“Yes, ma’am,” I squeaked out in a high voice, still trying not to breathe.

   She eyed me as if she thought that I was mocking her, but I lowered my head, as if I were too scared not to give in to her demands. After several long seconds, she finally nodded and moved away from me, barking out more orders to the staff.

   I sucked in a breath and discreetly stuffed my necklace back down where it had been before.

   Roxy kept bellowing out commands, and all the waitstaff had to line up again, fill our trays with champagne glasses, and circulate them through the lobby to the guests. I was all too happy to step up, put the glasses on my tray, and skedaddle out of the kitchen.

   Carrying my tray of drinks, I hurried out of the kitchen as fast as I could without actually running. I thought about setting the tray down on the first table that I passed and just walking away, but I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, Roxy was now standing by the bar, her arms crossed over her chest, watching the staff, including me, just to make sure that we were up to her pimpish standards.

   So I smiled and sashayed over to a group of guys sitting in the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace. I even leaned over, giving them a good, long look at my cleavage, once again hoping that my spider rune necklace wouldn’t pop out and land in one of their laps. The men all grinned, their gazes locked on my chest, even as they reached for the champagne flutes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roxy nod her head in approval, thinking that I was sufficiently cowed, and turn her attention to another waitress.

   I handed out all the drinks on my tray, went back into the kitchen, and got another round. By the time I stepped back out into the lobby, Roxy had decided that the staff was up to snuff and was standing off by herself beside some of the decorated Christmas trees.

   I glanced around, but I didn’t see Brody or any of the other giants. If not for all the tourists, this would be the perfect moment to pull my knife out of my dress pocket, sidle over to Roxy, and stab the bitch in the back. Despite the potential witnesses and collateral damage, I still seriously considered it, wanting to eliminate at least one dangerous enemy, and I even went so far as to take a step in her direction—

   A man walked in front of me, making me pull up short to keep from spilling all the drinks on my tray. Even then, the glasses wobbled dangerously, making the champagne inside fizz and froth up.

   I opened my mouth to snap at the guy to watch where he was going, but he glanced at me, and I realized that it was Hugh Tucker. So I quickly turned to my side, angling my face away from him, as though I were still trying to get my tray of wobbling drinks under control.

   Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tucker staring at me, but my disguise worked, and the vampire dismissed me as unimportant because he continued over to where Roxy was standing. I waited a few seconds, then moved in their direction, handing drinks out to all the guests that I passed, until I was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.

   “. . . no trace of Blanco yet,” Roxy said. “But I’ve doubled the number of giants posted at all the hotel and theme-park exits. We’ve got her trapped in here. She can’t escape, and we’ll find her sooner or later.”

   Tucker crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at his henchwoman. “And I can’t believe that you were careless enough to let her slip through your fingers in the first place. You told me that the sedative you gave Blanco and her friends was foolproof. Seems like it turned out to be snake oil instead, since Blanco is still out there.”

   “I’m sorry, sir.” Roxy whipped off her hat and ducked her head in apology. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Blanco. I promise you that.”

   “And you’d better deliver,” he replied in a smooth, silky voice. “I do not like failure. Deirdre Shaw could tell you that, if she were still alive.”

   “Yes, sir. Of course not, sir.”

   Tucker eyed Roxy a moment longer, making sure that the quiet threat in his words had fully sunk in, then glanced at his watch. “How much longer will Lane and the others be out?”

   My breath caught in my throat, and my hands jerked, shaking the remaining glasses on my tray, but the two of them didn’t notice me or my surprise.

   “They’re all still out cold in Lane’s room, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before they start coming around,” Roxy said.

   So Finn, Bria, and Owen were in Finn’s suite on the top floor, no doubt under a heavy guard. Smart of Tucker to keep them so close and so isolated, especially when I was still free and could cause plenty of trouble.

   “Let me know the second they wake up,” Tucker said. “I want to start questioning them immediately about the jewels. And have my usual tools brought up to the suite for the interrogations.”

   My stomach twisted, and bile rose in my throat. Just as I feared, he was going to torture the answers out of my friends—answers that none of them had.

   “But what about Blanco?” Roxy asked. “Don’t you want her found first?”

   Tucker shrugged. “She doesn’t matter in the big picture. Not really. Finding those gems is the most important thing. And if we can’t find them, well, I’ll content myself with executing Lane and the others.”

   I couldn’t help but suck in a breath at the casual way Tucker talked about murdering my friends. Cold rage flooded my body, and I itched to reach for one of my knives, charge at the vampire, and slit his fucking throat. I seriously, seriously considered it, just as I had with Roxy a few moments before.

   But I pushed my rage aside and held my position. Given Tucker’s lightning-fast speed, it was fifty-fifty whether I could kill him before he killed me. Add Roxy and her trusty revolvers to the mix, and the odds weren’t in my favor. Not to mention all the innocent bystanders who could get shot—or worse—in the potential cross fire. No, as much as I wanted to end Tucker and Roxy, I couldn’t take them on. Not here. Not now.

   But soon—very, very soon.

   Tucker and Roxy kept talking, but a guy sitting in a rocking chair waved me over, eager for a glass of free champagne and a look at my corseted bosom, so I screwed on a smile and headed in his direction, still thinking about my next move.