With the last few jobs being a bit, let's just say, rougher, than usual, it was time for a long-overdue girl's night. So, that's what the plan was. The girls were gonna go out, and the boys were gonna stay back and play poker. To start the night out, Hardison told Parker they were going to see robots fighting at the civic center on Saturday, which Parker tried to act thrilled about, as Eliot was yelling for Hardison. Parker tried to talk to Sophie and Kaira, but they were already dressed in their night-out clothes, so they couldn't help. Sophie in a white, thick strapped, short dress, and Kaira in a red sequin, thick sleeved, medium-length dress that showed off her legs. They had all met in the living room. Hardison was walking over to Eliot, who was setting up the poker table.
"Not even for a little while?" Parker questioned.
"Umh-umh. I told you. We have plans." Sophie said, fixing her gold bracelet.
"Parker, you just have to talk to him." Kaira said quietly, so Hardison wouldn't hear.
"Hey, and it is a valid strategy." Hardison told Eliot.
"It's not a strategy, all right? Betting on every hand is not strategy. It's annoying." Eliot said.
Kaira walked over to Eliot.
"Babe, it's a strategy I used to use when my uncle taught me to play. I used to be quite the hustler, you know." Kaira teased Eliot, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Eliot's hands wrapped around and ended up on Kaira's ass.
"Hmm, were you now?" Eliot said, obviously having trouble focusing on Kaira's eyes.
"Oh yeah." Kaira chuckled.
"And you ain't that slick, Cowboy." Kaira teased, whispering in Eliot's ear, letting go of Eliot.
They did not care about the looks they were getting from the rest of the team, especially Nate, who had come down the stairs.
"I just got a phone message from Detective Bonanno, saving that he-he wants to come over. He's-" Nate saw the poker table, which Eliot pointed to.
"No, no, no, no, no." Nate said.
"This-" Eliot got cut off.
"No, no, guys." Nate argued.
"Oh, come on. Your father had a poker game for 30 years. Police, criminals at the same table. This is good for you." Sophie said as Nate made it to the other side of the room by the windows.
"Yes, I want to be like my father. Good insight, Sophie." Nate said, walking to the kitchen.
Eliot walked with Kaira by the team.
"Nice. You know, living inside your own head, Nate, only having conversations with your crew - that ain't right." Eliot said, grabbing an apple and walking back to the table.
"Name one person you can have a conversation with who isn't on this team." Hardison said.
"Don't say Maggie!" Kaira, Hardison, Parker, and Sophie yelled.
"Nathan, Eliot, and I have our service buddies, I have a few family members I still talk to." Kaira said.
"Hell, even Hardison's got his little internet friends. They're all elves and gnomes, but at least-" Eliot said when Hardison cut him off.
"They're orcs. They're orcs. You just don't listen." Hardison told Eliot off.
Sophie put her white coat on, and Kaira had a black shaw she put on.
"Kaira and I have dinner plans. Even Parker's meeting a friend tonight." Sophie said.
"Mm-hmm. Remember Peggy from that jury job in Los Angeles? Technically, she's Alice's friend-" Parker said.
"You're Alice." Kaira, Hardison, and Eliot said.
"You're Alice, actually." Nate added over top.
"She moved to Boston last year, so we've been doing brunch and other normal-people stuff." Parker said.
"And we're very proud of you." Sophie said.
"We really are, Parker." Kaira smiled at Parker.
"For having brunch? Well, it's not hard. There are forks." Parker questioned.
"So, girls' night out, boys' night poker. It's character-building for everyone. Have fun." Sophie looked at Nate, then turned around and walked by Eliot.
"Do not let him go off and sulk." Sophie said.
She left, Parker behind her.
Kaira turned to Eliot. "You have fun with the boys, okay?" Kaira told Eliot.
"And you have fun with the girls, babe. But don't get too drunk. I am not carrying your drunk ass back home. Again" Eliot said.
Kaira playfully hit Eliot. "Oh, come on, Cowboy. I'll behave myself." Kaira teased.
They gave each other a quick kiss before Kaira walked away.
"Sophie, don't let Kaira drink tequila! We don't want that to happen again!" Eliot called out.
Kaira turned to Eliot, walking backwards a bit.
"Oh, calm down, babe. I promise I will behave myself, and I will come home with the same amount of clothes as now." Kaira yelled.
Eliot gave a light chuckle.
"I love you, Princess." Eliot yelled as Kaira went out the door.
"I love you too, Cowboy." Kaira called, shutting the door behind her.
Parker met up with Kaira and they started walking.
"I need to talk to you." Parker said.
"Unh-unh, no. I can't right now. I'm in a hurry." Sophie said.
"No, it'll only take a second." Parker insisted.
"No, no, no. It's not a good time." Sophie said, getting in the elevator with Kaira.
"Wait!" Parker stopped the doors from shutting.
"Parker, in or out? Come on." Sophie said.
"No. You know that thing you two do when you fix whatever I'm doing wrong?" Parker questioned.
"Advice?" Kaira questioned.
"Mm-hmm." Parker confirmed.
"This has to do with you and Hardison?" Kaira asked.
Parker nodded her head to confirm.
"Okay, so, he knows stuff, right? And I know stuff, too. But my stuff is completely different from his stuff." Parker started ranting.
"Okay, all right, yeah. It's just typical early relationship jitters, all right? Just be patient, and soon you'll be - you'll be thick as thieves." Sophie said, trying to get Parker to let go of the door.
"Wait! you haven't fixed me yet." Parker stopped the door again.
"Parker, look, relationships aren't easy. Communication is important. You have to find a balance that works for you two. Talk to Hardison in the morning about how you feel." Kaira spoke softly and directly at Parker.
Parker got what she was saying.
