“Are you ready for this?” Julia asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I replied.
Julia and I walked through the tall front doors of an enormous house. A well-dressed man was standing at a podium to the right and he smiled as we approached.
Julia smiled back and said, “Mrs. Farrow and my daughter Miss Farrow.”
These of course, were not our real names, but the man jotted them down on a piece of paper. Julia, all of twenty-five years old, wasn’t my real mother, either. She was my mentor and a fellow CIA agent.
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but all guests must pass a metal detector test. For safety precautions, you see”, the man said.
Julia gave him a casual nod of permission. As we held out our arms and he swept every inch of our elegant dresses, I couldn’t help but think, As if I need a weapon to do my job. I’m still dangerous. I kept my mouth shut and a held a snobby look on my face like any rich woman’s daughter would. The metal detector wand never went close to my head because I wore silver  earrings that would set it off.
We were quickly cleared and ushered through another set of doors which led to a large room filled with women in their expensive dresses and jewelry, along with rich men and their  teenagers who held their arrogant noses high in the air. The guests were all from the high society of several different countries: South Africa, England, China, and many others. This graduation party was held by the richest man in Brazil for his son at their home in Rio de Janero.
Julia looked down at me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Go on darling,” she said, “Go make some friends.”
I smiled and she walked away toward some women who wore huge diamonds and bragged about their wealthy husbands. It was all up to me now. My training in the CIA had prepared me for my first test. If I failed, I would probably die. So, obviously this was a very important mission. Keeping a cool head and a glamorous smile on my face I walked toward a not-so random group of teenagers, that just happened to include my target. As I approached, I received some curious looks, since no one recognized me.
“I hope that I am not intruding. I was just hoping to make some new friends.” I said.
Most were uninterested, but LeRoy Marcus, a young gentlemen from Egypt, who was also my target, spoke up and said, “We do enjoy making new friends, don’t we? Especially with young ladies who enjoy dancing. Do you like to dance Miss…?”
I was stunned that the target had so easily taken the bait, I nearly stumbled over my words as I choked out, “Farrow. Daniella Farrow. Um, yes. I do like to dance.” Just then a new song began playing.
“Perfect. Then I assume you know how to waltz?” he asked with an outstretched hand. I answered by taking it, and we walked out onto the floor. I could feel the stares of the group on our backs. They had been silent ever since I approached, but as we left, I could hear them begin speaking again.
LeRoy and I began dancing to the upbeat music, without saying a word. Every once in a while, he would give a friendly smile. Trying to act natural, I would politely smile back, but my mind was constantly on the mission. At a point in the song when LeRoy turned his head away I reached my hand up to my updo and pulled out a listening device. I quickly returned my hand to his shoulder, and he didn’t seem to notice that it had ever left. I said quietly in his ear, “Your bow-tie is just a little crooked. May I fix it for you?”
He whispered back, “Of course.”
I swiftly pressed the bug into the fabric and pretended to straighten his tie. “Much better”, I said and batted my eyelashes.
The song came to an end and we all clapped. Shortly thereafter, another one began, this time, a tango.
LeRoy said, “You were truly wonderful. May I have this next dance as well?”
My mission was over and I needed to leave as soon as possible. I replied, “Thank you, but I had better find my mother.” I was about to give a sorry look when another young girl approached. She had sleek black hair wrapped around her head and dark skin like LeRoy. When he saw her, his face became grave.
“LeRoy, may I speak to for a moment?” she asked in a serious manner.
LeRoy thanked me for the dance and they walked away to a corner. I found it a little suspicious so as I wandered the grand room looking for Julia, I kept a constant eye on them. They talked for a moment, and then the girl reached up to his bow-tie just as I had done. Then she held something up for him to see. His eyes widened and he stopped talking.
You’ve got be kidding me! I thought, He has counter-surveillance! My cover was blown and I had to get out of there. I pressed a button on the back of my earring and headed for the doors. Julia would receive my distress call any second when her own earring chirped in her ear. Glancing behind me I saw the counter-surveillance girl pushing through the crowd toward me. I walked quickly past the man in the entrance,  trying to act as natural as possible.
  Once on the other side of the door, I bolted into the trees and hid behind a prickly bush. I kept my head low and watched as the girl stepped outside and looked in every direction. Then for a moment, she turned and looked into the forest right where I was squatting. My heart raced and I held my breath, trying not to make a sound. Just when I couldn’t old it any longer, she gave up and went back inside.  I let out a heavy sigh of relief. As I was trying to regain my composure,  I felt a tap on my shoulder. I nearly fell over, still jumpy from that close call.
“It’s just me,” Julie said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
We went back to our hotel room and I sat on the bed. I covered my face with my hands and said, “He had counter-surveillance.”
“I know.”
I looked up at her in confusion.
“You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?” I nearly yelled.
“Shhh! Keep your voice down, there's no need to shout. I only found out when she pulled that bug from his tie.”
“Oh.” I said,  and covered my face again.
After an awkward silence, Julia looked at me and said, “Listen, you are still alive and that’s what matters right now. But, I need to call this in.”
I nodded and she pulled out her phone. I really needed to relax a little, so I went into the bathroom and took a shower. When I came out, Julia hung up and sighed.
“What’s the matter?” I asked while drying my hair with a towel.
“There is a new mission. They want that Egyptian girl interrogated.”
A chance to pummel the young spy with questions and find out what I had done to tip her off was just what I needed. Getting excited, I said, “Good, good. We can start tomorrow.”
“No, Ann. You are going back to the States tomorrow. They want me to work this mission alone.”