When Kaira and Eliot got called in, she wasn't expecting this case. A woman whose husband got the shit beaten out of him because they asked questions about the legitimacy of the adoption agency they used. Kaira sat down with Eliot, trying to stay calm.
The team joined her for the briefing.
"So Irina let Luka stay with the Mortons for a week. That's when this was taken." Nate said, showing the picture on the screens.
"What happened to the boy afterwards?" Sophie asked.
"Don't know. A car came along and picked him up, took him away." Nate said.
"That's cruel. You don't just let someone desperate to be a mother spend time with a kid and just take them away without expecting them to ask questions." Kaira said, trying to stay calm.
The team sensed her anger. "Are we seriously considering this, huh? Swiping a kid?" Eliot questioned.
"Yeah well - what happened to you?" Nate asked, noticing the wounds on Eliot's face.
Kaira tried to keep a straight face.
"Well, how was I supposed to know it was a lesbian bar?" Eliot said.
Nate chuckled.
"Me and Eliot went to a bar, didn't really know the name. We just walked in and a girl flirted with me, thinking I was a lesbian, and Eliot got defensive, she clocked him." Kaira explained the story.
The team chuckled a bit.
"Okay, listen - money, jewels, paintings - those we steal. But a little boy?" Sophie questioned, not liking the target.
"We help people who have nowhere else to go. The U.S government isn't gonna help because they went outside the system. And over there, it's the wild west." Nate explained.
"No records, no paper trails. We're supposed to find one orphan." Hardison said.
"How do we even know this kid is an orphan?" Eliot asked.
Hardison pulled up the Morton's camera footage of Luka.
"See him pocketing those cookies? He's hoarding food. That bag on the table - he keeps his essentials light and portable. He knows he's gonna be taken away at any moment. And there, when she goes to touch him, he flinches. He's expecting... for her to... trust me he's an orphan." Parker said, causing an alarm with Kaira.
"Well, if he's in a bad situation, shouldn't we try to get him for the Morton's? I know they'll take care of him." Kaira said.
"We will. Hardison, hit it." Nate ordered.
"Irina Larenko. Former Russian model. She had a decent career in the '80s. She did the whole Paris Fashion circuit. Uh, she had some small parts in some small films." Hardison explained.
"Really? Like, what films?" Sophie asked.
"Some... French films." Hardison answered.
"Like what?" Kaira questioned. Hardison stammered a bit.
"Emmanuelle Unleashed." Hardison said.
"She was Tatiyana. Yeah, this was when they rebooted the franchise." Eliot said, recognizing Irina.
"That's right - Emmanuelle at the space station who rides the controls." Nate said.
"Yeah, yeah." Eliot chuckled, getting looks from Sophie and Kaira.
Hardison cleared his throat.
"Okay. Anyway, she started living a little too hard. She fell in with some Russian mobsters. She wound up grifting her way through Europe. She ended up in Belgrade a few years ago." Hardison explained.
"Alright, what's the adoption scam?" Eliot asked.
"Okay, so you're looking to adopt a kid, right? You log on to a legitimate adoption website. You follow one of the links on the side, it leads you to Irina. Now she just shows you a bunch of pictures, strings you along a little bit, and she hits you up for some money." Hardison explained.
"Yeah, it's just like the Spanish Prisoner scam." Sophie explained.
"And then she hooks you until she bleeds you dry." Nate said.
"Yeah, but how does she get the kids?" Parker asked.
"After the war, there was, what, a hundred thousand orphans in Serbia. She could be getting them from anywhere." Hardison explained. \
"Where is Irina now?" Kaira asked.
"Well, she closed her office in Belgrade after the incident with the Morton's. However... her name popped up on an invitation to a party at the embassy next week - very exclusive." Hardison explained.
"All right. We're gonna do this the old fashioned way - a little hook and hook. Pack your bags. We're going to Belgrade." Nate said. He got up.
"Hey, can we - can we stop off in Paris on the way?" Sophie asked.
"Uh, maybe on the way back." Nate said.
Then the rest of the gang left. Kaira took Parker aside.
"Parker, you gonna be cool? Cause I need you to be cool on this one." Kaira said, a hand on Parker's shoulder in comfort.
"Yeah. I'm cool." Parker said. The gang left to get ready.
