A/N: The whole show being cancelled still bums me out, but I'm trying to finish this as I'm so close. One of the upcoming chapters has me stuck, so maybe you all can help with that? Thank you for kind words.
Chapter 13:
Andy stepped down the stairs dressed for her run when the front door opened, and McG walked in ready to join her. "Good morning," she said quietly. She wasn't quite awake yet but led him through the back door and down to the path she always used.
They started out slow to allow her knee to warm up, and when McG felt like she was warm enough, he took her off the path following his idea of switching up her routine. The new path took them down near the water's edge. The sandy beach forced her to slow her run, but she knew that part of that was part of McG's plan to keep her from hurting herself.
"You are such a worrywart," she huffed as they paused to stretch.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded laughing.
"I know you chose the beach because I would be forced to go slower," she stated putting her hands on her hips. He tossed her a water bottle and she caught it with ease.
"That and to show you the alternate entrance that we think Adrian doesn't know about to his underground compound," he added pointing a little further down the beach along the cliffs. It looked difficult to climb to and that if the tide were in, it would be impossible to get to the entrance. It also looked tiny.
Andy proceeded to walk towards the entrance he had pointed out. "When did you find it?" she demanded studying the surrounding area.
"Amir found it while you were at school yesterday," he answered watching her face go from curious to calculating.
"Did anyone go in to see how far it would go?" He felt her excitement at finding a way to get the girls out without Adrian noticing right away.
"Jaz went in last night. She could get to the hall with the cells, but then the cameras could pick her up, but we were able to tap into the feed and we should be able to manipulate it during the party to show a continuous loop. We will get them out and be gone before Adrian or anyone else notices. The Greek authorities will be looped in by command the night before the party so that they can organize the raid to take down the other players and bust the ring." Andy looked at him with the same clear blue eyes that Top did whenever they were discussing plans to enter a hostile area and it was slightly unnerving.
"How are we getting the girls off the beach without people from the party noticing?" she questioned pointing to where you could just barely see the edge of the pool area. It was far enough away and would be concealed by darkness, but a boat would require lights, and a car would be too conspicuous.
"We'll need you to make sure everyone is inside about an hour after the party starts. Amir will be stationed in the pool area to make sure that no one sees something they shouldn't," he answered taking note of how she was now moving away from the cave entrance, but not without a hint of longing.
"Alright." She turned her back to the cave entrance and he watched her slip back on the mask of school teacher.
They went about the rest of the day as planned and it wasn't until they made it to the dress shop to pick up her dress for the party that she spotted her tail for the first time that day. Andy slipped into the dressing room as McG stood near the entrance having caught her signal and already noted the tail.
"Hey Top, thinking it might be time to introduce ourselves to Mr. Petrov. He's definitely closer than normal," McG quietly conveyed while Andy was trying on her dress.
Top and Jaz were once again down the street, having tailed his sister and McG all morning. The appointment at the dress shop was the only pre-determined time that Andy was supposed to be all afternoon, and that told them that Petrov had done his research. It made Top anxious, especially in such a crowded area without knowing all the players.
"Yeah, I think you're right," Top answered glancing over at Jaz and watched her nod. "Alright Amir, Preach, I want you to pick up our friend," he ordered knowing they were only a block away at the coffee shop on the corner.
McG turned back to look over at Andy to let her know it was time to go. He stopped short when he saw her standing in front of the mirror with her back to him. The dress was backless with long sleeves made of dark navy-blue lace and she caught him looking in the mirror and smirked at him before the older woman that was helping her turned around. She spoke to the woman in Greek and headed back to the changing room. She was back minutes later with the dress in a garment bag. She was fully covered, and he could tell she was trying hard not to laugh.
"Joseph, you act like you've never seen a woman's back before," she teased hanging the dress on the hook in the back of the SUV.
"Now you know that isn't true," he laughed, and she smiled up at him. "Our friend has been picked up," he added as they climbed into the SUV and he pulled away from the curb.
"I think it best we head to the market, I need to get back to entertain Adrian's family. What does Adam say?" she questioned as he maneuvered towards the market she'd directed him towards.
"To keep you away, just in case the Russians catch on that their guy was picked up and send another tail. So, have you met Adrian's family before tonight?" he questioned pulling into a parking space.
"No, and from what I have read, they are just as ruthless as he is in business," she answered quietly as she pulled out a shopping cart.
