First Person POV (Kaira)
I really do have the best husband. During our last grocery run, Eliot bought me the vitamins I needed, and got some for him too. (A/N Yes, it's a real thing. I feel really bad for the FBI agent reading my search history… writer problems, am I right?) We also made the mutual decision to cut back on alcohol, that way we were both in the best health possible. And we had the agreement that, while I was the one who was gonna be affected the most by having a kid, we both had to make some changes. And Eliot was down for it all. He never forced me to make any decisions and allowed me to say no. And truly, I think we were both excited.
Our latest job was a sad one. A cheerleader, Marcy, had been injured during cheer practice. Her coach, Miss Cornell, had been blamed for the accident and was banned from coaching. Marcy was in a coma, hooked up to a vent, her body broken. The real culprit was PEP Athletics, the company that runs the competitions.
They were negligent, writing safety standards that allowed them to be cheap, instead of, you know, actually being for the safety of the cheerleaders. And Marcy was covered by insurance that PEP owned, and it wasn't a stretch to say that she wasn't gonna get covered. So, we had three goals for this one; take down the CEO of PEP, make the safety standards better for the cheerleaders, and make sure PEP pays for Marcy's medical bills.
Parker and I were in D.C, undercover as the new cheer coaches at PEP headquarters. Parker had gotten on a facetime call, complaining.
"Do you hate me? You hate me. Is that why you're making me do this?" Parker asked the team, not happy.
I was beside her, seeing the boys at the briefing table back in Portland.
"No, Parker, these girls - they need a coach, and you're the best gymnast I know." Nate pointed out.
"And besides, it puts you and Kaira on the inside at PEP HQ in D.C. They're running cheer camp for the next week up until championship." Hardison said.
"But they're teenage girls. What do I know about teenage girls?" Parker pointed out.
"You were a teenage girl?" Nate questioned.
"Only sort of." Parker said.
"Well, luckily I was a semi-normal teenage girl." I said, patting Parker on the back.
"Kaira, sweetheart, you're family was mob." Eliot pointed out.
"What did you think semi-normal meant, babe?" I questioned sarcastically.
I saw on the video Sophie looking at a tablet.
"Look, did you know about this? Girls being dropped from 20 feet. It's unbelievable." Sophie said, shocked.
"I know, right? 20 feet? Pff! Walk it off." Parker said.
I looked at Parker.
"Parker, hun, normal people don't walk off a 20-foot fall without either dying or being seriously hurt." I pointed out.
"So… all the times I pushed Hardison off a building and he was all "Aah!" - he wasn't just being funny?" Parker questioned.
Hardison shook his head no.
"I thought it was funny, Parker." Eliot said.
I gave him a scowl as I saw him wink at Hardison.
"No way in hell was it funny." Hardison said, not amused.
"You're always upside down, man." Eliot said.
"I fell off a building. I was upside-" Hardison tried saying.
"Like a Himalayan Tree frog." Eliot said, making a popping noise and holding his hands up, and swiping them (I don't know how to describe it lol).
"You calling me a frog? You calling me a damn frog? Say it again. Say it to my face." Hardison said.
"Oh, my god. Boys! Do I gotta fly down there to separate you? Cause I will get my ass on a plane and come down there and smack both of you." I threatened, getting looks from them.
"Guys - maybe focus, guys. Focus. Kaira, don't hit anyone." Nate said.
I groaned in response.
"Damn frog." Hardison muttered.
He must have gotten the briefing pulled up, cause I heard beeping.
"PEP Athletics. They started out selling workout clothes, then they turned into 22 subsidiaries and shell companies that run competitive cheer. They set safety standards, they train coaches, they sell uniforms, they sell insurance, and they also televise very lucrative competitions. And they profit off of teenage girls the whole way. Now, because of their corporate structure, it lets them hide the fact that it's the same company." Hardison explained.
I heard Sophie scoffing.
"Even the mafia has a less complicated setup." Sophie said.
"Believe me, I would know. My family's business may have been involved in everything, but we never got into this." I added.
"Yeah, and with them, you need a Federal Task Force and a Rico case to bring them down." Nate said.
"Mm-Hmm. Now, this is the CEO, Wendy Baran. She's an ex-cheerleader, and she's the one who moved PEP into cheer. She took them from selling sweat pants into running a sport." Hardison said.
"Ah, there's the crux of the problem right there. Technically, legally, cheerleading is not a sport. It's an activity." Nate explained.
"What's the difference?" Sophie asked.
"A sport has legally mandated safety standards." Eliot explained.
"Yes, and a for-profit company cannot run a sport, which is why PEP wants to keep competitive cheer from becoming a sport, unless of course, we made it one." Nate said, the lightbulb going off.
