Fifteen minutes after Ally has dragged her into the changing rooms, she was dressed in a dark blue business suit and she thought she's looking quite smart. Ally has got pretty good taste and although the only skirt she has worn since she was a teenager has been with her dress uniform; the one that matches the jacket she's wearing was quite nice, knee length, not too tight... classy.
She took a look in the mirror, checked herself out front, sides and back, adjusted seams and shoulders ensuring everything was just so – she has spent almost all her adult life in uniform and uniforms have to be right or you never hear the end of it so old habits die hard. As she took one last look in the mirror, she was struck by just how professional she actually looked. The suit was similar to her dress uniform in styling and for the first time since the ambush, she felt a little bit more like the old her. She was finally ready to face the world, or at least Dinah Jane Hansen.
Ally has given her a bit of a background on Dinah. It turned out she was wrong. Dinah does know one end of a rifle from the other.
Dinah Jane Hansen, born and raised in Sta. Ana, California, 28 years old; ex-US Ranger, decorated four times in active service. She had served multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan; first, as a sniper then as part of a special protection unit before quitting the military and setting up her own business. She had started small, with a few trusted colleagues like Normani, but she had been successful and now is the owner of what she described on the blurb as a "small but very well respected private security firm".
According to Ally, she only picks the best to work with her. Her staff is comprised of ex-service women. Hence, the name Athena, named after the Greek goddess of War. All of them were from specialist units around the world. Apparently, Dinah takes pride in offering her clients bodyguards who have not only seen combat but have survived it and led their people out of danger. It makes her clients feel secure.
Athena offers a worldwide service covering everything from a bit of personal body guarding for celebrity clients, to combat zone protective duties, like the ones they did in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the time, it was personal protection services for businessmen looking to broker deals in the 'newly liberated' societies.
It was all a lot for her to take in. From the sounds of things, Dinah did make her living off everyone else's blood but also knew what it felt like to bleed. That, surprisingly enough, made her feel a whole lot better.
They make their way down into the bar area where a blonde woman with brown eyes and a smirk on her face sat at a table talking to one of the spa's staff. She looked up as she saw them approach and got up to wrap Ally in a hug.
"Ally, babe, you're looking gorgeous as usual."
Ally smiled at her and gave her a hug.
"Oh, thank you, Dinah Jane. You look pretty fine yourself." Ally countered.
"Anyways, this is Lauren Jauregui. Lauren, this is Dinah Jane Hansen." she continued, making the introductions. "Right, I'll leave you two to it as Franco is going to fix this mess on my head." Her hair actually looked stupendous, as it had all day. "Lauren, when you're done, get one of the girls to find me and we'll have a drink before we leave, ok?"
She nodded and watched as Ally bustled away. She and Ally may be polar opposites but she already likes her. She's been nothing but nice since they met. She realized that it had been a long time since anyone had been nice to her.
"Miss Jauregui, can I get you a drink before we start?" the blonde woman faced her, waved over one of the staff and ordered herself a bourbon on the rocks.
"Glass of water, please; preferably sparkling, with a slice of lime if you have it."
Dinah looked at her disappointedly, "Oh come on, Lauren. I can call you Lauren, can't I?" she checked, probably knowing she wouldn't object. "Have a drink with me, live a little, it's all on the company buck, consider it a thank you for agreeing to see me."
"No thanks, I'm fine," she replied, as sweetly as she could manage, hoping it didn't come across as rude. "I'll just have a glass of sparkling water please."
She shrugged her shoulders placing the order with the waiter and dismissing him politely. With a sweep of her arm, Dinah gestured for her to sit down.
They simply regarded each other as they waited for the drinks.
Dinah's actually quite impressive. Quite tall, fit and well muscled. She has an aura of quiet competence. She wonders what she's like when she's not being all professional.
"I believe Ally has tried to bankrupt me again on one of her little spa sessions." Dinah laughed and winked at her, "the last client she brought here ended up trying everything; and I mean everything... cost me a fucking fortune, I can tell you. What someone would want with a salt rub I don't know; for me, salt is for fries and burgers, you know what I mean?"
She nodded a little guiltily, thinking back to all the treatments Ally had insisted she take earlier in the afternoon.
"Anyway, did you have a good time?"
She nodded again, a little sheepishly. She hasn't really, but she can't really tell Dinah that, can she? Seeing as she's apparently just paid for it all. At her nod, Dinah burst into laughter.
