Alfric Honeybun tipped the expensive crystal glass and let a trickle of amber liquid slide down his throat. The Champagne bubbles tickled his nose and he sniffed, his intense blue gaze sweeping the crowded room as he’d done hundreds of times already, stopping again on the couple dancing in the center of the room.

The man was average height, elegant, and pale skinned, with white blond hair that fell in stylishly messy clumps over his high forehead into his pale green eyes. He moved like a dancer, with an almost effeminate grace. He was dressed all in white, down to the fancy silk socks Alfric could see below the sharp hem of his tuxedo slacks.

The woman was…magnificent. She was about five feet eight inches tall with milky brown skin. She had a strong build, not bulky but well-toned. His dark blue gaze assessed her carefully as she danced. She looked as if she’d grown up on a ballroom dance floor -- agile, confident, graceful. As Alfric watched, the woman threw back her head, the long, silky strands of her black hair swinging from a Grecian ponytail, and laughed heartily at something the man said.

Alfric frowned. He wished she’d walk away from his mark. She was an obstacle. A very pleasant obstacle…easy on the eyes and senses…but an obstacle none-the-less. As long as Raia danced with her he wouldn’t make contact with the person Alfric was there to track.

And it was vitally important for Jon-Luc Raia to make that contact. The man seriously needed to be put out of business.

Finally, a man entered the ball room and headed for Raia. Alfric straightened and set his glass down on a nearby table. He lifted his hand to his face, rubbing it over his mouth as he spoke into the tiny radio earpiece. “This is it. Raia’s lieutenant is heading across the dance floor toward him.”

Raia’s man approached the wealthy French business man and leaned close, speaking into his boss’s ear. Raia stopped dancing but kept his hands on the woman.

Appearing disinterested, Raia’s dance partner glanced around the room, no doubt enjoying the breather from the hours of dancing she’d indulged in with his target.

Alfric forced his eyes away from the beautiful young woman and started moving toward Raia. He watched as Raia finally dropped the woman’s hands with a nod and a smile, and turned away to speak to his lieutenant, obviously not wanting the woman to hear what he was saying.

Alfric scratched his face, bringing his watch to mouth level again. “He’s giving the lieutenant orders. Wilkie, I want you to follow him when he leaves. I’ll stay on Raia.”

The tiny receiver in Alfric’s ear chirped, followed by Wilkie’s voice. “On it.”

Raia’s second in command straightened away from his boss and nodded, turning to leave the dance floor with rapid steps. The bartender across the room scooped his tips off the counter and followed.

Shaking his head, Alfric chuckled. Leave it to Wilkie to make sure he took his tips with him. As Alfric headed toward the couple on the dance floor, Raia reclaimed his pretty partner’s hands and leaned close, nuzzling the woman’s slender, milk chocolate neck with a smile.

She laughed again, tilting her head to give him better access.

Alfric stopped dead just at the edge of the dance floor. What the? Realizing suddenly that the target wasn’t moving and he was exposed standing there, Alfric turned away, quickly losing himself in the crowd.

His mind whirled. Had the meet been postponed? All of the intelligence they’d received to date pointed to Raia meeting with the group that night, at the party. What the heck was going on?

Then Alfric saw Raia hand his pretty dance partner a small, white slip of paper and his pulse picked up. His eyes widened as he relayed the information. “It’s her! The woman he’s been dancing with all night, she’s the contact.”

Alfric took off toward the couple on the dance floor again, counting on his agents to close in as required and take his back. But, glancing around he didn’t see any of his agents moving, and to make matters worse, he suddenly realized that several pairs of intense, hostile eyes were focused on him.

Raia’s men had spotted him. And they were moving in.

The tiny receiver in his ear canal chirped. “Get out of there, Honeybun, we’re locked in a service elevator and Raia’s men have made you.”

“Crap!” He turned just as two extremely large men pushed away from the nearest wall and started in his direction. “Where are you, I’ll come get you out.”

“We’re working on it. Just get yourself out. We’ll meet you at Rubber Duckie Central. We’ll regroup there.”

Alfric made a sudden decision. Shaking his head he spoke into the earpiece. “I’m going to get the girl.”

“Honeybun, no!”

Alfric ignored the voice of his fellow agent and headed directly toward Raia, still moving elegantly around the dance floor with the beautiful young woman.

As Alfric’s expensive black dress shoes stepped onto the dance floor, Raia’s head turned in his direction. The man’s penetrating green gaze locked on Alfric and narrowed. Then, incredibly, he smiled.

That was all the warning Alfric needed.

Without turning, Alfric picked up the pace, heading toward two young women who were dancing together. He reached them just as a large hand closed over his arm.

“May I?’ He grabbed the first young girl’s hand and spun her into his arms, knocking the thug who’d been reaching for him back and making her gasp and giggle, her steps faltering with surprise. “You look lovely tonight.” Alfric told the plump young woman. Her flawless cheeks pinked with pleasure and she dropped her eyelashes as she said, “Thank you, kind sir,” with a truly endearing lisp.

Alfric spun her dramatically around the floor, whirling her in a perfect circle around her friend, who circled with them, laughing and clapping her hands in delight. Seeing his opportunity, Alfric spun his partner out of his arms, sending her whirling toward the thug who waited to grab him.

The man took her like a cannon ball to the mid-section with an audible, “Umph!” and she grabbed his outstretched hands, pulling him into the waltz. Alfric grinned at the black-eyed thug and grabbed the second girl’s hand, spinning her into the waltz with a flair that many a man in the ball room envied.

Alfric glanced back over his shoulder as he moved his young partner in ever-widening circles that were quickly bringing him into Raia’s sphere.

His gaze locked with the wealthy Frenchman’s and Alfric gave him a small nod.

Raia bent close to his dancing partner and whispered something in her ear. Her head shot up and her long lashed gaze flew toward him. Alfric’s heart stuttered in his chest. The beautiful black woman had the most startling, clear blue eyes. And they were very obviously filled with fear as they fixed on him.

Before he had time to wonder why, the mystery woman was turning away, running into the crowd.

With a curse, Alfric dropped his young partner’s hands and took off after her.