Even Odds Read Free Page A

to reach hotel shuttle pickup. Behind her, Dan was spewing a continuous wave of low-grade profanity that finally made Isabel turn around.
    â€œAre you all right?” She’d never seen him like this. Normally Dan was a mellow, happy-go-lucky picture of composure.
    â€œI get a little claustrophobic in crowds like this.” His smile looked like a grimace. “Need some fresh air.”
    â€œYou spend every weekend clubbing,” Matthew pointed out. “How is this any different?”
    Dan gave him a dubious look. “It’s completely different. At the club, there’s music, hot girls are grinding on me, and I have alcohol.”
    Matthew shrugged. “Fair enough.”
    What passed for fresh air in Boston in March hit Isabel like a wall of ice as they stepped out onto the curb. “Goddamn it, it’s cold out here.” Glad she’d thrown a jacket in her bag, she pulled it on and zipped it up, but it did little to block out the wind. She should have brought a much bigger jacket. Maybe a parka. Something with down or fleece or whatever they used in Alaska to stay warm.
    â€œI’m freezing my fucking scalp off.” Matthew started digging in his bag and finally emerged with a black knit hat that he pulled onto his head. “I’d better get laid for this.”
    â€œI’m sure whoever you bring back to the hotel room will think you’re sexy even with a freezer-burned scalp.” Isabel shoved her hands in her pockets. Maybe the hotel store sold gloves. “I wouldn’t pee outdoors, though, or you might not end up with anything to get laid with. ”
    Matthew looked stricken. “Fuck, Isabel, don’t say something like that. Wouldn’t that be just my luck? I’d have to spend the weekend actually working.”
    Lloyd snorted. “Speak for yourself.” He exchanged a look with Dan, who was staring up the road waiting for the shuttle bus, blithely unconcerned with the cold in his T-shirt. “We men have needs, and I’m not going to spend one more minute working than I have to. Well, maybe working on some cute Boston chick.” He made a lewd up-and-down gesture with his hand.
    â€œHey, man, there are females present.” Matthew threw an arm around Isabel and dragged her in close, his grip affectionate. “She doesn’t need to be subjected to our depravity.”
    His words were teasing, but Isabel bristled. This is what she’d wanted, though. It was better just to be sexless and professional, treated like another one of the guys, if she wanted to be taken seriously. She’d made that mistake at her last job at Pixel Dream Games, thinking she could be a woman in this industry without making some concessions, but that had ended in disaster. She was not going to make the same mistakes again, even if it forced her into this boring, “never let my hair down” image that sometimes chafed.
    Eventually, the shuttle for the DoubleTree hotel pulled up in front, and after loading their bags into the cargo hold, Isabel was safely ensconced in a warm vehicle with her coworkers. Very ensconced: the hotel shuttle was completely full. She knew DiceCon was a big deal, but it didn’t feel real until she started to see the signs of geek life all around her: gamer T-shirts and sweatshirts abounded on the shuttle. At least they were presenters and got to arrive early for the preshow setup, so they wouldn’t need to fight the morning crowds at the convention itself.
    As the shuttle drove through the streets, Isabel peered out the window at the tall buildings. She hadn’t expected the tightness of the city, the claustrophobic sensation of being surrounded. Tampa was just as populous, but with the flat horizon, it seemed more sprawling, less congested, somehow. Perhaps because PI Games’ offices were on the very outskirts of the city, and she didn’t venture into its depths very often, but Boston was a