Chapter 8

Nate and Eliot walked through the door and Nate walked straight to his wife grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug.

"What is going on Nate?" Sophie said pulling away from him and seeing the utter relief on his face as he looked at her.

"This guy is going to come for one of you."

"What?" Parker asked completely confused now by what Nate was saying, the guy was after Nate, he was the target.

"Look, he doesn't pick a target, he picks a weapon." Nate said as he walked over and poured himself a whiskey then took a seat with Sophie sitting down beside him. "I am the weapon he has picked now. To get me to be that he needs to use somebody, somebody I care about, that is his MO."

"So one of us." Sophie said.

"Exactly."

"So what now?" Hardison asked.

"I don't know Hardison." Nate said and all of them could hear the fear in his voice.

They sat in silence for a while all of them contemplating the situation if Nate was correct in his reasoning which they were all sure he was. It meant that all of them were in danger and there was no way of protecting everybody for an extended time. They needed a plan to get themselves out of this mess.

"You are not forgetting Nate that he kills his weapon too." Eliot said meaningfully.

"No I am not Eliot, but he will come for one of you, he will do that by using me, now…"

"We understand Nate but as long as you understand that you are still in just as much peril as we are, maybe even more." Sophie said looking at him, she could see he had no interest in his own safety only theirs and that was not acceptable to her.

Silence settled over them again as they all nodded and looked towards Nate who said nothing, he did not care about himself, he cared about his wife and unborn child and the rest of his family and that was all that mattered.

"Ok well what do we know?" Eliot said breaking the silence.

"What we know is this guy poisons people and then tells a loved one of theirs that they will get the antidote if they perform and act of violence, say walking into a bar and opening fire. The gun he gives them is loaded with bullets dipped in the same toxin as they and their wife or whoever are given and in the end three people die." Parker summed it up for all of them.

"He doesn't target the victims of the shooting. He targets the person doing the shooting and one of their family, they are the real targets. He uses them as pawns in a game."

"Right." Nate said sitting back and closing his eyes going over it all again in his mind. There had to be a way out of this, there had to be a way he could protect his family, his wife and unborn child.

"What are you thinking Nate?" Sophie asked as she watched him.

"I don't know Sophie." Nate said softly keeping his eyes shut. "I…I have never delt with somebody like this, I just don't know. All I do know is he is coming and there has to be a way out of this I just can't see it." He said and she could hear the despondency in his voice.

"Well why don't you get some rest Nate and then we can go over it all again." Sophie said putting hand on his. "You are exhausted, and it is getting late. We are safe here now and tomorrow is another day."

Nate opened his eyes and looked into hers seeing the concern for him reflected in them. He nodded and was about to get off the sofa when his phone rang.

"Ford…" Nate said answering it immediately and laying the phone on the table with the speaker on for them all to hear.

"You have been given the 'Last Rites'." A voice said. "Fear not your life was forfeited when you were chosen, he is waiting for you, waiting to receive you into his light."

"Who is this?"

"Names are not important, what is important is that you were the chosen one and it must come to pass."

"Look…"

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil." The man said interrupting him. "But fear me…If you do not honour God's will, you will come to fear me, for I am the wrath of God and your family will suffer my wrath."

"What the hell do you want?" Nate asked but knew exactly what the man wanted, and it was something he had not even thought about.

"You are already dead it was what was decreed by the Lord until the devil intervened and kept you from going into God's grace, now you must honour that decree or I will be forced to take another in your place, one that is close to you, one that you love."

Nate said nothing as he listened to the madman speak, he had never dealt with somebody like this before, he was on a mission of his own choosing and nothing was going to sway him from it. He was wrong again he thought, he did not want to hurt his family, they were not part of the equation, he was the only one the killer was interested in. He wanted him dead, he needed him dead, until he was dead he would not be able to move on with his plans for his next victims. Before he could say anything the phone went dead as the man hung up.

"Oh my God Nate he want's you to kill yourself." Sophie said softly realising like Nate had, exactly what this man wanted.

"Well that ain't going to happen." Eliot said looking at the Mastermind.

"No way man." Hardison chimed in. "Na ah, not going to happen."

"Nate…" Sophie said softly as Nate said nothing. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed it gently when he did not answer. "Nate…"

"I am tired." Nate said suddenly and then he stood and walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a whiskey. "I need to think." He said then he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Oh my God Eliot he…he is actually considering…"

"He will not do that, Sophie, we will not allow him to do that. There has to be another way." Parker said softly locking eyes with Sophie. "We will find it."