The Blue Hour Sanction by Landon Beach

Author:Landon Beach [Beach, Landon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

3 Months Later . . .

18

Raleigh, North Carolina – October 2002

Adrienne Astra sat across from Flo Fleming in her private office on the 4th floor. She had known that Flo would be stopping by the office this week for one last check-in before the second half of her mission commenced but did not think it would be on a Friday afternoon—she was about to leave for the weekend when there was a knock on her door.

It had been over two months since she had last seen her mentor, and it felt good to be in her presence again. Flo exuded confidence and control, and Adrienne had found her to be a woman of tremendous integrity, standards—at least as they applied to the work they did—and a focused professional who was dedicated to her craft and the methods she employed to carry out the directives the company gave her. But today, there were added dimensions to her appearance that Adrienne had never seen before. Flo had a deep tan, and her fingernails were polished. The gray slacks and white blouse fit snugly around her trim, wiry frame, and she looked rested. Her hair and makeup were done to perfection, her bottom row of teeth had been straightened, and both rows had been whitened. The designer glasses and black heels gave her a corporate look, like a younger Kerrie Raven. In fact, the transformation of her gritty mentor and sparring partner had been so complete that it had taken Adrienne a few extra seconds to recognize who was standing in front of her when she had opened the door to her office. Where Flo had been since July . . . she had no idea.

Adrienne shut the door behind them and then opened her arms to give Flo a hug.

However, instead of welcoming the embrace, Flo took a seat on the stiff couch and crossed her legs.

She has a lot on her mind, Adrienne thought. So would I, if I was leaving on Monday for an indefinite amount of time.

Their interactions always had an official air about them, but the tension she sensed in the room was abnormal. It’s from her side, but why? She decided to try and lighten the mood. “So, when do I get my makeover mission?”

Flo’s face remained still, and her eyes seemed to be looking past Adrienne. “How has the training been with Rose and Raven?”

Okay, retreat. Maybe this is how she gets before a mission. Adrienne sat down in her desk chair. “Fine,” she said. “Rose has brought me up to speed on every piece of surveillance equipment ever invented, and I’ve had the opportunity to practice using a handful of the gadgets. There has also been classroom work—the lipreading seminar was probably my favorite.”

Flo gave her a polite nod but still did not make eye contact.

“I’ve also learned a lot about what goes into planning a mission.”

Rose had started her with basic geography, intelligence gathering, and funding. Next were logistics, travel considerations, communications, and assuming different identities.

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