Suicide Mission (Guarded Secrets #1)

8: "Did I hear my name?"

"Well, here's where you go once you've been assigned a mission," Damon said as he opened the double doors to reveal a large waiting room that was filled with round tables and plush chairs. The room was a large square that reminded me of the recreation centers I had swam in while competitively swimming. It was long and wide to provide a lot of room for those that had to walk around, others would choose to sit and a few would probably be sitting on the floors. "Ms. De Luca will take care of you from there and then you're ready to get in the plane, car, or however you're getting there," Damon said with a sigh as he glanced at me. "Now we should really get back to training."

"But, Damon..." I whined as I plopped down into one of the plush armchairs. It was soft to the touch and so inviting that I could have fallen asleep from exhaustion. "I'm so tired, and sore," I added as I sunk into the cushions, unwilling to leave the comfortable seat.

"Come on, Sara, you know that we have to keep training. This mission is important and we have to make sure you are as prepared as possible. We have no idea what could happen this time and you're a rookie," he said cautiously. He had been careful to step around the seriousness of this mission, probably certain that it would scare me away. They were training me non-stop to prepare me for anything since they had targeted this group once before. They would have new security measures in place and probably more people in the compound, and my inexperience would be an obstacle to get through especially if I was caught. I shivered, and refused to let the thought go any further. I couldn't think like that, or I would cause more problems during the mission.

"But, Damon, we trained all day. I just want to rest or eat dinner and then fall asleep." I whined as I slouched further into the chair. I glanced over at the table in front of me once my eyes caught the books and magazines that had been placed under it for casual reading. I could read and fall asleep right in this chair, I wouldn't feel guilty about it at all either. I was so tired that I could sleep on hardwood floors that were cold and not complain.

"I know you're tired, and that you want to go to sleep, but just give me a few more hours. You committed to this mission when you accepted your recruitment into the agency. You have to train in order to make it through this because I don't want you getting hurt. I promise once you're done training for the day, you can go to sleep. I swear."

"Fine." I sighed in defeat. Damon knew the right buttons to push in order to get me to follow his wishes, and he was pulling out all the stops for this one. He was making me feel bad because I was trying to get out of a commitment, he was guilt tripping me with knowing that if I got hurt he would be crushed since he was the reason I was here, and he was enticing me with sleep and food once I was done. Anyone would have given in after that. "On one condition," I said with a smile.

"What is your condition, oh chosen one?" he asked, as he lifted his eyebrow slightly and smirked to show that he was joking with me. I would say that he was just jealous that Sharp Shooter took a special interest in me, and that he had complimented me so highly, but Damon didn't care about that. He cared that I got in and out safely and that everyone survived this mission. Even if that wasn't it, he knew that such high praise was just Sharp Shooter's way to motivate me into working harder than the others. At least, I hoped Damon knew the truth and was just kidding around, because I didn't want to make enemies out of my teammates just so Sharp Shooter could motivate me.

"I want to meet Ms. De Luca!" I bounced up from my seat and glanced around the room. There was only one other set of double doors that we hadn't gone through yet and I had a feeling that's where Ms. De Luca was hiding. This room had clearly been set up like a waiting room from the soft chairs and tables for agents to talk around, and the overly read books and magazines that were hidden under the table's surface. There was no way that this was the only part of Ms. De Luca's room, because the space was completely filled. It made me curious how busy this room must be at times to require such a large space and so many chairs for people to sit in, but it meant that there was still more to see.