Chapter 26
The game had now changed Nate thought and Eliot and the others needed to know. Moreau would come after them, he hoped he had focused his attention on himself, but the danger was real. Now he knew that Paul told Sophie where he was and if he had to guess Sophie and the others were now in LA, he assumed they were with Paul, he was sure his friend would have had them stay with him. He had to stop them from exposing themselves.
Moreau had Sadiski's hacker and she, whoever she was, she was good. That meant he had to stay off the grid and so did they. He was sure that Moreau did not know about Paul, he was from his old life, long before IYS and the team, but he could not be absolutely sure, the woman might dig deep enough to pull him up, also Moreau might even think of Maggie, although again it would take some digging from him hacker into his life for that. He doubted Sadiski had looked further than his time with the team, and Sadiski was not after his family, would not have used them to get to him, except as a threat. No this was a different game, and he had a lot of pieces to protect.
He poured himself a whiskey and lay back on the bed closing his eyes and going through all the different scenario's. First he had to ensure that Eliot understood the danger they were all now in and that meant going to see them because calling them was out of the question now, he had no idea if the woman could trace his call, but he could not take the chance. He sighed and then rose grabbing his things and then walked out of the motel and hailed a cab.
Arriving outside the church he quickly made his way to the back and approached the door. It was still early morning, and he was sure he had not been followed or even seen as he approached. He knocked on the door then stood back and waited.
Eliot looked up from the table as he heard the knock. He looked at Paul who nodded and stood making his way to the door with Eliot and Parker behind him. They both took up positions to the side of the door ready for anything while Sophie and Hardison moved out of view. Paul drew in a breath then opened the door.
"Nate…" Paul said as he saw the man standing in front of him.
"Paul…" Nate said moving past him and then closing the door behind him.
"Nate…" Sophie called out running towards him and then throwing her arms around him hugging him tightly before pushing him back and giving him a kiss and then a slap through the face before surveying him tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him..
"Soph…I am so sorry."
"No you are not." She said locking eyes with him. "You promised me Nate."
"Why don't we all take a seat." Paul said trying to break the tension and drawing Sophie's eyes away from Nate.
"So why are you here now?" Eliot asked, he had not expected Nate to make an appearance, something must have happened. Nate would have known they would come to LA after Paul's call and it was a reasonable assumption that they were here with Paul.
"Sadiski is out of the picture." Nate said looking at his Hitter. "This is no longer about him or what happened two years ago."
"No it's about San Lorenzo and Moreau." Eliot said shaking his head.
"Right and that changes the game." Nate affirmed. "Paul I need you to give Maggie a call and get her here."
"Michael is with her." Sophie told him and he nodded. He had assumed that Sophie would put Michael with somebody who could look after him and keep him safe. He knew Maggie and Sophie were friends and besides, Maggie was Godmother to their son.
"Now Moreau might not know about Maggie, but I am not willing to take that chance. I doubt he knows about you Paul, but again, we can't take that chance." Nate said. "Hardison you need to get a safehouse, somewhere Moreau cannot find you and you need to be careful, like I said he has a hacker, and she will be looking for me, and probably you as well.
Paul nodded and then pulled out his phone dialling Maggie's number and quickly explaining what was happening.
"Ok she will be here as soon as possible." He said as he hung up.
"So Nate what is the plan?" Eliot asked looking towards the Mastermind.
"Well first Hardison has to secure a safehouse."
"Then?"
"Then you are going to go take Paul, Maggie and my son and keep them safe." Nate stated holding his Hitter's gaze. "I told you Eliot, that is your only job here understand."
"NO." Sophie said her voice hard and loud. "No and that is final Nate, you are not sending us off somewhere to be safe and sound while you are out here taking on Moreau on your own."
"Sophie you have to take care of our son, Eliot you have to take care of our family, you and Parker and Hardison, now I am not arguing about this. Moreau will come after you guys and you know it, to get to me he will come for you. He holds all of you responsible for San Lorenzo. So there will be no arguments." Nate said softly.
"Nate you can't…"
"ENOUGH…" Nate almost shouted. "Enough this is how it is going to work and that is all there is too it, no arguments." Nate said holding his wife's gaze. "Hardison a safehouse."
"Yeah…yes I'm on it." Hardison said as he opened his computer and got working.
"Good now Eliot I spoke to Moreau this morning, he knows I know that he took Sadiski out of the picture, I think I made him understand that going after you lot is not the first thing he should do because I would be coming for him so…"
"So he has to come after you full force because you told him you beat him once and can again right? You told him you would be going after him like you did all those years ago right, and because you won last time, because you took him down he will be afraid and will come at you all guns blazing." Sophie interrupted him.
