"Alright guys, keep your eyes peeled." Veronica's voice echoed in Logan's ear as he took a sip of champagne and watched her move through the other patrons, gold dress flashing through the crowd of dark tuxes. "This is our best chance at finding out whether Julie is actually missing, or has just moved on to fleecing other wealthy men."
"Hey!" Mac protested. "You are lucky that I found anything for our client. The name Colin gave us was obviously fake, and there's a trail of shell companies a mile-"
"Well, hello there." Logan looked up to see a tall brunette smile charmingly at him. "What's a handsome guy like you doing here all by yourself?"
After admiring her skintight red evening dress, Logan returned her grin. "Well clearly, I'm waiting for a dazzling conversation partner. How lucky I am that you happened by."
As the brunette laughed and brushed his arm, Logan swore he could hear Veronica roll her eyes.
"Hey V, why do I gotta wear the monkey suit?" Weevil complained as he tugged at his collar.
"Aw, you look great as a penguin!" Wallace teased, straightening the jacket of his tuxedo.
Weevil dodged a waiter offering bruschetta and growled into the comms. "We're wearing the same thing, dumbass."
"You know the difference between you and me?" Wallace asked, grinning as a dark-skinned girl started making her way over to him. "I make this look good."
Veronica cut in as she shied away from the society photographer. "Wallace, grab the manager's keycard and check out their records. I want to know who's a frequent flyer at these things."
"On it." Wallace grabbed a tray of champagne glasses and offered one to the manager as he stealthily lifted the man's keycard out of the inside of his jacket, grinning widely as he sipped some champagne in celebration of his own skill.
"So, who is she?"
It took Logan a moment to realize the last question had come from his drinking partner. "I'm sorry, who?"
She motioned across the room. "The blonde by the bar. You keep staring at her."
Veronica promptly choked on her champagne.
"You're not together, are you?"
Logan's mouth quirked up a little. "No, we're not."
"But you want to be." She guessed with a mischievous twinkle as the rest of the crew tried not to make eye contact. "You know, if you want to make her jealous, I can think of a few things that could help you out."
"Oh?" He raised an interested eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
Veronica huffed a little. "Alright Mac, find out who the hell that-"
A squeal of feedback echoed in everyone's comms. Logan, to his credit, didn't even flinch, but Veronica winced while Wallace yelped.
"Ow! Mac!"
"Sorry, sorry! I have no idea why someone would be using this channel, unless-"
A static-filled male voice drifted in and out, "Okay, I've got a rich Texan over by the canapes, and the guy in the hideous plaid pants just inherited a couple mil from his daddy."
After a moment, Mac ventured an uncertain, "...Hello?"
The other voice paused, then responded, "...Hello?"
"Who is this?" Mac demanded, underscored by furious typing.
"Who is this?"
"Look, I think you're bumping into my baby monitor frequency, so what you need to do is turn yours off so my little child can take a nap, m'kay?"
The guy snorted. "Wow. Your baby is incredibly advanced! He just attempted to launch a multiple-variant computer worm at my baby monitor's firewall."
Mac mumbled a curse and switched to their back-up channel just as the other hacker announced, "Guys, we have a visiting team!"
Logan's brunette partner eyed him for a few seconds, then smiled widely. "How rude of me, I never introduced myself. Kendall Lacey."
Raising his drink to clink with hers, Logan answered, "Logan Lester. Pleasure to meet you."
Veronica glanced around the room. "Guys, if there's a different team out there, we need to try and find out who's involved. Wallace, get to the manager's office and find those records so we can get out of here."
Wallace handed the drink tray to a passing waiter and headed toward the exit marked 'Employees Only'. "Got it. Man, who else do you know who can do what I do and look this good at the same-"
He paused suddenly as a lithe figure in a purple dress brushed past him. Blinking, he turned slowly and watched as the dark-skinned girl winked at him. Patting his pockets furiously, Wallace gaped as the girl dangled the keycard in her hands and raised her eyebrows flirtatiously.
"She just... I had it and she… did anyone…?"
"Wallace, focus!" Veronica barked. "See if you can get it back. Weevil, check the perimeter. We don't know how big their crew is. Mac, find out everything you can about them. We need to find their leader, the one calling the shots."
Logan spent the exchange subtly scanning the crowd before his eyeline settled on Kendall. He thought he heard a murmur as she turned her head and several pieces suddenly fell into place.
"I think I found her." Logan spoke in a quiet undertone, watching the way Kendall's eyes flicked from the girl in the purple dress currently teasing Wallace with the manager's wallet to several other women in the room, who were meeting her gaze with secretive looks of their own.
