NERO’S GAME
“Open it.”
Nico reached under the console and withdrew a velvet-lined box. The same one that was on the screen. He set it on the table and flicked the clasp. Inside, a single chess piece lay on its side: a knight, carved from onyx. Beside it was a folded slip of card. He slid the card to Nero.
Nero opened it with a thumb, eyes flicking once across the line.
“‘Check,’” he read aloud, the word drained of surprise, of anything but cold interest. “Cute,” he added, turning the card around to see if there was anything on the back.
Bab Populer