After a few days, when James was feeling better, they went back to the casino.
Olivia suggested they go closer to nightfall as he wasn't fully adjusted to the sunlight and it still drained him quite a bit. She knew if he went in looking sick or run down, it wouldn't be a good reflection on him.
When they entered the crowded building, James's senses went on alert.
His eyes locked on someone across the room. He gasped. His gaze then flitted to another woman, sitting near the stage, enjoying the show. He felt an odd connection to them, although he was positive he'd never met them before. They each had a unique smell. Almost like a fingerprint. He could recognize about four or five different scents in the room.
He furrowed his brow. "What…?"
"You can sense the others, can't you?"
He looked down at her and she smiled back. She took his arm and led him over to the bar, their normal watch tower.
He followed her across the floor, able to pinpoint where the different scents were coming from as he moved his way through the crowd.
A young blonde woman at a nearby table perked up when he came near her. He could see her discretely sniffing the air. Her head turned toward him and she immediately locked eyes with him, despite the large crowd swarming around him. She declined her head, giving him a small smile and a wink, before turning back to her date; a brunette, around the same age, perhaps a bit younger. He wasn't picking up a scent from her, though.
He idly wondered if the brown haired girl knew exactly who she was having dinner with.
They sat at the bar and ordered their usual drinks. Scotch for her, martini for him.
"You mean they've been walking around here all this time and I never knew it?"
She chuckled. "Well what did you expect? We all walk about with neon signs round our necks? We don't make a point of broadcasting it to the world."
"I know, I just didn't think…" he looked around the room again. "Well for one, I didn't think they existed. And I certainly wouldn't have thought they'd be walking around amongst everyone else."
She giggled and sipped her drink. "You thought we all lived in one little village somewhere?" He shrugged and she rubbed his arm. "Some prefer that. I know of places where that's true. But a lot of us live among everyone else. It would get boring with just our kind. Humans are exciting... entertaining in some ways."
He smirked. "How?"
"Well… you get the see the world through fresh eyes. After about a century's worth of living, nothing seems new or magical anymore. You've lived through it all. Multiple times, in some cases. But when you see human children playing with their pets… or a couple that's newly engaged… their excitement about the little things. They know they can't go on living forever so they try to cram as much excitement as they can into the few years they're granted." She shrugged. "It makes things interesting. Gives variety. Otherwise, you feel like you're just dragging on."
He nodded. "I can understand that." His eyes cut to one of his men, making his way over the bar. "Here comes the variety of life now."
The man nodded his head to James. "Sir." He gave a little bow to Olivia as well. "Ma'am."
Olivia smiled and sipped her drink.
"Good to see you, Ross." James smiled.
"You as well. Enjoying your down time?"
"I am. What's the news around here?"
He shrugged. "Nothing unusual. We've got everything settled. All shipments made on time. Any issues dealt with."
"Good man."
"Just thought I'd check in while you were here. See how everything was going."
"Perfect." He cast a glance at Olivia before turning his gaze back to Ross. "All the boys alright here?"
He chuckled. "Yeah. They're still not used to you being M.I.A."
"Not giving you trouble are they? They should know I left you in charge for a reason."
"No. Nothing like that. Though I have been mistakenly called James on more than occasion."
James chuckled and sipped his martini. "Miss me, do they?"
"I would say so, sir. But you can't blame them. You were the best we've ever seen around here. I don't think Gary ran things as well as you did, and he left the feds to join us."
James smiled. "You'll be alright. Give it time. You've got a good brain in there. You know the game. They'll respect that."
"I hope so, sir."
"And you can drop the 'sir' business. It's your place now."
He smiled. "Alright… James." He said it slowly as if testing the way it sounded.
James's eyes darted to a corridor, just barely visible from their station at the bar, but he'd been running the place long enough that any activity in that space immediately caught his eye. He nodded his head in that direction. "Looks like you got business."
Ross glanced back to the hallway where two suits disappeared into a discretely placed door.
"So I do. Better go." He nodded his head toward Olivia again. "Good luck. To both of you. And remember, everyone here is still loyal to you. If you get hung up out there, you know where to find us."
James nodded. "Thanks, Ross."
The man stepped down from the bar and disappeared silently into the corridor.
"You've certainly made a lasting impression." Olivia smiled.
"I trained most of them. Taught them the rules. But Ross caught on quicker than he others. A lot like I did. I know he can handle things."
"So you don't have anything to worry about then."
"No. Not anymore." He sipped his drink.
"And you're sure about this? Giving it all up, I mean."
He put his drink on the bar and took her hand in his. "I'm sure that I want to spend as much of my life with you as possible. I don't care about all this. My time here was done anyway. I want my time with you now. I just want you."
She smiled. "Alright then. You've got me."
"Good." He smiled. "Why don't we get out of here, hmm?"
"Afraid they'll ask you to come back?"
"No. But I can think of a few things at home I'd rather be doing."
She smacked his arm. "Behave."
"Make me." He smirked.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "And this is what I'll have to put up with for another century and a half."
He laughed. "Come on."
He took her hand and helped her down from the bar. They made their way back through the crowd. James could only smell two other scents now, apart from Olivia's, which he assumed meant the others had left for the evening. They walked out into the night air and one of the men at the door, seeing James, bowed his head and asked if they wanted him to request a car.
"Yes. Thank you." He paused. "Actually… that won't be necessary." He smiled at the man and hooked Olivia's arm through his.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
The doorman turned his head for a minute two to clear the short line of people that had gathered outside. He turned back to call out to James.
"Are you sure you don't want-" he stopped midsentence.
There were no cars ready. And he didn't see one pull up to the curb as he was checking in the other guests.
He looked around.
They were gone.
He frowned and shook his head before turning his attention back to guarding the door.