A/N: Sorry, for the long wait between updates. I promise you they will speed up once I get back to school. I have more time to write then but I've got a lot of the ending finished. It's just middle that needs to be worked on. Plus I've got the other stories too. Enjoy and be on the look out for more updates.
Nate ignored the odd looks coming from his team. Instead he just barreled on through until Eliot stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"What are you going to do to her?" He asked softly.
His eyes automatically looked towards the hacker and thief to make certain they weren't listening. Nate smiled at that. He was already protecting them. He just wasn't quite protecting them because he wanted to yet.
"I'm not going to hurt her," Nate replied, "Not yet anyway."
The hitter's response was unexpected to say the least. He shoved his hand into his shoulder and glared at him. Then he put a death grip onto his arm and forced him to look into his eyes. There was concern on his features.
"What are you going to do?" He stressed.
"We're just going to talk," the mastermind replied arms in the air.
The hitter nodded his head and released his powerful grip. He went towards the kitchen and immediately started preparing food. He usually did that because Parker was hungry. Now he was doing it because he was nervous. It was the only safe distraction he could come up with to take up his time while he waited for his boss to finish the job.
Nate quickly surveyed the room to find the thief and the hacker. The gap between them seemed a mile long compared to only days ago. In the other world they were inseparable. You could never find one without the other. Now they were complete strangers who weren't even showing interest this time around. The holes inside each of them were far too many and far too big. It would take a miracle and a lot of work to get them where they were before. He could do it. It was just going to take a while, but he would do it.
"Nobody go in there unless I call for you," Nate commanded softly.
The three 'kids' nodded their heads at the command. Then they promptly went to work ignoring each other. He sighed in pain of their action. He would correct that error soon but first he had to begin to mend the most difficult wound. So he entered the grifter's room as carefully and quietly as possible.
She was on the bed lounging there. Her eyes were opened wide and she was staring at him with cold calculation. Yet her position was highly sexual and had the appropriate response despite the mastermind's efforts. The slight part of her lips showed she was aware of her affect. Perfect.
"Hello, Mrs. Moreau," Nate growled.
He walked over to the bed and quickly checked himself. He slammed into the chair located right beside it. Then he made certain to ignore her seductive body. He looked her dead in the eyes and ignored the slight merriment there. It was amusement at the ways she could push him. There was nothing genuine about her. She was all business and it was disgusting to behold. Mostly it was just painful but the mastermind was going to ignore that. Of course, she seemed to have other plans.
"Shall we get started then?" She asked.
She moved off of the bed in seconds flat. She sat on his lap and started pressing his body into his. She was just about to press her lips to his when he turned away. Then he raised his arms and pushed her onto the bed. She smirked at that and readied herself for what would come next. The anger at her moves firmly boiled over in the mastermind's stomach.
"I didn't come for that," he growled, looking away as he spoke.
"Then what did you come in here for?" She asked clearly not believing him, "You seem to like what you see."
"I came to talk," Nate replied. He silently scolded himself for falling for her charms. Of course he would start to look at all she had to offer when he had a job to do. And she was more than aware of the affect she had on him. He was just adding tools to her arsenal. He wasn't helping anybody especially her. No, he would not fall for her con.
"Besides I'm taken," he added on with spite.
"Taken men don't faze me," she said with a wink.
"I'm sure honest men do," he said raising his brow in challenge.
Sophie laughed at that.
"You're not an honest man," she said.
Then she began to laugh even harder. Her smile was genuine but cold. The laugh showed her disbelief and worse, her power. She was nothing but the worst now. All of her gentleness was gone. She was nothing but pure evil. It was time to knock her off that pedestal. The hard way would be the only way to catch her attention, unfortunately.
"You're right," he grinned raising her wallet as he spoke, "An honest man wouldn't pick your pocket."
The smile fell immediately. She quickly checked her pant pocket and nearly exploded from the anger at what she found. Her face turned neutral instantly. She was an adamant professional even now. The control she held was completely infuriating. Even when they had started their chase around the world she was an easier read. Now she was closed off in ways he had never anticipated. The scars were thick bricks of impenetrable doom. He was just bouncing off before he could get a good grip.
