Flint glanced at his watch again, noting she was 15 minutes late. Unusual for her, but he wasn't sure about this new Allie. Maybe she wanted to keep him waiting. Maybe she had stood him up, he told himself angrily, just telling him to meet her here to get him out of her way!

Ian slid into the seat opposite Flint, smiling apologetically. "Lady Alison sends her regrets that she cannot join you tonight," he announced seriously. "She's been called away on business."

"I just bet she has," Flint retorted, glaring angrily at the cousin.

Ian held up his hands. "Hey, she could have just simply sent a message. She wanted me to let you know personally that she was sorry she couldn't join you, but something did come up - something she couldn't help. However, now that I have you here, I'd like to ask your intentions towards my cousin." He folded his hands, leaning forward, the very picture of a concerned relative.

Flint gawked at Ian. "Are you serious?"

Ian continued to look at him, not smiling. "Deadly. She already came to us broken hearted. I don't want to see her that way again. Personally, I think you need to leave her alone. She has a life here now, family, and you obviously choose your own needs before hers, else she wouldn't be here with us," he added pointedly. "Let her go on with her life. You go on with yours." He stood and left the restaurant, leaving a stunned Flint behind.

The seat wasn't empty for long as Mark McGuire slid into it next. "Tough luck, kid," he sympathized, watching the retreating Ian. "They really stick together, you know? It's a Scottish thing," he shrugged.

"What do you want?" Flint asked, rubbing his head as the beginnings of a headache started to pound his temple.

Mark chuckled. "Thought I'd answer a few questions for you, since you and your partner," and with that, he nodded towards to the woman on the other side of the room, "have been asking around. The five board members of MARS are not going to let history repeat itself. They're good kids. However, they do have several, shall we say, side tracks so that it's not often all five are there together. Take Lady Alison for instance," he said, examining the water glass in front of him before taking a sip. "While she has her sense of duty to make sure her family's business is clean, she otherwise occupies herself with a little side work for MI-6. Purely freelance, I assure you," he said, amused at Flint's surprised look that he would mention it aloud. He was sure the CIA agent already knew about it. "But the money I'm sure you saw exchange hands today, was in payment for her next mission. She's in London now talking with Sir Philip. So sorry about your dinner date," he smirked, rising out of the chair.

"Oh," he announced, turning before he walked away, "I'd watch the cousins if I were you….they tend to be very protective when it comes to their family, especially Alison. Not someone I'd like for an enemy," he warned pointedly before leaving the restaurant.

His partner was the next to slide into the empty chair. Flint sighed. "You ready to go then?" he asked her, knowing she had overheard everything, based on the sympathetic look she was giving him.

"Well, think of it this way," she said. "Maybe now you can close this part of your life and move on," she said, patting her partner's hand while signaling for the check. "I know you don't want to hear it, but obviously, it wasn't meant to be. Don't worry," she assured him with a sad smile, "this won't be in the report."