He closes the sliding balcony door, and the moment the lock clicks into place, muffled voices come from the hallway. Ines runs to the hallway door with fast silent steps. She peers through the peephole and we all stand poised to flee—although climbing down this building covered in copious amounts of tulle would be a good way to break a bone.

Ines turns around. “It’s clear,” she whispers, and I let out a huge sigh of relief.

She looks back out the peephole and cracks the door. She peers through the opening, looking in both directions. I count to five in my head. Ines turns, nods, and then steps into the hallway. We waste no time in following her. But the moment the door clicks shut behind us, my stomach flips. There’s no turning back. We’re in a Lion-run Strategia hotel, uninvited, and all the exits are potentially blocked by guards.

We walk down the long hallway at a steady pace, my heart beating so loudly that I’m surprised Aarya hasn’t scolded me for it. Ahead of us is a grand curving staircase, and the closer we get to it, the more I wonder about my dad’s clues. Each one has been aimed at me but has ultimately been useless without my Strategia friends to help decode it. Was he trying to protect me by not letting me do this alone? But then again, if he wanted to protect me, wouldn’t he just tell me where he was and protect me himself?

We make our way down the stairs toward a large elegant lobby that has a comfortable seating area, a bar, and the entrance to a restaurant. Scattered throughout are masked Strategia in gowns and tuxedos. I want to lift my skirt on the stairs, but I can’t risk revealing my boots or, god forbid, the edge of my jeans.

We head toward the bar, scoping out the room as we go. On the far side is a red velvet rope. And in front of the rope is Hawk. I suck in a quick breath and hold it for a few seconds. Even though I’m wearing a mask and know it would be nearly impossible for him to recognize me across the room, I’m unnerved. Ash and I share a glance and I can tell he’s thinking what I’m thinking—bad effing luck.

“What?” Aarya hisses as she grabs a spot at the far end of the bar where the drinks come out.

I sit down next to Aarya, but Ines and Ash remain standing.

“The crew leader is at the rope,” I say, keeping my voice down.

Hawk greets two guests as they arrive, and they lift their masks. He takes a good look at them while a server offers them a glass of champagne. He gives a quick nod and moves on to ask the next guest to lift her mask.