𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 - Mitch Rapp

Chapter Seven - Worry Is Instinct

The noise of the City begun to spur once they arrived at the Hotel.

Mitch was in a daze while waiting for the brunette to change into her mission attire, sporadic thoughts spiraled through his tormented mind, each one relating to the same thing- Ava's safety. These newfound feelings of worry were almost foreign to him, ever since the day he lost his beloved fiance. But what Mitch didn't want to admit, was that these new emotions were awoken by the Cia's latest recruit. His ego wanted to dismiss these feelings, afraid it would affect his profession, however, it proved to be impossible.

"Let's go", Ava suddenly spoke as she emerged from the room.

Mitch quickly gathered himself together, the last thing he wanted was her to see him in any way distressed. The brunette refused to wait for him to follow, and continued to strut down the long hallway in the direction of the elevators. He disallowed himself to hurry his pace, the last thing Mitch would do is undermine his ego, even if it meant Ava would have to be a little late.

"I thought you valued punctuality?", the brunette huffed in annoyance as Mitch entered the lift.

He supressed an angry response, and chose to instead grip the metal car keys wrapped around his hand. "You're the one taking the time to get ready, so if we're late, it's on you".

The change of tone in his voice told Ava he wasn't in the mood to argue. The low octave response, although demeaning, sent immediate flutters to her private region. Ava crossed her arms over the middle of her revealing dress, trying to fight the urge to peer at the towering brunet. However, the consuming moment ended once the elevator doors opened, revealing the ground floor to the car park. With everything going a mile a minute in Mitch's head, he failed to notice the girl's appearance for her mission. Amidst her humorous strut towards his car, Mitch took the chance to study her properly. Her usually put up hair was now in flowy waves that cascaded down her back gracefully, which he realised he quite liked. The red dress she bought at the boutique hugged her curves perfectly, and revealed her hourglass figure, much to his satisfaction. He subtly watched as she got into his car, idly noticing the bold shade of red on her lips, then glanced down to her chest which was vividly showcasing the top of her cleavage, and, aside from reveling in the sight of her beauty, he also couldn't help but worry about her safety tonight. A woman that stunning, is bound to be a target for those scumbags, he thought to himself. In that moment, he made a vow to protect her at all costs- Mission or not.

-

The unvoiced pair arrived at the corner of the club, located in the perilous side of Paris.

Mitch spotted the dark van he had to meet Stan in, but first parked the car in a vacant looking street across from it. Ava cautiously stepped out of the car, gripping her small handbag and then swung it over her shoulder. Mitch wanted to say a thousand things to her, especially about being careful in the dodgy club- but something forced him to keep his mouth shut, and distraughtly watched her walk away from the car. He didn't understand why he was acting so bitterly, moreso now at a vital time. Stay professional, he attempted to convince himself while the brunette walked further and further away from him, nearing the street to the club.

Just as Mitch was about to pluck up the courage to call her back, his cell phone began to vibrate in his jeans.

"You're late, where are you?", Stan's inpatient voice spoke against his ear.

"I'm here, I'm just locking up the car", he mumbled in response as he pressed the lock button on his key's.

Stan hung up, and Mitch hurried over to the discrete van parked beside a closed post office, hidden by a wall on the corner of the block. Once he was let inside the back, Stan gave the brunet an ear piece, along with his own portable camera of the club, which had several different camera views. The first one was the main entrance, which had numerous men and women eagerly lined up to enter. The second, was view of the main bar, and the rest that followed were smoking areas, toilets, and the exit door of the club. Stan was sat at the top of the van behind the two chairs, focusing his attention to the main camera placed in front of his view, all the while conversing with Irene through his own ear piece. Amidst the start of the mission, Mitch could feel his heart thudding loudly in his chest, along with the consistant clamminess on the palms of his hands, which he quickly dried off with a tissue.