An hour later and a full meal's worth of groceries, McG drove Andy back to the mansion and unloaded the car. McG checked in with the men that guarded the house in general and Marcus. Marcus was a good man and while McG trusted that instinct, he was still working for a man like Adrian. They had run his background and he had a solid military record with the British Armed Forces and had been honorably discharged. Then he had disappeared for several months before showing up on Adrian's security detail. The other guards he got the impression were in it for the money.
Andy moved around the kitchen chopping vegetables and prepping a salad. She felt like she should be nervous meeting the family of the man she was pretending to be in love with, but she couldn't muster the energy to care anymore. They had raised the man that used drugs, kidnapped girls and sold them into the sex trade. The rage boiling in her gut kept her focused, she would use her training to make sure the family paid for the man they raised.
Three hours later, Adrian was home, and his family would arrive at any moment. She caught McG's eye as she opened the front door to greet the future in-laws. He looked angry already and the evening was just beginning. Marcus didn't look pleased either. The team had been silent in her ear since she'd put her earwig back in after her shower. She should have taken that as a sign that things were going to get ugly.
"Father, meet my beautiful bride-to-be, Andrea," Adrian introduced her to the man with white blond hair and cruel mouth that was dressed in an expensive looking tan suit. "Andrea, my father, Maximillian."
"Mr. Dimakos," she greeted with a smile. His father assessed her with an eye that reminded her of a panther stocking his prey. He took her hand a pressed a kiss to her knuckles. His lips lingering far longer than necessary. She fought the urge to pull her hand away and rub it against her leg.
He finally released her hand when his wife cleared her throat and stepped up to greet her. "Mother, this is Andrea; Andrea, my mother Ivana," Adrian stated putting a hand on Andy's lower back. Andy smiled warmly at his mother with her shrewd assessing eyes and knew that this woman held more secrets than her husband. She kissed Andy on either cheek, but ice was warmer than this woman.
They stepped inside and the carefully prepared menu that Andy took weeks to figure out suddenly felt inadequate and it would, no matter how established a cook, and suddenly she was grateful that this woman was not really going to become her mother-in-law. She felt McG's gaze on her back and as she took his mother's wrap to hang in the closet, she gave him a look that she hoped conveyed that the situation was more dangerous now. His nod gave her the reassurance that this was going to be a long night of chess.
They made small talk in the kitchen as Andy prepared the last bits of the meal and poured wine for his parents. Adrian looked like a peacock showing off his feathers for his father and his mother was clearly was not impressed. They moved to the dining room for dinner and Andy prayed the evening would end soon. The conversation was entirely in Greek and even with her fluidity in the language, she suspected they were alternating between a standard dialect and something else because she would occasionally lose the thread of conversation.
She excused herself to go retrieve the dessert she had picked up at Adrian's favorite bakery. It was a traditional baclava and smelled delicious as she gathered dessert plates and extra forks. Rosalee came in with the empty dinner plates and gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back, but she felt as though this woman was hiding something new. Rosalee left the room quickly taking another bottle of wine with her and leaving Andy a moment to breathe.
McG was doing a pass through the backyard when he glanced into the kitchen to see Andy standing at the counter cutting up the dessert they'd bought earlier in the day. She looked tense and glanced up to smile at him. He frowned when Adrian's father came into the kitchen and moved to stand over her shoulder. She gripped the knife and he could see her talking quickly as Maximillian whispered in her ear. Maximillian moved to try and trap her, and she quickly moved aside. McG made a move to head inside and Andy glanced up at his movement. She gave a subtle shake of her head and he paused.
"McG, talk to me," Top demanded from the safe house.
"Looks like Daddy Dimakos is as big a dirt bag as his son. Andy's got it covered though." He watched her shove the plates into her future father-in-law's hands and point him in the direction of the dining room. She followed behind with the serving dish. McG moved to the front of the house in order to look through the dining room window and keep an eye on things.
They could hear the conversation on comms from Andy's end, but with most of the conversation in Greek, they were relying on DC to translate. So far it was mostly just normal conversation about the wedding and setting a date. The delay was making Amir anxious as he sat with Jaz monitoring the cameras and McG's body cam. He hated that they weren't any closer, but there hadn't been justification for setting up shop down the street.
"Andy, why don't you go up and get the brochures for the ceremony sites," Adrian suggested as the discussion of location came up and his mother insisted on giving her opinion. "I'll go make coffee," he added, and she smiled at him before nodding and excusing herself from the table.
