Thank you so much for the reviews, the favorites, the alerts, and the nomination (that was such a happy surprise).
I'm very sorry for the delay- sometimes the right words just refuse to come.
Thank you so much idiot9and602, Koxie, and Zee Zee Magee for the wonderful boost- I hope you enjoy the next few pages.
Happy reading!
Chapter 25
"Bloody hell," the crisp English accent bellowed from behind the firmly closed old Irish-oak door. "Is this a blooming Partridge family reunion or Night of the living dead?"
It was the very last place Nate wanted to be, but that was the point- it was the last place anyone would suspect they would seek refuge.
"Hello to you too, Sterling. Now open the damned door," Nate hissed against the solid wood. He looked over his shoulder, past Sophie for any sign that they were being observed by people in the street.
The big, heavy door creaked open and James Sterling eyed the two shadowy figures lurking on his doorstep.
"I can say that I'm surprised," Sterling ground out as he leered at them with one cocked eyebrow, "but since my earlier guest arrived I'm fresh out of that emotion."
Nate squinted at his one-time colleague, "What are you ta…" but he didn't finish his question.
"Nate…"
The darkened figure stood in solid battle stance a few feet behind Sterling; the compact muscular frame and long thick hair a dead giveaway- but it was the voice that sealed it. Nate would recognize that husky Southern American brogue anywhere.
"Eliot?" Both Nate and Sophie said in unison.
Sterling rolled his eyes dramatically and angled himself so their view of the hitter was unobstructed.
Eliot stared at them both, each shocked into silence. His eyes flitted from Nate's face to Sophie's and back before he and Nate walked to each other and embraced firmly, no words passing between them.
Eliot released Nate and reached for Sophie just as eagerly.
Nate's stutter broke the heavy silence, "Hardison told us he saw…"
"Hardison…?" Eliot mumbled, stunned. He broke out of his embrace with Sophie and automatically looked out the front door, scanning the darkness for his friend. The evening was one of surprises and he half expected his buddy to walk in behind Nate and Sophie with one of his patented, lop-sided geek grins. But there was no grin and no Hardison and a small part of Eliot clenched.
Disappointed eyes quickly found Nate's before they turned murky with speculation. Nate knew instantly where the hitter's thoughts had gone.
"No," Nate offered swiftly, "Hardison's fine, well he was fine when we spoke with him a few hours ago."
Eliot's eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed by a fraction but his chest was still high, awaiting the 'but' that was sure to explain the hacker's absence.
"…He's rescuing Parker," Nate concluded and Eliot's eyes grew wide once again.
"Parker?" the hitter whispered.
He raked his hands quickly through his hair and stepped away from the group, moving further into the house before he turned on his heels and faced them again.
"Nate man, what the hell?" was all he could manage to bite out.
Eliot was working hard to process but he was in desperate need of some blanks being filled. The past three years of his life suddenly took on an even more sinister shade.
They were alive. They were all alive. And he was sitting in a jail cell losing his mind.
He wanted to crush something…or someone.
Nate took a small step toward him and stopped, "Do you know a woman by the name of Sonia…or Sylvia… or Demara?" he began and Eliot squinted in silent deliberation before deciding he was not familiar.
"…well Sonia is, or has been, for the past three years or so trying to destroy us," Nate concluded.
Eliot's brows rose menacingly.
"That's a bit melodramatic" a nearly forgotten Sterling chimed, drawing three leering glances his way.
"You've been remarkably calm in light of recent developments, Sterling?" Sophie cooed, smiling with seductive malice and surveying their unwilling host with new interest.
"And why shouldn't I be calm; three notorious criminals barge into my private residence demanding shelter and assistance," Sterling's cold, lazy stare assessed them all, "I think given the situation in which I currently find myself if I were any more calm I'd be in a coma.
"…Besides, it is a well-known fact that I detest the lot of you… that and she isn't after me," he smirked smugly before he put his sturdy whisky glass to his head to take a drink.
Nate's eyes narrowed as clarity set in. He scrutinized Sterling's nonchalance.
"This isn't a surprise," Nate began slowly, "you're calm because…"
"You knew," Sophie finished Nate's supposition. Her tone scandalized, her eyes wide, accusatory, "…you've known all this time."
Sterling's slow sip of his whisky offered nothing in the way of defense. Instead his leaned back head and closed eyes mocked them as they waited for either an admission or a denial.
The graveled growl that emanated from Eliot's throat as well as the hitter's approaching shadow reanimated Sterling. A choking cough propelled his head forward and he deftly sidestepped the Hitter's grasp.
"Okay, call off the dogs," he sputtered haughtily.
"I knew it," Sophie called, "you little…"
"There are no coincidences ," Nate interrupted, "I should have known you would be involved. She knew our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities."
"That's low Sterling, even for you," Eliot snarled and he stepped toward the conniving Englishman but Nate's gentle yet firm touch on his shoulder stalled his assault.
