Chapter 13
Sophie woke again to an empty bed and although she did not like it, it also did not concern her as it was now becoming the norm. Nate barely slept and spent most of his time either in the kitchen at the table or in his study. She yawned and stretched out before throwing off the blankets and climbing out of bed making her way to the bathroom. It was still very early in the morning and the house was quiet.
Throwing on her dressing gown she made her way to the kitchen fully expecting to find Nate sitting at the table sipping on his Irish, instead she found Eliot who sat quietly at the table staring into his coffee cup.
"Morning." Sophie said as she made her way to the counter to make herself some tea.
"Morning." Eliot greeted her with a smile.
"Is Nate in his study?"
"No…he not in the room?" Eliot asked suddenly alarmed. He had not seen Nate and not heard him either. He quickly rose and moved to the study to check in case he had missed the man, he had been up for an hour already though and doubted it.
"He's gone isn't he?" Sophie said sighing heavily as Eliot emerged from the study shaking his head at her, it was not the most unexpected thing to happen in the last few weeks, but damn the man, he never, never learnt.
"Where do you think he went?" Eliot asked as he joined Sophie again at the table.
"Who went where?" Parker asked as she entered the kitchen although she already knew the answer.
"He don't learn…" Hardison said joining them just as Eliot told Parker that Nate was gone.
"Man I am going to…" Eliot balled his fist and clenched his teeth as he thought about Nate and what he had once again done.
Sophie looked at him and shook her head then at Parker who sat with brooding eyes and a pout. She was about to say something when the front door opened, and Nate stepped in.
"Oh, you are all up." He said as he walked in straight to Sophie and gave her a kiss as she stood to greet him. "Good I have a plan and I need your help." He said pulling away from Sophie and walking over to the coffee machine pouring himself a cup then adding a dash of whiskey before taking his seat at the table.
"Soooo?" Sophie asked as Nate sat but made no attempt to start talking.
"So before I lay it all out I need a few things to confirm my theory." Nate said smiling at her. "Eliot, I need to retrieve this." He said handing over a slip of paper. "He runs a small independent lab just outside of New York, Hardison you need to get him on a flight."
"Done." Hardison said.
"What…why this?" Eliot asked.
"Now he is not going to want to give it to you but…" Nate said ignoring the question.
"I'll insist." Eliot said his voice hard he had no idea what this was all about or why Nate wanted this from the man, but he would do what he was asked.
"Good, Parker how do you feel about steeling something?" He looked at her and smiled.
"What am I stealing?"
"This." Nate said handing her a paper with an address and a description of what she had to get.
"Nate this is…"
"I know Parker, can you do it?"
Parker smiled slyly at him, there was nothing she could not steal, and he knew it. It would take a lot of planning though.
"Good, now Hardison I need information, that information is stored on a hack proof server."
Hardison looked at him with wide eyes and smiled.
"Ahhh, ah ah, no you didn't…" Hardison said leaning forward and taking the slip of paper Nate handed him. "Wait a minute this is…"
"Yes Hardison can you do it?"
"Man this is hardcore…hard….core man." Hardison said. "It's going to take some time."
"Ok well we have maybe a day or two at most, then I need it, all of it." Nate said sitting back and looking at all of them.
"Ok but Nate I don't see how any of this relates to our current situation." Eliot said. He had looked at what Nate had asked from the other two and had no idea why he was asking for what he had, he could see no connection to a serial killer on the loose. How a car accident five years ago, a lab in New York and the Pentagon all came together he could not fathom, and he had gone over and over the files from the FBI, along with the letters that had been sent by the killer and had seen nothing to connect anything, not the victims or the perpetrators, but then he was not Nate.
"Well it's complicated and it depends on if I am right or not, but I think I am." Nate said and then seeing the question marks on their faces continued. "Look guys I am putting a lot of pieces together that don't seem to fit, I am assuming a lot of things and I could be completely wrong, now I need those blanks filled in."
"You know who is doing this don't you?"
"Maybe." Nate said looking at his Hitter. "
"Ok, well I better get going." Eliot said looking at Hardison who nodded telling him there would be a ticket waiting for him at the airport under the name of Brett Landon. Eliot smiled and then walked out, he would not need any luggage, this would be a quick retrieval and he should be back at the house by the evening.