"Oh Lauren, I hope you're a better soldier than you are a liar; but I know what you mean. I hate this place, too. Not something I'm used to either; all this pampering. If it wasn't for the fact that I have to play the big businesswoman and..."
She left this hanging, as the waiter came back with their drinks; pausing in mid-sentence as if she was telling her big secret that she didn't want anyone else to hear. After the waiter had gone, Dinah tipped her glass to her and took a sip, before sitting back in the deep, lavish, leather chair.
"So, Lauren Michelle Jauregui Morgado," she recited as if she had just started a tape playing in her head. "Twenty-six years old, born in Miami; joined the Army on your eighteenth birthday not long after the loss of your mother to..."
"Twenty-five," she interrupted, anxious not to think about her mother's death.
"I'm sorry?" Dinah asked blinking back at her.
"I'm only twenty-five, or I was, the last time I looked anyway."
"You should look a bit harder then, Lauren. Your twenty-sixth birthday was 13 days ago; though I suppose you would have had other priorities at the time other than celebrating."
She hadn't realized, or at least, she'd lost track of the date. She put it down to the isolation of being on the streets. She had been concentrating on days, not dates. When it all comes down to it, she's not even sure she could tell what month it was.
But she missed her birthday in all this shit; even missed the anniversary of her mom's death. No matter where she was in the world, or what she was doing at the time, she'd lit a candle in her memory on that date.
Making a silent promise to make amends to her mom's memory, she simply nodded in acknowledgment of the woman's comment as she continued with her potted history of her life to date.
"You served one acclimatization tour in Germany after basic training and were selected to join the Close Protection Unit on your first application, with a recommendation from your company commander no less. One tour in Iraq with multiple commendations on your record; identified for fast track promotion. You finished that tour, then you were transferred to a new unit and shipped to Afghanistan. How did you deal with that, Lauren? Two combat tours back to back?"
She shrugged, "It's what we were trained to do, Ms. Hansen. To be honest, it was better than twiddling my thumbs or dealing with drunken soldiers on a night out in Berlin calling me 'babe' and asking if the handcuffs meant they were getting lucky."
"Dinah," the woman says, pulling her from her memory, "please, my friends call me Dinah, not Ms. Hansen"
"I'm sure they do, Ms. Hansen, but as we've only just met, and you're my potential employer, I'd be more comfortable with Ms. Hansen, if you don't mind."
Dinah grinned at her comment and sized her up again. It was starting to bug her a little; Did Dinah just think she was some kind of mind reader or something?
"So you had three combat tours and a twelve-month tour escorting visitors to the states, that's a bit of a change from a combat security role, any reason for it?"
Yeah, there was, but there's no point in discussing her on a job interview.
"Felt like a break from getting shot at and having to protect a load of ungrateful big-wigs. That and the fact I'd had to do my Sergeants exams and all the extra training that goes with that."
"So, it was nothing to do with Lucy Vives then?"
Dinah looked at her with her very best 'gotcha' face, as if she'd got one past her, pleased that she knew something she didn't want her to know. Like she and Lucy were ever a secret; a mistake perhaps, but never a secret.
"Not really," she replied calmly, even though she was seething inside at her lack of manners. "I did enjoy our time together, though; it made a nice change to be sleeping with something other than five sweaty men in a tent that smelt like something had died in it. At least Lucy knew what a deodorant was for."
Dinah nodded, caught the look in her eyes and moved on.
They spent about an hour discussing her different operations; well Dinah did. Lauren answered the questions she thought she would be allowed to and politely deferred from answering the others.
"I can't tell you that," she'd replied to one of Dinah's more sensitive questions. She'd looked at her with surprise.
"Well as this is an interview, Lauren. I think you should at least try." Dinah was seriously beginning to get on her nerves now. The lady act was going a bit far, and an act she's sure it was. The sort of thing she fished out to impress people. Well, she wasn't impressed, not with the accent and not with the questions. She stood up from her chair, straightened her dress and held out her hand.
"Well thank you for your time, Ms. Hansen. I'm sorry, but if you're going to insist on asking me questions that are operationally sensitive to the Army then I'm afraid you and I are done talking. I signed up to the Defense Secrets Act, and I for one take it seriously."
She was halfway to leaving when Dinah called her back, "Sit down, please Sergeant Jauregui, I promise to behave."
The act had been dropped but the persona had faltered, only for a second but faltered none the less.
"I just wanted to see if you'd talk to me, a little test if you like," she continued apologetically. "Believe me, I take security as seriously as you do, 'walls have ears' and all that. Shame some other people don't think the same way."
