The three men entered the hotel suite in Paris, not showing the slightest sign of outward tension. One of them was totally unconcerned, while another was very stressed about his boss's safety. Of course his job was to be stressed about safety and he got paid quite well to be stressed. He also knew that if something happened to his boss, then his life expectancy might extend out about five minutes past the demise of the boss. It was a motivating factor that no corporation could figure out to harness for their employees. The third man was more concerned about the safety of the boss's money than the boss's body. He had researched for nearly two months to find the best for the job that needed to be done, and this was the result. His boss trusted him to find the right person, and if the boss lost money on the job, then his life expectancy was quite small. All in all, he felt highly motivated to make sure before the deal was struck that all bases were covered.

The door opened silently, and they were all aware of the young man and woman on either side of it as it snapped shut behind them. They couldn't have been more twins if you stamped a sign on their foreheads. Both of them were blondes with very similar features, and wearing identical dark blue silk suits, although hers was femininely tailored, and her shirt beneath was a white lace number rather than his dress shirt. The men were used to seeing quality, and knew that they weren't looking at off-the-rack clothing. The twins were absolutely quiet, but watching everything carefully. It was slightly nerve-wracking, but the men were used to such situations.

The person they were here to see was sitting on the couch across the room. There was a tea service on the glass table in front of her, and a phone. Two matching chairs were on the other side of the table. The woman sitting there rose from her seat, smiling warmly at them. Her dark brown curls ran in a playful riot around her face and shoulders, and her dark eyes held a rather pleased expression. She was extremely attractive to all of the men, her off-white suit looking professional, but still showing her rather appealing figure.

"Good afternoon gentlemen," she greeted, her French accent gentle on the ear and adding a charming touch to her whole appearance. "I am Jaqui," she introduced, holding her hand out delicately to the lead man. "It is very nice to finally get to meet you in person, Monsieur Southwood."

"As with you," he replied, his accent marking him as British. Neither of them was fooled. They could really be French and British or Russian, Italian, American or German. It didn't matter. Polite fiction could be maintained for the sake of business. He glanced around. "Your clients normally wait by the door?" he asked.

She gave a little laugh. "No, Monsieur, my clients do not attend such meetings. My associates by the door are personal employees of mine. My clients are on the phone as we speak." Southwood glanced at the phone, and she added, "They will only speak to me in private. They are rather concerned for their privacy as you can imagine. They will listen in, and then we shall speak and I will let you know if they accept your proposal."

She could tell the Southwood didn't exactly like the idea, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He wanted their services. He had to play on their rules for now. The system they had devised was for their protection, not the client's pleasure.

"Well then, I certainly hope that your clients are worth such odd measures," he commented, the threat implied subtle, yet obvious.

She didn't flinch. She was used to such statements. If he tried anything then he would learn just how special her "personal employees" were. It was really helpful when your partners would know that the other guy was about to make a move before he even twitched. It was actually pretty amusing if one cared to think about it.

"Monsieur," she replied, "My clients are nothing short of spectacular."

Southwood gave her a curt nod and then gestured to the man on his right. "This is Mr. Bentley," he introduced. "He researched and found that you would be the best to provide us with the services that we require. He was the man that initially contacted you." He didn't introduce the third man, which was the entire introduction that was needed. Bentley might do some talking, but the other one was muscle if needed. Jaqui loved being underestimated. She sat down on the couch, and Bentley and Southwood sat down in the chairs across from her. The unnamed man took up a position near the window close to them. With grace and delicacy she poured the three of them a cup of tea before getting to the heart of the meeting.

"Now, Monsieur," she said, "you wished to meet to discuss a job that you would like performed for you. We are now meeting. Monsieur Bentley did not give me any details in our correspondence." This had to be important to him to be handling so personally. Most men in his position wouldn't want any witnesses to know that he had given an order like this. Of course, worst case scenario, there wouldn't be any witnesses left to testify.

"It would seem that the Italian Conte di LiCossa has a piece of property that in effect belongs to me," Southwood replied bluntly.

He's American, Jaqui thought. Europeans dance about a bit more. Americans cut straight to the heart of the matter. Not as delicate, but wastes less time. "I can see how that would be a problem to you," she commented casually, then taking a sip of her tea. "Am I to assume this piece of property is rather valuable?"