Veronica's eyes widened. "Look, if she's in charge, we need to-"
A low voice interrupted her. "Wow." She turned to see a young man with an open, smiling face offering her a refreshed drink. "When I came to this charity auction, I didn't realize there'd be someone that'd make me feel like a charity case."
Veronica glanced at the brunet man's designer tuxedo, gold watch, and diamond cufflinks, then raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me that you've never been on the other side of a charity case in your life." She told him. "Honestly, does that line seriously work with the girls around here?"
The young man blinked, then grinned in surprised glee. "Depends on the girl. Are you always this persnickety?"
"Sometimes I'm even persnickety-er." Veronica smiled in spite of herself. "Charlotte Prentiss."
"Troy Vandegraff." He bowed over her offered hand. "Might I interest you in something other than champagne?"
Veronica paused, trying to sort out Wallace's irate mumblings about how no one stole from him, even if she was drop dead gorgeous; Mac's furious typing and cursing at the other hacker; a slight worry that Weevil had gone silent; and Logan's attempt to sniff out the leader of the other crew, when she suddenly remembered that the Vandegraffs were the ones hosting the auction.
When she glanced back up, Troy was regarding her with a questioning look. "Unless you're otherwise occupied?"
Coming to a decision, she gave him a wide smile. "Not at all. Give me a moment to powder my nose and I'll meet you by the whiskey vendor. Order me a 50 year Balmoor?"
Troy beamed at her. "A girl who knows her Scotch. I count the seconds until your return."
As Veronica walked away, she rapidly called the chaos in her ear to order. "Everyone, listen up! I can't talk, so Logan is taking point on this one. Keep your covers, get information, and Logan?"
Their eyes locked from across the room.
"You give me my team back in one piece." Her tone was simultaneously trusting and threatening.
Logan tipped his glass towards her with a solemn nod.
While Kendall still seemed distracted, Logan quickly snapped out directions. "Mac, shut the other hacker out of our system and try to break into his. Wallace, keycard and manager's office. Weevil, you there?"
"I think I spotted one of their crew doing a perimeter sweep. Following her now."
"Good. Be careful." Taking a breath, Logan waited until Kendall turned back towards him.
"It's you, isn't it?" He asked with a slow grin.
She blinked him with an inquisitive "Hm?"
"You're running the other crew."
Kendall froze for only a millisecond before flashing him a dazzling smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Suspicions confirmed, Logan smirked. "Oh come now. Why don't we think of this as a happy accident? You didn't know we were going to be here, we didn't know you were going to be here. Still, there's plenty of other people's money to go around."
Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Kendall asked, "You want to partner up?"
Shrugging, Logan replied, "Not a bad idea. You know, you're obviously great with the gentlemen, and we can handle the ladies, so we all win."
She narrowed her eyes. "I don't know you or what you're capable of."
Logan flashed her his most charming smile. "Listen, I have fleeced more divorcées and widows than you could shake a stick at. I can get any girl I want, any time, any place."
"Oh?" Kendall inquired archly. "What about the blonde?" She nodded towards where Veronica was drinking and laughing with Troy.
Logan carefully kept his face blank. "She has a reputation for being… difficult." He gave a nonchalant shrug. "There are plenty of easier targets out there."
"But easy targets are no test of skill." Kendall answered, warming to her challenge. "Tell you what. You get her to go out with you in the next 24 hours, and I'll watch you work and make a determination."
Noticing that Veronica was alone, Logan downed the rest of his champagne flute and gave her a predatory grin. "No time like the present."
"Ladies and gentlemen," a loud voice announced from the front. "We're going to be closing the auction a little early tonight. We thank you all for your charitable bids, and will be in contact with the winners shortly. If everyone could please make their way towards the exits, we'd appreciate it." In a more hushed tone, Veronica heard the manager order the security guards to find his wallet and lock everything up.
"Your shawl, milady." Troy held out the silk wrap with a flourish, eliciting a laugh. "Would you please allow me the honor of walking you out?"
Veronica gave him a sly look as she took her shawl. "You always this chivalrous? Or am I special?"
"I have a rule to be chivalrous to all sexy, sassy ladies who know how to hold their liquor." He gestured grandly, then leaned in close and whispered softly. "But you are truly special."
Charmed in spite of herself, Veronica bit her lip and took Troy's arm.
"You'll have to do better than that." She murmured into her comm as they walked away, missing the oddly vulnerable look that flashed across Logan's face.
Kendall tsked in false sympathy as she came up beside him. "Looks like someone got a head start." Shrugging on her own coat, she handed him a card. "Tomorrow, call that number. Once you've made your move, I'll be there."
He watched Kendall leave, then glanced over to where Troy was helping Veronica into her car. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a cocky grin. "Let the games begin."