Need, not want. Roslyn Phillips seemed to be taking our conversation to heart. I’d agreed not to kill the vamp or tell Finn what she’d done—and told her point-blank she would have to give me and Finn anything we needed for as long as I saw fit. Since I wasn’t a forgiving person, that was going to be a good long while. Starting right now.

“Ah, Roslyn, you wound me,” Finn said. “What makes you think we need anything? Perhaps I just wanted to stop by and bask in your beauty.”

The vampire snorted. “Cut the bullshit, Finn. If you’d come by yourself, I might have pretended to buy that tired old line. But you brought Gin with you. I doubt she’s interested in my beauty.”

“Sorry, Roslyn,” I said. “I don’t swing that way.”

The vampire shrugged and turned her dark eyes to Finn. “So I ask the question again—what do you need?”

Finn opened his mouth, probably to sweet-talk Roslyn some more, but I cut in. We didn’t have a lot of time to waste. We needed to get what we came for from Roslyn and get on with things.

“I need to get into Mab Monroe’s party tonight,” I said.

Roslyn’s eyes widened for half a second before she masked her surprise. “You want to get into Mab’s party?

Why?”

I stared at the vampire, debating what I should tell her. The less Roslyn knew, the better. But after our last conversation, I had no doubts the vampire would keep her mouth shut this time. She knew what I’d do to her if she didn’t.

“I need to get close to someone.”

Roslyn frowned with understanding. “Who?”

“Tobias Dawson.”

The vampire blanched with disgust, but she didn’t ask why I was interested in the dwarf. Hooking in Southtown for a few decades was a great way to dampen your curiosity. On the mean Southtown streets, you did things without asking the reasons or thinking too much about them afterward. Besides, Roslyn knew the why didn’t really matter, since the only reason I ever got close to anyone like Dawson was to kill him.

Roslyn crossed her arms over her chest. Her foot turned sideways and tapped on the thick carpet. After a few moments of quiet introspection, comprehension flickered in her dark eyes. “You want to go in as one of my girls. That’s why you’re here.”

I nodded.

Roslyn stared at me, and I let the coldness leech into my gray eyes. I respected the vampire for what she’d accomplished, for being smart and savvy enough to work her way up from a street hooker to a wealthy businesswoman.