They arrived in Belgrade at the Embassy the next week. Kaira and Parker were waiters, Eliot was a guest, and Hardison was on the computer with Sophie as she already met the ambassador, and Nate was oversight as always. Parker went over to Irina and her plus one and he looked at Parker, interested. Kaira went over with some food and offered a smile. He reciprocated the smile. Eliot was chatting with some girls to blend in. Eliot saw Kaira and went up to her, acting like he was getting food.
"You gonna be okay with me flirting for my cover?" Eliot asked.
"Yeah, cowboy. Just as long as I know you're coming home with me at the end of the night." Kaira said, flirting, and walked away, leaving Eliot flustered a bit.
Eliot went back to the ladies as Parker walked by. He grabbed a glass of champagne he had on the table.
"Do you have eyes on Irina?" Nate asked.
"Yes. And she's with someone." Parker said.
"That's never stopped me before." Eliot said.
Parker walked away.
"Men." Kaira muttered under her breathe.
"Get me a picture." Nate ordered.
"On it." Kaira said, grabbing the phone Hardison gave her.
She held it up and acted like she was trying to get better reception and snapped a picture and sent it to Hardison.
"You know, this would be easier if you were in here." Eliot said.
"Well, we would be if Sophie wasn't already old friends with the ambassador." Nate said.
Kaira chuckled.
"I wouldn't say old friends exactly. I still have that tiara, though." Sophie said.
"Hardison, anything on the facial recognition? Come on." Nate questioned, getting impatient.
"Hey, I'm working on a laptop in a borrowed office." Hardison said, unamused.
"You know, just hurry up." Nate ordered.
"It's not so fun working in the crappy command center, is it? No, see, you're usually off doing your European spy thing. Well, welcome to my world." Hardison said.
"Hardison, I appreciate all you do. And sometimes the European spy shit isn't fun, just saying." Kaira said.
Just a few seconds later, Hardison got a hit.
"Oh. I-I got a hit - fast. That's weird. I got a face match but no name. This file's already on my hard drive. That's the guy that - that - that's the guy who picked up the kid from the Morton's." Hardison said.
"It sure is him. Hey Parker, I need you to lift his wallet. We need more info." Nate ordered.
"Eliot... get ready to meet Irine. I'll give you your cues." Sophie said.
"You know, I have picked up women before, all right?" Eliot said.
"Hey cowboy, your southern charm and rattlesnake smile may have worked on me, but Irina is a professional grifter. She's gonna see right through your moves." Kaira said.
She moved over to Parker, who was up against a railing.
"Parker, have you found him yet?" Nate asked.
"No. I can't believe I lost him." Parker said.
Kaira was walking towards Parker when she saw the guy come up right next to Parker.
"Well, hello, beautiful." He said in a European accent.
"Found him." Parker said.
Kaira went to the side but stayed in sight.
"Okay Parker I'll guide you. Nate, keep quiet about cues. Sophie only focus on Eliot. I've got you, Parker. Hardison, keep the smart ass remarks to yourself." Kaira ordered.
"And who has come to shame the splendor of Belgrade with her beauty?" He asked.
"Okay, Parker. Say your name is Maria." Kaira said.
"Maria." Parker said.
"Maria. Beautiful name for a beautiful lady." The man said.
"Tell me, Maria, what brings you to Serbia?" The man asked.
"Parker, say your an exchange student from the states studying European history. Make sure to maintain eye contact and smile a bit. That shows you're interested. And soften your voice. It shows an innocence to you. " Kaira said.
"I'm an exchange student. I major in European History." Parker said, giving a slight smile.
"Good. Now ask him his name." Kaira said.
"What's your name?" Parker asked.
"Nicolas Obrovic, at you service." He said.
It was silent for a moment as Eliot flirted with Irina and Sophie gave him cues and Sophie revealed, kinda, that she uses the grifter tricks on Nate.
"So... where are you from?" Nicolas asked.
"Say you're from Los Angeles. That's a commonplace where people look to travel from." Kaira said.
"Los Angeles." Parker answered.
Nicolas chuckled.
"Okay he's comfortable. Good job." Kaira complimented.
"What hobbies do you have?" Nicolas asked.
"Okay Parker, say that you enjoy traveling, but that you're saying in Belgrade to work to pay off student loans." Kaira suggested.
"I enjoy traveling. Though I'm in Belgrade working to pay off my student loans." Parker said.
Then Nate and Sophie were arguing.
"Hey, you, uh, manipulating me?" Nate asked.
"Nate, really, now?" Sophie said.
