Chapter 28

As they approached the car Sophie sprang out and ran to Nate throwing herself at him. Then she pushed him away and looked him over seeing the two holes in his shirt and the smudge of blood on his neck and chin and frowning slightly.

"Sophie let's go we don't want to be here when they wake up." Nate said smiling at her. "I'm fine I promise…and I am sorry." He said softly then opened the door for her to climb in.

"Where we going?" Hardison asked as he climbed into the passenger seat and Eliot the driers with Nate, Sophie and Parker climbing into the back. He was just as taken aback by Nate's appearance and the fact that he was not dead, but he was sure the man would explain himself.

"Somewhere off the grid." Nate said "Just so that we can get cleaned up and decide what next not long term. No hotels, motels, or anywhere where he can trace you…us…and trust me Hardison he has resources." Nate said and the man nodded getting onto his equipment to get them a place to go to.

"Ok Nate so why exactly are you not dead?" Eliot asked over his shoulder as he drove along. "Are you hurt?" added as he had noticed the blood on the man's collar and neck.

"Just a graze from the one shot…" He assured him. "I wore a vest."

"Thanks for bloody telling us." Sophie said and he could hear the recrimination in her tone, and he knew she was well within her rights, he should have told them, and he realised what they must have felt when they thought he had been killed but he had not thought about it, in truth he did not even know why he had put the thing on, but something had told him to do it and he thanked the lord he had. "Do you have any bloody idea…?"

"I do and I am sorry. Really sorry." Nate said turning to face her and meeting her eyes. "Sophie I…I didn't…"

"Think that's what you bloody well didn't do." Sophie said locking eyes with him. "You never do, you always just rush off and do what you want with no consideration for anything or anyone else."

"That is not true Sophie, I did what was needed to ensure your safety."

"I can look after myself, we can look after ourselves Nate." She retorted. "Maybe James was right you haven't quite got your memory back, we don't do this to each other remember, we don't let each other think…we don't…oh bloody hell." She said struggling to hold her emotions back.

"Soph…" He said reaching out to take her hand which he retracted. He looked at her and then sat back. "Think what you like, I did what had to be done, now we know who is behind this and why."

"Yeah somebody trying to get to you, nothing to do with us." Hardison said and that brought a frown to Nate's face, he was right of course, nothing to do with any of them, they were merely in the way, paying the price for being his family, it seemed to be a theme in his life.

Sophie threw Hardison a look as she saw the expression on Nate's face change and Hardison shook his head slightly raising his hands as Parker also gave him a look which he caught through the rear view mirror. Silence then filled the car as they drove.

"Where we going Hardison?" Eliot growled out breaking the silence.

"Ok man I know I'm good, but I need some time to get a place set for us, especially one off the grid, this ain't Portland, Boston or LA..."

"So what do we do till then ha…just drive around?" Eliot asked a note of irritation coming into his voice.

"Just pull over a minute Eliot." Nate instructed, they had some distance between them and the two men they had left behind. Eliot looked in the rear-view mirror at the Mastermind then nodded and pulled off the road. There was no real place to get any cover and he was not completely happy being exposed but he obeyed.

Once they had stopped Nate opened the door and climbed out walking away from the car fully aware that they were all watching him. Sophie looked at them then climbed out shaking her head at Parker when she wanted to follow her. She walked up behind Nate and stood for a second before speaking.

"Nate…"

"I'm sorry Sophie, for all of it." He said without turning around. "Hardison is right, this is my problem, and you are all now in the middle of it."

"It's our problem." Sophie said softly. "You could not have known where this could lead to, it was supposed to be a simple job and…"

"They never are." Nate finished for her turning around to face her. "They never are simple are they?"

"No they never are but we always find a way, you always make a plan, and we carry it out, that is how we get through even the toughest of jobs." She said then she took his hand in hers.

He stood and looked at her as tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Reaching out he pulled her into a hug and held on tight as he looked over her shoulder at the other three who all stood outside the car watching the two of them. Then he closed his eyes and pushed her away to arm's length. He had to do it again he knew, to make sure she was safe because no matter what he said, he would do anything to make sure she was secure, he would rather have her hate him than having to bury her. He had a plan, and they were not going to like it, in fact she would not allow it and nor would Eliot, so he would have to do it without their knowledge.

"Ok I got us a place." Hardison said as they both climbed back into the car ten minutes later.

"Good." Nate smiled at him as Eliot set off.

An hour later they were gathered in the kitchen of the large, repossessed suburban home that Hardison had secured for them.

"You know he is going to expect us to come after him, he studied us, he knows us, and he will figure what our reaction will be to him killing you." Eliot said and Nate nodded. James would expect his team to be out for revenge.

"Yes but we have some time, he has to figure out exactly what happened and then get mobilised, he will expect revenge, but he will also expect you to bury me, he thinks I am dead remember and we have to keep that illusion going, he has to keep thinking I am dead."

