by Amelia Price
“Well, we all have our secrets.”
Chapter 10
The buzzing vibration of a phone disturbed Mycroft from his lunch. It could only be Amelia, and that meant she had found her reward for completing the lesson, and a little sooner than he expected. She was learning quickly.
Opened the box you sent me. Very fun task and thank you for the gift inside. I'm glad I could help you out yesterday.
He nodded his satisfaction to the empty dining room and put the phone down on the table to continue eating. The gratitude pleased him. When he'd first planned to use a location-based unlocking mechanism as a teaching aid, he'd planned to have something benign inside, but he knew she'd spent quite a lot of money to meet him in Scotland. On top of that, she'd written him a replacement article with no credit going to her.
If she'd complained or asked to be reimbursed he wouldn't have done so, but she had followed orders and trusted him. It made sense to reward that trust.
Inside the box had been vouchers for various retail shops Amelia liked to use, including two fabric shops where she bought the materials to make her own corsets. A shopping trip at his expense was easily something he could afford, and he didn't deny he appreciated her sense of dress. For this day and age, she had a lot more elegance and style than most women did. It made him feel a little less old when he saw her.
Only once Mycroft had eaten did he pick the phone back up.
Good. Enjoy the shopping spree, but I have another problem I want you to solve this evening, so not today.
After sending the message, Mycroft wandered towards the room Daniels used for his personal space and stood in the doorway of the little workshop. His chauffeur noticed him immediately and stopped his tinkering with a car engine piston.
“Miss Price will be needing your services. I need you to get her to my main hotel by nine this evening. Tomorrow morning I'd also like you to take her home from the hotel.”
“Yes, sir. I'll leave in just a few minutes so there's plenty of time for bad traffic.”
“Thank you, Daniels.” Mycroft nodded goodbye to the chauffeur and continued down the hall to his study. Just as he was sitting down, Amelia's reply came through.
I guess I'll stop shopping, then. What do you need me to do? I had no plans.
Mycroft considered his words carefully. He wanted Amelia to believe this next task was a real situation he was putting her through. It would be important to see how she handled danger and if she could put the things the Holmes brothers had taught her into practice in a situation alone. If she couldn't manage this, then it would be too dangerous for him to continue her training.
There's a Russian staying in London who has given me reason for concern. I wish to bug his hotel room, but I cannot spare an agent of my own right now. This is one of the few times I will let you decline a task if you feel it would be beyond you. This man is quite likely to be dangerous.
While waiting for Amelia to reply, Mycroft switched his laptop on and navigated to the folder full of fake documents and information on this Russian gentleman. It would be everything Amelia should need to get her into the hotel room and plant the small devices the UK government used to listen into people's conversations.
He'd made sure to hint at several different ways she could get into the hotel room and out without arousing too much suspicion. They were all of varying difficulties and he hoped she'd have the sense to pick the easiest way in and pose as hotel staff, but he knew she might try the female charm she so often used.
Mycroft prepared an email with all the files attached and waited to press send. Although he'd given Amelia the choice, he knew what her answer would be. It took her longer to decide than he expected, but after five more minutes she responded.
I'll do it, but I'll need some more info.
Mycroft sent the email and waited for it to upload all the documents. Even on his fast internet service, the sheer amount of files led to it taking a good minute. He then shut down the laptop and picked up his phone to let Amelia know she should check her emails. Before he could, she sent him another message.
Got the email. Thanks.
The corners of his mouth twitched up in a brief smile. Her eagerness was amusing, if nothing else.
Daniels will take you to the hotel room for nine. Don't make him late.
With her task set in motion, Mycroft prepared himself and his staff for the other side of the set-up. He spent the next hour contacting everyone involved, including the hotel, who were shutting off part of one floor to accommodate his wishes. He'd already warned three of his agents that they would be needed. None of them would realise this was a set-up either, making sure Amelia couldn't get into the hotel room if she wasn't convincing enough.
Once everyone else was informed of their roles and getting on with their preparation, Mycroft retired to his bedroom to start his own. The Russian would be him in disguise. If Amelia took the easiest way into the room, she wouldn't even see him, but if she chose one of the other possible ways in, they would come in contact with each other and he would need to be perfectly masked.
As he was laying out the costume for the night on his bed, his phone buzzed.
I've read through the info. Any recommendations for the best way in and out?
Mycroft frowned. Although he wanted her to think on her feet and figure this out for herself, he also knew he had told her this wasn't a lesson, but an actual situation. He couldn't ignore any questions she asked.
You know what you're good at. There are several ways in and out. Choose something not too difficult that you feel comfortable you can achieve. You will have to be convincing to anyone who sees you.
The answer seemed to satisfy Amelia because she sent him no more messages, and by seven he was outside and on his way to the hotel himself.
