Avery sighs and sits back in the front seat of the Challenger. She raises her phone in order to see it better and continues to scroll through her news feed. She is waiting for her dad to get done in the corner store and she can feel herself starting to get bored. He only had to pick up a few things so it shouldn't be taking too much longer.
Avery sighs again and sets her phone on her lap before looking out her window and out at the parking lot. Her eyes drift back to the phone in her lap and she runs a hand through her hair. They have been laying low due to the David Gleeson job, but that was a couple weeks ago. Nate has a plan but they have lost track of Gleeson so the are unable to do anything yet. Avery glances back outside the car and sees a group of guys walk into the store. Narrowing her eyes at them, she finds herself thinking they seem severely out of place. Considering everything that has been happening, Avery picks up her phone to call her dad. They can't be too careful nowadays.
Gunshots ring through the air before Avery's able to dial the number and her head whips up and her eyes dart to the store window. She doesn't see anything but more gunshots sound from within the store. Avery shoves her phone into her pocket and grabs the door handle to exit the car. The group of men rush out the store backwards, firing their guns inside. With wide eyes, Avery ducks down so as not to be seen by the men.
Avery listens as a few more gunshots are heard and then moments later a squeal of tires sound in the parking lot. She warily pops her head up and glances around but there is no movement outside or inside the store. Avery's eyes widen and she looks around the parking lot but doesn't see anyone.
Avery slowly gets out of the car and quietly shuts the door behind her. She jogs over to the store and walks carefully inside, looking around. There are shelves knocked over and various items strewn about the store. Avery looks throughout the store but doesn't see her dad anywhere. Deciding to take a look at the camera, Avery moves to get behind the counter. She halts in her movement as she takes in the cashier's lifeless body lying on the floor behind the counter in a pool of his own blood. Knowing she won't be able to get to the security camera without stepping in the blood, Avery heads out of the store and back to the Challenger. If her dad isn't in the store then the thugs must've taken him with them. She can feel the panic rise inside her but she squishes it back down.
Avery climbs into the driver's seat, only now realizing she doesn't have the key; her dad had taken it with him. Sighing, Avery thanks whomever that Parker had taught her how to hot wire a car. Avery struggles a little but eventually gets the car to start. With one last look around her she peels out of the parking lot and heads straight for Nate's house.
LEVERAGE
"Did you see who they were?" Nate asks Avery with a furrowed brow. Avery had just finished explaining to the team what had happened. Avery shakes her head and bites the inside of her cheek.
"I mean I saw their faces but I have no clue who they were," Avery explains with worry in her tone. She looks at the rest of the group and sees that they look worried as well.
"Do you think it was Gleeson's guys?" Sophie asks Nate with her eyes wide and a furrow of her brow.
"Most likely," Nate replies with a nod of his head and a purse of his lips. He glances over at Sophie and shares a look with her before Parker's voice draws his attention over to her.
"How're we going to get Eliot back?" Parker asks from her spot on the counter. There is a bowl of cereal on the counter where she has momentarily forgotten it.
"Yeah, I mean he was our Hitter," Hardison adds as he looks over at Nate and a nod of agreement.
"I can do it," Avery offers as she stands up straight and meets the team's gazes.
"No," the team replies with a shake of their heads.
"I've done it before," Avery argues with a scowl on her face and crossing her arms.
"With Eliot. Never by yourself," Nate counters with another shake of his head as he fixes Avery with a look. Avery's scowl deepens knowing Nate has a point. A thought occurs to her and her eyes shine with mischief while a smirk begins to play at the corner of her lips.
"What if I got a Hitter to go with me?" she asks with a quirk of her brow and her smirk growing.
"Do you know more Hitters?" Hardison asks with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. He glances over at Nate whose brow is furrowed before looking back over at Avery.
"Uh…Quinn," Avery replies with her own eyebrows raised as she fixes the team with a determined look.
"That's all good but we don't know how to get a hold of him," Hardison replies with a shake of his head and the rest of the team nods in agreement.
"Yeah, but I do," Avery counters and pulls out her phone with another smirk. She finds Quinn's number and presses the call button. She puts the phone to her ear and walks a few feet away after giving the team a sarcastic smirk, waiting for Quinn to answer on the other end of the line.
