for and makes introductions. “Moose, this is Etta.”

  “You know this chick?” He points directly at me. The hulky man’s chest is full of huff, but no puff, as his body relaxes once Cooper vouches for me.

  “I’m not a chick!” I can’t let this Moose guy get the upper hand. I have every right to be angry about the situation. He keeps accusing me of messing with the slot machines. I know I didn’t do anything and this dude keeps looking at me like I’m some kind of cheat.

  Always one to keep the peace, Cooper’s arms extend in opposite directions, halting both hulk and I from continuing further. “Moose, what exactly happened? I’m sure whatever it is, Etta’s not responsible. She knows not to play the machines.” He cast a sideways glance in my direction as he says this.

  “And I didn’t! I was just watching the old lady play.” How many times am I going to have to explain? There’s no way Cooper believes I was doing something I’m not supposed to.

  I can tell Moose is unconvinced. “I’m not saying she played the slots old friend, I’m saying she used her powers to influence the win.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demand. What’s he talking about? I look at Cooper for an answer. I know I’m pretty good at manipulating objects through my telekinesis, but I wasn’t even thinking about the damn machines. The old woman won, fair and square.

  “Okay, Etta… Moose, let’s calm down for a moment. Moose, is there a place we can discuss this in private? I’m sure you don’t want the patrons here to overhear this conversation.”

  Moose just nods and has us follow him, away from the crowd still congregating around the jackpot winner. Behind Moose’s back, I manage another smile. I don’t know who that lady is, but she deserves whatever good things come her way. And if she doesn’t have a family or grandkids to enjoy her winnings with, she can always adopt a dog. She looks like a poodle kind of gal.

  “Hey! Where are you guys running off to?” We hear off in the distance.

  I turn and spot one of the twins, Chance or Chase—I’m not sure which one, as he runs to catch up with us.

  “Come on. We found Moose,” I say. “Where’s the other one? I mean, your brother.”

  “Chance, uh, is in one of the private VIP rooms, playing championship poker.”

  “He what?” Both Cooper and I manage to say in unison.

  “Yeah, it’s really quite intriguing. Chance wanted to test his theory on probability and sat in for a hand. Really, it’s all quite fascinating, this game of poker. Much more exciting than chess, I’m surprised to say. He ended up going into the next round, or something like that.”

  “Chase!” I say, grabbing him by the arm. “Why did you let him play to begin with? You know you two put everyone else at an unfair advantage. We can get into some serious trouble if they suspect he’s cheating.” Even though his brother Chance has the power of recognition and can’t actually tell who’s holding what cards, Chance is still a genius. I’m sure he’s figured out how to count cards or some such tactic.

  Cooper, I can tell, is just as concerned. “She’s right. We have to get him out of that tournament. Do you know where they’re holding it?”

  Moose had taken off ahead of us, as we stopped to talk to Chase, but I can see him backtrack towards us. “Did I just hear someone say something about cheating?”

  “Yes…no, I mean, he’s not cheating, but someone might get the impression that he is,” I say.

  “And why would that be?”

  “Because one, he’s a psychic genius,” I mumble.

  With that, Moose blows up. “A what?” As head of security for the casino, I don’t blame him for getting upset.

  “Okay, now Moose, calm down. No one’s cheating. Besides, he only has the ability of recognition.” Cooper interjects. “We just have to find him, that’s all.” He turns to Chase. “Now, do you know where they’re playing?”

  I almost feel sorry for Chase. He doesn’t seem to have a clue at to why we’re making such a big deal over this. They’re just curious about the game. Aren’t nerds supposed to be curious about probability games? This must be like a huge mathematical playground to the twins. Like Disneyland for geeks.

  “Sure, come on, it’s this way,” he says, leading us to his brother.

  He takes us down the hallway towards an entry that had a roped divider separating it from the rest of the casino. I wouldn’t exactly call it a room, but it shared the same carpeting as the rest of the casino and the decor boasted gilded leaf patterns on both the furniture and wall decor. If there’s a place in the casino where high stakes poker would be played in, this is it.

  It doesn’t take me long to spot Chance. There were three rather large round tables, each accommodating seven players at each table. Chance is seated in the far left corner with what looks to be, some very important looking people. I think they’re called high-rollers.

  Not stopping to think what the other players think of me busting in on their game, I walk straight over to Chance and grab his arm. “What are you doing? We gotta go,” I whisper in his ear.

  “But—” He starts, reluctant to drop his cards.

  Cooper assists me in grabbing Chance’s earnings off the table. “Come on, we have other pending matters,” he tells him.

  “Now, hold on there a second.” A big burly man with a cowboy hat rises up from his seat. He’s probably from Texas, or Oklahoma, and I don’t like the tone of his voice. “This young man has me for several grand. He can’t leave now.”

  Several grand? This game must be pretty serious. Chance had only been gone for less than an hour. And how’d he get money to gamble in the first place? Then again, it probably started with five bucks in his pocket until he parlayed it into massive winnings. There’s no way he could’ve scored that big unless they were some major bets going on.

  Once again, I don’t think before I speak. “He can and he will.”

  “Honestly Etta, can’t I just finish this hand? This game is so much fun,” Chance pleads.

  Cooper and I eye each other before making a decision. Between Chance and the surly looking cowboy, I don’t think we have much of a choice without making the other players suspicious. We’re probably already in danger of getting kicked out by interrupting the game in the first place.

  “Fine,” I say. “But only this last hand. We’ll meet you back at Moose’s office. Just ask someone where to find the security manager when you’re done.”

  Secretly, I hope he beats the older cowboy and takes him for everything he has.

  As we wait for Chance to finish up his game, promising he’ll find us after the round is over, we sit and wait in the dank room Moose calls an office. The piles of half-empty styrofoam cups of coffee on his desk look more like science experiments gone wrong, than a place where someone conducts business.

  “So, how do you know this chick again?” Moose makes himself at home behind his desk and props his feet up against
the desk. I’m surprised he doesn’t manage to knock the cups over.

  “For the last time, I’m not a—” I start. It’s not that I’m offended by the term, I’ve never been what one might call a feminist, but it’s the way he says ‘chick’ that rubs me the wrong way.

  “Easy there, darlin’,” Cooper stops me. “Moose, I know you never planned on seeing me again, but we’re in a bit of trouble and we need you.”

  “Trouble huh? Let me guess, this chick is somehow involved?”

  “Again, I’m not a—”

  “Moose, come on. She didn’t mean to set the machine off. You know as well as I do that our abilities sometimes have a mind of their own. Look, bro’ we’re going to need your help.”

  “How did you know it was me who made the machine go off?” I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty if it was me. Sometimes the house doesn’t always have to win.

  “I’m an empath.” He nods over in Cooper’s direction. “If you two are here looking for me, I’m sure he’s filled you in on my abilities.”

  I start to say something and he cuts me off at the pass. “And before you can ask, yes, aside from emotions, I can also tell when powers like yours are active. They’re like a sting of waves that pulsate through my mind when they’re being used.”

  I had no idea that by merely imagining the lady winning, I could somehow trigger the machine. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.

  “Look, bro’ we’re going to need your help,” Cooper says again, not wanting the scene to escalate from bad to worse.

  I look from Cooper back to the Hulk. This guy is nothing like Cooper. It’s hard for me to imagine them being friends, much less ‘bro’s’.

  “Now, why would I leave my post here to help you guys out? I’ve carved out quite a nice niche for myself here in the security business.”

  “You don’t even know why we’re here,” I protest.