Sweet, intoxicating adrenaline caressed Iris's veins. The way it had done many times before. 

Her heart thudded in a familiar manner as she took in her surroundings. A dark, luxe interior lay in front of her; roulette tables, poker tables, Black Jack tables. All waiting for greedy millionaires and rich tourists.

Why had she ever thought she could live without this feeling?

The corners of the casino were darkened – a dim lamp here and there – but mostly hidden from the wandering eyes. Iris wondered how many lovers' secrets came to life right here, in a window-less room where everything, including desire, was a gamble.

The music was soothing, melodious and inviting. Everything about the place was inviting. Lights, drinks, women. The sound of the chatter and falling chips filled the air. A few angry sneers, laughter and foreign words.

"Istria is gorgeous." Lora sipped her medica and crossed her legs, her silver dress lifting to her thigh. As if it wasn't already short enough. Her blonde hair fell to her tiny waist, glimmering under the scarce lighting. "Especially Opatija," her huge blue eyes sparked, "I could move here."

A grin enveloped her features. Nothing but smiles, that one. They called her Doll, a nickname spread by men who deemed her naive and innocent.

There was nothing naive and innocent about Doll.

"Yes, the culture surely comes to life in a casino." Iris narrowed her eyes, but her cynicism wavered. Adrenaline levels rose up to her throat and she couldn't dim her grin.

Iris scanned the casino, feeling safer perched on the dark red lounge. Casino Cezar was the casino in a small city called Opatija on the coast of Croatia, a rich, beautiful, Monte-Carlo-like city with gorgeous villas, fancy restaurants and crystal blue sea.

Iris loved casinos. Something about feeling cut-off from the rest of the world soothed her. The most interesting things always happened in the shade, away from the sun. And there was nothing quite far from the sun like a casino.

"He's here." Lora's blue eyes only slightly glanced to her right while Iris kept her gaze firmly locked on Lora. "Jovan Petrović. With his gang."

Iris turned her head slightly, sipping her slivovitz, feeling it burn her tongue. Casually, she glanced through the voluptuous curls of her cherry-red hair to the poker table in the middle of the room. Three men sat around it, making it the only half-empty table in the casino.

She recognised the man Lora mentioned immediately. He was handsome, sleek and elegant. The sleeves of his suit rustled as he played with the chip in his hand and his blue eyes watched his opponents with piercing attention. He was a CEO of an import/export company called Balkan Express.

There were suspicions that Balkan Express financed and supported a separatist movement called Istria Liberation Alliance, ILA. This particular movement caught the wandering gaze of Interpol, which was why Iris and Lora were there in the first place. To spy things out.

"They're not letting anyone join the table." Iris noted, watching a tourist with a hat try to join and solemnly walk away.

"No man refuses a beautiful woman." Lora brushed the waves of her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"These are no ordinary men." Iris checked Jovan's opponents. The man next to him had darker skin, golden jewellery and a beer belly; he was of Romany descent. His shirt was pink, glam and unbuttoned. His hairy chest peaked through. A golden cross hung around his neck, sparkling in the dimmed light. Rumbling laughter rolled off his tongue, he had won the hand.

"Samir Kajtazi." Lora mumbled. There was little information out there about this man, beside the fact he was a grade school dropout.

"You realise people are more attuned to the sound of their names?" Iris chuckled.

"They are men." Lora smirked. "Their egos won't allow them to perceive the threat."

One of the three men at the table noticed them. He was boyishly handsome, unlike Jovan who was a man through and through. His mischievous eyes landed on Lora and slid over her like she was a prize to be collected. He licked his lips. His facial features were sharp, leaning to the pointier side. An aura of confidence and charisma slithered off him, accompanied by slight unease. The bosting began immediately. He leaned back, widened his legs and showed off his expensive suit and his jiggling watch.

"Do we know him?" Lora threw her blonde waves over her shoulder and grinned. Doll's main advantage was her love of men. All kinds of men. Rich men, poor men, old men, young men, elegant men, sleazy men. And she used her talents any chance she got.

