Sooo Chapter 7. Loved the reviews! They made me so much more motivated! Hold on tight for some interesting turns!

This seemed to stifle his laughter. He glanced around the bar, and for the first time, I realized Nate and Sophie had left.

"Who do you work for?" he demanded leaning in closer to me to be sure our conversation stayed private.

I could hear Sophie and Nate arguing in my earbud, but I tuned them out. "Doesn't matter. What does matter is whether or not you want me work for you."

"That's enough, Anna," Nate said, appearing behind his father. "Go on." He threw his head over his shoulder to signal me to go upstairs and be a good girl.

I pouted at him and headed for the door accidently bumping into the old man along the way. "Anna," Nate hissed in warning.

Growling, I turned around and handed over Ford Senior's wallet. I leaned forward and hissed in Nate's ear. "Fine, but I'm building bridges. I could have made a new friend."

He flinched slightly, but pulled his ear bud out of his ear and took my seat. I used the main exit before circling back around and going up the steps. I pushed open the door to Nate's apartment and went to the floor.

Nate was gone for nearly an hour. Eliot and Parker had reappeared in that time and they had all decided they didn't like the idea of taking down Nate's father. Perhaps some part of me wanted to play for the dark side. I was curious as to what Jimmy Ford could teach me that Nate couldn't. He was cold, and cruel, but he was smart. He knew the way people worked in a way that was different than Nate. From the beginning he knew I wasn't your typical teenage but he tested his theory.

Sometimes I wondered if Nate ever tested his theories.

Sophie sat at the table next to Parker and Eliot, who bickered back and forth about not throwing crowbars at people. Hardison prepared the briefing, but he didn't look happy about it and Sophie was completely silent, holding her mug close to her lips as she stared into space. Part of me wondered if she knew that I was curious about him. That I wanted to test him like he tested me. Though, it was no secret she would never allow it.

Then again, if Nate was emotionally involved and wasn't thinking straight, I bet he would be willing to send me into his father's hide out. Maybe, just maybe, I could convince Sophie that I would be the best for the job too. That it would be better to put me in there than Nate, if it turned out to be an either-or situation.

The door to the apartment opened, silencing Parker and Eliot and sending Hardison into nervous shifting. I on the other hand watched curiously. Even though he was several feet away, I could still smell the booze on him. The clammy sweat on his forehead told me he was definitely feeling the alcohol even if he appeared to be walking a straight line.

If the team was nervous before, they were even more now. Drunk Nate meant unpredictable Nate.

"Okay, run it," Nate demanded. No one spoke. We all just sat there. He looked at us irritably. "Go on. Run it."

I watched the team exchange looks, no one really wanted to say what was on their minds. But I was feeling something completely different. I knew what it was like to know your father was a bad guy and to want to see him fall flat on his ass. Maybe the others had better experience with fathers, but some of us rather not have them at all.

Hardison looked up at him. "Maybe we should discuss first-"

Parker rolled her eyes. "They feel weird about going after your dad," she stated plainly.

Finally, I stood up and stretched. "I say we go for it. What the hell. We take down bad guys, he's a bad guy."

The warning look I received from Sophie shut me up. For the moment at least.

Nate nodded and took a drink of his coffee. "Anna's right. Run it."

Again, Hardison looked extremely uncomfortable as he stood up and walked towards the screen. "Alright, well…" He cleared his throat and ran a hand over his face. "Jimmy… Jimmy-Jimmy Ford- Your Pop." Rubbing the back of his head he glanced toward the ceiling. Anyone with half a brain knew he was definitely wanting someone else to take the spot light. "He wore a lot of criminal hats, man…But!" He motioned toward the picture of the grey haired man. "He was well known in the neighbor-"

This was just getting sad. "Okay, Hardison, sit down," I snapped rolling my eyes and moving towards the screen. He much obliged, ready to duck out. Grudgingly I clapped my hands together motioned toward the picture. The anger radiating off of Sophie's gaze admittedly made me a little nervous. "Jimmy Ford started out as a bookkeeper and he ran ever bit of this side of Atlanta City. Once he put enough citizens in debt, he decided to take a dive into being a loan shark. Then from there he became a fixer. Blah, blah, blah. Bad guy."

