(A/N): Alright, If anyone still reads this then I am so sorry for the lateness with which I have updated. I was having serious writers block and was running low on steam for this story, but I have a friend with a very heavy saxophone who has requested that I update. So for the sake of maintaining my pallid complexion without having it marred by black and blue saxophone sized bruises, I am going to attempt, no promises of course, but attempt to update in a timely fashion.
Disclaimer: All I own is Con, Tristan, and the bad guys, and no you can't have him. Tristan is all mine.
Zoom-zoom, boom-boom.
"What do you say Mr. Matthews? Shall we go for a ride?" Morgans smile was cheery, but you could see the anticipation of the score in his eyes. "I'd like that very much." Eliot laughed with him as Morgans grasped his shoulder companionably and led him to the elevator. "I'm glad Mr. Matthews, I'm glad to hear that."
Sophie prowled about the gala, the other Sophie clinging to her arm as they giggled like two trophy wives were known to do. "So, Sophie, what is your boyfriend like? He seems like quite the catch…" Sophie bumped her arm playfully. The woman giggled. "Oh, Caroline! But you are right. He is just perfect! Sweet, rich, handsome, and he doesn't mind letting me dip into his funds for my own needs if you know what I mean." She smiled and Sophie nodded along. "I'm so jealous. I even mention the word shopping or that I want new shoes and my man locks up so tight you'd need a jackhammer to get into his wallet."
The two women waltzed over to the refreshment table, grabbing a drink before claiming a table of their own. They had spent the last half hour schmoozing and it was now time to gossip. "Oh, Jonathan isn't like that at all. I mean, I don't spend all of my time shopping so he doesn't mind allowing me to use his money. Actually he supports my little pet projects full force. He better too, if he ever plans on me letting our engagement go public." Over her headset Sophie heard Hardison growl. "They were engaged? Nothing said that. How the hell am I supposed to know they're engaged when the man doesn't even bother to spend millions on a diamond the size of a grapefruit like the rest of them rich fruitcakes. You're on your own Sophie."
Flipping her hair over her ear Sophie, well, Caroline smiled wide and let out a poorly hushed squeal. "Engaged! That's wonderful sweetie! Where's the ring?" Sophie smiled and it began to occur to the grifter that this girl wasn't nearly as ditzy as first appearances led her to believe. "Oh, I won't let him go public with it until he finishes his work on the new factory. We've been having some issues with the management we put in charge over there and things keep falling apart. He wants everything to be perfect so I don't get my ring until he gets things settled so he can properly tell the world himself I'm his." The blush on her cheeks made it hard for Sophie not to scream. The poor girl had to go and fall in love with a murderer. Your heart couldn't help but go out for her. "That's lovely darling. Though I am curious, what on earth did you mean by 'pet projects'?" Sophie leaned in, tracing her finger along the top of her wine glass. Hers was still two thirds full, while the other girl was nearly done with hers. "Oh! Yes, I have been playing with certain ideas of mine. I figured it would be fun to run a charity. Jonathan has been funding my attempts at a children's center." Her cheery smile faltered a little bit. Sophie of course picked up on that immediately. "That's sounds like a lovely idea sugar! Maybe I should start one of my own, but you look a little down in the dumps. Is something the matter?"
The other Sophie snapped up, "What do you mean? Oh, no nothings wrong. It's just," She bit her lip as she looked out over the party. "It's just that Jonathan said he's been having trouble with the moving the funds around for me. I think something might be off in his accounts but he hasn't said anything about it." She threw her hands up in the air in mild defeat before laughing. "I doubt it's anything at all though. Why don't we go finish mingling? I need a friend to help keep me from knocking back anymore of this delicious beverage." Giggling in a slightly tipsy fashion she motioned towards her empty wine glass that Sophie was fairly sure was not her first. "Of course sweetie, let's go party!" The supposed trophy wife and trophy wife to be sauntered off latched at the hip as they talked like school girls.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Okay Parker, Con. We have about fifteen minutes before they show up unless Sophie can buy us some more time, hurry up and finish getting the files then move." Nathan's voice was the only sound besides the rustling of papers in my ears as we piddled about in the room. The unconscious security guards in the closet of the back room groaned in his sleep. "Oh shut up. That's what you get for hitting a girl." I griped as I put files back that Parker was finished with. Parker snorted and snapped another picture.
