Agent Blue 2

I could feel the eyes on me as I took the seat, some with anger, some with disbelief, and a few with pity. After all, for them, I was the young idiot that intruded into a game between very dangerous people just because I wanted to impress a girl. Funny, considering the only one that actually made me feel tense was the girl itself. Pity that I needed to tease her. 

They distributed the first cards, I quickly glanced at the cards, seeing that it was a three and seven of different colors, complete garbage to play, so I threw them to the side. I might have tried to bluff under normal circumstances, but both Brad and Thomas were looking at me with fire in their eyes. The probability of them charging forward thoughtlessly was significant. I needed to wait for a better hand. 

The challenge was doing so without creating an impression of a careful player. Luckily, I had the perfect excuse for that. After throwing the cards toward the middle dismissively, I turned toward the girl that lay in the heart of the battle. “Good evening, you magnificent beauty. May I be bequeathed with your splendid name,” I said, intentionally using an unnecessarily thick diction, one that might be mistaken for elegance and class by the brutes that surrounded the table with more brawn than culture. 

She giggled and her eyes slid to the floor, the textbook signs of attraction, much to the anger of my supposed rivals. However, I noticed something that they missed. Her irises didn’t move a bit, nor did a blush appear on her face, showing that it was a measured response. “Sabrina,” she answered in a slight gaspy voice, perfect for driving the other two into a rage. 

I did nothing to disrupt her little game, as the anger of my opponents was to my benefit. I even kissed the hand that she presented, fueling their fury. The angrier they were, the harder it was for them to play coherently, a deadly mistake in poker. Of course, making the game personal would earn me two semi-significant enemies, not that it bothered me. I was just here for a week, and the mission didn’t require me to step outside the resort, which itself was one of the safest places as long as one didn’t cross the management. 

“And your name is?” she asked as she shifted in her seat, exuding shyness. 

“I’m Michael,” I said pompously even as I checked my cards once more, only to see a pair of queens, an excellent hand to play. Still, I made a motion like I was about to fold while turning my gaze back to Sabrina, my sexy bait. “Tech genius and investor extraordinaire.” 

“Are you going to play or not!” exclaimed Brad, clearly unhappy with the amount of attention Sabrina was lavishing on me. He took the bait. 

“Such uncivilized behavior,” I murmured in disappointment as I looked at him. Sabrina nodded along, making him feel ashamed, which, of course, made him even angrier at me, like I was responsible for the actions of a girl I met just a minute ago. “Still, if you want to lose some money, who am I to argue?” With that, I pushed fifty thousand dollars on the table, ten times the current bet. 

Most of the nameless players chose to pull back from the game, though two of them stayed in the game. Their disappointment was clear when Brad opened his mouth. “A million dollars,” he called as he pushed his money on the table, his gaze bouncing between me and Sabrina. It was a big decision, to push all of my money to the table, which would have left me almost penniless, forcing me to ask for more funds from the Agency. Considering the suspicions about the calamity Agent Brown experienced, it wasn’t a risk I wanted to take. 

Still, considering I had to reach nine figures in a couple of days just to get access to my real mission location, I didn’t have the luxury of playing it safe. I decided to bet on the extreme confidence Brad was displaying while trying to hide the slight tremble in his hands. If he was good enough to fake that, I was already screwed, so I decided to take a leap of faith. 

It was Thomas’ turn before mine, and he pushed a million without saying anything, his eyes on me. “Don’t be too rash to lose, boys,” I said even as I pushed all the money in front of me to the table, giving no outward display of my panic. It was a trick I had learned during my grittier days, before my recruitment to the agency. No matter what, always maintain the demeanor required by the scam. 

I pushed a look of disappointment on my face when the dealer flipped open another queen in the first round, trying to hide the fact that I likely had a winning hand. It was an unbelievable stroke of luck. Pity that I lacked the proper funds to leverage it. “How about we put up ten million more,” Thomas said, looking ecstatic at my perfectly-played disappointment. 

“I would have liked to take more of your money, but alas, I lack the liquid funds required,” I said, doing my best to look relieved by that fact, even glancing at Sabrina like I was trying to check my trick had been noticed. 

“Not a big issue,” Thomas said with a laugh. “You mentioned that you were a tech entrepreneur, right? You can always put your shares as collateral.” 

“Is that allowed?” I turned and asked the dealer, once again desperation clear in my tone. 

“Only if all the other players in the current game agree,” the dealer answered. “However, our casino makes no guarantee about the existence or the valuation of the assets mentioned, so any dispute will need to be handled between you gentlemen.” 

