Hell to Pay

Under the neon glow of a city that never truly sleeps, the debt collector known as Rook hunts through backrooms and burned-out neon alleys for a life he can barely afford. A choice made in haste haunts him, and as the cards pile up, so do the consequences, drawing him toward a pact that binds more than his luck. The stakes aren’t just monetary; they are the last tether to the person he once was, and the person Vegas needs him to become. He moves with a gambler’s finesse through a maze of devils, doppelgängers, and glittering traps, each encounter pushing him toward a reckoning he cannot escape. The deeper Rook dives, the more the casino’s glittering surface hides a heartbeat of true danger. He discovers a cause worth risking everything for—a chance to save someone who doesn’t know he exists, a possibility rooted in the very debt he’s trying to erase. As allies reveal themselves in the most unexpected places, old betrayals threaten to break him entirely, while new loyalties give him the only light left in the dark. In this page-turning chapter, the line between salvation and surrender blurs, and the city itself becomes a living wager on Rook’s ultimate fate.