Chapter 7 The Price Of Admission

• Ryan POV
• The Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was a blur of diamonds, champagne flutes, and artificial laughter.
• It was the annual Hale Group charity gala, and my team was stretched thin across three floors. I stood near the main double doors, my earpiece buzzing with constant security updates from the perimeter team outside. My uniform tonight wasn't the standard tactical gear; it was a sleek, black tailored suit meant to blend into the high-society crowd, a silver security pin the only thing clipped to my lapel.