Redcrackle Oneshots | Carmen Sandiego

7. |♥️💃🏽The Scarlet Stranger💃🏽♥️| (Civillian Carmen AU)

A/N: somewhat edited

Tl;Dr An AU in which Dexter Wolfe escaped that night of the fire and started a new life with Carlotta Valdez and their baby. Wouldn't you know it, years later Carmen runs into VILE operative Gray while trying to learn of her father's criminal past.

Word Count: 4,223

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Gray didn't mean to be annoyed with Sheena, his partner at work on that particular evening. He didn't mean to lose sight of their target, a heavy-set man in a simple black coat. He didn't mean to enjoy himself at the gala they were undercover at, looking quite handsome in a tall suit of dark navy, and he most definitely didn't mean to get distracted by a stranger in scarlet.

Gray, who never cared about particularly anything, found his eyes snagged by the red of her dress that shined so brightly beside the monotonous color pallette of their fellow guests. He followed the blur of the shade, tracing the sharp curve of her waist as velvety fabric draped over a set of generous hips that were sashaying away from him.

He let his eyes keep going. Her skin was a rich cinnamon brown. It practically glowed underneath the white-gold lighting, dancing through the crystalline glass panes of the grand chandelier above them. She had a swagger to her as she strolled through the hallway, the subtle bend of her wide-set hips swishing this way and that. Gray pushed through the crowd, catching her red-brunette hair--done in an elegant sideswept bun---disappear into the masses.

No. And he still hadn't seen her face.

"Quit eyeing girls like a creep and focus on the mission!" Came a hiss directly into his eardrum. Gray groaned, clutching his earlobe and adjusting the volume of his communicator. It was way too loud, especially since he had to listen to Sheena's screechy voice on the other side.

"I wasn't eyeing anyone." Gray muttered.

"Whatever, Crackle. Just focus. If you screw this up and land us in jail I will personally see to it that you die a painful death."

"Pleasant as ever, huh, Tigress?" Gray deadpanned as he wove through the elite crowds. "I've got it handled. Stop being so obsessed with me and go back to scouting your quadrant, yeah?"

Sheena growled into the comm before terminating their link. Gray rolled his eyes. Dealing with his partner-in-crime was not his first choice on spending a Saturday evening.

Though appearing nonchalant, he kept his hazel eyes sharp and keen, sifting through the thick of the crowds for the particular face VILE had set their targets on.

The man in question was stout and heavyset, his lips drooping downwards unsmilingly. As ordinary as he appeared, he was actually Warden Hale, the head of security for the ruling family of Monaco. Robbing the royal family of their famed crowd jewels had been a fantasy of Countess Cleo's from as far back as his academy days. When the opportunity arose, of course she had snatched it by its coattails.

A few weeks of sorting out the details and here Gray was, walking amongst the uppermost echelon of society, rubbing elbows with A-Listers of all kinds: Movie Stars, Billionaires, Fashion Moguls, hell—even royalty!

Gray stumbled slightly. He could've sworn he just saw the Queen of fucking England. (Wasn't she supposed to be dead by now? Conspiracy?)

In his falter, he smashed into a warmth—another body. It was a woman, her slim figure tripping as it made contact with his compact chest.