Morgen found herself in a very familiar room, surrounded by very familiar men. The one sitting leisurely before her was Damien Moreau. His robe was tied loosely at his waist, and in his hand he held a glass of red wine.
"Morgen, my dear. I thought I told you I wanted the Leverage team brought to me, not your excuses."
Morgen straightened and stared him squarely in the eye. "I won't do it," she said. "I'm finished working for you, Damien. You'll have to find someone else to help you."
Moreau looked mildly disappointed. He waved to one of his men.
"I figured that would be your answer. You're so predictable, Morgen, so I sent some men after you to make sure the job was done."
The door behind her opened, and the Leverage team was shoved in to the hard floor. Moreau rose.
"As promised," he continued, pulling a gun from his pocket, "you, Morgen dear, will get to watch me kill your brother."
Eliot, blood trickling down the side of his face, was hauled up to his knees. Morgen screamed and rushed forward, but Moreau's finger was faster.
"Eliot!"
Morgen sat bolt upright, heart pounding, the sound of the gunshot still in her ears. Sweat drenched her shirt and made her hair stick to her face.
A door swung open, casting a beam of light into the dark room. "Morgen?"
Morgen sighed and tried to stop her panting. That's Eliot's voice. He's okay. Moreau hasn't killed him.
Eliot kneeled next to the king-sized bed. "It was just a dream, Morgen," he said soothingly.
Morgen held her head in her hands. The image of Moreau with his gun at Eliot's head made her want to throw up. "Where am I?" she asked faintly.
"In Nate's room."
Nate. Morgen's mind began to sort through the real and the fictional. Nate Ford. I came to see him last night. That's right, I was leaving because he said they couldn't help me when I ran into Eliot.
It had been a long time since she'd last seen her brother, but she knew those wonderful grey eyes and surprised look too well. She hadn't been able to think when he walked through that door, only gape like a beached fish. But after that…
"What happened?" she asked.
"You passed out on Nate's kitchen floor." He grinned slightly. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"You did, though. I never would've…Wait, what are you doing here?"
"I work for Nate now."
Work for Nate now. Had Moreau known? Of course he had, that sick, twisted, slimy…
Now Morgen really did want to throw up. She sat up slowly.
"How do you feel?" Eliot asked, sitting next to her. The mattress sagged, and the jostling did nothing to make her feel better. She stifled a groan. "Terrible" is what she wanted to say, but she knew better than to worry Eliot.
"Uh, okay, I guess."
Eliot cupped her chin in his hands and forced her to look at him.
"You're lyin'."
Morgen sighed angrily. "It's nothing, Eliot. Just a bad dream. I'm fine, really!"
Instantly, she regretted her tone. Eliot's face darkened.
"I'm sorry, Eliot," she said softly. "I'm tired. That dream…" She shuddered involuntarily and closed her eyes again.
Eliot scooched closer and rubbed her hands between his. "Wanna tell me about it?"
She shook her head. "No, no I don't. What I want is a shower. Do you think Nate would mind?"
Morgen stood and stretched. Her stomach had settled down, much to her relief, and she yawned.
"I doubt it," Eliot answered. He made his way to the door. "Hurry up. I'll try to have breakfast ready for you, but Nate likes my cooking. There may not be anything left if you take too long."
Despite Eliot's warning, Morgen stood for a long time in the shower, trying to wash away the remnants of her dream. She threw her clothes back on, wishing she had new ones, and wiped the condensation off the mirror. Her reflection was a bit cloudy, but she saw the dark rings under her eyes.
Of course Moreau knew Eliot worked for her target. This way, he was all but guaranteed that she would do whatever he said. The threat of hurting Eliot was real, but if he wasn't there, Morgen would've found some way to find Eliot first and warn him.
"I'm going to have to rethink this," Morgen told her reflection. "I can't let him get to Eliot."
She ran her fingers through her hair and forced a smile. The pathetic grimace in the mirror made her chuckle.
"I am rather a mess, aren't I?"
X
Morgen came down to the brightly lit kitchen. With quick, practiced glances, she surveyed the room and pieced together what she could about Nate.