Bentley flipped open the attaché case beside him and pulled out a picture. One perfectly plucked and shaped eyebrow lifted as Jaqui looked at the picture. She thought the sapphire that they had just delivered was beautiful? This was exquisite, and it was just a picture. "One also assumes this is not rhinestones," she said, her smile taking on a slightly teasing note.

"No," Southwood replied. "I would not want it if it was fake. The fact of the matter is that it is over four hundred years old, and belongs to my family, not the Conte's. A court would not even entertain letters written hundreds of years ago to prove ownership. My ancestors tried to negotiate for it's return, but none of them were able to. I am a man of action, and I simply want what is mine." He drank his tea, his eyes meeting hers unwaveringly. He seemed to be telling the truth. Maybe he was. She would know for sure in a few minutes.

"What do you know of the security there?" she asked. "My clients have no problems in righting a wrong, but there would be those that have a problem with their methods. Some would say their methods were even criminal. They do not want to be punished for helping someone in need."

"It's extremely good," Bentley answered. He pulled out some sheets of paper and handed it to her for quick perusal. Damn, "extremely" didn't come close to describing it. They had a radio wave detector that would let them know if someone was using radio communications around them, like what the trio normally used when they were lifting something. That was just the start of security. Can we say paranoid? She looked again at the picture of the diamond necklace. They had a reason to be. She wished they could do greed just once. She would love to own something that beautiful.

Jaqui quietly hung up the phone, and then stood, the two men rising with her. "I shall call back my clients from the other room and discuss this with them," she said. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I shall be back in just a moment." She turned to leave, and the young woman by the door finally moved, following her quietly. The man remained at her post, still saying nothing, yet observing all. Southwood's thought that the twins must be the thieves was dispelled. There was no way a man of that caliber would just stay there and let his sister make the decisions for him. No, they were just bodyguards, and it was better that the man keep an eye out over the men.

In the other room, they flicked on some sound bafflers just to make sure nobody could hear them. Cam would let them know if someone went to the door, but you never knew how voices carried in a hotel like this. Janna plopped down at the desk while Liz sat, cross-legged, on the bed. "What did you get?" Janna asked.

"He's really good at hiding thoughts," Liz replied. "All three of them are, actually. But he was lying about the necklace being his."

(there's something he's mixed up in with the mafia and money…not sure exactly what it is; it's still hidden, but he wants it for money and not aesthetic reasons, that's for sure)

Cameron's thought rippled into Elizabeth's mind as he "listened" in on their conversation through her. She held up a finger to Janna to let her know that she was talking to her brother. Janna was used to such exchanges, and waited patiently. She let the two of them "read" her while getting information from prospects, so they knew the target and what they were going up against already.

(well, duh…we both know that, but there's something else there that i don't like that i can't put my finger on…he's not telling the whole truth, maybe that's part of it)

(there's something wrong with this whole deal…how much is he paying us)

Liz repeated the question to Janna. She normally waited until after they got the facts before telling the twins what it was worth. If money wasn't clouding their judgment, they made better choices. Janna had no doubt that she could figure out a way to get around the security, but they were the ones actually going in. It was their call, and they had refused several commissions. Maybe that was what had made them so popular.

Janna named the figure. The fee, plus some expenses they would get back. Liz blinked. Cameron blinked. That was more money then they had gotten for their last two jobs together. So the guy had some problems with the Mafia. Big deal. He couldn't be that short on cash if he was willing to pay them. Maybe there was more to it, but who cared. For the most part, private collectors that just wanted something very special, for personal pleasure, had contracted them. Whatever Southwood's reasons were, the fee was, well, enough to make them overlook those little doubts. Liz asked her brother about a little test.

(if he doesn't freak about how long we'll need to prep for the job?)

(true…if he gives us the time to do it right, then he's probably enough on the level…we know he's not a cop)

"Okay," Liz said to Janna. "We'll do it, but it's going to take several weeks to prep for it. If he tries to push us, then we back out of the whole deal."

Janna nodded. "Good thinking. Maybe I'm getting some blowback from you guys reading his mind, but he's really got my hackles up." She almost hoped that he would protest and insist that they make delivery in a matter of days. Then that would be something other than this nebulous feeling in the pit of her stomach that would make her refuse the contract all together.

