Chapter 22

It had been just over forty five minutes since Nate had phoned Eliot when the team pulled up outside bungalow 10 at Die Oog. Sterling met them at the door and Sophie stopped only briefly to give him a cold look before entering and walking up to Nate. She stopped just short of him looking up at him and noting the cuts and bruises on his face and knowing there were others in other places too. Before anybody could say anything Sophie's hand flew up and slapped Nate through the face, then she stepped in, grabbed his head and pulling him into her gave him a long, desperate kiss.

"I'm sorry." He whispered softly as she pulled away leaning her forehead against his.

"Not good enough Nate." Sophie said as she again raised her hand but this time gently laid it on his cheek. "You do this every time. Not just to me but to them." She said stepping away from him. "I can't do this anymore you know, it's not fair to me." Sophie continued. "So I will help you finish this. Then I am done, finished. Marriage is not just about love Nate, it is about honesty, loyalty and trust. I know you love me, I know you want to protect me, but all you do is hurt me with your behaviour. Trust, honesty…I think I deserve that, and so do they…"

"Sophie…"

"No more Nate…" Sophie said her voice full of emotion. Then she swung around to face Sterling.

"Sophie…" Sterling said meeting her gaze.

"I don't want to hear it Sterling, you ever do something like this again and so help me I will make you pay. Clear?" She told him She was angry with him for involving Nate in the way he had, but understood why he had done it. If it had been her daughter she would have done the same.

"Crystal." Sterling said softly and left it at that, he was not going to try to defend his actions, he had done what he needed to in order to get his daughter back and he would do it again in the same circumstances.

"Good. Now what is the plan so that we can put Derby out of action, get your daughter and go home?"

Eliot watched the scene play out. Sophie had threatened to leave before, in fact she had left before, although that was a long time ago, before they were married, before a lot of things. He could see the hurt in her eyes, could feel the raw emotion emanating from her. Would this pass he wondered? Would she go through with it? He glanced over at the younger members of the team and saw Parker was wearing her customary pout and Hardison stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders looking almost like a lost boy. Neither of the two liked it when Sophie and Nate were fighting, and both, he could see, were wondering like he was if Sophie really would leave Nate and what that would mean for all of them if she did.

"Well what do we know?" Nate asked the group.

"We know that there is another shipment, but not when exactly it is coming in." Sterling said.

"They are probably there already." Sophie added.

"Why would you say that?" Sterling asked.

"He said that they were waiting for the shipment in a matter of hours yesterday afternoon when Sophie was out there with them. That means they probably arrived overnight. Add to that he said he would be seeing Sophie today, now that could mean that they received and shipped the girls elsewhere already but I doubt that. The question is not when they are bringing the girls in it is when they are planning to ship them out again and to where." Eliot explained.

"Ok." Nate said as he walked over to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup, adding a little extra as well. "So we assume the girls are there already and that it won't be long before they are going to be shipped out to where ever they are going. Add to that Derby is going to be on high alert when he finds no Sophie at the lodge waiting for him this morning."

"That could be used to our advantage." Sophie said softly.

"How?" Hardison asked her looking at her as an uneasy feeling settled over him. Sophie had a plan and he was sure that Nate was not going to like it.

"Well, he is not going to assume that I just left, he will find his man there and that man will tell him that I just disappeared over night. Now what is the first thing he is going to think?"

"That your husband…" Parker looked over at Nate and smiled. "Had something to do with it…"

"Your husband?" Nate asked looking at Sophie not knowing what story she had used to get close to the man.

"Yes my emotionally abusive, controlling and dangerous husband that I no longer want to be with." Sophie affirmed looking directly at Nate and making him squirm.

"So how does that help us?"

"He will be distracted and concentrate his efforts and manpower to get me back." Sophie said with confidence, she knew when she had hooked her mark and she had hooked Derby good and solid, he would want her back, and he would not let anything stop him from taking what he saw as his now, namely her.

"Sure of yourself aren't you?" Sterling said and received a withering look from Sophie which told him to keep his mouth shut.

Nate looked from Sterling to Sophie and then nodded to himself. The beginnings of a plan were starting to form.

"Nate…" Sophie said watching him closely, she knew him, knew him well, and could see that he had a plan but was hesitating and she knew that was because of her involvement, not matter what she said or threatened, he would try to keep her out of harms way, even if that meant losing her.

"What's the plan, and don't think I am going to sit on the side-lines, you need me and you know it. I can take care of myself." Sophie told him.

Nate looked up and into her eyes. He loved this woman. It had taken him a long time to admit that and an even longer time to do something about it and the last thing he wanted to do was put her in danger. The very reason he had left the Leverage crew and taken her with him was to avoid this situation. It was not because he was tired of the game, it was not because he believed it was time to quit, it was because one day he knew he would have to put together a plan in a situation like this, a plan that may go wrong and get somebody killed. He saw these people, minus Sterling of course, as his family and he did not want to be the one responsible for any one of their deaths, he would not be able to live with himself.

"Spill it Nate." Eliot growled seeing the conflict on the man's face and knowing what was going through his mind.

"Ok…" Nate said finishing his coffee and filling his mug with only whiskey this time. "Here's the plan."

Another chapter down. Action is coming I promise. Hope you enjoyed.