Book 6 of The Lyssa Kordenay Missions!   Monte Carlo is a city of glamour, but can Lyssa find a mole among all the beautiful people? WARNING: The Lyssa Kordenay Missions may be hyper-violent for some readers.

CHAPTER 1

Lyssa took her escort's hand to steady herself as she stepped from the sleek cigarette boat onto the ornate dock, her evening dress faded from dark grey to cobalt blue to almost white with seed-like crystal beads scattered across the white skirting very much like the ocean's surf along the beach and reflected more light as the staccato of flashes from the event photographers took pictures of the celebrated producer with the moderately known model.

The producer,Marco, was widely known for heart-wrenching dramatic films also for not dating actresses at all had occasionally been seen with semi-well known models while avoiding those that predominately modeled lingerie. Marco liked people that possessed vision and Lyssa was one who believed in vision being very selective in her modeling, choosing what she wore and for whom she wore it like the dress she wore now.

The Storm-Water dress on loan from a little known but incredibly talented English designer and friend. Tonight was the premier of a highly anticipated musical of a woman searching the sea for a lost lover. Tomorrow night would be Marco's premier and she would steal the limelight of the carpet for her friend by wearing an even more striking creation, the Skyfire gown would be perfect for Marco's tale of a pilot racing home to attend the birth of his second child and remembering all the events leading to the current journey.

Only the producers and director and editors knew exactly how the film ended; a secret to be revealed at the premier. they could all hardly bear the wait. Anticipation was a wonderful thing sometimes, but Marco was being an incorrigible git teasing everyone about the true ending. Lyssa had ended his teasing the day before while they strolled pool area of the grand hotel by whispering very erotic suggestions into his ear then remarked at the emerging effect inciting him to immediately dive into the pool then find her smirking at the pool's edge while many others looked on in curiosity. Some were rather quick on the up-take and realized the exchange with a giggle or two. That had put an end to his taunts though revenge was promised after his premier.

Paparrazzi and the more fabled Glitterazzi lined the carpet vying for their attention with shouted compliments and attempts for any remarks. A scandal monger yelled out the question where was Marco's last romantic interest to which Marco smiled and turned to look at the woman in question walking up with the star of his film making the gossip columnist look sheepish for a moment. A round of cocktails inside to take up the remaining arrival time of the other celebrities then they all proceeded inside to watch the new film. they both chuckled to themselves as more than one up and coming starlet disappeared from sight for several minutes in the dim light, having a box seat in the theater afforded an excellent view of both the screen and the audience.

The President fumed at the director of the Secret Service. A girl not even 17 had outwitted all the intelligence agencies and law enforcement services except one and the one was playing mystery men by not coming forward. Security clearances be damned, he wanted to know firstly how she managed to elude them all and secondly how was she found and by whom.

The strangest thing was Beth had only one person in confidence of the plan and now that girl was missing, a Philippine classmate and it seemed that the questionable girl had been considerably backstopped but a more pointed investigation reveal small holes in the legend that once scrutinized became deep. The CIA were currently investigating the leads in the Philippines and the FBI were investigating the people here in the states. He needed the team that had found Beth to head this investigation up but nobody knew who it was and if anybody did know they weren't telling.

"Damn it Bob just level with me, who found my little girl," the President demanded of the National Security Advisor.

"Sir i have asked everybody. I even questioned the captain of the Reagan and all I have is that whoever it was that called it in had a clearance so high the list of people with that clearance is higher," the Advisor answered,"hell he probably lives at the new area 51 location or he's in the basement downstairs. All i know is nobody is gonna take credit because you'll demand it be backed up and that ain't gonna happen by the real people."

"I'm the President damn it if anybody should know, it should be me," he steamed on.

"After that fiasco with Alkowitz nobody in the DOD or alphabet soup want anything to do with politicians....President or not," The Advisor reminded him. "Don't go there," The president said sharply," its not the same thing."

"Isn't it," he asked then continued," you'd use clout to bully your way for information that you have no business knowing? just like Alkowitz did? cause if you are you might as well get up and walk out now."

"whoa," the president slammed his fist to the desk," don't talk to me like that."

