Andrew took a deep breath, peering down below. He had opened the emergency exit window in the bathroom to see if he could crawl out. Unfortunately, the sight of guards four stories down stopped him from escaping.

“D*mn,” he muttered. Now that he was by himself, he had a little time to think. His trained eyes had spotted an alarm rigging system that connected to the window. In all likeliness, if he triggered it, it might draw some attention.

He felt a small vibration against his back. Andrew removed his cell phone from his back pocket and glanced at the caller ID display. ‘Unknown’. He sighed, knowing who it was. Unfolding it and pulling out the antenna, he held the phone to his ear.

“Now’s not a good time…” he warned. He scowled as the voice on the other end started bellowing. “I’m not kidding. You picked a really bad time to call…” Andrew clenched his jaw. “I can handle this. I’ll call you when I’m done.” He hung up.

A persistent rapping on the bathroom door startled him. “Hey, what the h*ll is taking you so long? You taking a dump?”

Andrew closed the window, latching it incorrectly, on purpose. Then he opened the door. The guard scowled at him before looking around the bathroom.

“What the h*ll were you doing in here?” he asked with suspicion.

“That’s a stupid question,” Andrew responded.

The guard hit Andrew’s gut with the butt of his weapon. Andrew cringed.

“Watch your mouth, pretty boy.” He nodded his head to the living room. “Sit down.”

Frowning, Andrew walked towards the chair of the hotel room. The guard tied him up again. If there was one thing he hated, it was being called a pretty boy.

He sat in his chair quietly, biding his time. While he was in the bathroom, he had managed to dig out a small pocketknife that he had on him earlier. Palming it and keeping it hidden from view, he had managed to get it past the guard. It was currently in use, loosening his bonds.
 

“Do we have a plan?” Tina asked as they peered around the elevator to see a guard watching a door.

“I’m working on it…” Meliza reached for a deck of cards in her pocket.

“So what’s the plan?”

Meliza pulled out several cards, causing a pale blue glow from her hands to transfer to them.

“What are you doing?” Tina whispered.

“Creating a diversion.” She placed two cards on the floor. “Let’s move to the other side, and don’t step on the cards…”

Tina followed her.

From the other side, Meliza and Tina watched as a small chain of explosions went off. Puzzled, the guard glanced at the door before moving to that side of the elevator. Meliza and Tina came up from behind him. Meliza kicked his knee, causing him to fall on the floor, and Tina bashed him on the head with a candleholder that was on display on the floor.

They tied him up quickly and grabbed his gun.

“Do you know how to use that?” Tina asked.

Meliza clicked the safety off. “Yeah. Why?”

Her eyes widened. “Nothing.”

They went to the door, moving off to the right side before knocking.No answer. She tried the doorknob. The door swung open. She and Tina stared at each other in shock. Meliza slowly crept into the room, gun raised, making herself a small target by walking in with shoulder first. She immediately saw an unconscious guard, tied to a chair. Detecting movement on her right side, she turned quickly, finding herself facing Andrew holding a gun.

Andrew breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his arms. “It’s good to see you ladies. Don’t do that again, Meliza…I could have blown your head off.”

“But you didn’t,” Meliza answered.

Andrew peered outside, seeing the guard bound and gagged. “Let’s bring him inside…”

Tina gleefully dragged the guard into the room. Andrew placed him far from the other guard.

The three promptly left.

“How are we gonna get out of here and call for help?” Tina asked as they headed down the stairs.

Andrew had been thinking about that himself. He had no intention of attracting attention. Given the type of person he was, attracting more guards and eventually police was not something he was looking forward to. But there were at least fifty people in that ballroom that needed help.

“There are guards at every exit,” Meliza stated.

Andrew frowned slightly. “What about the garage?”

“I’m sure over there, too…” Meliza spoke.

“Only one way to find out…”

Within several minutes, the three reached the hotel garage. Luckily, the hotel entrance from the garage was a blind spot for the valet desk, which was where the guards were. Andrew pointed to a corner to the left and behind the guards.

“We’ll have to take the underground way to get out,” he instructed. “Over there is a drain…I remember because I parked my rental car over there last night…”

“Underground?” Tina echoed.

“Sewer,” Meliza and Andrew clarified simultaneously.

Tina’s brilliant eyes widened in horror and her face crumpled. “No, no, no! I am NOT going down there!”

“Tina, we don’t have a choice!” Meliza responded.

“No, no, no! We can’t go in there! There’s rats…and…sewage…and…rats, and…!”

Andrew grasped her shoulders firmly, nearly shaking her. “Calm down, Tina. You can stay here and risk getting shot, or come with us and take a long shower as soon as we get help.”

Tina sagged in defeat. “Okay, okay…”

The three ducked behind cars as they attempted to get to the drain Andrew spoke of. Luckily, the guards were too busy enjoying a game of craps to notice them. Andrew pulled the drain up and moved it slightly so there was just enough room for them to get through.

“Gentlemen first,” Tina whispered.