"His name is Bane." Iris said in hushed tones, keeping the grin on her face. He was a practicing lawyer with a private firm and pure as a virgin.

A few seconds later, a young, perky waitress hopped over to their booth, her tight little black suit hugging her curves.

"Uživajte!" She said in Croatian, a slightly gentler Russian-like language, and put the drinks on the table.

Enjoy.

"Hvala." Iris answered.

Thank you.

"Stop telling people you know the language." Lora warned. Her forehead remained wrinkled as she assessed the targeted table. "Look, they shooed those girls away."

Iris glanced at two young women, both blonde, walking away from the table disappointedly. Only then Iris noticed how the room shifted with these men.

Girls hunting money watched their every move. Waiters and waitresses waited, their eyes hungry for tips. Other men, around smaller, less luxurious tables eyed the empty seats, wondering whether they had what it took to swim with the sharks.

"I'm tired of these nineteen-year-olds trying to make a move on our guys." Lora said, her wide grin staying potent even with the spark of frustration coming to life in her eyes.

"Rich men can have nineteen-year-olds whenever they want." Iris put the glass down. "Once they fuck them all, they want someone who can hold a conversation."

"To dirty thirties!" Lora chuckled and saluted.

"Only a few months away." Iris's glass clinked with Lora's, but her mind was away from the inevitable approach of her thirtieth birthday. She was already too focused on scheming her way to that table.

"Hey, Iris, you know I love having you back on the job..." The tone of Lora's voice shifted, a touch of concern added to the melodious sound. "But are you sure you're up for this?"

Iris hated hearing that touch of concern. Everyone's voice was filled with it in the last couple of months. Iris leaned towards her friend.

"Did you know poker is all about math?" She asked. "Once you're at the table, you have to leave your emotions out. Your anger, frustration, fear. Otherwise, you're prone to making mistakes and losing."

The Doll loved talking about feelings, but Iris was rarely interested in discussing real life during business hours.

No, this was a playground. And if the player's mind was elsewhere, he was as good as gone.

"Whatever you say, Huntress." Lora rolled her eyes and offered a stiff smile.

Iris felt her smile widening. They called her Huntress, for reasons unknown.

"How much money do you have?" Iris changed the subject.

"We're in a casino. Enough." Lora answered.

"And how much can you lose?"

"All of it?" Lora chuckled. "Our superiors are used to watching me squander." Subtly, she took the sum of money out of her silver purse and put it in Iris's.

"Alright, let's go." Iris clutched it and downed her drink.

"Wait, Iris, what are you doing?" Lora's eyes slightly widened. Despite her perky nature, she did not like going off script. "They were supposed to invite us to the table and they're not letting anyone join. We need another strategy."

"You said it yourself, no man refuses a beautiful woman." Iris raised her brow, intoxicating excitement electrifying her veins.

"Except, they just did." Lora's voice dropped. "They refused two gorgeous nineteen-year-olds, remember?"

"Oh, well, can't capture a man's attention with sex," Iris stood up, "capture it with money."

Iris strolled to the table. Sweat lingered on her skin underneath the silk jumpsuit, despite the deep cleavage and exposed arms. There had to be an element of addiction in her, which she was acutely aware of. She understood it when she was younger, just starting the job. But now, while approaching her thirties, it felt like a habit.

And she was so close to leaving it behind. But just like all habits, it refused to die.

The three men assessed her with calculation and slight confusion. She loved seeing the different reactions. The handsome one, Jovan, immediately frowned. Bane, the lawyer, immediately grinned. And the last one, Samir, eyed the other two with amusement.

"Zauzeto." Jovan said as Iris pulled the chair from the table.

Taken.

She sat down.

"Can I play?" Iris glanced at Bane, he seemed to be more responsive. Upfront, he was slightly uglier, his face was pointy and sharp, his nose and ears leaning to the bigger side.