"I can and I'm doing it because I have to. The line is drawn in the sand. you don't have the clearance and any inquiries outside of channels could result in operators being burned, do you want to go down as a president that committed treason," the Advisor leaned in close and asked,"So you better think about it. Impeached is one thing; prison and death sentences are another."

"Hell we don't even know who told the press about Alkowitz either," the President sighed.

"I'd say it was somebody extremely pissed off that he snooped in on one or more of their ops, now that we know; the list is extremely long from the staff here to damn postal service," the Advisor admitted.

"In short the number of people with an ax to grind is too long, we may never find out who did him in," the President asked.

"that's it....point blank and period, he's off the grid and a sure bet that he's been eliminated,"The Advisor admitted.

The President sat for a moment then nodded and dismissed everyone. Alone he sat and thought, it seemed so out of place to be told no about something. Usually the answer 'yes but give us a little while to sort it out'. Treason was a serious thing; no President had ever been accused of it. Then again, most presidents knew when to accept no for an answer. He should work on that himself.

Dannigan stared at the computer screen and muttered," so much for a quiet week."

It seemed a project at DARPA had been compromised. DARPA projects ran from new menu MRE's- Meal-Ready-to Eat to tactical aircraft. even satellites for recon and communication. basically if it had a military or intelligence application they created it or funded it with oversight.In short, DARPA played umbrella more than anything else and right now one of their projects had been stolen; a new helicopter turbine schematic. a turbine that could run on vegetable oil and outperform standard turbines using JP-7. Initial testing had been more than promising.

Dannigan wasn't an aerospace wizard but he understood enough to see how important it was that the information be retrieved. and fast. an afternoon inquiries brought the quest to a ticket to Monte Carlo.

"Madison...is Lyssa still in Monte Carlo at that film festival," Dannigan asked through the intercom.

"Yes Sir and she seems to be stealing the red carpet away from all those actresses. Her date is a real dreamboat and a half," Madison chuckled back.

"Simple 'yes' works for me Madi. send a message for her to make contact; an important one just came down the pipe," he said dryly.

"Will do but she might take her time, he's gorgeous and a movie producer," Madison giggled.

Dannigan shook his head, if it was the same producer he thought it was there was nothing to really worry about. Favor for favor at least that's how she explained most things like that.

CHAPTER 2

Jasmine tried to stay calm as she answered the customs agent,"my visit is vacation, nothing to declare."

The agent nodded then stamped the passport,"Welcome to the Principality of Monaco, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," she said then collected her things and made her way through the terminal stopping at the news stand. She asked for a copy of the previous day's Washington Post evening edition. The vendor reached down under the counter and brought out a copy and passed it to her. Jasmine thanked and paid the older man and walked to the concourse, sitting down she looked through until she found a small envelope containing a simply printed card instructing her to check in at Grand Casino and blend in.

She flagged a taxi outside the terminal and was at the Grand Casino in short time. a reservation had been made along with payment for a week's stay, all she had to do was check in. once in the room she noticed several bags hanging in the closet containing evening and cocktail dresses again a note card stating "blend in". Jasmine showered then made-up and dressed in the new wardrobe went down and wandered the casino after buying one hundred euros of credit chips. the occasional head turned as she wandered from table to table.

Never gambling before she felt overwhelmed. Finally she found a blackjack table a simple game she moderately knew how to play. Just get twenty-one and not go over....simple. Five minutes later her chips were all gone, the game wasn't so simple after all. She decided to just wander around more, there seemed to be something exciting going on. At least until she was contacted again. Maybe tomorrow.

Lyssa walked slowly holding Marco's hand as they meandered the pool area, wearing a vivid red monokini instead of a bikini typically worn by the eye-candy. Translation: barely there but sparkly. They were there to be discovered or in some cases, rediscovered. The established actresses were all out on yachts or in private villas during the day with the exception of being out for the purpose of being seen. Deals were made in private not public. Anybody spending more than five minutes sitting together were considered to be in negotiation for something. there had already been one surprise wedding so anything could happen at any moment.

Speaking of surprises: a message just came through, the office wanted contact, urgent. She'd call in later, right now her purpose was to draw attention to Marco and the best way to do that was to seem untouchable hence her choice of the monokini. Untouchable for her meant approachable for him and that was what she was here for. To that end a few couture designs drew attention and her attitude directed it to Marco. Nice trade out.