"Well..." Nate said quietly.
"No, give her a time limit. Tell her you can't stay long. All relationships are about manipulation." Sophie said, talking to Eliot and Nate.
"Oh, that - that's so cynical." Nate said, talking to Sophie.
"Perfect. Now step back. Yeah, let her come to you." Sophie said to Eliot.
"Why is that cynical, huh? Because I don't leave my personal life to chance?" Sophie questioned.
Kaira guided Parker through some more questions as she continued listening to Nate and Sophie.
"Well, no because I mean, you say all-" Nate was saying before Hardison tried to get their attention.
"Guys, guys." Hardison said.
"That's not." One of them said before Hardison interrupted again.
"Really, guys. seriously? Come on now, look - if you're done with your little banter, I actually got useful information, okay? Nicolas Obrovic - Organized crime ties. Smuggling. Now, he went legit five years ago. He took over a government agency that takes in families from the Kosovo War - relocation's and lost relatives, things like that." Hardison explained.
"Yeah, all right. That explains how she gets the kids. This guy could lead us right to Luka. Okay, Parker try this..." Nate said before telling Parker what to say.
Parker looked at the horizon. "It's amazing to see how far Serbia's come, but the scars must still be there. I mean, all the families who suffered during the war." Parker said, a brighter tone to her voice.
"Yes, but history always has its casualties." Nicolas said, unsympathetic.
"Yes, but those families and all of those children." Parker said sympathetically before Nicolas cut her off.
"It's tragic, yes. But the strong, the smart, the... the beautiful, they survive." Nicolas was saying.
Kaira saw in Parker's body language that she was dissociating, thinking about something.
"Parker, stay cool." Kaira warned.
"Not everyone... is worth saving." Nicolas said before Kaira saw Parker grab a fork.
"Parker, don't!" Kaira exclaimed.
It was too late. She stabbed Nicolas in the shoulder. He called for a bodyguard. She then panicked.
"Parker! Dammit!" Kaira exclaimed, angry as she tried to find an exit for her and Eliot.
Parker jumped off the balcony.
"Ow!" Sophie exclaimed about something.
"What's going on? What - what happened?" Nate asked.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm - I'm getting a bunch of calls to the police. What the hell is going on down there?" Hardison questioned, confused.
"Parker stabbed Obrovic with a fork!" Kaira exclaimed, angry.
The team groaned a bit.
"I'm gonna lose Irina." Eliot said.
"No you won't cowboy." Kaira said, trying to calm down to think.
"Okay, all right, all right, hold on. Maybe Irina is gonna go after Nicolas, see what's happened to him." Nate suggested, also trying to think.
"Unh-unh. No, no, no, no, no. She wouldn't risk that. No, no, no. They'd be prepared. They'd have a safe house. A dead drop for further instructions - that's what I'd do." Sophie said.
"Yes. That's right. That's exactly what you'd do. Okay, Eliot, listen up. We don't have much time." Nate said before giving Eliot a cue.
"Listen, sweetheart, I-I-I-I apologize. I have to get out of here. I have a - I have an early call time tomorrow, so..." Eliot said before Irina interrupted.
"Call time?" Irina questioned.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm here producing a film, among other things - trying to produce. There's a - there's a lot of roles left to cast." Eliot said.
Irina got excited. "You know, I used to be actress." Irina said.
"You're kidding me." Eliot acted surprised.
"Quite good, you know." Irina said.
"You wouldn't - You wouldn't want - I mean, it's - it's a really small role." Eliot said.
"There are no small roles. Here." Irina said excitedly, handing Eliot a card.
"This is perfect." Eliot said with a slight smile.
"I have to go." Irina said.
"I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll have a car sent to this address in the morning that will pick you up." Eliot said.
"Okay, thank you." Irina said before saying goodbye and leaving.
Kaira went to find Eliot and meet up with the rest of the team.
"So, how did you know that Irina would go for the movie thing?" Sophie asked.
"A European grifter who wants to be an actress? Lucky guess." Nate said, obviously implying Sophie was the inspiration.
"Where's Parker?" Nate asked as Eliot and Kaira walked in.
"How the hell should I know?" Eliot questioned, taking off the tie.
"I can't reach her on comms. She slipped past the security grid at the embassy." Hardison reported.
Eliot stood next to Kaira as she held on to Eliot's arm, worried for Parker.
"Where could she be?" Sophie asked.
