The Mesmerized (2 page)

All of Jake’s six foot five Swedish
handsomeness appeared strolling down the hallway. A black t-shirt
emblazoned with the insignia of the fictional band DethKlok was
stretched across his muscular chest and he wore dark gray cargo
shorts and black high-top Converse. Blond hair swept into a
ponytail, he carried their youngest daughter on his hip while
struggling with the baby backpack and diaper bag.

“Min, can you give me a hand?” he asked.

The tourist openly stared at Jake, her eyes
widening a bit. It was a common response. Jake was someone people
always noticed.

“Excuse me,” Minji said to the woman, and
then pulled on the short pink and purple leash attached to Ava’s
backpack. A gift from Lily, Minji had scoffed at it until Ava
developed a bad habit of dashing away whenever something
interesting caught her eye. It was a little embarrassing, but in
Las Vegas she wasn’t about to take a chance with her daughter’s
safety. “Gimme the baby, hon.”

With a relieved moan, Jake handed over
Bailey. Not quite a year old, the little girl was getting bigger
and heavier every day. Minji kissed Bailey’s soft cheek while
tugging the pale yellow shirt down over the baby’s round belly.
Bailey’s dark hair was in pigtails with bright pink pompoms holding
them in place. Like Ava, she had a smattering of freckles on her
nose.

“I’m convinced this thing was made to drive
me crazy,” Jake muttered while setting the diaper bag on the floor
so he could mess with the backpack. “I’m a programmer. I should be
able to figure this out!”

Ava giggled. “You’re doing it all wrong,
Daddy.”

Jake fussed with the straps and buckles
while casting an amused look at his eldest daughter. “You think
this is funny?”

“Uh huh.”

Tickling Ava’s side, Jake winked. “I’m glad
someone thinks it is, because Daddy is about to lose his mind over
it.”

“I think you flipped something around when
you took the baby out.” Minji pointed. “That piece right
there.”

With a bit of tugging and a lot of swearing
under his breath, Jake sorted out the backpack. “If not for the
safety rating on this thing, I’d swear it was defective.”

“Eh, it’s just a torture device for parents.
We already agreed to that.”

Shrugging on the backpack, Jake squatted
since there was well over a foot difference in their heights, and
Minji slipped Bailey into the contraption. Minji carefully made
sure her youngest was securely strapped and patted her husband’s
broad shoulder. “You got it, babe.”

Rising to his full height, Jake rolled his
shoulders. “That’s better.”

Bailey immediately grabbed his ponytail and
held on.

Jake grunted. “I’m going to cut it off. I
swear.”

“Then you won’t look like a Viking,” Ava
said with a pout. She loved telling her friends at school that her
father was a Nordic warrior.

“Cutting it all off, Min. I swear.” Jake
tried to pry his hair from his daughter’s chubby fingers to no
avail.

“You’ll be sexy either way.” Minji hoped he
wouldn’t carry through with his threat. She liked his hair long. It
did give him a sexy Viking vibe.

“So where are the parental units?” Jake’s
voice only had a hint of his Swedish accent. It mingled with a
Texan one, which many found charming.

“Your parents found their gate, so they’ll
be heading to New York within the hour. My parents are alive
according to my mom.”

“It’s a long drive back to Texas.” Jake
shook his head. “She’s only going to get more dramatic.”

“They have scheduled stops at hotels. It’ll
be fine. She’ll have time to swig beers and chill out.”

“We’ll be home before they are. Your mom
does realize how silly that is, right?”

“Do you really think us arriving first would
be enough to persuade her to get onto a flying deathtrap?” Minji
grinned at the thought of her mother being dragged onto a plane.
“Not gonna happen.”

“What’s a deathtrap?” Ava asked.

“What your grandmother thinks planes are,”
Jake replied.

That answer satisfied the little girl. Ava
held out her sheet of tattoos, obviously bored with the subject of
her grandparents. “I want another one, Daddy, but it won’t fit. Can
I put the tattoo on my other arm?”

“Ava, I told you one arm only.” Jake ruffled
her red curls affectionately.

“But that’s dumb.”

