Thanks to all for the good reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Just a few things...
Bblvr... I'm not making any promises but bear with me, you might still enjoy the sotry ;)
Friend... I scanned the last chapter for the misspelled word so I could fix it inly to find I didn't use the word 'warily' once in that chapter, only 'wearily' which is a different word alltogether (as in he was weary/tired...etc).
Anyway, I hope eveyone enjoys the update. :D
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"You never said you had a sister." Nate's tone wasn't accusing, he only sounded tired.
"I never said I didn't." Sophie stood up and sighed deeply. "Can you…" she looked at Hardison and waved her hand feebly at the screen. The young man turned off the monitors and Sophie seemed to breathe a little easier. "This is such a disaster." She mumbled under hear breath.
"Let us help, Sophie." Eliot prodded. "Tell us what happened and we'll kick some ass."
Sophie smiled genuinely for the first time in days and positioned herself on the arm on Nate's empty chair. She stared into space for a moment trying to gather her thoughts, twisting her fingers together anxiously. "Something in my sister's possession was stolen three days ago."
"You gonna fill us in on what it was?" Eliot was looking frustrated again.
"No," she replied simply. "It's not important."
"Of course it's important!" Parker sounded exasperated. "That's the best part!"
"It's something…of immense value to my family. But it's a rather delicate situation. I can't tell you." Sophie hurried on before her friends could complain. "Philip called me only an hour after you left, Nate. He was upset, he told me that…uh…it had been stolen and a note had been left asking for my contact information to be written down on the inside cover of a public phonebook somewhere in the heart of London."
"You? Why would the thief care about you? I thought it belonged to you sister." Nate sat down in the armchair Sophie was leaning against and she shifted, uncomfortable with the fact that her back was to him.
"Because!" She was beginning to realize how difficult this was going to become and started over. "It…it does. It does belong to her. But I'm afraid that this particular thief is aware of the fact that at one point…um…it…um…well, it um...well let's just say I'm rather invested in it myself." Sophie could feel Nate's eye boring into the back of her head. She took a deep breath to calm her emotions and continued with her story.
"I received a call only a few hours after I had spoken to Philip. Electronic voice, no background noise. He demanded 5 million and said he would give me one week to liquidate my assets and transfer it to Philip's account who would then finish the transaction." She looked at Nate sadly. "He warned that he would destroy our…´she searched for a generic term, "...our treasure if we involved anyone else. He was changing the time table when you walked in. He wants the money in two days."
"Pro or amateur?" Nate asked.
"Pro," she said decidedly. "There's no way he could have gotten a hold of this information without significant skill."
"Why would this guy go to you instead of the rich couple?" Hardison looked around, seeing the rest of the team was just as confused as he was with the exception of Nate who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Philip is having…financial problems of late. I have significantly deeper pockets."
"There's more, isn't there Sophie?" she turned to face Nate after this quiet question. "Your sister may own this…whatever it is, but it means something to you. More than it does to Elizabeth. Doesn't it?"
Sophie nodded reluctantly. "I suppose it does." There was hint of bitterness in her tone.
"This thief knows it. That's why he targeted you."
Sophie shook her head, clearly bewildered. "Like I said, he's quite the professional."
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Not long into the day Sophie's cell phone rang and she answered it with trembling hands.
"What the hell did you do?" the entire team could hear the scream from the other party.
"We're being played, Philip." She replied sternly…she was so tired of falling apart. "We're going to fix this, my team and I. I promise you." Her voice was becoming a tad unsteady and she cleared her throat.
She nodded a time or two while the crew watched her in anticipation, trying to read the rest of the conversation from Sophie's expressions. When she finally hung up Parker made an announcement.
"I don't like him. I say we let him fix his own problems. Stupid man."
"It's Sophie's problem too," Hardison reminded the thief.
"Do you really need it back?" Parker wasn't convinced.
Sophie gave a weary smile at the peek of Parker's loyalty and nodded. "Yes, Parker. I can't let this one go." A disturbed look came across the grifter's face and she sighed deeply. "Here." She held out the napkin she had scribbled a series of number's on. Nate took it from her with a questioning look. "He called Philip after you yelled at him to leave me alone." She explained. "This is the account we're supposed to transfer the money into by midnight tomorrow." She walked towards the front door. "I'm out on this one, guys." She paused. "Nate?"
"Yeah, Soph?
"I need you to fix this." She walked out of the apartment and Nate watched the door solemnly until he reached a decision.
"Hardison?"
"Yo."
"Dig a little deeper into Devereaux. I want to know more about these supposed financial problems Sophie mentioned." Nate sighed and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair as he moved towards the door.
"Nate, I'm with Parker on this one," said Eliot. "I don't trust this guy."
"Neither do I." and with that, Nate hurried out of the apartment after Sophie.
He caught up to the exhausted looking brunette and talked her into staying for just a minute. She moved to a table in the far back corner of the bar and Nate went to the bar for drinks. He smiled at her and handed her a glass of bourbon, keeping a mug of coffee for himself.
"It's a little early for this isn't it?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"You look like you could use it." Nate leaned back in his chair and watched as she began to sip the alcohol without further argument.
"What do you want, Nate?' she asked while setting down her glass.
"I want to know if you love this guy." His tone was completely flat and he was watching Sophie intently for a reaction. She took a moment for another sip of bourbon, visibly shaken by his words.
"What?…why would you think…?" Sophie decided to stop trying to understand Nate's logic (that was always a losing battle). She opted for the simple truth. "I used to."
"Is that going to be a problem?" If she insisted on keeping him and the rest of the team in the dark on what they were after then, Nate reasoned, she damn well better divulge any potential problem areas.
"Not with Philip but very possibly with my sister."
"Care to elaborate?"
Sophie frowned at the man across from her. "Not really." She paused a moment, knowing Nate was waiting for her to explain anyway. "We were engaged a very long time ago. I left." Sophie stopped to judge Nate's reaction. His immovable expression urged her on. "He married my sister two months later. I think… I think she begrudges the fact that she was second violinist."
Nate smiled, stood up, and walked to the staircase at the back of the bar. "You know…" his voice stopped her at the door. "As long as you're playing they'll always be second to you." Sophie furrowed her brows together, unsure if that was a compliment or a cut. "Be ready to go in a couple hours," he said before ascending the stairs.
"Where are we going?" she called after him.
Without turning around Nate replied. "London."