Lee traced the path to the loading bay. “A steel door stands between us and the trucks. Very high tech, custom-installed for this event, from what I gathered.”
“You’ve worked with the model on this type of door?” Jon asked.
“I’ll figure it out.” He said with such casual dismissal that Ialmostwasn’t nervous. “I doubt it’ll be the only lock we’ll have to deal with—these places do love to throw in a few surprises.”
“One of you will be with him,” Delilah said, eyeing the hunters. “You’ll watch his back and make sure he doesn’t get his necksnapped while he’s playing with those locks. And, of course, you’ll be taking care of the monsters.”
My eyes immediately flitted back to Jon, and sure enough, he was giving a reluctant nod. “I’m good with lock-picking. I’ll be there as backup if something happens.”
Delilah grinned brightly at Cliff. “You’re with me, then. Aren’t you the lucky one?”
He returned a smile that could strip paint. “Goodie. Have I mentioned I’m not a cat person?”
That only seemed to delight her more. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite much. Scratching, though…” She pointed back to the blueprint. “Our destination is in this hallway, and very few have access to it. One of the rooms in the hall is reserved for Eros. He’ll be fencing last-minute items and creatures, and he’s quite selective. If we can get his attention, we’ll have an opportunity to take him out, then reach the security room in the same hallway. We’ll shut off the failsafe and cut the lights without putting the hotel on lockdown. Timing is crucial.”
“How the hell are we supposed to time this?” Jon asked. “Phones are prohibited, aren’t they?
“You’re right, and my magic would be flagged by the wards immediately, so that’s out of the question,” Delilah said. “But not to worry, Ben and I are putting together a way to signal Lee when we’re approaching Eros.”
“Back up,” Cliff said. “What did you have in mind for getting Eros’ attention?” There was already a stony look on his face, and I was struck by the reasonwhy.
Delilah glanced between Ben and me, having the grace to at least look a little sympathetic.
“All fairies go to Eros,” I murmured. “No exceptions.”
Jon froze up. Then, his voice took on a dangerous edge. “There is no fucking way that’s happening.”
“Trust me,” Lee interrupted, “I’m not a fan of this either. But keep your shirt on. Benny’s still volunteering to be the lure.”
Mouth falling open, I turned to Ben, who had gone very quiet. His wide eyes were fixed on the glass doors, but he didn’t really seem to be looking. He held his arms close, one hand scraping the back of the other—a subtle gesture, but I could see the redness his nails were leaving behind. Under these circumstances, fear was rational, but he looked downright ill with it. I couldn't blame him; saved from Eros' clutches by Lee, only to risk walking right into captivity again.
Despite everything, sympathy rippled through me. I wanted to believe this was all part of his plan, hisglamourto get me to feel sorry for him so that sacrificing my dignity would seem like my idea all along.
But it was utterly my choice to open my mouth and say, “I can do it.”
All eyes turned to me, and I forced my shoulders to straighten, making up for the crack in my voice. Ben startled to attention and gaped like I’d grown a second head, and Lee regarded me with the type of overwhelming appreciation that should have been reserved for saving his life.
Jon leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Sylv, you can’t—”
“I can play along.” I considered Ben, who most decidedly couldnotkeep a cool composure, even when discussing the hypothetical of it. “I’ve done it before, pretending I’m some pet when monsters have spotted me.” My face flushed at the notion that perhaps I was a littletoogood at that deception. “Any fairy these people have gotten their hands on has surely been kicking and screaming, fighting to the point of magic exhaustion. A docile fairy is likely to be even more intriguing to Eros, right? We’ll gain access to that hallway easily.”
Alarm and a touch of betrayal brewed within Jon’s stare. I hadjustpromised him I would stay safe. I silently tried to make himunderstand: if we didn’t get into that back hallway,noneof us were making it out alive. I needed to do this.
“You won’t be on display for long,” Delilah was quick to reassure, reading our silent conversation. “Just long enough to get us to Eros and do away with the bastard. And before that, you can hide until it’s time to reveal you.”
Scanning Cliff’s person, I sighed. “And I’m sure I’ll love being jammed into a pocket until then.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Ben blurted. Color was already returning to his face. “I can make you invisible. I’ll stay with you overhead at the gala until we need to enter the hallway.”
I was hesitant, but his gratitude was unabashedly apparent. He didn’t seem capable of being disingenuous, wearing every emotion on his sleeve, whether he wanted it there or not.
“We can keep an eye on things from above,” I agreed. My hopes that invisibility would settle Jon’s worries were dashed. His eyes were still flinty and hard.
Delilah considered everyone around the table. “Even if this goes off without a hitch, getting out will be tricky. We’ll vacate the security room as soon as possible and meet you in the loading bay to take care of any stragglers—human or monster variety.”
Heavy silence enveloped the table for a beat.
Jon and Cliff shared a look, and even with the tension between them, I knew they were silently agreeing that they’d be on the lookout for Tammy. That look trailed to me: an order that Cliff and I were not to separate. I nodded my assurance.