"Cause if we get cheer classified as a sport, it falls under the federal safety standards, and PEP would be in violation of the safety standards." I realize, liking the plan.
"Yes, and PEP would be doing a free-fall without a mat." Nate said.
"So how do we make something a sport?" Parker asked.
"Well, we don't, actually. The Federal High School Athletics Committee does. This is a job for Congress." Nate said.
We all kinda looked at Nate.
"Nathan, how the hell are we gonna do that?" I asked.
Third Person POV
Turns out, the way to do that was borrow Congress. Sophie was happy, as to her, Congress was grifter paradise. Eliot didn't like it, because they work outside the law, not in the middle of it. Nate said that elected officials were the easiest marks in the world, between the egos, the greed, and the politics.
As they made their way to the floor, Eliot pointed out that they'd be better off running a stock scam or maybe a heist. Hardison said that government was a system, and it can be hacked. Hardison also added that he had the Cheerleader Protection Act, also known as H.R 505 up for vote soon. Hardison assumed it would pass, but Eliot wasn't convinced. Turns out, Eliot was right. The chairman saw it as an overreach of government power. And Wendy Baran and her assistant arrived, not happy.
Nate asked Sophie to do a head count, and Sophie said it was zero for, 7 against. Nate told Hardison to stop the sound system to delay the vote. And Hardison let Eliot have a little fun. The chairman pushed it back to the next week. And Nate saw that Wendy wasn't pleased the bill was put down. Nate pointed out that the bill being voted down should be a good thing for PEP, which Sophie confirmed, wondering why she wasn't pleased.
First Person POV (Kaira)
Turns out, teaching a bunch of teenagers about cheer was hard. And since Parker and I were on comms, we heard everything that was going on. Parker and I had the teens surrounding us.
"Okay, Parker, kiddo, I need you two to break into Baran's office and see what's she up to." Nate came on comms.
Parker and I pushed our way through to try and get a little privacy.
"Sure. No problem. It's not like I'm dragging around a flock of cheerleaders or anything." Parker said.
The cheerleaders were following us, trying to get our attention. I had us stop and I looked at the teens.
"Hey, wait over there please while I talk to coach, okay? Thank you." I said.
The teens listened.
"Yeah. The rest of us - let's go steal us some Congressmen." Nate said the rallying cry.
I came up with a plan. While I help the teens practice, Parker would excuse herself and head to the office.
Third Person POV
The team at Congress hid in a spare office room to get some privacy. Hardison had gotten information about the committee, and went to present it to the team. He used a projector to project the info on the wall.
Hardison pointed out that Sophie said they had 7 nay votes, and also said they'd need to flip four to win. And the advantage was that they had tons of info on the politicians, which made it easy to figure out the four to flip. Sophie asked who the best buy was.
Hardison pulled up the four. The first was Congresswoman Jane Berkus, numbers driven and impeccable on women's issues, and if they make her understand this was about protecting young girls, she was in.
Next was Congressman Juan Caballo, who won his seat in a populist upswell that he's having trouble maintaining, and if they keep him in office, he has the vote.
Up next was Congressman John Zahn, currently being investigated for funding irregularities, and if they'd make his problem go away, they have his vote.
Last was Congressman J.J LeGrange, a consummate Washington Insider, and a third-generation congressman, and loved the cameras and power, and the committee chair, so if they don't flip him, they were done.
Eliot realized they were gonna pull a con on four separate marks. Nate said they weren't marks, but elected officials, and if they did this right, they'd have them eating out of their hand by dinner. Turns out, Nate was full of shit and they got nowhere.
Hardison's mark was Berkus, who didn't want to take money away from more important things to fund the equipment and training for cheerleaders. Which, you'd think since she was a woman, she'd get it, but no. She told Hardison he'd have to find $20 million unclaimed dollars from the budget, she'd vote no. Nate reminded Hardison that government was a system, and it can be hacked. Hardison said it was, but it was also war and peace with math.
Sophie pointed out that at least Hardison was dealing with money. Sophie's mark was Caballo. Sophie had introduced herself in a Great Lake accent as Amber Von Cleve of the Cleveland Von Cleve's, and said she was willing to make a sizable donation to his reelection campaign, with one thing she wanted him to do. Caballo thought it was the corn subsidies. Sophie was confused. Caballo said he knew how important they were to the district, but he'd been stonewalled. And if she wanted to get him re-elected, she needed to help him.
Nate thought Sophie liked back room dealings. Sophie pointed out she liked stealing things that are real, which included cash, land, and of course, art, not so much corn subsidies.
