REVISED CHAPTER 5 (CLEAN VERSION)

Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage or its characters. Dean Devlin and TNT do. So don't sue.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm very sorry about the rating issues. I wrote the first version of Chapter 5 (Call Me A Thief) without my audience in mind. So if you're under age or simply just don't want the messiness of what is described in the first cut of Chapter 5, then please read this version instead. Minimal to no cursing and nothing sexually crosses the line. Also dialogue has been toned down as well. Hope this helps! If anything else needs editing due to content, feel free to leave a comment or suggestion. The original version is still up, so I will leave which one you choose to read to your discretion.

Song Suggestions:

Part One: Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

Part Two: Thief – Ansel

Part Three: I'd Come for You - Nickelback


PART ONE: Smooth Criminal

From the back of the room, Parker heard the office door slam and knew it meant trouble. Spinning around, she had mere seconds to react as Caden's security team stormed into the office, effectively separating her from Sophie. The only thing louder than the grifter's protests was the click of the lock as she was shoved out the door.

Although Parker had known from the beginning that it wasn't "Alexa" Caden wanted, Sophie's gamble had just proven their case. The con part of the mission was over. Now was the time to fight.

She told herself all she had to do was keep away from the red door of doom. But that was going to be easier said than done. Trying to remain calm, she recited plans B through E in her head – debating which to resort to.

Plan B: con the mark into letting her go.

Plan C: grab one of those nasty sex toys to use as a weapon.

Plan D: use said weapon to stay away from the needle the mark was oh-so-cleverly trying to hide behind his back

Plan E: Pinch the needle and inject someone else with it first.

And if that failed, her only other option was plan E: Stay alive long enough for Eliot to find her.

The hitter was her best bet and if he didn't get to her in time, she would relish his help with plan M: killing Hardison for not tracking her fast enough.

As the security guards surrounded her, the smug smile on Caden's face grew impossibly large. The jackass knew he had her cornered, but that didn't stop Parker from putting up one hell of a fight. In a last ditch effort to save herself, the slippery thief went postal.

Her arms and legs kept shifting out of the holds they tried to put her in. She spat. She bit. She clawed. She went for the eyes and groin. She tried copying moves that Eliot had shown her over and over again.

The hitter would have been proud. Four of the seven guards were down for the count, and the other half were having trouble laying a hand on her. Taking a chance at an opening, she jerked herself towards the wall to grab a weapon, making one fatal mistake. She left her side open long enough for Caden to jam that damned needle straight into the side of her stomach.

As Parker twisted violently to avoid it, her lithe frame seized up and she fell straight to the floor. Nobody bothered to break her fall, instead letting her body succumb to the impact of its own dead weight. There was literally nothing she could do as she busted her head on the carpeted concrete.

Thankfully, she remained conscious enough to know what was going on. The remaining guards yanked her up by the roots of her hair and forced her to climb to her feet. She tried using gravity to her advantage, but it didn't do much good. They forced her down into a chair without even bothering to use restraints.

It was the ultimate insult for the enraged thief. Granted, there hadn't been a pair of handcuffs invented that Parker couldn't weasel her way out off, but they didn't even consider her enough of a threat to bother. The only thing they cared about was her lack of immunity to the effects of an unknown drug – a drug meant for paralysis. Not unconsciousness.

Meaning Parker was aware of exactly what was going on while remaining hopelessly unable to do anything about it. She didn't even have the ability to squirm as Caden leaned over her, dragging his eyes down over her breasts before stopping just South of her Pole.

Without a care in the world, the pig in a tuxedo finally bent over and did what he'd been wanting to do to her all night.

Parker's heart flipped as the mask was ripped right off her face. Recognition dawned over the Caden's loathsome features seconds before he lost it.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He yelled, spraying her face with spit. "You're that FREAK from the BAR! WHAT are you doing HERE? Don't tell me you didn't get ENOUGH the FIRST TIME!

Parker scowled, saying it all with her slow burning eyes.

The moron ignored that first (and only) warning as Parker forced herself to focus on the words coming to her brokenly over the com link - the first words she'd heard from anyone since being locked up with Mr. Happy Pants.

Eliot was calling over and over, commanding her to respond. But, she couldn't without giving herself away. So she closed her eyes, focusing on every last word the hitter had to say.

"Parker? PARKER! I KNOW you can hear me. LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT! I'm coming for you. Do you hear me? I'M COMING! And I SWEAR that I am NOT gonna stop until I find you. I just need you to do one thing for me. ONE. THING. I need you to STAY AWAKE for me Parker, okay? I MEAN IT. DON'T LET THOSE BASTARDS KNOCK YOU OUT! I'm on my way. So just wait for me. Okay? OKAY?"

As softly as she could, she breathed out her answer before Caden launched into yet another tirade. A tirade, which he apparently assumed was his God given right. Parker only hoped Eliot could hear every word considering the idiot was shouting loud enough to wake the dead. Never mind that dead is what he would be once Eliot got his hands on him.

