Heartbeat thudding in her throat, she dropped the mic with a resounding thud, then turned on her heel and scurried off stage to the back room. Goldie took one look at her face and sat up straighter. “Jeeze, girl. You about to be sick or something?”

Tiffany glanced up from her vanity. “What happened? You look like I felt the day after a client shared a whole bottle of tequila with me. Worst morning ever. Best payday though.”

“I’m fine,” Naia blurted too quickly, then cracked open the side door and peeked into the main room. That corner booth was empty! Oh, God! Where did he go? Her gaze darted around, coming to land on Cole, who was clearly worried as he headed her way. As was Boomer, only he appeared pissed.

She stepped out of the dressing room to address Boomer first, but he cut her off.

“What the hell was that?” he hissed. “We don’t pay you to choke on stage. Not unless there’s something interesting in your mouth.”

The wretch.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked her, glaring at Boomer like he wanted to snap the man’s neck.

“Get back to the bar, pretty boy,” Boomer snapped. “There are customers waiting.”

There actually weren’t, but Naia waved Cole’s concerns away, surreptitiously sweeping the room with her gaze. Neither of them could risk their jobs. “I’m alright. I’ll talk to you later.” Should she tell him what she’d seen? He’d want to run. What if she was mistaken? The lights could have obscured her vision. She didn’t see that man anywhere now. Could she really have imagined him? It was likely her thoughts had conjured his visage. Like a ghost from her past.

“Come with me,” Boomer demanded, gripping her by the elbow. “The boss wants a word with you.”

“I didn’t mess up that bad,” she protested as he tugged her along. Was she about to get fired?

“He asked for you earlier, but I’m damn sure going to tell him what just happened, and you’re off the schedule for the rest of the night.”

“That’s not fair. It was just a little hiccup. It won’t happen again.”

He paused, and scanned her body with lewd innuendo. “There’s a free room downstairs if you want to persuade me to change my mind.” The sublevel rooms were reserved for private shows—and whatever else clients arrange for.

Somehow not yacking at his proposition, she said, “Dante doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

In Dante’s office, a slighted Boomer proudly detailed Naia’s fuck up, stating for good measure that she should be suspended, if not outright fired.

Dante glanced up from his computer screen displaying several live security feeds around the property. He rolled a listless gaze at Boomer. “Add Debbie to the roster tonight and make sure James stays on for the second shift. That will be all. Sapphire, have a seat.”

Boomer frowned. “What should I do about her?”

Dark eyes turned threatening. Apparently, Boomer was dismissed. Getting the message, he left, closing the door behind him.

Naia settled into the hard metal chair across from Dante’s desk. He was a big man, or rather vampire, as almost all the local business owners were, with wide-set shoulders and an I-can-kill-you-with-my-thumb aura. His dark, short hair matched perfectly with his nearly black irises, tanned skin, and dark tailored suit. Past his thinned lips, she knew there was a pair of razor-sharp fangs just waiting to sink into flesh.

High-class attire aside, he did not resemble a gentleman. He looked like something from an ancient time, better suited to a battlefield rather than a desk. She’d heard rumors that he was unnecessarily rough during feedings. She pitied the humans he tapped. Sealed in a room alone with him, he was terrifying.

As unnerved as he made her feel, she refused to telegraph it, using her confident exterior as a shield. “Boomer made it sound worse than it was. I…”

Dante waved his hand in the air. “That’s not why I asked you here. Have you accomplished your task?”

Ah. He wanted a report. “I have an opportunity to meet with Cortez later this evening.”

That pleased him, but the smile he flashed was more like the cat who got the canary—and would gleefully rip the ever loving shit out of it.

He stood and strolled to a sideboard, filling two glasses with a golden liquid from a decanter. He offered one to her. A little afraid to decline, she accepted the glass and took a small sip. A warmth that hinged on burning heated her esophagus as the liquor worked its way to her belly.

“I hear your brother is in a bit of a jam.”

Discreetly, she cleared her throat. “What do you mean?” Her uneasy feeling tripled. Had Cole been blabbing about their debt?

“Rumor has it the Boyle twins are looking for him. Breaking of thumbs was mentioned.” He tsked. “Got yourselves in a bad way with that lot.”

Dread tumbled like marbles and splashed into her stomach. The Boyle twins never made idle threats. She and Cole were running out of time. Together, they had only accumulated thirty-five hundred dollars. It wouldn’t make a dent in their debt. Maybe if they handed it all over now, they could buy another week or two.

“Oh, chin up,” Dante cooed. “Complete the job and there’s five grand in it for you.”

She nodded. That was more than she’d make in six months waitressing at The Pit. “I will. But once I’m hired at Ever Nights”—if I’m hired—“I’m still not sure what you want me to do.”

He smirked. “All I need is some information. Day-to-day activities. Any unusual purchases or transactions. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.”

“What do you mean by out of the ordinary? Do you suspect they’re engaging in illegal activity?” If so, would she be putting herself in danger?

He shrugged. “Not sure. But if they are, I want to know about it.”

She’d do anything to keep Cole from harm. Surely she could snoop around without turning heads. Still she asked, “Why me?”

He leaned back, appearing as though he was choosing his words. “Of all my employees, you’re the best fit for this particular task.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say you’re...unique.”

She managed to keep her eyes from darting guiltily. What did he mean by that? Could he know what she was? She decided to play dumb, feigning as though she was flattered by his words. “Unique? I don’t know about that.” Smile, smile.

He took a swig from his glass. She mirrored him.

“There’s a certain...mystery about you. I think it will intrigue Cortez. He might even be drawn to you. If he is, use it to your advantage. I want to know if he’s running things on the up and up, or rather, if he’s not.”

Realization hit. “You want a reason to report him to the VEA.” The Vampire Enforcement Agency, like cops for vamps. The only authority their kind recognized.

“Keen girl. That’s exactly it. It’s not personal. It’s business.”

Then was Dante planning to take over the city? She suspected the Boyle twins were already working that angle, accumulating IOUs throughout town.

“If you suspect something, why wouldn’t you just call the VEA and report him now? If he is doing something wrong, they’d find out, I’m sure.”

“The VEA is busy. Without solid evidence, Ever Nights would be a low priority. And if they did follow the lead and came up empty, I could incur some major fines for wasting their time. No, I’d need a little sweetling such as yourself to—” he cocked his head “—discover something.”

She blinked, trying not to narrow her eyes. “Is there something to discover?”

“No doubt in my mind, sugar. I have reason to believe he’s abusing the humans in his care, tossing them at any vampire with enough change in his pocket, forcing women into prostitution for his own gains. Hell, he could even be the one bringing drugs into this town.”

She’d heard about that. A new drug was floating around with an overdose rate that was off the charts. Goldie mentioned a good friend of hers had died from it a few months back.

She took another small sip of her drink. Swallowed hard. “This sounds dangerous.”

“Only if you get caught,” he said. “So don’t.”

She fretted her lip. Could she really add spy to her resume? “Make it ten thousand.” Had she really just said that?

His eyelids slitted dangerously. She worried she was about to lose this opportunity. Or worse....

Then he barked out a laugh. “I can appreciate your position. Five thousand is very generous, but…” he teetered, “I can add two grand to the total...once you get me what I need.”

Seven thousand dollars! With that she and Cole would be well on their way to paying off the debt.

“Deal,” she said, even as a swath of apprehension wrapped her spine. “But what if he doesn’t hire me?”

His gaze turned menacing. “Make sure that he does.”