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“Name your price.”
One of the men behind Vasco shifts his weight. Another lets a hand settle beneath his jacket. They haven’t spoken since we arrived, yet every pair of eyes stays on us.
Ryven reaches for the whiskey without drinking it. “See?” he murmurs. “I told you we’d end up gambling.”
Seren says nothing, keeping his attention on Vasco.
Vasco chuckles, tapping the edge of the deck with one finger. “Straight to business. I like that. Most offworlders spend ten minutes pretending they’re not here to buy anything.”
“Well, I guess I’m not pretending.”
Around us, the nearest tables have grown quieter. Cards still move. Dice still roll. But more than one conversation has stalled as people begin to watch our corner of the room.
Gathering the cards into a neat stack, Vasco looks at me. “Good. Then let’s see what Mr. Mercer is worth to you.”
He starts shuffling. “Let’s keep it simple. Three hands.”
“Fine.”
“If you lose...” His gaze travels over me. “You leave ten million credits on my table and forget Jade Mercer ever existed.”
Ryven lets out a low whistle. “That’s a hell of a finder’s fee.”
“It saves me having to remember a name I don’t know.”
I don’t even blink. “Done.”
The cards stop in Vasco’s hands, and he looks up. “Just like that?”
“You named your price.”
A smile pulls at his mouth. “I like you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Give it time.” He squares the deck on the felt. “Now, if you win?”
I lean forward, resting my forearms on the table. “You tell me where Jade Mercer lives.”
“That seems reasonable. In that case—”
“No.” I finally pick up the whiskey, turning the glass between my fingers. “I didn’t finish. If I win, you sell me the mining company.”
A guard behind us laughs, but Ryven has gone completely still beside me.
Vasco leans back, letting out a short breath through his nose. “The company.”
“Exactly.”
“You do realize the company includes most of the worker housing in this district, don’t you?”
“Even better.” I set the whiskey back down. “Then I’ll take that as well.”
Vasco huffs out a laugh, looking at the men behind him. “You hear this? A stranger walks in from Tempest and decides he wants my mines, my housing, everything attached to them.”
The guards laugh with him.
Vasco turns back to me, still smiling. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
