Bullets and Beauty

Chapter 5

        The elevator door opens and I hurry back into the game center. I check my watch impatiently. It is 4:50 right now, and George is expecting us to meet him downstairs at 5:00 sharp. I glance around the floor, and see the rest of the team over at the smoothie section. I walk over to them. Annie turns to me and says; "What took you so long? I thought you were just going to get your wallet?"

I shake my head tapping my watch. "I'll have to tell you later. We need to get downstairs to meet George."

The others glance at their watches, realizing that I am right. I wait impatiently as they finish up their smoothies, casting a wistful glance at the smoothie station. I sigh internally, knowing I'll have to wait at least another hour to eat at the formal dinner. Everybody finally finishes their drinks and we all head back to the elevator. Annie and Liam race to be the one to press the elevator button, with Annie winning and Liam sulking as the elevator descends. We make it to the first floor and walk briskly to our suite. George is waiting for us at the door. He is dressed semi-formally, which is about as dressed up as I have ever seen him. His usually slightly unruly hair has been brushed back. It is light brown, slightly overgrown and still sticks up at the top almost like a mullet, but not quite. He is dressed in a white shirt with a tan blazer and khaki pants. He smiles as we approach, his dark brown eyes twinkling. "Hey kids, having fun? Lisa up at the front desk tells me you found your way to the gaming floor."

We all grin back, and Peter says; "We sure did. This place is great George!"

George's smile widens further. "I'm glad." He pauses for a moment, checking his watch. "You kids had better go get dressed for dinner. We have to be there in half an hour. I'll meet you out on the back patio and then we can head on over. It's going to be outside today, at the outdoor veranda."

We nod, and then each head to our respective rooms to get ready. I close my door and then walk quickly over to my wardrobe, intending to get dressed as fast as possible and then head outside to talk to George. I open my wardrobe and glance at the semi-formal wear. I select the purple dress shirt with the silver detailing, and the simple but comfortable white skirt that goes with it. I change quickly, and head to the bathroom. I wash my face and hands before twisting my hair back into an elegant but practical dutch braid. I eye the formal white cowboy boots and while I appreciate them, the heel is a bit higher than I'd like. Instead, I tug on my usual deep brown boots, wiping them down first to make them look a bit more presentable. I smile slightly, enjoying the comfort of my worn in shoes before turning back to the mirror. I run a quick eye over my appearance, making sure that I am presentable. My blue eyes look sharply back at me. My slightly curly dark brown hair is pulled back, and to my relief, has not gotten frizzy yet. Satisfied that I am not a ragamuffin I grab my Swiss army knife and my taser, shoving each into a pocket on my skirt. George had given us each a customized Swiss army knife as a gift after our first successful assignment, impressing upon us the importance and usefulness of always carrying one around. Mine was purple of course. I take one last look in the mirror before walking quickly out to the back patio.

I am happy to see that I am the first one ready, and that it is just George and I waiting. George turns to me with a grin, raising an eyebrow at my appearance. He laughs and says. "You clean up nice. You don't often dress up, it's a nice change."

I grin back at him, knowing that he hates formal wear even more than I do. "Says the perpetual grease monkey." My expression turns grim. "George, I have to talk to you about something."

His smile fades as he sees my expression. He sighs slightly. "I'm guessing it isn't good news?"

I shake my head. "Sorry, but no." I look at him carefully. "I overheard some of the visiting diplomats talking, and they aren't diplomats. I think they are some kind of agents. They were talking about you George. In Russian."