"Now, Parker, we're late already. Why don't you talk to Peggy?" Kaira said.
"No, she's got a blind date. I'm supposed to check him out first to make sure ILUVPAWS72 isn't a disaster." Parker said.
"Who?" Sophie asked.
"Well, they met online. They're both cat lovers. And she doesn't know what he looks like because they both use cats as their profile pictures." Parker said as the door shut.
"Good night, Parker." Sophie said.
"Good night!" Kaira quickly got in before the doors shut.
A bit later, Parker got ready and left. She met Peggy at the Consulate. Peggy was catering a party there, so that's where they agreed to meet. Peggy expressed her nervousness and then got a phone call from the kitchen. She left to take care of it. Just then a man with sandy, military cropped hair in a three piece suit walked into the bar, and ordered tequila and a cosmopolitan, and he had a British accent. Parker took a picture of the guy, as he peaked her curiosity. She then called Hardison.
Back at the bar, Nate, Bonanno, Eliot's friend Shelby, Hardison, and Eliot had just played a hand of poker, with Hardison winning.
"You bet out on a pair of 2s?" Eliot questioned, upset.
"Never tell me the odds." Hardison said, collecting the chips.
"Respect the game. Respect the game." Eliot told Hardison as he walked to the kitchen to answer the phone.
"Respect the swag." Hardison said.
He answered the phone. "Hey, girl. I'm a little busy." Hardison said.
"I just uploaded some photos to my SkyDrive. Can you run that face thing that tells you if people are bad?" Parker asked quietly.
"You mean the one that took me six knockdown, drag-out months to hack?" Hardison said.
"Yeah." Parker said.
"Girl, I'm trying to prove my manhood with my boys. You know what I'm saying? With my boys." Hardison argued.
"Please?" Parker said.
"H-hang on." Hardison gave in.
"Hardison, you in or out?" Eliot asked.
"What?" Hardison whispered. He got on his laptop and loaded up the image of the guy.
He ran the search, and came up with an interesting answer.
"Oh, oh, okay. Parker, Craig Mattingly. He's wanted for burglary and grand larceny in a whole bunch of countries. He is trouble. And he's-he's got some strikingly good features - squared up jaw and everything. P-Parker, what are you doing with this guy?" Hardison said, getting a little bit jealous.
"Thanks. You're the best." Parker said, hanging up the phone.
Back at the club, Sophie and Kaira had martinis and Tara had a shot. Sophie gave a toast.
"To a night of unbridled debauchery." Sophie toasted.
"I'll drink to that." Tara said.
"Hell yeah." Kaira smiled as she clunk glasses.
They took a drink.
"Tara, we've been friends for so long. Why do we never work together?" Sophie said.
"Yeah, we were a hell of a team." Kaira said.
"Well, you only need one grifter per crew." Tara said.
"Oh, come on, Tara. I'm a jack of trades, and I grift as good as you two, and we've got the nastiest crew this side of the Atlantic." Kaira said, maybe whining a tad.
"It's a silly rule. A yacht in Saint-Tropez, you and me - imagine the damage we'd do." Sophie laughed, causing the other girls to laugh.
"And you know I'd be the getaway driver." Kaira chuckled a bit.
"Well, there is that." Tara said, smiling.
Sophie's phone rang. she answered it.
"Hello?" Sophie said.
"Sophie, I need your help. It's my friend Peggy's blind date. I'm sending you a photo." Parker said.
"Unh-unh, no. Parker, listen. Tara, Kaira, and I just sat down." Sophie argued, piquing Kaira's interest.
"Does this man look like "ILUVPAWS72"?" Parker said.
Sophie looked at her phone and showed the picture to Kaira.
"Damn! Yeah, I don't even have to know his name and know he's trouble. He is handsome. Though, I'm more of a rough and rugged kinda gal. Maybe your type, Tara." Kaira teased slightly as Sophie showed Tara the picture.
"Yum." Tara said.
Kaira chuckled, knowing she was right. Sophie put the phone back to her ear.
"And look what Hardison found." Parker said.
Sophie got the documents.
"Ooh. Wanted in multiple jurisdictions." Sophie said.
"Bad boy." Tara said.
"I was right. Exactly your type, Tara." Kaira teased, causing Tara to chuckle.
"Sophie and I have taught you well." Tara smiled a bit.
"Damn right." Kaira said.
"Well, he must be targeting your friend for a reason." Sophie said.
"Yeah. We have to help her." Parker said.
Sophie looked at Kaira, who nodded to go ahead. Sophie then looked at Tara, who agreed.
"All right. This place is dead, anyway." Sophie said.
Tara got up and walked beside Sophie.
"Zoom in on the picture - the part with the wallet." Tara said.
Sophie did.
"Hotel key card. Nice call." Kaira said.
"Uh-huh. Staying at the Palaestra." Sophie said.
"We could toss his room, see what we can find." Tara suggested.
"Probably not gonna find anything, but I'm so down." Kaira smiled, taking another sip of her drink.
Sophie put the phone back up to her ear.
"Don't do anything until we-" Sophie said when the line went dead.
Parker left.
"Parker? Parker!" Sophie groaned as she put the phone down.
Tara downed her shot and Sophie and Kaira finished downing their martinis.
Back at the Consulate, Parker walked up to Craig.
"Hi. I'm Peggy." Parker introduced herself.
Craig was intrigued. "You're Peggy?" Craig questioned.
"Mm-hmm." Parker confirmed, smiling.
"TabbyFan76?" Craig questioned.
"Guilty as charged." Parker said.
"ILUVPAWS72 - Craig Mattingly. It's great to meet you." Craig said, shaking Parker's hand.
"You too." Parker said.
Greg handed her the cosmopolitan he ordered.
"Oh. Thank you." Parker accepted.
