Chapter 9

He buried his head in his hands. Gone. Forever. How could that possibly happen?

A familiar rumble filtered through the casino noise, but Shane didn’t look up until he felt a weight on his shoulder.

“C’mon,” Maury said. He didn’t sound mad; in fact, he sounded uncharacteristically subdued. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Maury’s meaty grip helped haul him to his feet, though his legs felt numb. As they stepped around the end of the bar, Shane looked over the casino, the people standing at the slots, the others meandering amongst the tables. It didn’t look any different. It didn’t sound any different. Nothing seemed changed, except…everything was.

Maury guided him away from the main floor and toward the nearest employee exit. The drifting of the door shut behind them cut the noise off to nothing, and Shane’s ears heated in protest. He needed the distraction. Without it, his thoughts became too loud.