Everyone was staring at me with mixed expressions. I rolled my eyes. "I don't understand why you guys are leery. He's a bad guy." An interesting bad guy may I add. Granted lawn shark and henchmen match maker, but he had experience and knowledge, I could never dream of.

"At his peek, he was he was king of the neighborhood," Nate added while I read through some of his history. Yeah, Jimmy Ford was a bad guy, but he was an interesting bad guy.

Sophie broke me from my train of thought. "How does this tie in with the whole 'cell phone-blackmail' thing?"

Hardison shrugged. "He has several victims. The phone repair guy, Eliot's friend-"

"What does he do?" Nate asked distantly.

"Shipper. Clothing, uniform. Nothing remarkable. We found a third phone but-"

"Dead end," Eliot said for him. "He's scared for his life."

Nate turned around and looked at the five of us. "What is Jimmy Ford's game?" he asked me.

I gave him a small grin. "Three card monte."

He nodded turning back toward the screen. "Keep the cards moving. Never see the queen until he wants you to see the queen."

Unless, you know where to look, I thought. Still, Sophie sighed behind me and closed her notebook.

"Okay, obviously we don't have enough to go after this guy-"

"Wait! Let me go, he likes me and I saw his queen," I said anxiously. Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but I quickly stopped her. "Don't say no because I'm the youngest or because you don't want me to get hurt. He's Nate's dad, he wouldn't hurt me. I can do it Soph. Really."

Everyone was silent. Yes, there were a lot of factors to consider here, but I wanted them to see what I saw. I knew what I could do, they knew what I could do, and this was my chance to use my abilities to the fullest. Part of each of them was inside me. Sophie's eye, Nate's preparation, Parker's pickpocket, Elliot's speed, and Hardison's ability to stall. But most importantly, I had a little piece of each of their heart. I understood them.

Moving toward Sophie, I pleaded with her holding her gaze. "Let me prove it to you. Please."

Finally, she nodded, but looked past me to Nate. "But you need to sit this one out."

Nate's eyes focused in on her and challenged her. "Oh, no. You want to go after the bad guys then we go after the bad guys! We. And we're going to do it right. Anna, you're to stay out of his way-"

"No!" I snapped getting toe to toe with him. "He wants someone to teach. From the moment I saw his queen, I had him in the palm of my hand. You need an inside man. That's me."

The alcohol on his breath pricked at my nose. The team was silent knowing this was our fight. "You have no idea what kind of man he is. He could corrupt you, burn you," Nate snapped taking a threatening step toward me. Eliot stood up, ready for something bad to happen.

Looking down for a moment I shook my head. "You don't get it. My father has already burned me. That old man can do anything to me that hasn't already been done." My eyes met his gaze. "We go after bad guys, and with him I already have one foot in the door."

Nate spun around and stormed toward the screen. "He's a bad guy and he's my father. This is my job."

Sophie abandoned her chair and followed Nate to the screen. "Yes, we are going after the bad guys. But you don't honestly think you can put your father behind bars?"

"He's a mark just like any other mark, let's stop looking at him as my father. He hurts people." His voice lowered and continued, softer, as though convincing himself. "He's a bad guy, this is what we do. We can do this. We are supposed to do this."

Sophie lowered her voice and looked hard at him. "But it's not your job to take down your father."

"No. It's my pleasure."

Jimmy Ford sat at the bar sipping on his drink. I barely grazed past him, but he caught me by the back of the arm.

"I'm old, not stupid," Ford snapped pulling his wallet out of my hand. Yet, he didn't seem angry, in fact he looked rather impressed.