So the mastermind broke a very firm rule in their relationship. He opened her wallet without permission. He discarded the credit cards as if they were nothing. He laughed at the fact that they were actually limited to ten thousand each. Moreau had her shoe addiction on a budget. He took note that she still kept some of the familiar aliases; Charlotte Prentice (Moreau,) Christy Connelly, Jenny Smith, Annie Kroy. There were several he had never seen before. Each and every one was more powerful than the next. A couple of cards were found with names of some pretty impressive forgers including Marcus Stark. He would have Hardison check up on Sophie's favorite forger as soon as their little meeting was over. It would be interesting to see if Moreau allowed the man to live. Then, tucked gently under a secret compartment in the back, he found a picture he was not expecting.
He dropped the wallet in his hands. It was a child he was staring at. It was an innocent little boy with a big smile on his face. He had dark black hair with tiny curls decorating his scalp. He had big brown eyes and long eyelashes. His cheekbones were high and his skin was perfectly tone olive tan. He had a tiny frame but his shoulders were broad. Muscles were already beginning to ripple over his shirtless chest. Thank goodness he was wearing red swimming trunks or he would have done something awful to the grifter staring at him.
He turned towards her watchful eyes. For the first time ever he felt pure hatred bubbling inside his veins and it was directed towards the beautiful woman before him. Every thought and feeling was aimed at taking her away. He wanted nothing more than to harm her for that picture. Then he felt the hatred turn towards him. How could he ever harm her? Of course, how could an angel like her fall so far from Heaven's embrace?
"Who is this?" He demanded bitterly. He waved the picture in front of her and waited for her response.
The grifter just shrugged in response but her posture had changed. Her eyes were darker somehow. It was as though the entire room was waiting for news on which temperature to turn to, all because of her mood.
"Some boy we give to the highest bidder," she explained, "We don't ask what they want him for and he comes at a very high price. Do you like him?"
"You sell innocent children for people's amusement?" He questioned harshly.
"He's the one we sell to the hard sellers," she shrugged, "Usually in bargain for others. He means nothing more. Why would he? He's just a boy."
Nate bit back the retort he wanted to scream at her. He had promised Eliot he would cause the grifter no harm. He would keep that promise but she was making it so difficult. How could anybody talk so carelessly about selling children? He was an innocent baby and she just kept tossing him away like gar…
"He," Nate noted suddenly. She kept calling him he. She wasn't disassociating herself. That was a very unusual slip-up. No dealer would make that mistake, at least not with the merchandise. Unless, she was trying to sell him. But she was too good at reading to not know little boys didn't do it for him.
"You're lying," he declared softly.
She rolled her eyes in reply. So he returned to staring at the photograph. He had to think of something that would catch the grifter's attention. He needed to figure out why she was protecting the boy. He also needed to know who it was. It looked like a recent take but that could be very easy to hide. It could be Moreau as a little boy or some brother of hers that died years ago. The key to getting inside the grifter's head was through her heart after all. A strategy change was in order.
"Are you going to talk to me at all?" He asked.
The grifter's lazy silence was answer enough for him. She was going to make him work for it. That was fine with him. He had been trained by the greatest and all that.
"Fine," he shrugged, "Then welcome to the all about Nathan Ford hour."
He licked his lips and thought of where to begin. He could start with his birth but that wouldn't intrigue her right now. No, she would want to know some deep dark secret to use against him later. She was a natural lie detector too so it had to be the truth. So what was he going to tell her?
"I just discovered that my ex-wife is now married to my ex-best friend," he began, "and I'm oddly okay with that."
The grifter showed no sign of interest but he wasn't fooled. Her eyes twitched upwards before they went back to staring at the door. She was thinking of a plan to escape he was sure. But he was distracting her enough that she wanted to comment. He could keep this up just as long as she could. He knew from experience.
"He's a good man," he explained, "somebody she deserves. I hope it works out and hey they've got a beautiful son. His daughter seems to still be a little spitfire too. It will be interesting to see where they are in a few years. I bet she'll be going to Harvard or Yale or God forbid Oxford if he has a say in it."
"A beautiful son," Sophie commented dryly, "So you do have a taste for younger meat. I should have known."
"I meant he looks like his mother," the mastermind growled, "Why should you have known?"
"Look at me," she explained effectively drawing his eyes wherever her hands roamed and they did roam. "You haven't even begun an effective torture strategy. Instead you're gripping that little boy's picture like a lifeline. And you're talking about your ex-wife, a possible weakness for you, and her gorgeous son. Honestly, Mr. Ford, you should really consider my offer. I'll even give you a discount price."
