Finding Us (A Nucci Securities Novel)

Chapter 2

The girls quickly walked through the casino toward the arena doors, barely dodging a group of fans wearing concert T-shirts. This was why she shouldn't go anywhere without security.

"Look, it says the arena is this way." Abby dragged Sophie by the hand and hurried in that direction.

"Why aren't we going toward the manager's office?"

"Because we're closer to the arena than the office." Abby had no idea where the manager's office was but she needed to get into her dressing room, not somebody else's office.

"How do you know this?"

Abby saw a large group of people heading their way, and she panicked. She needed to get out of the lobby before someone spotted her. "I don't know."

They reached the end of the hall, and Abby searched around for some sort of clue as to which way to go. "Did we miss a sign or something?"

"The entrance is this way." Sophie pointed to the sign that hung high on the wall in front of them. Abby would've noticed it if she'd been walking like a normal person rather than with her gaze fixed on the floor.

"Good. The last thing we need is a mob of people following us." Abby wished she'd worn a hat or maybe sunglasses. There were too many people milling around for her to go unnoticed much longer.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea." Sophie picked up the pace.

"Just keep moving." Shit, shit, shit. Why were so many people still up? Didn't anyone sleep? It was nearly morning. Apparently Las Vegas was the "city that never sleeps," not New York. Why hadn't she called hotel management and asked them to look? Because heartache apparently makes you stupid. Sean's absence was eating at Abby.

"Come on, right over here." Sophie pulled on the arena door. "Locked. Great." She sighed.

"Of course it's locked. I just figured there'd be somebody here to let us in." Abby walked farther down the hallway to stay out of sight.

Sophie looked at her incredulously. "Why would someone be standing around with a set of keys? God, Abby you're so frustrating some days."

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me. If you'd given me a minute to find a few numbers, you'd already have your phone, and we wouldn't be on the verge of an ambush."

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? I've got a lot on my mind."

"No, you have one person on your mind. When are you going to throw that asshole to the curb? Enough's enough already."

"It's not as simple as that and you know it." It wasn't like Sophie was telling her something she didn't already know, but it was hard for her to verbally acknowledge even that much. She hated feeling like she wasn't in control and alluding to the fact made her even more uncomfortable.

"Let's go to the reception area and ask for the manager," Sophie suggested.

"You go. I'll stay here and wait." Abby pulled on the door Sophie had just checked to see if she would have better luck. She didn't.

"No. I'm not leaving you here alone. Come on," Sophie said.

"We've managed to get this far without anyone spotting me. How lucky do you think we're gonna get? I'll stay here. You go," Abby insisted, and as if to prove her point, a group of fans gathered near a cardboard cutout of her and took pictures with it.

She turned back to Sophie and realized she had her cell phone to her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Calling Danny."