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“I know,” he replied, unfazed.

“Has anyone ever told you what your face looks like?”

“I’m not—”

“Punchable,” she cut in, emphasizing thep. “That’s what it looks like, and what will happen in two seconds if you don’t move—”

“Are you two done flirting or are you gonna order something?” Raziel interrupted, lazily sipping his drink.

Khalani and Takeshi shifted their disdainful glares to Raziel.

If flirting constituted habitually wanting to rip the other person’s head off, then sure. They were absolute pros.

“Just give me what you’re having,” she grumbled to Raziel.

“You sure? It’s strong. Most girls prefer something sweet.”

“If you can handle it, I can.”

Raziel grinned devilishly. “I’m sure you could—”

“Just get her the fucking drink,” Takeshi snapped, placing his elbows on the counter.

Khalani took a small sip from the silver glass handed to her, praying the alcohol would loosen the tension. When her face twisted and her body shivered, Raziel’s lips curled into a smile.

She didn’t understand why people willingly drank liquor—it was like coating your throat in charcoal and setting it on fire.

But for some reason, she went back for another sip. Because what good was freedom if you didn’t make questionable decisions with it?

Takeshi, on the other hand, downed the entire glass in one gulp, his expression unreadable.

It was impossible to tell whether he enjoyed the drink or despised it. But when his gaze shifted to hers, still tinged with irritation, she detected a subtle flicker of challenge.

Alright then.

She tilted her head back, held her breath, and downed the remaining contents in the glass.

“That’s more like it,” Raziel remarked with a nod of approval.

“It actually doesn’t taste that bad,” she lied in a breathless voice, fighting through the burn.

Both men gave her sidelong glances, like she was full of shit, but Khalani ignored them and walked toward one of the strange machines lined against the wall. It had a white screen with bright, bold-red letters flashing JACKPOT repeatedly.

“How do you play?” she asked.

Raziel smoothly glided over, retrieving a metallic card from his pocket. He tapped it against the screen and instantly, various symbols illuminated and danced across the glass.

“Just pull this lever here,” he explained, pointing to a red stick on the side. “The goal is to line up three of the same symbols in a row. Three jackpots will win you the grand prize.”

She bit her lip and tugged the lever back. The symbols on the screen whirled so fast, her eyes couldn’t keep up. She pulled the lever several times, but none of the symbols matched.

Khalani felt a pang of guilt each time she lost Raziel money, but he merely nodded in encouragement. “Keep going.”

Takeshi came to stand by her side, which only intensified Khalani’s desire to win. She started to grasp how easily you could become ensnared by the casino. To continue pulling the lever, gambling your inhibitions away.

Suddenly, the machine lit up on her next pull, and the sound of jingling coins filled the air as three blue diamonds appeared on the screen.

“I won?” She drew back in shock.