Andrew nodded and slipped down below, feet first, his hands clinging to the ledge. It was about a five-foot drop. He jumped down and landed with ease. He looked up to see Tina clinging nervously to the ledge.

“I’m gonna fall and break my leg…” she whined.

Meliza hushed her.

“I’ll catch you,” Andrew spoke up.

Tina let herself fall, landing neatly in Andrew’s arms. Andrew set her down.

“Eew!” Tina screeched, stepping on a puddle of water that looked questionable to her.

Startled, Andrew clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her scream. “They’ll hear you!” he whispered.

Tina nodded, her eyes wide. They stood very still for several minutes. Meliza had yet to come down.

“Meliza,” Andrew spoke up, just loud enough for her to hear.

Her head came into view, peering down at them. “Thanks to her noise, the guards are looking around.”

“What are you waiting for? Get down here.”

Several moments later, Meliza slipped over the ledge and jumped down. Andrew caught her and set her on her feet.

Meliza held up a card, transferring her energy over to it, causing it to glow. Andrew grinned at the innovative light. He reached for another card and lit it with his own chi and power. The three began walking away from the hotel.

“Oh, this is so disgusting…” Tina muttered. “I have never seen so much…crap in my entire life…”

“She doesn’t get out a lot, does she?” he asked.

“That’s an understatement,” Meliza responded.

“What?! I didn’t really play in sewers when I was younger,” Tina reasoned. “I have never seen so much crap…not even at the zoo…when the elephants would poop…”

“What kind of zoo did you go to?” Meliza asked.

“Probably those fake ones. With statues of animals,” Andrew stated.

“Hey!” Tina exclaimed. “Do either of you know where we’re going?”

“No,” Andrew responded smoothly.

Her eyes widened. “What?!”

“The point is that we’re going far from the hotel,” Meliza stated.

“How far have we walked?” Tina whined. “My feet hurt.”

“About a fourth of a mile,” Andrew announced. “Next drain I see, we’ll get out.”

“Thank goodness…” Tina breathed in relief.

Andrew glanced at Meliza. She seemed to be responding to their situation well. That was expected of people like her.
Soon enough, they reached a drain.

“Ladies first,” Andrew stated.

“Thank you!” Tina scurried up the ladder to push the drain aside, only to discover that she couldn’t do it. “It’s too heavy!” she wailed.

The two professional gamblers glanced at each other with exasperated faces.

“Where did you find her?” Andrew asked.

Megrinned before turning to her sidekick. “Get down…I’ll open the drain.”

Tina obligedandMeliza climbed up the ladder to push the drain aside. She climbed up then helped Tina up and closed the drain after Andrew emerged.

They were in the back street of a hotel not far from the Gold Digger.

“Time to call for help. Why don’t you two clean up a bit and I’ll let the authorities know what’s going on,” Andrew suggested as they entered a hotel.

“Sounds like a great idea,” Tina agreed, and she snatched Meliza’s arm. The two women spotted a bathroom and entered, oblivious to the horrified looks of the front desk clerks.

Andrew sighed and pulled out his cell phone. He skimmed through his phone list and hit enter. He held the phone to his ear, waiting for an answer.

“It’s Rivera,” he spoke up. “Yeah. I’m fine. I got caught up in the mess, but I’m out.” A brief smile crossed his lips. “Why should I tell you?” He chuckled. “The place is surrounded by guards, but you might be able to get in through the garage. But you didn’t hear it from me.” He frowned slightly. “I don’t think so. You know how it is…You’re welcome.”

When he hung up, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. Besides, he needed a little time to think. His mind was working too fast for him to take action. After washing his hands, he splashed his face with cold water and exited the restroom.

The women were outside, waiting expectantly.

“Help’s on the way. I told them all I could,” Andrew announced.

The women smiled in relief.

“Well…I guess we should get going then,” Meliza stated.

Tina nodded enthusiastically. “I need that shower…” She headed towards the exit.

Meliza glanced at her before turning to the gambler. “Thank you for all your help…”

“Thank you for rescuing me,” Andrew responded, then added with a grin. “Or at least trying.”

Meliza smiled and offered her hand. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Rivera. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

He shook her hand. “Likewise.”

She turned slightly, but paused, noticing that his grip lingered.

Here goes nothing. “Are you busy tomorrow?” he asked suddenly.

Meliza’s eyes widened. “I…”

“If you weren’t…I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

Her brows arched. “Just me?”

He grinned, his light eyes flashing green with mischief. “Just you.”

She smiled. “I’m supposed to be teaching Tina a few more tricks…but…sure. I’m staying at the Flagship.”

Andrew released her hand. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

Meliza headed over to an impatient Tina.

“What took you so long?” Tina demanded.

“I have a date tomorrow at seven,” Meliza announced.

“Wow. He moves fast…” Tina said, her jaw dropping.

“I have no problem with that,” Meliza admitted, grinning.

Tina shook her head as they left the hotel, going to the Flagship.