Poker was a game of patience and high risk tolerance.

Those who succumbed to their frustration and anger were the ones leaving the table empty-handed. Iris saw it unravel in front of her very eyes. Their personalities, their tells, their whims.

Bane kept the firm lock on his money, despite seducing Lora throughout the game. He played tightly and aggressively.

Samir was the opposite. He played shit hands and kissed the cross hanging around his neck each time he won. But luck was a fickle mistress, she jumped from man to man.

Jovan was the worst player around the table, but it seemed as if he cared more about the game itself than winning. Perhaps he took on the role of a bad player. A person who didn't mind losing always got invited to play.

Igor, on the other hand, was the best player at the table. Iris was reluctant to admit he might have been better than her. There was a relationship between him and the game full of respect and admiration.

"Where are you from?" Igor glanced at his cards. He did it all the time. He asked a question the moment he looked at his cards. Perhaps the goal was to divert the opponents' attention, in case they could read the micro expressions on his face.

Iris checked out her cards. Nine of clubs and a Three of diamonds.

"USA." Lora answered in her high-pitched voice, overly excited and girly. Bane was into it; he tapped on his lap, making Iris cringe, but Lora obediently sat down.

"The land of the free." Igor's sardonic voice made Iris frown.

"Raise to 100€." Bane put the chips in the middle of the green table.

"I heard there were some disturbances in Croatia, especially regarding Istria." Iris poked back, feeling her pulse quicken. "Fold." She threw her cards away.

"It is none of your business." Jovan growled, his expensive watch scratching against the table as he threw the chips in. "Call."

"Ajde, Jovane, nemoj da se nerviraš." Samir let out a laugh, his chest rising as he put his chips in. "Call."

Come on, Jovan, don't be nervous.

Iris noticed the difference in languages after spending some time at the table. While she spoke Croatian, these men spoke Serbian, a very similar language. It rolled quickly off their tongues and it was a struggle to catch everything.

"Za koji kurac si ih pozvao za sto?" Jovan snapped, his eyes scanning Bane with irritation and anger.

Why the fuck did you invite them to the table?

"E, Jovane, jebem li ti sunac svetli, nemoj da mi oteraš ženske." Bane glanced between Jovan and Igor, almost as if he was asking for permission.

Fuck your shining sun, Jovan, don't shoo the women away.

What was up with the swear words? Iris stared at the table, hoping it wasn't obvious she understood them.

"Začepite obojica." Igor interrupted them.

Both of you, shut up.

And they all shut up.

"You heard right." Igor spoke to Iris. "There were disturbances, but none of which should concern you. You are here to spend money and have a good time, isn't that right?"

"We're on vacay!" Lora giggled and pointed at Bane's cards. "Which one is this?"

"Oh, I can't tell you that, sweetheart, you'll make me lose." Bane brushed the blonde strand of hair off her shoulder and planted a small kiss on her skin. "But I can show you later."

"One should never refuse an opportunity to learn." Iris kept her eyes on the man on the opposite side. "Even if one is on vacation."

"Well, there has to be time for pleasure beyond all the learning." Igor didn't smile. "Fold."

His gaze penetrated through her in a disturbingly knowing way. Iris forced nonchalance to her posture. She crossed her legs, the heat and the sweat making her skin sticky. Bane had won the previous hand and the cards were dealt again. Igor lifted his finger and the perky waitress appeared next to him in a nanosecond.

"Daj im šta će popit. I daj meni još jednu lozu."

Get them what they're drinking and give me another loza.

"What's a loza?" Iris asked.

"Rakija." Igor glanced at his card. "A hard drink."

"So, what are you doing in Istria?" Iris tried to push the interest out of her voice. This was a casual conversation between two strangers. She knew nothing about them. She did not know they were criminals.

This was a casual conversation between strangers.

She checked her cards. Ace of spades and a Jack of hearts. Something playable, at last. Bane sat left of her, he was the dealer. And she was the small blind, which meant she would be playing out of position. And Igor would be playing in position at least regarding to her.

"My mother was born here." Igor answered, mild boredom resting on his face. The perky waitress hopped over to the table and put the drinks in front of everyone, while Jovan called the big blind. "Raise to 150€."

"Fold, jebem ti mater." Bane threw the cards on the table and continued to pursue Lora. "My cards were shit."

Did he just say fuck your mother?

"Call." Iris put in the chips, wondering if she could perhaps scare Igor into folding.

But this wasn't just about poker; this was an assessment of character. What kind of a man was he? Was he the type to play it safe? Or did he like to risk every once in a while?

This particular game wasn't about winning to Iris. This was business. And nothing stripped the man of his own masks quite like poker.

"Your mother is from Istria?" Iris kept her voice casual, hoping they wouldn't notice the bobbing of her throat. "So, I take it your father isn't?"

