Magic Rising Read Free

side?”
    “Nothing.” Sabrine spoke quietly as if there might be a crowd nearby retrieving their cars from the valet.
    “Back?”
    “Clear. I mean nothing.” Lee never got that right. She’d trained him personally. ‘Clear’ was only to be used when the suspect had left the area. In this business one had to be anal about details and Lee was not a detail person. He was an excellent hand to hand combat man, but in all other aspects he was inferior and only used on a limited basis.
    “Good. Control?”
    “Nothing suspicious,” Tech replied.
    Deirdre couldn’t check the other members of her crew for risk of exposing their position. One lone waitress stopping throughout the room to talk to other employees would be time consuming and obvious to anyone watching for a trap.
    She had used everyone in this job, a total of thirteen guards and one computer tech, instead of her usual two or three regular agents. Most of her employees worked on a job by job basis. They were reliable, as long as they knew the pay was good. Sabrine and Tech were the only salaried staff and the only ones who didn’t need supervision.
    Tech was a constant, no matter what the job. This time she had him situated in a side room, converted to an office, directly linked to the monitors that showed every corner through an elaborate camera system. Everyone at the party was on video. She always liked jobs to be recorded in case it turned nasty or the cops stopped being cordial.
    Where are you? She waited, watching the crowd. Come on. Where are you?
    Suddenly the atmosphere inside changed. A sensation similar to electricity swept over her like it always had when things were becoming interesting. She stepped from the hall and scanned the room. There were too many people to keep a proper visual. Deirdre felt the room’s energy change though; someone was here who didn’t belong.
    With determination, she gave the room another scan. There wasn’t a single man out of place; each director, actor, backer, and several ex-husbands had been invited. The room bloomed with A-listers, wanting a moment for casual conversation with the popular diva.
    From the corner of her eye, Deirdre caught a glimpse of a large black woman dressed in a bright blue gown making her way through the crowd. To Deirdre’s practiced eye, the woman’s shoulders were a little too broad and her steps had an awkward gait as she made her way through the guests.
    Deirdre went forward, ignoring the order to keep security unseen. She clipped the transmitter over her ear, letting the black plastic hang next to her mouth. With a flip of the switch on the transmitter, she had continuous communication with her crew.
    “BFA, shoulder length brown hair, possible wig, bright blue dress, broad shoulders. Track her, Tech. Repeat black female adult going through the crowd. Get in close.”
    Less than forty-five feet separated the woman from Tamara Haas. This seemed to quicken the woman’s pace as she marched directly toward the actress, going as far as pushing through the crowd.
    “Do you have a visual?” Deirdre asked as she brushed a stray hair from her face. The woman temporarily disappeared in the crowd.
    “Confirmed and tracking. Black, female, adult, wearing blue dress just ahead. Keep going straight.”
    Tamara Haas stood on a raised platform, holding her glass high as if thanking the room or giving a toast. In that moment Deirdre found her target. The woman shoved a waiter causing a few drinks to spill as she headed directly toward Tamara Haas.
    The situation would be tricky. If this was an excited fan, her opinion of crashing parties would be changed forever. There was no mistaking the rush through the partiers though.
    “Deirdre, target reaching into brassiere. High alert.”
    There wasn’t a moment to lose. Deirdre pounced, closing the distance between them and causing a small commotion. She grabbed the female suspect’s right hand as a dark object appeared in the woman’s left. It was