Mostly clean rooms. He's not married, but he was once. He works better in a tidy space, and I'm sure Sophie is here often enough to justify cleaning it up. He has some money, but he doesn't want to associate himself with the people he brings down, so he lives here. She remembered the bar on the floor below, McRory's. Some sort of family tie. Must've been the bar his father ran. A chessboard sat on the coffee table. The pieces have been moved. He likes to designate one to each player in his cons and move them as the game moves.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Nate himself.
"How are you feeling, Miss Spencer?" he asked.
Morgen wrapped her arms around her waist. "Hungry. You haven't eaten all of Eliot's breakfast, have you?" She smiled.
"I saved you some," Eliot said, pulling a pan out of the oven. "You were up there so long I was startin' to think about eating it myself."
Morgen eyed the pancakes and sausage. Her stomach growled. Eliot handed her a plate and syrup while Nate pulled a chair up to the bar for her. As she ate, the men talked over her head.
"The rest of the team should be here within an hour," Nate said. "Then we can discuss what to do next. Parker can't go tonight, not after the security saw her. We may have to come at this from another angle."
"The entire foundation of the Thompson's case is in those documents, Nate. There isn't another angle."
"Yes, there is." Nate glared at Eliot. "I just haven't found it yet."
Morgen looked up. "What documents?" she asked.
"Documents proving that Smart Water Industries is making an illegal drug," Eliot answered. "Smart Water makes…"
"They make bottled water," Morgen finished. "They're one of the biggest bottled water companies in the US. Does this have anything to do with the new flavored water they are releasing next month?"
Nate's head jerked to look at Morgen. She couldn't help giving him a smile of surprised innocence. "Shocked I know so much?"
"Very."
"Smart Water is making an illegal stimulant," Eliot continued, "and they're planning on puttin' it in the flavored water for people will become addicted to it and buy more of it."
"What was Parker's job?"
"Parker was supposed to get us into the president's office and hook up one of Hardison's devices so he could hack the mainframe, find the documents, and delete them before the president or one of his cronies does." Nate pressed his lips together. "But now that the security guards have seen her face, we won't be able to use her tonight."
Morgen's eyes lit up. She stole a look at Eliot.
"I could do it."
Nate shook his head. "I told you last night, Miss Spencer—"
"You said so yourself, Nate, you don't know of any other way to pull this off. I have… experience in this particular field. No one knows my face, I could go in tonight as anyone you wanted me to be."
Nate studied her. "You're a grifter?"
Morgen played with the end of her fork in the syrup. "I used to be, as well as a thief, hacker, retrieval specialist… Whatever my boss wanted me to be."
Nate's surprise showed plainly. "Who did you work for?"
Morgen wagged a finger in front of his face. "I'm sorry to keep secrets from you, Nate, but I've already told you more than I wanted to. Will you accept my help or not?"
Eliot crossed his arms over his chest. "Morgen, even if Nate agrees, I won't let you. It's too dangerous."
"Since when did you care about things I did?" she demanded.
"What's the catch?" Nate asked, breaking the tension. He smiled knowingly at Morgen.
"I help you, you help me. Simple as that."
"Ah, yes, help you take out some former enemy."
"My former boss, actually."
Nate looked impressed. "Lofty goals, Miss Spencer." He tapped his fingers on the bar, considering and holding Morgen's gaze steadily.
"Why should I trust you?" he asked finally.
Morgen snorted. "You were willing to trust three strangers and a woman you had dealt with twice when you put this team together. It should be of some comfort to you to know that I am related to someone you now put your life in the care of."
"Well said, Miss Spencer. I can see you know the art of persuasion quite well. Very well, then. I will agree to help you, and you will provide us with the necessary replacement for the job. But," he grew more serious and pointed a finger at her, "you will have to answer questions I will have. I can't let my team into a situation where they have to blindly follow the orders of someone they don't know."
Morgen bit back her cutting reply and simply nodded.
There was a knock at the door, and Sophie peeked her head in.
"Good morning!" she said cheerily, walking inside. "Do we have a plan?"