Andy climbed the stairs and entered her office, pulling open the filing drawer to the left of computer to look for the file Adrian mentioned. She pulled the file out and glanced up at the camera she knew was sitting on her bookshelf disguised as a Statue of Liberty and gave the team a reassuring smile. She was just walking around her desk, when Maximillian appeared in the doorway. He had that predatory look again and now he was fueled by alcohol.
"I haven't been in here since you made it your own," he commented walking around and looking at the knick-knacks on the shelves. He unknowingly picked up the statue and Andy immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She slid her hand across the desk while his back was to her and gripped the letter opener that Adrian had given her as gift.
"Well, I've got those brochures, let's go show the others," she announced moving to the opposite side of the desk. In an instant, he was in front of her blocking her path and crowding her until she was backed up against the wall. She could smell the wine on his breath and the smell of his aftershave as he leaned in closer. The combination made her want to gag, but she swallowed down the feeling and straightened her spine.
"You smell like summer by the ocean," he whispered sniffing a lock of her hair he had picked up between his fingers.
"We should really get downstairs," she insisted trying to move away from him. He caged her with his arms and she glared up at him defiantly. "Would you please kindly let me pass?" she requested looking into his bloodshot blue eyes.
"Did my son tell you about the last woman he nearly married?" he questioned, not moving.
"No." She had wondered and from Maximillian's tone, it sounded worse than her initial guess.
"She was just as spirited as you, not nearly so pretty though. She wasn't strong enough though. You see my son takes after his father and has a very healthy appetite for the fairer sex. You seem like you could keep him happy, but you see, I have to approve any woman my son marries. She has to have the stamina to keep up with the demands," he explained as he moved his hand from her hair to trail it along her breastbone, and that was enough for Andy. She brought the point of the letter opener to the fly of his pants and pressed hard enough for him to pause in his movements.
"Has he told you about me though? My big brother taught me how to defend myself and if you do not back up and remove your hands from my personal space, I will cut off your ability to please your wife and stuff it down your throat. If you doubt me, try me. Now get your fucking hands off," she ordered pressing harder and watched as he lifted his hands in surrender while backing away. As he moved away, she reached to the gun holstered on the underside of her desk and aimed it at his chest with a steady hand. It was the only one that Adrian knew about and she had explained that Adam had taught her to shoot to protect herself. Given the fact that they already had armed bodyguards at the house, he had allowed it. At the sight of the weapon that was more lethal at a distance, Maximillian finally left the office and headed back down the stairs.
Andy slipped the gun back in place and dropped the letter opener on the desktop. She took a deep steadying breath, straightened her blouse, and made her way down the front stairway just as McG came through the front door looking calm but knowing that he had been ordered to stop Adrian's father by her brother. She nodded to let him know she was okay, but the look of concern still didn't leave his eyes.
When she re-entered the dining room a moment later, it sounded like Adrian's mother was ready to leave. Andy almost breathed a sigh of relief until she heard Adrian trying to convince them to stay with the couple. "No son, we will leave you two love birds on your own," his father answered giving her a look that almost looked like respect if it were not for the lust mixed with it.
They walked the couple out and when they pulled out of the driveway, Andy and Adrian waving from the stairs, Andy finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I think your mother hates me," she stated as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they went inside.
"My mother is a tough woman, but your efforts tonight did not go unnoticed. My father says you have spunk," he answered, and her gut twisted at his father's assessment. She'd fended him off tonight because she had caught him by surprise, but she had a feeling that he was like his son and didn't take no for an answer.
"Well, I hope I made a good impression for you. I want them to like me," she stated turning to look up at him. The effort to keep up appearance of the loving fiancée was getting old and she was ready to take a break.
"They will learn to love you just like I do," he declared before dipping his head to kiss her. She allowed it, but quickly pulled away.
"I think I'm going to go for a run, all that baclava is not good for my figure to fit in that dress for Saturday. I'll meet you in the bedroom later?" she offered when she saw his pouting face. He nodded, and she went upstairs to put on workout gear.
When Andy went out the front door, McG was waiting for her in his own running gear. The sun was already set and in unspoken communication, they set off towards the park down the road. Her pace was neither relaxed or slow. She was nearly sprinting, and McG was surprised by the speed when she really let loose. He knew that she should really slow down so she wouldn't aggravate her knee, but he recognized the need to let out the pent-up emotion.
When they entered the park, she finally stopped and braced her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. After a minute of huffing and puffing, she stood up and gave him a smile. "Sorry," she offered handing him her bottle of water. He grinned at her and took a healthy gulp.
"Are you alright?" he questioned softly. She glared at him.