Relaxing just enough to give him a sense of confidence, I smiled. "Good, I wanted to be sure before I offered my services, considered you didn't notice the first time."

Jimmy Ford looked up at me, a mixture of pride and skepticism. "Anna, Anna, Anna," Jimmy Ford tsked looking up at me. My heart caught in my throat. "Now I promised my son I wouldn't let you get involved with this."

"Damn it, Nate. I'm going to kill you," Sophie hissed over my com.

"It was before we decided to put her in," Nate returned.

Yeah, I was pissed, but I wasn't about to give up. I leaned forward and glared at him. "You don't look like the type of man that cares all that much about promises." This made him smile. "What Daddy don't know, won't hurt him," I added sweetly.

"What are you doing hanging around my son with guts like that?"

I just shrugged. "Do you want my help or not?"

Ford smiled. "You may make this interesting."

His plan was unique, and clever. Something that I would say Nate could have cooked up. Three smoke screen robberies so he could get into the evidence locker. I was part of the distraction. Truth be told, I was surprised how well Nate stayed away, until, well, he didn't.

"Damn it, I lost him!" I hissed ducking out of the evidence room and heading for the stairs.

"Seriously girl? How do you lose an old man?" Hardison snapped as I jumped two steps at a time past officers who were heading to one of the three banks.

"Hey! Do you want to do my job?" There were too many rooms to check each one. I glanced at each, searching for some sort of clue.

Behind the blurry glass of the Organized Crime Division door I could make out two figures. Taking a deep breath I pushed it open.

Nate stood in front of his father, a gun pointed at his face. Nate's breath was steady, but forcibly steady. His hand was still, but he leaned too much on his back foot, signaling he didn't really want to do it. Jimmy Ford also saw this.

He shifted back again, I was unseen.

"I'd say you're little girl ratted me out, but I can't say I didn't expected it at least a little." he said smiling softly to himself. "Still, she didn't even know I'd be up here, how did you?"

"Well, you'd never take the money and run…" Nate retorted sounding not the least bit humored.

Quickly I ducked behind one of the desks, opened the bottom drawer and nearly laughed when I realized that detectives really did keep an extra side arm there, just like in the movies. Still, I remained silent, watching from only yards away as I cocked the gun.

"For you it's never about the money. It's all about respect."

"Anna, where are you?" Sophie asked, making me lose the next part of the conversation. I could tell it was something about the book he held in his hand and how copies of it wouldn't hold up in court.

"Come on, Nate. Together we can run this town. You and me. We don't need anyone else."

I watched as Nate lowered his gun. My gut dropped a little. Nate would never quit being the good guy, but I was different than Nate. Yes, his father was a bad man, but he never had to be the bad guy either. I on the other hand knew my abilities. Bad was one of them.

Standing up, I pointed the gun at Jimmy. "And what about me?" I snapped, tired of his games. I was good- no great- at everything he asked me to do, yet he was willing to let me get caught with the rest of them. "I thought we were getting along so well."

Jimmy grinned at me. "Sweet pea, you are just full of surprises."

My body hardened. Nate was a good man. An honest man. I was bad. I was raised to be bad. There were situations that I knew I had the strength to handle that I knew the rest of the team wouldn't.

"You know, Nate's a much better person than I am," I hissed, inching closer, never letting the barrel of the gun fall away from the center of his chest. "Nate would never kill his own father. I on the other hand would shoot him and spit on his grave." Cocking my head to the side and twitching my mouth into a half smile, I stared at the old man. "What would stop me from killing you? A truly bad person."

"Anna, what the hell are you doing?" Eliot snapped over the com.

"Sophie, she has a gun pointed at Nate's dad, I don't think this is going to end well," Parker added making me assume she was somewhere in the vents, but Sophie didn't reply. There was nothing she could say and she knew it. This was between Jimmy, Nate, and me.

Jimmy Ford took another step towards me. Looking down at me like he had all the answers in the world, he challenged me. Realizing he was getting nowhere, he turned to Nate. "You wouldn't let her do this. You're your mother's son. I could but-" he shook his head with a small smile on his face.

