Chapter 1

For the next couple weeks, the men went on missions without Terry. Her particular services were not needed. She spent her free time trying to find out more about the prison camp her younger brother was in and any possible way to get him out. Russia was not someplace the team was sent, and the army was not going to waste time and resources on rescuing a fourteen year old boy, even if that boy's father was a general.

Maybe it was the time of year, or maybe the severity of the situation on the continent, but on almost every mission one or more of the men came back with some kind of injury. The wounds ran the gamut from cuts and sprains to bullet wounds. Most of the time things were handled by Actor. On occasion Terry came and assisted to give the man a break.

Terry had several nights off work at the Blue Fox. She stayed at the mansion in anticipation of the men returning from another mission. The weather was decidedly colder and she kept the rooms heated, not knowing exactly when they would return.

They came back in the middle of the night, chilled, tired, achy and grumpy. The mission had been one screw up after another. None of it was really the fault of the cons, just the circumstances they were in. Chief had sprained an ankle. Actor was fighting a cold. Garrison's back was out. And Casino was being very vocal. Terry had worked on her brother's back and had it manageable again. She wrapped and elevated Chief's ankle. And she plied Actor with aspirin, cough medicine and hot toddies. Even Goniff was in a quiet withdrawn mood. The next afternoon they were all in the downstairs common room, except Craig who had holed up in his office in self defense from the irritable atmosphere.

"Oh, my back," grumbled Casino. He was straddling a chair and leaning on his arms on the back of it.

"Hey, Pappy, we all feel like crap," said Chief.

"Yeah, well you didn't spend three hours tied up in a trunk."

Terry looked over the top of her book at him. She studied his back through the tee shirt he was wearing and saw the knotted muscles. Her eyes glanced around the room at the other men. Goniff was cheating at solitaire. Chief was lounged in the other big chair fiddling with his knife. Actor was in his favorite chair, reading a book and puffing on his pipe despite frequent sneezing. Casino moved and groaned again.

Terry laid her book down and got up. The man was beginning to get on her nerves, even if his moaning did have merit. She walked up to Casino and placed her hands on his shoulders. His head jerked around to look at her.

"Easy," she said in quiet detachment.

She started to squeeze and knead the tight muscles. He winced and groaned, but didn't tell her to stop so she continued. Actor's book dropped to his lap and he watched in interest. Chief stopped playing with the knife and watched. Even Goniff stopped playing cards.

Terry's thumbs moved up his neck, working each side of his neck bones. The groaning stopped. The grimace on his face relaxed and his head and neck seemed to move on their own as her thumbs worked their way up into his hairline to the base of his skull. She worked the tight cords of his neck. Terry could believe the man had been tied up in a trunk for three hours.

"You do have good hands, Babe," said Casino in a lower voice of appreciation.

"So I've been told," Terry replied. Her voice was still quiet. "Get rid of the shirt. It's in the way."

The tee shirt quickly landed in a pile on the floor. Terry resumed working on his neck, but moved down now to his shoulders and deltoids. He sighed, head going down to rest on his arms, eyes half shut in relief.

Craig had been ready to get up and shut the door to his office to drown out Casino's grumbling. The change in the tone of the man tweaked his curiosity. He got up and took his cigarette to the door. He watched in surprise. Craig had been the frequent recipient of Terry's ministrations because she knew how to put his back in when it went out. What surprised him was that Terry, of her own volition, was working on the back of one his men, Casino in particular. Craig lounged in the doorway and watched along with the others. Actor caught Garrison's eye and communicated silently asking if it was all right to let her do what she was doing. Craig hitched a shoulder in a shrug of indifference. If it would keep the safecracker quiet, he would pay her to do it.

"They teach you that in nursing school?" quipped Casino, still quiet.

"As a matter of fact . . ." answered Terry with a small smile.

"Lady, I'd pay you to do this," Casino said in appreciation.

"You don't have to," replied the girl. "Just ask. That goes for the rest of you too."

She worked lower down his back, finding and relieving all the tight spots. Her thumbs moved to the two sciatic areas. He arched in pain, and then relaxed again as the thumbs kept working out the kinks. Slowly Terry worked her way back up his back, this time lightly rubbing and massaging until she was back up into his hairline. Finished, she laid her hands lightly on his shoulders.

"Better?"

"Oh yeah." Casino picked up one of her hands and turned it, placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist. "Thanks."

"Welcome."

Four pair of eyes stared in astonishment at the uncharacteristic gesture. As Terry looked up, the three cons quickly looked back at what they had been doing. A tiny smile flitted across Terry's face and was gone. She turned to go back to her chair and saw her brother. Craig returned her look, shook his head with a grin, slowly straightened and walked back into his office.

A couple days later, Craig was called to London. They all figured there was another mission in the works. They were partially right. Garrison returned with an unhappy countenance, but no cuffed briefcase. He entered the mansion and called Terry to his office. Actor watched, surprised and a bit miffed he was not invited.

Terry closed the door behind her. "What's up?" she asked warily.

"You're going to be in charge of the guys for the next week," said Garrison.

"Why?" frowned Terry. "Where are you going to be?"

Craig sat behind his desk and pulled out a cigarette. He tossed one to his sister. This did not make her feel any better about things. She got a light from him and sat down on the corner of the desk that seemed reserved for Actor.

"They are setting me up for a deep cover mission. It is going to be intermittent. So when I'm gone you're going to have to be in charge of them."

"Terrific," said Terry unhappily. "So are they down for the time you're gone?"

"'Fraid not," said Craig. "If the Brass think you can pull it off, they'll send them on missions with you in charge on paper. You and Actor can do whatever you did on those two you went on together."

"Oh this is just getting better," said Terry with disgust. "You know I hate sharing charge with him. You tell him. I'm not."

"I thought you two were getting along better?" said Craig.

"We are," she acknowledged. "He just gets so darn bossy sometimes. I don't think either one of us likes to be in charge. He just takes it to heart when he is." She cocked a head at her brother. "Just where are you going anyway?"

"Norway."

"And what kind of deep cover?"

"I can't tell you that," said Craig edgily.

Terry looked at him in surprise. "Excuse me, I have more clearance than you do. What do you mean you can't tell me?"

"Just what I said," he became stern. "I can't tell you, or them."

"This is something bad isn't it?" she asked.

"Let's just say it's not something I really want to do, but I speak the language and I can work a con."

"You speak Norwegian?" questioned Terry in surprise.

"I've been taught."

"Wonderful," said the girl with a hint of sarcasm. "What else do you know that I don't know?"

"I'm sure a lot of things," replied her brother with a smug grin.

Terry gave an exaggerated 'harrumph' and headed for the door with a grin. "I'll send Actor in. Like I said, you can tell him." She walked out into the common room and looked at the Italian. He was watching her.

"Your turn," she said with an insincere smile.

Actor had a feeling he was not going to like this. When the Warden told him, he accepted it with a resigned sigh. "I don't suppose you could conjure up a massive snow storm while you're gone?"

Garrison chuckled. He didn't know why his second and his sister couldn't just get along. He thought things were improving, but they both seemed to continue to fight each other. Neither wanted to be in charge, but they didn't like it when the other one was. Well, they would just have to get over it.