“Excellent,” Thomas jumped, his laugh making his belly jiggle. “I’m sure Brad is more than happy to accept your bet,” he continued, and Brad nodded in approval, his smile like a shark. “Ten million,” Thomas said as he pushed a sizable stack of chips in the middle of the table. 

I looked hesitant before pulling out a napkin, and quickly scribbling a promissory note worth ten million, with my imaginary company as collateral with little hesitancy. Unlike the money, the company wasn’t worth anything, and I could afford to lose it. At worst, I would receive an earful from the Agency for losing a well-crafted cover identity. When I pushed that forward, Brad joined the game in an instant, and the dealer flipped two more cards, which included another queen in the mix. Pity that they had no obligation to accept another promissory note. 

“Let’s see what you have,” said Thomas as he flipped his cards, revealing a pair of pocket aces, the most dangerous cards to start the game with because of the fake confidence that they gave its handlers. With another ace revealed as the fourth card, Thomas had three-of-a-kind. Even Brad smirked joyfully at the scene, happy about my defeat even if he lost ten million in the process, which forced me to refresh my opinion about their real worth. They were clearly richer than I first assumed. 

“Too bad for you,” I said evenly as I revealed the pair in my hand, and their expression of elation evaporated in an instant. I let out a gentle smile as I pulled the money to me, not neglecting to flip a white chip worth a hundred thousand dollars to the dealer, who nodded in appreciation. 

“Impossible,” Thomas choked in anger, and Brad’s reaction was not that different. I smiled as I looked at the impressive pile of money in front of me, finally giving me hope about the fate of my mission. With that much seed money, even playing against normal opponents, I could easily complete the first step of my mission. 

“Nothing is impossible, gentlemen,” I said even as the second round of the cards were distributed, before turning to Sabrina once again, wanting to turn their anger into a true fury. “So, my beautiful lady, what brings you here,” I said. 

Before she could answer, Brad subtly poked the guy next to him, and he spoke. “Sabrina, how do you think your brother will react when he hears about this,” he said. From the way the rest of the table, including Thomas and Brad, stiffened at the mention of him, I felt myself panicking a little as well. 

I hated acting without proper intelligence. 

“I don’t know which one you’re talking about,” Sabrina answered with a tone that must have been mistaken for genuine confusion for the rest of the table, her big brown eyes widened appropriately. “But my brothers are the kindest men I know, they wouldn’t even threaten a fly.” From the expressions that appeared around the table, it didn’t take a genius to realize it was a rather big misinterpretation. 

Then, she turned to me. “We’re here for some family time,” she answered with a shy smile, making me struggle to hide my sudden stiffening. Her hidden expertise and acting ability were dangerous enough. The fact that two rich boys with obvious illegal roots were fighting for her was worse. But the fact that her family caused that kind of reaction was something else.

I suddenly realized that I had made my already difficult mission even more complicated. 

Still, what was done was done, and playing more wouldn’t do any harm. “How interesting,” I answered her even as I pushed a modest amount of chips to the table as the game started once more, acting like the game didn’t deserve my attention. “I’m sure the rest of your family is as lovely as you.” 

The next hour was filled with an intense poker game, but I acted like my attention was on Sabrina. At first, I played badly intentionally, losing several games in a row, but never losing more than a few hundred thousand at any single game, avoiding direct confrontation with my rivals, then winning a couple of big games, compensating for the deficiencies in my funds, all while aggressively flirting with Sabrina, who, for some reason continued to react to my advances like a shy girl smitten by a prince. Gripped by their anger, Brad and Thomas made mistake after mistake, until my pile of chips finally overwhelmed theirs.

“That’s my brother calling,” she said after an hour of flirting, looking very disappointed to have cut our discussion short. 

“A pity that I’m going to lose my lady luck,” I answered with a playful smirk, subtly gesturing at the pile of chips that finally passed a hundred million, earning me the title of VIP player. I still needed more to be a part of the auction, but I finally had access to upstairs, where the real action lay. 

When she presented her hand, I didn’t pause a moment before grabbing her fingers gently and slowly bringing them to my lips. Once again, she managed to surprise me, this time by slipping a small card into my hand that felt suspiciously like a room key. 

Yet another complication to my mission, I thought as I watched her walk away, her voluptuous hips dancing with each step like they were trying to cut free from her beautiful blue dress. Getting involved with such a dangerous woman with an equally dangerous family without knowing anything about them was ill-advised. 

Too bad that the alliance of my curiosity and my arousal was stronger than my sense of survival. 

“So, gentleman,” I said as I turned to the table while gesturing to a waitress to bring me another drink. “Are you ready to play for real?” 