First Person POV (Kaira)
I helped the cheerleaders as Parker was off to the side. And let's just say, I'm not at all surprised that the day didn't turn out like it was supposed to.
"At least you're stealing something. They've got this place sewn up so tight, I can barely even case it." Parker told the team.
We then clocked a camera, then Wendy Baran and her assistant come in. I remembered what happened earlier. One of the girls got our attention, and Parker decided they'd start basic gymnastics drills. Parker then put on a laser grid. Which, at first I thought it was a bad idea, but I realized it may not be that bad of an idea. Madison, one of the girls, raised her hand, and I called on her. She asked to be excused cause she doesn't feel well. Parker was confused, but I allowed it. I brought myself into focus.
"They're so jaded." Parker said.
"Parker, you just got to figure out how to connect with them. You have more in common than you think." Nate told us.
Yep, this was gonna get complicated.
Third Person POV
Sophie asked why Nate was so upbeat about everything. Hardison then asked how Nate did with Zahn. Turns out, it went better than they thought, and all it took was lunch.
Nate reminded them that elected officials are the easiest marks in the world. Eliot didn't like that comment, as his mark was LeGrange. He had introduced himself to LeGrange as Steven Turner, a consultant. He said that he had a client that had a political action committee for women's athletics, and asked for LeGranges stance on H.R 505. LeGrange said he had made his stance clear, saying it was government overreach. Then Eliot mentioned that the client wanted to make a substantial donation, which LeGrage said he didn't want donations for votes, saying they donated because of his integrity.
Sophie was confused. Eliot reiterated that the guy had integrity, and you can't con an honest man. They decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel.
First Person POV
I sent the teens home for the night and went back to the hotel. I went into my and Eliot's room. I could tell that he was beat. Eliot tossed his jacket on the small table in the room. He took off his glasses and sat at the edge of the bed. I sat behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest, resting my head on his shoulder. I felt Eliot grab my hands.
"Eliot, do you need my help to con LeGrange?" I asked him, keeping my voice quiet.
"I don't know, Kaira. I mean, you can't con an honest man." Eliot said, frustrated.
I lightly kissed his neck, which caused a slight hitch in Eliot's breath.
"Babe, you just have to figure out his hook. What did you offer him?" I said.
"Money." Eliot said.
I kissed his neck again, once again hearing the hitch in his breath.
"Tomorrow, try power. If you need help, please tell me. I'm a call away." I said.
I used Eliot's body for momentum and swung to face him.
"Then, do fame. Cause people focused on their integrity want people to know it." I said, touching my forehead to Eliot's.
"And if that won't work, sex is always an option, though, I wouldn't do that one for this mark." I tease Eliot.
He gently tilted my head down and kissed my lips.
"I know what you're doing, Princess." Eliot had a knowing smirk on his face.
I had one on my face too.
"It working?" I teased.
"Oh, hell yes." Eliot said, smiling.
I got off of Eliot just as he leaned in for another kiss. He sat against the headboard as I crawled to him. I got my face close to his and kissed the top of his lip, then straddled him again. Eliot had a distinctive look on his face.
"Now you're just being mean, Princess." Eliot said.
I chuckled.
"Oh, it's more fun this way." I teased as I wrapped my legs around Eliot's waist, my arms around his chest, and Eliot lifted me up a bit, his hands on my ass, quickly locking lips with me hard. "Damn right it is." Eliot whispered.
I chuckled as we locked lips again. We then started getting busy, letting off the built-up steam from the job ahead. (A/N I will not confirm or deny that I wish Eliot was real so I could do this.)
Third Person POV
The next day, the team went into the plan. Kaira ended up getting switched to conning the marks, as Sophie said she needed an extra body to run her cons. Parker was still at the PEP HQ. The rest of the team had the job of conning their congressmen and woman.
Hardison spent the time trying to figure out the numbers for Berkus. Sophie and Kaira double-teamed up to pull off the Southern characters to get the corn subsidies, and that turned into solar subsidies.
Eliot was bitching to Nate about LeGrange, saying this was a bad idea, saying he couldn't con an honest man. Nate said he wasn't honest, but Eliot reminded him that he had turned down PAC money, which was legal. Nate told him that money wasn't his hook, which Eliot said Kaira told him the same thing, and Nate said he had to find out what it was. Eliot realized that since LeGrange was a politician. And to Kaira's suggestion, he'd try power. Eliot was proud. To which, Nate revealed campaign posters.
Hardison tried to use the numbers he found to convince Berkus there was money, but that was a no-go.
