The Secret Service ~~~

9 - I Spy With My Little Eye

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SOME SWEARING IN THIS CHAPTER.

Chapter Nine - I Spy With My Little Eye

Kelsie was freezing. She'd been in Russia for about a month now, but that didn't make her acclimatise. She'd much rather be inside, watching some TV, drinking something warm. Snow was fine, it was pretty, but to look at from a distance.

Rory was shivering. Emma was biting her lip. And Kelsie had had enough.

"When are we leaving?" She whispered, keeping her voice as low as possible.

"When we know what that woman's doing," Emma answered, a shiver sending her shaking.

"We've been outside this dress shop for an hour," Rory said. "An hour. I'm freezing all over. I'll be lucky if my nipples haven't fallen off." That earned a look from Emma. "What? It's true. May be crass but true."

"We have to keep watch," Emma told them. "It's our job."

"Nowhere does it say that our job is to freeze," Rory argued.

"We have to do whatever it takes."

"Oh. Is that so? So when you're asking to jump off a cliff with no parachute or way of being saved, would you? The good of the world isn't always worth our lives. Whatever Petra and Lucas may think, it isn't. Not always."

That got them.

"Hey?" Came someone's voice in Kelsie's ear. She gasped before remembering the little communicator she had. "Anyone there?" It was Xavier.

"We're not ice lollies yet," Kelsie joked, though she reckoned they weren't far off.

"We have eyes on you," Xavier's voice said. "Hailey hacked nearby cameras. Oh! The woman!"

Emma dived behind a bin while Rory and Kelsie sunk to the ground - where they were, under no lights and round the corner from the shop, they had good visuals but weren't likely to be seen themselves. Indeed their woman walked out without looking back. And once she was gone, the girls slipped from their hiding spots and into the shop.

It was full of fancy ball gowns. What did this woman want? And with ball gowns? How did this come into matching with the missing diamond? Kelsie couldn't make sense of it. She pulled her hat lower down her face as if to hide the shame of not understanding.

"What is this?" Rory touched one of the purple dresses. "These are fab though."

Kelsie smiled. "We should try them on," she suggested mischievously. "For the purpose of the case."

Emma suddenly appeared. "I know what's going on," she announced.

How? Kelsie wanted to ask. They'd only been here for a few minutes, if that. Now Emma understood? How much did she understand? It didn't make any scrap of bloody sense to Kelsie. But Emma didn't wait, she whispered though everyone could hear. They were to go back home.

* * *

Petra sat down, a cup of tea in hand. She didn't want to talk to Lucas, and why should she? The whole time she'd tried to talk to him, he never wanted to hear it, so why should she give in now?

"Ma'am?" Came a knock at the door. Manius entered slowly, his stick at his side. "Is there anything else you will be needing?"

"Have you been to see the doctor?" Petra asked in return, putting down her mug.

Manius nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"And?"

"And, ma'am, he said that there is no change."