"Well I am going to need some stuff Hardison to get in and out."
"You got it girl." He smiled at her and then they both disappeared into the study.
"So Nate care to tell me what is going on?" Sophie said softly.
"I think this guy lost something Sophie, something very important to him and that is what this is all about, now I haven't got it all and I can't lay it all out to you, not right now, but it's there Sophie."
Sophie stared at him and then smiled putting her hand on his, he never shared his plan until it was sorted out in his own head, so she would leave him. At least he was here, at least he was not off on his own somewhere.
"So where were you this morning…you gave us quite a fright."
"Sorry about that…I wanted to talk to Penton."
"Agent Penton from the FBI?"
"The very one." Nate said smiling at her. "Don't worry Sophie no deal with them or her, just needed some information on the previous cases and seeing as they were nicely staked out here, I thought I would take the direct route."
"So what now?"
"Now we wait."
"And what do you suggest we do in the meantime." She asked taking his hand in hers.
"Well I didn't get much sleep last night." Nate said.
"Well then Mr Ford let's get you to bed." She said smiling seductively at him.
"God Sophie and you say I am a bad influence…" He smiled at her taking her hand and leading her towards the bedroom.
"What…you need to rest that sexy brain of yours right…I am just saying that is what you should do." She said as they entered the bedroom and closed the door behind them with Nate immediately pulling her into a deep kiss as they leaned against the door.
"I love you Nathan Ford." Sophie whispered as he broke the kiss for a second before capturing her lips again.
"Mmmm." Nate said smiling into the kiss and walking her backwards towards the bed. They backed up until her legs hit the back of the bed and he lowered her gently down. Leaning over her he kissed her passionately.
"Why don't I slip into something a little more comfortable…" She said as she pushed him off her and sat up.
Nate lay on his side propping his head up with his hand as his elbow rested on the bed watching her as she walked into the bathroom throwing a look at him over her shoulder as she went.
"You are the sexiest woman you know that." He said as he watched her.
"I bet you say that to all the woman..."
"No…" He said shaking his head slightly. "Only to the ones carrying my child." He smiled at her as she made her way back to the bed.
"So where were we…" He asked and then his phone rang.
He sat up and lifted the phone, it was not a number he recognised.
"This had better be good." He said smiling at Sophie who lay down next to him on the bed.
"The time has come." Nate was immediately alert at the sound of the voice and Sophie saw the change in attitude and the expression on his face and figured it must be the man in question.
"It has?" Nate replied.
"You must die."
"Why, why must I die?" Nate asked. "Because the man you made go into that bar shot me and not somebody else, because your revenge is not complete unless I die, unless he took the life of an innocent person? But he is dead, your concoction did its job and he is dead, so is his wife so you can't punish him can you?"
"You…you must die, it must come to pass. God is waiting for you just like…" The man stopped and then drew a breath. "It will come to pass." He said and then put the phone down.
"Nate?" Sophie said watching him closely.
"He is getting tired of waiting." Nate said putting the phone down on the nightstand.
"I'm scared Nate." Sophie said taking his hand.
"I know." He said leaning into her and giving her a kiss. "Sophie, I can't tell you that this will all work out, I can't because I won't lie to you but…" He drew in a deep breath before continuing. "But I need to know that no matter what happens that you will not intervene, that you will make sure you stay out of it, that you take care of yourself and our child, I need you to promise me that Sophie and before you say anything, I know that is not what you want to do, I know you are scared and I know that you can take care of yourself, by you have to think of him or her now, this is not just about me, or you, but it is about that unborn child you are carrying." He said pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her. "Promise me Sophie." He whispered.
"Nate you can't ask me to stand back, not when…"
"I can." He said interrupting her and pushing her away from him keeping his hands on her shoulders and locking eyes with her. "I can and I am."
"Fine." She said tears welling in her eyes. "But then you have to promise me that you will use Parker and Hardison and Eliot, that you will let them help you and that you will do whatever it takes to get out of this alive."
"I promise." He said pulling her into him again. "I never what to lose you Sophie, I love you." He whispered.
