I wrote this and chapter 8 as one chapter, but it was a bit too long so I've separated it into two (hence the double post). Enjoy :)

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Chapter 7: Undercover

I dressed for the evening get-together with a sense of complete dread. It wasn't the thought of what I was expected to do that galled me; if this man was as wealthy and connected as Kurtis had described him then I wouldn't feel like such a fish out of water. I was not expecting to like him particularly, but I had met hundreds of men like him and I knew how to act around them to get to the information I wanted. Rather it was the prospect of stepping out in my most feminine and glamorous finery under the watchful eyes of Kurtis and his associates, and parading around as the pretty face on their sick little operation, that left a distinctly sour taste in my mouth.

At five to eight, there was a brisk knock on my door.

"Are you ready yet?" Kurtis called impatiently from the hallway.

"No," I snapped back, still applying make-up to the dark rings under my eyes. I wondered who had had the presence of mind to pack make-up for me. A couple of layers of foundation had taken care of the faint bruising on one cheek from where Kurtis had wrestled me to the floor in the warehouse.

"Well hurry up. It's nearly eight."

"If you'd rather wear the dress and do the flirting, be my guest," I yelled back, seething. "If not, then shut up and give me a few more minutes."

I emerged into the hallway a few minutes later, so anxious that I was afraid of losing my dinner. Kurtis and Paul were standing in the corridor talking in low voices, facing away from me. They turned as they heard the door close, and I looked away to avoid their gaze. I noticed despairingly that they were both in evening dress; surely they weren't going to be following me around all evening? Skin burning under Kurtis' perusal of my figure, I turned and walked briskly up the corridor towards the lounge area where Gunderson and another of his cronies were waiting.

"Gunderson," I said, my tone business-like. If I was going to get through the evening then I would just have to bite the bullet and do what he wanted. "I'm ready. What's the plan for tonight?"

Thankfully he barely even glanced at my attire. "You will go down to the ballroom for the event. Trent and Bazinet will escort you." Kurtis and Paul had followed me up the hallway by now, and stood nearby. "There will be some kind of speech and introduction first; this will be a good time to locate the target."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me his name at any point?" I interjected. "I'm not psychic."

Gunderson frowned at me, but nodded. He took a folder from the man standing beside him and removed a large black and white photograph. "Ibrahim Mahmoud El-Aziz," he said, passing the picture to me. I studied it, storing the man's face in memory for later. He was a large man in his fifties, his dark face framed with immaculately coiffured white hair. "He is traveling with a small group of staff and friends, and he keeps a high level of security at most times. Be aware of this, and make an effort not to appear suspicious."

I raised my eyebrows. "You don't have to worry about me," I told him. "Those two, on the other hand-"I gestured towards Kurtis and Paul – "stick out like a sore thumb."

"Miss Croft, I hope you are not expecting me to let you attend the function alone."

"No, I suppose that's a little optimistic." I looked at the two men, summing up their appearance. "Okay, fine. He can escort me-"I pointed at Paul, who admittedly looked rather slick in his tuxedo and black tie – "but the other one isn't to come anywhere near me." Paul grinned at Kurtis, who looked less than impressed.

Gunderson watched me patiently. "And why is that?"

"Well, for starters, he looks terrible. I've seen eleven-year-old schoolboys who looked smarter in a shirt and tie. We wouldn't convince anyone if we turned up together. Also, he's obnoxious and aggressive and would almost certainly do something to blow my cover."

"Hey, what the fuck does that mean?" Kurtis protested. I fought back a smile, my point proven. Gunderson considered my argument for a moment.

"There is no time for another of my men to get changed, so Trent will join you to the ballroom. But he will stay at a distance, and maintain regular contact with us. Bazinet will act as your companion at the function, but you will approach El-Aziz alone." He motioned to Kurtis to fetch something. "Of course, we will need to monitor your conversations with him, so you will wear this." Kurtis appeared at my side, holding a tiny wireless microphone in his open palm. Oh, wonderful, I thought.

