Chapter Lucky Thirteen: Your Mission, Miss Banning…

"Your mission, Ms. Banning," Irina told the pretty blonde seated across from her. "Is to seduce Michael Vaughn."

"Really?" Brooke asked, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. "Okay. I've certainly done a lot worse."

"Yes, I know," Irina said, gazing at the girl disdainfully. She had never met someone with so little respect for herself and her body. She would have found it repulsive, if she didn't find it so useful.

"How soon do you want me to do it?" Brooke asked, dragging on her cigarette. Irina smiled. At least Brooke was in better shape than she had been when they had found her five years ago. Her rehabilitation and training had been a trying experience for everyone involved, but such things had proved to be well worth the time and effort. She had proved to be a valuable asset to the organization on more than one occasion.

"As soon as possible, but you must tread carefully, and you can't be too eager, Brooke," Irina advised. "Not only is Michael desperately in love with my daughter, but he's ruled by a rather strict set of morals and principles."

"Yeah, I get that," Brooke said with a frown. "Which is why-- no offense-- I don't quite get why he's working for you."

Irina allowed a slight smile to tug at her lips. Sometimes Brooke spoke more freely than Irina would have preferred, but she couldn't pretend she didn't find such an attitude refreshing at times. "As I said, he's quite in love with my daughter, Brooke."

"Love." Brooke spit out the word as if it tasted bad. "I don't buy it, Irina. I know he was kicked out of the CIA and all, but it's not like coming to work for you was just a career change. No man completely puts aside everything he believes in just so he can have someone to keep his bed warm at night. I'm sure Michael could find plenty of women to do that for him."

Irina would have been inclined to agree with her, except that something told her that there actually might be something special between Michael and her daughter. Love, maybe, if such a thing were even possible. "Believe me, Brooke," she admitted. "I've questioned his motives. Sydney's as well."

Brooke stamped out the butt of her cigarette in the ashtray on the desk. "You think they're working for someone else?"

"No," Irina rejected the idea, though it wasn't one that hadn't crossed her mind. "I think they're foolish enough to believe they can bring me down on their own. Their motives for working for me are irrelevant, however."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in a question.

"I'm quite certain I can win Sydney's trust, and by virtue, her loyalty to me," Irina continued. "And as for Michael, I'll have to settle for controlling him. That's where you come in, dear."

Brooke nodded. "You want me to sleep with him."

"Yes," Irina said with a nod. "Now, I'm assuming that after the act, our Mr. Vaughn will be positively riddled with guilt. He'll begin avoiding you like the plague. It's at that point that I'll reveal to him that I know, and I'll threaten to tell his precious Sydney. He'll be under my thumb, under my control. One false move and I'll reveal his secret."

Brooke frowned. "He might decide to tell Sydney himself, though, to clear his conscience."

Irina waved off the idea. "I'll convince him not to, convince him that he would only be doing so to make himself feel less guilty and that it would only hurt Sydney."

Brooke didn't seem convinced. "This could backfire, though," she said. "Michael could fall in love. Want to leave Sydney for me."

Irina resisted the urge to laugh. While she was confident that Brooke's pretty face could turn Michael's head, she hardly believed that he would actually feel anything but lust for such a common piece of street trash.

Of course, she didn't tell Brooke this. "Well, then," she said with a tight-lipped smile. "Sydney will learn about Michael's transgression much sooner than I originally planned, and it will be up to her to determine his fate. If she can stand seeing him around here knowing he no longer loves her, he can stay on as an employee. If she can't, he will be disposed of."

"Like a common piece of street trash," Brooke whispered, as if she had read Irina's mind. She and Irina locked eyes for a moment, and Irina winced inwardly at the harsh words she had directed at the girl in the past. Well. Everything that had been done to her had been for her own good. For both of their own good.

"Yes, well," Irina said after an uncomfortably long moment of silence. "You have your mission, Ms. Banning. Why don't you go fetch Michael and tell him we're ready to go to dinner?"

Brooke nodded, but she didn't rise from her seat.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Banning?" Irina asked sharply.

"I just--" Brooke hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Why did you send Sydney out with Sark?"

Irina offered her a cold smile. "Why, to give you and Michael time to get to know each other, of course."

Still Brooke remained in her chair, a hesitant look clouding her features.

"Don't worry, Brooke," Irina said, realizing why, exactly, the girl was interested. "I have no wish for Mr. Sark to become romantically involved with my daughter. Of course it would have been preferable for Sydney to have attached herself to someone I knew I could trust, but Mr. Vaughn will be under my control soon enough. Besides," she said, shooting Brooke a saccharine smile. "I know how much Mr. Sark means to you."

Brooke looked at her, the pain in her eyes throwing Irina a little off guard. "Yeah," she said softly. "And you've seen the way he treats me."

Irina looked away. It was true-- she would not have wished someone like Sark on her daughter. The man had quite a problem controlling his temper, though he'd only given Ms. Banning one black eye before Irina had put a stop to it. Brooke's lovely face was a valuable asset to their organization; she didn't want Sark messing it up every time he lost his cool.

"I'd like you to get Michael and meet me in the dining room," Irina said brusquely. "And for God's sake, Brooke, smile. This is hardly the most difficult assignment I've ever given you."

Brooke finally rose from her chair, though she didn't start for the door. "I know it's not," she said, her voice low. "And of course I'll do it. I'm just having a hard time believing you'd meddle in your own daughter's relationship like this."

For just a moment, Irina felt a flash of remorse. But she'd be damned if she was going to let this little trollop know that she had gotten to her. So she simply smiled. "Then you don't know me very well at all, do you, darling? Now get out."