Minji agreed, but Jake was firm about laying
down rules for Ava. She was their first child and they tended to be
overindulgent with her. After several public temper tantrums,
they’d agreed to be stricter and not give her everything she
wanted. Jake had even implemented a new gold star and points system
at home so she could earn privileges. It was working, but sometimes
it was hard. Ava was an incredibly charming child who knew exactly
how to manipulate her parents.

“Are you saying I’m dumb?” Jake tilted his
head and gazed down at his little girl with a stern look.

“No, Daddy. I just want more tattoos.” Ava’s
small fingers scrunched the paper.

“Well, after your bath tonight, we’ll put on
new ones for tomorrow. So put those away.” Jake tugged on the strap
of Ava’s Disney
Mulan
backpack when the little girl scowled.
“Put them away, Ava.”

Reluctantly, she obeyed.

Leaning toward Minji, Jake winked at her.
“See. A firm hand works.”

Her husband’s kiss tasted minty and the
light scruff on his jawline rubbed against her palms when she
cupped his face. The grandparents had taken the kids off their
hands for one night during their vacation and they had taken full
advantage of a kid-free suite. They were both still glowing and
exhausted from their epic sex marathon the night before. Minji
would have loved another evening alone with her husband, but the
grandparents had been scheduled to depart two days before Minji and
her family would return to Austin.

“We’ll do this again,” Jake said, appearing
to read her mind. “Next time, we’ll leave the girls with your
brother.”

“I want to come back!” Ava protested. “I
like it here.”

Minji played with one of Bailey’s chubby
feet while Jake slung the diaper bag strap over on shoulder. The
baby gurgled, her eyes bright with glee. Out of the corner of
Minji’s eye, she saw Ava’s frown that was so reminiscent of her
father’s when he was not happy.

Jake made sure the bag was secure, then
said, “We’ll do another family vacation next year, Ava, but
sometimes Mommy and Daddy need time away.”

Ava rolled her eyes. Bailey slurped on her
chubby fingers.

Though Jake and Minji had urged their
parents to get out and explore the city with them, the grandparents
had spent most of their visit in the faux Venice on The Venetian
side wandering in and out of shops, taking gondola rides, and
eating under a fake sky with painted clouds. Now that the
grandparents had departed, Jake and Minji were anxious to visit the
other casinos and see what else the city in the desert had to
offer. Jake tugged his smart phone from one of the many pockets
decorating his cargo shorts and pulled up the list he had compiled
over breakfast.

“Okay, what are we doing first?” Minji
asked.

“Tigers!” Ava clapped her hands, the tattoos
forgotten.

“Let me see where that is,” Jake
muttered.

Minji returned to her people-watching,
enjoying the happy vibe of the vacationers. Travelers were always
so much more relaxed and open to positive experiences when far away
from home and their troubles. The woman who had commented on Ava
lingered nearby staring at a large advertisement for clothing most
women would never be able to fit into. A man dressed in tennis
whites joined her, his slick black hair glistening under the light
spilling over the central courtyard from the large skylight
overhead. After a quick kiss, the couple draped their arms around
each other’s waist and lingered in front of the store’s
entrance.

Smooching Bailey’s chubby knee, Minji eyed
her husband. After seven years of marriage, they were still madly
in love. She’d never believed in forever until Jake, and sometimes
she worried that they would somehow drift apart. Throughout their
vacation, Minji found herself contemplating other couples. Were
they happy? Still madly in love? Did they still appreciate each
other? Minji knew a lot of her fears were born out of her parents’
marriage. They’d divorced when she was young and reunited years
later after both had married and divorced other partners. Though
they now seemed happy, Minji wondered if the second time around
would last. Jake’s parents were closing in on forty years of
marriage and Minji wanted that for her and her husband.

“No frowning,” Jake said, playfully trying
to wipe way the lines forming between her eyebrows.

Lightly slapping his hand away, she said,
“Not frowning!”

“You’re forming the Grand Canyon right
there,” he joked.

“That’s what Botox is for,” Minji
retorted.

“What’s Botox?” Ava asked.

“Something that mommies who frown a lot end
up getting,” Jake answered.

Minji rolled her eyes.

A diverse assortment of people strolled
through the area. From every corner of the world, people had come
to enjoy the artificial beauty and play in the dazzling lights. The
energy was dynamic and energizing. Since arriving a few days
before, Minji had been inspired to draw several new tattoo designs
on her tablet.