"Hey Con, why did you help me back there?" Parker asked as I dropped another set of papers onto the desk. "Because, I hate cleaning up blood and it would have been hard to make it look like nothing happened here if the carpet was stained red." She rolled her eyes. "Liar." I pulled the stack of files away and switched them for new ones. "Fine, I give. I hate remembering maps, and I figured you had better copies than me."
Nate took then to intrude in our peace again. "So you were hoping to follow her out of the building without being spotted while you took all of the files we stole as well." Before I could respond I heard Tristan laugh loudly in the background. "Are you kidding Nathan? That's not how Con works. She had Parker's tools, had a head start, and who was it who made it to Morgans' office first?" He laughed again and I watched as realization began to dawn on Parker's face as I plopped another stack of papers before her rather unceremoniously.
"Tessa, you were cheating again weren't you sweetie?" Tristan teased. "Of course, it's what I do. One of the many nicknames the pathetic police forces around the country gave me was 'Cheat' wasn't it?" Hardison piped up from his spot of technical glory. "I'm lost, you want to fill me in." Back in HQ Tristan rolled his eyes and moved to pat Hardison's shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I forgot to think of the old folks. Let me explain. Tessa stole Parker's stuff, and then she detonated a graphite bomb to disorientate her and make it easy to disappear. You with me so far Uncle?" He barely dodged a head slap before continuing. "Okay, so instead of getting ahead of Parker, she get's behind her. Then, cause Tessa hates maps and knows you have the whole place mapped including cameras, motion sensors, etc. she just follows Parker playing monkey see-monkey do."
From her spot behind Morgans' desk Parker glared lightly at me as she handed her the last file. "You used me." I smiled. "Duh." Putting the last of the files exactly where they found them I made my way to the guards. "Why ignore valuable assets when I have them at my disposal?" Tilting my head at the collapsed guards before me an idea sparked in my head. "Tristan."
"Yeah babe? You sound like you've got something." I smiled as an idea began turning the wheels in my head. "I do, can you get to work? I'll apologize for neglecting you later" I couldn't see it, but I felt his smile.
Tristan snapped to work at the sound of his ladies call. "Now let's see about getting back in the game." Jumping up and hoping back to his previous corner he grabbed his phone from its discarded spot on the 'altar' as Con called it and pulled an iTouch out of his pocket. Hardison spun around in his chair, watching his nephew as he stalked back and forth in his corner. "What are you doing?" Tristan didn't even bother to answer, he let the spare monitor Hardison had had pulled up blink before switching to a black and white picture of Con sleeping. "Oops, my bad. Forgot that was my background." Hardison twitched and growled in his seat. "You hacked me? You really hacked me without setting off my alarms? You better watch your self boy or I'm going to have to teach you some manners. Think you can waltz in here and use my equipment with out asking…" He grumbled and Tristan chuckled.
"I didn't hack it without setting off your alarms; I just sort of put them on a snooze timer. Check back in an hour or two if you want to make sure. Now if you'll excuse me Uncle dearest, I have work to do." Setting the touch screen aside he switched his attention to his phone and pulled off the back cover. Inside was two small bug like devices. Taking one out and attaching it to the touch screen, he placed the other in his ear. On the monitor he had 'liberated' from Hardison a box popped up asking him to confirm an action. "Yes I want to click the big fancy button. No I don't want to think this through again. Just dial her already." A light beeping sound was heard and the others in the room strained to hear what was going on. Nate watched Con on the video feed they had pulled up. She had taken out the ear bud Parker had given her and had switched it for something like Tristan had that she also pulled out of her cell phone and plugged into an iTouch.
"You there? Sweet. Kay, so what can I do for you babe?" Hardison blinked and leaned in. "Damn kids. Got to be special and use your own little ear bud thing. Mine ain't good enough for you. I see how it is."
Tristan laughed as he typed furiously. Screens came and went so fast Nate was positive there was no way Tristan could actually be reading them. "Oh calm down Uncle. You didn't think we'd share everything with you did ya? This is still Tessa's run even if she's giving you a hand. Besides, my ear bud is way cooler than yours. Can yours send e-mails as well as allow two way communication? It's a lot faster, easier, and way cheaper than managing an untraceable phone line. Mine works with any phone so long as I can plug into it. Not only that, but if you try and hack into the line and don't have the access code all you get is either static or a recording of a Spanish soap opera."
