Casino Prince

"Get him out of here. We can't have Ms. Emerson's carpet getting dirty."

The others, still rattled, quickly complied and dragged him off.

I was free from my restraints, but I was scared stiff, too intimidated to make a move.

They were armed. If I made one wrong move, I would be the next one catching a bullet.

Josh was scared out of his wits at the corner, but there was a new resolve in his eyes.

"Mr. Baker, he really does have a crescent-shaped birthmark on his belly, just like the one Ms. Emerson is after!"

Alex shot him a chilling look, and Josh instantly shivered and hung his head.

"The rest of you, get moving–and make it quick. Don't waste my time."

Four more guys pounced, and I scrambled back in panic.

Just then, my eyes caught a familiar graffiti on the wall.

A family of three was flying a kite, and the little boy in the middle had a name written above his head, a name I could never erase from my memory.

"Cole."

That was the drawing I had made right before I was taken. It was the one my dad adored, and my mom promised to treasure forever.

It was my mom!

She had been searching for me all those years, I realized.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I tried to sit up, leaning on the couch.

"Is your Ms. Emerson's last name by any chance..."

"All this chatter, you're probably up to no good, aren't you?" Alex cut me off, his gun then aimed at my forehead.

"You, be quiet.

"And you, strip him down. We need to check him out."

…

My head went numb with fear.

He did not hesitate to shoot his own people. I stood no chance!

Josh, trembling, whispered urgently, "Chester, just play it cool. Once they're done checking, I can get out of here. If you don't stop, I'm as good as dead..."

Even then, all he could think about was saving himself!

I gave the graffiti one more look and decided to play it cool.

'If they check this out and it's all good, my mom can finally show up. We'll have our tearful reunion, and this whole mess will be over,' I told myself.

I clenched my jaw and stood still while they yanked up my T-shirt.

Right below my belly button, the crescent-shaped birthmark was unmistakable.

"Mr. Baker, this looks legit!"

Alex hurried over, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the mark, whispering under his breath, "It's an exact match to Ms. Emerson's drawing..."

Josh, seeing that things were going his way, grinned sheepishly. "Mr. Baker, now that we've confirmed it, about the money..."

Alex fixed his gaze on my birthmark. Then, with a flick of his hand, he said, "We're done here. Beat it."

"Right, right, I'm outta here!" Josh nodded like his life depended on it and spun around to bolt.

However, he still had my lucky coin!

I leaped off the couch and lunged for his jacket. "Josh, you can't just leave..."

"Don't let him escape!" On Alex's order, one of his goons kicked me hard in the gut.

I stumbled backward, unable to dodge, and my head slammed into the corner of a table.

Alex lost it. "You got a death wish or something? How many times have I told you guys–no rough stuff until we're sure!"

The hit I took from Josh was still throbbing, and I could feel something warm trickling down.

Propped against the table, I touched the back of my head, and my hand came away bloody.

My sight started to dim, and my consciousness was slipping away, my body not responding.

'I can't pass out... I haven't seen my mom,' I persisted.

"Shoot. Mr. Baker, he's bleeding out!" someone yelled in a panic, pointing at me.

Alex scowled, his concern evident.

"Okay, you two: hustle and get a doctor. And you two, dash over to Ms. Emerson's and tell her the birthmark's a dead ringer for the one she's after. She needs to see this, pronto.

"Everyone else, play it cool. If this guy's the one Ms. Emerson's been hunting, we don't want to tick him off. The last thing we need is him tattling to her and getting us all in hot water!"

The goons scattered, nearly tripping over Josh, who was frozen like a statue by the door.

It took him a moment to find his voice, shaky and uncertain, "Mr. Baker... I mean, Ms. Emerson's just on the lookout for some arm candy, right? Is snagging a boyfriend really such a big deal?"

Alex shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel, "Cut the chatter. You think Ms. Emerson would dangle a fortune just for kicks? If this guy's the real deal, he's your golden ticket out of debt.

"But let's get one thing straight–not just any guy with a moon on his skin can clear the slate.

"We've had jokers try to pass off fakes before, clueless about where the real deal should be. They just slapped on a crescent and called it real."