I had to stand there numbly while Trent fastened the mic to the top of my dress, being deliberately clumsy with his fingers against my bare shoulder. I shot him a murderous look as he stepped back, his expression blank but his eyes sparkling with mischief. God, if he ever dared to touch me again -

After checking that the microphone was working properly, I was led out of the suite and back towards the elevator we had ridden earlier that day. It already seemed like a week ago. Paul chatted to me as we walked, his manner relaxed and friendly. He seemed to have picked up some of the social skills Kurtis was lacking.

"So, Lara," he said jovially. "What does a retired adventurer do with her time? How do you get your kicks?"

I looked at him doubtfully, checking if he was sincere. He seemed inoffensive enough. "Well... I do research at the British Museum. I work out. I meet interesting people." Although I was doing my best to pretend he wasn't there, Kurtis' eyes never left me, and the skin of my bare arms and back prickled with discomfort. I was hesitant to mention Daniel again, but I couldn't help rubbing his nose in it. "And I'm involved with a charming, intelligent, gorgeous man. I am – or at least I was – very happy."

We had reached the elevator now, and stood waiting for it to ascend to our floor. Responding to what I had said, Kurtis shrugged. "Doesn't sound very exciting."

"Excitement isn't everything," I replied, too hastily. As soon as the words had left my lips I realised how foolish they sounded. Kurtis looked at me with an almost imperceptible smile, which told me that he knew exactly how important excitement was to a girl like me. The lift arrived and we stepped into its mirrored interior in silence.

As we rode down, Kurtis checked his reflection. "Fucking schoolboy," he muttered, fiddling with his tie. After a few moments of this, I sighed.

"Oh, for God's sake. I'll do it." I reached for his tie and tweaked at it with expert fingers, frowning at the mess he'd made. "There. Perfect." As I pulled my hands away, I grazed his jaw line with the back of my fingers, only slightly, but enough to feel the short growth of stubble there. An unwelcome shiver went through me, and I quickly turned away, folding my arms across my chest.

Finally the lift doors opened and we emerged near the doors of the ballroom. The doors were open now, and we were greeted by the sound of voices and tinkling glasses against a background of Mozart. I put my arm through Paul's and we entered together. I let out a sigh of relief as we saw Kurtis heading away from us towards the bar.

Paul saw my reaction and spoke. "Well, I must say, you two are getting on like a house on fire." I looked at his deadpan expression, then laughed suddenly.

"Very funny," I replied. He grinned, and we made our way towards a vacant table, attracting a number of interested and appreciative glances from the people around us.

"So what about you?" I asked him. "How did you get involved in such an honourable cause as Mr. Gunderson's?"

He smiled, unoffended. "I have worked with him for many years. Like Kurtis, I used to be in the Foreign Legion. As a matter of fact, we shared barracks for some time."

"Lucky you."

"We were recruited by Gunderson at around the same time, although we usually worked on different operations."

A thought occurred to me. "I don't suppose you were part of his group while he was working for Eckhardt?"

Paul looked sideways at me, slightly shamefaced. "Regrettably, yes. The power the Cabal had over us was quite incredible. I was with Gunderson when he stormed the Louvre."

I was taken aback. "Really? Well then, you're lucky I didn't kill you."

"Indeed," he replied respectfully. "Perhaps I was hiding under the stairs somewhere." I laughed again. I found it hard to believe that someone who seemed so agreeable could possibly be involved with heavyweight criminals like Gunderson.

"Tell me," I asked, curiosity taking over. "Why didn't Kurtis get brainwashed along with the rest of you?"

"Ah, well. Kurtis had disappeared a little time before. I think perhaps he suspected that something was happening, that someone was influencing Gunderson. He vanished, and we did not see him again until the business in Paris. That was after Eckhardt had killed his father." He narrowed his eyes suddenly. "But I should not be telling you all this. I suspect that you will be a tricky customer, Lara Croft."

"Oh, you can count on it."