"We do, actually." Nate pulled her aside and spoke in the corner, leaving Morgen and Eliot alone. Eliot leaned forward.
"I can't let you do this, Morgen," he whispered vehemently. "You could be caught!"
"So could you," Morgen replied in the same tone. "I know what I'm doing, Eliot. And besides," she couldn't help adding, "since when does Eliot Spencer care about putting his little sister in danger?"
She saw she had stung him. He blinked slowly, then blinked again. Morgen went over to the couch and flopped onto the cushions, waiting for Nate and Sophie to realize she was there.
The adults' conversation ended abruptly. Sophie walked over to Morgen and sat next to her.
"I don't believe we've officially met," she said smoothly. "I'm Sophie Devereaux."
"Morgen Spencer." Morgen felt Sophie reading her the same way she had read Nate's apartment earlier and slipped on her stony mask. Behind this mask she had hidden many times, and many of the world's most intuitive people had misread and misjudged it.
"Eliot tells us you're his sister?"
"Adopted, actually, when I was eight." A safe topic, sort of. Sophie could probably read into the answers and find what she wanted to know. Unless Morgen refused to cooperate.
"Really? Eliot failed to mention you." Sophie looked questioningly at him. "Why didn't you tell us you had such a lovely sister?"
Flattery. Supposed to make me feel comfortable and stupid.
"Safety. I worked for a lot of dangerous people, and they couldn't use her as a weapon if they didn't know she existed." Eliot sat in the chair to Morgen's left. "Hey, Nate, when's Parker and Hardison s'possed to be here?"
As if on cue, both came through the door. Parker's arm had been put into a sling, and she seemed to feel uncomfortable without the use of her right hand.
"Sorry we're late. What's the plan?" Hardison leaned against the back of the couch. Parker placed herself on the other side of Sophie, eyeing Morgen suspiciously.
She really is just like a child.
Nate stood in front of the large flat-screen mounted on the wall. "Things will go tonight as we planned," he said, hands clasped behind his back. "However, due to the guards having seen Parker, Morgen here has agreed to help us. In return, we are to help her with her little problem of taking out her former boss. Clear so far?"
"Who did you work for?" Hardison asked.
"And are we sure that it's a good idea, bringing in a girl to do this?" Sophie chimed in. She gave Morgen an apologetic look. "No offense, sweetheart, but do you have any experience in this kind of thing?"
Morgen bristled. Before she could speak, Nate cut her off.
"Morgen has agreed to answer our questions, which we can ask after this is finished. And, she assures me she is quite capable for the job."
Quite capable.
"So," Nate smiled pleasantly, "now that that's settled, let's bring Morgen up to speed on our plan of action for tonight."
Hardison shrugged. He picked up his remote for the TV and flipped it on. A shot of a man's face appeared on the screen, as well as pictures of newspaper articles and publicity photos.
"This is the president of Smart Water Industries, Samuel LaFey. His company has been working on a new line of flavored water, one with an illegal stimulant mixed in. People drink the water, get addicted to it, and buy it like crazy. Only problem is, the drug starts to kill a person after about four bottles, but nothing can link it to the drug because the death looks like natural causes."
Hardison clicked the remote, bringing up a picture of an invitation to the Smart Water Gala.
"Tonight, LaFey's hostin' a party at his house, where his computer is. Since the man refuses to do any work in an actual office, we have to break into his personal one and get the files that show he knew about the stimulant and its side effects but didn't do anything about it."
Morgen leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she observed the pictures of LaFey on the monitor.
"I take it he enjoys the company of pretty women?" she asked, pointing to one of the pictures.
Hardison nodded. "Very much enjoys," he said disgustedly.
"That's where you come in," Nate interjected. "You will distract LaFey and find us a way into his office without his extensive security finding us."
Sophie stood. "Maybe I should do that, Nate," she said, giving him a look that told Morgen this had been the topic of conversation ten minutes ago. "You know, since she's new to this whole thing."
Morgen crossed her arms. "No offense, sweetheart, but in case you missed it, LaFey likes young women, and I am significantly younger than you."
"Morgen's right," Hardison commented. "None of his closest female friends were over the age of twenty-five."