They got up and turned off the sound bafflers. Liz resumed her subservient position, and opened the door for her cousin, and then went back to her post. It was funny to her to watch Janna become Jaqui. Her whole posture changed and she went from casual and playful to elegant and sophisticated in the blink of an eye. Funny. But men noticed. Their eyes were usually stuck to her butt the whole time she was in one of those classy little suits.

"Gentlemen," Jaqui said, sounding quite pleased. "My clients accept your proposal. The fee I discussed with Mr. Bentley will be adequate for them, however, as I said to him that does not include getting your property out of the country. I shall deliver it to you anywhere in the country, but I will not remove it beyond the borders."

"That is satisfactory," Southwood said, seeming a bit relaxed that they were going to take the job. "When can I expect to receive my property?"

"I would expect delivery in six to seven weeks," Jaqui answered, waiting for the explosion.

His faced immediately flushed red with anger. "Six weeks!"

"Possibly seven," she said calmly.

He shot Bentley a harsh glance, who paled under the withering look. "I was under the impression that I could have my property quickly."

"Monsieur," she said in a soothing tone, "Such things only happen in the movies. In real life, there is a great deal of preparation that goes into such a contract. My clients have to find out how to deal with the security in advance, and then do the dry runs to make sure all is well. I assure you sir that the time they take to prepare will be well worth it. It is the reason why they are so good at what they do. They make sure they will do it right so that neither you nor they are ever exposed."

He mulled that over for a moment. "When do you expect your fee then?" he questioned. She had already discussed this with Bentley, but he wanted to know why he was going to have to pay now. Jaqui had heard this before. She would again.

"My clients require half as a retainer," she answered. "That way they can properly prepare and do all that is required to ensure that you will get your property. Mr. Bentley has been given a Swiss bank account number. When the money is deposited, you can expect your property in six to seven weeks. When I deliver the merchandise, there will be a computer with me, hooked to the account. When the rest of the money is deposited, then your property will be handed to you and we shall conclude our business. Is that a problem for you?"

Southwood's jaw worked slightly. "No," he finally said. "I will have to trust that it is all worth the wait."

Jaqui smiled. "Your property will be in hand by Christmas morning, Monsieur Southwood. You have waited four hundred years. What are a few more weeks to the spirits of your ancestors?"

"Then I shall see you in a few weeks," he replied. "You will of course give me a date to have a representative in Italy?"

"Oui," she answered. "Until then, I bid you aurevoir."

Cameron opened the door, and the three men left. The door shut, and the twins both breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing from their stuff and formal postures. Janna sat back down and propped her feet up on the table, leaning back on the couch. The twins sprawled into the chairs across from her.

"You know," Cam said, "after this I think we all deserve a long break."

"Yeah," Janna replied. "Besides, Mom and Dad have been bugging me to come back to the States for a while. It would be nice to spend Christmas with the family and have a long visit. Long enough to remember why I don't live there anymore at any rate."

Liz and Cam laughed. They loved their family, but it was so overwhelming at times. All of their parents believed they were just working menial jobs in Europe and spending some time getting out the restlessness before settling down. Heather and Daniel had picked careers easily, but the twins said that they just didn't know what they wanted. They weren't living off of the parents; so letting them have some time was probably good for them. Actually Dad had made the biggest protest about them being so far away, but surprisingly, Mom had come to their defense. She reminded him that they had spent a lot of time on their own, and that had made them stronger and more mature. Heather's career and Daniel's family had been the maturing factors they needed. With the twins undecided, let them have a little fun and be on their own.

Janna, being an only child, had a little harder of a time. She had dropped out of college, and met up with her younger cousins in France. Her parents nearly had a stroke. Aunt Cindy ended up telling Max that she had raised a child just like herself, and the kid needed some freedom. Least she wasn't breaking into police headquarters looking for records for Eye's Only. They had grudgingly conceded that maybe this was good for her. She was actually a talented artist, but didn't have the patience to study and develop it in an academic setting. Studying it like this, by seeing the real works of art and studying the masters on her own might just be what she needed. She had done a few paintings while in Europe that had sold, and they all had to admit she was improving dramatically being on her own.

In any case, they were ready for a vacation. It had been a while since they had been home, and it would be nice to see the family again. After this job, they could take a year off and it not have any impact on their finances. Well, they would probably get bored and go back to work in a few months, but for now it was nice to think about the long break they would be taking.