Chapter 16
Two days later Nate walked into the restaurant for the arranged meeting with Moreau. Nate had been surprised that Moreau had agreed to the meeting and it had taken a bit of persuasion on his part. He had also convinced him that he was alone and that he was still determined to kill him. Sophie and the others had sat and listened to him and Sterling just shook his head as Nate convinced a man he had just told he was determined to kill to meet with him alone. He knew his team was watching on, all of them ready to move when Moreau left the restaurant. He knew they were apprehensive because he suspected they thought he would take his chance at Moreau now or the man would take his chance at him. He stood in the doorway and looked around seeing Moreau in one of the booths at the back. He smiled grimly and made his way over sliding into the seat opposite the man.
"Ford." Moreau said looking at the man as he took his seat.
"Damien."
"So we appear to be at an impasse."
"We do." Nate said accepting the glass of whiskey the waiter had brought for him.
"Did you imagine that I would stay in that jail forever?"
"No, but I hoped."
"Did you imagine that I would not come after you if I ever got out?"
"No, but I hoped."
"So why the meeting Ford?"
"I wanted to look you in the eye Damien when I told you that I am going to be the one to put in you in the ground."
Damien looked at the man and laughed loudly. Then his face grew dark and he gazed at the man before him. Nate looked completely relaxed, there was no anger, in fact there was no emotion at all on the man's face.
"So you are going to be a Hitter Ford, I thought that was Eliot's deal?"
"Eliot is not that man anymore Moreau."
"He will always be that man Ford. The things he has done…"
"I know what he has done Moreau and it doesn't matter. He is not that man anymore and he is not your man anymore."
"No he is yours."
"No." Nate said softly. "He is his own man. A good man."
"Whatever you say but a man does not change who he is Ford." Moreau said meaningfully.
Nate did not answer him, he simply stared at the man.
"I know the man you are Ford. You are not a killer. You are a man who likes to play games just like you are doing now. But games will not work for you this time. It has already cost you the life of your friend not to mention that sweet little girl…by the way how is your lovely wife?" He said watching the Mastermind closely but seeing no sign of emotion on his face. When he got no response to his taunts he sat back and sipped his drink. "So what game are we playing?"
"I am not playing a game Damien I am done with games. You don't know me or what I am capable of even if you think you do. Hell they don't know me. This is you and me Damien and I am going to end you, I just thought I should tell you that face to face." Nate said still no emotion in his voice. He had not reacted to Damien's mention of David of Elysia, he had not even flinched, he had been ready for his references, for his taunts. Nate then finished his drink and stood up.
"So that's it?"
"That's it Damien. Next time we meet it will not be so…cordial." Nate smiled at him then turned and left.
Damien watched him leave a frown on his face. Why had Nate done this, what game was he playing, why had he just not come for him and taken him out, or used his team to do it? He had noted the man had no reaction to the mention of the girl or her father he had not reacted to the veiled threat against his wife either. He shook his head trying to figure out what the man was planning. He had his own man waiting to follow him of course, he needed to know where he was, he could feel that this game, whatever game it was Ford was playing was coming to an end, and he was going to end it definitively.
Nate walked out the restaurant and climbed into his car. He had told the team to leave him alone and to keep their distance. Eliot and Parker were watching him though he knew and was ready to step in if Damien tried anything. Sterling was in position to follow Moreau once he left the restaurant and Hardison and Sophie were back at the house following on coms ready to step in when they were needed in any capacity, it was at his insistence that she remain at the house, he wanted her out of harms way and she had acquiesced to his pleas in that regard.
Moreau waited an hour and then left. He was not sure if Ford was having him followed, he was still not sure what the situation was with the man and his team, if they were here and helping him or not but he was not taking chances. He moved swiftly to his car and as soon as he was in his driver gunned the engine and they left.
"Sterling?"
"On him Nate." Sterling told him.
"You got somebody following you Nate." Eliot's voice came through the coms.
"Well that was expected." Nate replied.
"Nate be careful." Sophie said softly.
"Don't worry Sophie, Eliot won't let anything happen to me." Nate told her. "Besides this guy isn't going to do anything to me Moreau won't stand for that. If anything all he wants is to find out where I am based."
"You don't know that for sure Nate."
"No I don't Sophie." Nate admitted but he was reasonably sure about it. "Remember guys he does not know you are here. He thinks I am alone, and I want to keep it that way."
"Nate."
"Sophie we agreed."
"I know but…"
"This is the only way to do this."
"Nate, he is at his place." Sterling's voice cut into their conversation.
"Ok, well you know what to do." Nate said acknowledging the man then he sped up weaving through the traffic.
"Nate what are you doing?" Eliot said speeding up too.
"Sorry." Nate said simply as he sped through a red light effectively cutting Eliot off.
"Dammit Nate…" Eliot said as he slammed on brakes.
Nate sped away with Moreau's man following and then turned into an alley slamming on breaks and exiting the car as the man pulled up behind him.
"Moreau give you orders?" Nate yelled out taking cover behind the car.
"Just to follow you."
"Well you did that now what?"
"If I could I was to take you too him."
"I see." Nate said then stepped out from behind the car. "So take away." He smiled at the man.
"Nate what the hell are you doing?" Sophie, Hardison, Parker and Eliot's voices came through the coms at once.
Nate ignored them and walked towards the man his hands raised. The man moved forward grabbing the Mastermind and pushing him to the car. Once he had secured the Mastermind in the back he called his boss to let him know he had the man and was bringing him to the house.
"Well drive on then." Nate said to him as he climbed into the front seat.
"Nate…what are you doing man… Nate?" Hardison said. Nate had deactivated the GPS on his earbud and so had Sterling, he had not even noticed until then, this was completely out of left field and he had been caught with his pants down and now Nate and Sterling were out there and they had no idea where. "Sterling you can't be doing this man." He could not track either man.
"Nate don't do this please." Sophie almost begged. "I cannot believe you are doing this, after everything. You are my HUSBAND Nate and we are a family. How dare you do this to us?"
Nate said nothing, he could not say anything, not only because of his situation but also because he had nothing to say. She was right of course and he knew there were going to be consequences for what he was doing, but he and Sterling had come up with this plan, it was a good one and it would work, of course Sterling thought he was going to follow it as they had discussed, and he was going to, with the exception that he was going kill Moreau even though the agreed plan was Sterling would have him arrested by his team of agents. He also knew that there would be a price to pay for it, not only with Sophie and the team but with Sterling.
"Nate I am ready this side." Sterling said. He understood the Mastermind was not going to follow the plan to the tee. He knew he meant to kill Moreau, but he was ready for that too. He was going to stop him from doing that hopefully.
"Sterling…" Sophie said softly. "Jim please don't let him do this."
"I can't stop him Sophie. You can't stop him, and they can't stop him." Sterling told her. "He is going to do this, and this is the only way I could think of that won't get him killed. Besides, he promised he would not kill Moreau, he would let me, and my team take him in." Sterling finished adding the last part to remind Nate of their deal although he was almost sure that Nate had no intention of honouring that promise.
Well whatever they wanted it was a moot point Sophie thought, Nate was in the hands of Moreau's man and they were on their way to his house. Hardison had no way of tracking them and Sterling was not going to tell them where they were either. He had affectively cut them out of all of it and Sophie was as mad as hell and she was going to make Nate understand that she was not happy when she saw him again. Sophie sighed heavily as she thought about the whole thing and the situation they found themselves in, she just hoped she would see Nate again to be able to make him pay for his idiocy.