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    Nobody paid me any mind.
    I reached the first table, walking around the side and trying to squeeze through so I could see that action. The people around the table were quiet, watching with tense anticipation. I got up to the front of the gathering just in time to watch the current player make his toss.  
    The symbols on the dice looked to be pretty crude smears of red on the yellowish surface. Even so, I could make out the result of the roll.
    Snake, and snake.
    The collective groan of the crowd clued me in that this wasn't a good outcome. The roller slammed his fist on the table and got up, pushing his way out of the area with his head down. A woman slid into the seat to take his place, dropping a small stack of chips on the table.
    I stared at the dice. There was nothing about them that stood out to me. I glanced over at the dealer. I could see a small square box riding in the front pocket of his slacks, and I assumed it was carrying the spares. There was nothing jumping out at me from there either.  
    I moved on.
    The second table was like the first, though the player was having a bit better luck. He had a nice stack of chips on the table, and the crowd was cheering with every roll. The dealer kept congratulating him, smiling and moving his hands a lot. That was so the gathering wouldn't notice when he palmed the box and traded out the dice for something weighted more in the house's favor. I saw him glance at me after he did it, and I tried to wipe the smirk from my face before I looked suspicious.  
    Quit while you're ahead, dumb-ass.
    The idiot lost his fortune on the next roll.
    The dice were ordinary.
    It took me about twenty minutes to get through half the tables. By the time I finished with the one in the center, I was getting tired, annoyed, and hot. I had to concentrate on not touching my face and smearing the makeup, and I could almost feel the glue holding the wig in place melting under my sweat. I decided it would be a good time to rendezvous with Dannie.
    The ogre looked massive from the top of the steps. He was even bigger than that up close. At least twelve feet tall and close to half a ton or more. He had a decent face for a leather, with a more narrow, pointed nose and shorter lower teeth than was common.  
    I found Dannie perched next to him, sitting in the lap of a man I could only assume was Olivier Despre.
    He was an older man, but he was handsome. Really handsome. Tight white hair on a rounded head, huge brown eyes, all sharp angles and smooth lines. He was probably seventy years old, and he had the body of someone half his age.
    I played it cool, not giving Danelle or Despre any special attention, and instead circling around so she could see me in her peripheral vision. Despre whispered something in her ear, and she laughed and threw her head back, making sure to twitch her eyelid on the way down.  
    It was a signal. She was asking me if I found it.
    I licked my lips, telling her I hadn't.
    The crowd hushed as bets were placed. Dannie leaned forward in Despre's lap so she could pick up the dice. I hadn't realized she was playing. She held them in her open palm, giving me a great view. I didn't sense anything.
    She held them tight for a second and let fly. They bounced on the green velvet of the table before settling on what looked like fire, and lightning.  
    The crowd cheered. I guess it was a good roll.
    She had a nice stack of chips, and I watched the dealer take the dice. I think he would have switched them out then, but Despre raised his finger, and the dealer put them back down on the table in front of them.
    A hand landed on my shoulder.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Odds and ends.

    I turned my head. The guy touching me was muscled and mean, in the same dark tux as the ogre.  
    Security.
    Shit.
    "Can you come with me, sir?" he asked.  
    "Is there a problem?"
    He looked at my hair. Did he know? I'd been so careful with the makeup, with everything.
    "I just needed to ask you a couple of