Seven of Spades2: Trick Roller

Geoffrey Rhodes told his wife he was working late—he did stay in the office for two hours after closing time.However, after he left, he didn't go in the direction of home, but went straight in the opposite direction onto the Strip in Las Vegas.

"Is it tonight?" Dominique asked Justin Aubrey.Aubrey followed Jeffrey Rhodes at a distance of several cars in her rotten silver Honda Accord.

"I can't run away," she shrugged, "I just don't know why he went to Long Street to meet his mistress."

They followed Ross to an indoor parking lot, but did not follow in.Aubrey parked the car on the side of the road and said, "If he goes wandering on the long street, we can only follow him on foot. I will get out of the car now, and I will follow him after he comes out. You go to the car, and we will take turns to follow him after he stops. Reduce the chances of him noticing us.

"Sounds good."

Aubrey got out of the car and stood at the pedestrian exit.She lit a cigarette as she waited for someone - but on closer inspection it became apparent that she was only holding the cigarette, not actually inhaling it.Dominique went around to the driver's side and slid the seat back all the way so that his legs could be wedged between the seat and the footrest.

It took him a few minutes to find a parking spot.As they walked out of the garage, Aubrey texted that she and Rhodes were at the Crystal Mall[1].

Dominique stuck his hands in his coat pockets and kept his eyes fixed as he walked.Every time he walked down the long street, he was extremely nervous.He rarely came here, and when his gambling addiction kicked in, he preferred to visit the low-end casinos in the downtown area, and the places that catered more to locals on the West End.But on the Las Vegas Strip, he couldn't escape the reminders about gambling anytime and anywhere-bulletin boards, advertisements, flyers, and even the few words caught by his ears from the pedestrians around him, they were talking about gambling. Gambling skills and matters of winning and losing.

With a sigh of relief, he focused his attention on the part of the Strip he loved: its diversity, its exuberant joy, the liveliness of its thousands of pleasure-seekers.Especially the people in front of him, the people who were coming on vacation in spite of the devilish heat of mid-summer in the Nevada desert, and they wouldn't let anything get in the way of them having a good time.

Dominique followed Aubrey's text messages and found Rhodes again—thankfully, in an air-conditioned upscale mall.He caught a glimpse of Aubrey a hundred feet away; he nodded, barely visible, and blended into the crowd.

Ross didn't seem to be here for shopping, but more like wasting time.He just wandered around the mall, casually browsing the windows of various luxury stores.Dominique followed at a distance, taking advantage of natural cover and reflective surfaces as much as possible.He had a button-down camera on his coat, but it was useless at this distance.He fiddled with his phone with one hand, making it easy to look like he was actually busy while still keeping in touch with Aubrey.

Ross stopped outside the Bottega Veneta store and played with his mobile phone.Dominic narrowed his eyes.

What is the model of Rhodes' cell phone?He texted Aubrey to ask.

iPhone6.what?

Because now he's texting on a Samsung Galaxy.

Wow, hidden cell phone.Nice lead.I'll see what I can find out tomorrow.she replied.

Ross wandered around the mall for four or ten minutes, frequently checking his phone while walking.Dominique and Aubrey took turns stalking him several times.When it was Dominique's turn to follow Ross, it was not a problem for him to concentrate. Once the task was handed over to Aubrey, he found that his mind was hooked further and further.His mind always wandered outside the mall—it would not be an exaggeration to say that the building was surrounded by casinos on all sides.He opened his mouth once, staring blankly at an advertisement for the Bellagio Hotel, his mind was full of "10 o'clock", and he came back to his senses after 21 minutes.

When Rhodes finally made his way to the Todd English City Bar, it was Dominic who was on duty, so he watched as Rhodes removed his wedding ring and stuffed it into his pocket.

"You son of a bitch." Dominique cursed under his throat.

