A big, beefy Black man drove a black and gray van through Balboa Park, hunting in vain for a parking space. His name was Bosco "B. A." Baracus, and he was part of a former mercenary squad known throughout the LA Underground as the A-Team.

"Be good to see Tia again," Templeton Peck, aka Faceman, said. The con man was a handsome man in his early thirties, with blond hair and a face that women fell for and people instinctively trusted.

"You sure Stockwell can't track us?" asked "Howling Mad" Murdock.

"Don't worry," replied John "Hannibal" Smith, the leader of the A-Team. "Frankie has Stockwell distracted."

B. A. just grunted. He knew Frankie Santana was a friend of Hannibal's, and the special effects expert had thrown in his lot with the ex-mercenaries, but he wasn't really part of the A-Team. B. A. wasn't sure that Frankie was up to the job of distracting Gen. Hunt Stockwell.

Until a few months ago, the A-Team had been wanted criminals, pursued by the military authorities for escaping from a top-security facility, wanted for a crime they hadn't committed. A few months ago, Hunt Stockwell had gathered the team into his grubby paws and turned them into government agents, doing the jobs that were too dangerous for regular government operatives. In theory, Stockwell would arrange for their pardons, once they'd run a sufficient number of "errands" for him. In actual fact, the A-Team trusted him not quite as far as they could throw him.

They were going to visit Tia Fulbright, the Amerasian daughter of their former nemesis, Gen. Harlan Fulbright. However, since Tia was in the country illegally, the last thing they wanted Stockwell to do was learn of her existence. He wouldn't have her deported back to Vietnam, but he'd be sure to use her as a hostage to ensure the A-Team's continued cooperation.

"Turn here," Face directed. "There's a small parking lot behind the Botanical Building that most people don't know about. There might be a space there."

B. A. went past the Spanish Village and turned by the theater. Sure enough, half a block away, he found a small parking lot that even on a Sunday had some empty spaces.

"How'd you know about this?" asked Murdock.

"If you're in San Diego with a ladyfriend, Balboa Park is a romantic place … and cheap," Face explained. "And this should be close to where Tia will be working."


"Hi, Mama!"

Teri and McAllister looked up as Tony ran toward them. Max trotted behind him, trying to keep up with the boy. Teri spread out her arms, ready to catch him up in a big hug. To her surprise, Tony stopped short two feet away from her. He bowed with all the solemnity a five year old boy could manage.

"Konnichiwa, ojii-chan," Tony pronounced carefully.

McAllister smiled. Then his aged face grew as solemn as a judge's. He bowed. "Konnichiwa, grandson." He hugged the boy. "Did Max teach you how to say 'grandpa'?"

Tony nodded. Max grinned.

Teri hugged her son. She turned to her father. "Pretty smart grandson you've got, huh? Only five and already bilingual."

McAllister grinned proudly.

"Mama, c'mon. You gotta try these apple thingies in Germany."

"Apple thingies?" McAllister repeated.

"Apfelstreusel," Max clarified. "And they are delicious."

Teri glanced at her watch. "Okay, but then we've got to go meet Mrs. Reynolds or we'll be late." She turned to the white-haired ninja. "Will you come with us?"

"You couldn't keep me away with an axe."


The A-Team found the fashion shoot on a small grassy area between the Botanical Building and the Timken Gallery. Tia nodded at them, acknowledging their presence, but wasn't able to join them for a few minutes. They looked around, enjoying the view of pretty women in pretty clothes, but also on the lookout for Col. Decker and the MPs, Gen. Stockwell, or any other threats. They'd lived on the qui vive too long to ever let down their guards. Keeping an eye open for threats was too engrained a habit; they never relaxed completely, and always looked for escape routes no matter where they were.

Twenty or thirty feet away, they saw two men, one old, one young. Both were watching a boy who was demonstrating how well he could turn cartwheels. Something about the pair, especially the old man, caught Hannibal's attention. He caught his team mates' eyes, then without a word, begin drifting toward the trio.