"This is Parker we're talking about. She could be halfway across Europe by now. Trust me - she is gone." Hardison said.
"Who's gone?" Parker said, appearing next to Sophie, startling Kaira a bit.
The team gave her looks.
"What?" Parker questioned.
"Parker, you can't just stab someone when you don't like what they say. And you said you would be cool." Kaira said upset, looking at Parker.
She was silent.
"So, Irina's expecting to be in a movie. What do we do now?" Sophie questioned.
"Now? We steal a movie." Nate chuckled, walking away.
They went to the safe house as they got ready to steal a movie. Kaira and Eliot laid in bed.
"You did good today, Kaira." Eliot smiled at his girlfriend.
"Thanks. You did too. Got Irina on the hook. Now we got a chance to take her down." Kaira complimented.
"Thanks. You holding up okay?" Eliot asked.
"Yeah, cowboy. Just a bit nervous about the movie set." Kaira said, trying to smile.
Eliot placed a soft kiss on Kaira's forehead.
"It's gonna work out. I love you, Kaira." Eliot said, comforting Kaira.
"I love you too, Eliot." Kaira smiled.
Eliot took his free hand and cupped Kaira's neck as he pulled her into another kiss. They wished each other good night and went to bed.
The next day, they got the movie set.
Kaira acted as Eliot's driver and picked up Irina. Parker was the production assistant, Hardison was props, Nate was the director, Sophie was a role to be determined, and Eliot was the producer. Kaira also was the production assistant to watch Parker. Kaira arrived with Irina as Eliot met with them.
Kaira stayed back in case Irina would recognize her, but stayed close enough to watch Parker. Kaira followed Parker back to the props bus.
"This is ridiculous." Parker complained, taking off her headset.
Kaira sat on the other side of the bus.
"Tell me about it. We're supposed to believe these are real?" Hardison complained as he sat in between the women, playing with the prop gun.
"This is what he expects me to do, fetch scripts and water?" Parker questioned.
"No, Parker. It's a trust thing. Nate just needs to know you're going to go along with the game plan." Kaira said, comforting Parker.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it - we're a team." Parker said.
Kaira and Hardison looked at each other.
"A little more than a team. I'm just saying." Hardison said.
Kaira nodded her head in agreement. She viewed this team as her family. Hardison was like the younger annoying brother, Parker was like the younger sister, Nate was like a father, and Sophie was like a mom to Kaira. She looked up to Sophie for little things she does to be a better grifter. She watched Nate formulate plans in his head and she watched the process, learning to be a mastermind. Kaira just smiled at the thought.
Then Eliot started walking towards them.
"Hardison?" Eliot clapped his hands to get his attention.
"Let's go, man. Do you have it?" Eliot questioned, impatient.
"Aw, not yet. Uh, Sophie, Sophie, we need that scene. Are you finished with it yet?" Hardison called out to her.
"It's in the box on the back of the truck." Sophie called out.
Hardison reached behind and found the script. Kaira grabbed it from Hardison and looked at it. Kaira got annoyed.
"Sophie, you were supposed to write a simple two-page scene between a mother and a boy matching Luka's description!" Kaira exclaimed.
Eliot grabbed the script.
"That's still the heart of it." Sophie argued.
"The heart of it? There's like 10 pages here! You have a stunt. You have special effects." Eliot listed, annoyed.
Parker grabbed the script.
"Sister Magda crosses and gets a loaf of bread. Wait, who's Sister Magda?" Parker questioned.
Then Sophie appeared beside them, wearing a white nun's outfit. Kaira rolled her eyes.
"Yep. Saw that coming." Kaira retorted as she left with Eliot.
The rest joined her inside.
Kaira listened as Nate and Sophie argued about the scene.
"Of course you need the nun! You can't give Irina the death scene." Sophie argued.
"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa. What - what death scene?" Nate questioned.
"In the second act. But the thing is, you -" Sophie was saying before Nate cut her off.
"What?" Nate asked.
"You have to establish, you know, the main character's dramatic need. Otherwise, there's no emotional payoff in the resolution." Sophie explained.
"Right. Wait. This - this is a movie about NATO troops being attacked by werewolves! No. There is no emotional payoff!" Nate exclaimed.
"Excuse me?" Sophie questioned, offended.
"All we need to do is convince her to bring Luka to the set to finish her scene, complete it, and that's it. Let's just keep this simple." Nate said.
