Table Seven

Las Vegas looked like capitalism had discovered neon and stopped sleeping. Ethan landed at Harry Reid International with Priya on his left, Hannah two rows behind them, and Nora allegedly in New York though her latest message contained a photo of the same airport carpet. Nobody in his life was where they claimed to be anymore. That included him. The customer was the Meridian Crown, a casino resort with mirrored towers, private elevators, and a security chief who used the word "guest" as if it meant "manageable threat." Atlas had been hired to monitor cyber chatter, payment disruptions, and social panic during a weekend tournament where billionaires pretended poker was the reason they came. But the signal had said the buyer sat at table seven.