“It’s a murder game,” Enne pointed out. “There is no element of surprise.”
At her words, he remembered how out in the open they stood, the whole boardwalk spread out behind them. While the Irons continued to explore, he hastily closed the casino doors and led Enne and Tock through hallways he didn’t recognize. This casino was supposed to be his legacy, but he’d barely bothered to learn its floor plan.
They approached a series of conference rooms, the sort for meetings and corporate-sponsored events. They were plainer than the rest of the casino, the walls painted a neutral gray instead of the harsh stripes of black and white. And they still lacked furniture. Levi didn’t care—he took a seat on the floor. Enne and Tock sat opposite him.
“So you think the Bargainer will come because she needs her target’s card?” Enne asked. “But if so, why hadn’t she just taken it before? She easily could have.”
“Because she’s working with Lola,” Tock answered flatly.
“What?”Enne yelped.
“Are you sure?” Levi pressed.
Tock nodded. “There was someone else there at her apartment, and I don’t think it was her brother.”
Levi’s head swam. He knew Lola had made a deal, but he’d never imagined the Bargainer had stayed with her. Did that make them allies? Friends?
Levi’s heart squeezed painfully. He’d finally gotten an idea, but it was a repugnant one.
For so long, what had made the Bargainer a formidable enemy wasn’t just her collection of talents—it was her mystery. Apart from Sophia’s descriptions and the one instance when Levi had passed her, they knew nothing about her. Not her character. Not her name. She was an opponent with all strengths and no weaknesses.
Until now.
“The card won’t be bait for the Bargainer,” Levi said. “It will be bait for Lola. It’s her card, after all. She needs it.”
It took several moments for the others to follow his train of thought.
Enne’s jaw clenched. “You can’t do that to Lola. She’s ourfriend, not a hostage—”
“You need to do it,” Tock said quietly. Levi gaped at both of them. He’d expected opposite reactions. “It’s the only way. Lola is her target—maybe her friend. If we use Lola to get to the Bargainer, we can kill her, and then we’ll get Lola her memories back.”
But do you wantherback?Levi wanted to ask but didn’t feel he had a right to. He didn’t know Lola the same way Enne and Tock did. And as far as he could tell, Lola had betrayed them both.
But he knew that wasn’t fair, that it was more complicated than that. Right now, eleven people stood on the same side, but eleven was a big number. They weren’t all loyal to each other. They weren’t all playing for the same reasons. It was what made their allegiance so delicate—at the first sign of strain, it would snap, and they would all protect only the few they cared about most.
Tock was Levi’s best friend, and if he asked her to, she’d play for him—he knew she would. Just like he would for her. But it was because she was his best friend that he wouldn’t ask her to.
“Then what isyourplan?” he asked Tock.
Tock leaned forward. “She doesn’t know me anymore, not really. So it should be Enne.”
Enne paled. “You want me to abduct her?”
“Just tell her to talk to you. Give her a reason to come.” Tock gestured out the conference room doors. “This casino is ready to open any day—”
“Any day?” Levi cleared his throat. “Sure, thebuildingis done, but the Irons aren’t prepared. Maybe in a month. Or—”
“The Irons cheat their way through everything. They’ll manage,” Tock interrupted. “Just call it a pre-opening. Throw a party. That’s the sort of thing we like to do, isn’t it? Throw a party, and tell her to come. Telleveryoneto come.”
Levi met eyes with Enne. She looked as uncertain as he did.
“And then what?” Levi asked.
“It’s your party,” Tock told him. “You tell me.”
Apartywas not the right word for an assassination—and likely, a failed one. The opening of this casino was supposed to be the culmination of Levi and Jac’s story, but that moment would already become another piece of himself he’d sacrifice to the game, to the city—just like Jac himself had been. Another piece of solace sold away.
“Fine,” he managed. “We’ll do it here. It’ll be the swankiest pre-opening you’ve ever seen.”
