A guided tour

The gates to the estate closed behind the car as Valerie and Hawk entered the estate. She took a small purse that contained some spy equipment and exited the car, with Hawk on her tail. After a short walk, she stood in front of her host.

"Miss Ronchetti, I presume", said M.C. Kaiser. "My pleasure.", he finished, taking her hand and kissing it lightly.

"The pleasure is all mine.", replied Valerie with a rehearsed smile. "And please, you can call me Joanna."

"Very well, Joanna.", he said. "Before we get down to business, allow me to give you a tour of my humble estate."

He turned around and began to walk towards the gardens. She followed him, keeping an eye out for information about the security. She made a mental note of the security she could see - a small guard outpost near the gate, one guard patrolling the grounds in the distance - nothing out of the ordinary for an estate of its size.

"You know, Joanna, while art is indeed my passion, I feel my true calling is nature.", said Kaiser, interrupting her thoughts. He led her to a large garden, which contained a large variety of trees and flowers. They were not arranged in any particular pattern, instead laid out rather haphazardly.

"This is quite different from what I'm used to.", she observed. "A lot of dug up trenches, a mix of trees and small plants - this is not a well manicured estate garden."

"Permaculture - my garden is a sustainable ecosystem, and not just one or two plants for show. We're about to plant some new seeds in the trenches, you will have to pardon me if these are not the manicured lawns you're used to seeing.", he replied, with a certain air of superiority. He definitely didn't meet your usual expectation of a hip hop artist, she thought.

"Oh no, it's completely all right. It looks very beautiful.", she said.

"Thank you. Although I must say, no flower in this lawn comes close to your beauty.", he said, turning towards her.

Valerie was waiting for something like this. She let out a slight cough, acting flustered, before replying, "Ahem. It's getting a little dark, don't you think? We can continue our conversation over dinner."

Kaiser laughed. "Indeed! Where are my manners? Follow me." He began leading her into the building.

"Will your chauffeur be joining us?", he asked as they walked side by side.

"It won't be necessary.", she replied, stopping in front of Kaiser and staring in his eyes. "I would prefer if it were just the two of us.", she continued, biting her lip subtly. It was the oldest trick in the book, and yet, it was as effective as ever. She could see Kaiser's eyes light up. Men were so easy, she thought.

"O-of course!", replied Kaiser, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Henry, you may leave us. I will see you in the morning.", she said, addressing Hawk.

She turned to face Kaiser again, and continued. "Our negotiations might be long and...intense. I trust I can stay the night? I promise to not be a bother."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all.", replied Kaiser, practically skipping with excitement. As he led her inside, she nodded to Hawk, who nodded back and left.

The plan was going off without a hitch so far, she thought. Hawk would drive away and ditch the car at a safe distance, letting the organization recover it. He would return after an hour or so, quietly infiltrate the estate and steal the chip from Kaiser's office. Kaiser's little tour had given him ample time to map out the patrols and weak points - this would be a walk in the park.

Now all she needed to do was keep Kaiser occupied until Hawk did his part of the mission.