The Apocalyptic Queen's Werewolf Journey (Thora and Darius) novel Chapter 456

From the moment Thora sat down, she'd pegged the man for what he was—new money, no class—and suspicion took root immediately.

Everyone who walked through these doors had deep pockets, but few felt the need to flaunt it like this.

More importantly, Shirley had deliberately bumped into her on the way in, slipping her a covert message—the man's briefcases were packed with counterfeit bills.

Thora had sent Shirley ahead to infiltrate the casino, monitor every movement inside, and flag anyone suspicious.

As soon as Shirley's intel came in, Thora headed straight for this particular table, determined to confirm firsthand whether the man's cash was actually fake.

To pull it off, she deliberately won some hands and lost others, lulling him into a false sense of security before pushing in with nearly every chip she had.

Roxen played along in perfect sync, helping keep Badi Baker's guard down.

When the moment was right, Roxen bowed out on her own, handing the stage entirely to Thora.

Badi did exactly what they expected—he cheated at the final moment. But what he never saw coming was that Thora had already used her ability in secret, swapping out the very cards he'd tried to switch. That was what made the showdown so dramatic.

From what Thora could tell, though, Badi wasn't part of the counterfeiting ring's inner circle. At best, he was a downstream buyer—a rich businessman who purchased fakes from the operation.

Even so, he was still a thread worth pulling.

If those counterfeit bills made it into the casino and changed hands a few times, tracing them back to the source would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Roxen pulled a single bill from the stack, tucked it inside her jacket, gave Thora a nod, and stood to leave.

Thora knew exactly what that meant—with a lead in hand, Roxen was heading out to rally the team and put together an action plan.

Tristan finished inspecting every briefcase, snapped them shut, and gave Thora a confirming nod.

Thora's eyes locked onto Badi as he disappeared into the crowd. She spoke into her earpiece, her voice barely above a whisper. "Run him."

...

Outside the casino district, Badi's surveillance photos filled the screen of Luke's micro-computer.

His fingers flew across the virtual keyboard as he jacked into a secure database and started running a full background check.

...

Back inside the casino.

"What a waste. All I won was a pile of trash." Thora cast a cold glance at the briefcases stuffed with counterfeit bills.

Darius looked at her, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Whatever he lost to you, that's exactly what will show up in your account."

Thora frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Darius turned his gaze toward where Badi had gone and smiled without a word—there was no way he'd let Thora walk away shortchanged.

Bang!

Even with the suppressor dampening the shot, the dull, wet thud of a bullet tearing through flesh was unmistakable.

The first bodyguard who had reached for his gun dropped where he stood, convulsed twice, and went still.

Badi nearly jumped out of his skin. Every ounce of bravado drained from his body as realization set in—this was Dorian, head of the Ciphers, one of the three biggest arms dealers in Chaules.

To a man like that, Badi's life wasn't worth the dust on his shoes. The fact that he'd tried to flex just moments ago now felt like the dumbest move he'd ever made.

He quickly waved his remaining men back, then approached Dorian with careful, measured steps, dipping his head in a bow. "Mr. Cipher."

Dorian lifted his gaze, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Mr. Baker, have a seat."

Only then did Badi lower himself into a chair, barely holding himself together.

"You know, Mr. Baker, you're the first businessman to look me up by name and ask to cut a deal." Dorian's tone was flat, almost bored. "More precisely, the first one with the guts to try."

...

At that very moment, Thora and Darius were in another room, watching everything unfold inside the suite.

"Dorian?" Thora recognized him the instant she laid eyes on him.