A woman in a hijab and sporting a massive
Coach purse walked past with a slew of kids in tow eating gelato
from the downstairs café. Her weary-looking husband trudged in
their wake, gripping huge bouquets of colorful shopping bags.
Meanwhile, an elderly gay couple strode hand in hand admiring the
scenery and talking in hushed voices. A cluster of pretty black
girls surrounded a young woman wearing a wedding veil adorned with
colorful condom packets and a pink plastic crown that read
‘Bachelorette.’ Minji hoped Ava didn’t notice the twinkling pink
penis necklace around the bride-to-be’s throat.

The massive passage linking the two resorts
snaked alongside the fake Grand Canal before splitting around the
atrium that sported the beautiful waterfall tumbling off the second
floor into the garden area below. The corridor then continued on to
even more shops and restaurants. After days wandering around with
their family, Minji was certain she had the layout memorized.

“Okay, the tigers are at The Mirage. So
that’s our first stop,” Jake decided. “Then we can head to the Hard
Rock. I want a t-shirt from there.”

Minji looped the end of the leash a few
times around her wrist before taking Ava’s hand. “Perfect. Let’s
get this show on the road.”

“It’s really crowded right now, so everyone
stay close. I’m looking at you, Ava.”

Ava gave her father a plaintive look while
tugging on her leash. “I can’t run away!”

“Good! I’d like my little girl to not go
splat in the road.”

Minji winced at the memory of her daughter
dodging into the road to greet Jake when he’d returned from an
evening run. Luckily their neighbor had seen her in time and jerked
her car onto someone else’s lawn, avoiding Ava completely. The mere
idea of losing any of her family was enough to make Minji sick to
her stomach.

Shoving negative thoughts away, Minji kept
in her husband’s wake as he threaded through the crowd toward the
escalators that descended from either side of the waterfall. The
atrium loomed ahead filled with bright sunlight that reflected off
the creamy walls and pillars.

The first sign that something was wrong came
when her brain was assailed with what felt like millions of cold
needles burrowing into the gray matter. With a whimper, Minji
pressed her fingertips to her temples in a futile attempt to stave
off the pain. Then the sensation intensified.

Screams echoed through the vast resort in a
horrifying chorus. All around her, people flailed about, or gripped
their heads in their hands. Jake grunted and stumbled as Bailey let
out a shrill cry. Woozy, Minji reached for her screaming baby just
as another stab of unbearable agony tore through her brain,
blinding her. Rapidly blinking her eyes, she desperately attempted
to restore her sight.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Ava wailed. “Mommy, my head
hurts! I can’t see!”

Howls of agony reverberated through the mall
corridors. Minji tugged on the leash, dragging Ava into her arms.
Unable to see, she clutched her daughter close. Paralyzing fear
churned in her gut. The pain diminished, but the blindness
remained.

“Jake!”

“I’m right here.” A familiar, warm hand
floundered against her back then found her shoulder. “I’m right
here, hon. I got you.”

Again there was a flash of icy discomfort,
then the world returned to sharp focus. To Minji’s horror, blood
streamed down the faces of some of the shoppers close to her.
Bubbles of the rich liquid formed in their eyes, noses, and ran
from their lips. Swaying slightly, the bleeders stared blankly past
the faces of their frightened companions. Minji swiftly checked
Ava, Bailey and Jake. None of them were bleeding. Lifting Ava onto
her hip, Minji pressed against Jake’s side.

“Jake, are you okay?”

“My head is killing me,” he answered. “Check
the baby.”

“She’s not bleeding, just crying. What the
hell is happening?”

“I don’t know. Keep Ava close!” Jake wrapped
his arms around his wife, pulling her toward the far wall.

Panicked friends and family members
attempted to rouse the blood-covered people from their stupor to no
avail. Minji hugged her sobbing daughter even tighter when she saw
the woman wearing the hijab shaking one of her small sons and
screaming while her husband attempted to check his pulse. The girls
from the bachelorette party clustered around the woman in her
bridal veil. Blood stained her face and the white t-shirt she wore
with the word “Bride” written in glittery gold lettering. One of
the bridesmaids was violently slapping the woman, but the
bride-to-be remained unmoving.