***
Sitting in the back of Myron's car, doing nothing, wasn't helping Amelia feel calm. Her legs and arms shook with nerves and her heart was racing. Already, she'd read over the information he'd provided her three times but she started on a fourth. She didn't want to go into the hotel without knowing every little detail the documents provided.
A part of her still didn't quite believe that Myron was trusting her with something like this, but Daniels had turned up to take her to London just as she'd been told. It was now up to her to play her part.
“We're going to be about half an hour early. Do you want me to drive you around the block?” Daniels said when she'd almost finished her fourth read through.
“No, drop me off. I can wait in the entrance.” Given how nervous she felt, she knew she needed time to calm down, and it wouldn't happen while she sat in a car, being driven around London. If there was a bar, it would be an even better decision. A little liquid courage would be perfect.
Less than five minutes later, Daniels pulled up outside the hotel entrance and got up to let her out. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, taking one last opportunity, while in the safety of the car, to calm her breathing. It didn't help.
For several seconds, she stared at the open car door and the small area of pavement she could see through it. Eventually, her mind managed to will her body past her fear and get it to move, picking up her small handbag on the way. She stepped out and almost fell right into Daniels, her heel buckling underneath her.
“You all right, miss?” Daniels asked as he put out a hand to help steady her.
“Just fine, Daniels, thank you. I'm not really used to walking in heels. Forgot I was wearing them for a second there.” She gave him her best smile, knowing the act needed to begin soon. He nodded and said goodbye, leaving her to walk past the two burly doormen either side of the door.
One of them leant forward and opened it for her as she approached. She smiled and nodded her thanks, not trusting herself to speak but feeling far more gratitude than she ought to. It meant she could keep walking in the stride she'd already settled into and would be less likely to fall over in such an obvious place.
Once insid
e, she walked over to the receptionist, a tall middle-aged man with pristine, side-parted black hair. As soon as she had his attention, she pulled a thick envelope out of her coat pocket.
“In about an hour there will be another young woman who looks a bit like me come in. Her name's Natalie. She'll ask what room Vladistro is staying in. Could you give her this for me, please?” Amelia asked. The receptionist nodded.
“Of course, my dear. May I take your name?”
Amelia blinked, not expecting this question.
“Karnellin. I'm a friend of Vladistro's.” It was a lie, but it would suffice. It was the surname of someone Myron suspected was here to negotiate with him. If Vladistro got suspicious about her, he would think she'd been sent as a part of some kind of deal instead of his usual prostitute, Natalie. The regular whore would get the envelope Amelia had just handed over. Inside was a message saying Natalie wasn't wanted that evening, along with enough money to cover her usual fee.
After giving the man a gentle smile that would hopefully appear demure, she walked towards the bar sign, undoing the buttons on her coat, but holding it close so very little of her outfit underneath could be seen.
Already, she was grateful she'd looked over the information one last time. Now all she had to do was pass off as Natalie's replacement. And seeing as Natalie wasn't due for almost half an hour, Amelia knew she had time for a drink.
It didn't take her long to get to the bar, and by the time she was standing in front of it she realised she already felt calmer. Her hands and arms were still shaking a little so she ordered a whiskey on the rocks. When it came, she handed over the money and waited for the barman to leave her alone.
“You here alone, then?” he asked instead of wandering off. She nodded and tried not to show her anger on her face. The last thing she wanted was to be chatted up by the staff.
“Business or pleasure?” He smiled at her, his eyes wandering from her face to the top line of her clothing across her chest. It revealed a lot more of her than she'd normally feel comfortable with but it was part of the act. As soon as she was done, she would change.
Thankfully, before she had to answer his question, another customer came up to the bar and politely coughed to get some attention. Amelia glanced their way and thought he looked familiar. Immediately, she placed him as the man who'd followed her home from Scotland. It could only be one of Myron's men.
Amelia fought the grin that wanted to spread across her face. It probably meant this wasn't a real situation but he wanted her to believe it was. It gave her something to think about, but she knew it would be better to assume it was real for now, just in case she was wrong.
While she was left alone and unnoticed, Amelia downed her drink and got down from the bar stool. She would be early if she went up to the room now, but she knew that could well be a good thing.
If Myron's information on Vladistro was correct, he would be playing poker with two of his friends this evening. He would send her through to his bedroom to wait for him until he was done. That would give her time to plant the bugs, and then she could make herself sick and excuse herself. She'd not even need to meet Vladistro, let alone do anything with him.
On her way towards the lift, she reached into her handbag and checked the bugs Daniels had given her were still where she wanted them. She had two tucked into the lining so they wouldn't be noticed if someone decided to search the bag, and she'd covered the small hole with a condom. Another two were in a small extra pocket she'd tucked under a flap on the inside of her coat. Relief rushed through her as she felt the four little machines. Hopefully these would be in the places Myron wanted them before too much longer.
