Summary: An ex-assassin takes a much needed vacation in Atlantic City and is reunited with a woman from his past...

Locke Koh didn't expect to see Meliza Rinaldo while on vacation in Atlantic City. Any feelings they shared in the past were gone, right? But he isn't the same man she remembers, and the casino manager needs his help...

A/N: Much thanks to Durandal for giving me Locke - he's definitely changed over the course of time.

I wrote this story a long time ago...and it's about 85 complete. I've always been a fan of bad boys. There's something about a dark, brooding, alpha male that really inspires me. Luckily, neither of them fought me along the way during the writing process - to be blunt, it was hard to keep them away from each other. Anyway, I hope you enjoy Locke & Meliza's story.

000

Turning his head to survey his surroundings, Locke Koh admired the spacious lobby of The Rinaldo hotel with its vaulted ceilings, columns, neutral tones that made up the walls and rich browns and blacks that made the marble tile floors. The hotel design must have been inspired by the architecture done during the High Renaissance with its larger than life structure and almost mathematical placement of elements. From the position of the front desk in reference to the entrance, and to the way the lobby opened up to the casino floor…meticulous planning and layout had been made.

Honestly, he hadn't expected to spend his vacation here. After that incident that he, Tanaka, and Kozue had handled as quickly as possible…he realized that he needed a break. So he decided that a leisurely drive to Atlantic City…with the full intention of gambling…would be a nice vacation away from New York.

When he got to the city, he had driven for several blocks, relying on fate to direct him to a hotel. And look where he had ended up.

It couldn't have been a coincidence. He knew someone who worked for the Rinaldo Hotel Corporation. It had been almost two years since he last saw her and been in contact with her. Of course, there was no guaranteeing that she'd be here in Atlantic City…

"Here is your card and key, sir," the front desk clerk gave him his credit card and a magnetic card room key. She gestured towards the casino. "Enter the casino, take the first elevator on your left, seventh floor, room 702."

"Thanks." Locke placed his credit card in his wallet and pocketed his room key before heading towards the elevators.

Along the way to his room, he had passed elderly couples and eager college students. His room was a single standard room with a king-sized bed with brown and black beddings, a microfridge fully stocked, flatscreen TV with remote, all the equipment for the business traveler, a small desk/dining table, and a view of the Atlantic City Boardwalk and neighboring hotels. During his previous life, penthouse suites were his 'standard' accommodations. But ever since he quit…he'd gotten used to staying in 'standard' rooms.

He set his bag down by the closet and idly flipped through the hotel guide book. He quickly learned various information about the restaurants and hours within the hotel, as well as information about neighboring establishments and attractions.

After a quick shower, he changed into a pair of black slacks and a white long-sleeved dress shirt. A glance at his watch told him that it was nearly dinnertime. Locke exited his room and headed towards the casino.

He passed the casual gamblers as they repeatedly pushed buttons on their video screens and made his way to the tables, surveying the different patrons and games. So many options.

Poker, Texas Hold'Em, Pai Gow, Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Craps. All of which he was familiar and good at. While living in Beijing, not only did he learn to fight, but he learned to gamble as well. He was good at beating odds and even better at reading his opponents in the games.

His eyes narrowed slightly, noting the mannerisms of the dealer to his left, about twenty feet away. The man looked bored. His eyes lacked focus and he handed out cards almost as if he was willing to toss out money.

Too easy of a win. While most people would jump at the opportunity to win so easily against the house, he was actually in the mood for a challenge.

His trained eyes caught sight of another dealer who deftly passed out cards to three customers. The dealer kept his movements precise and minimal – his expression revealing nothing. This one definitely wasn't bored.

Locke waited until the next blackjack game before settling in one of the stools, the other players being two female college students and a man who looked to be in his forties. After ordering a drink from a passing waitress, Locke took a few moments to study the other players. Both of the women looked as if they were dressed to go to a party. The redhead wore a black strapless dress and a shawl over her shoulders. The blonde wore a spaghetti strap silver dress with fringe at the hem. And the man appeared to be wearing navy blue trousers and some shirt in an awful pattern of circles, squares, and other shapes in various red, orange, and yellow washed out colors. His hair was slicked back by some shiny substance.

The dealer, 'Scott', as his nametag said, quickly gave Locke several chips, waiting for bets before passing out cards, face up, leaving one of his face down. The women had been given very low hands – a ten and a nine, he had been given seventeen, the man eighteen, the dealer with a four and another card face down.

The waitress came back with his drink and Locke waited patiently as the women asked for more cards in hopes of getting closer to 21. The women weren't in the mood to risk too much, for they stood at sixteen and seventeen. Locke and the other man kept their cards and the dealer flipped his card over to reveal a queen. The dealer put another card face up next to his for a total of wenty.