"Not the first time and won't be the last." McG frowned at this comment. "Look, it's a hazard of the job. Ask Jaz and she will tell you the same thing. We are trained to deal with it." She wanted to move past the incident in her office but knew her brother would not be so quick to forget; neither, apparently, was his team.
Adam stood in the darkened room staring at the man that had been tailing his sister for the last couple weeks and frowned at the words coming out of his mouth. Adrian's friend had been the one to hire him. The reasons why were what bothered him. Dimitri had spent the afternoon telling him the story of Adrian's first fiancée. He stepped out of the room and motioned to Amir as Jaz took over monitoring the camera feeds from the mansion.
"Go get them," he ordered, and Amir nodded before leaving. He stood in the hallway calming his emotions and coming up with his next move. His sister tended to get herself in worse situations than he wanted to know, and it was hard not to want to pull the plug on the entire operation. After their last deployment and the near misses, he wasn't quite ready to have his sister be the next victim of bad luck.
"Top!" Jaz called, and Adam quickly headed to the kitchen. She was looking at the monitor for Andy's study and had the volume up loud enough to hear. Adam stood behind Jaz and gripped the back of her chair as they watched the entire exchange and it served to confirm their hostage's story. He called McG and told him to get inside the house.
Jaz watched intently as the scene played out and held her breath along with the team in DC. Jaz knew the minute Adrian's father felt the letter opener and inwardly cheered the other woman. When she pulled the gun and held it level, she felt pride in her too. She heard Patricia's barely audible, "Atta girl."
"Adam, switch to private," Patricia stated, and Jaz watched as Top changed channels and walked towards the upstairs. Her eyes went back to the screen and watched as Andy re-holstered the gun and leave the room.
"Adam, the story is confirmed, Adrian's ex-fiancée tried to report it, but no one believed her. Adrian's father paid off the police to bury the evidence and she later committed suicide. I have a meeting with the Greek ambassador in the morning and we will end this," she reported to him and Adam found himself nodding even though she couldn't see him.
"Is there someone in Greek intelligence that we can trust? The last time we tried to work with them, we were nearly blown to hell," Adam questioned.
"I'll get back to you," she answered. Patricia looked at her team around her and could tell that this extended mission was wearing on all of them. She hoped the next day brought a measure of relief before the final showdown on Saturday.
"Switching," he announced before switching back to the team channel. "Amir, ETA on pick up?"
"Two minutes out," he responded in a clipped tone.
"McG, Andy, we'll pick you up in the park, two minutes," Adam announced and looked to Jaz as he stepped back into the dining area. She looked calm and it was exactly what he had needed to see in that moment.
"Copy," Andy announced sounding winded from their run to the park.
Amir had not witnessed the visuals of the incident at the house, but he'd heard it. He pulled into the park and spotted Andy and McG leaning against a park bench, he'd parked and climbed from the car without thinking. He stalked towards Andy and pulled her to him without giving her a chance to react. His arms went around her, and he felt the moment she held him back. Her arms slipped around his waist and squeezed tight.
"I'm fine," she whispered in his ear. He pulled back and cupped her face in his warm slightly callused hands. He searched her eyes for the truth he knew he would find and nodded before kissing her. Again, he had taken her by surprise.
McG stood by awkwardly as he watched Amir kiss Andy. It was the first time he had ever seen him kiss anyone and it made him smile, but it was also Top's sister. "Guys, we need to get out of here," McG announced clearing his throat. Amir pulled back and looked startled at his unusual display of affection and Andy looked just as surprised as he released her and stepped away. McG watched as Amir retreated to the car without a backwards glance and he motioned for Andy to go ahead.
Andy climbed into the back with McG and Amir up front. She kept her eyes focused ahead and tried to push down the storm of emotions that Amir had triggered when he'd kissed her. The kiss the other night had been about missing someone she'd thought she would never see again, but tonight had been about Amir reassuring himself that she was okay. This kiss had driven most of the last niggling vestiges of Maximillian's smell from her brain and she was grateful for it. She was also a little angry with him. She was a professional that could handle herself, she did not need to be coddled when a situation got tough.
Amir's emotions were a storm that he was trying to reign in on the drive back to the safehouse and glancing in the mirror, he could tell Andy was frustrated with him. He wasn't coddling her, even though she would think he was, and he could handle that. It was the sheer terror he had felt listening helplessly to her handling the situation. He had felt horror when Jaz had been taken, but he wasn't in love with Jaz. He had also been terrified of never finding out if after all this time, she still loved him in return.