Chapter 16
Nate walked into the bar on sixteenth street alone and sat down at a booth at the back. He sat facing the door and then scanned the room again trying to spot the man he had come to see. His team was with him, all of them minus Sophie who he had insisted stay home and listen over the coms only. She had reluctantly agreed. Eliot and Parker walked into the bar a few minutes after him and sat down at a table at the front. Eliot scanned the faces around him but saw no sign of the man they were expecting.
Signalling to the waiter to bring him a drink he sat back and waited. The waiter returned putting the whiskey glass down along with a note. Nate thanked him and paid before picking up the note and reading it. His eyebrows knotted as he read it and then he looked up at Eliot and Parker. Eliot saw something was wrong but did not make a move.
"Eliot we are being watched, you need to get back to Sophie, do it now." He said as he walked past them and out of the bar.
"Nate."
"Sophie keep the door locked, Hardison check the camera's and let the FBI know that they need to be on alert."
"I ain't leaving you alone Nate."
"You will do as you are told, both you and Parker, do it now." Nate said as he climbed in his car and noted that they had both followed him out. "Eliot I am not saying this again, take care of my wife and child do it now." He said then pulled off leaving Parker and Eliot momentarily in two minds of what to do.
Eliot then walked back to the car with Parker and climbed in and set off towards Nate's house."
"Eliot…"
"Hardison do you have him?"
"Yeah man he is going towards the Brewpub." Hardison said. "Eliot you can't just leave him alone."
"I'm not, we have a tail, and we have to make them believe we are doing what we are told." Eliot told him.
"Eliot…"
"Don't worry Sophie, just make sure you are locked up tight." Eliot said hearing the angst in her voice.
"Sophie he has eyes on you and them, I have been told to go to the Brewpub, please Sophie just keep yourself safe, Eliot and Parker can handle this ok." Nate interrupted. "Eliot he has to believe I am alone understood." Nate said realising that no matter what he said the two people were going to follow him.
"Understood." Eliot growled out. He did not like it, but this was their shot, and they could not blow it, the man would show himself and it would be their chance to take him down. He did not know what the note had said but obviously a threat had been made against them if Nate did not comply.
"Be careful Nate." Sophie whispered.
"I will Soph and you too." He replied. "Remember guys this man has resources he has a team, and we have to be careful here. Eliot, Parker when you have got rid of your tail keep out of sight, he knows you, he will recognise you on sight so no moves until I signal." Nate said as he drove towards the Brewpub.
"I have visual of the pub Nate. He isn't there." Hardison said brining up the camera's he had in the Brewpub.
"Ok well we have to play this out." Nate said. "He is around, probably waiting for me to arrive."
"I don't like this." Sophie whispered.
"Ok I'm here." Nate said as he pulled up outside the pub and climbed out of the car. "Anything?"
"No sign." Hardison said.
"We are nearly there Nate, tail is gone, just wait ok."
"Can't wait around Eliot." Nate said as he walked towards the entrance of the pub.
"Dammit Nate." Eliot hissed speeding up, they were about ten minutes out still and Nate was alone until then.
"Just wait Nate." Sophie said. "You promised."
Nate did not respond but pushed the doors and walked into the pub and up to the bar taking a seat and ordering a whiskey.
"Sophie to end this we need him to admit what he has done so that the police can arrest him." Nate said. "I will be careful, but this has to be done. Hardison make sure the feed goes through to Penton."
"Yeah man." Hardison said not liking this any more than Sophie was. "He's there." Hardison said as he picked up Grant Sadiski as he walked in and straight up to Nate taking a seat beside him.
"You are determined to defy me." Grant said softly as he ordered a drink.
"You are determined to kill me Mr Sadiski." Nate retorted. "I am not your son."
The team held their breath watching to see what Grant would do at the mention of his son, they all heard Eliot curse at Nate's blatant start to the meeting and he was still without backup, they were still eight minutes out and a lot could happen in eight minutes.
"You know nothing about my son."
"I do. I know everything." Nate said softly. "I know how you feel, I know what drives you."
"Don't presume to know anything Ford."
"I don't presume, I am you." Nate said matter-of-factly. "I lost my son too, I lost him because I could not save him. I lost him because money was more important to some than my boy's life. I lost him because I was not willing to do what needed to be done to save him, because I trusted that people would do the right thing, I was wrong, and my son paid the price."
Silence then settled over them as they sat and sipped on their drinks. Sophie watched as Nate and the man who wanted him dead sat and drink silently together as if they were old friends.
"We're almost there Nate.." Eliot's voice came over the coms.
"If you think sympathising with me will spare you, you are wrong. You must die you know."
