Author's Note: You guys make me laugh. :) Eliot gets shot, no big deal, Hardison falls off a building, worse things have happened, but if something happens to Parker all hell breaks loose!

Well here's another chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews!

Chapter 20

Eliot had his foot slammed on the gas pedal. His mind was a jumble of horror and anger. He looked over at Hardison who stared blankly at the dashboard.

After the explosion they stood there in revulsion having no idea what to do. No one could have survived an explosion like that. Hardison started shaking. Eliot heard the sirens in the back ground and knew they needed to leave immediately. If caught, the Police would arrest them for the building collapse, and would probably know their faces from the Lady Luck ring theft as well. As much as it pained him, he had to do what Hardison couldn't. He had to get them away.

As they drove Hardison continued to stare at the dashboard. He ran scenario after scenario through his mind on how she could have escaped, but every time the vision of the explosion and collapse returned. When he watched the building fall, his heart had stopped.

"Hardison."

Hardison heard nothing, going through another scenario.

"Hardison snap out of it." Eliot shouted giving him a hard slap across the face.

With this Hardison looked up at him with a furious expression, but it quickly disappeared.

"We need to find Nate." Eliot said.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hardison fumed. He had just lost the woman of his dreams, he wasn't about to do anything else, for the rest of his life.

"Hardison, what would Parker want us to do?" Eliot asked.

With that, Hardison immediately sent a fist flying at Eliot's face. It caught the side of Eliot's jaw.

"Don't you dare say her name." Hardison shrieked. "This is your fault."

Eliot didn't even try to protest. He felt that way too. It was his plan to have her go in alone. He was responsible. Eliot thought back to how Parker had been acting all day. She kept repeating that it was all her fault, and couldn't help but feel guilt ridden. Both Hardison and himself were irritated by it, but now he understood how she felt. He understood how the awfulness seeped through the skin making you want to pull it off to lose the horrible feeling. Eliot felt even worse that now he understood and she wasn't there to console him.

"I know." Eliot answered icily.

Hardison stopped. He had expected a fight. More than anything he wanted a fight. In all honesty he knew it wasn't Eliot fault at all, but he needed a place to vent his anger and of all the times, this was the one where Eliot wasn't in the mood for a fight.

There was silence as they sat parked on the side of the road. It seemed to go on forever. Neither knowing what to do next.

"There was something that Marat said." Hardison started.

Eliot stared out the window.

"He talked about Nate 'sweeming with zee feeshes.'" Hardison imitated.

Eliot jerked his head around.

"He's going to drown Nate."

"Or already has." Hardison added. He then pulled out a phone from his pocket.

Eliot looked at him questioningly.

"Found it in my room last night." He said distracted as he pushed buttons. A minute or so later it stopped. "This has to be it." Hardison held the iphone touch screen up for him to see.

"So you want to save Nate now?" Eliot asked.

Hardison paused. "I want to kill them. All of them."

Eliot noticed his eyes darker then he had ever seen them. The typical silly, joking Hardison vanished and was replaced with this shell of fury and determination.

Without another word, they sped off towards the docks.

The sun was getting higher in the sky, temperature rising not only outside but within the hitter and hacker as well. Both letting anger and fury build up inside of them. Eliot knew he could keep his emotions in check to get the job done, but wasn't so sure about Hardison.

Arriving at the docks, Eliot didn't hesitate to drive right in. Everything was basically abandoned, a few broken down ship parts, a few crates and a dockside.

Both Hardison and Eliot began to walk straight up to the group of men standing at the edge of the dock.

"That wasn't very smart, Marat." Eliot called out.

The large man jerked his head over to them, first giving a shocked and angered look, but then quickly transforming it into a polite grin.

"Of course, you would like your friend back, yes?" Eliot nodded.

"Very well." Hardison looked as Marat motioned someone out from behind the building.

He also saw Victoria, with her broken nose and bandaged arm leaning up against the building wall examining her ring finger with pleasure. The Lady Luck Diamond Ring. The thing that had been the reason for this entire mess. A dragon rose from the pit of his stomach.

Hardison was momentarily distracted as he watched a mob thug drag Nate from behind the building out to see them.

Eliot took a step forward. Hardison gave a good look at him. He had obviously been assaulted a few times since yesterday, still moving, albeit slowly, but moving none the less.

"Nate!" Eliot called.

Nate looked up surprised, a visible look of relief crossing his beaten features.

"Nah, uh, uh." Marat said shaking his head. Without realizing it, both Hardison and Eliot felt the butt of a rifle against the backs of each of their necks.

"You are going to die, my friend." A voice from behind Hardison whispered in his ear.

Hardison slowly turned and watched as the barman turned the rifle to the front of his chest preparing to fire.

"But first," Marat called as Hardison and Eliot were pushed forward. "I vant to show you another fun game zat I like to play."

Hardison and Eliot both made to move but they were further surrounded by another ten gangsters acting as a barrier between them and Nate.

Both men watched in terror as Nate was shoved into the large safe. Marat slammed the door shut and spun the dial, officially locking Nate inside.

Eliot made a low growl.

"Now zee fun part." Marat grinned evilly.

Without warning three of the larger thugs moved up to the safe and shoved it over the edge and into the harbor.