I checked my phone. Twenty minutes had passed since the park had closed. I probably had ten more minutes before it was open season on Gin Blanco, so I headed into the alley across from the water tower. This time, I pulled several long lassos out of my duffel bag and uncoiled them one by one. I was no cowboy, but I could tie a decent enough knot, and I’d made plenty of traps over the years. Once I had the lassos arranged, it was time for me to get into position.

   I hid my duffel bag behind one of the water troughs, then jogged down the path that would take me to the main theme-park entrance, since that was the most logical place for my enemies to gather. Right before I reached the entrance, I stepped off the path and into the woods, slipping from one pool of shadows to the next, until I was within spitting distance of the main gate. It was locked up tight for the night, just like I expected, but I didn’t care.

   I didn’t want to get out.

   I wanted people to come in.

   I moved through the woods until I found a tall tree—one that was not wrapped in white lights or close to any others that were illuminated. I climbed up it twenty feet until I found a sturdy branch that I could sit on without being easily seen from below. I didn’t want to be down on the ground when Roxy, Brody, and the giants first entered the park, and my perch would let me see them coming. Besides, they would assume that I was hiding somewhere deeper in the park, not right here at the entrance.

   My roost also let me look out beyond the gate, which opened up into a concessions area, with a series of empty parking lots beyond that. All the workers had gone home, and the tourists had done the same or trudged up the hill to the hotel if that’s where they were staying. Even the giants who’d been guarding the entrance to keep me from sneaking out had vanished, now that Tucker knew that I wasn’t leaving without my friends. So I was all alone.

   But it didn’t stay that way for long.

   I’d only been in position for about five minutes when several giants rounded the corner of the concessions stands and approached the main gate. That area was lit up with holiday lights, just like the rest of the park, so I could see Brody leading the pack of them. He was dressed in his usual cowboy outfit, all in black, just like me.

   There was no sign of Roxy, though. She must be staying behind with Tucker to guard my friends. Or maybe she was waiting for Brody to flush me out for her, like he’d done on their previous hunts. Either way, she wasn’t here, so she wasn’t important right now.

   Brody didn’t waste any time going over to the main gate and pulling out a key, which he slid into the padlock.

   The Dalton gang had come for me.

   * * *

   Brody got the padlock open easily enough, but the chains wrapped around the gate slid through the metal bars and crashed to the ground, creating a series of loud clank-clank-clanks. The giant winced and let out a muttered curse at the noise. If he’d wanted to slip into the park quietly, he was doing a lousy job of it. I would have heard those chains all the way over at the saloon on Main Street. But I held my position and watched Brody bend down and drag the chains out of the way. I checked my phone. Just after eight thirty. Right on schedule. Tucker hadn’t wasted any time in sending his men into the park after me.

   I texted Silvio. Party time here at the main gate.

   He hit me back a few seconds later. In the lobby with the others. No sign of our friends or Tucker yet.

   I’d expected as much, but disappointment still filled me. I wanted—needed—to know that Finn, Bria, and Owen were safe. Nothing else mattered.

   Not even whether I lived or died here tonight.

   Brody got the last of the chains out of the way and threw the gates open so that his men could stream inside. All of them were giants, and they were all still dressed in their cowboy costumes, complete with boots, chaps, jeans, and even hats in some cases. Several of them, including Brody, were also wearing large silver belt buckles, and a few had silver tips on their boots. I shook my head. Idiots. They should have been dressed all in black like me. All that shiny metal just made them that much easier to spot in the glows from the holiday lights.

   Easy to see, easy to kill.

   Brody waited until all the men were inside before shutting and locking the gate behind them. I did a quick head count. Thirteen giants in all, including Brody, for a baker’s dozen. As I watched, the giants all pulled out their guns, checking to make sure that they were ready to rock ’n’ roll. No fakes here tonight. Once again, I wondered if any of them had Roxy’s Fire-coated bullets loaded in their guns, but there was no way to know until they started shooting at me. But I had weapons and tricks of my own, and I was ready to unleash them.

   Brody turned to his men. “Remember, this Blanco bitch is sneaky. So I want you to stay together in teams of three and be in constant contact on earbuds at all times. If you find Blanco, you can wound her, but don’t kill her. Tucker still needs to question her first. Understand?”

   Brody didn’t mention the jewels. Probably because he realized that his men would kill me, take the gems off my body, and skedaddle instead of handing them over to him like they were supposed to.

   The giants all murmured their agreement, then started making sure that their earbuds were working, as well as splitting up into four teams of three, except for Brody’s team, which had him as the fourth and extra man. Four hit squads of giants just to kill little ole me. Tucker wasn’t messing around. I was flattered.

   I sent Silvio another text, letting him know exactly how many men Brody was bringing into the park. He texted me back a few seconds later, saying that he, Phillip, Lorelei, and Ira were still in the lobby, holding their positions until they spotted Tucker or our friends.

   I slid my phone back into my jeans pocket and focused again on the men below, studying them more carefully than before. I didn’t sense any elemental magic emanating off any of them, but they didn’t need it. Not with all those guns, not to mention their own inherent strength and toughness. I would have to be quiet about how I killed them, at least at first, until I’d thinned the herd out a bit. Otherwise, they’d gang up and take me down. Then the party would be over before it even got started.