"Mm-hmm." Craig hummed.
They both went to drink their drinks, but Parker didn't drink hers. Craig suggested they go to the party, but Parker tried to get him to stay. Craig said his cover story, and Parker left, saying she had to make a call. Parker walked up to Peggy, who asked who her date was, but Parker pointed to a random old guy in the crowd, and lifted Peggy's invitation. Peggy thanked Parker for saving her and she left. Parker looked at it, which advertized a night of tango, celebrating Venezuala. Parker also lifted a gold dress to change into.
At the Palaestra Hotel, the trio got Craig's room number and got into his room. Kaira went first, opening the door, and Sophie and Tara walked in behind.
"It's clear." Kaira said, letting the women in.
Sophie walked to the center of the room.
"All right, Craig Mattingly. What's your game." Sophie said.
Kaira joined Tara in looking through a couple of drawers, making a bit of a mess.
"Tara! Kaira! What are you doing?" Sophie whispered, looking at the women.
"Uh, searching the room?" Tara said.
"No, no, no. You can't just barge in and break the joint." Sophie said when Kaira interrupted.
"We're not breaking nothing, Soph! We'll clean it up later." Kaira whispered, still searching.
"Kaira, you have to slow down, get acquainted with the environment." Sophie explained.
"Wait, you're not one of those Boylan touchy-feely-vibe types, are you?" Tara asked Sophie.
"The Boylan Method teaches us to treat a search like a crime scene." Sophie picked up a shirt.
"You know, we only get once change to-" Sophie said when Tara interrupted.
"Okay, you know what they teach us at Quantico? Lighting strike. You never have as much time as you think." Tara said.
"Well-" Karia was about to talk when they heard the door beep.
"Oops." Sophie said, dropping the shirt on the bed.
The three women ran into the closet and shut the door. They saw two men come in and tear the place apart.
"Quantico." Tara whispered.
"Quantico." Sophie mocked.
Kaira put her index finger up to her lips, telling the other two to shut up. The one guy ripped the pillows open, and the other guy yelled at him. Then the guy got a phone call and asked if he needed to still look or go back to the event. Then Tara started waving her hand, indicating she had to sneeze. Both Kaira and Sophie tried to stop her, but Tara sneezed. The guy pulled a gun out and walked up to the closet. Kaira got in front of Sophie, but Tara moved ahead and knocked him down with the door. Tara knocked him out, disarming him. Kaira grabbed the gun as Sophie knocked the guy out of the way. But the guy knocked Kaira over and managed to get the gun with a stiff elbow, which Kaira rolled away. Kaira was out of view, so the guy pointed the gun at Sophie, who was on the floor.
"Your safety's on." Sophie told the guy.
Kaira smashed a vase over his head. Kaira grabbed the gun. The guy Tara dealt with was up, so she grabbed the gun from Kaira and pointed it at him. The two men left. Tara put the hammer back. Tara helped Sophie up.
"The safety was off." Tara told Sophie.
"Not to a grifter." Sophie said.
Kaira snatched the gun from Tara and disarmed it.
"Not to a grifter." Tara mocked, grabbing a piece of glass out of Sophie's hair.
"Which is why, as I was about to say before I was rudely interrupted, that's why you go fast and read the room. It's the best of both worlds. And why I'm a jack of trades." Kaira smirked a bit.
"And why I'm a jack of trades." Tara and Sophie both mocked.
Kaira scoffed and left the room, both ladies behind her. At the Consulate, Parker had arrived with Craig. And Peggy lost her invitation, so she wasn't allowed in. But Peggy went to look at something, so Parker walked in. Craig suggested Parker take care of the catering. Parker said she didn't want to leave Craig alone, but Craig kissed her cheek, saying he made friends easily. Parker pulled an earbud from her dress and put it in her ear.
"Sophie, Tara, Kaira? You there?" Parker asked.
"We're right outside, mama. What do you see?" Kaira asked.
Parker saw Craig paying attention to three people with briefcases.
"He's paying a lot of attention to three guys with briefcases." Parker pointed out.
"Are they here together or separately?" Tara asked.
"Separately. I don't think they know each other." Parker reported.
"All right, well, we're almost there. Just hold on." Sophie said.
Tara pulled out a Secret Service badge.
"Secret Service alias. I'm here to protect high-level dignitaries. I'll bring you two in as my deputies." Tara said. Sophie scoffed.
"You're serious? I don't think so." Sophie objected.
"Suit yourself." Tara said.
Kaira walked up to security with Tara, who flashed her badge. Kaira then flashed hers.
"Thank you, special agent. And deputy." The guard said to Tara as they both flashed their badges, Kaira giving a wink.
Sophie had her arm around a guy, saying "Agency sent me." in a Russian accent.
"Russian escort? So three years ago." Tara teased.
She walked with Tara as Sophie got in.
"And since when do you have a Special Service deputy badge, Kaira?" Tara asked Kaira.
"I've always had one. Get in anywhere, no questions asked. Perfect cover." Kaira teased.
Sophie got into a fight with the guy, saying her boss was a golden glove boxer. (A/N This is a funny blooper, cause Gina says "He wants Golden Globe boxer!" in the blooper reel.) Tara and Kaira walked up to him.
"Why so harsh?" Tara asked.
"He thought I was a prostitute. Bloody cheek." Sophie complained, looking at his I.D she swiped.
"Ooh, diplomatic I.D." Sophie pointed out.
"Nice." Tara laughed.
"Very handy for getting out of parking tickets." Sophie said as she put the I.D in her clutch.
She put the wallet on a serving tray.
"Now, let's figure out what Mr. Mattingly's game is." Sophie said.
The trio started walking forward.
"So much for a night of unbridled debauchery." Tara complained.
