“Face, go get Amy,” Hannibal ordered as he straightened his red bow tie in the mirror and slipped on his tuxedo jacket.
“Me?” Face turned to Hannibal, still fixing his mike behind the handkerchief in his top pocket.
“Yeah, you. Murdock and BA are already downstairs. By the time you’ve fetched her, I’ll be ready,” Hannibal confirmed. “I’ll meet you in the limo outside.”
Face headed towards Amy’s hotel suite. Catching sight of himself in a mirror along the corridor, he adjusted his bow tie. He was wearing a sharp black tuxedo with a red bow tie and matching cummerbund. He’d chosen red, for himself and Hannibal, knowing what Amy was going to be wearing. It would help blend either of them together as a natural couple with Amy, if needs be.
He reached her hotel suite door and knocked.
“Who is it?” Amy called from inside the room.
She must have been looking through the peephole, because he hadn’t the time to answer. She’d already opened the door to him.
"Wow, Face,” Amy looked him up and down, “just when I thought you couldn't get any better looking, you go and put on a tux." She brushed at his shoulder, removing imaginary fluff from the dark suit.
He smiled at her and then his eyes widened.
“Ah… Amy, aren’t you ready yet?” Face asked as he walked into the hotel suite, nervously looking at his watch. Amy was wearing one of the hotel’s bathrobes. Her makeup was on, heavier than usual, and her long brown hair was twisted up at the back and held by a grip, with a few pretty strands falling down the side of her face.
“I’ve just got to put on my dress, that’s all,” she sounded anxious, “I was just worried I might do something to get it dirty, or something stupid.” Amy hurried into the bedroom. “Hang on, I’ll be two minutes.”
Moments later, Amy emerged in a strapless red evening gown, holding it by the bust with both hands. The long length complemented her tall figure, and had a split up the front (a tulip hem the woman in the store had called it) so as she walked it sexily revealed and accentuated her long legs. The dress, with its boned bodice, hugged her figure perfectly. She had put on a pair of red stiletto heels to match. All of a sudden Face was aware how tall she was. He didn’t need to look down into her eyes as they were at his height. Face couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, stunned by how elegant and beautiful she looked.
She backed up to him, the dress undone, revealing most of her back. It needed fastening from the bottom of her spine to halfway up her back.
“Face, please can you do me up?” she asked innocently, not noticing Face’s dumbfounded behaviour.
Face hesitated. Her back was bare, no bra. The dress just didn't allow for one. He smiled to himself. His hand out in front of him, he wanted to gently stroke his fingertips down her naked back, just along her spine. Face groaned, suddenly remembering this was Amy, he snapped out of the fantasy and did up the zipper.
Amy did a quick twirl once she felt the dress was done up.
“So, what do you think?” she asked.
Absolutely stunning, Face thought.
“Nice,” he said, replying nervously to her question and gave her one of his smiles.
“Nice?!” Amy snapped. “A two thousand dollar dress and you say I look nice!” Amy looked disappointed. He could tell even she thought she looked better than ‘nice’.
“Gees, Face, I thought you knew how to sweet talk a woman!” Amy said, grabbing her purse and room key from the sideboard. As she walked towards him, she didn’t look at him, busying herself by placing her key in the purse and checking she had everything else she needed in it. They both left the room and walked to the elevator down the corridor. Face could see by her whole body language he’d upset her, rarely making eye contact with him.
As they stepped into the elevator Amy finally spoke.
“This is it, isn’t it? The last date.” She stared straight ahead.
“Yes, this is the last date,” Face replied as he pressed the button for the ground floor.
“Good.” Amy nodded although Face wasn’t sure he was convinced by it. He had a feeling this had already gone too far for Amy with Flores.
“It’s just,” Amy continued nervously, “yesterday, when he turned up to surprise me, it was getting pretty heavy in the back of his limo.”
“Really?” Face teased but Amy scowled at him. He dropped the expression, realising not to make a joke of it. “Er, so how did you manage to cool him down?”
Amy let out a sigh. “In the end, I agreed to go shopping and let him buy me a present.”
“Ah, that’s why BA and Murdock were moaning about traipsing round half of LA,” Face chuckled, trying to lighten her mood. “What did he buy you?”
“This.” Amy held out her right arm and on it was a pretty silver bracelet encrusted with a few rubies. “I really took my time to find something that wasn’t too expensive, but wasn’t cheap either.”
