Chapter Three: Needs and Wants
Standing on the rooftop, Ray watched Sarah exit the building. She glanced around before wandering across the parking lot.
"Sir, Do you want me to follow her?"
Ray shrugged. The young guard standing behind him was more than capable of following Sarah, but it hardly mattered. "I already know where she's going."
He continued to watch her as she slowly made her way to the street. Within seconds, she had disappeared into the city.
"I've seen that warehouse she acquired. Whether she knows it or not, I've been there. She's made it…" he paused, considering the right phrasing "…comfortable for what she wants."
"I don't trust her."
Ray laughed and turned to face the young man. "No one does."
A brief look of annoyance flashed across the guard's face. "Why do you keep her around?"
Ray thought about that for a moment. He had asked himself that same question hundreds of times.
He turned to stare back across the empty parking lot. "She's useful. Once she's done playing with this A-Team, I'll send her back to Africa. Our dealings in the diamond market don't seem to be as profitable without the eight-fingered devil, as the men down there call her."
Still, he had to wonder if the profits were worth the risk. He shook off the worry. It was getting late and he needed a glass of scotch.
Hannibal leaned back in his chair. Under his breath, he cursed himself for listening to Face. How had he let himself fall victim to the conman? Stupid! The crowd shifted as the din of conversation grew. Scanning the room, he studied the gowns and tuxes. No one seemed out of place, but that didn't mean much.
"Isn't this great?" Face appeared suddenly. Flopping down on a chair next to Hannibal, he pulled himself up to the table and grinned. "I just spoke with the most marvelous young actress. She…"
"Face, I think we should be going."
"Hannibal….." The name came out as a soft whine. "Come on! You deserve this. How long was The Bride of Aquamaniac in production? You worked really hard on it and you should be at the premiere!"
Hannibal sighed. "I don't know Face. This feels wrong. I don't like being out like this, not right now. Plus, BA and Murdock didn't look too happy about us getting out of the house and leaving them behind. We should get back before BA puts the Captain through a wall."
"Aw, those guys will be fine. They don't mind." Face snatched two champagne glasses off a tray as a waiter scooted past; he handed one to Hannibal. "The guys want you to enjoy this event. And I told Murdock to lock himself in the pantry if he gets BA too riled up. As for everything else…we've been cooped up in that house for almost two weeks. How much longer do you think we can keep this up?"
"This isn't really a premiere either," Hannibal muttered. "It's more of a soiree for investors and they might just happen to, eventually, play the movie."
"Oh Colonel." A grin spread across the Lieutenant's face. "Don't tell me you're still sore over the direction they went in with the script."
"No! That's not it at all!" Or was it? Hannibal felt his cheeks growing warm. "When I signed up, the Aquamaniac's bride was going to be a beautiful woman, but then, at the last minute, they changed everything!"
"And…" Face raised an eyebrow, his eyes sparkling with delight.
Hannibal fidgeted. "They slapped Carl in another monster suit and called him the bride."
"And who is Carl?"
Hannibal frowned. Face knew damn well who Carl was, but at least Peck was having a good time. The last month had been hard. It was good to see the kid smiling.
"Carl was the caterer…" Hannibal mumbled.
"What was that? I'm not sure I quite heard what you just had to…"
The soft whisper of a woman's voice silenced Face.
"John….John Smith?"
Hannibal made eye contact with Face. He hoped that he had managed to deliver his patented 'We need to get the hell outta here' look. Then, both men whirled around.
Whatever they had expected to find wasn't what stood before them.
The woman was short. She stood nearly at eye level with them as they sat. Her plump body tested the strength of the cheap floral dress she had crammed herself into. Coarse, dark hair sat haphazardly pinned with clips atop her head. Her ruddy, gnome-like face was free of makeup, except for a shade of strikingly bright red lipstick. She gave Hannibal a shy smile, revealing a large gap between her lipstick encrusted front teeth. She was certainly out of place.
"You are John Smith, arent' you?" Her pudgy hands trembled slightly as she stared at Hannibal.
"Who wants to know?" Hannibal glanced around the room. No one seemed to be watching.
"I-I…well…we…we need…."
They couldn't just wait there listening to the woman stutter. Their position was too open. Hannibal stood, watching the woman's eyes grow wide.
"We have to be going." He hated how curt he sounded, but it wasn't the time for niceties.
He gently moved her aside, but behind her was another surprise.
The girl must have been around six or seven years old. With her head lowered, she peered up at him through her thick lashes. With chocolate smudges on her face, tangled blond pony tails and an oversized tee-shirt nearly engulfing her, the child looked more out of place than the woman. She stood stubbornly in place, but Hannibal had no intention of moving her.
He leaned down and met her gaze. Her fierce green eyes filled with tears. He studied her longer, letting his eyes linger on her left and right arms. Children had scrawled their names and words of encouragement on both casts.
The woman stepped forward and placed a loving hand on the child's shoulder. "We need to hire the A-team."
Sarah blended in beautifully with the crowd. For show, she arched her back and gave a loud squeal of laughter at a producer's awful joke. He was enthralled.
Several times, Hannibal's keen gaze had shifted her way. She ignored him. He had never gotten a good look at her before, so she had little to worry about. Plus, her white gloves hid her missing fingers, so he wouldn't have that to be suspicious of either.
Eagerly, she watched the woman approach Hannibal and Peck. Their reaction was just as she expected. She could practically see Hannibal's heart melting as he looked at the little girl. Holding her breath, she waited. Finally, she could read the words forming on his lips.
"You've just hired the A-Team."
Without drawing any attention to herself, she made her way out of the room. They would come to her. There was no need to hunt them all down. They were so predictable.
She still felt a little unsettled; while Murdock's slow torment was going to be fun, she wanted more. Once they were captured, their spirits had to be broken. She smiled to herself. She needed...to kill Hannibal.
