Back at the house, Hannibal's plan was ready. B.A. had a tiny bug that Amy was going to plant on Mr. Antonelli. Hannibal and B.A. would listen from the van and collect enough information to bring him down. Antonelli always had been unable to keep his plans quiet, he liked to brag about his work, and this would prove to be his downfall. Hannibal heard the car draw up and he peered out of the window at the hesitant sound of a Corvette being badly parked.
Hannibal stared, the car was Face's pride and joy, what on Earth was he doing to it? Everything was explained when Murdock got out of the driving seat looking very nervous, followed by a furious Face, being held back by a laughing Amy. Hannibal smiled as Murdock ran quickly up the path, launching the keys into mid-air over his shoulder in a bid to deter Face.
Face reached up in the air, deftly catching the keys. Amy held his other hand, and so his progress towards throttling Murdock was halted. Amy pulled Face into a hug, laying his head on her shoulder, stroking the back of his head in sympathy for the poor mistreated car, at the same time waving Murdock away safely with a thumbs up and a huge grin. Murdock's grin was equally huge. Deep into Amy's shoulder, she heard Face murmur. She raised his head and looked innocently into his blue eyes.
"I said," he paused for effect, "don't think I don't know what you're up to. I will have my revenge. I will have my wicked way with you"
"Is that a promise?" she asked, kissing him quickly but surely, and then ran into the house to sit beside Hannibal on the sofa. Hannibal laughed, as Face ran in looking for Murdock.
"Where is he?" he asked, glaring at Hannibal and Amy in mock fury.
"Wouldn't know, Lieutenant." Said Hannibal, deadpan. B.A., however gleefully revealed the whereabouts of the hiding Captain and helped Face hoist him up.
"What did you do to my car?" asked Face in a strangled tone. Amy stood up and reached up to stroke his face. She tangled her fingers in his blonde hair and pulled him down for a quick peck on the lips. Her movements caused him to loosen her grip on Murdock, who slid out of Face's grip and moved quickly over to the other side of the Colonel.
"Amy, Amy, Amy, you will pay for that, my sweet," said Face, as they settled on the couch, his arm wrapped tightly around her, as she burrowed tightly into his hug. The others sat down, Christine and Daniel watching from the doorway.
Hannibal cleared his throat, ready to tell the others of his plan to defeat Antonelli. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Face and Amy gently and surreptitiously untwine, settling themselves ready to work as members of the A-Team. Inwardly, he released an unconscious sigh. He'd known that they couldn't carry a relationship while they worked, the mechanics of the A-Team in action depended on individuals working as a team, as a whole team, not as individuals solely concerned with the welfare of one team member. Everyone had to look out for each other in equal measure.
Chapter 22Face caught his eye and smiled, reading his Colonel's mind. He looked at Amy, and stood up.
"Hannibal, before you start, Amy and I want to try to explain something, if that's ok." Hannibal nodded, and Face continued. "We talked on the way over here. We don't want to disrupt the way we work, so we decided to try to" he stopped, not sure of how to put it. Amy took up the explanation. "Neither of us treats the work we do with the A-Team as a job. We know the difference we make and the importance of the things we do. What Face and I want is to separate the things we do from our 'off' time. We will do the best we can for everyone and everything and not let our relationship get in the way of that, but we also need some downtime to ourselves. Does that make sense?"
Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock nodded, and Face sat down, the relief in his eyes evident, as was the smile on everyone's faces.
Across town, in an over furnished office, a small swarthy man sat behind an ornate mahogany desk. He pored over a set of blueprints, his mind greedily reaping the profits of his plan. The money would come rolling in, the suckers that made up America's gambling fraternity would come in their thousands and he would be the only real winner. The casino would be rigged, of course, and he would become a billionaire. The hotel would be lavish and enticing, and his victims would come and be truly fleeced in style. His greedy grin widened, his concentration faltering as McTeague, his second in command entered the office.
"I knocked Boss, but"
"Tell me it's all coming together. That lousy restaurant, it's ours, right?"
McTeague hesitated just long enough to cause his boss to explode with anger.
"What? What happened you moron? A small restaurant, an old couple and you can't even sort that out? Offer more money, remove them, I don't want to know how. Just get it sorted. Kill them if you have to. I want that land and I will have it."
A knock at the door interrupted them. Antonelli's long-suffering secretary poked her head around the door.
Chapter 23"Ah, sir, there's a" she looked at someone behind her, " young lady to see you"
Antonelli's ears pricked up. Ladies were always something he liked to see, the younger the better.
"Show her in Milly." He almost licked his lips. "Show her in"
He was not disappointed by the vision that entered his office. Amy was dressed in a short PVC skirt, with a laced PVC bodice that almost covered her cleavage. She carried a large bag, and strode across the office pulling out a stereo and placing it on the desk.
"Well hello honey, "she drawled, praying her voice wouldn't shake. She had been adamant about playing her part in the plan, but now worries began to creep up on her. She took out a bag of gum and chomped on a stick before starting her act. She hoped Face wouldn't be too long. Strains of Celine Dion began to filter into the office as Amy sang along with the song, her voice badly out of key as she chewed the gum, desperately trying to achieve the image of a nervous trainee singagram girl.
Antonelli winced at the sound, preferring to concentrate on the sight before him. Despite how she sounded this girl was a looker. He grinned, plans beginning to formulate, plans that involved this girl, a bed and the notable absence of any clothing.
His daydreaming was rudely interrupted by an angry young man, wearing a blazer with 'McCafferty's Singagrams' emblazoned across his back. He entered the room and strode over to the young lady, gathering up the stereo and her bag.
"Cindy-Lou! Don't you ever listen girl? AntAnelli's, not AntOnelli! Honestly, you're going to get me fired! The boss only took you on 'cos you're my sister." The young man turned to the irate Italian, going over and standing beside him. He leaned down to Antonelli, somehow managing to make him feel slightly inadequate. "I'm real sorry sir, she's new and somewhat stupid" his last comment directed at the young woman.
Chapter 24"Why Bobby-Joe, that's a horrible thing to say, y'all better take that back!" she said as she packed her gear together and moved towards the door. The young man met her there and they left the office arguing. Antonelli and Mc Teague stood and watched, neither noticing the discarded bag of chewing gum that Face had managed to drop in the bin by the desk.
The rest of the Team watched in admiration as Amy got into the van. Amy blushed as she got changed behind a strategically placed towel that Face held up for her, the PVC peeling away from her flushed skin.
"So?" she asked, seeking Hannibal's approval.
"You did fine, Amy, " he smiled, as B.A. swivelled round from the front seat and gave them the thumbs up, the bug in the bag in the bin clearly catching the voices of the two men in the office.
"Antonelli's sure got a big mouth! " he grinned, "Dude don't know when to shut up!"
Unbeknownst to Antonelli and McTeague, the A-Team gathered enough information to jail Antonelli and his crew for a long, long time. A relieved Amy sat next to Face in the back of the van, fighting the urge to reach over and hold his hand. He glanced over at her and smiled softly, his eyes conveying his happiness and her smile met and matched his. It would work; they could work together and be in love. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He glanced back at the rest of the Team, catching Hannibal's eye as the Colonel came to the same conclusion.