Chapter 16 - The Drake HotelThe grand lobby of the Drake Hotel glittered under massive crystal chandeliers. Tuxedoed men and women in glittering evening gowns laughed and clinked crystal champagne flutes, completely oblivious to the storm raging both outside and beneath their feet.
Julian, wearing a borrowed tuxedo that was a bit too tight across his wounded shoulder, strode through the revolving doors with me walking tightly by his side. Chloe was hidden safely in the back of a parked sedan outside with Agent Vance, guarded by two trusted federal marshals.
We didn't belong here. My black wool shawl was stained with mud at the hem, and Julian's face still bore the pale exhaustion of a man who had stared into the abyss.
"Keep your head down, Mom," Julian murmured, scanning the ballroom entrance where security guards in tailored suits checked guest lists at velvet ropes.
"How do we get past security without an invitation?" I asked quietly, keeping my hand firmly inside my oversized leather handbag, where the heavy metal briefcase rested.
"We don't need an invitation," a calm, familiar voice spoke from behind us.
We spun around. Agent Vance stepped out from the shadows of a marble pillar, holding a sleek black tablet. "I managed to clone the VIP QR codes from the phone of the mole we captured at the safe house. Follow me closely, and act like you belong on the board of directors."
With a nod from the security guards who barely glanced at Agent Vance's credentials, we slipped past the velvet ropes and stepped into the glittering expanse of the grand ballroom.
Across the room, standing on a raised dais beneath a banner reading The Vanguard Children’s Foundation Annual Gala, was a tall, silver-haired man with cold, piercing blue eyes.
May you like
Arthur Sterling.
The billionaire philanthropist, elite investor... and the undisputed kingpin of the international human trafficking and medical extortion ring that had nearly buried my granddaughter alive.