Sophie glared at him.
"So all you need me to do is find a way into LaFey's office?" Morgen asked. "Should be simple. Once I'm there, what do I do?"
Hardison handed her a black flash drive. "Insert this into a USB port." He paused. "You do know what that is, don't you?"
Morgen gave him a withering stare. "One of those holes in the side of the computer thingy, right?" she said sardonically.
"Hey, sorry! Eliot doesn't know the difference between a USB port and the "on" button, so…"
Eliot protested.
"Hey man, just because I can't wipe files or whatever it is you geeks do doesn't mean I'm an idiot!"
Morgen chuckled. "What do I do once I've put it in?"
"Nothing. I'll do what I do from there, you'll just need to keep out of sight until I'm done so you can take it out and get the heck out of his office."
She pocketed the flash drive. "I got it. Find a way in, let the geek do his thing, and get the crap out. Anything else I should know?"
"The Gala starts at nine," Nate said pointing to the invitation. "Eliot will be playing the role of your chauffer, and Sophie and I will be there to help out if something goes wrong. Hardison will be inside his van close by. Other than that," he shrugged. "We're good."
Morgen stood. "See you all tonight, then."
"You're leaving already?"
She frowned at Hardison. "Already? I think I've overstayed my welcome, don't you?"
"Well, do you want to stay? Nate's got a sweet TV, and I need a new opponent for Mario Kart."
"Mario Kart, huh? I guess I don't have anything better to do. I get a wheel, though."
Hardison grinned and moved to set up the game. Morgen saw Parker retreat into the corner of the couch and pull out a lock, which she proceeded to unlock and check the time on her watch. Morgen scooted over to the thief.
"How fast can you unlock that thing?" she asked.
Parker looked suspicious. "14.8 seconds"
"Impressive." Morgen reached for the lock and the paper clip Parker held. "May I try?"
The thief handed them to Morgen. She bent the paper clip into a peculiar shape, then smiled at Parker. "Time me."
Parker watched the little hand on her wristwatch for a second. "Go."
Morgen's fingers flew, and the lock soon opened.
"12.3 seconds," Parker declared, surprised. "Where did you learn to do it so fast?"
"I had lots of practice." Morgen flipped the paper clip and lock to Parker. "Hardison, the Wii set up yet?"
Morgen and Hardison raced three times before the hacker gave up. "Dang, girl, I've never played anyone who didn't know when to turn the wheel."
Morgen laughed. "Got anything else? I'm much better with the Call of Duty games."
"Don't do it, Hardison," Eliot warned. "She's got a deadly shot. You'll never beat her."
Hardison raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like a challenge to me. Ain't no one as good as I am, cuz I got cheat codes." He chuckled smugly.
Morgen crossed her arms. "I'll bet you twenty bucks I'll kick your butt even with your cheat codes." She stuck her hand out. "Deal?"
"Deal!"
Eliot shook his head. "You just lost twenty bucks, man." He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Morgen noticed Sophie and Nate talking quietly in a corner.
"So this is what you guys do when you aren't out saving somebody?" she asked.
"Pretty much," Hardison answered, his head behind the TV. "Technically, this is Nate's place, but we use it as our offices."
"Cool. Spending all day playing video games must be nice. What kind of cheat codes you got, anyway? I didn't think this game had any."
"And that is where you'd be wrong, little lady." Hardison handed her a controller, smiling like a father explaining something to a child. "Everything's got cheat codes. You just have to be good at finding them. And on this game," he started pressing the buttons, "I have invincibility and infinite ammo. You can just go ahead and hand me that money, cuz there ain't no way you're gonna beat me."
Morgen looked unimpressed. "We'll see. You want anything from the fridge? I'm thirsty."
She got up and walked over to the refrigerator. "Who drinks this stuff?" she asked disgustedly, holding up a bottle of Hardison's favorite orange pop. The hacker jumped up.
"That is my special drink," he said, taking it away from her and holding it lovingly. "This is what I drink when I'm workin'."
Morgen grabbed a Coke and sat on the couch. "Orange pop, huh? You know that stuff will rot your teeth."
