The entrance to the Jade Garden looked nothing like what Nash had pictured. No flashy door, no bouncer built like a tank crossing his arms in front of a red velvet curtain like the dive clubs in Sector 6. Just a smoked glass double door, framed in polished brass, with two men in dark suits posted on either side, discreet earpieces, sharp eyes hidden behind black sunglasses.
"Papers," said the first one, without even raising his voice, holding out a gloved hand.
Nash pulled out an ID. The agent scanned it on a small tablet, waiting for the green beep before handing it back without a word.
Saya held out hers, her fingers trembling slightly despite her best efforts to look relaxed. The second agent studied it for a moment, longer than necessary, before she remembered — a bit too late — the small card Monique had slipped her earlier that evening, a thick black card with no visible markings, just a discreet pattern engraved in one corner.