Dominic followed Ross into the restaurant.He hid behind and saw Ross shaking hands with a group of people. These people were both male and female, and they were all young and good-looking.After shaking hands, the waitress leads to the seat.Dominique reported the latest progress to Aubrey, and the two ended up sitting together at the long bar in the middle of the restaurant, with their backs to the table where Roz was sitting.Aubrey had a hidden camera sewn into the lining of her small clutch, and she placed it on the bar at the right angle so they could watch Roz, spying on him via the footage the camera streamed to his phone, without looking at him. Every move.

She liked this turn of events because the client would reimburse the meal, but Dominique couldn't get the same excitement.His stomach hurts so badly that he can only drink soft beer and eat some hors d'oeuvres that Aubrey ordered.He tried to focus on the story she was telling, rather than recalling the last hand he played, with vivid detail and detail.He kicked the bar chair anxiously until the woman on the other side glared at him viciously.

"Are you all right?" Aubrey asked after a moment, and she frowned at him. "You're sweating."

"It's too hot in here." It was true, and he downed the beer.It would be great if this was real wine.

Aubrey glanced down at his phone. "Rhoz showed no signs of being intimate with these women, and I don't think any of them would be his girlfriend or mistress."

"I think so too." Dominique watched the real-time video; Ross was flirting with all the women at his table, but none of them meant anything serious, and it was raining evenly, and he didn't pay special attention to anyone. "Honestly, I don't think any of these people know anyone. I think they're just meeting—no familiarity at all."

"Business dinner?" she said uncertainly.

"Then he doesn't need to take off the ring." Dominic raked his hair with his hand.Why is everyone's voice so fucking loud?

Ross ate this dinner leisurely for two hours. During this time, Dominic's mood became worse and worse.The group left in high spirits, slightly drunk, with Dominique and Aubrey following arm in arm, pretending to be a couple on a date.

Ross and his friends obviously felt that the night was far from over.Go to the bar, Dominic said silently in his heart, his eyes pointed straight at the back of Ross's head like a knife.Go to a dance, go to a club on the Strip, anywhere but don't-

They walked out the back door of the Crystal Mall and walked straight into the Aria Hotel and Casino.

Ross and his party went straight to the casino hall next to the hotel lobby.The ringing of the bell, the electronic ticking and buzzing of the slot machine, the cheers and yells from the craps table, these sounds echoed in Dominic's head, igniting a deep-seated lead.The bright lights flickered, shining everywhere, and Dominique could hardly breathe.

A few paces from the threshold he stopped half-stretched.Aubrey was still holding his arm, and when he tripped, he couldn't help screaming.

"I can't go in there," he whispered.

But he wants to go in.At this moment, the desire to be in that casino overwhelmed any desire he had ever had in his life.

"What are you talking about?" she said, pulling her hand out of his arm.

"I..." Dominic's voice was hoarse.He swallowed, licking his lips. "I have a compulsive gambling addiction. Sorry, I can't go in."

Aubrey stared at him and said in disbelief, "Are you a gambler?" She didn't have to say anything else, and Dominique could see the reproach in her eyes, because the same reproach was racing through his mind right now. .He should have expected this problem to come to a head, and should have warned her.

"I'm recovering, but I'm a bit overwhelmed. If I go in..."

If he goes in, he will be as happy as a fairy.The adrenaline is soaring, and the whole body is shaking with excitement-alcohol, drugs, and sex are not as good as gambling.Why did he try so hard to resist?

Dominic sighed unwillingly and shook his head desperately.

"Okay," Aubrey said, "I won't go wrong when I enter the casino. I'll keep an eye on Roz. You wait for me in the car. We'll text and I'll let you know the progress."

"Okay." He felt his hands trembling and stuffed them into his coat pocket. "I am really sorry."

She nodded, and he plodded away feeling no worse.

He walked all the way back to the parking lot with his head bowed, trying to resist the temptations of the surrounding casinos, their suction pulling him like a small hook.Every step was as difficult as crawling out of a knee-high mire.

