Page 16 of Deadly Offer

The game progressed, and with each hand of poker played, Reuben tracked the patterns emerging between the different players sat at the table. The way Mr. Jiahao’s bets aligned perfectly with Yev’s calls. How Luka‘Lucky Boy’s’losses seemed choreographed, building toward something larger.

“You can see it, can’t you?” Dmitrii’s voice dropped, his lips barely moving. He paused between each word like a man stepping through a minefield. “How they all move together? Nikon has you just dealing cards, but you seeso muchmore.”

“We’ve been through this.” Reuben’s fingers pressed against his temple, mimicking the tension headache he’d watched countless losing players display. “I’m content where I am.”

“Are you?” Dmitrii reached for his drink, his path to the glass drifting across Reuben’s wrist. His fingertips lingered there a moment too long. “Or is that what Nikon has convinced you to be?”

The touch sent ice through Reuben’s veins. He glanced up at Dmitrii, whose perfectly styled hair didn’t shift an inch as he bent closer. Reuben pulled his hand back, letting it slip beneath the table. His mind raced, cataloging their every interaction up until now; the way Dmitrii sat too close, the lingering looks, the soft voice.

This had moved beyond a man just looking to recruit for his organization.

Dmitrii leaned back in his chair, swirling the liquid in his glass. “Nikon wasn’t always so...” His lips curved into something between a smile and a sneer. “Possessive. Back in the day, he shared quite well with others.”

Reuben’s collar all of a sudden felt too tight. He kept his hands still, refusing to show any discomfort that would satisfy Dmitrii. There was more behind his words, implications he wanted Reuben to catch.

“Did he tell you about our scene back then? Such a small world for men like us in those days.” Dmitrii’s eyes caught the low light, reflecting it like polished metal. “The same few parties, the same private clubs. We couldn’t help but cross paths. We shared the same...tastes.” His lip curled. “Sometimes even the same men.”

Reuben’s chest tightened. The cards in front of him blurred until he made himself breathe slowly. He’d known Nikon had a past, had shared his bed with many others before him. But hearing the details from Dmitrii’s smirking lips, each casual reference to their shared history struck an unexpected nerve...

“Your point?” The words scraped past his teeth.

“My point?” Dmitrii’s shoulder lingered against Reuben’s as he reached across to place a bet, his movements slower than necessary. His eyes gleamed as he watched Reuben’s reaction. “People change. Or perhaps they simply show their true nature over time. Nikon was always territorial with his favorites.” He paused, letting the words hang there. “The jealousy, the control...” Another pause. “It’s what drove most of them away in the end.”

A player across the table coughed, and Reuben took the chance to look at his cards. He didn’t need to — he knew them by heart from the moment they hit the table. But going through the motions helped steady his racing thoughts.

The thing was, he could see what Dmitrii was doing. Every word chosen to plant seeds of doubt. Every casual touch designed to provoke a reaction. Even the careful construction of intimacy in how he leaned close.

It was all a charming manipulation. The kind that had probably worked for Dmitrii countless times before.

And yet...

The image of Nikon rose in his mind. Not the crime boss others feared, but the man who made him coffee every morning, exactly how he liked it. Who watched him with soft eyes across the kitchen counter, who kissed his temple before leaving for work. The man who had never once asked Reuben to be someone he wasn’t.

Dmitrii signaled for another drink. “He’s different with you, though, isn’t he? Nikon. More... invested.” His voice dropped lower. “More afraid of losing you.”

Reuben shrugged one shoulder, spreading his cards in a lazy fan. “It’s not that serious between us.” His heart pounded against his ribs even as he kept his voice light, dismissive. The lie tasted like bile on his tongue. “We have an arrangement that works for us both.”

“Anarrangement?” Interest sparked in Dmitrii’s eyes. “How... modern of him.”

“People change, like you said.” Reuben placed a bet, watching as Mr. Jiahao matched his bet too quickly. Just like the last three hands. Just like Yev’s perfectly timed calls. “Were the clubs different back then? More private?”

Something flickered in Dmitrii’s eyes. “They were more... intimate. Everyone who mattered passed through, eventually.” He swirled his drink, studying Reuben’s profile. “I knew them all. Still do.” he paused to take a quick sip. “It’s amazing what people reveal at a poker table when they think no one’s watching their patterns.”

Reuben’s grip tightened on his cards. He watched the money move around the table, seeing the real story behind each bet. When these men put money down, they weren’t just playingpoker. They were paying debts. Trading favors. And Dmitrii was taking notes on it all, saving every secret for later.

Another round of cards. Another exchange of meaningless pleasantries.

Around the table, players made small talk in-between hands of poker while Reuben wordlessly watched them play. Dmitrii leaned over to Mr. Jiahao, whispering something that made the man offer a hesitant smile. Then he turned to Luka, smacking him on the shoulder like an old friend, while Luka’s hands shook as he placed his bet. Dmitrii kept up his smooth act. Every smile and touch planned out like moves in a game.

He wasnothinglike Nikon.

Ten minutes later, after working his way around the table, Dmitrii’s attention settled back on Reuben, studying him with fresh interest.

“You know, you’re not what I expected,” Dmitrii said.

“No?” Reuben met his gaze directly for the first time that night.

Reuben’s thoughts once again drifted back to Nikon. One of the things he loved about Nikon was that he’d never expected Reuben to be anything other than what he was.

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