“Come on! Red! Red! Yes! You losers can kiss my ass. Cough over the dough.” Kyla held her hand out. “I don’t got all day here. Time is money, people.”

The scene before him had been looping for hours. Kyla’s luck surpassed all expectations. Ejected from blackjack for excessive winning, she was now dominating at roulette. They had become the casino’s most wanted. Jaycee remained vigilant for any sign of a hit man, recalling jailhouse tales where such events were commonplace. Kyla seemed oblivious to their mission, her hands deftly plundering the company’s coffers.

A gust of hot air hit him as someone hurried past. The sole comfort was the condensation on the glass of water in his hand, which felt chilly against the room’s mugginess. At that moment, he longed for Alec to have left him the fan to fend off the sweltering heat.

Lights danced across the floor in varying intensities, illuminating the dim space. Each corner of the expansive area featured a different game, with queues of patrons eager for their turn. The sight of so many people crammed into a single room, pressed tightly together, was surreal. Jaycee felt a twinge of unease—whether from the proximity of the crowd or the onset of claustrophobia, he couldn’t tell.

“Let’s go again, old man,” Kyla called out, snapping his focus back to the game. Hands on her hips, chin thrust forward, she challenged, “Or are you afraid of being defeated by a girl?”

“No!” The older man beside her, his brown beard prominent and his beer belly protruding, clenched his fists. “You’re on, little girl!”

How could he succumb to her taunts so easily? They were encircled by a crowd of older men, their hair graying, bellies large, and teeth askew. They had disheveled attire, and their breath smelled of alcohol, or perhaps something even more malevolent. Yet, Kyla stood her ground, undisturbed.

“Come on, old man, let’s get going!” She gestured at the croupier, an act considered rude in Sheol, yet tolerated in dens of sin such as this.

The croupier’s appearance belied his age, with a youthful, unlined face and dirty blonde hair stressing his angular features. He shot her a telling look, but proceeded with the game.

As the wheel spun, numbers and colors were called out, the cries intensifying with each passing second. The crowd swelled, pushing Jaycee from Kyla’s side to the periphery. His heart raced as people surrounded him. Pushing through the throng, dizziness blurred his vision. Someone knocked his cup from his hand, and the clamor drowned the sound of the glass breaking out.

When he finally broke free, he slumped into a chair against the wall, the first unoccupied object he could discern.

At last, his breathing found its rhythm. As he looked around, his thoughts now clear, he realized that the original group of people had disappeared.

Just as he was about to get up and look for Kyla, the woman of the hour caught sight of him. Her face brightened.

“Jaycee, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said as she sat down, a huge bag resting on her lap. “I sucked these rich snobs dry. If that doesn’t cause a scene, I don’t know what will.”

“Make a scene?” Jaycee frowned. If creating a commotion was their intention, they had certainly exceeded it. Their success was so overwhelming that he questioned whether they would escape with their lives.

“Yeah, the boss is really particular about the minor details—Whoa, what happened to your face?” She traced her fingertips over the cut he had ignored because of the earlier excitement.

The medicinal powder was burning in his pocket, its warmth spreading.

“Alec didn’t even bother to heal you? What’s the use of being a healer if you don’t even use it?”

They had already split up when the wolf attacked. Temporarily setting that aside, she referred to Alec as a healer, showing his proficiency in healing arts and combat skills. Such a combination was unusual in their society, where it was common knowledge that Sheol maintained a strict division between warriors and healers, forbidding any individual from mastering both disciplines. That was knoweldge he’d keep for another day.

“I’m fine, honestly,” he responded. “We were being chased and had very little time.”

“Don’t defend him; he doesn’t deserve it,” she said, reaching into her shorts to retrieve a vial that looked just like his own. As she applied the powder to his irritated skin, she kept muttering. “I swear, the next time I see him, he’s going to do the cooking and light the damn fire.”

Alec and Kyla were an enigma to him. Comparing them was futile; they were the epitome of opposites, embodying yin and yang, yet they complemented one another perfectly. This sparked his curiosity about their first encounter. What could unite two individuals from vastly different backgrounds? Their bond seemed stronger than that of many families, proving that blood ties don’t necessarily equate to loyalty.

For Jaycee, Alec was a puzzle. His meticulously planned actions appeared reckless to onlookers. This unpredictability unsettled him.

The individuals he couldn’t predict, like Agnar, were the ones who terrified him the most. On the rare occasions their paths intersected, the intense energy Agnar radiated kept Jaycee on high alert.

It was almost as if Kyla could read his thoughts, for her next words mimicked his own apprehensions.

“You know, Alec might come off as a brat, but he’s not such a terrible person. He’s often misunderstood, but I owe him my life. I’m not insisting that you trust him,” she said, their gazes briefly connecting, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Just consider giving him a chance. He might just surprise you.”

Jaycee was unsure of how to respond or why her tone had shifted, yet the authenticity in her remarks seemed heartfelt. At least, that was what he chose to believe.

“Thank you,” he said.

Once she finished, he ruffled his hair to cover the wound.

“Anyway.” She surveyed the surroundings with her wrist resting on her hip. “If you’re alright, we ought to get going. Alec’s only instruction was to make a scene. Since Alessio owns this casino, causing a stir here ought to catch his attention.”

“Is this what you meant by causing a scene?” His color drained at the thought. Rather than sparking a flame, they ignited a fire. “I think we may have done more than that.”

“Really? Alec suggested I use whatever means necessary. I think I did a bang-up job!”

“That’s one perspective,” Jaycee acknowledged, voice hinting at sarcasm.

The urgency to leave was mounting, and a sick feeling grew in his stomach.

“Shouldn’t we leave before Alessio arrives?” he suggested.

“Why would the big wig himself come here?” asked Kyla. “I only skimmed their pockets. It’s not like I robbed them blind.”

Abruptly, the noise in the room escalated, with voices overlapping as a multitude of people gathered at the entrance. From their vantage point in the corner, they saw the door swing open, allowing light to flood in. Jaycee was overcome with a sense of foreboding.

“Oh, shit.”