"I'm not interested in little boys, Mrs. Moreau," he snarled, "and the reason why I haven't touched you is because I'm a gentleman."
"Some gentleman," Sophie grumbled, "You're keeping me prisoner and away from my husband's very warm bed. I'm feeling oh so lonely."
"I don't know how you can feel so lonely when I'm sitting right here," Nate rolled his eyes at his words, "where I will be staying. And you will be staying in that bed for right now. I'm not exactly interested in what's underneath those clothes of yours, my dear."
"Who's lying now?" She demanded back bitterly.
"Look you know why you're being kept here," he supplied, "You're nothing more than a weapon to use against your husband. I'm merely trying to keep you occupied. You should work with me. It will only be to your benefit if you do."
"I'm not giving you anything to use against my husband," she moaned, "so either be a man and teach me a lesson or get out. My tongue is tied."
Silence enveloped the former couple once again. The grifter continued her game of staring at the door. Her left eyebrow twitched with the dozens of exit plans forming in her mind. The mastermind took note of every single one and sighed. He knew none of them would work but he couldn't crush her desire for freedom.
The picture caught his attention again. The boy was a wonder behold. His features were handsome and well-defined. His brown eyes crinkled in an oddly familiar way. He was blissfully happy with his rosy cheeks making him appear breathless from running around the world. He could sense the grifter's unease at his close scrutiny of the picture. She kept secretly sending him warning glares the longer he stared at it. She just kept sitting there with her arms crossed and a pout on her features.
"I had a son once," Nate said.
It was why he was so enthralled by the picture. The image reminded him of Sam. Well, the boy did hold some familiarity. There was something about him that was striking, tugging at his memory. It didn't help that Sam kept flashing through his mind whenever he looked at the hair. Every time he dared to look at the boy's eyes he would see his grifter, the one who never married Moreau. He would look into this little boy's eyes and see the caring, sweet grifter who took care of everybody and could never do any harm. He didn't see the cold woman on his bed sending glares his way.
She remained silent but he could sense her curiosity despite the cold exterior. He was about to hook her. All he had to do was make certain he chose his words wisely.
"I remember how amazing he was at this age," he commented softly, "What is he? Four? Five?"
"Eight," Sophie corrected scornfully. Her brown-black eyes were narrowed slits but her attitude had changed. She was more weary now; a lioness on the hunt or snake readying for the strike. She was colder now, signaling that he was reaching dangerous territory.
"Eight," Nate nodded. He should have known that would be the answer. "That was how old Sam was when I lost him."
"Sam?" Sophie questioned softly. Her voice had changed completely at that name. It wasn't just curious, it was frightened. She actually sounded more like her normal self, her true self. She was alarmed and thrilled all by the use of one name.
Then it clicked. The boy's cheeks, his hair, and those big brown eyes all fell into place. There was no mistaking the constant flashbacks to Sam and Sophie. It was all written right there in the picture.
"He's your son," he realized aloud, "Isn't he?"
The image Nate received when he looked up was not the one he was expecting. Sophie was displaying no emotion and yet he could read her every thought like a book. Her eyes were wide but only slightly. Her mouth was cast downward and pressing into itself. Her muscles were flexing and her breathing seemed to stop. He struck the wrong key but it was the right answer.
"What's his name?" He asked. He was hoping that getting her to open up would work. Maybe if he got her to talk about her child they could move forward and reestablish their relationship. It had worked on him when she did it.
"I don't know," she lied, "I told you before that he was just some child we picked up for trafficking. We lend him out to the highest bidder for whatever purpose they want-"
"Don't give me the business version!" Nate yelled. He was starting to lose his temper and he had a horrendous feeling why. His jealousy was starting to get out of hand and pretty soon the grifter was going to pick up on it. Pretty soon he would be the victim instead. "I'm not going to hurt him. I'm just curious. I wasn't expecting you to-"
"To what?" Sophie countered, "Have feelings? Believe it or not, Mr. Ford, monsters can have children too!"
Well there was a surprise. She bit back and with venom too. Her voice was just dripping with danger and her every muscle was tensed for a fight. It was worse than when she thought he would rape her. They were about to reach a death match.