"Yeah?" Quinn answers with an almost threatening voice. Avery can hear the scowl even over the phone and she rolls her eyes.
"It's Avery. You remember how you said if I ever needed your help to call?" Avery says into the phone before biting her bottom lip. The Leverage team shares a look with each other, their eyebrows raised. Taking a deep breath, Avery continues talking into the phone. "Well, dad's in trouble.
LEVERAGE
"If they were able to kidnap Spencer he must be hurt. It couldn't have happened any other way," Quinn says with a shake of his head after hearing Avery's story. He had arrived about an hour ago after taking the first flight to Boston.
"Which is why we need someone who can get in there and get Eliot back out," Nate says with a nod and a look over at the hitter. His thoughts have been on the same track as Quinn's.
"You needed someone?" Quinn asks with raised eyebrows and a pointed look over at Nate.
"Avery needed someone," Sophie correct with a firm look at Nate who looked as if he was going to protest. Quinn was helping and had never asked what he was getting in turn. Sophie had an idea that this was because Avery had been the one to ask for his help and not them. She doesn't know why but it seems like the ruthless Hitter had developed a soft spot for Avery. Needless to say, Sophie isn't going to jeopardize the free help.
"So, how are we doing this?" Avery asks as she looks at Nate and leans up against the wall next to where Quinn is standing.
"I have a plan that'll put Gleeson away for good. While us four are putting it into action, you two will do what you do best," Nate explains as he looks between Avery and Quinn.
"Bashing heads in!" Parker exclaims with a grin and a fist pump into the air. She wanted these guys to pay for hurting her team mate, and family. Avery scrunches her face as well as Quinn while Nate and Sophie shake their heads and Hardison rolls his eyes. Quinn glances over at Avery and she lets a smirk slip out but shrugs her shoulders. With a roll of his own eyes, Quinn turns his attention back to Nate, who has started going into the details of the plan.
LEVERAGE
Eliot groans as he comes to. He listens to his surroundings but doesn't hear anything and immediately begins to take stock of his situation. His left shoulder is on fire where he got shot and the way his arms are raised above him and shackled to a chain is sending agony boring into it. His right leg is also sending waves of pain through it and if memory serves him correctly then he got shot there as well. He has a pounding headache due to being hit with a large fist at some point during the fight that broke out. He's sure he has a giant bruise and when he opens his eyes he finds his right one is swollen shut.
Eliot looks around the room and finds that he's in some sort of barn. He tries to pull on the chains but white, hot pain shoots into his shoulder and he instantly stops. One thing is for certain, he isn't getting out of this himself.
LEVERAGE
"Did you find him yet?" Avery asks as she walks over to where Hardison is working on his computer. She takes a seat next to the hacker and looks at the screen in front of him.
"Not yet," Hardison answers with a shake of his head as he continues to stare at his screen and type into his computer.
"I thought you were supposed to be good," Quinn accuses from somewhere nearby with a quirk of an eyebrow. Hardison stops and looks over at him with narrowed eyes. Quinn is lying on the couch playing with a knife. Quinn's eyes are glued to the knife but he can sense Hardison's glare.
"No, I'm the best. But they aren't anywhere they should be so I'm looking under aliases and family members, friends, even acquaintances. It's going to take some time," Hardison bites out with a scowl appearing on his face and a glare aiming at the hitter.
"We understand Hardison. It's just if dad's hurt we don't know how much time he has," Avery says in a worried tone before biting the inside of her cheek.
"I get it. I'm worried too. I'm going as fast as I can," Hardison assures with a grimace. He gives Avery a sympathetic look before looking back at his computer screen. As Hardison begins typing on the keyboard, Avery lets out a sigh. She walks over to the couch and drops down on it, barely missing crushing Quinn's feet as he quickly retreats them back towards himself. Quinn scowls and gives Avery a look which she ignores as she crosses her arms and studies the ceiling above her after sinking into the cushions.
"Got him!" Hardison shouts triumphantly ten minutes later with a grin on his face. Avery sits up and looks over at Hardison while everyone else looks over as well.
