Page 36 of The Orc of Wall Street

“Just hold on to me and follow my lead.” And with that, he begins leading us in the same dance as everyone around us. I try not to be embarrassed when I miss a step or go off-beat. At least I don’t step on his toes.

After a few minutes, though, I start getting the hang of it.

“You’re a natural,” Tarek praises.

I toss my hair in an overt show of cockiness. “Of course I am. I’m pretty good at just about anything.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “I can’t even give you a simple compliment, can I?” His tone is teasing and his eyes have an unfairly fond look in them.

I shrug. “What can I say? I’m impossible.”

“Yes, you are.” By his almost reverent tone, I can tell he’s thinking of a different word. I try not to think of what that might be. We’re on a mission, and I need to focus.

Angel has been dancing the whole time, looking surprisingly relaxed for once. Craig, meanwhile, has been loitering on the edges, almost like he’s waiting for something.

Sure enough, he glances at his watch and then he’s on the move. I subtly jerk my head in Craig’s direction and Tarek nods. Without a word, I slip away and off the dance floor and begin to trail Craig.

He makes his way through the crowd, heading to the back of the room. I keep my distance and feign merely being a wide-eyed employee taking in the incredible gala.

I must be getting a little too into the act because I find myself crashing into someone before I stop myself.

“I’m so sorry!” I say and blink in surprise when I see it’s Amber I’ve run into.

She looks just as surprised as I am for a moment before she grins. “Sloane, good to see you! I didn’t think this was your sort of scene.”

I force a shy laugh. “Yeah, well, I heard there was food and I couldn’t say no.”

She laughs. “Well, I’m here to see a bunch of rich guys make fools out of themselves once they’re drunk enough. I hear the CEO of that pharmaceutical company will breakdance after four drinks.”

I force myself to laugh along with her, but it’s hard when my quarry is getting away. I glance to see him getting ready to turn into a back hallway. Quickly I turn my attention back to Amber.

Something flashes in her eyes that I can’t quite read and then she’s slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s go get some of that food, and we can gawk at the menagerie together.”

It’s an effort to keep a smile on my face. No, no, no. I want to scream. I have to keep following Craig and spy on his meeting with the informant.

Quickly, I rack my brain for an excuse. I give Amber a tired smile. “Actually, I was looking for somewhere to be alone for a while. This crowd is giving me a bit of a headache, and I feel a little overwhelmed.”

She studies me for a moment before shrugging. “I understand. Come find me if you get bored.”

And then she finally walks away. I let out a sigh of relief and begin my search once more.

Thanks to my recon, I know there’s only so many places Craig can go. There are no exits over here, so thankfully, he’s not leaving the building. Thinking of where I would go if I wanted to meet somewhere privately, I go to a hallway with a couple of alcoves just in time to see Craig slither into one. Jackpot.

I duck into another alcove a ways down and crouch by a wall, making sure I’m covered in shadows. Now all I have to do is wait for the spy to show.

And so I wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.

In moments like these, it’s hard to tell how much time passes. But I can say with utmost confidence that at least twenty minutes passes with no one showing up. For a moment, I wonder if this is part of their plan. Except Craig seems just as frustrated as I feel.

Finally, he slithers away, murmuring curses under his breath the whole way. The spy stood him up. But why?

Carefully, I make my way back to the main room and Tarek. He gives me an expectant look as I approach, but I just shake my head. “No one showed.”

He furrows his brow. “That’s odd. Angel didn’t make any move to leave, either. In fact, she’s still on the dance floor.”

If Angel really is the spy, she wouldn’t just forget she had a meeting with her secret boss. No, something else must have kept the spy from showing up.

I huff as I try to sort through the whole mess. Angel doesn’t seem like a viable option anymore, but then who could it be? The whole evening feels like a waste now.

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