Someone handed her some ice water. Unclasping one arm from around her tightly drawn in knees, she accepted the glass. Her hand shook so badly some of the liquid sloshed out and ran down her arm.

Cole was being tortured…if he was even still alive.

Back in the meeting room, the vampires seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. She wasn’t listening, was using all her faculties to banish that image of Cole’s ruined face from her memory.

Why was Dante doing this to Cole? She’d quickly determined it was he who had sent those texts from Cole’s phone, even as her fit of hysteria had drawn the attention of nearly everyone in the club, including Cortez.

Thinking she was just making a scene, he’d whisked her back here to rail at her some more. The only response she’d been able to make was a hoarsely muttered, “He’s hurting him.” The words were a constant beat in her head.

After Cortez had been shown the pictures, he’d gone quiet, letting his clan openly debate what they should do about Dante’s latest ploy. Apparently this wasn’t the first time Dante had come at them.

Like a king at council, a stoic Cortez leveled his attention on whoever was talking at the moment, and occasionally on those who remained quiet like him, deep in thought. Reading their minds?

She struggled to focus on the conversation.

“…the last fucking straw.” A vampire in a leather jacket said, punching his fist into his open palm. “Does he think we won’t retaliate?”

“He might be hoping for that,” someone else countered, sounding calmer than the others. She recognized him as one of the guys from the first night when she and Cortez had played pool. He was staring at her now. Thoughtful. Cortez was glaring at him.

“What the hell did he hope this heinous slag would find, anyway?” Another guy whose name she didn’t know snapped, earning himself an even harsher glare from Cortez.

“Exactly,” yet another agreed. “He knows how we do business, for fuck’s sake. He knows there’s never been anything illegal going on here. She was probably meant to plant something. Frame us.”

Unconsciously, she shook her head, but said nothing. That was something Dante had hinted at. But she would never have done something like that. Not that they would believe her—

Her chair jerked around, spinning her body with it. She gasped as someone got in her face. The vampire who’d called her a slag glared down at her, invading her space. “What say you, girl? What were you and that fucker plotting?”

She cringed away from his emerging fangs, an obvious tell-me-or-else kind of threat.

“Dane.” The sound of the man’s name on Cortez’s lips was a solid warning. Dane backed away.

Naia glanced at Cortez, surprised by that small show of defense, but he wasn’t looking at her. In fact, he hadn’t looked at her once since she’d returned to this room.

“Pose your questions, Lex.” Cortez said coldly.

The calm vampire, Lex, stepped forward and took a seat across from her. “First, let’s give her a chance to explain herself.”

Several of them rolled their eyes, but made no other protest. Instead, like it had been coordinated, they all sat as though expecting a long drawn-out overture in the name of her innocence. Cortez was the only one that remained standing, leaning against the wall with his arms stapled over his chest.

“First, promise me you’ll help me get my brother back,” she said.

Her words were for Cortez, but the angry vampire, Dane, replied instead. “You’re lucky we haven’t killed you yet, darlin’. That’s the best offer you’re going to get till you start talking.”

Cortez, the embodiment of indifference, did not admonish him this time.

Knife to chest.

Dropping her eyes to the table, she admitted, “Dante hired me to spy on the club. He was going to pay me seven grand.”

Someone whistled.

“I was supposed to get a job here,” she added.

Cortez snorted, an ah-it-all-makes-sense-now kind of sound.

Great. Now he assumed her lobbying for a job had been all about Dante’s plan. Nothing to be done about it now. She had to focus on helping Cole. Nothing else mattered. “Then I was supposed to inform him of any illicit activity that might be going on, either by Cortez or by his employees. He never actually told me to plant evidence, and I never would have, but…”

“But what?” Lex encouraged.

“He did make it clear that I should find something. At first I thought he meant he was sure there was something to find. After tonight, I suspect he meant he’d made sure there was something to find.”

The group shared uneasy glances.

“Explain,” Cortez ordered from his place against the wall.

“I went there tonight to tell him I didn’t want to spy for him anymore—”

Several of them made noises of disbelief.

“—but he wasn’t having it. He gave me that cash hoping to appease me, and when I still refused, he basically threatened me. At some point, he must have gotten ahold of Cole’s phone. Might have been holding Cole even before I went there tonight, as collateral. I had sent my brother a text earlier, telling him to pack and get ready to leave town.”

Cortez’s arms dropped, and he finally looked at her, but he said nothing, his expression a mix of anger and surprise.

She went on. “But he never responded. Now I figure Dante must have read that text. He might have even listened to the phone message I left just after he’d rushed me out of his club tonight, warning Cole not to go into work. Dante would realize I had no intention of following orders, and that’s why he…that’s why Cole is suffering now.” She leaned forward, placing her palms together. “Please. Please help me get him out of there.”

Cortez remained silent, but his stoic mask had cracked slightly. Her hope rested in the crease between his brows.