They'd gone about halfway when Tia broke away from the fashion shoot and ran up to embrace them. She greeted each one by name in an excited mix of English and Vietnamese, hugging them one after another.

"You look good, Tia." Face took a step back and examined the frilly, lacy summer dress she was wearing. "Darn good."

Hannibal waited a moment while BA and Murdock got caught up with Tia. Once the social niceties were out of the way, he asked, "Who are those guys over there?"

"One's Teri's father. I don't know about the other one. Maybe her brother?" Tia suggested, with a shrug. "She's not one of Dani's regular models. I don't know her that well."

"So he just came to watch Teri?" Hannibal persisted.

"To watch her little boy for her, really." Tia grinned mischievously. "The other one's been dividing his attention between the kid and the models."

"Guy's got good taste," Face teased.

Hannibal looked at the old man again, and found the old man looking at him. Assessing him. Hannibal had the uncanny feeling that the old man was undressing him with his eyes. Not the same way Face was ogling the models and mentally undressing them, no. There was nothing lewd or lascivious in the old man's gaze. He was eying the A-Team, seeing how they stripped, looking at their muscles, watching how they moved.

Threat assessment.

And no one did a threat assessment on strangers unless that person was A, expecting trouble, and B, a threat himself. Hannibal gave the old man another look. He might be old, but he definitely wasn't feeble. There was something about the man; he exuded a subtle aura of danger.

Hannibal didn't believe in New Age garbage about auras and crystals and such, but he knew all about exuding an aura of danger. He did so himself.

"Tia! You need to get changed," Dani Reynolds called.

"Coming," Tia yelled back. "See you in a little bit." She hurried off to the tent the models were using as a changing room.


Next to fashion photographer Dani Reynolds, male model Jack Stryker divided his attention between the A-Team and McAllister. All of them moved like men of action, men who were no strangers to danger. Jack recognized the body language. He saw it whenever he looked in the mirror.


"Teri, Tia, you've been so nice today," Billie cooed.

"What do you mean?" Teri asked.

"Bringing the cute guys," Ashley replied.

"I like Tia's blond best," Lisa announced.

"I like Teri's curly-haired guy better."

"They're just some friends of my father's," Tia lied. She added truthfully, "They were in the army with him in Vietnam."

"Hurry up, ladies," Rick called from outside the changing tent. "If you dawdle getting changed, I'm going to lose the light."

"Coming," Gretchen replied.


Max watched as Tony ran to Rick and Dani. "I'm getting worn out just watching that kid. Does he ever move at anything but a run?"

"Just keep an eye on him," McAllister ordered, "and not on the pretty girls." The boy was running back and forth, first with him and Max, then to his mother's side, then to the photographer to 'help,' then back to him and Max.

"I'm trying, but he's pretty fast, and they're – if you'll excuse the pun – pretty distracting," Max teased.

When the fashion shoot finished by the Botanical Building finished, Dani and her crew packed up everything and moved over to the gardens of the Café del Rey Moro. They then unpacked all the camera gear, changed into new outfits, and began shooting again.

"This place is very popular for wedding receptions," Dani commented.

Rick nodded. He could see where the gardens would make a wonderful background for shots of the bride and groom.

"It's just a shame we weren't able to use Casa del Prado," she said.

"Somebody else book it?"

"No, it looks great from a distance, but the graffiti and litter would show up in the photographs. Not the image we want to project."


Tony was driving a Hot Wheels car on the ground.

"Hey, Tony," a man called softly.

Tony looked up. "Mr. Presto!"

"Hey, kid," Tom Prestagiacomo said. "Your grandpa's here. Wanna come see him?"

"Oh, yeah," Tony agreed eagerly. He took the hand of his grandfather's chauffeur and went with him willingly. After all, he'd known "Mr. Presto" since he was in diapers.


McAllister came back from the bathroom and went to Max's side. He saw Teri, chatting with some of the other models. He didn't see his grandson. "Where's Tony?"