"Where?" Avery asks and Hardison puts the address on the big screen in answer. Nate and Sophie walk over to the couch and look at the screen. Quinn sits up on the couch to get a better look.
"All right, let's go," Avery says after taking in the address on the screen and she instantly walks towards the door. Without taking his eyes off the screen, Quinn reaches out when Avery passes him and grabs the back of her sweatshirt before pulling her back towards him.
"Hold up," Quinn says and then pulls Avery down onto the couch. Avery scowls at him and crosses her arms as she narrows her eyes at the television screen.
"Everyone know their jobs?" Nate asks as he meets everyone's gaze, ending with Avery and giving her a firm look. The rest of the team nod their heads in confirmation. After Nate quirks a brow at her, Avery nods her head as well and Nate finally continues. "All right, let's go steal us an Eliot."
LEVERAGE
Eliot growls in pain and anger as he clenches his teeth, refusing to yell from the beating and torture. The guy in front of him, Lucas, was the same guy who had kidnapped Avery at the corner store after they had jumped in the river and traipsed through the woods. The same guy Eliot had knocked out. So, needless to say, Lucas is making this torture personal.
Pain electrifies throughout him and Eliot growls again. The pain disappears and Eliot forces his breathing to slow down. He looks over at Lucas and sees him pulling the electric rod away. The hitter sends a glare at Lucas who returns it with a smirk. Pretty cocky when I'm tied up aren't you? Eliot thinks as a dangerous look comes over his face and he sends a cold glare to the man. Lucas' smirk falters but then he plasters it back on his face. That's what I thought, Eliot thinks as he stares at Lucas and he smirks only on the inside.
LEVERAGE
Avery blocks a punch and hits her attacker in the gut. He let's out a whoosh of air from the blow and Avery shoves him behind her. Swiftly she turns her head to watch him as he stumbles towards Quinn. Noticing the guy falling towards him, Quinn throws a punch and his fist meeting the guys face. The punch immediately knocks the thug out. Avery and Quinn look around them at the five guys lying motionless on the ground.
They haven't even made it to the building yet; they are only in the woods surrounding it. Avery looks towards the building and the door they need to go in. She glances around and, when she doesn't see anyone, quickly darts towards it. Someone grabs her jacket and yanks her back causing her to stumble slightly. Avery whirls around in attack mode but sees it's only Quinn.
"Wait," he says with his eyes trained ahead. Avery huffs but waits nonetheless. She turns to looks towards the building again and sees two guards walk past the door.
"All right. Come on," Quinn says after the guards disappear around the corner. The two of them hurry to the door where Avery announces their arrival to the rest of the team into the com. A moment goes by as Avery and Quinn wait before the door suddenly unlocks and Avery silently opens it with Quinn instantly checking inside.
"Thanks Hardison," Avery says into the com before following Quinn inside.
"Anytime Avery," Hardison replies as Avery hears him typing into his computer again.
Avery and Quinn slink down the hall, keeping their eyes peeled for any of the muscle they know are patrolling the building. Quinn moves ahead and as they near the corner, two of the muscle round it. Quinn springs forward and takes the two of them out swiftly. Peering around the corner, he sees two men standing on either side of the door. He moves back and looks at Avery. Quinn nods towards the corner and Avery peers out as well, seeing what Quinn saw. She moves back and looks at Quinn with a smirk. Quinn's brow furrows and his head cocks to the side as he eyes the girl in front of him suspiciously. Avery's smirk grows before she suddenly turns around and walks out into the hallway. Quinn reaches for her but this time she's too far away.
"Hey, have you guys seen my dad?" Avery asks as she stands in the middle of the hallway, staring at the two men. The guys turn and look in her direction. Upon seeing her and recognizing who she is, the two men shoot a scowl at her. They lunge forward and rush at Avery who turns and runs down the hall, stopping next to Quinn and whispering to him. "Look alive."
The men run around the corner and Quinn and Avery waste not time in attacking them. Avery throws a punch at her opponents face which jolts back from the blow. She hastily pounces on the opportunity and throws another punch before kneeing her opponent in the thigh and then, stomping on his foot. The guy's upper body shoots forward and Avery slams her elbow into his nose. The guy falls to the floor and Avery looks over to see Quinn's opponent lying on the ground as well.
