Bounty Hunter [REWRITTEN VERSION]

Chapter 22: Problem

ALEC

That night, the casino was just as alive and bustling as it had been the night before; men and women dressed in rich clothing, lights flashing from every direction, loud bells followed by a round of cheering to announce when a winner was declared. Everyone in the place seemed to have nothing but careless smiles—and of course, the occasional flash of disappointment. But such was gambling.

Everything seemed—in this environment anyway—normal. But he could still feel a knot of apprehension that bloomed in the pit of his stomach.

Alec felt unease as he looked over the crowd for the hundredth time since the night began. More than a few times, he had gotten the sense that he was being watched. Once, he even locked eyes with a hispanic man dressed in black, but the guy had glared and turned away immediately. Alec had then lost him in the mass. Strange. But then again, Maize had explained how cops stood out in a crowd like this. If you knew how to look properly that was. She made it a point to tell him that his habit of 'casing' every corner of a room before he walked in was a noticeable cop habit, and that he might as well wear a bright red headband with the glowing lit words 'law enforcement' on the forehead. He had declined that idea, obviously.

Was he simply on edge for no reason?

Maybe.

Alec wanted a quiet night to process his thoughts and the nervous fang biting at him from the inside, but that wouldn't happen, not tonight. Cassandra had insisted they enjoy themselves while they were here, and that meant coming down to revel in the fun and lights.

He had managed to find a less crowded spot near the mini bar, leaning back against the marble wall. However, that didn't stop Maize from finding him.

"You could stand to relax a bit," was the first thing she said when she saw him. Her clothes were different tonight. Seems she got tired with the dress and switched it out for something more mobile; an eloquent jumpsuit outfit, in black, with her arms threaded through the sleeves of her leather jacket. "Maybe you should have a drink, take the edge off. You look like a cop you know," she said, not unkindly, but as more of an honest observation. It was alright, he didn't care anymore.

"A drink is the last thing I need right now," he answered.

"Everything alright?"

"I hope so." The weight of his answer was cause for them both to rest in several beats of tense silence. Alec then closed his eyes and shook his head, "Nevermind, it's probably nothing..."

"It's not." Maize went suddenly tense.

"What?"

"Listen."

Alec's eyes suddenly flashed open with a new sense of trouble s split second before either of them heard it. One moment and everything was normal. Then the next everything blew into chaos. From where Alec and Maize stood, they weren't anywhere near the entrance, but even then they could see the doors to the Casino fall inward as they were kicked down. The sound of guns and screaming was instant as a horde of armed men in masks stormed through.

"Shit!" Maize hissed as rounds were fired at the ceiling, gaining the attention over the strew panic. Alec watched with alert filled eyes as civilians were roughly tossed to the floor, but before he could move, Maize grabbed his shirt sleeve. "Now is not the time to play hero, West, there's too many." Maize pulled him around the corner of the wall just in time before they were seen.