"So what's the plan?" Hardison asked.

"We need to get back to Portland, we lock up tight there. If I don't miss my guess he will come after you at my funeral."

"That's cold man." Hardison said.

"It's what I would do." Eliot said ignoring Hardison and nodding at Nate. "He will assume our guards will be down and if he studied us he will know what we can do, so will want to take us out early and quickly, when we least expect it, add to that he knows if we close up he will be hard pressed to get at us, he will want us out in the open."

"He will know soon enough what happened out in the desert, we can't give him time to organise before we move so Hardison a charter for tonight and we are going to need a coffin."

"What…?"

"Well we don't want him thinking I am not dead and although the odds are he will not track us straight away he will find out you left and will track the charter, he has extensive resources and cash, the game must be played out to the full. I want him thinking I am dead and that he is dealing with a grieving widow and team. Hopefully, he will assume he also has time to organise before you go for him."

"That's creepy…you traveling in a coffin…" Parker said, and Nate smiled at her.

"Hardison, plane. Eliot, Parker coffin and hearse, Hardison make sure they are ready at the airport for the transport." Nate said. "Now I think I am going to go take a hot shower and sort myself out."

Nate entered the main bedroom and removed his shirt revealing the vest he had been wearing. Sophie stared at him looking at the bullet hole to the chest and the one bullet track that traced across the chest and into his neck which was now covered in dry blood. She stood watching as he removed the vest and the shirt beneath it to reveal a badly bruised chest area and then moved forward.

"Go shower and then I will take care of that." She said pointing to his neck.

He nodded and headed into the bathroom. Sophie watched him and then picked up the vest her fingers tracing the line of the bullet and then tracing the bullet hold itself. If Nate had not been wearing the vest he would have been dead she thought, and the thought brought a prick of tears to her eyes. She was almost at her emotional breaking point, with the loss of memory, then what happened on the ship to this, she could not take much more. Then she sighed and walked over picking up the bag of clothing they had brought in from the car and laid them out, before sitting on the bed and listening to the sound of the shower waiting for Nate to finish.

An hour later they emerged from the room with Nate freshly dressed and a bandage on his neck covering the gash. Walking into the kitchen and pulled out the bottle of whiskey pouring himself and Sophie each a glass before taking a seat.

"When I thought you were dead Nate…I don't ever what to feel that way again." She said softly as she took a sip of her whiskey.

"Sophie…"

"No you pulled us out of this for a reason, to keep me safe but… you have no idea what the effect of your bloody stupid, dangerous, idiotic actions have on me, on us, don't you understand that I can't lose you, they can't lose you."

"I do what I have to."

"Yes to make sure we are safe."

"Yes."

Sophie did not respond, no matter what she said she was not going to change the way this man thought, she was not going to change the fact that he would sacrifice himself for them, always, because he considered them family and she was his wife, no he would do what he thought was necessary to keep them safe. The only thing stopping him from leaving them now was the fact that James was going to come after them, if he thought he would not, that he would leave them, just disappear no matter how much it hurt him or them but to keep them safe and out of James' sights he would and then try and take the man down himself. But he couldn't because Eliot was right, James would know they would not rest until his 'death' had been avenged so he would come after them to end it all. Before either one could say any more Hardison made his appearance and took a seat at the table and a few minutes later Parker and Eliot returned.

"Hearse is the garage with coffin." Eliot stated as he walked into the kitchen.

"Charter will be ready to go any time from now. They are ready to process the thing, so we are good to go." Hardison added.

"Ok well then let's go home." Nate said. "I am going to travel in the hearse to the airport, can't be seen climbing into it there and it must be handled the way it would be if it were a real body."

"Let's just get this over with please." Sophie said rising from the table. Nate nodded downing the last of his whiskey then heading for the garage. There he climbed into the coffin and Eliot pushed it back into the hearse with Sophie joining him in the front seat and Hardison and Parker taking the other car.

They arrived at the airport twenty minutes later and the coffin was unloaded by airport staff and taken to the plane and loaded into the hold while the others boarded. As soon as they boarded the plane started to taxi and they all sat buckled in as it took off. Parker then immediately moved to open the doors to the hold and slipped down the small opening and went straight to the coffin opening it up she stared into it.

"He is not here." Parker said her voice soft, and she closed her eyes and sighed, he had done it again.

"Parker…"

"He's not here." Parker shouted.

"Bloody idiotic man I am going to kill him." Sophie said almost to herself as her anger rose inside her and she turned and went back to her seat. "Turn the damn plane around."

"No." Eliot said, and she stared at him her eyes blazing as Hardison and Parker joined them. "We can't, we need to play this through."

"What the hell is he doing?"

"I don't know Hardison, but I am going to beat his ass when I get my hands on him." Eliot hissed out. "Until then we play this out." He said it was the only thing they could do.