There’s no mistake.
That woman is cheating.
Late at nightThe port
“Hey there, dollface. You have a minute?”
At the sound of Nader’s voice, the woman slowly turned around. “…What is it?” Her eyes were dubious and wary.
After the first day’s festivities were over and Nader had said his good-byes to Eve, he’d tailed the woman. From the way she kept switching between deserted streets and heavily trafficked areas, she was trying to see whether she was being shadowed. Once he realized this, Nader had circled around ahead of her before she spotted him—and finally made his move when she’d reached a deserted street.
“First, let me make one thing clear: I’m not involved with the mafia or the cops. I’m a proxy gambler who’s been hired by someone with plenty of money to spare.”
“And what does a gambler want with me?”
“Would you be interested in teaming up?”
“Excuse me?” The woman frowned.
“You’ve got skills,” Nader went on. “I bet I’m the only one who’s got your number.”
“……!”
The woman seemed to realize where this was going. The doubt vanished from her eyes, while the wariness rose.
“If you’re pulling a stunt like that in the middle of all those mafiosi, you’ve got real guts. And brains. You win right up until they’re about to get suspicious, then switch to another room. It’s possible only because the event is hosted by multiple syndicates.”
“…I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Look, if you want to play dumb, you go right ahead.”
The composed smile on Nader’s face was fake. On the inside, he was worried that one wrong step might spell the end of everything, and there was a thin slick of sweat on his palms and back. And yet not the slightest trace of those feelings showed; Nader was definitely reclaiming his past as a con artist. “Just consider this a pickup of sorts. It’s not blackmail or a threat. I think I could make it worth your while.”
“Then let’s say I still have no idea about whatever it is you claim to have noticed. What exactly are you after? Just money?”
“…Well, in a sense, but that’s not all.”
“?” The woman looked perplexed.
“Strictly speaking, I’m not after you. You’ve got an invitation in that handbag. What I want are the people who gave that to a smooth operator like yourself.”
“……!”
“I don’t know what type of outfit they are. I’m just a guy with a wealthy employer. I don’t have ties to any organization, and after this party is over, I won’t be involved with the person who hired me. However, I think someone sharp enough to employ an enchanting lady like you might have a pretty good opinion of me, too.”
As a rule, it wasn’t possible to get into the underground casino without an invitation from the Runoratas or from one of the organizations running a gambling den.
He’d seen a group down there whose clothes seemed to be wearing them. Some outfit had probably hired them on the cheap to boost the energy of the place. They’d seemed a little weird—particularly the teary-eyed kid with the face tattoo—but he’d decided he didn’t need to worry about them.
This woman was different, though.
She was clearly a specialist in casino breaking.
If somebody like her had managed to get in, it meant either that she’d been employed by someone rich and naïve, the way he had, or that she had a major backer with an objective of their own.
He doubted there was anyone except himself who fit the first category, so he’d decided it had to be the second.
It might be a mafia syndicate, or it might be an ambitious businessman, but he didn’t care who it was if he could get in with them.
He’d just do what he’d done in the past.
He had to sink his teeth in, build strength in their organization, and claw his way up until he had enough rank to let him fight Huey Laforet’s outfit.
That was the only way he could save himself now.
Remembering again what this was all for, Nader drew a deep breath, then introduced himself. “My name is Nader Schasschule. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He took the risk of telling her his real name because there was one thing he had to make sure of here, while they were alone.
And—
“Nader…Schasschule?”
—when the woman heard his name, she gasped.
“!”
She’d obviously recognized it, and Nader’s face fell. Dammit! Lucky I gave my real name, just in case! Did I flag down the wrong person?!
If she knew his name, she was probably one of Huey’s people. She hadn’t said anything when she saw his face, which meant she wasn’t one of the Hiltons, but the odds that she was involved were now sky-high.
“…Forget you ever saw me, all right?”
“Huh?! Wait just a minute!”
The woman sounded confused, but Nader turned on his heel.
His plan was done.
Since his enemies already knew he was in New York, he couldn’t afford to silence the woman and make the commotion bigger.
Sorry, Miss Eve, but if this is how things stand, I’ve got to withdraw.
The case in his left hand held the windfall he’d picked up at Firo’s casino.
He’d gambled away almost none of it still, so it might be enough to fund his escape.
He’d pitched himself to the wrong person.
He’d lost this round.
That meant he should bow out gracefully.
If he got in deeper, he’d just keep up the losing streak.
These and many other excuses popped into his head, and he started putting together an escape plan.
✦ ✦ ✦
But that was when Nader Schasschule’s fate reached its biggest turning point.
In the next moment, he learned he hadn’t blown his gamble, and he hadn’t hit the jackpot, either.
He’d caught hold of something far beyond either of those things—and had tossed it onto a dangerous roulette wheel.
Nader heard the woman call after him, trying to stop him. “Wait, you’re not—”
“……”
As he started running, the words reached him.
✦ ✦ ✦
“—Sonia’s childhood friend?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“……”
…What?
“……?”
What did that woman just…?
The confusion had stopped him in his tracks.
Sonia…
Sonia…?
“……—?!”
It took a moment before the shock ran through his brain—and he whipped back around as if he’d been stung. “You just… What did you say, just now?”
“…I knew it. No wonder the name sounded familiar.”
“Hey… Is Sonia…?”
Instantly, his excuses for running all went out the window.
Nader started toward the woman, planning to learn everything he could from her—
—but a second woman’s voice spoke behind him, cutting him off.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Found you, traitor.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“?!” Panicked, he turned around, but no one was there.
He knew he’d heard a woman’s voice, but all he saw was the empty alley.
The casino breaker seemed to have heard it, too; she was looking around.
“What is it…? Who are you?!”
Traitor.
The voice had definitely said that word.
No…
An awful feeling welled up deep inside him, sending cold sweat trickling down his cheeks. “Is that…Hilton?” he choked out, while the voice replied cheerfully.
…And her answer filled Nader with despair.
“My, you knew. That’s impressive. I’m ‘Leeza’ right now. It’s a pleasure.”
“……”
Trembling from head to toe, Nader kept scanning the street around him, but he couldn’t see anyone who seemed to be the voice’s owner.
However—
—the casino breaker had noticed something completely different, and her eyes widened. “What…the hell…?”
“……?”
She was looking up. Nader tipped his head back, following her gaze, and saw birds everywhere.
In the dim glow of the streetlamps, several dozen birds perched on the roofs or on the telephone wires or circled overhead. And every one of them was glaring at him.
“Ngh…”
It was dark, so he hadn’t been able to make them out at first. As soon as Nader noticed them, though, the sight was so eerie that he almost shrieked.
Were the birds related to hawks or kites? They weren’t native to these parts, at any rate.
Nader had a clear memory of the species, though.
One of them had been watching him through the window earlier that evening, while he and Eve were at the restaurant.
“What…the hell is…?” Nader’s mouth gaped uselessly.
Leeza’s voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. “But you see, I’m not the one who’s going to kill you.”
“Wh…what…?”
“There’s someone who says killing you is her mission, and she’s really dead set on it.”
The voice spoke right by his ear, seductive and clinging—although the words themselves weren’t exactly sexy.
The next instant—
✦ ✦ ✦
Shink. A sound like metal scraping against stone reached him from the depths of the alley.