"Oh, come on, Tara. This is more fun anyway. And who says we still can't have our night of unbridled debauchery?" Kaira said.
"Oh, boo-hoo. Just last Wednesday, you were sipping champagne on a G4 with a racing-car driver." Sophie said.
"Yes, who thinks I'm heir to the Pillsbury fortune. And guess how long that'll last?" Tara said.
"Whatever happened to that nice chef in Lyon with the fabulous silver hair?" Sophie asked Tara.
"Oh, no. He thinks I'm a professional golfer... or banker - I keep forgetting. I got so many lies, I have to store them on my phone." Tara said.
"The lament of the grifter - who really knows us?" Sophie said.
"That's the perk of being married to my Cowboy. I don't have to lie about the job. Just saying." Kaira said, maybe dropping a couple of hints to her favorite grifters.
Parker was watching Craig interact with a couple of men, talking about cartel thugs chasing him, and didn't hear Peggy behind her. Peggy then walked over, asking what Parker was doing there, causing Parker to choke on her drink. Peggy then saw Craig.
"Wait, I saw him at the bar. Is that ILUVPAWS72?" Peggy asked Parker.
"You know what? I'm really bad at explaining things, so can we just skip the part where you're not mad at me?" Parker asked.
Peggy looked at Craig. "Oh, my God, look at him." Peggy was interested and tried walking to Craig, but Parker stopped her.
"No. No, Peggy, he's not who you think, okay?" Parker tried to explain.
"He's a hot guy who likes cats. And you stole him from me!" Peggy exclaimed.
"No." Parker tried to speak.
"Wait. You stole my invitation, too, didn't you?" Peggy questioned Parker.
"No, I was just trying to help." Parker tried to explain.
"Well, you didn't help! God, I thought we were friends." Peggy said.
She walked away from Parker. Parker was upset. Kaira joined back up with Tara and Sophie, who were all holding champagne flutes.
"All right, so, the thugs who were chasing him were looking for something." Tara pointed out.
"I think he's holding a sale." Sophie pointed out.
"And the guests with the briefcases are the buyers." Kaira pointed out, taking a sip of her champagne.
"The question is, what's he selling?" Tara asked.
"Yeah." Sophie whispered.
Parker joined them.
"Parker, what's his angle?" Sophie asked Parker.
Parker just sighed, just staring out into the crowd of people.
"Parker?" Kaira got her attention.
"Sorry. Uh, I saw him stalling the mean-looking guy, so whatever he's selling, he doesn't have it on him." Parker pointed out.
"Wait, that's not smart. Why would he do that?" Kaira asked.
"It's called a stop-and-shop. You steal something, then turn around and sell it on-site - saves you the risk of transit and storage." Parker explained.
Kaira could tell Parker was upset about Peggy.
"Hey, Parker, look at me." Kaira went beside Parker and got her to look at her.
"We're gonna fix things with Peggy, okay? I promise. Let's just focus on one thing at a time, okay?" Kaira told her.
"No, I know, but it's not just about me. I used Peggy's invite to get Mattingly into the party, so whatever he's up to, she's gonna get blamed for." Parker said.
"Now we know why Mattingly used Peggy, he wanted her invite. We'll stop him, okay?" Kaira said.
"Tara, Kaira, and I will cover the buyers. You stick with Mattingly. Let him steal his mystery item. With any luck, we'll take them all down." Sophie laid out the plan.
Craig left. "Target's on the move." Tara said.
Parker grabbed another drink and sighed as she walked away. Parker followed Craig, and found him in an office, trying to break into a closet. Parker made him jump, but she played herself off as being drunk, slurring her words. Parker then stumbled over to the door and picked it herself so Craig couldn't. Craig brushed off being there as his friend left his sweater there, which Parker played off. Craig called her cute, and Parker said he was tall, and opened the door. Parker brought Craig in.
Back on the ballroom floor, Tara and Kaira were by the bar. Tara was on her phone, and Sophie was close to one of the targets.
"Move over, or he's not gonna hear you." Tara warned Sophie.
"If I get any closer, I will be standing on him. Now shush. I'm starting." Sophie said.
Sophie started her schpeal, acting like a fourth buyer.
"It's working." Sophie reported, realizing she got the attention of one of the buyers.
She continued her schpeal.
"Deep tan mean he lives in a warm climate. I'd say rich Texan, oil man, maybe. Huh. Private tailor. Yummy, top-of-the-line Italian fabric. Not afraid to show his wealth. I like that in a man. Big ring, huge watch." Sophie spouted off.
"What are you the wardrobe whisperer?" Tara questioned.
"It's a gift." Kaira smiled a tad.
"It works." Sophie said.
"Hmm. There's more to it, Soph. If he's so rich, why isn't anybody mingling with him?" Tara questioned.
"Wait, hang on. Those are microexpressions of fear in the people around him. They're avoiding him." Kaira observed.
"I recognize his type. He works for the drug cartels." Tara observed.
"Can you read my micro-expression?" Sophie teased.
"Bite me." Tara laughed.
Sophie continued with her set up, and mentioned Mattingly.
"Micro-expressions of anxiety, followed by relief, and then pride." Tara observed.
"Rich Texan has a lot more than half a mill in that briefcase." Kaira observed, getting a proud smile from Tara.
"Rich Texan is rich, but not that rich. His Rolex is a fake. I'd say he's carrying 600k." Sophie observed.
Sophie then said she could get a full million.
"Huh. Cartel heard our offer and looks unfazed. Look at him. I mean, you only eat when you feel safe." Sophie observed.
"I see pride and contempt." Tara said, looking at Sophie in the crowd.
"He brought more than 1 million dollars." The trio of women said.
Both women put their phones down and Sophie made her way over. The three notices a Spanish man that was vexing them.
