Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 401

Drake mentioned there would be a massive high-stakes tournament in international waters a month from now, drawing kingpins from all over the world. She wanted to use Nina's connections to get in on the action.

Maybe she'd stumble upon some new clues there!

Hell, she might even run into Fifth Master.

She hadn't seen him in ages; he wasn't returning her texts, and she actually missed the old guy.

Nina stared down, deep in thought for a moment before saying, "With your skills, there's a way. Next month's event is the perfect opportunity."

Playing dumb, Stella asked, "What opportunity?"

"A private showdown between major players out in international waters," Nina replied. "I can recommend you." She clearly had a backdoor channel.

"Then I owe you one, Nina," Stella said gratefully. "How about we exchange numbers? I'll be leaving for the mainland soon."

Barring any surprises, she and Julius were planning to head back tomorrow. They had already been here for five days.

"Sure," Nina agreed readily. Since the younger girl had won without totally humiliating her, she was willing to play nice.

She was going to sponsor her for the tournament anyway, so having direct contact just made things easier than playing telephone through a middleman.

"I still need to pull some strings with the organizers. Once it's sorted, I'll text you the exact time and requirements. Just wait for my word."

"Sounds good, thanks again, Nina. Want to grab a late-night bite with us?" Stella offered.

The late-night food scene in Port City was legendary.

She just wanted to show her appreciation. After all, she had been bothering him for days, and he really had come through for her.

"Sure, let's do it," Drake agreed cheerfully. "Looks like you know Port City even better than a local like me." He knew the spot; it really was top-notch.

"Haha, you're joking. We just stumbled upon it by accident."

The three of them walked over, and Stella ordered a massive spread of barbecue and beers.

Julius, ever the wealthy snob, complained that the draft beer was too bitter and proceeded to order the most expensive bottles of liquor the place had.

Surprisingly, Drake could hold his liquor. Mixing cheap beer with high-end spirits, the three of them threw back quite a lot.

By now, it was already past one in the morning.