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couldn’t comprehend that kind of freedom, but he couldn’t tell if she was envious or horrified. “I don’t mind roughing it,” he added. “Comfort and excitement don’t go hand in hand.”

      She dipped her head and her long hair fell over her face like a veil. “You’re right, they don’t.”

      Christine’s voice had been so quiet he almost didn’t hear her above the ringing bells and shouts of laughter in the casino. Yet he caught the regret in her tone.

      She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Once you have a comfort zone, it doesn’t grow wider,” Christine said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “It gets smaller and smaller until you realize you’ve put yourself in a cage.”

      “Exactly,” Travis slowly agreed. It was why he didn’t stay in one place for more than a month. There were moments when he longed to call a place his own, but he’d grit his teeth and keep moving until the feeling passed. “Sometimes you need to shake things up. The way you’re doing now.”

      “You can tell that just by looking at me?” She glanced at her dress and automatically pulled at the short hem that revealed her long, slender legs. “What else can you tell?”

      Travis paused. He was usually good at figuring out people; the skill helped him survive whenever he found himself in sticky situations. But he got the feeling that Christine was trying to be someone different during her Vegas trip. He saw that a lot in the more touristy areas he’d visited. It was like role-playing, trying on a more exciting or an entirely different persona.

      “This is your first time in Vegas,” he guessed.

      Christine jerked her head back in surprise. “That’s true,” she reluctantly admitted. She glanced around the casino as if she wondered how he’d come to that conclusion.

      “First trip anywhere?” he asked.

      “Not at all,” she scoffed. She rubbed her fingers over her bare collarbone. Her hand stilled as if she realized something was missing. “I travel around the world all the time.”

      Travis silently nodded his head. It may not be the first time she’d been out of her hometown, but it was definitely the farthest she’d been away from home. Only she didn’t want him to know that. Christine wanted to look more sophisticated and experienced than she really was. How far was she willing to go to live out this role? Travis was willing to play along.

      “I’m taking advantage of a long weekend,” she said with a defiant thrust of her chin, “and I decided to try something closer to home.”

      He didn’t buy that excuse. Christine was definitely the kind of person who would make incremental goals. Once she found success, she would build up to a bigger goal. He couldn’t imagine living like that.

      “What do you do?” he asked. It was probably a desk job that dealt with numbers. She would want something that was climate-controlled and dealt with absolutes. But what would her alter ego say? Would she pick something creative or something dangerous? What she decided would give him a little more insight into her dream life.

      Christine pursed her lips. “What do you think I do?”

      Travis arched an eyebrow. It was time to rattle her cage. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

      “Are you going to tell me my fortune?” Christine asked with a nervous laugh.

      “No, but I can tell a lot about a person by their hands.” Hers were soft and delicate. The nails were short and unvarnished. There was no wedding ring and no indication that there had been one.

      “I can’t tell what you do for a living,” he said as he trailed a fingertip down her palm before resting it against her wrist. Her pulse skipped under his touch. “You are searching for a challenge. You’ve done it all. Seen it all.”

      Her hand jerked but she didn’t pull away. “Go on.”

      “You’re looking for a jump start.”

      She snatched her hand back. “What makes you think that?”

      He wasn’t sure why he said it. A jump start suggested she had once been adventurous but now found herself in a routine. That didn’t sound right. She was too cautious. She wanted to be reckless but just couldn’t let herself go.

      “It’s been a while since you had an adrenaline rush,” he continued, watching her closely. He needed to see her response or have her correct him, but Christine’s expression didn’t give anything away. “Vegas may be too tame for you.”

      The corner of her mouth twitched as she leaned back in the gold seat. “Are you talking about me or yourself?”

      “Can you read people, too?” he teased.

      “No, but I looked around this casino when I came in,” she said. She did a quick survey and looked back at him. “We don’t fit into this crowd, so I have to wonder why you’re here. The only other guy who’s around thirty is the blond guy with a beard at the blackjack table. Are you with him?”

      Travis froze. He hadn’t expected Christine to be that observant. How had she already connected him with Aaron? Had she seen him talking to his friend or was there a detail he had missed?

      “That guy?” He casually glanced over at where his friend was sitting. His gut clenched when he noticed Underwood and Pitts talking to Aaron. “Never met him before. I was giving him blackjack tips, but he didn’t need them.”

      Aaron and Pitts looked over at him. Travis knew that wasn’t a good sign and refused to make eye contact with his friend. He needed to distance himself from Aaron before they realized he was the one who had the emerald.

      He didn’t know why he assumed Pitts and Underwood wanted to steal the emerald. He just knew. Maybe it had to do with the instincts he had developed over the years. Or it could be because those two were around the last time someone tried to take Aaron’s gem.

      That emerald was bigger than any gem he and Aaron found on their treasure hunts. Any of his poker compatriots could be after it, but Hoffmann had more of an emotional investment in it since it was a family heirloom.

      “Why are you in this casino, Travis?” she asked. “Do you work here?”

      The idea of working hours in a dark and windowless room sounded like torture. Travis shuddered at the thought. He hated being indoors. It reminded him too much of home. “No, I’m here looking for business.”

      Christine gave a skeptical look. “You’re a businessman?”

      Travis shook his head. No one would believe that. He realized he should have planned a cover story so he didn’t get caught in a lie. But why should he start thinking ahead now? He always thought on his feet. Not knowing what he was going to say or how he was going to get out of trouble was half the fun. “Most of these guys are senior citizens who like to gamble and invest in expeditions.”

      She blinked and it was as if the light went out in her eyes. “I see.”

      He knew that look. He got it all the time when he tried to fund his next extreme adventure. “I’m not a con artist or a grifter,” he insisted, flattening his hand against his heart as if he was making a pledge. “I plan and guide friends through adventures.”

      “Yes, I can imagine there’s a huge difference.”

      “I’m trying to raise money for my next trip,” he added. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell Christine. He wanted her to open up, but it felt as if he was the one who was telling her everything. “I want to climb the volcanoes of Indonesia.”

      “Never been there,” she said coolly. “But then, if you climb one volcano, you’ve climbed them all.”

      Travis pressed his lips together. No climber would make that kind of declaration. “Yes, I can tell you’re an experienced mountaineer with that backpack.”

      She reached down

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