"Listen. All right, look around you. Look - look at all this. This - this is my world, okay? You need - you need someone to, I don't know, crawl through an air duct, you call Parker. Bash a head in - Eliot. Internet porn - Hardison. Need someone to grift, steal, and fight - Kaira. If you need someone to take over a movie, then..." Sophie was about to say before Nate cut her off again.
"Yes, an - an actor. Right, um, Sophie... about the acting..." Nate was about to say before Sophie interrupted again.
"Oh, yeah? What? What is it?" Sophie questioned. Nate went silent, wanting to tell her the truth, but couldn't.
"You're right. Y-you're right. You know, we're gonna go - we're gonna go with your scene." Nate said.
As Sophie got excited and kissed Nate on the cheek. She left as Nate threw the script.
They got set up for the scene. Nate sat down on his seat, holding a prop gun.
"Okay, everybody, tense up!" Nate said, firing the gun.
Kaira rolled her eyes again as she stood near her boyfriend.
"And... action!" Nate called.
Sophie did her scene, which actually didn't go that bad. Kaira saw the camera had no film, so she recorded the scene with her phone. She kept it to send to Sophie later. The scene finished with Sophie on the ground.
"And... cut!" Nate called. \\
Everyone was clapping. "She can act when it's an act." Nate whispered to Kaira and Eliot.
They walked away, Eliot was not amused. Eliot, Nate, and Kaira went over to Sophie.
"That was amazing Sophie!" Kaira complimented, giving Sophie a hug. Nate stumbled to try and compliment Sophie.
"Hey. I'm gonna need that for my reel, okay?" Sophie said, looking at the cameraman.
She walked away as Kaira blended in the crowd. Nate and Eliot faked an argument where Irina was gonna be cut, saying the boy who was supposed to play her son never showed up for work. With the threat of cutting her scene for budget reasons, Irina said she'd bring a boy she knew to the set the next day. That was the hook to get Luka on set. She ran off, saying to not cut the scene.
"Parker, she's on the move." Nate said to Parker.
She went off with Hardison to tail Irina.
Hardison called a while later with a troubling development. They found Luka, but there were so many more kids in the orphanage. Also they were gunrunners at the orphanage.
When they met back up, Nate explained the scam.
"So, during the NATO bombing runs in the '90s, gunrunners, they used to store their weapons in hospitals, orphanages, anywhere they knew wouldn't be targeted." Nate explained.
"Yeah, so, now instead of invading bombs, they're ducking the police. It's the same strategy." Sophie explained further.
"And what about the adoption scam?" Parker questioned.
"Oh, fringe benefit. You take a building filled with orphans, a bunch of kids nobody cares about, why not use them to make some extra cash?" Nate said.
"Nicolas sells his guns, and Irina gets a little sideline." Eliot said.
"A modern-day working couple." Kaira retorted.
"I ran Humpty and Dumpty through the usual databases. Chechen Separatists. Seriously bad dudes." Hardison said before Eliot laughed.
"After reading their bios, I don't think I'm ever gonna sleep again." Hardison said.
"Never tell a Chechen his sister has a nice smile. Trust me." Eliot said.
"Oh, you mean the time you called me saying you flirted with the wrong girl and her Chechen brother and his friends were after you?" Kaira questioned sarcastically.
Eliot growled at her.
"I ran this through a translation program. They're inspecting the merchandise. They're bringing the money tomorrow." Hardison reported, showing the laptop screen.
"Well, none of this affects our original plan. Irina is bringing Luka to the set here tomorrow. So, we grab him and we clear out. Nicolas doesn't have to be part of the picture." Nate said.
Kaira gave him a dirty look.
"Nathan, there are kids still at the orphanage. We have to at least try. Get Luka and the other kids and maybe stop the gunrunners." Kaira got defensive.
"Listen to me, we can't do anything about them. I mean, we're not equipped." Nate argued.
"No, no, I already talked to Parker about it." Hardison argued.
"And I said walk away." Parker said.
Kaira gave her a look.
"Parker, I know you were an orphan and had shitty foster parents. I'm not gonna pretend to know what that was like. But we can't just leave those kids behind. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I did. I have a feeling it's the same for you." Kaira said, angry a bit at Parker.
Parker stayed silent.
"It is too risky. They have... they have guns, manpower, potential hostages. What do we have? We have a-a prop truck. That's it. What we'll do is we will go home, we will figure this thing out, do some research, make a real plan, and we will come back. We'll come back. But right now, the focus has to be on Luka. To rescue Luka. That's why we're here." Nate said, going to leave, Kaira stood up.