Back in Morgan's office Con scolded him lightly. "Quit showing off and hurry up. You're getting slow Tristan, I'd hate to have to find a new geek." His offended scoff was that of a true actor. "Your words cut like a blade my dearest. But alas, my work is done. You will have to find some other way to get rid of me." If she had been there she would have hugged him but since she couldn't she blew a kiss over the line. Being the geek he was Tristan reached up to catch it, holding it close to his chest. "Thanks babe. I owe you one."
"Always. Now, are you going to clue me in past the obvious or am I going to have to rely on my own genius for the rest of the details?" Ignoring him Con smiled to herself and replaced the ear bud in its secret compartment, leaving Tristan to nothing but silence.
"Of course I have to figure it out on my own. What fun is knowing what on earth your girlfriend is thinking? No, it's so much better to have no clue and all you get to do is sit in your little chair and stare a screen tracking her movements like some stalker hoping you might be able to do something before she kills herself. Yes, that's fun. What was I thinking?"
Nate paused in what he was doing to look at the teen who was staring intently at his hijacked screen clicking furiously at his iTouch as he talked to himself. "I guess it's good to know it runs in the family." Nate mumbled to himself as he tried to get back to work.
I reached over and pulled out the cellphone of one of the guards from his pocket. Parker was busy casing the room and didn't notice me scan through his call history before deleting it. This was getting good.
"So what can I do for you Babe?" Tristan asked cheerfully. "I need you to see which guards Morgans had hired to work for tonight, and then I want you to see how much he actually is in charge of handling as far as financials and other management stuff is concerned." Before I was even through speaking he had files e-mailed to my iTouch. I flipped through them as he chattered at Hardison and looked for what I had asked.
According to these, Morgan's instructed his underlings to do most of his work for him. Two brothers seemed to be in charge over the majority of things. It had been one of the brothers that had instructed these guys to keep guard tonight, but that was in some of the more obscure and hard to find documents Tristan sent. By the looks of things this wasn't the average security shift…
So Morgans is the type to delegate, and the type to trust his business to others. Interesting. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear I glanced back at Parker who was finishing up. I stashed my gear in my pockets, making sure I would know if should Parker decided to snoop. As soon as I brought my hand back up to my hair to readjust my hat Parker was at my elbow. "You through texting your boyfriend?" She looked on seriously. It is so hard to tell when she's really joking…"For now. But now we have to get out of here. Did you get everything for Boss-man?" She nodded but then brought her hand up to ear and winced. "Oww. Yes, and Hardison says he thought you were going solo on this one and didn't want our help." Rolling my eyes I passed her and began skulking down the hallway. "I am, but he's still Boss-man even if he is a prick. Besides, I helped get those, I get to be there for the debriefing of the files. Are you trying to say you could have handled all three of them by yourself while they had guns to your head? You're good Parker, but you're not Eliot. Thieving is not the same as mercenary work. Even if poor little Natey's pride is hurt because of the fact my 'below par abilities' that he has 'not seen any real proof of or need for' saved your butt." I was venting again, oh well. I stalked down the corridor until I came to the corner, there I paused with my back against the wall. Parker caught up quickly, mumbling to her headset.
I grabbed her hand and tugged on it to get her attention. "How long till they get here?" She blinked as she waited for a response. "Ten minutes. Why?" Glancing out past the corner at the door that led to the actual warehouse portion of the building a smile tugged at the corners of my previously frowning lips. "Tristan is always reading those books on psychological warfare. Let's try something from his book for once." Reaching into my other pocket I fingered my baby. The cold metallic feeling of it's little form making the grin come out full force as I looked back at Parker. "Time to play the game my way. You in?"
Parker glanced from my pocket to my smile back and forth before she began to catch on. "Duh." She stretched the single syllable so it rolled out into the darkness around us, filling the room with foreboding with the inevitable mischief that was at hand.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Here we are. Welcome to the base of operations of the Morgan's motor family." The sleek black Mercedes Benz pulled up in front of the large building, its quiet motor not at all easing the anxiousness both Eliot and Sophie were feeling at the moment. Morgans sat in front of them, his right hand man Jason sitting next to him. The girlfriend and Sean stayed at the party to supervise. The smile on Morgans as he eyed Eliot, no doubt fantasizing about how much he could get from the southerner before him wasn't helping ease the mood either. Sophie played with Eliot's fingers as she contemplated the similarities between the car ride and being driven to the firing squad.
