Well, I was here now, and these babies were coming with me.

   I fished the two knives out of the pockets of my saloon-­girl dress and slid them into my garters with my other three weapons. Then I stuffed all three of the snow globes down into my dress pockets, since I didn’t have time to open them and pluck out the gems right now. For once, I was grateful that my silk and crinoline skirts were so poofy, since they helped hide the round bulges of glass.

   By this point, I’d been in the suite for almost five minutes, which was pushing it when it came to room service. So I hustled back over and grabbed my silver tray. I started toward the door, then stopped and cursed, realizing that I had to get rid of the two glasses before I stepped out into the hallway, since delivering the champagne was ostensibly my reason for being in here. So I set the glasses down on the table.

   I headed toward the door again, but another thought occurred to me, a way that I could be just as clever as Deirdre had been when it came to the jewels.

   So I set my tray down on the table, picked up my skirts, and ran into Deirdre’s bedroom. I darted around the messy, towering piles of clothes, shoes, and purses that my friends and I had made when we’d been searching in here yesterday and headed into her closest, going straight to the jewelry wall in the very back. My gaze roamed over all the rings, necklaces, and bracelets resting on the shelves, before focusing on the boxes and other items that Deirdre had used to store and transport her jewelry from this lavish suite to all the other ones she stayed in around the country.

   There—that would do nicely.

   I grabbed a black velvet bag from one of the shelves and shook it to make sure that it was empty. Just what I wanted.

   I grabbed another empty bag as well as several more items from the wall. Then I stuffed everything into my dress pockets, left the closet, and sprinted back out into the main part of the suite. I’d been in here almost ten minutes now. Time to leave before the giants outside got any more suspicious than they probably already were.

   I reached for the doorknob again, stopped, and cursed, realizing that this time I’d forgotten the stupid serving tray. So I grabbed the empty platter, then drew in a breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm my racing heart, and plastered a benign smile on my face. I pulled on the doorknob, which was still frozen solid from my Ice magic, and backed out into the hallway, as though I were still talking to someone inside the suite.

   “No, ma’am, thank you for such a generous tip and such a lovely conversation,” I called out for the benefit of the guards. “Please let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be happy to assist you in any way that I can.”

   Was I laying it on thick? Oh, yeah. But I wanted the giants to focus on my words, not my movements. I closed the door and turned to the side, once again using my poofy skirts to block the giants’ view. I held on to the knob, reached for my Ice magic again, and forced more cold shards into the keyhole and doorframe all around the knob, hoping that they would be enough to anchor the door in place long enough for me to get out of here. Only one way to find out.

   I let go of the knob and stepped back, my breath in my throat, but the door didn’t swing open and give away that I’d forced my way into the suite. But I didn’t know how long it would hold. Time to get while the getting was good.

   So I walked down the hallway to where the giants were stationed outside the door to Finn’s suite. Once again, they all snapped to attention at the sight of me and my heaving, corseted bosom. I dropped my tray down to my side, giving them a better view of my chest, even as I gripped the platter tight, ready to snap it up and slam it into the guards’ faces if they tried to stop me.

   The giants leered at me again, but they didn’t step in front of me, and I nodded and smiled politely as I moved past them. Even though I wanted to pick up my skirts and make a mad dash for the elevators, I forced myself to walk at a normal pace, even though I could hear two of the snow globes rattling together in my dress pockets. I winced and kept going, hoping that the giants wouldn’t notice the sounds. My gaze locked on the elevators up ahead, and I started counting off the distance in my head.

   Ten feet away from safety . . . seven feet . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .

   “Hey,” one of the giants called out, “let me ask you something.”

   My finger hovered over the elevator call button. I discreetly punched it, then turned to face the giants, raising my eyebrows. “Yes?”

   “Did they give you a good tip?” that same giant called out. “Because I certainly would have with you in that dress.”

   He leered at me again and let out a low wolf whistle. His two buddies joined in with his hearty chuckles.

   I put a hand on my hip and struck a pose, giving him another little thrill. A wide, genuine smile spread across my face at the thought of the millions of dollars’ worth of jewels stuffed into my pockets.

   “Oh,” I drawled, “it was a great tip. One of the best I’ve ever gotten.”

21

   The elevator arrived, thankfully putting an end to my forced flirting with the guard, and I stepped inside and rode it back down to the lobby. I glanced around, but I didn’t see Tucker, Roxy, or Brody anywhere, although several giants were stationed along the walls, studying everyone who came and went, and comparing them to my Wanted posters in their hands.

   Still carrying my empty serving tray, I left the lobby behind, went back into the kitchen, and put the platter down on the first table I came to. One of the cooks gave me an odd look, but I walked right on by him and jerked my thumb over my shoulder.

   “Taking my break now.”

   He nodded and went back to slicing tomatoes for the pasta dish he was whipping up.

   I slipped out the back door of the kitchen, which opened onto a small stone patio. A couple of saloon-girl waitresses were standing outside, huddled together against the cold, and smoking cigarettes, despite the large red No Smoking sign hanging on the wall. Their eyes narrowed in suspicion, wondering who I was and if I would rat them out to Roxy, but I simply nodded at them, stepped onto a path, and headed away from the hotel, back down the hill to the theme park.