"All right. Guy with the glasses - he's an odd duck, isn't he?" Tara said.
"Yeah, I can't get a read on him at all." Sophie said.
"Wonder what his game is." Kaira said.
"Well, let's go find out." Tara said, pulling out her Secret Service I.D. Kaira got hers out too.
They walked up to the guy.
"Secret service. Can we have a word with you?" Tara said, her and Kaira flashing their badges.
They brought the guy outside to get some privacy. As they walked over, Tara grabbed his wallet and looked at his papers.
"Umberto Garcia, Professor of Latin American studies at Harvard. What are you doing here?" Tara asked, handing back Umberto's papers.
"Professor, the man that you're meeting with tonight is here to steal something, and we're here to stop him." Sophie said.
"And we can't stop him unless we know what he's after. So, what's the man after?" Kaira added.
"Information - the exact reserve levels of the oil fields of Venezuela, not the lies the government has been spreading." Umberto explained.
"Those lies are all that's keeping the government in power. The opposition could use that information to topple the current regime." Sophie said.
"And the drug cartels can use it to keep the government off their back." Tara said.
"Blackmail. And a Texas oil speculator can use the information to fatten his pockets by betting on the price of crude." Kaira pointed out.
"You're a teacher. Uh, where did you get the money for your bid?" Sophie asked.
"I have something better than money." Umberto said.
He opened up the case, revealing no money, but a tape recorder. Needless to say, the women were confused. Umberto hit play, and the sound of children singing in Spanish played.
"I come here with the only hopes and dreams of the Venezuelan people to trade." Umberto explained, really serious.
Tara laughed, Sophie was amused, but Kaira understood.
"That's hilarious." Tara laughed.
"That's lovely." Sophie said, amused.
Umberto closed the case, stopping the music.
"We'll take that." Kaira said, grabbing the case, showing an apologetic face.
Back at the office, Craig was looking up information on a computer as Parker paced behind him. Parker was still acting drunk and used the excuse of calling the kitchen to leave, taking a picture of the office. Parker called Hardison, again.
This time, however, poker night had been delayed, and currently, Hardison and Eliot were both in a bar, which was the hangout of a Mexican gang. Who were all knocked out. Hardison answered the phone.
"Hardison." Parker said.
Hardison walked to the side.
"Hey. Hey, hey, hey. What's happening, baby?" Hardison asked.
"I just sent you a photo of a room. If you were gonna hide a super-secret computer file, where would you put it?" Parker asked.
Hardison pulled up the photo and got his answer.
"Okay. Look. You see that frame on the desk? It's probably in the frame." Hardison said.
Parker saw the frame and played it off.
"P-parker, are you still with that guy?" Hardison asked, a bot of jealousy in his voice.
"Thanks." Parker hung up the phone.
"Parker? Parker?" Hardison hung up the phone and went back.
At the office, Parker walked back up to Craig, and Parker grabbed the frame. This caused Craig to realize the file was in it. Craig offered to take Parker dancing. But guys came by. Craig wrapped his arm around Parker and turned the light off. They hid in the flag. Craig ended up taking the guy out by choking him out. Craig tried playing it off, and they left. They tried going up the elevator, but it was down. Craig broke a fire ax box and grabbed it. He used the ax as leverage (A/N Pun intended) and got the elevator opened. Then Parker had the bright idea of climbing up the elevator shaft. They ended up on the roof. Parker was whooping as they kept walking.
"I don't know about you, but I could sure use another drink." Parker said, still in cover.
"Who are you?" Craig asked Parker.
Parker scoffed, still walking.
"I'm Peggy. CatFan772." Parker said.
"No, it's TabbyFan76." Craig corrected, stopping Parker.
"Oh, yeah." Parker said.
"And the short con's not your game. Now, you got the cocktail dress. You picked the lock. The picture frame. You're a thief. A great one. Now, relax. This doesn't have to get ugly. I'm gonna cut you in, say, for... 20 percent?" Craig offered.
"20 percent?" Parker questioned. She whistled. "20 percent?" Parker repeated. She laughed. "Are you kidding me? I did everything. You couldn't even operate a thumb drive." Parker said.
At the ballroom, the women could hear everything on comms.
"Parker, remember why we're here." Sophie said over comms.
"Right." Tara said.
Tara cleared her throat.
"Remind me." Tara said.
Kaira scoffed.
"The hopes and dreams of the Venezuelan people." Sophie said.
"And here I thought you learned something from our team up, Tara." Kaira snipped.
Tara just cleared her throat again.
Back on the roof, Craig and Parker were still talking.
"Oh, look, Peggy, whatever the hell your name is, I have been on this job for months. My hacker buddy did the encryption on that data, and he tipped me off. All you did was-" Craig argued.
"I don't want money." Parker blurted out.
"You don't?" Craig questioned.
"No. I want you to give the thumb drive to Professor Garcia for free." Parker offered.
"Why?" Craig asked.
"Because it's the right thing to do." Parker said.
Craig laughed.
"Well, at least I know you're not a cop." Craig said.
Back on the dance floor, the women were watching the crowd.
"Parker, tell Mattingly to wait five minutes. He'll get his money." Sophie said.
Parker didn't like it, but continued.
"Don't move." She ordered Craig.
She walked past him.
Back on the dance floor, the women noticed one of their guests was missing.
"Oh, look, no sign of Rich Texan - must have got cold feet - which means the only briefcase full of cash is there." Sophie pointed out.
That briefcase was Cartel's.
"All right, you two start a fire in the kitchen. I grab the briefcase. We use the crowd for cover." Tara suggested.
"I was thinking something a little less... trample-y." Sophie said.
"Well, we got two identical briefcases to play with here." Kaira said, hinting at the plan.
"You want to do a kick switch." Tara said.