"Oh, NOW I get it. YOU and your LITTLE FRIEND were trying pull a fast one on me! ON ME!? YOU'D better tell me WHAT you BOTH were doing HERE and EXACTLY what YOU planned to do!"

Parker could practically feel her savior seething through the silence.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Caden demanded, completely oblivious to the fact he was fulfilling his own death wish. Parker felt the resulting slap sting both her cheeks when she refused to answer.

"Well, the tables have turned NOW! You're gonna be MY woman for the night. And I'm REALLYgonna ENJOY giving you the ROYAL treatment. I'm gonna show you what HAPPENS to ANYONE who tells ME no."

The mark's unforgiving words sent chills up and down Parker's spine, even as Eliot's breathed life back into her. She saw now that it was up to her to keep the mark talking – to get a confession by any means necessary. Because it wasn't just herself she was fighting for – she was fighting for all the women who'd been forced into this position before her.

No one was aware of this more than Eliot, and his words were the only thing Parker had left to hold on to. She may have become the team's eyes and ears – but Eliot still spoke for every last one of them with his fists. And he was coming for her. Together, they would make every last one of these assholes pay for their crimes against humanity.


PART TWO: CALL ME A THIEF

Parker's vision was blurrier than the day she'd gotten hit on. Yet, she fought to keep her eyes open – determined to keep her promise. She could feel herself being jerked around. Could hear that godforsaken door being opened. But she couldn't make her body move.

As Caden cuffed her hands and feet to an uncomfortable wooden bed, she tried to contort the bones and muscles to make a way out. Cold steel bit into her skin as she tried to elongate her fingers only to have them fall limp and curl back inwards. Even the bobby pin she'd hidden in her hair was out of her reach.

Her only hope was to keep Caden talking. If she could just get a confession over the earbuds, Hardison would be able to record every last gory detail. In her head, she imagined Eliot and Sophie talking her through the whole thing. Saying things like "keep his mouth running" and "we're gonna get him locked up for life"

Was it just her imagination? Or were her friends actually talking to her? Parker couldn't tell anymore. Lucky for her, this super colossal jerk really liked to talk – and, he didn't exactly need much encouragement to simultaneously brag on himself and dig a hole for his ego at the same time.

"You know, you never can trust the pretty ones." He taunted, breathing his stank breath up Parker's nostrils as he leaned over her, snapping the last cuff into place. "Tell me Amber, what was it that made you come back for more?"

"Probably your big mouth." She tried to mumble, only no sound came out.

"Don't worry." The bastard mused, laughing at her predicament. "That drug won't last forever. You'll be able to talk soon. Maybe if you're good, I won't have to give you a second dose."

"Pervert!" She spat.

Caden just chuckled and stuck his nose directly in front of her face – a fraction shy of biting range.

"You know, not many women are brave enough to turn me down and then seduce me for information. Let alone bring someone else into it. Had I known I was being played, I would have been a little more careful to hang on to the both of you."

"WHY?!" Parker tried to half scream.

But Caden just kept going. "You see, my clients pay me obscene amounts of money for the most beautiful women I can find. So maybe I have to scout a few bars and do a little convincing…but no one has ever turned me down before. The money's just too good."

"You know, it really is a shame." Caden mused as he proceeded to slather the side of her cheek with his mouth. "I could have made you a rich woman. All of my girls make a damn good living off of what I can provide. Sure, some get tired of it, but I always know how to put them in their place. Just like I'm about to do with you – and your little friend as soon as she is apprehended. Neither of you are going to make it out of here alive."

The disgusted thief couldn't get away fast enough. She really hoped he kept up his rant because a wagging tongue was way better than one that licked.

The thief's mind went blank as she took a deep breath and willed her brain to take her some place else. Somewhere safe…

Just as he was about to shove his tongue into places it was never meant to go, an enraged fist collided with the side of the man's newly broken nose. Landing on the floor with a loud thunk, Caden had just enough time to crane his neck upwards and see his worst nightmare come to life.


PART THREE: I'D COME FOR YOU

Eliot Spencer, owner of said fist, stood over the mark, taking a sadistic pleasure as the pig started snorting up blood through his snout.

"Looks like you're gonna be the one begging ME for favors, ASSHOLE." Eliot threatened, deliberately placing himself in front of Parker and blocking the mark's view. The horrible smirk that covered the hitter's face was the only indication of what this low life had coming.

In the two minutes it had taken for him to bust down both doors, this lunatic had been busy trying to get down and dirty with his thief. Eliot's timing had never been more crucial.

Although the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass Parker by staring - he just couldn't shake the image of his best friend and teammate laying on her back, while the soon-to-be-dead mark leered over her, greedily taking her in.

