Sorry about the wait. Hopefully the next post will be up in a week or so.

Thanks Dandalf, Mercedes, wolfofsheep, and Tez. I greatly appreciate your replies and am very happy that you are enjoying the story as much as I am writing it.


When Eliot arrived at the Home Keeper's offices, Paul was nowhere to be seen. Stephanie had informed Eliot that Paul was running late and would be there shortly. So he idled his time in the break room nursing a cup of bitter convenience store coffee and reading the daily paper.

Absently, he listened to the team preparing and going over details of their upcoming parts of the job. Nate had given him the pep talk before he left the hotel that morning. Not that he needed it. Grudging or not, he would do his job. Even if that meant fixing broken porch steps.

Still, there had been that hesitance in Nate's voice.

Somewhere down the corridor, he heard the staccato of high heeled shoes against the tiled floor. The sound reminded him of Sophie's walk, there was a certain amount of determination in the sharp cadence.

"Good morning, Noah."

He looked up to find Lauren standing in the doorway—the only way in or out of the break room.

He closed the paper and laid it on the table before him. Relaxing his posture, he met the waiting woman's gaze, which unfortunately was fixated on his battered hand. "Morning, ma'am."

She leaned back and glanced down the corridor before turning her attention back to the hitter. "What happened to your hand?"

"Shut my hand in a car door," he said between sips of his coffee.

"You should be more careful." She folded her arms across her chest.

Eliot noted the bruising on her wrist.

Aware of his attention, she crossed her arms the other way to hide the discoloration. Her tone was even and all business. "Before you leave this afternoon I have some more paperwork to go over. Just to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed before I let you loose to work independently. We have a number of jobs that need taken care of this week and Paul can't do them all himself."

"I have time now."

"No," Lauren said. Her form was rigid. The tenseness bleeding into her words. "This afternoon will be fine."

"What will be fine?" Paul's deep voice was heard somewhere from the corridor.

Lauren turned sharply and even Eliot felt the bite of surprise. He hadn't heard the man's approach.

"There's an issue with some of Noah's paperwork. Not really your concern." Her words were harsh, even as she retreated. She backed against the door frame as Paul forced his way into view.

Paul shot Eliot a sharp look. "We've got several jobs ahead of us. Let's get going."

Eliot nodded and got to his feet. He tossed the empty coffee cup into the nearest trash can and left the paper on the table in case anyone else was interested. A polite tip of his head. "Mrs. Brandt."

Curious, he thought as he caught Paul's lingering glare.


Sophie Devereaux strode across the wide sidewalk to the little brick storefront at the end of the block. She stole a glance down the way and noted that this street was a little off from the recent renovations to the community's old business district.

At the door, she paused and looked into the reflection of the window. She drew in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. She needed to push back the thoughts that had occupied most of her drive.

Still, she found herself thinking of a sabbatical...to Paris. The others would follow suit, if it was just for a week or two.

She wasn't the only one who needed a break. Right?

Right?

Nate would just have to deal with it if they all took a break. Her thoughts flitted back to the suite where Nate had been going through a folder of potential clients when she left.

Pushing the aggravation out of her thoughts, Sophie pulled the door open. A bell chimed as she stepped in and found the dark haired receptionist, Stephanie, sitting behind her desk.

The woman perked up at the sight of a visitor. She quickly pushed her magazine to the side and flipped through the appointment book. "Can I help you?"

Approaching the desk with a smile, Sophie boldly held her hand out to the woman. "Grace Holloway. I'm here to see Lauren Brandt."

Stephanie shook her hand, but a look of confusion slid over her features as she withdrew to study the appointment book again.

Sophie took the moment to look over the office and was comforted with the extent of her knowledge of her new surroundings. Eliot's intel had been as sharp, if not more detailed than any camera view. She didn't have to guess where doors led or what was behind walls, she already knew.

"Miss—Mrs," Stephanie began tentatively.

"Ms."

"Ms. Holloway," Stephanie repeated. "You're from Community Hope?" There was a suspicious lilt to her question. Sophie did not indulge the woman and waited while Stephanie made a call. "I told them no when they called," she whispered into the handset. "I was firm about it." Frowning and with a nod, she hung up. "It will just be a moment," Stephanie said giving Sophie another uncertain look. She then motioned to the waiting area. "You can wait over there."

Sophie nodded and walked a few steps, but did not sit down. She looked through the slanted blinds at the street and waited.

As expected, the wait wasn't long. The white door opened and there were hushed voices at the desk and then Lauren Brandt turned and looked at Sophie. "Ms. Holloway?"

"Yes, and you are Mrs. Brandt, I presume?" the grifter asked as she swept forward and shook the other woman's hand. "You can call me Grace. I am here representing the upcoming benefit being held by the Community Hope organization."

Lauren looked her over. "I'm aware of it, but we are not involved."

Sophie smiled. "That's why I am here."