"Yes. I'll peel Escobar away from his bodyguard, and you - wait. I..." Sophie tried saying when Tara left.
"I'll watch from back here. It was my plan." Kaira groaned.
Tara walked up to Cartel, saying in Spanish that her boyfriend was a diplomat, and he was ignoring her, and he would be sorry. Cartel offered to dance. Cartel offered his hand and Tara took it as Tango music played. Tara and Cartel tangoed. While that was happening, Sophie did the switch. Once the switch was made, Sophie and Kaira found Parker.
"Tell Mattingly Professor Garcia is ready to make a deal." Sophie said.
Sophie handed Parker the briefcase and Parker left, and Kaira followed.
Tara still danced with Cartel.
Parker and Kaira met with Craig upstairs. Parker handed the case to Craig. Craig looked at Kaira like he was trying to figure out who she was. He stopped and opened the case.
"You got this from a teacher?" Craig questioned.
"That must have been some bake sale." Craig said.
"Thumb drive." Parker reached her hand out.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a man of my word." He handed the drive to Parker.
"That's the real deal. The estimates on that are 30 percent lower than the official numbers. It's a game-changer. Hey, hey." Craig stopped Parker.
"It's gonna be real hard to count that money with five broken fingers." Parker threatened.
"And don't think my friend won't, Mattingly." Kaira added to the threat, moving Craigs hand.
"You got me all wrong." Craig said.
Kaira chuckled, and Parker nodded at Kaira.
"You're a second-story man who doesn't care about who he hurts or anything but his next paycheck. You were gonna use a random woman you met online to get into the party to run a stop and shop. Do you even know what this information could do in the wrong hands? Blackmail and fattening bad peoples pockets." Kaira said.
"Look, I'm glad this is going to the good guys for once. I really am. But this is my job. And I have people depending on me, so let's just leave it at that, yeah?" Craig said, looking at Kaira.
"Well, I better go find my friend Peggy." Parker said.
"Who?" Craig questioned.
"The real TabbyFan76." Kaira hissed.
"She really likes cats." Craig said.
"Yeah, a lot. She has like seven." Parker said, causing her and Craig to chuckle.
Parker and Kaira went to leave, but Craig stopped them.
"Hey, look, I never got your real names." Craig said.
"Oh. Parker." Parker said.
"Kaira Spencer. Though, I used to go by Kaira Newton." Kaira answered.
They both went to leave.
"Wait, not the Parker and the Kaira Newton?" Craig questioned as both women left.
Back on the floor, Tara was flirting with Cartel, who she learned his real name was Octavio, saying she wasn't a liar. But Octavio's phone went off, and he said he had to go. Octavio gave Tara come relationship advice and left.
"Escobar's on the move." Tara reported.
"Sophie, you and Kaira stay on Escobar. I'm gonna look for Peggy and make things right." Parker said on comms.
Kaira met with Sophie on the floor as they followed Cartel. Parker went into the kitchen to track Peggy down. Kaira and Sophie hid in a curtain, watching the deal go down with Mattingly.
"It's Mattingly... without the briefcase." Sophie said.
They saw Mattingly pull out the thumb drive.
"That son of a bitch! Two thumb drives? Come on!" Kaira quietly exclaimed.
"Where'd he get a second thumb drive?" Sophie questioned.
Parker was in the kitchen and thought back to her conversation with Mattingly. She realized that when they were in the office, he switched the drives.
"He's not clumsy. He's a dirty liar." Parker said.
She kept walking.
"Yeah. A dirty liar who's about to open a briefcase with nothing but a tape recorder in it." Sophie said.
When the case was opened, it was money.
"Son of a bitch! You switched the briefcases! The hell's going on?" Kaira quietly exclaimed again.
"I don't know, but I'm about to find out." Parker said.
Parker made her way out the kitchen.
Kaira's eyes got wide.
"Oh, shit." Kaira said as her and Sophie left.
When Parker was leaving, she heard grunting and muffled screaming. She opened the fridge where the noises were coming from and Rich Texan fall out, bound in duct tape.
"It's the Rich Texan. Escobar must have stolen his briefcase." Parker said.
Tara was walking across the floor.
"Escobar looked confident. We figured that meant he had a million. It turns out it was because he planned to steal the money from the highest bidder and pocket the rest." Tara explained.
"He must have stashed Rich Texans money. After the switch, he used that money to pay Mattingly." Kaira finished.
She chuckled. A bot later, Sophie and Kaira both saw Mattingly coming out of a room. He grabbed another briefcase.
"Son of a bitch!" Kaira quietly exclaimed.
"He's got both briefcases full of money now. Parker, what should we-" Sophie said.
"He's mine." Parker said.
Kaira groaned, knowing she had to follow Mattingly to make sure Parker didn't kill him.
Sophie met back with Tara on the ballroom floor by the bar.
"Hey. Do you think Escobar realizes that we ripped him off?" Sophie asked.
They saw Escobar grab a champagne flute.
"Would you drink to losing 500k?" Tara asked.
Sophie showed Tara had a point. But then Escobar put the drive in the glass of champagne.
"Wait a minute. What? Why would you pay a briefcase full of cash for something and then throw it away?" Sophie questioned.
Escobar walked away.
"I've only seen this happen one other time before, in Odessa." Tara said.
"What happened in Odessa?" Sophie asked.
"There was a bomb in Odessa." Tara said.
Parker and Kaira had met in the elevator and had gone to Craigs floor. The door opened, revealing Craig was there, briefcases in hand.
"Hey." Craig smirked.
Parker then grabbed Mattingly by the throat and pushed him to the wall.
"Hey, I can explain." Craig said, gasping.
"Too late." Parker said.
"You're lucky grabbing your throat's the only thing my friend's doing." Kaira threatened, showing she was pissed.