Favors for favors and that's how she got things done, using her contacts she could travel under the radar using private terminals via plane and yacht, attend closed door functions without being on any guest list, even go unnoticed during a lot of suspicious activities. The plan was working; a tall brunette in a skirt suit strode toward them currently. a tap of his thumb was the subtle signal, she conveniently noticed a friend and waved, Marco gave her an obvious nod and Lyssa walked over to her friend as the brunette stepped up and greeted Marco, inviting him for a drink in a cabana. A few quick words to her friend then the excuse of needing a visit to the ladies' room got her clear of the pool area and she dialed into the secure server that connected to the satellite.

Afternoon in Monte Carlo meant morning in Washington. Hopefully they'd be in the office by now.

Madison answered on the second ring and coded in to secure the line then jumped right in,"hey gorgeous. you look like you're having a blast."

Lyssa laughed and answered,"Not hardly Madi....this is work you know."

"Trade jobs.....I'll go wear the pretty clothes and honey up to the movie people and you can come do this," Madison offered.

"Won't work, I'm illegitimate...can't spell," Lyssa teased back getting a good laugh from Madison then was transferred to Dannigan.

"So good of you to call," Dannigan said dryly.

"I had a few minutes, what's so important," Lyssa asked.

Dannigan didn't beat around the bush explaining what had happened and all the details would be in her secure email, time was critical. Mission was three fold: retrieve the data, liquidate the seller and identify then dissuade the buyer, all with extreme prejudice. Lyssa confirmed her understanding and would get started immediately then disconnected.

Walking back through the cabanas Lyssa came face to face with reality in the form of captain Billy Chandler. Chandler was a Nemesis operator, quick retaliation on the ground nuke handler. Anytime a tactical nuclear device was deployed it was handled by a Nemesis operator, top operators from every branch of the military were taken out of service and their records were obliterated to conceal who they were and what they did. Nemesis operators gave up their lives to become that. No family, no friends for real, not even a CIA NOC went that extreme. They were never out of the loop. Ever. They would be watched until confirmed dead and cremated. they paid the price for freedom in a way nobody could be expected to. And here he was, here in Monte Carlo.

Lyssa went on full alert, slowly scanning the crowd. Operators don't wear signs or uniforms but their tradecraft signaled their presence, by being still and calm and very disinterested which was a deception; They would be hyper-aware and would be positioned for the best vantage points to see and not be noticed. She really started noticing then; a group of four SAS soldiers at a director's table, the SEAL with an actress, two retired FBI agents with a group of actors, a Delta trooper talking subtly with a well known action star. the MI-6 woman pretending to be a secretary reminded her to look for the intelligence agencies too.

The young woman that practically glowed in the dark wearing a full coverage standard blue bikini was all wrong, drawing smirks and sneers. She looked out of place and very aware of the fact. She marked the face well. Marco was obviously done, he slowly looked around then caught Lyssa's eye and nodded. She rejoined him and whispered that now would be a good time to return to the yacht and start preparing for the evening. Marco agreed and commenting that calls needed to be made. Dannigan needed to know about Chandler being on-site. Lyssa made sure that her walk had just a bit more swing to it without appearing intentional as they left.

CHAPTER 3

"Sir, this is a nightmare. There's operators everywhere,"Chandler informed his NSA handler.

"That's a given Captain, a lot of action movies this season and action movies need consultants thus the abundance of former and current operators, both U.S. and foreign," The NSA agent confirmed.

"Yeah and that's bad for me, we all know how to identify each other and I'm really worried about being recognized from my SF days," Chandler warned.

"Don't worry, you've got full backstopping for this then you go back into the cold. You've been out of the loop long enough to act as a consultant or a private security provider,"he tried to assure him,"Eye on the ball chandler.....find the mole that bailed with the engine specs."

"I know the mission Sir but this is different, a damn film fest and we still don't know who the mark is,"Chandler reminded. button button button, who the hell has the button.