"Hanging out with the photographers. He thinks he's helping them."

McAllister looked at Dani and Rick. "I don't see him."

"He was there a second ago," Max said.

"Kids that age can move pretty fast in a second," McAllister replied. He scanned the area, but didn't spot the boy.


"Hannibal, that limo?" BA jutted his chin in the direction of the big, black car. "Maybe I'm wrong, but that looked like Joe Bongiovanni in the back seat."


"Bongiovanni?" BA had kept his voice low, but Teri heard him, nonetheless. She could hear that name whispered in the middle of a crowded mall. She looked around. Where was her son? "Dad?"

McAllister hurried to her side.

"Where's Tony? Joe is here; we've got to go." Her dark blue eyes were frightened, like a doe that had just spotted a poacher.

"Max is getting him," McAllister told her.

"What do you mean, getting him? Don't you have him?"

"He wanted to 'help' Rick."

Max trotted up just then. He looked at Teri, and hesitated a second. The last thing he wanted to do was admit to his master that he'd failed him and his daughter. But the idea of lying to them - lying to the master would be worse than failing him. He shook his head. "He's not with the photographers. Rick thought he was with me."

"Oh, no." She turned her head, looking in every direction. Then her face went pale.

"What is it?" McAllister asked.

"It's Presto, Joe's chauffeur. And he's got Tony."

McAllister laid a hand on her shoulder. "Stay calm. We'll get him."

"I'll go fetch him," Max volunteered. Without waiting for an answer, he trotted off after the boy.

Teri automatically started after him, but her father held her back. "Stay here. One is easier to rescue than two."

It took Max only a moment to reach Prestogiacomo and Tony. "Hey, Tony, your mom wants you." After a second's pause, he added, "She's not happy about you wandering off like that."

"It's okay," the child replied blithely. "I'm with Mr. Presto."

Prestagiacomo smiled. "I'm an old friend of the family."

Max noticed the bulge of the gun below Prestagiacomo's jacket, and out of deference to Tony's presence, bit back the obvious pun on 'family.' With unaccustomed restraint and discretion, he just said, "Your mom's waiting for you."

"Okay, as soon as I talk to Grandpa," Tony agreed.

Max lied, "You can talk to him after you see what your mom wants."

Tony hesitated. He hadn't seen Grandpa Joe in months.

Max pointed to a limo parked nearby. "Is that Grandpa Joe's car?"

Tony nodded.

"Does Grandpa Joe know you're faster than Speedy Gonzales?"

Tony shrugged.

"Ojii-chan was really impressed by how well you turned cartwheels. How 'bout showing both of 'em how fast you can run?" When Tony hesitated, Max coaxed, "C'mon, I'll race you."

Prestagiacomo said, "Your mom can wait a minute. Your grandpa needs to see you, now."

"Yeah, see how fast you run. I'll give you a head start." Max crouched down into a runner's starting position.

Tony immediately sped off.

Prestagiacomo reached for his gun.

Max stepped in front of him, blocking Tony with his own body. "You might shoot me. You won't shoot Tony. Your boss would kill you – slowly."

Prestagiacomo swore, but he took his hand away from the gun.

"Watch your language. The kid might hear."


Joe Bongiovanni had been watching from the backseat of his limo. He frowned when he saw Tony run. He quietly issued orders. From the parked cars, four large, well-armed men emerged. Two other men put down their newspapers and rose from their benches, moving forward.

BA saw Tony running forward, running with the pure joy of youth in speed. Then he eyed Max and Prestagiacomo. Combat trained eyes noted the bulge. He looked around and saw the six men approaching. He caught Hannibal's gaze, and saw him watching Bongiovanni's men, too.

"We got trouble, Hannibal," BA announced.

Hannibal nodded.

The pair started walking toward Max and Prestagiacomo. Face and Murdock joined them without a word.

Rick, with a photographer's trained eye, couldn't help noticing the four men. It looked like a scene from an old western, the sheriff and his posse heading out to face the men in black hats.