"Before you kill him, Eliot…" Nate turned from the Hitter's focused glare to Sterling's cagey one, "what is this all about? Who is this woman and why is she so hell bent on destroying us?"
Sterling stole a quick incredulous glance at Nate before returning his attention to Eliot unwilling to let the deadly soldier catch him off guard, "You can't possibly be so arrogant," he spat at Nate, "so self-righteous, so…daft!" It was all he offered in the way of an explanation.
Nate sighed and removed his hand from Eliot's shoulder, "Have at it my friend."
It was all Eliot needed; his closed fist connected with Sterling's nose before the man could think about getting out of the way.
"aaaaaAAAAAAWWWWWW…." Sterling bellowed as he dropped the whiskey glass and cupped his face in his hands, "I…wasn't…finished…you barbarian."
"I've had just about enough of you and the name callin' bubba," Eliot's low voice sounding even more menacing as he approached Sterling again.
"Look Sterling, we don't have time for this," Nate announced, once again halting Eliot's advance, "this woman is using my team to steal some kind of doom's day device and I need to know who she is and what she's about if we have any hope of stopping her and saving ourselves."
Sterling's watery eyes found Nate's, "She's found it, hasn't she?" His voice was low, the tone one of reverence.
"Do you know what she's after?" Nate repeated, seeing that his words had finally gotten past Sterling's supposed desire to be as unhelpful as possible.
Sterling straightened up and pinched the bridge of his bloodied nose, "Don't you ever wonder about all of the people you destroy, Nate? Did you think they were all islands unto themselves? Didn't you ever think that someday, someone was going to want to pay you back for all of the chaos and harm you've brought into their lives…or the lives of their loved ones?"
He stopped and looked meaningfully at Nate.
Nate returned Sterling's stare unflinchingly. He was unwilling to believe that this was all simply a case of revenge.
"No Sterling. You're not going to turn this into some kind of slap on the hand 'this is what we deserve' nonsense," Nate was resolute, "I know you don't care too much for us, but if the information Hardison found is correct, this woman could be putting millions of lives in danger and we need to know why."
Sterling shifted his weight and Nate could tell they'd reached their impasse- Sterling was either going to help them now or he would turn them away empty handed.
Just as Sterling swallowed and opened his mouth to speak a long, lean shadow fell between Sophie and Nate as they stood facing him. His eyes followed the figure to its source, backlit by the soft light spilling into the foyer from the high ceiling above the stairs.
"Cap'in," Joshua's soft call and tear streaked face jarred them all.
Eliot was at the boy's side in an instant and he scooped him into his arms tightly, "Sorry Buddy. You finally woke up huh?" The boy's tiny hands clung desperately to Eliot's shoulders. "Man, you're shaking like a leaf. Did you have a bad dream?" he asked the boy softly as the others looked on and Joshua burrowed his face even deeper into the crook of Eliot's neck.
"I'm going to go and get him some water and settle him down," Eliot alerted them quietly before turning to Sterling, his lip thinning and his eyebrows rising with inferred meaning, "I hope I don't have to remind you what's at stake."
Eliot retreated to the back room where Joshua had been asleep and Sterling bent to collect his whiskey glass.
"Would it be indelicate of me to ask if you remember that feeling Nate," Sterling started, Nate's warning eyes not slowing him in the least, "because that's what this is all about."
Sterling turned on his heel and ambled further into the house making a beeline straight for the whisky decanter.
Nate followed him with his eyes, trying hard to piece together everything that Sterling had said.
It was a few moments before he realized Sophie hadn't spoken or moved from her spot behind him in some time and he turned to find her frozen staring blankly at the empty space where Eliot and Joshua were standing.
Her eyes were glazed and she was clutching her stomach and her mouth firmly.
"Sophie," Nate called her softly, not wanting to startle her out of whatever faraway thought she'd lost herself to.
She blinked at the sound of his voice and when she focused once again her eyes were locked on his. He touched the hand that held her mouth and offered her a gentle smile even though his eyes were heavy with concern.
"Where'd you go," he asked her lightly.
She returned his small smile and swallowed slowly, lowered her eyes from his before she answered, "Nowhere, I just…nowhere."
"Are you okay," he prodded further.
She lifted her eyes to his once more in defiance of the turmoil raging inside of her, "I'm fine," she smiled wider. "Just strange seeing Eliot again, and then seeing Eliot with a child," she made a comical frightened face before her soft smile returned and Nate's smile spread a little wider as well.
He cupped her cheek and she leaned into his touch grateful that he seemed momentarily appeased.
"Come on, let's go squeeze some more information out of James," Nate offered Sophie with a quick jut of his chin in Sterling's direction and a small, playful smile, "then we go steal our salvation."
Sophie couldn't help but smile at his oft-used inflection that they go steal someting. It had been too long since she'd heard it. The words washed over her and touched something old and familiar. Even though the night had given her more than she dared to dream about in the past three years, the anxious twisting of her stomach told her the peace and happiness she'd long coveted wouldn't be easily won.