Kais shut the door and Logan checked his watch.“Okay.The party is already in full swing.Dinner is in an hour.Once we get there, Tate and Colt will check the exhibition hall and set the CCTV feeds.Make sure you confirm with Coco that everything is online before you leave.Stein, you and Phoenix find Declan.You’ll have to slip out during dinner or sometime, because he’ll need to connect his bots—or whatever he’s calling them—to the network so Nimue can access them remotely and check the digital hashes to verify the integrity of the program.According to Nimue, any mismatch of the encrypted signature could indicate tampering.”
“Got it,” Nim said in Steinbeck’s ear.Beside him, Phoenix smiled.
“If she finds something, she’ll follow the audit trail, see if she can confirm the source.More important, keep your eye out for Tomas, or any of the Petrov Bratva.”Logan looked at Phoenix as he said this.
She nodded.
Steinbeck drew in a breath.“And if she sees him?”
“Alert us.We’ll apprehend him?—”
“On what warrant?”Tae asked.
Logan glanced at her.“For a friendly chat.”
“Is that legal?”
Logan cocked his head at her.“My guess is that, at the very least, he is here illegally.No warrant needed for suspicion of a terrorist attack.”He looked again at Phoenix.“You’re the only one who can recognize him, so...”
“I got this.”
“As far as the rest—just keep your head on a swivel.You see anything amiss, let me know.There are dignitaries from all over the world here.I don’t want a ruckus, so stay under the radar.”
They’d taken West End Avenue all the way south, then passed through the Lincoln Tunnel until they reached the massive glass building.
“This must be a bear to clean,” said Colt.
Police cars lined the streets, officers in neon security jackets directing the traffic of a slew of limousines and SUVs, dropping off guests at the covered entrance.
White-gloved valets, security guards, and press congregated behind red ropes, and the glittering blue of the glass-encased lobby suggested an elegant evening.
Stein couldn’t help slipping his hand into Phoenix’s grip, just for a second.She didn’t look at him, but a smile tipped her lips.It stirred inside him, an old pulse finding his veins.
Go time.
They pulled up and the door opened.He helped Phoenix out, and she took his arm again as they walked inside.Sheer glass walls arched over them as they entered, a spray of exotic flowers in massive urns flanking the entrance, a blue carpet directing them through double doors and up an escalator.At the top, another valet directed them to the next level, all the way up to the rooftop.
They got off, the murmur of the crowd greeting them as it spilled out of the River Pavilion.Security stood outside, scanning invitations, and Steinbeck glanced over at Logan, who’d pulled out his phone.
A woman scanned them in.They walked past a number of uniformed police who stood at the entrance.
They entered the pavilion, the size of the room easily gobbling the conversation, muting the sounds of the jazz orchestra that played at one end.Servers mingled amongst the evening-attired crowd, some offering glasses of champagne and house wines, others with hors d’oeuvres.At the far end, the terrace opened up to high-top tables, twinkle lights, and more guests.
“Dinner is upstairs, on the overview level.It overlooks the rooftop farm also,” said Logan.
A security nightmare, no doubt, but a beautiful party.
“It’s nice being on the approved guest list,” Phoenix said and lifted a champagne flute.She glanced at Stein.“Don’t get antsy.It’s just for show.”
She kept her grip on his arm, and he liked that show too.
Tate and Colt and Tae peeled off, mingling into the crowd, but Logan stayed with Steinbeck and Phoenix as they wove through the mix.
State leaders from nearly two hundred countries talked in conversation groups, security not-so-obscurely standing near their clients.
Music drifted, a Sinatra song.Maybe Stein would pull Phoenix into a dance later.
“Is that Prince William?”Phoenix nodded toward a tall man standing with?—
