Painting It Red (The Oracle Series - Book One)

Chapter 11: Passion and Pain

-Kent-

    The past two days have been.. less than ideal. This next week is sure to follow in a similarly unpleasant fashion. Nora has been avoiding me, and though I can't fault her for it, there is work to be done.

    Her rigorous training is paying off, and her physical ability, stamina, and skills in combat are all markedly improved. Williams wants me take her on a test run in the field, and although I have strongly advised against it, he will not relent. He's scheduled the Op for Thursday, which is only three days from today, and I still haven't been able to go over the briefing with her.

    I know she's not thrilled with me, but it's not like we have much of a choice here. I've taken the initiative to prepare for the mission without her input, and if she has any complaints that's just too damn bad. She should've been here planning with me and I'm not risking falling behind over her behavior. Especially considering the fact that she should really be thanking me. She wasn't the only one who let desire get the upper hand that night. If we had given in, and I hadn't had the strength to stop us, we would be in a whole world of discomfort.

Maybe one day she will see it that way, but today, I have to find a way to tell her that we will be entering the site of this operation undercover as a happy couple. I'm sure she'll just love hearing that.

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Three days later..

-Nora-

I've been working tirelessly with Emily, searching every lead we could find in our unrelenting quest to locate my sisters. As much as I hate it, I have to put that entirely on hold now, to embark on a risky field mission with Kent. He's the last person I want to accompany on this particular operation, but I can only hope things will stay professional and civil, allowing us to escape the location both successful and unscathed.

Glancing over at him, I see him seated across from me, stone-faced, on the agency jet as we fly to our destination: Madrid. We should be landing any minute now. Taking a couple deep, calming breaths, I do my best to relax my nerves.

Tonight is a test. An assessment to determine whether or not I am fit to enter the field. I absolutely need to pass. If we manage to locate my sisters and they are in some kind of trouble, I need to be a part of that extraction team. I would never forgive myself if I wasn't.

As we begin our descent, his cold calculating eyes meet mine.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Collins?"

Mrs. Amelia Collins is my cover, my fabricated identity for the night. "Yes, Mr. Collins, I am."

Truthfully, I'm not, but he doesn't need to know that. He doesn't need any reason to doubt my capabilities tonight. Doing so would only cause me to second guess myself, whereas if he has faith in me, hopefully I will too.

We land atop a building near our destination, and Kent pulls two delicate masks out of his suit jacket pocket. Wordlessly, he motions for me to turn around, and fastens the satin ties behind my head, securing them into my elaborate mass of hair which is pulled into a formal updo. His nimble fingers work so skillfully that I barely feel them at all. I don't feel even one single tug or pull on any strand of hair. The man must be a magician.

    His mask is far simpler than mine, the crushed velvet somehow accentuating his features, adding a definite element of mystery. I can't deny the pull I feel towards him, even on a normal day, but in this moment I find it even harder to restrain my impulses.