"Call." Samir said. 

"Why the fuck do you care where his father is from?" Jovan, apparently, did not like her. "Fold."

"Just curious." Iris shrugged and assessed the men around the table. For some reason, this particular question created an aura of unease.

Igor looked at her with animosity. He crossed his hands on his chest, burying his fists in his armpits. It was a sign of distress, anger. The nonchalance he tried to obtain disappeared.

Bane revealed the flop.

King of clubs and Ten and Seven of hearts.

With her Ace and Jack, she only lacked a Queen to have a straight. But she could not simply wait for the Queen. She had nothing at the moment, except for hope for a possible pair. Whatever she did at this point, it wouldn't be a well played hand.

Or maybe she could try to bluff Igor.

And she was the small blind, which meant she was on the move.

"I bet 300€." Iris smiled and just because she wanted to lower the tensions, she added. "A low price to pay for a good time."

"Fold." Samir threw his cards on the table and leaned back.

Igor's gaze pierced through Iris's soul. He kept his eyes on her as he put the chips in. Iris thought about the pot without looking at it. He could be waiting for a flush.

"Raise to 600€." He said. "Now we are the only ones left in this game."

"Call." Iris put the chips in becoming aware of the money she might loose.

Bane revealed the turn. Nine of clubs.

She needed a Queen to complete her straight, but with a Ten and a Seven revealed at the flop she could bluff Igor into thinking her straight had already been completed. She thought about his cards. There was no way he had a flush, but he could have a pocket pair that defeated her. Or any sort of pair.

She chose to play aggressively.

"I bet 1000€." Iris met Igor's gaze.

The slight wrinkle in the middle of his forehead told her he was thinking about her hands as well. A good player always distinguished between fish and sharks. Iris was no fish, but neither was Igor. He cocked his head to the side and a faint smile finally emerged in the corner of his lips. His dark eyes held no warmth, but a glint of amusement sparked within.

"I raise to 2000€."

The attention around the table shifted to the two of them. Iris paid them no mind. Tension danced between her and the man who was about to take all of her money. She had to see this game to its end.

"All in."

Igor let out a laugh.

"Bane, ostavi kartu i otiđite."

Bane, leave the card and go away.

The alarms went off in Iris's head, but she couldn't let her fear show. The men around the table rustled in their seats.

"Stvarno?" Bane seemed perplexed.

Really?

"Leave us for a moment, will you?" Igor repeated, this time turning to Lora, and Iris swallowed the sudden nervousness.

Yet, underneath the fear and anxiety, a familiar wave of adrenaline soothed her veins. Lora wasn't so convinced. Her huge blue eyes landed on Iris, full of worry, repeating those same words from before. Abort the mission.

"I'll be out in a minute." Iris said, offering one of her stern stares. This was their job and they wouldn't get anywhere if they kept on the safe side lines. Lora took her purse and moved away from the table with the men. They settled on the counter on the other side of the casino.

Iris momentarily forgot about them. Her attention shifted to the intriguing man.

"Bacila je sve niz reku." Igor chuckled and put his fingers on the last card. "I call."

She threw everything down the river.

Oh, she did, Iris thought. Throwing everything away in the last moment was her area of expertise and this game was no different. The moment of tension dissipated as the card revealed itself. Three of spades.

She had nothing. Her straight was busted and her money was in the game. Iris revealed her cards and Igor's eyes only slightly widened. The flicker of surprise was gone in a second; deep satisfaction taking its place. He showed his cards.

"King and queen of hearts." He had a pair of Kings. He won.

"You called my bluff." Iris nodded, a pang of disappointment coursing through her.

"You got overly excited each time I called or raised. You wanted to make me fold, but you also wanted me to take the bait." Igor offered his hand. "Igor Milosavljević."

She would never learn how to pronounce that name correctly.

"And you took the bait, even though you weren't sure if I was bluffing." Iris took the man's hand, feeling his rough skin on her gentle hands. "Iris Judd."

"Iris." Igor pronounced her name ee-ris. The way her name rolled off his tongue sent shivers down her spine. "Do they compare you to flowers often?"

"They compare me more often to weeds." Iris offered a smile. "Why did you take the bait? I could have taken your money."

Igor downed his drink and put the burner phone in his pocket, as well as the stack of euros that rested next to him.

"Oh, yes, I have seen the danger coming from a mile away." He said, the seriousness returning to his eyes. Iris caught the absence of playfulness, as well as the underlying threat. "Sometimes, you attack and kick the thing right out. And other times, you lure it in and try to catch it."

He left the tip for the waitress on the table. Iris could barely move as he looked into her eyes one more time.

"But rest assured, Iris, I always recognise a snake in my own garden."

***

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