The Junk Drawer

Monte Carlo (1)

Summary 

"Valerie, you must understand that regardless the circumstances, the target must not leave Monte Carlo."

~ ~ ~

Valerie Plum has a mission. She was chosen by her agency to kill one of the world's most important men, Gregory Decker. Undercover as an heiress with the name Madeline Heart, Valerie meets Gregory at a casino in Monte Carlo, where she must pull the trigger. But, she doesn't.

Instead, she falls in love, and now she and Gregory are on the run from Valerie's agency, and they're running out of time. 

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J u n e 7 t h

U.T.A.I.A Headquarters, Classified Location

* * * * *

FOR THE EYES OF SPECIAL AGENT VALERIE PLUM ONLY

Undercover Targeting Assassinations and Intelligence Agency

Third Division

CLASSIFIED INFORMATION INSIDE

This is what the envelope that is handed to me reads on the smooth manila front, stamped in red and urging me to open it.

Peter, the one who handed me the envelope and one of my most trusted coworkers, rubs his hands together nervously.

I feel sweat begin to form on the back of my neck, and inhale a deep breath. My fingers slowly slide under the sealed lip of the envelope, ripping it open. I glance back up at Peter, who gestures his hands to the envelope, encouraging me to go on.

I press my dry lips together, licking them in hopes of regaining some moisture, exhaling the breath I had just taken. 

"Peter," I began, clutching the envelope to my chest. "Maybe I should open this alone. It says that it's for my eyes only and if Director Tisdale finds out that you read it-"

Peter held up a hand, silencing me. "I know, I know. I'm just the delivery boy and it's illegal for the delivery boy to eat the pizza that he delivers." He winked at me, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling as he smiled.

I smiled back, giving him a playful shove on his shoulder. He hopped off of my desk, which he had been formerly sitting on, causing a pencil to roll off and fall with a small tap onto the floor.

He opened to door, giving me a friendly wave as he left, and a final fleeting glance as he walked down the hallway. I watched him walk away through the glass windows of my office, making sure he, along with any other passerby, were gone when I closed the blinds and opened the envelope again.

A thin packet of papers was inside, the top sheet stamped with the U.T.A.I.A emblem of a falcon as the envelope was. I took a final deep breath and began to read:

June 7th, 2016
The Undercover Targeting Assassinations and Intelligence Agency Board of Directors

Special Agent Valerie Plum,
The U.T.A.I.A Board of Directors has been evaluating your performance in our agency and viewing your test scores from when you were a recruit in our training program two years ago. We believe that you are fit for your first assassination mission.

I felt my breath hitch in my throat and my heart cease beating. I read the word again.

Assassination.

It wasn't like I didn't know what U.T.A.I.A's purpose was when I joined. Everyone here is assigned at least one kill mission in their time here, but I never expected mine to come so soon, and now that it had...

I didn't think I was ready.

With my hands shaking and my forehead perspiring, I continued reading.

Enclosed are the mission details and information about your alias. Understand that if you discuss this mission with anyone other than those involved with it, there will be consequences for the both of you. There will be a meeting discussing the mission in further detail on June 8th, at 9:00am in meeting room number six.

Sincerely,

Head Director Carter Tisdale

First Division

I groaned, slumping over on my desk on top of the papers and ignoring the bell that called lunch for the third division section.

I heard a light knock on my door, and lifted my head up off the desk, my long hair covering my face. I stood up and shuffled to the door, opening it to reveal Peter.

"You coming to lunch?" He asked me, bouncing back and forth on his feet from his heels to his toes.

I leaned against the door, sneaking a quick glance at the papers about the mission stacked on my desk. "Yeah, just give me one second." I closed the door and snatched up my packet of papers, shoving them into my desk drawer and locking it.

"Confidentiality at its finest," I murmured under my breath. I threw my hair up in a quick ponytail before opening it again to see Peter still standing there, only this time joined by Beverly. Beverly is one of my other friends at U.T.A.I.A and we often hang out after work, getting coffee or going to the shooting range.

Beverly flashed me a bright smile, making me perk up a little. The thing about Beverly, is that her happiness is contagious. When she smiles, it doesn't matter how pessimistic you might feel, you smile back.

"Hey, Val! What's been keeping you?" Beverly greeted me in her customary, perky fashion, including a punch on the shoulder. "Lunch started fifteen minutes ago."

"I'm pretty sure she's well aware considering the noise her stomach is making right now," Peter remarked, smirking at me.

"Still a better sound than that ear infection causing ruckus you play at The Grotto with your so-called band on Friday's," I replied coolly, crossing my arms across my chest. As soon as I did, my stomach groaned with hunger, almost echoing through the halls, causing Peter and Beverly to crack up.

As the three of us walked down the hallway, I couldn't help but wonder if my ending someone else's life would impact my own, and if this could be the last time things would be the same. I felt my heartbeat pulsing in my neck, something that always happened when I was nervous.

But I tucked my trepidation away. Worry is not something that is tolerated at U.T.A.I.A. Worry is not something assassins have time for.