"Charlotte Moreau!" Eliot screamed at the top of his voice, "You want to kidnap Damien Moreau's wife! How are we supposed to do that?"
They had just returned to Nate's new headquarters. It was nothing compared to the old ones but it was close enough. He had chosen the building that held their very first office. He figured it would be the best way to make certain his team came together this time around. History would not be repeated. Sophie was their mark now.
"You do realize that that pair has destroyed countless lives before they were together," Eliot continued to rant, "Do you know just how many lives were lost when they teamed up. I'm talking billions, man! Billions of lives just at the hands of two power hungry people!"
Nate slammed his fists into the brand new table. The movement was just odd enough to stop the hitter's rant. All noise ceased as the mastermind's emotions took over. He felt his blood boiling in his veins. His chest tightened and his heart hammered against it. His lungs ached with the need for oxygen but every breath was sharp pain and unbearable to experience. His head felt like it was splitting apart. His eyes stung and he felt the blinding rage shake him.
"Tell me what they've done," Nate ordered the hitter softly.
Eliot just gave him a look so he repeated his words as loud as possible. Then the hitter nodded and got them both beers. He sat down at the conference table and kept his piercing blue gaze on his employer. His eyes spoke volumes of what he was thinking. He was measuring the crazy man and trying to decide how to handle it. Judgment wasn't on his features. He just looked patient.
"You might want to sit down," he suggested, "You look like you're going to pass out any moment."
"It's just a panic attack," Nate shook it off. But he took heed of the hitter's advice. He sat and sipped at his beer. It was high quality malt but it still tasted like bitter salt in his mouth. The alcohol smelled foul when it should have held a sweet scent of comfort. Even the feel of the bottle in his hands wasn't comforting. He was an alcoholic whose addiction no longer mattered.
"It's not a panic attack," the hitter said shaking his head as he said it, "It looks like fury to me."
And that was exactly what it was. The mastermind nodded and grimaced at just how accurate of a read he was. His emotions were obvious symptoms. Everything he did, the way his thoughts wandered. They were not fearful thoughts. No, the only images rolling through his head were the billions of ways he could kill Damien Moreau with his bare hands. Images of Sophie in that man's arms worshipping Moreau the way she had loved him flashed across the mastermind's mind. The soft glow was completely chocked out of her eyes. Moreau would pay dearly for that. It was a deep hatred that filled every ounce of Nathan Ford and forced his body to react in kind. Of course the hitter would notice something like that.
"That man looks at her like she's a possession," Nate explained calmly. At least he hoped his voice was calm. The tumultuous emotions and thoughts running through his mind were too hard to stop. He couldn't tell which emotion was actually apparent when he didn't even know which to hide.
"Damien Moreau has every right to look at his wife that way," Eliot shrugged sipping at his beer as he went, "In a way she is his possession."
"No man has a right to destroy happiness," Nate snarled pathetically, "He doesn't deserve that kind of power!"
"How much do you want to know?" Eliot asked softly, "You seem a little too interested and all."
"I want to know absolutely everything about them," Nate explained, "And leave no detail out."
So the hitter described every event of the past fifteen years. From the moment the two met in Paris to everything they had done within the last six months. No stone was left unturned and the mastermind's body shook with horror at what his grifter had done. There was nothing he could do to ignore the pain she had afflicted on so many innocent people. Her nickname was the Queen of Evil and she seemed so proud of the title. She was a completely different person and Moreau was the only difference. No, he was the difference. He had wished his life away and she was the one who paid the price.
"We're going to need a thief and a hacker," Nate said.
He watched the hitter for any signs of discontent. A scowl was his only answer but it was more out of disgruntled agreement than anything else. He just nodded along and kept sipping at his beer. His eyes were dark with memories of the horrors he had performed for Moreau.
"Sounds like a plan," Eliot commented softly.
"So the first thing we need to do is go to the bank," Nate explained.
Eliot stared at him in confusion. The mastermind just gave him a wink and left the way he always did. The hitter found him moments later and they were on their way.