Slyly, Morgen glanced back. The hacker was busy putting his beloved drink back in its spot. As she sat down, Morgen switched her controller with his and leaned against the cushions. Parker caught her eye. Morgen winked at her and gave her a small grin.
"Are you coming?"
Hardison started the game, and Eliot and Parker gather closer to the TV to watch. Even Nate and Sophie stopped their conversation to see what would happen.
Hardison made comments throughout the round, making up for Morgen's silence. Her character ducked behind a barrel for a second, dodging Hardison's shots. Then, rolled out of cover and decapitated him with one shot.
Hardison was speechless. "How did you…?" he finally managed. "But I had invincibility!"
Morgen and Parker laughed. Hardison glared at Eliot, who shrugged.
"What's so funny?" Hardison demanded.
Nate patted the younger man on the back. "You didn't see her switch the controllers?"
Morgen waved it in the air. "I had three options, actually: steal your controller, punch in the codes myself, or deactivate your cheats. Stealing the controller had the least likelihood of you catching me."
"One of the oldest tricks in the book, Hardison," Sophie said. She gave Morgen a friendly smile. "Distract the target and take what you need when they aren't looking."
Hardison wagged a finger at Morgen. "Very clever," he said good-naturedly. He dug into his pocket and slapped a twenty dollar bill into her hand, but Morgen pushed it away.
"No, I'm not taking that. We both cheated, now let's play again without cheat codes and switched controllers and we'll see who's the best."
Morgen glanced at Eliot, who shook his head, laughing. She focused on the game, but she felt warm.
They actually like me. I'm hanging out with them for the sheer heck of it, and they like being around me.
X
Her car was in the same place she had parked it last night, but something still felt off. Morgen kept her pace the same, all the while throwing quick glances up and down the street. Nothing happened, however, and she got into her car.
"Hello, Morgen."
Morgen reacted. Swinging her fist around, the keys between her fingers cut into something soft. A hand caught her wrist, stopping her momentum.
"Moreau," she growled. "What do you want?"
"Put you keys where they belong and drive where I tell you."
"Why should I?"
He cast her a condescending stare. Morgen clenched her jaw and pulled her hand from his, sticking the key in the ignition. Moreau stayed silent until they were out of sight of the bar and driving into the city of Boston.
"How goes your progress?" he asked, keeping his dark eyes fixed firmly on her face. Morgen hated it when he did that. Aside from Eliot, he was the only person who could read behind her mask, her shrugs, and her tones.
I hate him so much.
"Fine. I have to gain their trust before I can get at them, so that may take a little time." She kept her gaze on the road. "You failed to mention Eliot was part of the team."
"Did I? Perhaps I thought you already knew."
"Don't give me that crap, Damien."
"Still with such a quick temper. That could get you killed one day, Morgen. How long do you think it will take you to gain their trust?"
She gave a quick rise and drop of her shoulders. "I don't know exactly."
"An estimate, then."
She tapped her finger on the wheel. "It's only been three days since you gave me this job! I can't give you any estimate. Eliot trusts me, but it will take longer with the others, especially the Devereaux woman."
Moreau pointed to a little side road, to which Morgen turned. He motioned for her to stop. Once the car had been parked, he leaned over and held the back of her neck tightly. Morgen sat still, her hands still on the wheel.
"You would do well, Morgen dear, to watch that tone of yours when you speak to me. You are not out of my reach yet, and I can still have you taken out of the picture if I wanted to. How are you feeling, by the way?"
Like I could rip out your heart and throw it onto the highway! She kept her mouth shut, however, and didn't voice her thoughts. To her chagrin, tears began to gather and fall down the side of her face. She shut her eyes, but they didn't stop.
"Emotional, I take it. Just don't let your emotions get in the way of what you need to do. I know you haven't forgotten what's at stake for you." He smiled wickedly, then let her go. Morgen turned her head to her arm, not wanting him to see her cry any more than he already had. She heard the door open, felt it shut. There was silence.
Morgen cautiously took a breath. It came as a series of short gasps, followed by a slight wheeze. Morgen held her head in her hands and sobbed.