Amen to that, someone somewhere managed to get hold of her service record and feed it to Dinah Jane Hansen, or at least to someone in her company. That was the only explanation for the amount of detailed knowledge she had on her. Carefully, she sat back down and looked at the tall woman who lounged in her seat. Then with a start, she sat forward and looked at her right in the eyes.
"Look, Lauren, I won't beat around the bush. Normani has told me all about you. In fact, she's told me about you long before she chanced upon you the other night. I'll be honest and say I've actually tried to contact you a couple of times recently. I guess I know now why you never got back in touch."
'Interesting.' She inclined her head politely and waited for her to continue.
"Do you know how rare it is to have a female operative with your skills? I have clients lining up that I can't service because they want close protection services from someone like you. I have been trying to track you down since I heard you had been shipped back from Afghanistan. Normani tells me you'd be perfect."
"There are lots of skilled women out there that could do that kind of job." she protested wondering why Dinah's trying to butter her up. After all, this is an interview; She's supposed to be convincing her she's good enough for her fucking job, not the other way around.
"Yeah, that's probably true. But I only pick the best, babe and you, from what I have heard, are one of the best."
She paused, letting the flattering words sink in before delivering her first major blow of their little contest.
"Well, you were until Gereshk anyway. Was that the first package you've lost?"
She doesn't acknowledge the shot; She just sits back, her heart pounding in her chest, and answers the woman as if nothing had happened.
"It was," she replied as coolly as her training allowed. "He was the first one I lost in nearly five years and three and a bit active tours. Brass thought it was a planned ambush and they had heavy firepower waiting for us that they don't usually carry. It was only a bit of bad luck that we lost the package; he got hit by a four-foot shrapnel shard from a grenade round that hit the engine bay. Killed him and the boy who was covering him; it was a shame really; he was a good soldier, had a lot of potential."
"Just bad luck then, Lauren, that's all it was?"
Dinah just sat there and smirked at her, she fucking smirked at her as if the loss of her friends meant nothing, the unspoken questioning of their plan and their execution of that plan hovering in the air between them. She could feel the bitterness and anger that had been building within her rise towards the surface. She tried to clamp it down, she was desperate for a job after all, but her inner bitch took over and she glared at the woman's stupid fucking face and let rip.
"Bad luck, yes; probably nothing more than bad fucking luck. We lost a lot of good people that day, Ms. Hansen. I nearly lost my life at the same time. We killed a fuck load of rags, though; left a lot of fucking Taliban lying in the sand, my guys did. We were outnumbered and outgunned and we fucking kicked ass. It was just bad fucking luck in the end that did us."
'Fuck you, Dinah, don't you dare imply that I did a bad job.'
"Woah, Lauren, chill ok?" she answered, suddenly apologetic, "I was only asking what had happened. Professional interest, you know? We have a job out there with your VIP's successor and I was wondering what we could expect."
She knows she's lying, or at least not telling her the whole truth. She knows exactly why she behaved like that and she hates her for it, but she also remembers she's supposed to be nice to the woman and manage to stammer out an apology. Even though she knows she was pushing her buttons to see how she'd respond. She puts on a nice face to the world, but she wouldn't trust Dinah Jane Hansen as far as she could throw her.
She stares at her unblinkingly, waiting for her to make the next move. If she got it wrong, she was walking away. She'd rather work as a whore than work for someone who didn't give a shit about people.
"It's ok, kid, I've lost people too. I understand what you're going through. I read your after action report anyway; you got hit pretty hard by all accounts. We're talking fifty or so Taliban armed with RPG's, heavy machine guns the works. That's not a normal ambush even by their standards. Not many of them walked away, thanks to you guys and the Apache's. From what I read, you're lucky to be alive."
She's stunned; for a civilian, no matter how well connected, to get a copy of an after action report barely months after it was filed is pretty unusual. Dinah Jane had some pretty serious contacts, or some pretty knowledgeable sources...or both.
Thankfully, from that moment on, the sensitive subjects were dropped and as they chatted, seemingly aimlessly, about her experiences, she knew Dinah was feeling her out. She probably wanted to make sure that she wasn't a basket case. Plenty of people that had been hit like that were never the same again and she's sure her recent situation had worried her. Eventually, she downed the rest of her drink and stood up.
"I like you, Lauren; you're my kind of soldier. You've got skill, you've got respect, you've got integrity and you've got intelligence. I think we could work well together; I think you'll be good for my company, a real asset.." Dinah paused, looking at her appraisingly.