"Yes Sophie that was the general gist of it." Nate said meeting her eyes and seeing the anger there, seeing the fear too.
Before anybody could say any more there was a knock on the door. Paul looked to Nate who nodded. Again he approached the door with Eliot and Parker flanking him and Nate, Sophie and Hardison making sure they were out of the line of sight.
"Maggie." Paul said as he opened the door and saw Nate's ex-wife before him holding Michael. He quickly hustled her in and then closed the door behind her.
"Nate…" Maggie said catching sight of the man as he and Sophie emerged from the shadows.
"Mags." He smiled at her walking forwards and giving her a kiss on the cheek then taking his son in his arms and hugging him to his chest. "Hey there my boy…" He said softly kissing him gently on the head.
"Sophie." Maggie said as she moved forward and hugged the Grifter. "Ok so what is happening?"
"Well Maggie we have a slight problem, and you may be in danger so you, Paul and the rest are going to a safe house until this is all over."
"What problem?" Maggie asked looking from Sophie to Nate.
"It's a long story Mags and right now I don't have time. Sophie will fill you in." He said handing his son to his wife after kissing him again.
"Me and them…" Maggie repeated then looked at Eliot who shook his head slightly. "What about you?"
"I have something to do Maggie."
"Go after Sadiski?"
"No." Nate said.
"No not Sadiski Moreau." Sophie said.
"I have to go." Nate said stepping towards his wife. "Soph I love you ok, I love you and I need to do this, and you need to keep him safe, keep our son safe he needs his mother."
"He needs his father too." She said tears gathering in her eyes as she watched him seeing the determination in those steel blue eyes.
"I have to go." Nate said again then leaned in and placed a kiss on his son's head closing his eyes briefly. Then he leaned in and gave his wife a gentle kiss before turning to leave.
"You ain't going anywhere."
"Yes I am Eliot." Nate said softly. "You are going to make sure my family are safe." Nate said then looked at Hardison and Parker. "Don't try to follow me, don't leave them exposed, make sure they are safe. When the time comes I will contact you, but until then you make sure they are safe and secure, that is your only job, Parker, Hardison please make sure they are taken care of, that is all I ask."
"You cannot expect me too…"
"I can and I do, and you will." Nate stated looking towards the Thief and seeing the rebellion in her eyes. Then he walked towards the door with Eliot moving to block him.
"Eliot please, I am asking you to take care of my family, I am trusting you to take care of them." Nate said almost in a whisper. "If you are with me, then they are exposed, and you know it. Parker is good, Hardison is good but you are the Hitter, you are the protector so do your job. You are going to need them to do it and if I don't succeed, then you are going to need them even more, I can't afford to leave Michael and Sophie exposed, and now Maggie and Paul too. Understand me Eliot, I am trusting you to do this for me, I'm begging you."
"I have a place." Hardison said looking over the Mastermind. "It's…"
"Don't tell me." Nate interrupted him not breaking eye contact with Eliot.
Hardison closed his mouth and stared at the showdown between Nate and Eliot.
"My job is to protect you too." Eliot said his voice barely audible. He knew why Nate did not want to know where the safehouse was, it was so that if Moreau did get hold of him he could not betray them, no matter what the man did.
"Not this time Eliot." Nate said reaching out and putting his hand on the Hitters shoulder. "This time you make sure I don't lose another family. I will contact you and let you know when I need you, but until then, keep them safe." They stared at each other for a short while and Eliot could see the determination in the Mastermind's eyes and the desperate plea to him in them to protect what he loved most in the world. Then he moved past Eliot who made no move to stop him and walked out the door.
"No Nate…" Sophie said shocked that Eliot would allow the man to leave and rushing forwards only to be stopped by him.
Parker moved towards the door, but Eliot shook his head at her. He would obey Nate, although he did not want to but there were innocents involved now, Paul and Maggie were in danger too. He had to play it Nate's way or the man would simply disappear on them again and he would not come to them for help when needed, no he would obey the man even though it was killing him to do it.
"If he get's killed Eliot." Sophie said stepping back and looking at the Hitter. "I will never forgive you, any of you." She said then turned and walked away.
Eliot watched her leave and then looked at his other two teammates, the look on their faces told him what he already knew, if this ended badly, if Nate was killed because they let him walk out of that house, then none of them would forgive themselves.
