Chapter 3

Lexi used the many that she pickpocketed from the Hydra agents, then the two of them made their way to Nevada. Only, they had used the last of the money to get there. All they had left was $5.33.

Lexi looked at the buildings around them, and got an idea.

When they walked into the fancy upscale building with the name Whitney Peak Hotel, on the side of the building, Lexi approached the reception desk.

"Excuse me? Do you allow pets?" Lexi asked as politely as she could.

The Receptionist didn't even look up from her computer screen. She just continued to clickity-clack on the keys, "Of course. How many beds would you like?"

"One. King size."

"Name?"

Lexi had already decided on a name, so she said, "Leia Patri."

The Receptionist slides the key card and room information across the desk, then the woman - Susan - behind the desk said, "Room 208 Floor 15."

"Thank you." Lexi said as she and Charlie walked to the elevators.

Once inside the suite, Lexi made use of the shower. Lexi washed herself, her clothes and Charlie as best she could. Once she was done, and she dried off Charlie, she put her clothes out on the balcony, she called down to the service desk to order food up to the room.

!

Taking that first week to allow the gunshot wound to heal, Lexi and Charlie fell asleep.

!

The next morning, refreshed and washed, they headed out to explore the neighboring buildings a bit.

Or, well, they tried. Many of the buildings weren't pet friendly. Going back to the hotel for lunch, Lexi sat Charlie down, "Listen Char, If we are going to do what we came to this city to do, then I'm going to have to go to a couple of these buildings on my own."

Charlie growled.

"I know. If I could, I'd take you with me. But I can't. The buildings that I need to go into aren't pet friendly."

Charlie huffed, and rolled his eyes.

"I promise, I will not do what we came here to do without you. I'll be back before dinner." Lexi kisses the top of Charlie's head, before leaving Charlie at the in house Doggy Daycare.

Charlie whined as he watched his person walk away. Sitting down at the exact same spot that Lexi left him, and refused to move for anything until his person came back for him.

!

When she left the hotel behind, Lexi made her way to one of the buildings across the way, called the Silver Legacy. Lexi entered the main room, and she was assaulted with the loud buzz of hundreds of people going about. Dings and whirls from the slot machines. The loud joyous cry from the gamblers.

When she approached the counter, Lexi handed them all $5.33, in exchange the same worth in casino chips. When she made her way over to the card table, Lexi thought, 'Thank goodness I insisted that the other marines that my dad fought with, teach me poker.

!

Charlie laid at the same spot that Lexi left him for what felt to be weeks for him. He refused food and water. Charlie wouldn't even play with the other dogs. He just wanted his Lexi back.

The thought that she wasn't coming back would niggle into his head, before he would shake himself, and be rid of the horrible thought. 'Lexi is coming back. She promised.'

As time went on, and he reminded himself of his person's promise, he started to believe himself less and less. Because surely if Lexi was really coming back, she would be here already.

"If Lexi really loved you," a nasty voice said, that sounded like the cat from the lab, Mittens,"if she ever loved you, then she wouldn't have left you here. Now would she?"

"No, Lexi LOVES me! She promised she would be back!" Charlie shook himself free of the ghost of his past. Just in time for a familiar scent to hit him.

Jumping to his feet, Charlie gave a loud happy bark when his Lexi came into view. His tail wagging.

"Hey Charlie. Have a good time? I brought back some treats for ya. But, dinner first." Lexi laughed as she held the bag of treats away from Charlie, as he made a jump for it.

Following Lexi out of the doggy daycare, and over to the restaurant, Charlie thought, "See? Lexi does love me. She kept her promise."

!

When they got back up to the room, Charlie stayed pressed to her side.

Finally Lexi crouched down, "Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Charlie huffed and glared a bit.

"I couldn't take you with me. I wish I could. But if I did, then they could ask me to show them your service animal papers, proving that you are allowed.

"And then our family would find out where we are, and come here to get us. Then they would be in danger. You don't want them to get hurt, do you?" Lexi explained.

Charlie hung his head.

Lexi wrapped her arms around Charlie, and gave him a comforting hug.

!

The weeks went by, and Lexi continued to go to the various casinos in the city, Lexi kept raking in the cash. But to keep any of the casinos from getting mad at her for winning almost every time, and to keep the Hydra base unawares, she would go to one casino for a couple of nights and then she would go to a different one.

She kept this up for three weeks, as she slowly gathered supplies and made a plan.

After a month of being at Reno, Lexi had yet to come up with a plan. Flopping back onto the bed in her suit, she turned on the TV and went to Youtube. Where she spent the next three hours circling that endless abyss.

After watching a video on how to fix a mac laptop - not that she needed to, as she already knew how - she clicked on the next video that looked interesting.

And as the video concluded, Lexi got an idea. An awful, horrible, wonderful, crazy idea.

'So crazy, it just might work.' Lexi thought, as a grin stole upon her face. She had hit replay, and pulled out her note book. As she wrote furiously in it.