Chapter 2:

"I can't believe that rich people come to this dump," Andy exclaimed quietly as they both crossed the dark, deserted street and continued toward the entrance. Sharon grabbed his arm again and tried to remain calm.

"You wouldn't believe the lengths people would go to be able to gamble," she whispered bitterly.

"Right," Andy suddenly remembered that Jackson was a gambler, but kept quiet about it. He wondered what she went through and how she dealt with it. Being a recovered alcoholic himself he knew what addictions can do to the people suffering from them, but he thought it'd be interesting hearing about it from a different angle - from the family's point of view. His own family has barely ever spoken to him after he recovered.

Breathing became harder and harder with every step they took. This definitely wasn't Andy's first undercover operation, but it's been a very long time since his last one. He knew that Sharon was counting on him to show her the way and he didn't want to fail her. Her body felt warm against his as they walked. It felt good, cozy almost. He thought he could get used to her close presence, and suddenly he had to fight certain images of her out of his mind. It was weird, thinking about her in that way when she was right next to him; so close but yet so far.

"Can you try and look a little less uncomfortable?" Sharon whispered and tightened her arm around his. "We're supposed to look like a married couple, comfortable with each other."

"Oh, yes, 15 years of being happily married. Who would believe that one?" he whispered back and chuckled. Sharon shook her head, but the corner of her mouth curved to a little smile.

They both fell into silence as the guard at the front door became visible in the darkness.

"Good evening," Sharon smiled. The guard ignored her greetings and just stared at them. She looked at Andy hesitantly, hoping he'd understand her silent cry for help through her eyes.

"Uh… 'king-of-diamonds'," he said calmly. Sharon realized she had just made the first mistake – freezing in front of the guard. Luckily, Andy's fast response drew the guy's attention and he didn't notice. She never doubted her decision, but now she was even more sure that she had made the right one by choosing Andy as her partner.

The guard kept staring at them, examining their faces in order to see how sure they were of themselves. There wasn't a moment in her life when Sharon was happier to have a poker face.

"Credit card and ID's," he finally said.

Sharon opened her purse quickly and pulled the black American Express they had the bank make for this operation, along with her fake ID. Andy pulled his own fake ID from his pocket and handed it over. The guard examined the names on the ID's and the credit card, then checked that their faces matched those on the ID's, and eventually handed everything back to them.

"Welcome to 'Wonderland'," he opened the door to let them in. They stepped inside the dark building and heard him say "go right down the stairs," before closing the door and leaving them alone in almost complete darkness. The only light came from above the staircase – a sign with nothing but an arrow, showing them where to go.

"Careful," Andy whispered as they started to descend the stairs.

"Can you hear people? Anything? It's too quiet," Sharon sounded worried.

"I can't hear anything over the smell of your perfume," he said, holding her hand tightly to prevent her falling. He had no idea how women managed to walk in high heels without falling over every step, but he admired them for it all the same.

"I… what?"

"Nothing. It's just… nice."

"Stay focused, Robert," she whispered a warning just before reaching the door.

"Well, I guess my informant is reliable," he was barely audible but Sharon heard and nodded. All the information he has given them proved to be true so far – the location of the club, what to wear, how to get in… The only thing he didn't know exactly was who they were after. That would have saved them a lot of trouble, indeed.

Andy opened the door and everything hit them at once, overwhelming them – the light, the music, the chatter and the smoke. A lot of smoke. Sharon's eyes started to burn and tear up as soon as they entered and closed the door behind them.

The place wasn't too big, but for a basement it was fairly spacious. Clearly, it's been renovated to make it bigger than it was originally. There were poker tables all over the room, probably brought in specifically for the tournament.

A quick look around made Sharon feel more out of place than she initially thought she'd feel. If at one point she thought that her dress was fancy, looking at how the other women there were dressed changed her mind immediately. Each of those dresses could probably feed an entire family for a few months.

"Shall we get drinks, dear?" Andy asked, trying to pull her out of the state of shock that she was in. She frowned at him, confused, but then quickly remembered that the bartender was the informant. Andy rested his hand on her back and led her to the bar, having spotted it first from the entrance.

"Good evening," the bartender gave Andy a little nod of recognition. The tag on his vest said 'Vincent'. "What would you like to drink?"

A man in a black suit walked behind them, looking at them through suspicious eyes. He almost looked like a business man, but the lack of a tie, the two open buttons at the top of his shirt and his unshaved face gave Sharon the sensation that he wasn't an ordinary business man.

"Merlot, please," She played along. Obviously, she wasn't going to drink a drop while on the job. Vincent grabbed a bottle and poured some wine into a shiny glass. He tried to move as slowly as possible without looking suspicious. The guy in the suit walked away, apparently bored by what was going on at the bar.

Andy put money on the counter as Vincent gave Sharon the glass and then leaned forward a little, as if to take the money.

"This was the owner. He's checking you out. You two have to act like a real married couple or he'll suspect you. And believe me, you don't want to be on his black list.

"Thank you," Sharon continued to play the game. She turned to look at the poker tables and something got a hold of her face. Before she knew it, Andy brought his lips to hers.

He intended to give her a little peck, to make them look like an authentic couple, but once his mouth touched hers, he couldn't let go.

Sharon didn't do much to help him either. She just stood there with her eyes closed, completely devoted to the kiss. A shiver went up and down her spine quickly like a lightning, along with a sensation that she's already forgot about – butterflies. In her stomach. What was happening to her? It felt so good, nostalgic. Like a long forgotten childhood friend coming back, making her feel young again.

Andy caressed her tongue with his in gentle, slow movements, forgetting for a moment where they were at.

(***)

What's going on? Why has it turned black all of a sudden? Is the signal gone?" Provenza stared at the blank screen inside the van, confused.

"No…" Tao said slowly, "judging by the fact that they were both facing each other just before it went black…" he stopped thinking, a look or realization coming to his face.

"What?!" Provenza couldn't take his hesitance any longer. He was worried about his boss and colleague and wanted to understand what was going on.

"They are standing very close to each other."

"Standing close to each other?" Provenza was still at a loss.

"Very close," Tao tried to hint. He didn't want to say it.

"You mean… they're hugging?"

"Or…" Tao looked at him and after a few seconds saw understanding spreading on his face. Now Provenza looked like he just ate something very sour. "The bartender did say they had to be more credible as a couple," Tao shrugged.

"God, that's awful," Provenza muttered, staring at the still black screen.