"You know what we have, Nathan? We have a genius hacker, the best thief I know, a hitter, a jack of trades, a grifter, and a mastermind. That's all we've needed before." Kaira argued.
Eliot tried to comfort her, but she pushed his hand off.
"He's right, you know." Eliot said.
"Dammit!" Kaira exclaimed, walking away.
Kaira arrived on set with Irina the next day and stood aside, trying to calm down. Eliot came up next to her.
"Kaira." Eliot got cut off by Kaira.
"No. Just no." Kaira said, getting angry.
"Look, I'm sorry we can't go after the other orphans right now. But we need more time to plan." Eliot explained, quiet so only Kaira could hear him.
"Like we haven't had to improvise on the job before." Kaira retorted.
"Yeah against much less dangerous people." Eliot argued back.
"Eliot, we can take a couple of Chechen goons down. We did it before." Kaira said, getting frustrated.
"Kaira, do you remember what happened when we went up against Chechen Separatists?" Eliot questioned.
"Yeah. We beat them." Kaira answered, annoyed.
"After you nearly died. You were knocked out and bleeding, and I freaked out. You didn't hear me because you were out, but I told you I love you. I told myself if you made it, I would tell you then, but I got scared. I nearly lost you once. I couldn't risk losing the girl I love again. So I kept quiet." Eliot exclaimed, trying to keep quiet.
Kaira had a look on her face. "Eliot I knew the risk when I joined up with you." Kaira said, trying to calm down some.
"Yeah but now it's my job to make sure you stay safe as your boyfriend and partner." Eliot said, moving Kaira to a more private area.
"And it's my job to watch your back and make sure you're okay as your girlfriend and partner." Kaira said.
"Kaira don't go off by yourself. Wait for all of us to be ready, that way we can do this safely." Eliot argued.
"I can't make any promises Eliot." Kaira said, walking away.
She left a frustrated Eliot as she guided Irina to Nate as Eliot joined them with Luka. Kaira left to do her job. Hardison got the prop guns ready. Kaira hid underneath the false door, waiting for Luka to get ready. She led Luka outside where he got picked up and taken to the Morton's.
Then Parker and Kaira left to get the other kids. Kaira and Parker took out their comms and went to the orphanage.
Parker and Kaira sneaked into the orphanage and into the room where the kids were. Kaira spoke to them in Serbian, telling them to follow her and Parker. The kids were scared to go at first, but then Parker said Häagen-Dazs and the kids lined up. Kaira told them to be quiet as Parker opened the door. Nicolas was on the outside. Parker told Kaira to protect the kids as she fought with Nicolas. She told them to leave after taking down Nicolas. They approached a stairwell, where a kid made a small noise. Parker put her finger on her lip, signaling to be quiet.
Then Sophie showed up.
"Parker, Kaira." Sophie gestured for them to go.
Just as they were beginning to walk up, one of the kids made a noise, alerting the people below to their presence. They grabbed their guns, but then a voice came over a loudspeaker, saying they were surrounded. The distraction allowed the ladies to get the children up. Sophie told the kids to follow and keep going into the truck as they made their way outside. Parker and Kaira shushed her as they passed a door.
"Be quiet. They have armed guards at the door." Parker said.
Then the door opened as a body fell and Eliot walked out.
"Not anymore." Sophie said, loading up the kids.
Kaira smiled. "Thank you." Kaira said as they all got in the truck and left.
Parker and Kaira hung on the outside of the truck. Just then the truck stopped as Nicolas and his goons followed them.
"Nathan, why the hell are we stopping?" Kaira yelled.
The goons arrived as Parker was yelling at them to go. Then the goons aimed the rifles at the truck and Parker and Kaira moved to use themselves as shields. The gunshots sounded as Kaira and Parker flinched, thinking they were getting shot. The gunshots stopped and Kaira and Parker looked at themselves, wondering why they had no bullet holes like they thought they did.
They looked back at Sophie.
"Prop truck." Sophie said.
Kaira knew what happened. Eliot and Nate switched the real guns for the prop guns that were used for the movie set.
Then Hardison appeared, clicking a remote as the building exploded. Hardison got on as Parker and Kaira went back to give Hardison space to get in. They drove off, revealing the voice Kaira heard earlier was from the sound effects speaker on the truck.