"So what if he's my child?" She continued, "Why does it matter? You're just going to try to use him as leverage so no matter my answer you will make your assumptions and act accordingly. I'm no more than a prisoner. Do what you've come to do and leave because I will give you no information on my husband or possible heirs!"
Nate stared at her and couldn't help the smile from falling off his face. Even in this cruel world she was able to surprise him. He should have expected her to act in a threatening manner and yet he was still surprised when she lost composure. She was his to shape and mold and she was putting up a better fight than ever before. If he didn't gain her trust soon everything would be lost.
He decided to act the way he usually did under the circumstances. He acted as if she had never been listening at all.
"As I said," he said, "I wasn't expecting you to have a son. I promise you that I won't hurt him but you won't believe me even though you can tell I'm telling the truth. That's fine. I'm only here to talk right now and since you've got nowhere to go what other choice do you have but to talk back?"
Sophie glared at him, crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at the challenge.
That's my girl, Nate thought to himself in joy. "Staying silent doesn't exactly help you con me into freeing you so I suggest you make this interesting," he said, "Or I could always leave you alone in the dark until you figure out that those windows are locked because they are attached to a forty-five story drop."
Sophie's eyes popped wide at that. It was surprise taking over her features this time. She was probably even wondering how he knew that was going to be her next escape attempt. The way she was chewing her bottom lip definitely indicated that to be true.
"Unless you think you can survive that kind of a fall," he shrugged.
The grifter huffed out a dramatic breath and considered her options. Then she rolled her eyes and finally decided on what she would do. She punched him in the nose and quickly proceeded to head to the door.
Nate jumped to his feet to chase after her and immediately regretted the movement. Blood poured from his nose as he rushed out of the bedroom towards the front door. He was already too late. Parker was holding the struggling grifter and showing no signs of relenting any time soon. Eliot was busy pushing a needle into her neck while the hacker checked to make certain she couldn't get out.
Nate rushed towards the grifter just as Parker released her. He caught the prone falling body and fell to the ground with her. He checked her pulse, relieved at the soft thumping beneath his fingertips. He quickly checked to make certain her breathing was working and then raised an angry glare his teammates' way.
He promptly ignored the looks of confusion and the questions of character. He just scooped the grifter into his arms and carried her back to her room. He took great care in tucking her under the covers. Then he quickly checked every single lock on the windows and air ducts. He left, closing the door behind him.
"You didn't have to drug her!" He growled.
Eliot gave him a scathing look. He picked up a towel and demanded the mastermind to take a seat. Then he started poking and prodding at the grifter's handy work.
"She broke your nose," he said, "and you're mad that we drugged her to keep her under control. What kind of a nut are you?"
"She wasn't going to leave," Nate sighed, "All you had to do was put her back in her room."
Eliot rolled his eyes at his nonsense. He quickly found a cotton ball and sprayed antiseptic on it. He applied it to the mastermind's nose and smiled at the hiss it elicited. "I don't know want kind of kidnapping you've done before but the goal is to keep the victim locked up and not give them free range," he said, "I don't know what you're plan is but it needs revising."
"I'm trying to con a grifter, Eliot," Nate replied, "Nothing about that is easy. You saw the way she flinched when we first brought her here. She's expecting to be tortured or worse. So I'm giving her kindness and hospitality. Doing the unexpected is the only advantage we have right now and pretty soon that will be gone."
"What did you say to set her off anyway?" Parker asked. There was a hint of concern in her voice but it was mostly too small to even really count. Her face was perfectly blank but she seemed genuinely impressed by the grifter's skill.
"I found her weakness," the mastermind shrugged.
Eliot stared at him with mouth opened wide. Hardison was just as surprised but he was a lot less silent about it.
"You gonna tell us what it is?" He demanded. There was an edge of greed to his voice. It had never been there when they worked together. It was as if he was here with another agenda. It was probably true too. The hacker was a young genius they took for granted far too often. It wouldn't be a surprise that that same problem would be true in this world.
"No," Nate said, "If I want to earn her trust I can't."
"A long con?" Eliot questioned. He sounded suddenly scandalized and impressed all in one. "That's your plan? You want to run game on the greatest grifter in history. You do realize that that's suicide right?"
"If it goes as planned, no." Nate smiled at the crazy looks he was receiving from his team members. "No, she's going to make sure of it."