The pair stood out like sore thumbs. Or maybe it was more like prey in a lion’s den. ...Or a polar bear in the middle of Texas? Pace loomed over the majority of the underground’s inhabitants and Nora stood out simply because she was one of the very few women present there.<br/><br/><br/>Not to mention that this was a No Tourist Fly Zone -- all except for them and a pair of men rolling dice in the back were Chinese. That alone made the Jackal grin that much wider as he took in the dimly lit room that they now found themselves. Regardless that this was a place where rich men went to take risks in all its elegant glory, they were getting the stink eye from those who did not want a foreigner’s bad mannerisms to interrupt their games.<br/><br/><br/>Judging by the look on Pace’s face, he had been well aware of what they were walking into before they arrived. It showed itself in the look of glee he wore.<br/><br/><br/>Straightening up his tie and smoothing back the dark wisps of hair that had fallen out of the slicked back do to tickle his forehead, he ducked into position on the other side of Nora at the dealer’s table. Even though he seated himself elegantly beside Mr. Chen and tapped the table so that everyone knew he wanted to be dealt into the game, one hand rose to rest at the small of her back. Possessive and yet casual. His fingers barely moved, but he made sure his presence was known with the subtle glide of his digits across the small of her back through the material of her dress.<br/><br/><br/>“What are we wagering?” He inquired smoothly, keeping his accent American, like hers, so that they were marked as being together. If his touch on Nora didn’t establish that enough. Though if he had wanted her to wile the businessman with her charm, why then was he laying his claim now?<br/><br/><br/>Quicksilver eyes shifted, meeting the dark stare of Chen’s stoic look with lazy ease. His smile was steady, semi-charmed, as he pulled out a leather billfold from the breast pocket inside his jacket and pulled out a fan of crisp bills, growing the display in his hand until the spark of greed infiltrated Chen’s stare.<br/><br/><br/>“Unless you had a different kind of wager in mind. Back in America, we like the green stuff, but I did come here for a bit of fun.”<br/><br/><br/>Nora was not the only one with a different sense. The Jackal was watching Chen carefully, below the boring exterior of a middle aged man. There was something off about the other man. Something Other. Pace just couldn’t quite put his finger on it… yet.<br/><br/><br/>The small man smiled just the same, a smug look, but his attention loitered on the money just a little too long before raking Nora from breast to thigh. Pace’s hand drifted lower as Chen’s gaze wandered, until the heat of his fingertips touched her bare skin, tracing circles across the back of her thigh and knee.<br/><br/><br/>“One thousand American to start,” Chen replied finally, flashing a brief smile and nodding to the dealer. Pace’s own eyes flashed as he exchanged the wad of bills for chips. Once the wages had been placed on the table, the cards were dealt.<br/><br/><br/>“What do you think, love?” Pace drawled, retracting his hand from Nora’s skin so that he could hold his hand. Already, he was dealt a pair of aces. “Think I have the start of a good hand?”