Meanwhile, Eliot confronted LeGrange, apologized for trying to buy the vote, which Eliot said he respected integrity and tried hooking him with the power. And LeGrange didn't buy it.
Kaira and Sophie got upset about more dealings, now having to do a favor to get the solar subsidies (A/N It's no wonder nobody ever does any freaking thing in government, it's all deals!).
Nate checked in with Parker about her getting in the office. Parker had the teens in a pyramid and said security was tight. Parker ended up using teens to listen in to a phone conversation. Parker realized the Baran was getting cash ready for some deal, but couldn't get what for. Nate said she had to get in there to find out. Parker reminded Nate that cameras were everywhere. Parker ended up letting the teens bring the girl down.
Nate approached Eliot about his next play. Eliot said that Nate was the mastermind. Eliot pointed out that he doesn't want money, he doesn't want power, and that maybe he is an honest man. Nate said that everybody had a hook, a weakness that can be exploited. Eliot asked if Nate did, which Nate said no. Nate then asked Eliot the same thing, which Eliot said no, but then said Kaira. But Eliot argued, saying that maybe the idea of people wanting to serve doesn't fit into Nate's worldview, but they did exist, and he and Kaira served with them. Nate said that was another thing that could be exploited.
Eliot approached LeGrange about a specific seat so that he could still fight the good fight once his term's over. LeGrange declined it. Eliot got pissed, but calmed down. LeGrange said that he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. Eliot then had LeGrange question whether he could really stay in office forever. Eliot said about the polling numbers, and that he had them eight years out, also pointing out he didn't understand how it works, just that it does. LeGrange didn't buy it, but Nate suggested through comms for Eliot to look at Tracey College's 10 Year Expansion Plan. Eliot told LeGrange about it.
Nate then coached Eliot through what to say, mentioning how LeGrange doesn't have the young voter demographic. LeGrange wanted the model in two hours. Eliot left, asking Nate if he could fake all that.
Nate checked in with the team later, almost sunset, checking in with Sophie and Kaira. They both proceeded to complain, saying they needed for another thing, then another, and was glad she had Kaira for an assistant.
Nate checked in with Hardison, who was close to snapping.
Nate checked in with Parker, who revealed she could use the meet in an hour as cover, but realized she lost Madison. Nate met with Parker and interrogated Angela, one of the girls, on Madison's whereabouts.
Kaira and Sophie were pulling more characters than they could count on fingers.
Hardison was still trying to get the money.
Parker and Nate found Madison in the basement of the building. She was upset, saying she didn't want to compete, cause she didn't want to mess up again. Parker realized Madison was Marcy's spotter. Madison blamed herself for not doing her job right. Parker told Madison that she wasn't scared of falling or heights, or what she should be scared of, but she was scared of letting down the people she cared about, and allowed Madison an out, but told her the other cheerleaders would feel better with her there.
Madison agreed to still compete. Nate asked how Madison got down to the basement. Madison mentioned that there was no security there, which excited Parker.
First Person POV (Kaira)
If anyone asks me to run another con involving government, I'm telling them to shove it up their ass. It had been a long day of making deals and switching characters. And while I'm not as good as Sophie, I think I held my own. But I was tired as hell. Sophie and I met up with Hardison in the hallway. She sighed.
"Well, the corn subsidies are locked up." Sophie said.
"Freaking finally." I said relieved.
"Budget is too. And counting Nate's lunch buddy, we've got three of the four votes that we need." Hardison said.
Eliot joined us, causing me to smile. I hadn't seen him all day since we met up at the start of the day.
"Which leaves me and LeGrange and…" Eliot's phone rang.
He grabbed it from his pocket and saw who was calling.
"That's him." Eliot said.
"Steven Turner." Eliot answered the phone.
I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't get the answer he wanted. He put the phone to his chest.
"He just canceled." Eliot said.
"I'm so - what came up?" Eliot asked.
We realized that Baran had set LeGrange with a cheerleading scholarship in his name.
Luckily, Eliot and I were able to get into something comfier, but still casual. We both met Nate at PEP HQ where we watch LeGrange accept the announcement. And up on the board was a picture of his high school days. He was soaking up the recognition and applause.
"That's it. That's his hook. To get his name on a scholarship and a big yearbook picture blown up." Eliot realized, not thrilled.
"I did tell you fame was an option, babe." I pointed out.
"Yeah, we were thinking too big." Nate said.
"Well, he just publicly tied himself to PEP athletics, so there's no way he's gonna vote against them now." Eliot pointed out.
"That's not the only bad news." Parker came on comms.
"I'm in Baran's office. She's planning to buy PEP, take it private. That's why she was pulling all the cash together." Parker reported.