The three of us were silent. The trigger itching my finger even slightly, making me want to pump the lead into his chest for hurting my family.

I was beginning to get angry. "Shut up!"

"Anna, it's alright," Sophie said calmly in my ear. "Sweetheart, it's going to be fine. Just-"

"Anna, drop the gun or I'll make you drop it," Elliot snapped.

Nate was looking at me with gentle eyes as he reached out and pushed the gun down. "It's okay, Anna. Let him go."

"No!" I pulled the gun back up. "You hurt people," I snapped beyond angry. "You hurt Nate."

"Sweetheart, it's alright," Sophie tried again.

"Anna, listen to Sophie. Give Nate the gun and walk away. You don't want to do this," Eliot added, much softer this time.

"Come on, the cops are on their way back. You need to get out of there. Shoot him, don't shoot him, it's time to go!" Hardison pressed as my hands began to shake more.

I looked between the two men, my entire body trembling by then. Nate looked at me and offered his hand out. There were no words spoken as I handed over the gun. Jimmy Ford knew what he had done, but so did I. Still, I knew what I was doing it for.

"Go," Nate said nodding to the vent where Parker was sitting. She dropped a rope and beckoned to me.

As I crawled through the vault I could hear Jimmy Ford say something surprising to Nate. "She's a good girl."

Sophie tried to stop me as I pushed past everyone and headed down the sidewalk. Even Eliot asked her if he should go after me, but she didn't respond. I knew what she and Nate were thinking. Eventually, they'd have to decide how to handle it.

But I didn't do anything Nate wouldn't do. Or Eliot. Or Parker. Maybe even Sophie and Hardison. If someone had hurt one of us, it would be over. If the person that made us damaged showed up, it would be over.

I walked three miles back to my apartment, or maybe I ran, either way I was out of breath from trying to control my tears. All I knew was I wanted to be away from everyone. Slamming my door, I dead bolted all three locks and slid the chain as an extra headache. Parker could probably get through in three minutes, the others it would take way longer. Unless Eliot decides to just kick the door in, and that wouldn't surprise me either.

I wanted to be alone. Alone alone. Where no one would pull me out of my thoughts. At least not right away. I pushed everything on the floor of my closet to one side and sat in the corner, sliding the door shut.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was fixating on my own father when I looked up at Jimmy Ford. Shame. That's what I was feeling. Perhaps I was ashamed of myself. Perhaps I was worried that Sophie and Nate were ashamed of me.

Teddy was wrapped tight in my arms as I sat in that corner.

Sophie paced the floor. This was her fault. She knew it. Anna wanted to take the spot light in this case and Sophie knew there were warning signs, but honestly she wanted to see Jimmy Ford crash and burn just as much as the rest of them. There was a big risk and she took it. She put her girl on the line, the same thing she got so angry at Nate for doing.

Still, she new Anna. Sophie new the way the girl thought, just like Anna knew the way the team thought. She was hiding. Burying herself, broken. Four hours. That's how long Sophie would give her before coming after her.

The team had questions, lots of questions, for Nate. But he had to finish his plan. He set up his father, making it look like every Irish mobster in Boston was getting blackmailed by his dear old dad. Hardison helped getting a boat to toss his dad on. His dad tried to guilt trip him. Jimmy pushed Nate and tried to convince him that he was cruel.

"Where's Anna?" Nate asked as he turned to see she was the only one missing.

Everyone turned to Sophie. She seemed pale and even a little uncomfortable. "She's probably at her apartment, but it may be best to leave her there for now."

No one argued. Sophie knew people best, especially Anna. But this wasn't something that Sophie understood like someone else on the team. Still, Anna had two more hours before everyone broke into her apartment ready to pull her out and begin the intervention.

Sooooo What did you think? Please tell me! Feedback is extremely helpful! Please review. Love always, Marilynn