Before he answered, however, his gaze slid over Lora, who was still lingering next to Iris. Bane's eyes were gleaming predatorily, so much that Iris could imagine the scenarios playing in his head.

"Well, good evening, ladies." His English was devoid of accent. "My name is Bane and this flamboyant gentleman is Samir." He gestured to the dark-skinned eccentric in a pink shirt. "And this is Jovan." His hand pointed to the handsome man.

"You can't sit here!" Jovan snapped. "Igor će da te ubije."

Igor will kill you.

"A jeste lepe." Samir grinned widely and leaned back into his chair, his belly peeking through the shirt. He looked over Iris, not even hiding his interest. "Sit, play poker. Very fun." His accent was heavy and his English broken, but he seemed confident enough to speak.

Jovan fixed his suit and continued to play with his chips. Iris noticed the amount on the table, rounding up to 20 thousand euros. But there was also a heap missing a player at the head of the table.

"Ne mogu da verujem da ćeš tako da zajebeš čoveka koji je samo hteo da igra poker u miru." Jovan grunted, his piercing blue eyes shooting arrows towards Bane.

I can't believe you'd fuck over a man who only wanted to play poker in peace.

"E, Jovane, ajde puši kurac, možda će da ti zaokupi usta na kratko." Bane grinned.

Suck a dick, Jovan, it might keep your mouth busy.

"A šta se ti isto brineš za Igora, znaš da taj čovek nestane svaki put kad se pojavi neka pička." Samir laughed out loud and downed the shot of see-through liquid in front of him.

Why do you care about Igor, you know that man disappears whenever a pussy shows up.

Her mind went over the notes she memorized while she prepared for this moment. Their business partners, associates, counsellors. She recalled no one named Igor.

Bane was just about to deal the cards when a dark silhouette approached the table. The murmurings stopped and the air shifted. The entire casino turned to the man. Iris noticed the difference in attire. While his friends wore expensive suits and over-the-top watches, this man wore washed-up jeans and a simple black shirt. His rolled-up sleeves showed off his toned arms. Iris noticed his hands, big, rough and hardened in places where there surely used to be callouses. This man was no stranger to hard work. 

He was handsome, in a primal, male way. He radiated security, safety and just the right amount of danger. His dark hair tickled his neck and his eyes bore into the table.

A plain burner phone and a stack of euros dropped on the table before him.

The men around shut up immediately, their confidence and power sucked out by the mere presence of this man. He looked at each of them, until his eyes landed on Iris.

"Odjebi s mog stola." His voice was strong and resolute.

Fuck off from my table.

The rest of the men said nothing. Iris felt Lora's gaze burning through her skin, probably radiating concern. This man, whoever he was, was not supposed to be at this table tonight.

"Excuse me?" Iris kept her voice flat and her facial expressions bored.

"This is a reserved table." The man spoke, his heavy accent remaining as he switched to English. "Find another one."

"No."

All eyes turned to her but she kept hers glued to the man. His lip twitched with either hatred or amusement. Possibly both.

"You will need at least five thousand euros. That you're willing to lose." He nodded towards Bane and the lawyer counted the chips and put them before her.

"You're already doubting my play. False confidence is insecurity in disguise." Iris chuckled.

"Beautiful women do not know how to lose." Igor sat down, spun his finger and a waitress on the other end of the casino immediately moved.

"Seems we have something in common with powerful men." Iris took out the money and gave it to Bane in exchange for the chips.

Subtly, she glanced at Lora. Her throat bobbed slightly, unnoticeably. Her eyes said more than her tongue ever could.

Abort mission, Lora's eyes spoke. Abort mission.

But Iris was intrigued and it's been so long since she's been intrigued. Sweet, viscose adrenaline continued to pump through her body as she stared at the man on the opposite side of her. The waitress hopped over to the table with a drink ready for him on the platter.

"In that case, let's play." Igor said. "I hope you are prepared to squander your money."

"On the pleasures of the soul?" Iris smiled. "Fuck yes."