"Eliot, I need your help."

Leverage Headquarters Boston

Nate and Sophie were in the kitchen each with a mug of coffee. Paker sat cross-legged on the sofa a spoon and bowl of Lucky Charms in hand and watched some old Saturday morning cartoons. Hardison was at the table orange soda in hand working on a new device. He was covered in wires and wore a pair of safety goggles. Only one member of the team was missing. Nate looked around the open-plan living area that had been turned into their office.

"Anyone have any idea where Eliot is?" Nate asked. Parker and Hardison both shrugged and Sophie just smiled and shook her head.

"I am sure he will be here soon," Sophie said as she walked over to the sofa, sat down and picked up a newspaper. "Have you seen this? Princess Adelaide, youngest sister of King Bertram of Razkavia, a small country in Europe, is currently in Boston for the opening of a new museum exhibition of European Medieval art and items later this week. On loan to the museum includes the newly found Sword of the Eagle. A sword was used once in the defense of the country by Queen Adelaide, the Cockney Queen. Donated to the museum for the exhibition by Tech Billionaire Forster Martel," she read aloud. "Might be something we need to look into Nate."

Ten minutes later the door opened, and Eliot walked in. And he was not alone.

"You should be safe now," he said to the hooded small figure next to him. She pulled the hood down and shook out a mess of long dark curls. She was in her mid-twenties and at most 5.1 in heels. She was wearing an oversized hoodie that was Eliot's, tight black jeans, and knee-high-heeled boots. She looked around the room and saw Eliot's team.

"Nate, I need your help," Eliot growled taking the young woman's hand.

Downstairs in the pub

Nate, Eliot, and the mystery woman sat at a table at the back of the pub. Eliot sat next to her and kept an eye on the entrances and exits. Nate watched the pair with amusement and wondered about their connection. Eliot was always a bit of a ladies' man and Nate knew that he had slept with many. He was also very protective of people. The mystery girl was exceptionally beautiful and was Eliot's type. She had a mug of tea, no milk, and the teabag left in the cup in front of her on the table both hands slightly shook around the mug. Eliot had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"I got a message as soon as I arrived in New York yesterday," her accent was European, slightly German mixed with upper-class English. English was clearly her second language. She reached into her pocket and handed Nate a piece of paper. "It was placed in my purse. None of my staff or protection saw anything. When I got to my hotel I was shot at."

"And so why did you go to Eliot?" Nate asked.

"He saved my life," she said. Eliot smiled.

"I did put it in danger first," he whispered into her ear, his breath on her neck sent a wave of pleasure down her spine. She giggled involuntarily.

"We met a few years ago, Eliot was on a job in Echtenburg and he decided to get into the palace via my bedroom window," she explained. "He of course had much shorter hair than now. And Mr. Ford he seems much happier now."

"I thought you liked my hair?" Eliot cheekily asked.

"I like it, I did not say I did not," she kissed him on the cheek. "I see that you got my gift," Nate noticed that Eliot was wearing some beads in his hair. "Very pirate."

"Palace?" Nate asked, remembering something she had said.

"Well, it's my family's summer home and it belongs to the people of Razkavia really," she rushed out. Nate's face lit up and his smile grew.

"Princess Adelaide?" she nodded. "The Boston Museum newest exhibition."

"She prefers Ada," Eliot said.

"I think that Forster Martel is trying to kill me," Ada said simply.

"Why would he want to kill you?" Nate asked.

Upstairs in the Apartment later

"Everyone met our newest client, Princess Adelaide of Razkavia," Nate started his presentation. The team was sat at the screens with Ada sat on one of the armchairs with Eliot sitting on the arm of the chair. Ada waved at the rest of the team. "Eliot is in the lead for this one."

"Because she is his secret girlfriend," Parker said out loud before she could stop herself. Hardison shook his head at her and then winked.

Ada looked at Parker and Hardison.

"Sind sie zusammen, Bär?" Ada asked in a whisper to Eliot in her native German. Sophie was the only one who heard her.

"Bei den beiden bin ich mir nicht sicher, meine Liebe," Eliot whispered back in German. He stood up and took over from Nate. "Hardison," he nodded for his friend to click on the keyboard to bring up the first of the slides. "Around midnight, I got a message from Ada. She was at her hotel alone. Her protection detail was missing."

"I have a small team that helps me, and this trip is no different," Ada added. "Protection is done by local authorities."

"Ada's main Assistant is Oda Goldberg," Eliot continued. Oda's photo was put up on the screen. She was a skinny blonde who wore glasses around the same age as Parker. "She is safe at a safe house for now. But Ada and Oda are meant to be back at the museum tomorrow for a videoed walkthrough and some press," Eliot's first reaction was to lock Ada up and not let her out, but he knew that she would somehow escape. "Knowing Ada as I do, she is going to want to be there."

"How is Forster Martel involved in this?" Sophie asked.

Eliot looked at Ada. She looked smaller than normal.

"He tried to ask me out a couple of times," Ada quietly asked.

"Ada what he was doing was not just a couple of times, it was harassment," Eliot growled out.

"I went through your emails and other contracts," Hardison took over. "Martel has contacted Ada multiple times in the last weeks. This could be understood if they were about the exhibition but no. He has sent a wide range of selfies of his private areas and multiple pictures of guns. I hacked into his private internet accounts and found that he has an interest in WW2 objects. If you know what I mean, right-wing BS."

"He has donated the Sword of the Eagle to the exhibition to get close to you," Nate said. "How do you want to play this Eliot?"

"I need to be close to protect Ada, I am going to be her bodyguard. So, Hardison you do the thing you do, get as much information as you can about the staff at the museum, the other guests for the opening, and bank information on Martel," Hardison nodded. "Parker, I need you to play Oda. Sophie and Nate, we need a last-minute object for the museum."

"I have just the thing," Sophie thought about her personal collection.

"I cannot do a German accent," Parker said.

"Oda has an American father, Parker she does not have a Razkavian accent," Ada said.

"Ada and Sophie work with Parker," Nate said to cut off Parker before she started to spiral.