She held her breath at that pause knowing deep down that she'd fucked it up; knowing her little tantrum in the middle of their interview had put Dinah off and it was back to the streets again.
"Be at the office at 08:30 tomorrow. I'm sure Normani will give you a lift. I'll have some kit ready for you when you get there; other than that you just come as you are."
She stood up and shook Dinah's hand, "Until tomorrow then, Jauregui. You have a good evening, you hear?"
Dinah gave her a wink and a seriously naughty grin and strode away.
She sat back down in the chair, breathed out a sigh of relief and thought about the last hour. Somehow she'd managed to pull it off, despite her temper. All she had to do now was prove herself; well, that she was used to. More than used to, in fact. Every day in Iraq and Afghanistan you were asked to prove yourself, and every day you survived was the proof that you were good enough.
Still, it was a fucking relief to have got this far. She was just wondering how she was supposed to find Ally in this place when one of the staff brought over a large drink.
"Excuse me, Miss Jauregui, Ms. Hansen asked me to tell you that she never likes drinking alone and would you accept this as a celebratory drink? She told me to tell you that it was her treat and she was sure it would be something you'd like."
She thanked her and took a sip, nodding her appreciation as the girl left smiling. It was a plain vodka and lemonade with a lime twist; her drink of choice in the old days. It was a drink that Lucy had got her into when she wasn't feeding her mojitos and she'd drunk it ever since. Well, she had drunk it until she'd plummeted down to the depths of consuming her alcohol cheap, neat and straight from the bottle.
She shook her head at the thought of it. Fuck, just how much did this Dinah Jane know about her?
-o-o-o-
She spent the night in a proper bed for the first time in what felt like ages. Army bunks don't really count as real beds and neither do the torture devices they had in the hospitals she ended up staying in. The bed was warm, dry, comfortable and not covered in cardboard and pigeon shit. In short, it was fantastic and she woke up feeling rested yet anxious about the day's events.
She had the nightmare again that night; more faces appeared in that rocky hole, more of the people she lost along the way. At least, that time, she didn't wake up screaming. She's sure Normani wouldn't have appreciated being woken up by her screams in the middle of the night.
She had no idea what she's getting herself into that day. All she knew was that Normani will take her to the office and set her up, then she'll presumably get briefed. She's not used to doing things in this ad-hoc manner but it's a job, and she really could do with nailing that.
They reached the office in the heart of the city pretty quickly considering the time and the rush hour traffic. Normani's massive car got them there in style and comfort. As she looked at the glass and steel, she couldn't help but wonder just how much the rent was for a place like that. It was a small office but it was a prime real estate surrounded by big, international names.
She's absolutely staggered when Normani showed her the office's European and Middle East headquarters which was an entire floor with a receptionist and a whole support team. It was, without a doubt, one hell of an operation Dinah Jane was running.
Normani showed her around with the air of a proud parent. She hadn't realized it before but the girl was pretty senior in the operation and was based there, practically setting it up. She was introduced to people throughout the office; people who strangely seem to know exactly who she was. One or two of them probably did some of the digging into her past. Idly, she wondered which one was clever enough to find out what her favorite drink was.
Finally, she was shown into the very impressive boardroom where she's faced once again with Dinah Jane Hansen and all the staff. The tall woman is sat lounging at the end of the table yet stood up as they walked into the room.
"Welcome to Athena, Lauren. What do you think of our little operation?"
"Very impressive. I now know you're not all-seeing, just very well-informed. It's a slick operation; probably better than anything I've worked with."
"Yeah, military intelligence, the classic oxymoron," Dinah joked.
"Everyone," she said, turning to the other people in the room putting her hands on her new employee's shoulders, "I'd like you to meet the newest member of Athena, Miss Lauren Jauregui. I know she'll be a valuable asset to our company. Please help me in welcoming her,"
With the applause, she found herself blushing at the unwanted attention. Sensing her unease, Dinah dragged her off into her office.
"Lauren, welcome to Athena. If there are any doubts, here's a copy of your contract. I'll need you to read it and sign it."
Dinah handed her a piece of paper with a figure at the top. It was about twice of what she earned as a CPU officer; even with the combat bonus payments that she earned on top of her basic salary. It was a big salary, one that she just couldn't turn down, even if it wasn't a question of 'take the job or go back to the streets'.
"It may look like a lot of money, Jauregui, but I swear you'll earn every penny of it. This isn't a nine to five operation and I expect the best from the best. There are perks, though, especially for you in the role I have selected for you. In the envelope, you'll find the keys to your new car, your phone, the keys to an apartment that I'm lending you while you get yourself on your feet, your company credit card and some cash for personal expenses in the meantime... you can call that a corporate loan against salary if it makes you feel any better."
