𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 - Mitch Rapp

Chapter six- Butterflies in my stomach

Aside from the defeaning silence, were the voices of Irene and Stan in the midst of a heated discussion. Upon entering the room with Mitch, the voices stopped, and they were met with three curious faces. Of course, Ethan white had to be present early, like the good little school-boy he is.

"Ava, Mitch- I'm glad to see you two are aquainted", Irene spoke to break the silence.

"We're not late, are we?", Ava reluctantly questioned, shifting her eyes back and forth to Stan and Irene.

"No, no, you're just on time actually", she retorted with an assuring grin. "Please, sit. I'll begin the conference", she added with a hand gesture towards a table by the window, which Ethan was currently sat by.

Everyone settled into their chairs, and Irene pulled over a large whiteboard with pictures and notes covered across it. Mitch chose to sit opposite to Ava's chair, with Stan on his left and Ethan unfortunatly beside Irene, in plain view of her sight. From the look on Stan's face, the impending mission was going to be heavy, and one hell of a struggle to conquer. On the other hand, Ava thought they had a strong chance of succeeding.

"As you're all aware, your undercover project begins tonight. On this board is the main objectives for the mission, I want you to memorize the key points, as its too risky to keep that information on you during the mission, is that understood?", she asked with a bland expression.

Everyone nodded almost in sync, waiting for her to continue.

"Okay, Ava- You will be the main focus for this task", she averted her eyes in Ava's direction before continuing. "Your job for tonight is pretty straightforward. The team have been keeping tabs on the gang the past twenty-four hours, and they've caught wind that there will be another scavanger hunt at a dodgy club called séductrice. Stan and Mitch will be on guard during this operation, and of course, the rest of our team. If t-"

"Won't that be too dangerous? Those scumbags are looking for pretty targets tonight, what if Stan or I can't intervene in time?", Mitch suddenly cut in on Irene's discussion, making everyone, especially Ava, glance at the brunet with astonished faces.

The brunette instantly felt heat swarming alongside her neck, and somehow found herself struggling to swallow. The tone of his voice, and the concerns of her safety gave Ava girly chills all over. However, from the corner of her eye, she could see Ethan rolling his irises. She still can't figure out what the hell his problem is.

"I'm sure Ava appreciates the concern Mitch, but you have nothing to worry about. Stan and I went over the plan countless times the past couple of days. Besides, Ms Londel knows the risks that come with this type of job, right Ava?", she asked as she took a seat at the top of the table.

"Absolutely. But I'll be fine, it's not like you guys are going anywhere when I arrive at the club, right?", Ava turned her gaze towards Mitch and Stan, who seemed to be narrowing their eyes at the whiteboard.

"We'll do our job, if you do yours", the stern man retorted, leaning back in his chair.

Ava expected nothing less than the utmost professionalism from Stan, even if it meant a great lack of emotion. However, to her surprise, he flashed an assuring wink when Irene proceeded with her speech, giving her a sense of calmness.

"Ethan will be by my side here at the safehouse, so he can be on guard to jump in at any given time if someone becomes unable. As for Stan and Mitch, you'll be in a hidden parked van around the corner from the club. I want you to observe and analyse everything you hear on your ear piece, we'll be surveying from here", she declared while flipping open her laptop. "Ava, your objective is to blend in with the rest of the girls and try to gather information on the gang. They'll be around, and more than likely a lot of them, so be sure to have your wits about you. Any questions before you're all dismissed?".