The moment had finally come.
I walked alongside Sydney, Rachel, and Cindy, our steps slow and deliberate as we made our way toward the State Marina. The Golden Nugget rose up ahead of us, tall, gaudy, the kind of building that had no business still looking impressive in a world like this. Glass and steel catching the pale morning light, its casino signage dark and dead but the structure itself still standing like it hadn't gotten the memo that everything had fallen apart. It sat right across from the marina, massive and unmissable.
We made sure we were visible. That was the point, walk in plain sight, no sudden movements. Let them see us coming and make their own calculations.