"Let him go." Tara ordered.
"Parker." Sophie warned, both women walking up to her.
Kaira nodded to Parker to let him go, and she did, while shoving him down to the floor.
"I thought I had you all wrong, that you had people depending on you." Parker said.
Craig was catching his breath as he stood up.
"I do! I've got two ex-wives, a bookie, and a barkeeper. Well, to be fair, the last two are the same guy, but-" Craig explained, but was cut off by Kaira kicking him in the shins, causing him tocukle.
"Kaira!" Sophie warned.
"Oh, I didn't kick him that hard." Kaira whined.
"We got bigger problems." Tara said, keeping everyone in line.
"Escobar doesn't work for the cartel anymore. He works for the Venezuelan government." Sophie informed the team.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would the government pay for their own data?" Craig questioned.
"Because they're not buying it, you bastard. They're blowing it up. It's what I would've done." Kaira said, realizing the plan.
"Along with everybody else in the building." Sophie added.
The women walked away.
"They can blame the bombings on Professor Garcia, call him a terrorist. Bye-bye opposition leader. Bye-bye, thumb drive." Tara said.
"Everything wrapped in a neat freaking bloody bow." Kaira hissed.
"All thanks to you." Parker added, knowing Craig was following them.
"Well, this was just supposed to be a simple stop-and-shop." Craig said.
"Yeah, you're pretty good at running one of those. Let's see how you are at finding a bomb." Parker taunted.
Kaira gave a smile at Parker.
They kept walking and made it to the ballroom.
"Okay, this place is huge. Where would Escobar hide it?" Parker asked Kaira, looking at her.
"Well, Escobar is too smart to bring it himself." Craig said.
"Subcontractor." Kaira added.
Craig put the briefcases under the table.
"It would have to be someone with unlimited access, maybe a high-level diplomat." Tara said.
"No. That's too complicated, it'd involve too much of a paper trail. A waiter." Kaira realized.
She remembered a particular waiter that had messed up.
"When I was a waiter in high school, the first thing I learned was how to hold a tray with one hand." Kaira added.
"It's a little thin." Tara said.
"Wait, no. I remember the waiter you're talking about." Parker said.
She described the guy.
"All right, so where is this guy?" Tara asked.
Parker immediately got on the phone with Peggy.
"Peggy, one of your waiters is not who he says he is." Parker told her.
Parker then started saying no, concerning Kaira and herself.
"She hung up." Parker said.
Parker grabbed Craig to go after Peggy, and Kaira stayed with Tara and Sophie in the ballroom.
Parker and Craig did get to Peggy in time, before she could do any major damage hitting him with a skillet. Parker disarmed her and kept her from going after the waiter and got her out while Craig got the information they needed.
"It's in a serving cart? Which one?" Sophie said, holding her phone.
She put it down.
"He doesn't know. He was just paid to bring it upstairs." Parker said.
Kaira looked at all the serving carts.
"The one blocking the exit." Kaira said, pointing to a cart blocking the way.
They walked over to it and looked underneath. And there was indeed a bomb attached to the cart.
"Shit! Little over 2 minutes till detonation." Kaira muttered.
They started pushing the cart out of the way.
"How do we defuse it?" Sophie asked, looking at the other two women.
"You're asking me?" Tara questioned.
"Sophie!" Kaira groaned.
"Well, you were both in the army." Sophie pointed out.
"You stole paintings. That doesn't mean you know how to draw." Tara pointed out.
"Well, I took a bomb disposal course and had some assignments in bomb disposal." Kaira took a breath to calm down.
"Really?" Tara questioned.
"Not the time." Kaira muttered.
"All right, first things first, Parker, we need to clear the room. Preferably subtle." Kaira said.
Parker kept yelling kaboom at the mic on stage, and telling people not so subtly that there was a bomb.
"Parker, I was thinking a fire alarm." Kaira groaned.
"Sophie, Kaira, what's the plan?" Parker asked, getting off the stage and getting people out.
"I can defuse it if Hardison can get me the workings." Kaira told Sophie.
Sophie called Hardison. Hardison was at a car lot, being chased by German Shepards.
He jumped up on a gate, trying to get away as his phone rang. He answered, kicking to get the dogs away.
"What?! I'm busy!" Hardison exclaimed.
"Look, I just sent you a picture." Sophie said.
"Oh, let me guess. It's a picture of another handsome dude." Then Hardison started yelling.
Kaira looked at Sophie.
"The hell was that for? Defensive much. Hardison, we're talking about that later." Kaira said, groaning.
"Okay, it's a bomb. Um... whoa." Hardison tried to calm himself down.
"Yes, it is, Hardison. Is that a dog? Hardison, stop playing with the dog and help me." Kaira said, calming down.
"That-that's a radicova night train. Um, it's very sophisticated work. Okay, you see - you see, the, uh - the three wires on the front panel?" Hardison asked.
"Yes." Kaira said.
Less than 40 seconds left on the timer.
"I need you to do this. L-listen. Cut those wires in this sequence - uh, um, primer, reactor, ignition timer." Hardison said.
Kaira looked in her purse and around her, but realized she didn't have a knife nearby.
"Of all the times to forget my damn knife." Kaira muttered to herself. "But-but-but first you got to figure out which one is which So get a nail clipper. Strip the wires. The live one - that's the ignition timer." Sophie, Kaira, and Tara looked at each other, realizing that this was complicated.
"Yes, right, but-but don't cut it yet. Strip. Strip the wires, okay? If you cut it, the bomb will blow. Are you still with me so far?" Hardison said.
"Three wires in sequence. Strip, don't cut." Sophie summed up.
