Chapter Fourteen

Eliot had fallen asleep at some point. He woke with a start, unsure where he was. Propped up in bed against some pillows, his arms were folded across his chest, chains attached to his wrists. He felt rested but uneasy. Something woke him.

"How could that happen? Why now?" It was Ford, over the com in his ear, and he was really worked up over something.

"I am unsure. We have been most distracted by capturing Eliot." It was Flores.

"Are you blaming us?" Hardison asked.

"Of course not."

"'Cause that's my friend in there, even if he doesn't know it. I don't care what happens, I wouldn't change a thing."

"Hardison, calm down." It was Sophie.

Ford said, "We have to figure out what he's going to do."

"That's easy." It was Skipper. "He's going to kill us."

Eliot straightened. Who was going to kill them? Why?

"No-no-no. No he is not. Tell me he is not going to come after us." Hardison sounded panicked.

"Nate?" Sophie asked.

"Of course he is. Why break out now, after all this time? Coincidence? No. What I want to know is how."

Flores spoke again. "Perhaps word got back to some of Moreau's more loyal men, that Eliot was here."

"Do you think he's after Eliot?" Hardison asked nervously.

Eliot glanced around his empty room. Why would Moreau be after him? Had the boss already found out Eliot had warned Flores?

Ford answered with a similar question. "How would Moreau find out? He's cut off."

"He's downstairs," Hardison said.

"Not anymore."

"Thank you, Parker. That's what I really needed to hear."

"Hardison, stop. General, what are your men doing?"

"I told them to double the guard on Eliot's room. He should be safe."

"I'm going."

"Parker, stay put."

"I promised to protect him."

The British accent poured out of the com like honey. "I don't think Eliot is in danger. He's well guarded. Moreau would be an idiot to try something. We, on the other hand, are just sitting here, waiting for him to show up."

There was more silence before Ford spoke again. "Do we know for sure Moreau is still on the grounds?"

"Oh, yes," Flores said.

Ford continued. "Here's what I propose. Our best bet is to focus on recapturing Moreau, while also guarding Eliot and ourselves."

"I would agree but my men would be too spread out."

Ford's voice got louder. "No matter what, we keep the guards on Eliot's door."

"Agreed."

Sophie asked, "What is it, Nate? What are you thinking?"

"It's risky."

Hardison said, "It's always risky. Why can't, for once, it just be safe?"

"We split up."

"Split up?" Sophie repeated. "General Flores said the men are already thinned out."

"I know but Moreau can't possibly kill us all. He'll be caught before then."

"Oh, so only one or two of us bites it?" Hardison took a deep breath. "Fine. As long as it's not Eliot."

"Of course not," Sophie said. "All he ever does is guard us. This is the one time we get to guard him."

Skipper sighed. "I remember when he was standing outside that window. Remember when I got caught in that building? The security system was actually after me? I was running for my life and there was Eliot, of course, standing on a window washer platform, staring at me. He told me to stand back and was about to break the glass and rescue me. The second I saw him, I knew I couldn't leave. Knowing that I was safe, because of him, I was able to go do what I went there to do. He looked so mad but understanding, you know how he can show any emotion along with anger? I keep thinking about that, seeing him standing just a few feet away, coming to get me home safe."

"It's okay, Parker." Sophie spoke gently. "His memories are there. He'll remember—we'll keep him safe until he does."

"All right," Ford said. "Everybody on coms."

Eliot heard a deep gasp.

"What is it, Parker?" Hardison asked.

"Nothing."

And then Eliot's com went dead. He grabbed his ear and strained to listen. "Parker? Parker! Don't do this to me. Don't cut me off!" Eliot wanted to throw something, but he couldn't even sit up completely with the restraints holding him down. Moreau was after them? Why? How did he find out they were in San Lorenzo? Was it really Eliot's doing, as General Flores suggested? Eliot debated what to do. He had to face it, if Moreau was after these people, then maybe they weren't so bad after all. And when was he ever a window washer?

A few minutes later, he heard voices outside his door. He tensed in the bed, readying himself as best he could for whatever might come through it. The door creaked open, and Parker slipped inside.

"Parker? What's going on?"

"Shhh!" She motioned to his ear.

Eliot reached up and turned his com off.

She walked up to him. "Nothing's going on," she said brightly. "Now hand it over."

"I'm not going to do that, darlin'."

"Eliot, you have to. They're going to have theirs in any minute."

"Why'd you cut me off?"

"I didn't want you to hear anything."

Wow. Honesty was not only refreshing but surprising. "I thought you said nothing was going on."

"Maybe you had a bad dream and made up some more weird stuff going on."

"Maybe. Or maybe Damien Moreau is in this building and he's after you."

Parker's face fell. She looked almost hurt. "Fine. Okay. But it's not just us he's after. In the time between when you think you are, and the actual calendar year, you broke free of Moreau, and then you helped us catch him and put him in the dungeon downstairs."

"I did?"

"One of your jobs was to pretend to shoot Sophie, who was pretending to be the first lady."

Eliot tried to make sense of all the information.

Parker held her hand out. "Give me the com."

Eliot shook his head, very slowly.

"Come on! I know you. If I try to rip it from your head, you'll attack me."

"That's right, darlin'."

She stomped her foot. "I could taser you and then take it. I wouldn't need to take it, it'd be fried."

"I know you. If you'd brought your taser, you'd have done it already."

"Oooh!" She looked around the sparse room frantically. "If the others find out, they'll be really mad. And worse than that, they'll get distracted and that might mean the difference in fighting Moreau. You could get them killed."

"I wouldn't do that, Parker."

"You called me Parker again."

Eliot replayed the last few seconds but couldn't remember. "I don't think I did."

She stalked up to the bed and he was about to defend himself when her expression changed. "I'm sorry, Eliot. If Moreau comes in here, I can't protect you. I don't know how you do it. You're the best protection anyone could ever have. The only thing I can do now is…" she leaned toward his face and put her hand in his and whispered, "give you what you gave us. The best protection there is." She straightened up, marched to the door and left without turning back.

Eliot stared at his hand. Two keys lay in his palm. He reached up and turned on the com.

"—are you, Parker?" Ford demanded.

"I'm here, I'm here."

"Are you with your guard?"

"Yes, of course. We're going around the corner from Eliot's room. He's fine."

"I told you she did," Hardison said. "Is he really okay?"

"Sure. It's not like he knows what's going on. He's sleeping away, snoring like the engine of a badly tuned getaway car."

Eliot wanted to snap that he didn't snore. He shook his head to focus. Figures she'd liken snoring to theft.

"Are you in the room yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm in."

"All right." Ford took a quick but audible breath. "Everyone stay quiet unless you have something important to say."

Three seconds passed before Parker blew a raspberry. "I'm bored."

"Girl, just concentrate on not getting killed," Hardison said.

"Okay."

Four seconds passed.

"I'm really bored."

Sophie cut off the men and said gently, "Think about the Hope diamond."

"Oooh! I loved the feel of it in my hand."

"I'm not crazy, I'm speaking to my friends," Sophie said.

"Who are you talking to?" Parker asked.

"My guard. Mr. Stevens."

Hardison said, "Yeah, mine is looking at me like I'm nuts, too."

"Guys," Ford said. "Keep the coms clear."

"Um…"

"Parker, please stop talking."

But Parker had one last question. "Do all of you have your guards in the room?"