Chapter 483: At 'Home'

Mina was at first terrified of entering a bar in an unknown part of town, but Mills insisted, telling her that they needed to get to a place where even the criminals were afraid to follow. Since they had stepped foot in the outer district, they had been followed by men and women of varying ages, and Mills made light work of a few of them before they found the sweet spot she had been looking for.

The bar looked run down and dingy, but the building was well kept, which meant that its exterior was a front, and more money went through the place than they wanted to let on. With a game plan set, the woman made their way inside, and Mina was glad she had insisted on packing beach wraps for both she and Mills. Although there were many women inside who wore swimsuits only, she was sure they were a part of whatever gang ran the place, and the women could probably walk around naked without being so much as questioned.

After an intense twenty minutes of back and forth between Mills and Majha, the man who ran the establishment, and likely the gang, Mills finally grew on him. He kept asking her on dates, but she kept telling him she had a boyfriend. She had even told the man that her boyfriend would show up within an hour, and Majha chuckled, thinking that Mills was only trying to put him off.

Mina was relieved that most of the men were interested in Mills. The only ones who were not crowded around the woman, who was telling them survival stories of growing up poor in Sani, were the ones who could not speak Panglish well. Those men were busy playing cards, and Mina listened to Mills speak, while watching the men play.

Not thrilled by the fact that she and Mina were surrounded, Mills suggested that they play a game of darts, and the women were introduced to a man called Sunhari, who wore many gold chains around his neck. He was an expert knife thrower, and each chain was won from a bet. Mills had a small gold bracelet around her wrist and she confidently put it up to take on the man.

After losing three of his chains to Mills, the man stepped down, and someone tried to encourage Mina to make a bet, but she explained that she had never played a game of darts in her entire life. Shocked, Sunhari decided to teach Mina how to play, and with a little practice, she managed to hit the board and she jumped while clapping, clearly proud of herself.

"I knew it! I knew I recognized you!" Shouted Mahja. "You are in that commercial." Mina's face turned red, and Sunhari asked if she were really a spy. She of course denied it and played it up as a promotional theme.

Things would have been fine if they had let it go, but Mina found herself becoming a photo prop. Some of the men wanted to take pictures that made it appear as if she were beating them up, and one even stood on a stool to make it seem like Mina was lifting him by his throat. The photos were hilarious, and after a while even Mills got in on the game. Sunhari removed all his necklaces and put them around Mina's neck, burying his hands in his face as Mills snapped a photo of Mina posing with a dart.

When Mina went to give the necklaces back, Sunhari noticed the one she wore and challenged her to a game, but she declined, telling the man that she wanted to play cards. One of the men asked Mina to join him, and instead of being afraid like she normally would have, she sat down eagerly. She clarified how to play the game with the man who invited her, and he was impressed that she had picked up some of the rules from the brief time he had noticed her watching.

Lapeto, the man who was the most skilled at cards, had fingers full of rings and arms lined with bracelets. Mina put up the bracelet that Mills loaned her, confident that she would be able to win, and she was right. Game after game, Lapeto found himself losing, but he could not stop himself from playing another hand.

"Miss contact spy, you would be a very rich woman if you joined my organization," Majha said.

"No thanks. I have already chased the wrong sort of money and I didn't like where it took me." Grunts of understanding filled the room, and Mills found herself squinting at Mina, who despite being a gentle woman, seemed to be right at home with the new friends they had made.

"If you ever change your mind…" Majha raised his glass toward Mina, who nodded in understanding, shocking Mills who thought the woman would have flatly declined.

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Drax got a notification on his phone, and he quickly input the location in his navigation system. Both Mina and Mills were street smart, so if either of them used his card in a shady place that would likely double or triple charge for the purchase, it was for a reason.

"What the hell are they doing there?" Ian asked, he had sent the address to one of his men, and it was an illegal gambling spot, that although not huge, had several other locations that it ran.

"They used the card, which means they are okay for now. If you do not trust Mina, trust Mills." The car they were in was speeding down the highway, and when they made it into the slums, Ian's heart sank. There were children everywhere, many of them unaccompanied, but he could tell that they were not defenseless. They looked at the vehicle in a predatory nature, and he could finally see why his uncle had decided to exploit the poor. Sometimes desperation can bring out the worst in a person, but if those same qualities could be harnessed for other outlets, the potential was limitless.

Once outside of the bar, the men were frightened by the silence in the area. There was not a single person in sight, although both men were sure they were being watched. They stepped inside, ready to fight if they had to, but instead Mills shouted in glee before jumping into Drax's arms and pressing a deep kiss onto his lips.

"You were almost late," she said.

"Where is Mina," Ian interjected impatiently, and Mills hushed him.

"She is playing cards. Don't distract her." Ian made his way to where a crowd was gathered, and he saw a distressed looking man sweating as he faced down Mina, who had amassed a small mountain of jewelry in front of her. When the game ended, the man slammed his fists on the table, making others around him chuckle as someone handed him a consolatory drink. Ian used the opportunity to stand next to Mina, who was happily analyzing the bracelet she had just won.

"It's time to go," he whispered into her ear and Mina looked up, surprised to see him before pouting. She sighed, called Lapeto by name, and handed the man back all his bracelets, save for one that she really liked, but President Lee insisted that she return it because they did not know where or who it came from.

"I can't accept these. You won them," Lapeto said, but Mina stopped him.

"You can think of them as a favor you owe me. If we ever meet again that is." Ian narrowed his eyes at Mina and the man she was speaking with. He could tell by the way the man was looking at Mina that he was interested in her, and he could also tell that Mina was okay with it.