"What the hell?!" the other man exclaimed, frowning as his chips were pulled away.

After placing bets, the cards were dealt again with several hits to get to 21. The women with a sixteen and seventeen, Locke with a nineteen, and the man with twenty. Dealer with a jack and…ace.

"I want my money back," the older man demanded. "So far I've had the highest hands except for your…"

"I'm sorry, sir," the dealer began. "But this is-"

"Listen, don't you try to steal my money."

"Sir, I-"

"I want you to-"

"Is there a problem here?" came a voice.

Locke turned to the voice's owner, who came to stand behind and to the right of the dealer. A small smile tilted his mouth.

Her black hair was pulled back in a twist, parted on the left side of her forehead. She wore a red long-sleeved blouse and black knee-length skirt.

Seeing her again…after all this time...

Locke took a small drink and set his glass down.

"Who the hell are you?" the patron demanded.

She offered a polite smile. "My name is Meliza…I'm the casino manager here. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I can think of a few things…" the older man practically leered at her.

The two college aged women rolled their eyes.

"But your employee is stealing my money," the patron said haughtily.

Locke watched the exchange carefully. If she was anything like he remembered, she was probably contemplating the different ways she could kick him out of the casino and embarrass him in the process.

Meliza turned to the dealer. "Scott, why don't you take a break?" The dealer was only happy to leave, judging by the relief in his eyes – the only display of emotion he had given so far. Meliza turned to the patron. "Tell you what…let's try this again. If I win, you leave right now. If you win, I'll return the money you've wagered since you got to this table."

"That's a big gamble, sweetheart."

His disrespectful tone didn't seem to bother her. "I like to take risks."

He grinned lecherously. "How about after this you go with me for a drink?"

"I'm working," Meliza responded as she quickly dealt the cards.

Locke and the other women watched as the man stared at his hand, a frown forming on his face at the nine and two. Meliza's face up card was a six. Locke glanced at Meliza, only to see boredom in her eyes. It was a mask she was very good at putting on. He'd seen it quite a few times.

The other man gestured for another card, scowling at the sight of the king.

And the dealer won with seventeen.

"Thank you, sir. My men will see you out," Meliza declared with a saccharine smile.

The patron got off his chair, muttering about the house winning.

"Thanks so much," one of the young women to Locke's left said. "He was really starting to get annoying…"

"No problem." She collected the cards and put them away.

"You handled that very well," Locke spoke up.

She immediately turned to him as if noticing him for the first time. Her lips parted in shock, a thousand different emotions flickering in her eyes. Surprise, disbelief, amazement…and…recognition. He smiled slightly. So…in spite of the changes he did to his appearance, she knew him. Interesting.

"Excuse me," a couple in their late forties spoke up. "Is this seat taken?"

And suddenly her gaze was pulled away. Meliza blinked, focusing her attention to them. "Ah...no. Your new dealer should be arriving soon...but we can start now..."

Quickly taking out a business card, Locke wrote a note and left it on the green felt and walked away. She was smart…she'd figure out his message soon enough.

000

Meliza turned to find that the man had left. Her eyes caught his back disappearing into the crowd before turning to the spot he had just occupied.

She hadn't heard a voice like that in a long time. Still…she'd never forget that voice. But…it was impossible, wasn't it?

She spotted a white card on the green felt where he had been sitting. Snatching it up, she turned it over to see in black print on the upper left corner a logo of a flower vase and single flower in what appeared to be brush calligraphy style. And farther down, text information. 'Devlin Cai, Chinatown Flowers'. She skimmed the location information before seeing handwriting on the far right side that simply read 'You told me to look you up some time'.

Her jaw dropped. Oh my...

"Hon, did he leave you his number?" one of the college students asked.

"Yeah...I...I think he just did..."

"Damn," the other student said with amazement. "Why can't college guys ever be like that??"

Meliza looked back in the direction he had disappeared. Unbelievable…

She assisted the patrons with the next few games, her mind only half paying attention. When the next dealer arrived, she made her way to a house phone, calling the operator. She was going on a hunch…just because he was in Atlantic City didn't mean he was staying in her family's hotel…

"Thank you for calling The Rinaldo, how may I direct your call?" the operator answered in a pleasant tone.

"Could you please connect me to a guest's room? Last name Cai, first name Devlin." Meliza held her breath, waiting for the operator to bring up the information.

"I'll connect you right now."

Releasing the breath she had been holding in, Meliza turned, bracing her back against the wall.

"Hello?" a male voice answered after picking up the phone.

"Very funny," Meliza chided, smiling in spite of herself.

"I thought so. It isn't very often someone catches you off-guard."

"You developed a sense of humor since I last saw you."

"It has been a while," he agreed. "Are you busy tonight?"