Face nodded. He understood. She hadn’t wanted a present from Flores, but to keep her cover she had needed to find something that Flores wouldn’t have been suspicious of.
“You know, I’m still impressed, and frustrated,” she glanced at him, as she turned to check herself out in the elevator mirror as they descended, “that you know my dress size.” He could tell Amy wanted to change the subject, watching as she brushed herself down and pulled at the bodice to adjust the dress.
Face smiled, impressed by his own good judgement.
“Amy, as Murdock said, I’m good with figures.” He winked at her, as he also made his final adjustments in the mirror.
Amy rolled her eyes.
“Oh and remember those outfits are on loan!” Face decided to reiterate, knowing that she’d become rather attached to some of the dresses. “They’ve got to go back in one piece.”
“I know, I know,” Amy responded impatiently. “I never did ask how you got the store to part with so many outfits.”
“I told them they were going to feature in a major magazine I work for,” Face smiled. “Tell them it’s either them or Versace and they instantly bite.”
“Face, you definitely have a way of talking people into absolutely anything,” Amy chuckled, her coldness towards him lifting. “A believable face and an irresistible smile.”
“They don’t call me Face for nothing, you know.” He grinned mischievously and she continued to laugh as the elevator door pinged open.
The two of them walked to the limo, which awaited them, and got in. Murdock turned from the driver’s seat.
“Wow, Amy. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Murdock.”
“You look great, kid,” Hannibal also confirmed, sitting opposite her.
Amy smiled coyly, catching Face’s eye out of the corner of hers. Face fidgeted, straightening the lapels of his jacket, realising his blunder. And I said ‘nice’, he thought.
“Right, let’s go over the plan again, so we are all clear,” Hannibal said as he felt the limo start to move. “First off, Murdock is going to drop the three of us off at The Latimer Hotel for this charity event. Face will set himself up in good surveillance position. It’s a black tie affair, so I’m sure, Lieutenant, you’ll blend in nicely.”
Face smiled and nodded in confirmation.
Hannibal turned his attention to Amy. “We’ll wait in the lobby for Flores, that’s where you said we’d meet him, right?”
“Yes, I did,” Amy replied. “He did want to escort me here himself, but I said that you insisted taking me. Although he was intrigued to know how you managed to get tickets at such late notice.”
Hannibal grinned at Face, who was running his hand through his hair. “If he asks, I’ll tell him I’ve got a very good supplies officer, which is the truth.”
“What if he spots Face?”
“Tell him, ‘Glenn’ has come with me. It’s a corporate charity event after all,” Hannibal replied and Amy nodded. “BA is already heading over to Flores’s in the van. Murdock will head over there after he’s dropped us off,” Amy nodded as Hannibal spoke, “and once Flores is on his way, Murdock and BA are going to do some investigating in that study of his. Trying to locate that file for a start.”
“Will that be enough?” Amy asked.
“We’ve got to try and find something we can pin on him and if it’s going to be anywhere, it’ll be in that study. Once they’ve finished they’ll collect us from the hotel.”
“Got it,” Amy replied, rubbing her upper arm with her other hand, and crossing her legs, fidgeting next to Face. “What if we need to get away before Murdock and BA collect us?”
“Good point,” Hannibal looked at Face, “Face, did you manage to arrange a car?”
“Of course.” Face smiled back. “I’ve already parked one of our rental cars at the hotel.” He pulled out the car keys from a pocket and jingled them in front for Hannibal to see.
Hannibal nodded and then turned his attention back to Amy. “So, kid, you’re going to have to keep up the act for one last time. Hopefully BA and Murdock won’t draw any attention to themselves and Flores will be none the wiser.” Hannibal looked back at Face, raising an eyebrow and Face shrugged, rolling his eyes back at Murdock. Murdock was singing in the front as he drove the limo. “Face and I have concealed mikes and ear pieces each, so we are in contact with one another. Murdock will ring me at the hotel lobby. I’ll try and stay around there. Then, once Murdock and BA are out, we’ll come and get you.”
Amy nodded, giving a weak smile.
“But a sniff of trouble, Amy, and we’ll have you out of there anyway,” Hannibal said firmly.
Amy nodded again, but Face could see she looked nervous, tapping her fingers on her knee.
“Right, everyone ready?” Hannibal asked.
“Ready,” the team replied back in unison.
Hannibal grinned at Amy and Face, like a boy in a toyshop. “Great, let’s get this show on the road.”
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