They drove to a warehouse as the kids fell asleep with Kaira telling them a story about The Brave Man (Walking Dead fans will get that).
"They're all asleep." Sophie reported.
"We'll replace this license plate, Nate, so that we can get a clean shot to the border." Eliot said, looking at a map with Nate and Kaira.
"Okay, when we cross over, we're gonna turn the kids over to the World Health Organization." Nate explained before Parker and Kaira got worried.
"What? Wait." Parker said before Nate spoke up.
"No, it's okay. We called, and they're expecting us. It's all gonna be okay." Nate said, comforting Parker.
"Okay." Parker whispered.
"What about Irina?" Kaira questioned.
"Irina. Hmm. Yeah, well, remember the movie funding that just disappeared?" Nate questioned, clicking his fingers.
"Yeah." Kaira said before realizing what had happened.
Hardison probably sent her the money, which notified the producer and sent the FBI after Irina, sending her to jail.
"She should have known better, taking a producer's cut." Nate said. He clicked his tongue.
"Oh, Nate, you - you did get a copy of my scene, my death scene, for my reel?" Sophie questioned before Eliot popped up from behind the truck.
"Yeah, no, no, uh, we kinda..." Nate was about to say.
Sophie had a disappointed face.
"There was no film in the camera." Eliot said, getting daggers from Sophie.
Kaira chuckled as Sophie pointed at Nate.
"We are definitely, definitely stopping in Paris." Sophie said.
"Sophie I recorded the scene on my phone. I'll send it to you once we get back home." Kaira said as the team looked at her.
"What? I saw the camera didn't have film in it, so I recorded the scene for Sophie." Kaira said, defensively.
Sophie patted her shoulder as she went to go in the truck.
"Way to go, no film in the camera. Really, seriously?" Nate said, mocking Eliot as he left.
Parker and Kaira went up to Nate.
"Hey, how did you know me and Kaira were gonna be at the orphanage?" Parker asked.
"Thank Hardison and Eliot for that." Nate said, walking away.
Parker walked over to Hardison as Kaira stayed put, thinking of the conversation that happened beforehand. Eliot probably yelling at the team about getting a plan together.
Kaira walked to the other side of the truck and got a look from Eliot.
"I told you to not run off!" Eliot exclaimed at Kaira.
She got frustrated.
"And I said no promises." Kaira argued back.
"You could have gotten killed!" Eliot exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Eliot. I had to go back and get the kids." Kaira said, trying to calm down.
"I know. That's how I knew you were with Parker at the orphanage. Plus Hardison put a tracker in Parker's shoe." Eliot said.
"Thank you for coming to get me, cowboy." Kaira said, kissing Eliot's cheek.
"That's my job, ain't it Princess?" Eliot said, kissing Kaira on the lips softly.
They held hands as they got in the truck. Then Parker and Hardison got in the truck.
"Hey, Nate. I have to tell you something." Parker said, quietly.
"What? What is it?" Nate asked, quietly.
"We have to stop at Häagen-Dazs." Parker said before the kids yelled in excitement.
Kaira and the team laughed. They drove to the border and dropped the kids off, where they got the medical attention needed and sent to foster homes. Kaira was happy.
She always had a soft spot for kids. How innocent they were. Sometimes she wished she still had that innocence. After dropping the kids of, they stopped in Paris. Kaira and Eliot mostly went to the smaller restaurants to enjoy the food and wine. Eliot and Kaira talked about food and encounters of their youth.
At the end of the night, they laid down in bed, winding down from the days activities. Kaira laid on Eliot's shoulder as Eliot put his arm on Kaira's waist.
"Kaira, when the guys came out with the guns and fired at you, I saw how you and Parker moved. You thought your last move was protecting everyone on the bus." Eliot said. Kaira looked at him.
"Yeah. I didn't care. My only thought was protecting the people in the truck." Kaira said, unapologetically.
Eliot wanted to say something, but he couldn't get the words out.
"I'm not gonna apologize for doing my job." Kaira said, sternly.
"That's not what I was saying." Eliot said.
"Then what?" Kaira questioned.
"I was gonna say I understand why you did it. I would've done the same. I just got worried seeing you not think twice about sacrificing yourself." Eliot said, getting emotional.
"I'm sorry I worried you. It was instinct." Kaira said, inching closer to Eliot.
"I know." Eliot said.
He kissed Kaira before they went to sleep.