Chapter 12

The request was a surprise to me, but it also made me a bit tense. I was never a good dancer, yet here this man was asking me to dance with him: in front of other people! Normally I wouldn't have given a damn, however the people attending were of a sophisticated class; I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the ones with all the money.

After a careful debate with my inner conscious, I decided to risk it. I took the man's still waiting hand and I was guided to the area that made up the dance floor. Great, he led us right in the middle.

As if on cue, the dozen musicians began their harmony of notes. I recognized the tune as Waltz 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich. I remember being obsessed with this song when I was a child. I would have danced with the air, pretending that it was my partner that only I could see or feel. We would dance all night, just like I was dancing now, though my current partner was very real, and to be honest, quite attractive.

Even under the mask I could tell that he had strong, masculine features. His silver mask gave him the impression of being a knight. Now where's his mighty steed? I thought in humor.

He led the dance with perfection and surprisingly I managed to follow with no incident. I subdivided the off beats in my head, calculatingly placing my feet at the intended spots at the right time. The man even spun me around, momentarily making me feel like I was at a ball.

Just as quickly, I was pulled back up and my face was right up to the masked man's.

We continued to dance as he spoke.

"What is your assignment Seeker?"

I gave him a look of confusion.

"How did you know?"

He smiled.

"I'm a Seeker agent myself: a Tracker. I'm after the same man you are, and I believe that we can help each other." He said fluidly.

I nodded at him.

"I'm listening."

"The concert starts in a half hour. From what I've heard, Mr. Hill likes to show off his new wealth: especially to young, attractive women."

I felt a small blush creep on my face as I raised an eyebrow at the comment. He couldn't be suggesting that I go in and seduce Martin Hill: right?

"Luckily you're here, so I was thinking that you could go in and see what he is up to?"

Yep, he was suggesting just that very thing, though he said it in a way that made it seem less slutty.

I involuntarily sighed, quickly catching myself. The masked man simply gave me an amused. Huh. Now that I observed his face closely, he looked awfully familiar…

Abruptly he pulled away from me. I hadn't even realized that we were right by the doors that led to the private rooms. The tracker must have slowly led us here during our dance.

"We have to act fast Seeker. It is best that we execute this perfectly, which is why you'll be going in now."

Once again, I gave him a confused look.

"And what exactly do you have in mind?" I couldn't help but place my hands on my hips.

He pointed towards one of the doors.

"Martin Hill is in there. You will go in, acting like you are interested in him and he will not be able to resist you. Mind you, I can certainly see why." The Tracker chuckled as he visibly gave me a look over.

I was proud at myself for not ducking my head from the attention. Wow, guess that if I am attractive to this Tracker, then surely seducing Hill will be a piece of cake. Yeah right.

Inconspicuously, I took a deep breath of air and slowly made my way to the door. God, I was really dreading this. I felt a hand at my shoulder and turned around to see the Tracker.

"I know that you don't like this plan. Believe me, I hate it just as much as you do, however this is our only chance at catching Hill." His voice was calm, but his eyes gave away his discomfort with the plan.

I narrowed my eyes as warning bells in the back of my head kept telling me that I knew this man. This man only knew me for less than fifteen minutes, yet he was acting like we're close friends. And those eyes; they were so familiar, but I couldn't place the answer.

The door collided with my back as it opened, revealing a woman in a questionable cocktail dress. This was an orchestration performance lady, not a strip club. Shaking my head, I looked around me only to see that the Tracker was gone. What the hell? Where did he go?

The door opened again, this time letting out a balding man in his late thirties. He was dressed in a very expensive suit, and nearly all his fingers had thick gold rings on them. I narrowed my eyes: this must be him!

Uh oh. He caught me looking at him. Now he's giving me a really creepy smile.

"Hello there gorgeous, want to come in? I've got a lot of cash." He smiled crooked. Even his voice annoyed me.

Inwardly I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. I almost said a remark, but the Tracker's plan attacked my mind like vultures.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled sweetly at him.

"Why, I'd love to go in with you!" I replied in the highest pitched voice I could muster.

Automatically, Martin Hill wrapped his arm around me, and I had to suppress the urge to slap it off. Absently hearing him, I allowed myself to be led into the private room, hoping that whatever happens, he would not touch me sexually.