Billy booted up his computer and started running the facial program of known agents against entries through customs Interpol agents came up quickly but had to be dismissed they weren't spying, they were pursuing drug avenues within the movie industry and possible human trafficking along with antiquity smuggling. a known MI-6 whistle blower and several retired KGB agents, retired Stazi colonel and his aid were flagged. This was going to take forever. A red carpet event would be in a few hours, maybe he'd see something indicative there; Besides just more movie people showing off.

Madison heard Dannigan swear loudly. 'not good,' she thought.

"Madison," Dannigan leaned out his door," Find out who the hell authorized Nemesis;Billy Chandler to be moving around in Monte Carlo."

Madison immediately turned to her computer and began accessing the secure networks. There were only twenty Nemesis operators in service and their activities and whereabouts were critical information to DOD and NSA. it took half an hour to get to the information; Nemesis:Captain William Andrew Chandler currently tasked to NSA operation MAD HATTER. Mission Overview:Data retrieval; DARPA project-GREEN LIGHTENING prototype biofuel powered turbine. She transferred the screen from her desk to his eliciting another stream of profanity followed by the closing of his door.

Dannigan dialed the director of the NSA who answered after several rings.

"Who in the hell authorized this operation James," Dannigan demanded. After seeing the mission overview the NSA director swore then slammed the phone down. Dannigan opened the door and leaned out,"Madi activate the Hubris protocol, find all the Nemesis operators." Madison launched the program and had the results in five minutes.

Dannigan looked over her shoulder and his mood got even worse, he returned to his office and closed the door, within moments the shouting began and continued for the better part of an hour. The Nemesis Project was about to get a complete overhaul from the sound of things. Heads weren't about to roll; They were about to be severed.

Jasmine found the envelope on the floor of the room when she returned from the pool. again the message was simple; Fountains at three am day after tomorrow. That answered that, now to get ready she'd attend the premier tonight. Too bad she had no date, its supposed to be a very good movie. She could hold it together two more days then make the drop and get her money and hide in the Caribbean forever. She took her time showering then getting made-up and dressed. a simple ankle length red sheath dress would go good tonight.

The sun was setting as she took a place along the red carpet where the spectators with tickets would be able to watch then enter after the A-list entries. She watched in excitement as the lead actor and actress made their entrance from the dock with their spouses followed by supporting actors and actresses with their spouses and escorts then the director with her spouse followed by the producer with his escort. Jasmine held her breath in awe. the producer was with the same blonde as the afternoon but she was absolutely stunning in the evening dress that seemed to be catching the evening light and taking fire against a soft blue fabric. It seemed that all of the photographers were as drawn to her as she was and after all the beautiful actresses that was saying something. The crowd started moving and she followed into the theater.

Lyssa once again stepped from the cigarette boat onto the dock and immediately the flashes began along with several ooh and aah's down the carpet. The Skyfire gown had its designed effect, her friend would be overjoyed. At the interview area she dropped the designer's name along with the name of the gown. she had intentionally went very sparse on her jewelry to not draw attention away from the gown. Her shoes and jewelry weren't on loan and therefore not going to be plugged for exposure.

The pale woman in the red dress caught her eye; she remembered her from the pool, simple blue off the rack bikini, yet a evening dress straight out of the Macy's catalogue and costume jewelry. Again, she looked very out of place. The Nemesis Operator was dressed appropriately though in an Italian suit of subdued color and tie. He wasn't here for the premier, he was searching for somebody. His posture telegraphed it loud and clear that he was hunting and it was clear what he was looking for; another operator by the way he took note of the concealed weapons under fitted jackets and attitudes that didn't belong, but he was only looking at men. That would be his undoing, forgetting women. Speaking of; the out of place tourist definitely bore closer scrutiny. Later tonight.

CHAPTER 4

The premier had been spectacular. Jasmine loved the movie and had cried at the end. Afterward was lucky enough to stand close enough to hear the woman with the producer being interviewed tell the name of the gown and its designer. Jasmine thought for a moment. With the money she was about to be paid she could buy that gown. Some designer shoes and jewelry to go with it as well.

That bolstered her spirits, she could hardly wait for the exchange now. her eyes wandered as she walked to the bar and asked for a glass of champagne, not easy to do with the rather imposing man in the dark suit beside her. A look at him gave her a chill up her back yet a very warm feeling in her hips. He was probably a stunt man. His mouth quirked at her very feminine appraisal of him. Very suprisingly he invited her to dinner. Jasmine thought to herself that he was too yummy to pass by and accepted.