"Yes, and why she was so upset the bill almost failed - because if the bill fails, Pep's stock price goes through the roof." Nate explained.
"And she can't afford that." I said.
But then Eliot and I realized the same thing.
"But if she already owns the company before the bill fails…" Eliot said.
"She cleans up. Things were accelerated too fast. The bill went up before she had a chance to gather the money." I realized.
"If she buys PEP, that means even less oversight. How do we stop her?" Parker asked.
"We accelerate things even more." Nate said.
Third Person POV
Nate made a plan. It was a bit later, and the meet had started. Nate was walking behind the bleachers.
"Ready?" Nate said into comms.
"Ready." Hardison said, still at the office at his laptop, books surrounding him.
"Ready." Sophie said, finished with a meeting.
"Ready." Eliot said, walking to Zahn's office.
"Ready." Parker and Kaira said, getting their team ready.
"Let's go." Nate said.
Nate stood beside Baran. He told Baran that he had the vote moved up. Baran asked how he pulled it off.
Eliot had a meeting with Zahn, asking to get the vote moved up.
Nate told Baran that the bill would fail before she could get her money together. Baran tried flirting with Nate, but he didn't react. She left. Nate reported that she was on the hook.
Hardison had hacked into the computer and saw that they were gonna try to access money from the shell companies. He spent the while using any law he could find, trying to get them to access one specific account.
Parker and Kaira met with the team, both in their coaching uniforms. Kaira apologized for not being there for practice. They huddled up. Parker kept the pep talk simple. For Marcy. The team did amazing!
Baran found Nate again, saying he played a good game. Nate thanked her and said it wasn't over. Baran said it was, and that her assistant found the money, gloating. Baran said that Nate underestimated her and that people always underestimated cheerleaders. Saying how she exploited it, because every girl wants to be a cheerleader, every girls wants to be pretty, and they will pay anything to get it, and that cheerleaders built her a $300 million dollar company because she didn't.
The team's performance ended, and they got a standing ovation. Nate said he estimated Baran just right as her phone rang. She answered it. And she wasn't to happy to find out that there were FBI agents with a warrant in her office. Baran asked for what as Nate listened in. Insurance fraud. Baran realized it was the money she pulled, and she asked her assistant where he pulled the money from, and thanks to Hardison, he pulled it out of the National Cheerleading Insurance and Underwriters company.
Turns out, since the company never paid out, they had a lot of money on hand. And Hardison made sure it was the only company he could pull the money from.
Baran wasn't happy and said her assistant was going to take the fall, and LeGrange was obvious. Until Nate mentioned the bribe. Nate said the bribe was in the trophy. LeGrange wasn't happy.
And Parker put the money in the trophy.
Baran said no one could prove it, but Nate said that no one has too, since the insurance fraud and the bribery were under her watch, and since she was the CEO, Baran was open to RICO charges. And FBI agents grabbed Baran.
By this point, and the team all met up as Baran was escorted out. LeGrange asked what was happening, asking if he accepted a bribe. Eliot said he technically maybe did, and that it would be a good idea to get a much distance between him and PEP athletics as possible.
First Person POV (Kaira)
The next day, we met up at Congress. LeGrange had this speech about our bill, saying the bill protecting children. And we got the votes. We cheered as we looked to the cheerleaders, especially Marcy, who was on oxygen in a wheelchair. Coach Connel thanked Nate. I heard Nate say to not thank us quite yet. LeGrange gave the scholarship to Marcy to help with those medical bills. Parker hugged a woman. And Sophie got handed tickets.
"And what was that about?" Hardison asked her.
"Huh? Oh, I was j - I was, um, just planning a little trip to the gulf. The military are breaking ground on Fort Devereaux-Newton." Sophie said.
I can't help but chuckle.
"Fort Devereaux-Newton?" Hardison questioned.
"Mm-mhh. I love government." Sophie said.
Parker walked in between Sophie and Hardison and put her arms around their shoulders.
"Missed you guys this week. Good game." Parker said, chuckling.
I was smiling as I stood by Nate and Eliot, holding Eliot's arm.
"Good job on this one." Nate told Eliot.
I smiled at bit at Eliot, showing him I was proud.
"I know what you're trying to do, Nate. You could have told me how to hook LeGrange the whole time, but you wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. I trust someday very, very soon, you're gonna tell me and Kaira what kind of game you're playing." Eliot said.
I just chuckled lightly. Nate always has that chessboard in his head moving piece after piece, thinking about the bigger picture.
"Good job on this one." Nate said.
Eliot smiled as Nate left. Part of me was wondering what game Nate was playing. And I wondered what that meant for the team.