"I also changed after that, I become somebody I did not even recognise. The urge to take revenge was almost overwhelming." Ignoring the man's comment.
"Did you…take your revenge?"
"No…I drank." Nate said. "Because of that I lost everything else, my wife, my job, my life."
"You were a coward."
"No." Nate said shaking his head. "No not a coward. I could not bear to think of my son thinking I am a murderer, I had already let him down once and could not do it again, so I drowned out the guilt and the anger."
"You ran away."
"In a way I did." Nate said. "But then I stopped running."
"And now you are a criminal with a team of criminals who destroy companies and people."
"Only those that deserve it."
"And who decides if they deserve it you?"
Nate did not reply to that, yes he did decide, and now Parker decided, Parker and the others in the team.
"So you are like me, every time you take somebody down you are revenging your son, we are not different."
"Yes you damn well are." Eliot hissed out as he listened to the man and that brought a small smile to Nate's lips.
"I don't kill."
"Maybe so. I did not decide you need to die God did."
"No God decided your son should die."
"Nate you are pushing too hard, Eliot where are you?" Sophie asked.
"Pulling up now Sophie." Eliot said.
"Perhaps he did, and he has now decided you should, you should welcome it, it will end your pain." Grant said turning to Nate.
"Maybe, and if this had been a few years ago I would have welcomed it, for many years I wished for exactly that." Nate said softly.
"Oh Nate…" Sophie whispered at those words. They all knew it was true, all the insane risks he had taken over the years, all his drinking, he was trying to kill himself and by some miracle he had not succeeded.
"Well now he has, and you will."
"Like he decided your son should die?"
"Stop talking about my son."
"Why, this is what all this was about wasn't it, your son, your wife, their deaths." Nate said. "But it is not anymore is it, it is now all about you, your needs, your wants and desires, your need to be in control your need to satisfy the anger inside you."
"NO." Grant said loudly. "No, this is about justice."
"It was in the beginning but not anymore." Nate said. "You killed innocents. The commander's wife and the man he shot had no idea what any of this was about, how many people have you killed to get your vengeance, how many innocents?"
"I have not killed anybody." Grant said turning towards Nate.
"No…no you haven't, but you have orchestrated their deaths, planned them and had them executed, you are as guilty of murder as if you had pulled the trigger yourself."
"I did what I had to do. But this time…this time the job is mine to do." Grant with a deadly intent in his voice.
"So you going to get your hands dirty this time…for me, I am flattered." Nate said taking a sip of his whiskey.
"There is no escape this time, you must die."
"No." Nate said turning towards him again and putting his glass down. "You don't get to decide that. You have resources so do I."
"Ah yes your team."
"My family." Nate smiled at him. "It is possible to find that again you know, if you are lucky enough and I was."
"Well your luck has run out." Grant said pulling out a gun and aiming it at Nate point blank range.
"Eliot, Parker get in there, get in there now." Sophie called out her heart clenching in fear.
"So do I get any last words?" Nate asked unfazed by the man and the gun that was pointed at him.
Grant frowned at him and then shook his head sliding his finger into the trigger guard and then he stiffened and fell forward Nate catching him and then laying him down on the ground taking the gun away at the same time.
"Thanks Parker." He said looking up at the woman who stood holding a taser with a large smile on her face.
"FBI will be there in a few minutes." Hardison told them. "I sent the feed through to Penton she said there is enough to arrest him on conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and felony murder.
Three hours later Nate, Parker and Hardison walked into the Ford's home. Nate walked up to Sophie and stood before her briefly before pulling her into him and holding her tightly before kissing her passionately. The other three stood and watched smiling broadly.
"It's over." Sophie whispered.
"It is." Nate smiled at her. "Now we can get back to more important things." He said kissing her again.
"What about his team." Hardison asked, they may have the man but not his team.
"Well with him in custody it is over for them, no money no play." Eliot said, he knew people like that, he was like them before this team, they would not work without pay and with Grant in custody and probably look at life in prison he doubted the team would be a problem.
"I think Eliot is right, but let's make sure, Hardison keep security tight."
"Yeah man." Hardison said smiling at the man.
"So we staying here for a while." Eliot said matter-of-factly, if Nate thought there might be even the smallest possibility of any retribution from Sadiski's team then he was not leaving a pregnant Sophie and a still recovering Nate alone.
Nate smiled at the Hitter and nodded, he knew that was coming and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop his team from being as protective as all hell over him and Sophie, especially now. Sophie also smiled at him.
"Well at least we will eat well for the next while." She said lightly.
"Yes well, I could do with a long hot shower and a little alone time with my wife so call us when dinner's ready Eliot." He said taking Sophie by the hand and leading her into their suite closing the door behind them.