“That’s enough for me,” Thomas spat in anger, gathered his chips, and left, followed by several players. Brad, on the other hand, proved that his emotions were stronger than his common sense, and stayed in the game. We played for two more hours, which ended up with me reaching two hundred million dollars, mostly because Brad had replenished his chips several times despite the advice of his friends. 

“You made yourself a powerful enemy today,” Brad said. “I advise you to spend your earnings to buy a nice coffin, you’ll need it soon.” 

I waved my hand dismissively, not even bothering to reply as I gestured toward yet another provocatively-dressed assistant with an hourglass figure, this time a redhead, to gather and record my chips, throwing another hundred-thousand as a tip before standing up. Only then did I check the card Sabrina had passed to me, and read the scribbled note on the back, showing a room number, as well as a short invitation, asking me to visit her for a private dinner. 

Accepting was risky, but ignoring it was even riskier. After all, I had seen her sabotage two suitors just because she was feeling slightly annoyed. With the shadow of her mysterious family looming behind her, angering her was an even worse challenge. Not to mention I was still curious about her identity, and more importantly, how she looked without that blue dress. 

Since I still had two hours until the proposed dinner date, I walked around the casino and started playing several games such as roulette, losing and earning millions, looking like a careless player, just another part of my identity, even though numbers were dancing in my mind to minimize my loss. 

Normally, gaining even a bronze VIP card took months of consistent visits. I was betting that my aggressive and careless betting would compensate for it. After all, there was nothing casinos liked more than money, even a unique one like the Sapphire Palace. I was betting that aggressive gambling with a budget of almost two hundred million would expedite the process. 

Half an hour before the time proposed by Sabrina, I decided to stop gambling, and I still needed to change. So, I walked to the connected residential section. 

I observed my surroundings as I walked forward, taking note of my surroundings. A well-designed opulence greeted me at the reception, its vast opening covered with tasteful marble statues and priceless paintings. As usual, the lobby was crowded, though several people on the bar, sitting in a deceptive impression of laziness, caught my attention. Undercover bodyguards of the hotel, I noted. Considering the client base, the hotel took the security seriously. 

It was all well, because I could see Brad sitting on a table as well, surrounded by a number of people with the distinctive physique of high-class bodyguards, glaring daggers at me. And, the numerous scars of his bodyguard told me that they were familiar with the violence. 

“I’ll be at the casino tomorrow at eleven,” I said cheerfully even as I walked toward the elevator, not even bothering to stop. “Why don’t you drop by, maybe your luck will turn.” 

“You’re dancing on your grave,” Brad growled back, but when one of his bodyguards stood up in anger, he was quick to pull him back. As he pulled back, however, the shirt of his bodyguard slid, revealing a distinctive tattoo on his lower neck. The sign of the Dominion Cartel, one of the biggest drug distributors in the States. 

“Fuck,” I murmured as I stepped in the elevator. I had expecting Brad to have a notable background after the show around him, and the money he lost, but I didn’t expect him to be a part of major families, at least the son of a high-ranking official considering the number of bodyguards he brought with him to the Island of Trinania, a location that forbade violence with great effectiveness. 

No help crying over spilled milk, I decided. “Floor fifteen,” I said as I turned to look at the elevator operator, once again a well-dressed hottie, and spent the brief travel enjoying the sight. Then, I went to my room, which was on the standard level of the hotel, enough room just for a bed and a closet, despite the thousands I got charged every night. 

In there, I changed from my tux into something more comfortable, a black t-shirt and blazer combo, tight enough to display my muscles, completing the set with a pair of washed jeans. It wasn’t the height of fashion, but it was more than sufficient for a private meeting, adding a certain ruggedness to my charm. 

After that was finished, I went back to the elevator once more. “Fifty-four,” I asked the operator, and when she looked at me in askance, I flashed the card Sabrina had passed me. Floors between forty and sixty were for bronze tier VIPs, which required an invitation to enter. 

Soon, I was ringing Sabrina’s door. I hadn’t had to wait long, because the door opened in an instant, revealing Sabrina, but in a very different dress. Gone was the innocent blue dress, replaced by a red one with deep cleavage, and an equally impressive slit that revealed her leg with each step. 

“Welcome,” she gasped, her eyes widening with an innocent excitement that contrasted with her revealing dress, making her look like the nerdy daughter of the house that stole her sister’s dress to look sexy, but failed to fill the role. 

All fake, of course. It seemed that she was intent on playing her role. Curious, I thought as I stepped inside, desperately trying to ignore the saying about cats, curiosity, and their ultimate fate. 

I had a feeling that satisfaction’s restorative qualities were rather overblown.