Chapter 11

Nate leaned in and tenderly kissed Sophie as he pulled the blanket up around her. It was now three in the morning and he could not sleep, his mind was in overdrive, he needed to do something, he needed to end this, but he had no idea how to do that.

"I love you Sophie, more than I ever thought I would be able to love again. Now you are carrying my child and…and if anything had to happen to you, well I would rather be dead than allow that." He whispered as he sat back and looked down at her.

He sat there for a long while just watching her sleep and then rose and left the room closing the door softly making his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a small whiskey and then walked into his office and sat down running his hand over his face. He had no idea what to do, this was something he had no control over. He had always been confident in his abilities to beat anybody, to beat them at their own game and in all the time since the start of Leverage Inc, he had mostly won with a few exceptions. Well this time he could see no way to win against a man he did not understand. He had spent a lot of time doing research now on serial killers and their mental status, but all of them were different, all of them had their own agendas, and this one in particular was different. What he did was unique, he was not killing one person at a time but three. His method was unique and nobody, not even the FBI had any idea why he was doing it. They had profiled the man as single, in his late forties with a 'God complex', they believed he was of above average intelligence and had money and means. So did that make him a religious fanatic as well as a serial killer. Or was there something else, something else that had brought on this mania of his. Agent Penton had told him that he had suddenly become active around ten to twelve months ago, orchestrating an attack on average every two months and the long breaks between attacks had led to them not putting all the pieces together earlier than they had done, and they did not believe that he had done anything before that. What did that mean? Did it mean that there was something that happened in his life that made him go off the rails, and if so what? What could drive a man to do this? The other question was why use this method, and did he concoct that toxin on his own or did he have it made and if so by who? There were just too many questions and no answers.

Nate sighed heavily as he sipped his whiskey. He had Hardison checking into all chemical labs and as they knew the composition of the toxin now he also had him checking for shipments of any of its components, he knew the FBI had also done this but trusted Hardison more to be able to find anything if there was something to find. He looked up at the board he had set up marking where the attacks had happened and who had been targeted as well as everything they knew about the man himself and his victims. Before him there were four other people randomly killed, one in a hotel foyer, one in a restaurant and two more in different pubs. The killings had happened about two months apart and had been designated as random events, until somebody put it all together thanks to the fact that people were dying of an unknown toxin. That had brought the FBI in after the third attack. He could see no connection to anything, all the people, even those chosen to commit the acts seemed random, they had no similarities, they did not attend the same churches, go to the same gyms, or anything else, there just seemed no rhyme or reason and he felt his frustration rise as he contemplated the situation they were all now in.

"Nate…" He heard Sophie's soft voice drift through the door.

"In here."

"Hey darling." She said as she walked in and gave him a kiss. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure this out." He said looking up at her. "I don't know what to do Sophie, I don't even know where to start. I don't think the FBI is right, I don't think this is a serial killer.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"No…no he is a serial killer but what I mean is I don't think this is a typical serial killer, I think something happened to this man and that is why he is doing this, I don't think the normal ways of profiling him are going to work, he has had a, well I think something like a psychotic break and that makes him unpredictable. Obviously, me not dying has severely impacted him, so much so that he made contact with me, now that is not normal behaviour for a serial killer, they would just move on to the next victim, but this man can't for some reason. I don't understand it and I don't think the FBI does either, and I just don't know how to approach him never mind end him."

Sophie could see the despondency in his eyes and his body language. She could also see the fatigue there and the fear too.

"Well you can't do anything if you don't get some rest Nate. Please darling just come back to bed." She said reaching out and taking his arm. "We can go over everything again tomorrow."

"Sophie…"

"I know Nate, believe me I understand you are worried about me, about them, but driving yourself into the ground is not going to help. You are still recovering from serious injuries and your body needs to rest, your mind needs to rest, please darling just come to bed." She said then smiled at him. "Besides I need my rest you know, and I can't sleep without my husband next to me."

Nate looked up and smirked at her telling her he knew she was manipulating him but then downed the last bit of whiskey in his glass and stood taking her arm giving her a quick kiss and then walking back to their bedroom.

"Nate…" Sophie said as she lay with her head on his chest as he ran his hand up and down her arm. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"What?" Nate asked taken by surprise at the question.

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl. I would love a little girl."

Nate thought about it for a moment and then smiled, she was trying to take his mind off what was happening and trying to remind him of what was good in his life, what he had to live for. He knew she was worried about him doing something stupid to protect her and he knew she was scared that something was to take himself out of the picture.

"I don't mind." He said softly. "A girl would be nice though."

"You know I never thought I would ever have children, not that I didn't want a child, just that I never thought I would find somebody I wanted to have a child with, and I never wanted to raise a child on my own, that would not be fair, every child needs their mother and father." She said softly knowing he understood what she was saying to him. "I love you Nate and I am so happy that we are having this child, I don't think I have ever been so happy in my life."

"Sophie…"

"Let me finish." She said reaching out and putting her finger on his lips. "I know you are scared, I am too, not only for having this baby, but for what is happening. It is so unfair that it is happening, and I don't know why it must happen to us, but I know together, all of us, we can get through anything, I honestly believe that Nate. So you get some sleep and tomorrow all of us will put our heads together and we will beat this man, we will get through this."

"Yes we will." Nate said although he was not sure it was true it was what she needed to hear. "Now you get some rest too." He said as she scooted back down laying her head on his chest again. "I love you Sophie." He said placing a kiss on her head as she lay down again.

"Love you too darling." She whispered and then closed her eyes and just listened to his steady heartbeat as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.