The tinkling of the machines declaring another winner ricocheted through his head even outside of the casinos. Over and over, the cheerful tones played. In the dead of night, it sometimes pulled him from dreams. Nina would call it the result of spending the majority of his time on the casino floor. Inej would say something depressing about luck and fools. He wouldn't have asked for either of their opinions.
Kaz Brekker looked out over the floor of the Crow Club, a casino just off the main path of Fremont Street. It was done up tastefully in dark reds and greys, with no windows to give an inclination of time passing. He had been involved in every step of its construction. The height of the chairs at the tables were done just so. The sconces and chandeliers were lit dimly enough to suggest clandestine activities. Interlocking patterns of crows taking flight spread across the carpet. The red velvet of the walls were picked from dozens of samples of fabric. He had even commissioned an artisan in Los Angeles to construct the columns lining the walls. It was Kaz's work of art, not Per Haskell's, no matter how much the old man claimed otherwise.
Inej appeared next to him on the balcony. The Wraith had been watching from behind him for the last quarter hour, but had apparently found something to say.
"The Razorgulls seem particularly riled about something tonight. I caught their lieutenant mouthing off about a payday inside the El Cortez," she said without preamble.
"As if André could find his way out of a wet paper bag with a map," Kaz snorted. Inej shot him a censorious look.
"Regardless of your assumptions of his intellectual capability, there's a threat." Even in her ire, she took Kaz's proffered arm as they left the balcony. Manners, even in a den of vices, were important.
"I never said there wasn't. A stupid man is far more dangerous than an intelligent one. Harder to predict. A smart man will take the most logical path," he said. The cane in his hand did nothing to interfere with the pace at which they moved down the stairs.
"Your words of wisdom are always so comforting," Inej snapped. "I'll be sure to remember them when I'm pulling bullets out of my side."
The arm that held Inej's hand tightened for the briefest moment. The image of the Wraith covered in her own blood for once, sprawled on the floor of an alley suddenly slipped into his mind with the force of a battering ram. His cane clanked, louder than usual, on the last stair. His minor slip was not noticed by the patrons or employees on the floor, but Inej missed nothing.
Her raised eyebrow went unanswered as he deposited her at her favored bar stool. Inej didn't drink and would send back every ridiculous cocktail sent her way. Kaz knew she sat there to observe. She could see every entrance open to the public from this point, as well as the guarded door leading to the back room the Dregs took their meetings in. Dirix, the bartender, kept the seat open, claiming it was reserved for a high roller. Inej had never placed a bet in her life.
"What has brought out your scheming face, Kaz? You look like a kid on Christmas Eve," she commented as he waved a hand for Dirix to bring her a glass of water. Kaz leaned against the bar, surveying the pigeons in the trap rather than look at her.
"Got a job for us. Need to round up a few more people for the rest of the crew, but the payday should be… It'll change everything, Inej." Satisfied Dirix had come to keep an eye on the Wraith, not that she needed minding, Kaz turned to depart. "I'll leave you to your perch, Wraith, but keep an eye out for Jesper. He should be back from the Frontier Club within the hour."
Inej let him walk a few steps away before calling his name. He turned to look at her. He was distracted by the figure she cut in the smoky club. The high-waisted trousers she wore seemed to stretch her legs into something bordering on obscene. She exuded a quiet confidence that seemed to say, I belong right here, without venturing towards arrogance. The coil of her dark hair at the back of her head hid nothing of the stern expression on her face. Inej usually favored austerity when dealing with Kaz and he found her frown comforting.
"If I'm left waiting for that man to pull himself away from a table all night, I'm blaming you," she declared before turning her back to watch the crowd.