[Jake's POV]
The transition at the Jade Palace was brutal and efficient.
Morning light hit the emerald glass and turned it white. The Strip was quiet. Cleaning crews pushed machines that hummed. Delivery trucks backed up to loading docks. The smell of coffee and diesel hung in the air. The humidity was already pressing down.
The sun glared off the emerald glass until it hurt to look. Valets moved in slow motion, shirts sticking to their backs. The air smelled like hot asphalt, coffee, and the faint chemical tang of floor polish from the night crew.
I arrived at the casino at eight a.m. the following morning, accompanied by Ethan and twenty of the Golden Koi's most disciplined soldiers. We didn't wear triad colors or flash weapons. We wore tailored black suits, projecting the image of a high-end corporate security firm.
Our shoes clicked on marble. The lobby was too bright. Too empty.
