the final mission

20

Roddy looked in the mirror.

She lightly traced the faintly visible scars on her face. She had never been one to be self conscious and she was not planning on starting. She eyed the necklace with the locket that gently laid against her collarbone with a slight smile.

Arms engulfed her from behind and covered her eyes. Roddy had to command her brain to not attack. She smiled while weakly trying to pull the arms off.

"Hey Beauty, you up for a movie marathon?" Roddy nodded into his arms and he let out an exaggerated sigh. "That's good because I already paid for the food."

Roddy smiled at the various foods that she found on the table in front of her bed. She shook her head in amusement when she heard Brody groan at the bottom of the stairs after having to sprint out of her room without being noticed.

Kai sat down in the middle of the bed and tapped the space beside him. Roddy placed herself close enough to be in his breathing space, but far enough to ensure they weren't touching.

"C'mere." Kai hoisted Roddy by her hips into the air and placed her between his legs. He let out a soft grin when he noticed the tinge of rose that littered her cheeks.

Roddy ate, watched, and soon, drifted off into a slight doze. Kai was relieved because he knew she was not getting enough sleep.

★★★

"Today's mission will not include Roddy. She's gotten no more than two hours of sleep within the last few days. Ready to begin?" Ziva started dishing out orders while Winslet handed out the appropriate gear.

The gang was attending an elitist party, which was why all of them were in attire that would have left a dent on a regular person's credit card.

Key word: regular.

Kai was saddened he wouldn't have his partner in crime for this adventure, but he was content knowing Roddy would be getting the off time she needed.

Ziva had left a note and locked every vent, window, and door leading to Roddy's room. She was sure that even Roddy would not be able to get out.

The gang rolled out to a town about three hours away. The objective of the mission was to locate and take files about illegal money laundering.

"Speak into your mic as soon as you're in position. Cale and Winslet? Be safe." All of them rushed out of the car as they approached the looming building before them. It was on the bigger side, even the privileged Kai had to admit that.

Cale and Winslet handed their coats to the house workers at the front. Harmless bombs were placed in the coats just in case they needed an extra distraction while venturing to the basement.

Ziva and Diego headed upstairs, immediately running towards the technology room. The owners had turned off WiFi capabilities of the cameras and they had to erase footage.

Raina and Brody traveled to the ballroom. Raina held the bump that rested on top of her stomach firmly. Brody's hand was at the small of her back, on the fabric of her dress, of course. He gently guided her towards the middle and began swaying.

That left Kai.

He was patrolling the floor, seeing if anything was out of place. Kai felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around at the speed of light.

"Nice party, eh?" Kai immediately recognized the man as being Roddy's date from the mission. Even Kai had to admit that Gio looked like the epitome of perfection, even up close.

"Yeah, but very boring." The man nodded his head in agreement. As Kai inspected him further, he got a feeling of deja vu. He definitely had seen this man somewhere before the mission.

"If it makes you feel better, I heard that the house would be getting blown up tonight." Kai raised his eyebrows at this. He really wanted to dislike the attractive man in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to.

The mystery man was just that charismatic.

"Hm, that does sound rather interesting. Can I ask who will be doing the blowing up?" The mystery man upturned his lips.

"You're looking right at the culprit. Guilty as charged." The man chuckled. "Now, let's try and get you and your friends' mission complete within the next half hour, alright?"

Kai went slack jawed.

Everyone through the mic stilled.