The command center was dead silent after Ethan escorted Vance out to the ferry terminal.
The door had closed twenty minutes ago. No one had spoken since.
Li stood by the primary monitor, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The blue light from the screens reflected in her eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
"If the federal regulators expose the Julian Croft persona," Li said, breaking the silence. Her voice was low. "the Golden Koi loses its leverage over the Trust. The Empress will reclaim the political shield, and she will use the municipal government to crush us. She'll freeze our accounts. She'll revoke our gaming licenses. She'll send the police and tax bureau into every warehouse, every club, every front company we own. Forty-eight hours, Noah. That's all we have before this whole thing unravels."
I didn't answer right away. I was staring at the map of the Cotai Strip on the wall. Red pins for Song Mei. Blue pins for us. The red was still winning.
