“What can I say? I was so inspired by what you said about Victor Bellmont. I really want to meet him.”
“Yes, of course, but how did you manage to secure an invitation?”
“My boss, Silas Lochlear, had an invite and he couldn’t come. When I mentioned how bummed I was that I couldn’t interview Mr. Bellmont, he gladly gave me his. So, is Mr. Bellmont here?” Dani made a point of scanning the room.
“Uh, he still hasn’t decided if he’ll make an appearance or not. He doesn’t want to detract from the worthy cause we’re supporting tonight.”
Or the rich guy didn’t want to be bothered to show up to his own event.
Martha waved to someone behind them. “If you’ll excuse me, I see Senator Graves, and I need to speak to her. But please, enjoy the party.” She quickly left them and melded into a group of men and women by the bar.
Michael continued to track her until he caught sight of Finn in the same vicinity. Finn scratched his right ear, their code to meet.
“Looks like Finn has something for us. He’s moving toward that grove of palm trees in the corner. Let’s intercept him.”
“Oh, good. He has a tray of food. If I can’t drink on the job, at least I can get something delicious to eat.”
Dani had worked so hard to be ready early for the op that she’d missed dinner, so it wasn’t difficult to peruse Finn’s tray of fancy appetizers, giving them a chance to speak.
“I’m sorry, Mick, but I couldn’t get the guns smuggled in.” Finn barely moved his lips as he spoke. “I did get the bugs. Check the men’s restroom. Last stall. Tank of the loo.”
“What about the card access to the seventeenth floor?” Michael popped a crab pastry into his mouth and followed it with a swig of bubbly.
“Right pocket.” Finn kept his bland stare into the distance and lowered the tray to cover Michael, who slipped the key card into his own jacket. “My access only reaches to the eighth, where the laundry is kept.”
“If I have to walk up nine flights of stairs, I’m taking three more of these.” Dani grabbed two shrimp puffs and a pastry topped with asparagus. “What about surveillance?”
“Kumar is working on it. Elevators and stairs are fine. Hallways are covered. The office is proving tricky.”
“Why did we even bring you along?” Michael tsked.
“Since you have plenty to do and nine whole flights of stairs, I suggest you hop to it. Comms are with the bugs.” Finn smiled at them both and moved away, offering his selections to a group of men in tuxes and cowboy hats.
“Was it just me, or did he sound pretty chipper about those stairs?” Dani asked.
Michael held out his arm. “Oh, he was chipper all right. Payback because I got to be the one in the tuxedo with a beautiful woman to flirt with all night. And if you don’t mind, dear, I have a sudden need for the restroom.”
Dani dropped him off in the hallway. “I’ll wait by the service elevators.”
Ten minutes later, enough time to double-check that no one had followed her into the back corridor, Dani held out a hand as Michael approached. He dropped the tiny communication device into her palm. While she situated it in her ear, he used Finn’s key card to access the elevator.
“So, how are we doing on office surveillance?” Dani asked once they were inside.
Kumar’s voice sounded in her ear. “Unfortunately, their system is more sophisticated than we hoped. Best I can do is get Finn to distract Martha for the next five minutes and cause a little commotion in the security room. You’ll need to work fast.”
Michael tried pushing the button for the seventeenth floor, but it wouldn’t light. He sighed and jabbed the one for floor eight instead. “Better give us time for the stairs.”
They rode up to the eighth floor and checked the hall before leaving the elevator. “All clear,” Michael whispered.
They walked briskly down the hall to the stairwell and shoved the crash bar. He looked up the long flights and then back at her, a challenge in his smirk. “Think you can beat me?”
She kicked off her heels and held them in her hands. “You’re on.”
They raced up the first five flights and were neck and neck. Michael showed no signs of slowing down, so Dani kicked it up a notch. She reached the seventeenth floor breathless but victorious.
“I win.”
Michael huffed. “Barely.”