"I get off work at eleven today," she responded. "It might be best that we meet somewhere not in this hotel."

"If you'd like, we can meet at the lounge next door – Top of the Atlantic."

"I'll see you then."

000

The hotel restaurant lounge on the high floor that overlooked Atlantic City and the water provided a very comfortable atmosphere. With its dim lighting, earthy décor, candlelit tables, it definitely had the romantic touch to it.

Not that he was really going for that.

Locke frowned, taking a sip of his white wine.

The last time he and Meliza had encountered each other had been under very dangerous, high adrenaline circumstances. A part of him was curious to see how they'd interact in normal situations.

He grimaced, recalling the details of his last assignment. He had made a bad decision accepting that job two years ago. But if he hadn't…he never would have met her. She had been a friend of his targets. He had used her in the beginning to get to them…but so many things happened so fast…he ended up saving her life several times.

Looking up, he saw her making her way towards him. She was dressed in a red, ¾-sleeve stretch cotton dress that ended a couple inches above her knees. Black knee-high boots cased her feet. A black sweater was folded over her arm, a leather bag slung over her shoulder. Her dark hair was still fairly long, falling to the middle of her back.

Thinking that chivalry would be a good place to start, he rose from his chair and helped her settle in her seat before settling across from her.

Meliza tossed his business card onto the small table between them, a wry smile on her lips.

"So is that what you go by these days?" she asked.

"For the last two years, yes."

She shook her head. "I never would have imagined you'd get into customer service."

"It has its moments."

She grinned. "So you're an honest man, now?"

He arched a brow at her teasing tone. "I wouldn't say that…"

"So you're good at convincing others you're an honest man."

"That's more accurate." She hadn't changed much. Just looking at her and he could see that she still had the same spirit that had caught his attention a few years ago.

"I see." Meliza signaled the waiter and quickly ordered her drink before turning back to him. "So what brings you to Atlantic City?"

"I needed a vacation," he said. "And I wanted to gamble."

"How's your luck been so far?"

"Not bad," he responded, his eyes meeting hers. "Not bad at all."

"Really?" A mysterious smile formed on her lips. "You always were confident in your own abilities." She thanked the waiter before taking a sip of her drink. "It's good to see you again. I didn't think I ever would."

"Why's that?"

She shrugged. "Oh…as time goes on, you just lose touch with people."

He knew the feeling. Although it was a conscious choice for him. When he left Fighter's Isle, he deliberately cut off all ties with people in the underground world who had known him as Locke Koh. He checked around once in a while, quietly, to see how his old acquaintances were doing. Some continued their lives as assassins or others had disappeared, just like him.

It was strange…meeting an old acquaintance. Particularly one who, for a short amount of time, had meant something to him. He had never really bothered to dwell on that too much back then, because…honestly, the timing wasn't right. He had just quit being an assassin and was hoping to start a normal life for himself. He didn't need any distractions.

"So…tell me what you've been up to the last two years."

"It's a long story and not that interesting," he said.

At that, she grinned. "I start work late tomorrow..."

They engaged in small talk for the next two hours. He learned that she had been the casino manager in Atlantic City for almost two years – since the last one had been promoted to general manager and moved to oversee the hotel in Las Vegas. Her parents still were board members in the company, but had officially turned over the operations to other family members or trusted longtime employees. There was talk about their retirement, but that would be a long transition. And he told her briefly about his store and the area he worked and lived in.

It was just after one-thirty a.m. when they headed back down to the bottom floor of the hotel.

Meliza paused at the front entrance, turning to him. "Well...this is where I stop." She tipped her head slightly in the direction of valet. "I'll be driving off, since I live in a house a couple miles away."

"Are you busy tomorrow?" he found himself asking. It was a very forward question. Most of his actions that night had been pretty forward as it were. He liked to think of it as a new attitude that complimented his new lifestyle.

She nodded. "Yes, I am. But it was nice seeing you again." That message was pretty loud and clear, and he tapped down the little wave of disappointment. She hadn't even given him the chance to select a different time to meet. And he wanted to see her again. This particular night out told him that they could get along outside the survival situations. But before he could reflect further on that, Meliza leaned forward on her toes, kissing his cheek lightly. The action had brought her closer to him, and with it, a subtle, exotic fragrance that he couldn't place. "You take care of yourself, Locke."

And with that, she exited the hotel, giving her ticket to the valet. He watched and waited as a few minutes later, valet arrived with her vehicle. She tipped the driver before climbing inside her car and drove off.

It was almost as if she was saying goodbye after he had just said hello.

He couldn't have been misreading her. She had been surprised and glad to see him at first. As the night continued, she chatted as if they were old friends, but when it was over…? Women were so complicated…

Frowning slightly, Locke stepped out and began walking back to his hotel.