Serbia, 3 p.m. The very next day…
They were in an abandoned warehouse searching for signs of life. A bed sat there with a rack of harnesses to its left and glass writing boards to its right. A plush bunny sat in the middle of the bed and the lights were motion activated.
"This is definitely Parker's place," Nate smiled. The thief hadn't changed a bit. That was always a good sign.
"PPPP-Parker?" Eliot chocked out in surprise. He looked visibly shaken by the very idea of it. He even gripped at his shirt collar and tugged it away from his neck in nervousness. "You want to use Parker as your thief? She's insane!"
"Not insane," Nate shook his head, "just misunderstood. Besides, nobody's ever caught her. Aren't you a little interested in trying to figure out why?"
"What makes you think we can catch her when nobody else has?" Eliot questioned immediately.
"I've got ten thousand dollars' worth of non-sequential bills," Nate said. He held them up in the air and waited for the bait to be taken. He wasn't disappointed.
A blonde blur of movement appeared on the ground before them. Blue-grey eyes stared at them with a feral glint. The tiny frame looked starved and prepared for danger. The thief looked like an animal caged. She kept flicking her head between the two of them. She was expecting an attack but her grip was firm on the dollar bills in the mastermind's hand. She tried to tug them away again and failed. Then her feral gaze turned to the mastermind's and stared.
"You only get these if you agree to do a job with me," Nate explained softly. He was answering the question before she asked. He knew every conspiracy she believed in. Mind reading was her personal favorite and it was going to be the only way to get her with them.
"Plus you'll be paid well," he added.
The thief studied him for a few seconds. Motion caught her attention and she turned dangerous eyes the hitter's way. He was standing before her with intent of harm. The mastermind could see that. He also knew the hitter wouldn't attack unless ordered or provoked. Parker knew that too if the way she turned her gaze away from him was any indication.
"What's the job?" She asked. Her voice was cold, calculating.
Nate smiled as he gave her the winning answer.
"Taking down Damien Moreau," he said.
The smile he received from the thief was all the answer he needed. He released the bills and watched the thief delight in the smell of it. She skipped to the bed, grabbed her bear and took another sniff of the bills. She grabbed a few harnesses and asked several questions about what she would need. The mastermind supplied the answers and she just nodded. She was a complete professional in every way. But it was the way she kept casting worried glances the hitter's way that revealed the truth.
The scars for her in the last five years must have been worse. Her eyes were colder too, like Sophie's. She looked as though her life had been rougher somehow. The crazy sparkle in her eyes wasn't filled with glee. Her hair was less glossy. Her hair skin was pale. Bags were under her eyes and she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. A few dark spots speckled her arms but she still had the same child-like wonder. Then she grabbed her bag and stared at him.
"I'm ready," she explained, "but I better be getting paid for this."
The mastermind smiled and nodded his head.
"You will never have to worry about money again when we are through," he promised.
He ignored the hateful look she sent the hitter's way. He had earned the thief's loyalty with her favorite money. But she would abandon him for a bigger payout. The challenge was the glue binding her to him. He was going to take advantage of that for as long as possible. Her turned to follow Parker out of the warehouse and noticed the hitter staring.
"How did you catch the most uncatchable thief in history?" Eliot demanded quietly.
"Non-sequential bills are her favorite," Nate whispered with a shrug.
"What's your name, sir?" Parker interrupted. Her eyes were like daggers boring into his skin. She looked so fragile and dangerous. Something broke her further and she bent with the pressure. She was going to be harder to reach now than she was when they started.
"Ford," Nate replied smoothly, "Nathan Ford. Now let's go get Hardison."
He pointedly ignored the way they were staring at him. It was difficult to hide the smile though. They were looking at him like he was crazy. It was such a familiar feeling that he couldn't help but laugh. The laughter only increased as their expressions suggested he was insane. Maybe they were right. This whole experience was insane. Of course, his insanity was only increasing. He needed his hacker and his grifter back. He needed to fix his team. He needed them to be whole. He made the mistake and they were being punished. He would rescue his team. They deserved it.