But there was less than 15 seconds on the timer. The women looked at each other, realizing that time was up. So they shoved the cart out through a window and it exploded. The three women sat down at a table and listened to Hardison saying he wasn't sure if they were gonna make it. Tara poured them drinks.
"That is the first thing we've agreed on all night." Sophie said.
The women toasted. They took a sip.
Kaira downed hers and walked outside with Parker and Craig.
"We did it." Craig chuckled a bit.
"Yeah." Parker said.
"We did." Kaira smiled a tad.
"Yeah." Craig hugged Parker and Kaira, though Parker didn't like it.
Parker laughed.
"Okay." Parker let go.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not every day I get to be this close to Parker and Kaira Newton." Craig said.
Both women were confused slightly. Craig looked at Parker.
"Five years ago, I was casing out the Chácara Do Céu Museum in Rio, and you boosted a Matisse right in the middle of Carnival. It's..." Craig said.
"Yeah. I'm-I'm not that big on parties." Parker chuckled.
Craig turned to Kaira.
"And you, I've heard stories of your missions in the Army and things you've stolen. You stole a Monet from that billionaire in Venice during a birthday party. All by yourself." Craig said.
Kaira smiled.
"Yeah, I remember. God, that was-" Kaira said, cutting herself off.
"So, the word is you both got out of the game." Craig said.
"No, no, I-I'm still in the game. I just play by a different set of rules." Parker said.
"Once I found my forever partner, I started playing by new rules." Kaira said, twisting her wedding ring.
Professor Garcia walked over.
"I was told you have something for me." Professor Garcia said to Parker.
Parker handed him a thumb drive.
"You can thank him." Parker pointed at Craig.
"May God bless you. And grant the people of Venezuela their hopes and dreams." Professor Garcia said to Craig.
He left.
"So, stealing. Not for yourself, but for other people's hopes and dreams and whatnot." Craig said to Parker and Kaira.
They both nodded their heads.
"So, I guess what you're saying is that bad guys... don't have to be so bad." Craig said.
"Yeah." Parker said.
"As a good friend once said, "we pick up where the law leaves off." And sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you have." Kaira smiled a bit.
"Hey, before the cops get here, I got something for you." Craig said.
He led the women into the building, and handed them the two briefcases.
They ended up back at the bar, where the briefcases were on the floor. They had invited Peggy. Parker was pouring drinks for the women.
"Alice, yeah, it's okay. You were just looking out for me. And I do know your secret." Peggy said.
"You do?" Parker questioned.
"Yeah. You're a spy." Peggy whispered.
"Mm. That's right. I am a spy." Parker said.
Kaira chuckled a bit. "Yeah. That's totally what it is." Kaira said, trying to hide the lie.
"What a relief." Sophie added.
"Whew. And that is why I cannot tell you anything else about what I do." Parker said.
"You know, the whole national security thing." Kaira played it off.
"Oh, yeah, of course. Of course. I get it." Peggy mimed zipping her mouth shut and laughed.
"Oh, I just wish Escobar hadn't gotten away, right?" Peggy whispered.
"Oh, he won't get far." Sophie said.
Let's just say Escobar had a nice conversation with Detective Grayson (A/N Yes, I know, earlier I called her Detective Grayland. And cause I don't want to go back and fix it, cause It'll take a while, just assume I'm talking about the same person. Carry on!). They laughed.
"You know, all I wanted to do tonight was meet a really nice guy. But I guess I helped stop a bombing, so that's pretty good." Peggy said, causing more laughter.
"Cheers." They all said as they drank their wine.
"You'll find someone, Peggy. You're a good person." Kaira encouraged Peggy.
"Thanks." Peggy said.
"Well, I'm gonna go. But I will see you next week at book club." Peggy looked at Parker.
"Okay, "The Contortionist's Daughter". I am loving it, and I will see you there." Parker said.
"Okay, great." Peggy chuckled as she got up.
Parker mouthed to Sophie and Kaira she didn't like it.
"All right. Oh, and you know what? Marge, you should come, too. And you too, Jane." Peggy said.
"Ah. Okay." Peggy finished, leaving.
"Marge?" Sophie questioned.
"And Jane?" Kaira questioned.
"I had to come up with something. I know. I know." Parker said, putting the wine away.
"Listen, Parker. I want to apologize about giving you the cold shoulder about Hardison earlier." Sophie said.
"And I'm sorry I rushed with my explaining." Kaira said.
"Oh, that's okay. I think I figured it out." Parker said.
"Ooh." Kaira smiled a bit.
"You did?" Sophie questioned.
"Yeah. I mean, I was worried at first, cause Hardison and I are different, the stuff we like. But I just spent all night with Mattingly, a guy who likes all the same stuff I do. And you know what? I would have been more fun with Hardison. So I guess the same is boring." Parker said.
Kaira chuckled a bit.
"Well, up to a point. The best way I can explain it Parker is the person you love, they will change you to be better. With them, you can tear down the walls you formed around your heart. Sometimes, they're different. Sometimes, they're similar. We don't choose who we fall in love with. It just happens." Kaira started playing with her wedding ring again.
"But this is a good step for you two." Kaira smiled again at Parker, and took a sip of her wine.
Parker nodded, indicating she understood what Kaira meant.
"Where is Mattingly, anyway?" Parker asked, sipping her wine.
"Oh, he took the cab behind us." Sophie said.
Kaira about choked on her wine. "Wasn't that Tara's cab?" Kaira questioned.
"Yeah, it was." Sophie said.
"The things we do for friends." Sophie said, drinking her wine.
And it didn't take much for Kaira to figure out where those two's night was going.
"Know what, good for her." Kaira said, surprisingly not embarrassed about it.
So girl's night didn't exactly go to plan, but no one died, and Kaira ended the night with the same amount of clothes as she started with. All in all, the women all learned something.
