Nigeli drove Jack and Reacher back to Franz's house once more—not just to check in but also to suggest that his wife and child temporarily leave New York, given how dangerous things had become.
Angela, Franz's wife, agreed but said they would stay for two more days. Franz's body had already been transferred to the coroner's office by CSI and would soon be returned for burial. The funeral was scheduled to take place in two days.
After saying goodbye to the grieving mother and child, the three of them left New York and got onto the New Jersey Turnpike.
"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Hannah asked over the phone.
"Just focus on keeping Angela and her kid safe. If everything goes smoothly, we'll be back by tomorrow." Jack glanced in the rearview mirror and confirmed that a black SUV was tailing them before hanging up the call.
Aside from luring out their stalkers, they also planned to make a stop in Atlantic City—where Sanchez and Orozco's office was located.
While Jack was on the phone, Reacher was also making calls, but all he got were stiff official responses or voicemail messages.
"Dixon's office still won't disclose her whereabouts?" Nigeli asked, her expression a bit odd.
"At least we know she's safe and working undercover. If she were on vacation, she'd have reported her location to her agency.
O'Donnell must have noticed something strange, too. He didn't answer, but he made a slight change to his voicemail message. I left him a message to meet us in Atlantic City."
Reacher finished speaking, only to see Nigeli giving him a teasing look. He glared at her. "Do you have something to say?"
"Come on, we all know there was something between you and Dixon. So? Did you sleep together?" Nigeli, despite being a woman, had absolutely no filter.
"Of course not," Reacher said, his gaze flickering slightly. "That wouldn't have been appropriate."
"Inappropriate? Like how it was 'inappropriate' with Roscoe?" Jack chimed in, joining in on the gossip.
"Who's Roscoe?" Nigeli turned to look at Jack in the backseat, clearly intrigued.
"A cop from Margrave. She's the mayor now." Jack smirked mischievously.
"That's different," Reacher said firmly. He hesitated for a moment, then repeated, "That was different." It wasn't clear whether he was trying to convince Jack or himself.
The previously tense atmosphere in the car suddenly lightened. Rather than all three of them brooding, it was much better to entertain two at the expense of one.
Nigeli pressed on. "We've known each other for over three years, and you never made a move on Dixon. How long were you in Margrave? A month?"
"Less than a week," Jack said, adding fuel to the fire. "And that girl still hasn't forgotten him. She's still single, you know."
Of course, Jack was just making things up. Roscoe could very well still be single due to her demanding job as mayor, but that didn't stop him from using it to tease Reacher.
"I told you, it was different," Reacher grumbled, getting exasperated. "Back then, we were in the military. That kind of relationship would have been inappropriate."
"But why? You were both the same rank—majors," Nigeli pointed out, grinning. Back when they served together, she and Reacher had a mentor-student friendship, but there were still strict chains of command in the military.
"I was leading the team. It would have been unethical."
That statement actually silenced his two gossiping companions. After a brief pause, Nigeli shook her head and sighed. "That is such a classic Reacher answer. Rigid, honest… and weirdly admirable."
Jack, who had been thoroughly enjoying the gossip, suddenly felt like he had taken a hit. He shrank back slightly and turned to look out the window, forcing a change of subject.
"Nigeli, once we pass Staten Island, be sure not to miss the ramp onto the Garden State Parkway. You can slow down a bit—don't lose our tail."
Nigeli didn't seem to notice anything unusual. "Mind telling me about your time in Margrave?"
Reacher cast a meaningful glance at Jack in the backseat, his lips curling slightly. "It's a long story… but let's start with a scam artist who mooched off women for a living."
Jack: "…"
—
Atlantic City was the second-largest gambling hub in the U.S., once only second to Las Vegas. If the traffic was smooth, the drive from New York took less than two hours. Even though it wasn't the weekend, there were still plenty of buses on the road.
Many of them had casino logos painted on the sides—these were free shuttles that ferried tourists from New York to Atlantic City's casinos.
Back in the good days, each visitor would be given $10 to $20 in free chips and a buffet voucher as soon as they stepped off the bus.
But those days were long gone. A few years back, economic downturns, combined with the rise of gambling in Pennsylvania and other states, had left this city—famous for its casinos and beauty pageants—declining, even teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
While the economy had somewhat recovered in recent years, it had never returned to its former glory. After all, this was a small city with fewer than 60,000 residents, and the livelihoods of everyone here were entirely dependent on the casinos. Their fortunes rose and fell together.
By the time the trio arrived in Atlantic City, the neon lights of the casinos had already illuminated the night, making the small city look dazzlingly extravagant.
They weren't interested in gambling, but since hotels and casinos were often combined, finding a place to stay meant looking for a casino along the boardwalk.
Many seaside cities in the U.S. had boardwalks, but Atlantic City's was the most famous—over 18 meters wide and nearly 10 kilometers long.
On one side of the boardwalk was a picturesque beach and the vast Atlantic Ocean stretching to the horizon. On the other side were casinos, luxury shops, and high-end restaurants.
The sandy beaches, palm trees, massive Ferris wheel, long boardwalk, and the glittering casinos all contributed to the decadent, indulgent atmosphere of the city.
"This should be the place," Nigeli said, stopping beneath a massive, multi-colored neon sign that spelled out Neptune in huge letters. She shrugged.
"We're staying here tonight?" Reacher frowned slightly.
"Too comfortable a bed gives you nightmares?" Jack teased. "Oh, right—you still owe me a door lock."
"You broke it yourself!" Reacher shot back indignantly.
"Because I was worried about you," Jack retorted. They bickered as they followed Nigeli inside, passing rows of flashy slot machines.
At the center of the casino was a massive circular bar, surrounded by cocktail tables. Around the bar, there were numerous gaming tables—strategically placed so that guests could grab a drink and take a break before jumping back into the action.
Nigeli's gaze swept around the casino floor, eventually landing on the table with the largest crowd. She turned to Reacher with a knowing smile.
"Miss, you have a 10 and an 8. Would you like to draw another card?" The dealer, a middle-aged woman wearing a green casino vest, looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.
"Of course. And I'm doubling my bet," said the player sitting opposite the dealer.
She was a slender white woman with long brown hair tied into a simple ponytail.
Jack and the others couldn't see her face from where they stood, but just her back alone was enough to stir the imagination.
______
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