The dinner was nice, he wasn't a stuntman but in personal security now on vacation after a previous evening's premier. he named off some exotic locales but no names which made sense to her. clients were confidential he explained and that sounded right to her. She claimed to be a simple assistant now hoping for a new contract hence her presence at the festival and he seemed to buy that. she flirted and teased enough to convince him to invite her back to his room which she she accepted with a very feline smile.

Lyssa had faked an excuse to miss the after party and slip back to the yacht and changed into a short black dress and grabbed a bag to put what she needed for her incursion at the Grand Casino. A quick hack of their concierge system got her the room number on the fourth floor. A wink to the VIP concierge got her the favor she wanted. Use of a room two floors above. He suspected she was having a quiet rendezvous with someone other than her current date. Good cover she thought as she quickly changed into the black fitted bodysuit and harness with silenced pistol and a few other sundries.

The window had been left unlocked and she slipped in with ease and quietly searched the room first for surveillance then for the plans. ignoring all the obvious places she went immediately for the woman's cosmetics and found the flashdrive disguised as a lipstick. Lyssa took out her small powerpad and plugged in the device and accessed it with the decryptor.

The prototype plans were there. Lyssa downloaded and deleted the plans then uploaded the device with the plans for the old JU-58 ramjet specs, the engines for the vaunted SR-71 Blackbird along with a special tracking virus just in case. She attached a tracking microdot good for seventy-two hours. Lyssa then used a micro syrette of a clear liquid that she injected into the tube of toothpaste. She quickly planted her audio bugs then quietly exited back to the borrowed room.

Back in the little black dress she made her way back out, as she passed a firebowl she snuck the used syringe and needle into the flames to be destroyed cleanly. She pretended to smoke a cigarette she obtained from the concierge to ensure nobody discovered the syringe before it was destroyed then left. She needed a nap and things could get busy anytime.

An earbud with the volume maxxed woke her when the woman returned four hours later.Chandler had apparently showed her a good time from her giggles and humming to herself confirming Lyssa's suspicion that he was looking for a male suspect than a female. A message from Dannigan told her that Chandler was being recalled. He was really going to hate himself when he finds out he slept with his target.

Speaking of the target, her phone was ringing. the crisp voice on the other end said the time had been moved up. meet in an hour. Lyssa grabbed the bodysuit and boots along with her bag and ran for the cigarette boat. 5 minutes later she tied up at an empty slip and started moving to follow the girl via the tracking dot.

Within minutes Lyssa found a building to scale overlooking the grand fountain. After waiting twenty minutes, an Asian man approached and simply asked for the flashdrive. The girl asked for payment and was given a bag in exchange for the flashdrive. They both left.

Lyssa left following the Asian to a villa on the hill. It wasn't long before she heard very angry shouting in Chinese. Lyssa set up her small silenced rifle and waited. She wished she'd had time to get her other rifle but this small caliber would have to do. The wait was short as three men and two women left to get into a car. As the car rolled back down the drive way Lyssa pulled the trigger and took out the driver.

Doors started opening but too late as she triggered again, dropping the passenger. The rest now spread out in a defensive formation as Lyssa moved in closer. She triggered off a double-tap from the silenced pistol dropping another. one man and one woman remained they took position back to back. 'Dumb move,' Lyssa thought as she triggered off a round from a silenced pistol again that passed through both. Quickly she policed her brass then set to work on the gruesome task of retrieving the slugs from the bodies and the flashdrive. she had an hour and a half of privacy before the paparazzi started setting up for the day so she climbed the outside of the grand casino and peered into the girl's room.

Lyssa observed that she lay unmoving on the floor of the bathroom. Lyssa climbed into the room and checked the body, the woman was verified dead. Lyssa retrieved her audio bugs and squeezed more toothpaste out into the toilet and flushed it away. Lyssa found and picked up the bag from the exchange and checked it. True currency. She exited with the bag and slipped unnoticed back to the yacht.

"Major," Madison buzzed the phone," incoming from Lyssa."

Dannigan opened the window and read the message. "Mission complete." Dannigan downloaded the attached data file and left to send it back to DARPA.