Kiss Me, I'm Irish {An Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction}

Chapter 10: Unintentional Discovery

This chapter got done really quick! I was surprised as to how fast I was actually able to get it written. =) Now once I complete my lab work I can get back to writing the other stories (and this one)! =) Hope you enjoy! And good luck to all of you who are experiencing Hurricane Sandy. Definitely hoping you all are okay! I'll be getting the reminants tomorrow, but I know they will be nothing to what you all are going through right now. Good luck with everything, and I hope you all are safe. <3

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Carla stepped out of the airport, completely annoyed with the lay-over in her flight. She was stuck in Flint, Michigan for several hours. She was supposed to be in Ireland in a few hours, but due to inclement weather, the flight was being postponed. She drug her one bag of luggage behind her to a rented vehicle. There was no way she was going to be sitting in the airport all day doing nothing. All she knew was that she was hungry, and she was surely not eating airport food.

After a short period of time, the woman found herself at the Red Lobster on the opposite side of town. She had no idea how she had managed to end up over there, but at that point it didn't matter. Carla was just ready to eat. The woman entered the restaurant, almost immediately being sat at a table at the far side of the restaurant. After placing her order with the waiter, Carla began to put her mind on the task at hand.

Spiro wanted to know what Artemis Fowl valued above all else. In theory, that shouldn't be too hard to find out, except for the fact that Fowl was completely elusive. Getting close to him was going to be hard enough, let alone figuring out what he cared about. The boy was like a fortress, that much Carla knew. Hardly anyone knew anything about him, other than the fact that he was the heir of the Fowl crime family. He had a checkered past, a mixed variety of accomplishments, and yet, no one knew his friends, his acquaintances, his most treasured possessions. For some reason, Carla thought that this mission was going to be impossible without just blatantly approaching the boy and asking. Not that she would get close enough to him to even do that; his massive bodyguard would be sure to snap her in half the second she got within arm's reach of the boy.

The woman sighed angrily, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. This mission had just begun and it was already giving her a migraine. Part of her wanted to dump it on a lower member of the gang, but she knew how vital it was that it was executed perfectly. And she knew she wouldn't jeopardize Spiro's wishes, unlike some of the hotheaded men in the industry. Besides, how hard could it be to figure out what a teenage boy valued? Boys were pretty easy to figure out in Carla's opinion. They almost always loved the same things- money, technology, and women. One of those three had to be it for Fowl too.

As the waiter dropped her food off, Carla overheard a nearby teenage boy say, "Diana, everything will work itself out in the end. As I've told you, he's not worth it, the situation isn't worth it. There are more important things in life than worrying about what some guy thinks of you, or being depressed about losing two years of your life. You're still young; what's two years when you have an entire life left to live?"

For some reason, this caught Carla's attention. The boy's voice was different, and it certainly didn't match the accent in the Flint area. He spoke with almost a poetic essence, something that was definitely not common for males to do. She glanced up from her food, and over to the table in which she had heard the boy speak. Sitting at the table was a brunette girl and a raven-haired boy. Carla was sitting at the perfect location to view both of their faces without looking strange. The boy certainly looked familiar from somewhere. On a hunch, Carla removed the photo Spiro had given her in the file containing the mission specs many years ago. Carla had kept it, as she did with every case, just for reference. The picture was a relatively old photo of Artemis Fowl; he had been at least five years younger in the picture than he would be now, but it would certainly be enough to identify him if she needed to.

She glanced between the photo and the boy sitting at the table. A small smirk appeared on her face. There wasn't a doubt in her mind; the boy was definitely Artemis Fowl the Second. Carla couldn't believe her luck! How likely was it that her flight would have a lay-over in the town Fowl had been in? She knew she had to take advantage of this situation. Perhaps this conversation he was having would prove to be revealing as to what he cared about. If she could figure it out tonight, she could report back to Spiro sooner than she had anticipated.

Carla didn't just pay attention to the seemingly commonplace conversation; she took notice to everything else as well. Most people wouldn't recognize all the small things people do when they're having a conversation with someone, but Carla could. It was why she was a valuable observer for the mob. She could tell when someone was lying, was nervous, in love... you name it, she could point it out in anyone. Although Artemis talked for what seemed like hours about seemingly nothing, Carla could tell he was very nervous about something, and he grew even more so when the girl, Diana, looked at him. The woman smirked. He was obviously smitten with this girl, whether he was admitting it or not. Perhaps then that this girl was the key to getting the C Cube from Artemis like Spiro wanted.

Conveniently enough, the couple and Carla both ended their meals at close to the same time, something that gave Carla the advantage of being able to possibly follow them back to wherever they were staying. As she exited the restaurant closely behind them, Carla plotted how she could follow them back without drawing attention to herself. The woman got into her car, and trailed them out of the parking lot as well. When Artemis pulled onto the highway, she knew she would have a good chance to blend in. So many cars matched hers; she would be able to track them from a safe distance.

Following a short ten minute ride to a small neighborhood barely inside the Flint city limits, Carla had tracked them back to a small house. She parked her car in a location not too far away, in front of a vacant house. She had a great view of the girl's home, and when she saw Artemis hold onto Diana's hand for several moments, Carla was sure she had confirmed her suspicions. If nothing else, Artemis certainly valued her friendship, and Carla was nearly positive that Spiro would be more than content with using a friend to gain leverage over his nemesis.

She picked up her phone, merely pressing Spiro's speed dial. After what seemed to be the longest and most agonizing rings in her life, the Chicago-businessman answered the phone. "Yes Carla? Aren't you supposed to be on your flight to Ireland?"

"Change of plans Spiro. I didn't even need to go to Dublin," Carla informed. "Flight got laid-over in Flint, Michigan. How lucky was I to find Artemis Fowl sitting at a local restaurant?"

"You've got to be kidding me. So did you figure out what was valuable to him?" Spiro sounded anxious, something that Carla was certainly not used to.

"There's a girl," Carla stated simply. "And from what I've observed tonight, if she isn't enough to send Fowl running to you with the C Cube and all of its secrets on a platter, I don't know what will."

Spiro didn't speak for several moments, as if he could hardly believe what she had just told him. "Would you be able to... escort this girl to Chicago?"

Kidnapping- something Carla had never done herself. She was sure it couldn't be too difficult. She studied the house the girl had walked into for a moment. No security cameras, several low lying windows, and no dogs from what she could tell. How hard could it be to break into the house and snatch the girl up while she was sleeping? "Sure could; just don't count on a speedy delivery. There's no way I could sneak her onto a public aircraft; I'll have to drive back so it'll take several hours."

"Oh no worries, Carla," Spiro chuckled, something that sent chills even down Carla's spine. "Now that we have found his weakness, I'm not even concerned as to when she arrives. Keep me updated, and no matter what... don't get caught."

Before Carla could respond, the line died, leaving her alone once again. She sighed; she supposed she should get comfortable. There was a long night of stakeout and preparation to endure...