This was going to go wrong, Face knew with a simple certainty that said a lot about the way Hannibal's plans had worked out in the past. Sure, Hannibal's plans always worked, but they never worked the way he said they would. Sighing, Face checked his watch and stepped out of the car. Whether it would go wrong or not, he'd still go through with it, like he always did. Sometimes he did wonder why he trusted Hannibal so implicitly, but he always had, and Hannibal had never let them down yet. Face would bet a lot of money that it would take more than his own death to make Hannibal let the team down.

One look down the street confirmed BA was in position and Face straightened his jacket and smoothed down his hair. This was what he was about. Yeah, he was a soldier, a damned good one, but this, the con, this was what he did best. The house he walked towards was in one of the nicest areas in Miami – Hibiscus Island. And it was a nice house too, painted a pale, sky blue, the garden neatly manicured and stuffed with so many flowers that it made Face's nose itch. The door was a large, carved mahogany affair and the doorbell jangled loudly as he pressed it.

The woman who answered made Face's smile genuine. A tall, willowy blonde, with long, ash blonde hair cut in a stylish bob that fell over her face attractively. She had very bright green eyes, and she smiled in welcome. "Well, hey there," she said, biting her lip. "And who are you?"

Slipping easily into character, Face smiled. "I'm Calvin Rees, and I'm hoping you can help me. Can I come in?" Reassured by his charming smile, and the well-cut suit, she held the door open and ushered him in. Checking the place out as he walked through, Face fought the urge to whistle appreciatively. Everything was in the latest style, and expensive too. Crime obviously paid well. "Well, ma'am, I think I might have a business proposition for you."

Intrigued, she arched an eyebrow and sat down, gesturing for Face to do the same. "What sort of business would that be?"

"The sort of business that cops love to hear about." She leapt up and Face stood to, reaching out, not quite touching her. "Steady now, I'm on your side. Who said a beautiful woman shouldn't make a little easy money without the taxman having to know?" Slowly, she sat back down. "All I want to know is when our friends are coming back to pick up their latest stash."

Eyes wide, with terror or anger Face couldn't tell, she bit her lip again. "And if I don't tell you?"

"You think I'm threatening you? Oh no, this is simply a friendly chat. I want to get in touch with our friends to promote some business that they're going to want a piece of, and this seemed the best way of finding them."

"Mr Rees…"

"Calvin, please." Face leant forward. "First names are so much more sociable, don't you think….?" He let the question hang.

"Marissa," she answered automatically. "What sort of business?"

"So you do know them?" He smiled as she nodded slowly. "Well, my business involves some merchandise that they will want to buy. When will they be here?"

"Why should I tell you? You've already said you aren't threatening me." Marissa had obviously gained a little confidence from the friendly nature of the conversation so far. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Face grinned internally: the interest in her voice was clear. Interest in him, unless he missed his guess. And he very rarely did that. "Marissa," he said, moving to sit next to her. "Marissa, I don't really care about the information. I'm beginning to think I should be asking you out to dinner instead." He gave her his most sincere, charming smile and lowered his eyes, as though embarrassed. "But I've probably said too much. I should go, I'll find our friends another way."

This time it was Marissa who held out a hand to stop him. "No, you don't have to go just yet. Stay and talk a while."

"Just talk?" Face asked with a grin, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe not just talk," Marissa agreed, a pretty blush touching her cheeks. As Face leant in to kiss her, he smiled. The things he did for the team.

Several hours later, he emerged, straightening his collar. BA was still in position as a lookout, and Face drove the Mustang up so he could jump in. BA shook his head at the smug grin on the face of his friend but didn't say anything. He knew from experience he didn't need to – Face always liked to brag about how his cons went. Sure enough, after they'd driven another block, Face looked over at him. "Aren't you going to ask how it went?"

"Don't need to – your face says everything."

Annoyed, Face said sharply, "The Noches are picking up their latest consignment of guns tonight. And you can bet that Marissa, however much she enjoyed this afternoon, will definitely be telling them that someone came asking after them."

BA grunted. "How'd you know she was hiding weapons for these suckers in the first place?"

"Some things, BA, must forever remain secret. A magician never explains, you know."

Calleigh found Eric and Ryan poring over all the old Noche case files from the last six months, trying to spot a pattern. Both looked relieved to see her, and she wondered when the bickering between them would stop. It was getting boring to have to constantly play peacemaker. Just once, she wondered what would happen if it was her who threw a sulking fit. She smiled at the imagined image of her throwing something at Horatio, and turned her grin on the boys. "So where're Horatio and Frank?"

"Not back yet from the Gladesdale Farm. I think they're going to have company there, Decker swung by here and then took off in hot pursuit." Eric's tone showed his opinion of the Colonel. "Where have you been?"

Remembering her promise to Horatio, she shrugged. "Checking some dates for Horatio. You guys want coffee?" Both agreed instantly, as she had known they would. By the time she returned with three cups, Alexx had joined the boys in the layout room. "Hey Alexx, what are you doing here?"

"I was bored," the ME complained. "No one has been to see me all day."

"We haven't found anyone dead yet," Eric replied with a grin. "Just a bunch of crazy ex-soldiers who are quite definitely mad."

"Yeah, I heard about the escape. What is going on?" Alexx laughed when she heard the full story. "OK, they're all mad. But I like the sound of this Face. He sounds like a right charmer."

"Oh, he's that all right," Calleigh agreed. "And he is very pretty."

Eric and Ryan shook their heads. "You'd kill us if we made that comment about a female criminal," Ryan pointed out. "Why'd you get away with it?"

"Because," Calleigh replied archly. "Just because."

"Oh, like that explains anything!" Eric burst out.

"Glad to see you were all working hard while I was out," Horatio commented wryly. Calleigh and Alexx exchanged grins as Eric and Ryan both looked guilty. "Decker and the MPs are still searching the farm, but I don't think they're going to find anything they can use. Did you find anything that might help, gentlemen?"

"I'm not really sure what we're looking for," Ryan admitted.

"Areas that the Noches have been active in – we need to find out where the A-Team will go next, and the logical assumption would be they will go where the Noches are. They're here to stop them, but we don't know how they're going to achieve that yet, so we need to work on the most probable plan," Horatio explained.

"What I don't get is why we're doing this," Eric complained. "I mean, we hate the Noches, right? It's a good thing if they get beaten up by the A-Team. Why don't we just let them get on with it?" Both Frank and Ryan nodded in silent agreement, and Horatio couldn't disagree entirely.

"And if innocent civilians get hurt in the crossfire? I know it seems contradictory, but the A-Team are convicted criminals, on the run from the federal government, and we have to try to catch them. Even if we think they're doing the right thing," he added, an undertone of regret in his voice. "So let's try to focus on this, because I'm sure we don't want to be beaten by the Military Police." At least they all agreed on that point.

"Horatio, can I have a word in your office? I've got the information you wanted," Calleigh told him.

"After you," he replied, holding the door for her.