Avery immediately looks back in to the now empty hall and runs over to the door the men were standing guard. Avery whips the door open but stops abruptly at the sight before her. Quinn jogs up next to her and sees why she has suddenly stopped. Eliot is hanging from the ceiling by his arms. He's unconscious and his body is covered in cuts and burn marks. Not to mention the blood seeping out of the wounds and down his body.
"Keep watch," Quinn orders before squeezing by her and walking over to Eliot.
Avery forces herself to look away and focuses her gaze at the hallway. Chains can be heard rattling behind her as Quinn unhooks her dad as well as the growls of frustration escaping the blond Hitter. There is a cheer and then a groan of pain and Avery jerks her head around to look at her dad. Quinn had gotten Eliot down and now Eliot is hanging over his shoulder. Quinn shifts and the dark-haired Hitter groans again. Avery grimaces as she watches her dad worriedly.
"We need to go," Quinn announces firmly as he approaches Avery and gives her a sympathetic look. Avery stares at her dad wide-eyed and Quinn purses his lips at what he knows he has to do now.
"Hey," Quinn says firmly and Avery shifts her eyes to him with abruptness. Once Quinn catches her gaze and he knows he has her complete attention, the hitter continues. "I need you to focus. I can't carry Spencer and take out anyone that gets in our way."
Avery nods her head and turns back to the hallway. With a deep breath she swiftly leads the way in silence, hoping they won't run into trouble on the way. Her and Quinn took out many of the hired muscle but who knows what had happened while they were in the process of getting her dad free. Hopefully, everyone is in their places.
LEVERAGE
Avery is slumped down in the armchair with her feet resting on the bed next to her. They had, thankfully, made it out of the building and to Lucille with no mishaps. After reaching Eliot's house, Nate had called a doctor friend of theirs to come by and take a look at Eliot. The team had helped the doctor out a while back so secrecy isn't a problem for them.
Eliot had been tortured pretty bad and it took Dr. Sancroft a while to patch him up. Fortunately, afterwords, Sancroft said Eliot would be fine. He'd need lots of rest and he'd be in pain for some time but he'd live. Nate and Sophie had also worked their magic and Gleeson would be going to jail for at least ten years. This whole ordeal was finally over.
Avery sighs and runs a hand through her hair as she leans back in to her chair and looks over at her dad lying in the bed. She'd been sitting in this chair since the doctor left; and that was yesterday afternoon. Eliot hasn't woken up yet and the worry is pulsating through Avery. She rubs her eyes and rests her head in her hand.
"I take it you're not mad at me anymore?" a gruff and gravelly voice says. The sudden break in silence causes Avery to jumps a little. She looks over at her dad lying in the bed and notices him looking at her. Avery sighs in relief and a smile appears on her face before she realizes her dad had asked her a question. She sits up and leans onto the bed before she meets his gaze.
"I'm still disappointed with what you did when you were with Moreau, but I get it. Besides, you're still my dad," Avery replies sincerely as she holds Eliot's gaze. Eliot nods his head and accepts the answer.
"So… Quinn huh?" Eliot asks with a grimace as he attempts to push himself further up the bed, changing the subject. Avery shrugs in answer and gently pushes Eliot back down and gives him a firm look. With a roll of his eyes and a scowl, Eliot heeds the direction and glances back at Avery. "What d'you have to pay him?"
"Nothing," Avery answers with a shake of her head before she sits back in her seat. Eliot furrows his brow, not expecting this answer. Quinn never did anything for free. Avery smirks at her dad's confusion before she gives him an explanation. "Guess he just likes me more than you."
"More like I'll be owing him," Eliot counters after a snort and a shake of his head.
"You never know," Avery says with a shrug and a smirk. She stands up and heads towards the door before glancing back at her dad. "I'll get you something to eat."
Eliot sighs and closes his eyes. He doesn't know why but he is glad Quinn had helped Avery and the team. He doesn't understand it, but other than the team and the couple close friends, Quinn is one of the only people he'd trust with Avery. Maybe it's because this is the second time he had Avery in his care and he kept her safe. Either way, he hopes this is all over.