He only hoped keeping his back to her would help them both stay calm. But as he got his first good look around the room, he realized how hard that was going to be. He'd been in some of the sketchiest places in the America – all while serving his country – but there were contraptions and devices that even he'd never seen before.

Such things didn't look like they were intended for anyone's "pleasure" – and he was pretty sure none of the women who'd seen the inside of this room were willing occupants.

He damn sure knew Parker wasn't.

And that meant NO ONE was getting out of this room in one piece.

The army of guards who might have come to Caden's assistance, were already knocked out cold in the outer office, and Eliot didn't care whether they were dead or not. Those idiots had been listening to the entire exchange while laughing at Parker's predicament - completely unprepared for the full-blown fight he had surprised them with.

They looked about as bewildered as Caden did now.

As Eliot came back to himself, he realized the cause of his anger was sitting on the floor, cursing and trying to get back up again. Just like at the bar…

A quick chop to the vocal chords and Caden was back on the ground, holding his throat. The mark lost the ability to talk right before Eliot could hone in on what he'd been trying to say.

Truth be told, the hitter had some things to say himself – things he'd wanted to say ever since the night Caden had made Parker cry. And damn it all if this guy wasn't going to shut up and listen.

"I oughta snap your neck right here." He warned. "But I want you to actually hear me when I'm talking to you. Aside from the fact that you're a complete sicko, you've made a couple of mistakes that I'm not about to take lying down. Your first mistake was thinking you could make a living off women so desperate for cash they thought they could trust you to protect them. But your last mistake? Well, that was trying to hurt my friend."

"Can't say she didn't deserve it." Caden spat while Eliot struggled to keep his inner animal in check.

He purposefully brought his thoughts back to Parker, trying to keep his cool. Just because he refused to look at her didn't mean he couldn't see what she was going through.

The mere sight of her, completely at another man's mercy without any kind of leverage at all, made him unbearably sick - and he knew if it was that bad for him, it had to be fifty times worse for Parker. What sealed the deal, though, were the silent tears he'd seen dripping down his friend's face because she was unable to move, talk, or even go to him for comfort. It made the whole situation inexcusable and he couldn't stop the onslaught of emotions that washed over him uninvited – moving and sloshing around until something inside of him broke.

Before the hitter even knew what he was doing, Caden was getting his face smashed in while Eliot turned back into the animal he was trying so hard not to be. The only consequence that mattered to him was taking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Two broken limbs and a concussion later, Parker began to realize she either had to regain her ability to speak, or let the hitter to go down for first-degree murder.

Personally she wanted Caden to die a horrible nasty death, too - but not at the expense of Eliot's freedom. Like it or not, she needed the hitter around, and she couldn't do a thing if he ended up in jail over something that needed be handled in a more Nate-like fashion.

The more Parker tried to open her mouth and make sound come out, the more her body began to come alive. At first the hitter couldn't hear her past the blood pounding away in his eardrums, but somehow the faint sounds of muffled yells made it through the thud of his fists.

Caden was already out cold by the time Eliot finally cocked his head towards Parker and saw his friend trying to get his attention. Squeezing his eyes shut against the homicidal rage that still scorched his heart, he forcefully bowed his head and pushed himself up off the cretin he'd just tried to send to death's door.

Parker all but choked up as she tried telling Eliot not to murder the guy. Except the only words she could manage to get out was "Eliot, don't."

Stifling a misplaced laugh at the thought of how she must sound more like an E.T. than a Parker, she repeated the phrase again and again – trying to get her point past the hitter's primal defenses.

Lucky for Parker, her friend knew exactly what she was trying to say without hearing the actual words. After all, he'd had lots of practice listening to the woman talk with her mouth full of food – spitting crumbs all over the place with each syllable.

A twinge of guilt at that happy thought brought everything crashing down around him as he once again felt the need to turn back around and rip out Caden's throat.

But the thief's pleading eyes were faster than his hands could ever hope to be. They held him in place, begging him not to do anything stupid – no matter how much the creep deserved it. And as much as he wanted to ignore that request, he just couldn't tell Parker no.

The only thing the hitter could do was glare away his dissent before finally crumbling in silent resignation; touching his forehead to her own and letting the tears flow freely.

With a mere look, she conveyed to him that their killing days were over. So much so that he was able to come back to himself – letting Parker know that her wellbeing was far more important to him than mere revenge.

At the last possible second, he pulled away from her and stood – wiping a hand over his face. Now wasn't the time for weakness or regret. He had a duty to his teammates, and he intended to see it through.

Only when Eliot was good and satisfied that his thief was okay did he rifle around for the key to the handcuffs that would free Parker from her prison.

Although she had specifically ordered him not to take the guy out, she hadn't said one word about maiming Caden for life. Thus, the hitter took it upon himself to make sure the lowlife would never use his favorite body part again. It was only after doing so that he finally felt like he had completed his part of the mission - keeping Parker safe.