Lex continued the interrogation. “You said you think Dante made sure there was something to find. What gave you that impression?”

She shrugged, growing tired and sick with worry. “When I told him I didn’t believe anything illegal was going on here, he suggested I look in the basement…where the vampire’s feed.”

Nearly everyone leaned back in their chairs.

Lex glanced at the others. “Who’s on duty down there?”

“Marco,” Leather Jacket replied. “He wanted my shift tonight. Was pretty insistent, actually.”

“He took my shift yesterday,” Ryder admitted.

One of the others cleared his throat. “Mine the day before.”

Cortez shoved away from the wall. “I haven’t seen Marco for weeks. I wonder if he’s been avoiding me. How about we go see what old Marco is up to?” He didn’t wait for the others to stand before tearing through the door.

As his cohorts followed, she saw her chance to get out of dodge. Cortez clearly wasn’t concerned for her brother’s wellbeing. Maybe she could find Dante and reason with him herself.

When she stepped out into the hall, she nearly ran into Lex.

He took her by the arm in a firm yet surprisingly gentle grip. “Sorry, love. You’ll have to come with us.”

“I have to get to my brother,” she protested, trying to shrug him off. “Dante’s hurting him.”

His expression softened. “Cortez already sent a team to extract Cole.”

She stilled. “He did?”

Lex nodded. “If he’s being held at Dante’s, we’ll get him out of there.”

Sniffling, tears billowing, she blubbered, “Thank you.”

* * *

When she thought of a basement, dim lighting and cracked, concrete walls was typically what came to mind, not the plush and elegant atmosphere that she found herself in. And it wasn’t exactly a basement, though they were on a lower level. However, it wasn’t the lowest level in the building.

Perfectly placed bulbs lovingly highlighted the golden-brown hews in the carpet and walls meant to cultivate a gracefully sophisticated ambience. Hellenistic statues were tastefully scattered through the space, a variety of marble sconces decorated the walls, and small water fountains and potted plants provided a fresh outdoorsy feel. This place was meant to look and feel like paradise. Except, under the deliberate floral scents, there was a distinct metallic fragrance. Coppery.

She got the sense that there was more to this place that went unseen. It almost seemed like an entirely different building, a separate hotel for dark dealings.

They entered a lobby of sorts, a big round room that split off into three hallways that were lined with doors. Bloodletting rooms, she assumed. To the right, there was a seating area where small groups of vampires and humans were ignoring them, busy bargaining for feeding rights and maybe just a little bit more. To the left was an unmanned front-desk.

Marco was suspiciously absent.

“Check the logs,” Cortez ordered. “I want to know every transaction that has transpired over the last two weeks. Hell, over the last month. Anything that went down when Marco was on duty.”

Ryder slipped behind the desk and started typing on a computer console. A log of vampire liaisons?

Fists clenched, Cortez stomped down one of the corridors. Some of the others took that as a cue to do the same, spreading out like hounds on the hunt. Lex stayed behind, presumably to watch her, though he was making a valiant effort to be cordial to the traitor.

He gestured to an available set of armchairs near the corner. “Would you like to have a seat?” He said it like she had an option. She let him guide her to the chair. He took the one beside her.

“Being nice to me right now makes me wonder if I’m about to be assassinated for my role in all this.”

He gave a small grin. “I promise you, no one here is going to hurt you. Cortez is angry, but…just give him some time to cool off.”

“Is that why he was glaring at you earlier? Because you were thinking he just needed to cool off?” She couldn’t keep the suspicion out of her voice.

He seemed to be mulling over his response as though he wanted to get it just right. “I’m sure you’ve deduced Cortez has some hang-ups, probably regarding his female companions.”

She nodded, suddenly very interested in what he had to say.

“Over the years, his…abilities…have amplified his inherent mistrust. Who doesn’t think shady thoughts every now and again? Nearly impossible to control one’s mind all the time, wouldn’t you agree?”

Her mouth dropped but she swiftly closed it and nodded once more.

“To an extent, he understands that, but relationships have been…difficult for him. When I learned of your special resistance to him, I thought you would be good for him. I still think that.”

She thought he might say more, but he just leaned back into his seat.

She was dying to ask a thousand and one questions, but only one thing mattered. “When can I know if my brother is safe?”

“You’ll know the moment I do, I promise.”

She allowed herself to believe him.

“I’m not seeing anything unusual here,” Ryder called from behind the desk area. “Just business as usual.”

“Any strange shipments or packages?” Lex asked.

More typing. “Nothing noted. You really think Marco is going against the boss? He’s not dumb enough to….” A crease formed between his brows.

Lex stood. “What is it?”

Naia pushed to her feet as well, feeling the sudden tension rolling off Ryder.

“Rooms three-oh-five through three-oh-nine were scheduled for renovations last week, but the order has been delayed.” He punched another sequence of keys. “And for some reason there are active keycards on file for rooms three-oh-eight and three-oh-nine.”