After finally getting to Aubrey's car, his breathing became heavy and rapid.He got into the driver's seat, threw his coat on the back seat, and buried his face in his hands.

If he had surrendered just now, he would be very happy now.Poker, craps, even roulette - it doesn't matter what you play, never has.What got him addicted was the exhilaration, the delicious, intense thrill of risking everything just to win big.

Just play a game...

Unfortunately, only one round is not enough.It was never enough for him.Most people will not become addicted to gambling. They win or lose, and the amount is not large, so they leave when they want.But I don't know whether it is a physical or psychological reason, Dominic just can't just leave.Once started, there is no head.That's why he couldn't play another game.

He hammered the dashboard so hard that the car body rattled.This time, it brought back the wandering thoughts.He went to touch the phone, only to remember that it was still in his coat pocket.The phone fell out of his coat pocket and onto the floor of the back seat. After he picked it up, he immediately called the first person he thought of.

"Hello?" After a few rings, Levi muttered and answered.

Although it was only a few minutes past midnight, Levi had to be up early for work.Of course he was asleep when he got the call.Dominic didn't even think about it.

"Sorry," Dominic said, cursing himself for being careless, "I shouldn't have called—"

"Dominic?" The sleepiness in Levi's voice disappeared instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Dominic wanted to hang up the phone, pretending that he never called, but he knew that asking for help at this moment was more important than saving face. "Aubrey and I followed Rhodes down the Strip. He—he went into a casino."

There was the rustling of blankets and the creaking of mattress springs over the phone. "Have you gone to gamble?"

"No." Dominique closed his eyes, and the rest of the words came out like a cannonball: "But I want to go, Levi. I was there just now. It hooked me hard, like hooked inside me. I can't stop thinking about it, and I don't know how long I can keep myself under control."

"Where are you?"

"Aubrey told me to come back and wait for her in the car."

"I'll pick you up now." Levi's voice overwhelmed the sound of the drawer opening and closing at his end.

"What? No!" Dominic was torn between two emotions. Levy's response made him feel tender warmth, but he was afraid that Aubrey would think of him as someone who couldn't control himself and needed a man. A friend who comes to the rescue. "That's not necessary. I'm in an empty covered parking lot and nothing can tempt me. As long as I stay here I'm fine.

"Did you go in the car with Aubrey?"

"That's right. My pickup is parked behind McBride's office."

"Hmm. When Aubrey drops you off and gets into his car, are you going to drive home?"

Dominique gritted his teeth and banged his head against the headrest several times. "I don't know." With a heart full of hatred for himself, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words.

"Then when you finish, I will pick you up at the office."

"It's probably going to be hours—"

"I'll go." Levi said without a doubt.

Dominic's shoulders slumped, and his anxiety subsided a little. "Thank you," he said, though words were too poor to express his deep gratitude.

"You're welcome." Levi was quiet for a moment, and then said: "We have never talked about this issue, but... If you want to gamble, do you want me to stop you? Really stop you?"

Dominic blinked.It never occurred to him that this was a possibility—probably because he couldn't ask such a question if they switched sides.He didn't want to fight Levi for real, no matter what the situation was, no matter if it was to stop him from doing something big and evil.

Levy was different, he had a ruthlessness that Dominique didn't have.Dominic knew from the bottom of his heart that if he agreed now, Levi would not hesitate to use all possibilities to stop him from gambling.He's not going to let Dominic ruin his life again, no matter what the cost, no matter what anyone else thinks.

That's exactly what Dominic needs to hear.

"Yes," he said.The stagnation in his chest dissipated a bit, and he also took a deep breath, which seemed to be the first breath he had really breathed in in hours. "please."

"Okay. I'll keep talking to you until Aubrey gets back."

Dominic leaned back in the chair.At this moment, he believed in Levi without reservation, and believed that he would be fine.

[1]? theShopsatCrystals, a comprehensive luxury shopping mall, mainly for tourists to Las Vegas.