Armand leaned back in his chair, a smile of satisfaction on his face. He was good-looking, in his late twenties, and leader of a gang second only to the Mafia. Doing good, he thought.

He opened an intercom with his secretary. "Send Violet in once she gets here," he said.

He closed it again once he heard the "Yes, sir."

Violet... he had found her, recruited her when she was 14. It had been one of his biggest successes, which was saying alot. She had worked her way up until she was now interacting directly with himself, the boss. She had everything, the looks, charm, reflexes, ability, and that core of steel. Everything a successful agent needed. Petite, he thought, petite but dangerous.

He swung his chair around as a knock sounded on the door. He used a remote to unlock it, then called out, "come in."

Violet walked in and sat down.

"So what did he want?"

She gave a short laugh. "He never told me. I think that the fact that I happened to be a "mere girl" threw him off. As far as I'm concerned we're done with him."

Armand tapped his fingers on the desk. "Why?"

Violet cleared her throat. "Toward the end, he called me an undercover officer and attempted to shoot me after which I knocked him out and went through his papers. Not exactly ethical, but needed." She drew out the multiple files and papers and handed them to Armand. "He doesn't have any good prospects, not to mention he's a clear failure himself. He's on the run- after getting himself on the front page of the New York Times. And interestingly enough, he's not on the run for the crime, but for the attempt. In other words, he didn't succeed."

Armand laughed. "I get your point. I trust you got rid of all records of our time together?"

"Of course. Fool that he was, they were all in the same desk in the same room. I believe they were the only existing copies."

He leaned back. "Wonderful." He shuffled through a couple papers. "Problem dealt with."

Violet glanced at her watch. "I have an appointment with a Mr. Reitsch at seven. Obviously an alias- his accent betrayed him as a Russian, but it may pay off nevertheless. Anything else?"

Armand swung his chair around. "I have a slight suspicion who this Mr. Reisch may be. Be careful and watch for a large black male hanging around. His bodyguard. If you so much as see him, get out as quickly as possible. I think he is expecting me, and you may throw him off."

Violet slowly turned to face him. "And who do you think he is?"

Armand hesitated. "A...an old enemy," he said finally.

Violet raised an eyebrow. "How prepared do I need to be?"

Armand smiled. "Very." He traced a pattern on the desk then looked up. "But don't worry. Just stay prepared, as always."

Violet nodded, then left the room.