Feeling the first gentle wave of the alcohol taking effect, Amelia got into one of the lifts. She was alone, so she took the opportunity to remove her coat and reveal the skin-tight outfit she was wearing. She'd forgone her usual waistcoat-style corset to wear a little black dress that stopped mid-way down her thighs. Her hair was pinned up near the top of her head and waved down from there, giving her an elegant, but still sexy, look. It was just enough class to get her through the hotel door and just enough whore to get her into the bedroom.
She tucked the light-weight coat that had covered it all over her hand bag, noticing her hands were still shaking a little but not enough that she'd look like an amateur. The alcohol had done its trick.
When the lift came to a halt on the right floor and the doors slid open, she strode out and held her head high as if she owned the place. There was no room for mistakes from this point onwards.
She quickly worked out which way the numbers were heading and made her way down the hall, striding in the heels and giving her hips a little more of a wiggle than usual. There was no one to see her, but she knew it was better to play the part beforehand and feel more comfortable with it.
She knocked on the door as soon as she reached the number Myron had given her, leaving herself no time to panic. In only a few seconds it was opened enough that a man in a dark suit could look out at her. She gave him her sexiest smile. His eyes roved downwards, taking his time over studying her.
“You're not the usual girl,” he said in a light Russian accent.
“Natalie was sick in a way Vladistro won't appreciate. They sent me instead. I'm good at soothing a man's... disappointment.”
“You'd better be; he doesn't like changes to his routine.” He opened the door the rest of the way and let her inside. She strode through, looking more confident than she felt. Another man, dressed in a matching suit and somehow sporting even more muscle, barred her way. They exchanged a few words in Russian with each other and both stared. She waited, letting them see what they wanted. Neither of them would see her again once she was out of the room.
“Wait here,” the first one said eventually, and wandered farther inside. She smiled at the remaining bodyguard but he didn't return the gesture, instead pretending she didn't exist.
She was only kept waiting a minute before the bodyguard came back.
“Vladistro isn't ready for you yet. Go wait in the bedroom for him.”
She nodded and tried not to look as smugly satisfied as she felt. This part of the plan was going well. They moved out of her way, not even checking her coat or handbag and taking no interest in her anymore.
As she moved past the suite's entrance area, she subtly took in her surroundings. Myron had impressed the importance upon her in the information she'd been provided. She should know exactly where the exits are and what was in the room within only a few seconds.
She soon found herself in a large living room. Over beside the bar, three men sat at a table playing poker. The left hand one was Vladistro and he was the only one who looked up when she walked in. He glanced over her, not meeting her eyes, before turning back to the game and chucking a few of the poker chips in front of him into the middle pile.
Seeing no other exits, phones, and only one good place to hide a bug, by the bar, she walked over to the door to her right. It was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open to reveal the bedroom.
A large double bed sat neatly in the middle of the room, with a cabinet on each side. A lamp sat on the left one and a plugged-in telephone on the right one.
She glanced back but she was being ignored, so she shut the bedroom door as quietly as she could. Seconds later, she was rummaging in her handbag and placing a bug on the inside of the right hand cabinet. She then went into the en-suite bathroom and placed another just behind the sink in there. The latter one was unlikely to be useful, but she had four and had only seen two other good locations for them. Before she could do anything else, the lights went out.
Chapter 11
Mycroft focused on the poker game to help keep his temper in check. Of all the ways he'd hoped Amelia would use to gain access to the rooms, he hadn't wanted her to try and pose as a whore. Although, given her usual fall-back towards female charm, it wasn't entirely out of character for her.
It would have been much simpler if she'd pos
ed as the hotel cleaning staff, however. He'd mentioned in his notes on the fictional Vladistro that the rooms were cleaned after the prostitute left. There was also room service to pose as and several other ways she could have gained access to the bedroom if she'd thought about it.
He grunted with satisfaction as he won the poker hand. Not because he felt satisfied or would ever grunt, but Vladistro would, so it was necessary. As he was picking up the chips from the middle, the power cut, plunging them into darkness. Not even the digital display of the clock on the TV and DVD player were lit up.
A few seconds later one of the guards he'd had stationed by the door pulled out a torch and used it to find candles. There were a few near the bar, which were soon lit and flickering in the dim room.
“What now, boss?” the guard asked him in Russian, not knowing that he wasn't Vladistro either.
“Go. I won't play by candlelight. I'll amuse myself with the girl. Get some sleep,” he replied, knowing that was exactly what the Russian he'd created would have said in that moment. As one, all the men in the room obeyed him and filed out. They split up and went to the room beside and the one opposite, making sure they were at hand if he needed them.
As soon as he was alone, he picked up one of the candles, blew out the rest and made his way through to the bedroom. He wondered if Amelia would have used the darkness and confusion to escape the hotel room, but he'd be cross if she had. That sort of thing would be suspicious.