"Rules are simple, Lauren. The flat is the one we use for all employees who are transferring in from other locations. So it's a stop gap; nothing more. You'll need to find yourself something within the next two months or so. It's rent free for that period. After that, if you still need it and it's not required for someone else, well, we'll come to some arrangement."
"The company car is all expensed so use that credit card for your fuel and anything else you need. Any clothes you need, suits or whatever, put on the card as well. Ally may have mentioned that I pay for corporate work wear; get good quality stuff as well. With my clients, we want to look the best we can be. If you're not sure what to get, take Ally. I'm sure she won't mind. Frankly, Lauren, that girl was born to shop, but please be sensible. Don't go bankrupting me on your first day."
Dinah gave her a cheeky wink at that one, as if it was the funniest thing in the world, before continuing.
"If you need any personal items, you can also put them on the card seeing as your situation is somewhat unusual. I'll sign them off, no problems. And tell you what, I'll give you the standard $5K golden handshake for starting. That's what all my best people get and I know you're going to be one of my best ones. Get yourself whatever you need with that. After that, you're on your own."
She stammered out her thanks; feeling overwhelmed as she had been happy with just the job and had not expected all of the perks attached to it.
"Don't mention it, kid. Now, here's your first real assignment. We've been searching for the perfect agent for this special case and the clients are very close to me. Your meeting is at 11 AM tomorrow. I suggest you prepare and read that file. Don't let me down or this might well be the shortest job you'll ever have."
Dinah smiled and dismissed her with a handshake, handing her the file for her first 'mission'.
o+o+o
Leaving Dinah's office, she went outside to find Normani standing waiting for her.
"Congratulations, Lauren, well done! Welcome aboard. I'm going to show you to your car and then take you over to the apartment and get you settled in."
She nodded dumbly, still a little shell-shocked, as she was led downstairs into the underground car park.
"This is yours. Just remember the bay number you've been assigned. I'm forever getting my numbers mixed up... there are just too many to remember,"
She was not listening; she was just staring at the almost brand new, dark blue BMW X3 that's parked in front of her.
"It's the petrol engine, but don't worry we've had all our vehicles converted to dual fuel for environmental purposes. It's got all the trimmings and it's really a very nice car. It's not the top of the range model but it's got a decent stereo that will sync with your iPhone for calls and of course, music and it's got built-in satellite navigation and cruise control. Oh, and of course, air conditioning. It also has multiple airbags for your safety and that of your passengers, but obviously, I hope that you never have to use that particular feature because that would be bad."
Normani was babbling, she observed. She remembered having seen her do that last night over dinner. Getting 'locked on', Ally had called it. She found it strange. She had never seen Normani do it before, even when they were under fire in Basra. She'd put it down to a case of PTSD. She never asked about it, though. 'Don't ask, don't tell' meant a totally different thing to those of them who had survived the trenches.
"It's a nice car," Normani repeated, pulling herself together.
"It's fine, Normani. It's more than fine. Remember, I've been getting everywhere by foot for the last couple of months. You could have given me a bike or a bus pass and I'd have been ecstatic. I'm glad I met you that night, Mani. You've pretty much saved my life."
"Well, you saved mine, Lauren; several times, in fact. I owe you a lot. We both do. I'm happy to be paying some of that debt back."
She looked at the girl who has performed that miracle and decided that aside from Ally, she likes Normani, too. She doesn't have friends, but she knows she can at least be friendly. She put out her hand to Normani and waited for the girl to take it.
"We're more than even, Lieutenant, trust me. Now, are we going to get moving? I need to go shopping with Ally. I have a big meeting tomorrow apparently and I need to get a change of clothes or two."
"Ah yes," Normani said knowingly at her, "This is what I recommended you for. I knew you'll surpass Dinah's standards. You'd be perfect for the role she'll give you."
"So, yes, you have a big meeting tomorrow with Alejandro Cabello. He's the head of Cabello Industries. They're quite a large manufacturing corporation with sites around the world. He's been receiving death threats from extremist groups in Pakistan because of his links to manufacturing sites and the government in India."
"You'll need to be at your best tomorrow, Lauren. We're really counting on getting this contract because aside from Dinah's relations with the family, Cabello Industries could put a lot of extra work our way."
"Don't worry, LT," she replied more confidently than she felt, "I'm sure Papa Cabello and I will get along like a house on fire."