Chapter 39 - Poker (2)

This is not going to end well, Sunye inwardly winced. But she kept calm and faked a smirk as she walked towards Kibum with SD by her side.

"So," Kibum began. "You two want to play poker with me."

He was eyeing Sunye from head to toe and snorted. To him, she looked like a cheap hooker who would probably spread her legs for anyone in sight. She did not let her anger show and played her part as a doormat beside SD.

"Who are you?" he asked SD.

"Heo Shawn," he replied. "And this is my partner, Kim Minhee."

He flashes the fake ID's at them. For their own safety, they were using false names. Then again, Sunye realized. I don't even know SD's real name.

She glanced at him. They had known each other for eight years and she never asked him his real name. Suddenly, she felt a little awkward and guilty. Sure, she did not really like the guy but they did work side by side. Surely, he had a name.

"And why are you interested in playing with me?" Kibum asked in a cool tone.

"Isn't it obvious?" SD smirked. He leaned forward and whispered, "You're the richest guy here. Who else has the heaviest wallet here if not you? I'm sure if we can beat you, we'll get a hefty amount of cash."

"Oh really?" Kibum snorted. He was bemused by the odd couple who dared to challenge him. Kibum was a pro poker player and had beaten international level gamblers. Yet, these two were silly enough to challenge him. But he had an inkling that the couple were not there simply to play but rather for something else.

"Alright," he agreed. "We are about to start a hand."

He ushered at the five other people who sat with him. They were clearly his subordinates and they gave the couple a hard stare. 

"Who's the challenger?" Kibum asked. 

"Me," Sunye replied. That made Kibum laugh out loud.

"Really?" he laughed. "A girl? You are gonna play against me? Me?"

"Are ya scared?" Sunye asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't dare to cross her," SD warned with a smile. "She's wild in bed and in poker."

Sunye wanted to gouge his eyes out for that but she managed to keep her cool and merely smiled. But SD could feel her murderous glares. He relished in them like the shameless villain he was.

"Who's the dealer?" Sunye asked. 

A lean man with dark hair and a short moustache replied, "I am."

"This is Maurice," Kibum said. "And that's Kyuhyun."

He pointed at a burly man in his forties who merely grumbled. "That's Dozier," Kibum went on, pointing at a short, plump man in his thirties. "And the blonde haired guy is Jamie."

The blonde haired foreigner was in his forties and nodded at Sunye.

"We will be playing inside the VIP room," Kibum said. "Only the six of us."

That made Sunye raise an eyebrow. "Only the six of us?" she echoed. "But I have Shawn with me."

"He'll wait outside," Kibum said coolly. "We don't want your partner to pass you information during the game."

SD did not react but kept his gaze on Kibum. He could feel Sunye's tension but she was not letting it show on her face. She did not think that they would be forced to separate in a club like that. 

What if they hurt me? She wondered, feeling a little scared. The men were not ordinary citizens but full fledged members of the mafia. Fooling them would be equal to courting death. 

"Fine," SD said. "You can take her in."

Sunye wanted to throw something at him, preferably a vase or a heavy object. Was he seriously going to send her inside a room all alone with mafia men? That too in those clothing?

But SD was not looking at her. In fact, he was ignoring her fear. His focus was on his mission that night. The list contained the information which would lead him to his enemies and it was something he must attain at all cost.

His eyes darted to Sunye's collar. A tiny black object briefly shone from there. Seeing it there appeased him and he did not comment any further. Sunye did not notice the tiny tracker SD had put in her collar. He had an inkling that Kibum's men would separate them so he was ten steps ahead. Orea had designed an untraceable tracker which SD had slipped on to Sunye's collar so that if the latter was in any sort of danger, he would find her.

"Let's go then," Kibum suggested. Sunye threw a nervous glance at SD before following the men towards a room at the corner of the club. They passed by the other gamblers who were cursing and yelling as they dealt their hands at different card games.

"Wonder if this hoe can truly beat us in poker," Maurice wheezed.

"She looks pretty but is probably an empty headed woman," Kyuhyun chuckled. Sunye did not respond but kept her head down and followed the men to the room.

"Enter," Kibum ordered. Sunye took a deep breath and entered the room while analysing her opponents. There were two guards outside the room who would watch over the six of them. The chamber they had entered had a reddish light emitting from the center. There was a long poker table in the middle of the room with 6 chairs around it. 

Maurice took a seat. Kyuhyun sat to his left. Dozier sat next to him. Sunye sat beside him while Kibum took a seat opposite to her. Jamie sat next to Sunye.

Dozier took the deck of cards and expertly shuffled them. He tried to intimidate Sunye as he threw the cards up in the air in an uniform line while juggling it between his hands before mixing them up in a random order. But she did not flinch at all. 

Gritting in annoyance, he dealt two cards to each player. Kibum took his cards and held them up to see. 

He glanced at the icy hooker whose expression was unreadable as she saw her cards. She looked up and their eyes met. There was no hint of what was going on in her mind and Kibum felt a little frustrated. She was secretive and elusive, not giving away her true feelings.

"Shall we begin?" he smirked.

Sunye stiffly nodded, determined to beat him at his own turf. 

"Let the game commence!" Maurice declared.