AN: Part 2 - The 10 Li'l Grifters Job.
This chapter turned out short. Therefore I publish it now and plan to post the next on Sunday (or Monday). I've never really done character studies before, so please let me know what you think.
.oOo.
Eliot has just about had it. How can it be that he's supposed to take anything Nate says like it's an absolute truth when it never goes the other way around? When Eliot says he needs a week to prep if he's going to have an emergency exit for them off the island, he means it. To have Nate tell him now it's unacceptable to not have one is for him to disrespect everything Eliot does. If no one listens when he lifts security issues, how can he possibly keep them safe?
Lately Nate has instated a new rule. "Don't bring up a problem unless you've got a fix." It's the kind of reasoning that makes Eliot balk and want to leave the team. He might have already, if it wasn't for the fact that Nate would probably get one of the others killed within a month. Especially with this new rule in play.
Maybe it's not so strange then, that Eliot cannot immediately rule out the possibility that Nate has committed murder. If Nate's so certain of his own superiority in comparison to his team, what's to say he won't one day literally take the role of judge, jury, and executioner? Not that Eliot is in a position to condemn anyone who does, but he's here to get away from all of that. To make up for his past, not add to it.
Nate has lifted them all up, shown them what they can accomplish together, made them remember how good it can feel to help people. Eliot's hooked on it, and he knows it. He's also long past the point where he can let the others slip away without caring. So, he sticks around, tells himself he can make it through just one more job. Because leaving the others behind just isn't an option, not anymore.