Sweat dripped down her brow in concentration as her legs strained to hold her weight up. Breathing soundlessly as she gracefully scaled the ceiling of the crowded ballroom. Holding onto a pipe that was fortunately hidden behind a golden drape with her right hand, she reached up with the other to click the nearly minuscule button on the side of her glasses. Almost immediately two small screens were displayed in front of her. One was scanning the crowd of noisy people while the other was checking each one off until finally a match was made.

“There you are.” Her was voice barely above a whisper before she clicked the tiny button again to send the information. Golden eyes surveyed the few familiar faces that darted around the room. Within a second most all of them had checked their watches and set out on the next half of their assignment.

Exhaling the breath that she was holding, the young woman scaled the pipe to the end of the room, where she climbed down the wall behind a curtain. She ped herself from the sleek jumpsuit she had on to reveal a figure-hugging dress. She quickly smoothed down her hair and dress before coming out from behind the floor-length curtain, one of many on the wall.

Letting out a small breath, she quietly snatched a glass of champagne and sauntered over to her target wearing her best game face. Her target is a large man sitting at the head of the long table-clothed table. 

“Ah, Cecile, what a pleasure to see you!” The large, greasy man called her over. A light shiver ran down her spine at the sight of him. His seedy demeanor and his haughty smirk gave Cecile the creeps.

“Oh no, Monsieur Boulanger; the pleasure is all mine.” Cecile had to swallow to keep down her lunch as the man got up from his chair to kiss her hand. The bushy moustache that had made itself home on Boulanger’s face tickled the top of her hand as his lips made contact with her skin. An electric shock ran through all the nerves in her body—and not the good, romantic kind of shock; the creepy, bad kind of shock.

Cecile pulled her hand back almost too quickly, allowing a suspicious look to grow on Boulanger’s face. She swallowed hard and scratched her arm, making it seem as though it was a natural reflex to stop the itch quickly. His face relaxed as his eyes followed the hem of her dress—over her curves, stomach, all the way to the bottom of the dress. 

Time to put it into action, Desiree thought with an inward shudder.

“Monsieur Boulanger, I’m bored of this party. Isn’t there anything…else to do?” She pouted. The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up with a certain emotion that Cecile thought people should lose after their late twenties.

“Of course ma chère; follow me.”

Boulanger took Cecile by her hand and began to lead her to only God knows where. As she followed the stout man her mind began to remember just who she is dealing with.

This man is behind some of the most famous unnamed murders. He is now on the brink of leading a mafia in Italy, so he must be stopped. Boulanger, though commonly named, is an incredibly dangerous and scary man, and even now is probably packing serious heat.

Cecile glances from side to side, meeting eyes with a few of his henchmen; big thugs with no brain of their own.  She only saw one of her own men in the hallway they were walking through, creating an empty feeling in her stomach.

The two had ended up in an exquisite room painted red with golden tapestry strung around a four poster bed. Cecile immediately surveyed the room for an alternate exit in case something was to happen. There was a large window behind thick curtains to her right, and in front of her were two other doors; most likely the on-suite bathroom and closet.

It was only now that she was very aware of the revolver tucked in a garter belt around her right thigh. She always hated using it unless she truly had to; the thought of blood shed excited and yet scared her.

Boulanger had interrupts her thoughts by caressing her cheek lovingly. “How do you want to do this, mon chère?”

Her heart sank low, but she composed herself nonetheless, “I would prefer faster, but whatever works for you,” She pulls the man close to her using his shirt collar. “It will work for me.” She purrs seductively in his ear.

Boulanger’s hands ran up and down her sides and his lips crashes down on hers.

Now. She thought and moved her hands to his neck, which was hidden behind a light layer of fat. She quickly yanks his head to one side letting a loud snap ricochet off the walls, and the man fell still.  Cecile wipes her lips on her arm lightly and scoffs as she pulls out her phone and sends a confirmation text message to her boss. After putting her phone back into her bag she moves to the large window.

The loud ringing sound in Cecile’s ears meant that the helicopter that was to pick her up was nearby. She yanks the curtains back, climbs up into the frame, and opens the large window. The force of the nighttime wind was enough to make her lose her balance to fall back into the room. Cecile gets back up on her feet in the span of a minute and she glares out the window at the navy blue sky.

She steps back in shock when a black rope ladder falls from the sky and stops at the bottom of the window. Grabbing onto the ladder and giving a strong tug on it, Cecile was carried out the window and hoisted up into the air. She climbs up the flimsy ladder all the way to the top lands clumsily into the helicopter.

“Next you want to use me in one of your sick o fantasies,” Cecile panted as she glared at the man who was sitting in front of five computer screens displaying all rooms in the hotel she was just in, one of which was the room Boulanger took her to. “Don’t.” She finished.

He turned around in his chair with a sarcastic laugh, “Oh ha ha! Here’s your next mission.” He threw a file filled to the brim with papers that landed on her face.  She yelped and removed the papers from her face.

 “Thanks. Now, do explain what I’m doing?” Cecile’s thick French accent was evident when she switched from her native tongue to English. Carlos, a sweet Spanish man, who is flying the helicopter, started laughing.

“I’m sure you’re gonna like this one, Cece!” Carlos laughed. Cecile glared at the back of his head before flipping through the files.

“Some dangerous men have been targeting the world’s most beautiful people for unknown reasons. So, as you know, we already have many agents stationed in countries around the world, but we needed someone in Seoul, South Korea.”

“That’s where I come in?” It came out in more of a questioning manner.

“You got it!” Stephen, the guy at the computer, takes his headphones off and lets them rest around his neck before looking back at her happily.

 Cecile let out a puff of air, thinking back to her language training courses. She had learnt Korean about three years ago when she first began oversea missions, which means some refreshing is in order.

“The Korean have different formalities, right?” Cecile looks up from her place on the floor to Stephen for help. He makes a noise of confirmation in response to her question as he continued to watch the hotel cameras for his own amusement. There wasn’t much else going on besides cleanup of the mission. Her mind starts wandering to why they would need her for a protection mission; she was a nineteen-year old female, French agent whose specialties include persuading and assassination, who was trained to be silent and concealed; an infiltrator and a snoop, not a guard dog.

Anger started to set in, washing away Cecile’s confusion—she was better than a protection mission! She had been to the CIA, the HVA, and Mossad, covering cases that they needed help with! Sitting up, Cecile ripped open the file and glared at it harshly. She was better than this, and she’s going to prove it.

“I’ll have this mission done within the next month or so.” She tosses the file on the ground aimlessly.

“Oh ho, is that a bet I hear?” Stephen smirks at her, already imagining the amount of money he could win this time.

“Sure, 400 Euros that I’ll get it done.” Cecile smirks right back.

“500 Euros says you don’t.”

“Deal.” Cecile outstretches her hand for him to shake on the deal and as soon as his hand met hers it was sealed. She almost laughed at how easy this mission was going to be.

“Well then,” She took a look at the scattered papers for a name, “SHINee, here I come.”

Author's Corner: Oh my gosh you guise! I'm so excited to start a new story. This one I will totally continue though! I promise! Like I've got so many ideas for this story!! Well, wish me luck and tell me what you think in the comment box please! Comments are love.