The doors opened easily and everyone exited the car. Eliot leaned against the cars hood, trying to stall. He whistled low and long as he admired the colossal building. "Quite the place you have here. How long have you been running this business of yours anyways Morgans?" The proud man chuckled and crossed his arms as he admired his life's accomplishment.
"Call me Jonathan, please. This business, I spent the better part of my twenties building it from the ground up. My father was a wealthy man who believed in working for your wages. So he gave me a bank account and said 'make it or break it'. Lucky for me, I made it. We've been open for business for around four years now and are already one of the head companies in our field." He clapped Eliot on the back. "Come on inside. I'll show you that we're worth your while."
Nodding Eliot reached out to grab Sophie's hand, partly to reinforce the cute older couple with too much money to handle con, but also to keep him from screaming. What little information he could glean from Nate and the rest of the 'tech team' wasn't promising. He had always known his sister was a little strange, a cute kid, but still a weird one. Then you put her alone in a giant warehouse with Parker. You can see why he was reluctant to blindly step forward into what ever she'd managed to pull together this time.
Sophie squeezed his hand back, understanding that he was uneasy. For what reason he was uneasy she was unaware. True, she had no clue what was about to happen and the thought of Parker and Con cheerfully teaming up was one that sent chills down her spine. But nevertheless, she trusted them. She may not know Con, at least not past the surface. When you've been a grifter as long as Sophie had though, you learn a few tricks. One of which was how to judge a person's character. Con put on a façade, but who didn't? She was tough, like her big brother, she wasn't a little girl. At least, not physically. Sophie watched her as she interacted with everyone, with Tristan, with her work even. The way she spoke to them was like a child playing a part in a school play. She knew the lines, and knew how to move. But Sophie could also see her stumble.
When Nate insulted her abilities, she faltered. It was like she forgot her next line or the next step in a dance. She had gotten so used to acting out her role as teenage criminal with a reputation that wasn't something to laugh at; she forgot how to play the part of an understudy. She's had gotten used to playing a lead, Nate came in and stole the show…butnot only did Nate steal her thunder, but to her, he stole her brother.
Eliot. That was where the little girl came out. Just like in Con's little school production of life, the minute she was met with a change in the plot that her character wasn't prepared for she blanked and began adlibbing. She began trying to prove herself, to prove she could be the head actress. But she just wasn't. Sure she was good, but one girl alone can't be as good as their whole team had become. But the girl even had an answer to that.
Enter Tristan, best supporting actor. She went from little girl, stumbling through her charade of utter confidence, to leading lady and top dog on the local and possibly national criminal level. The duo was dangerous. But despite all of this, all of the acting, and all of the personal issues, Sophie liked her.
She could have given up, but she kept going. She was young but knew how to get what she wanted and needed. Con was extraordinary, despite her personality flaws. Sophie would allow those though, teenage years are awkward for anyone, especially those involved in a life of crime. Con hadn't proved untrustworthy thus far, and something in her personality was just like her brother. Loyal to a fault. So she knew she didn't have to worry for her own safety as she clicked her heels up the walk away from the sleek car.
Eliot stepped in time with her as they followed Morgans and Jason towards the front door. The silence of the night was uninterrupted except for the soft night time sounds of cars driving by and bugs in the air. The tension between the two of them went unnoticed by their targets, but it was suffocating to those who noticed it. Then the silence was broken.
Hardison's voice cut through the silences, softly speaking into their headsets. "Okay guys, stop walking when I say so." They tensed as waited. "3…..2.." Morgans turned around, smiling as he opened his mouth to make a remark, that is until- "..!"
Eliot reached out a hand to grab Morgans' to stop him when, *KABOOOOOM*
The half of the building where the loading dock was located burst into flames. A brilliant flash lit up the night sky and ash rained down on them as they dove for cover.
"What the hell?" Morgans screamed, and inside Eliot's head he was thinking much the same thing.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Do you think I used a little too much accelerant with the bomb?" I tilted my head as I sat on the roof of a building several miles down the road with Parker as we waited for the all clear and a ride home. "I know it was a good bomb to begin with, but if we were going to make it look suspicious we probably should have started off with one inside instead." Parker shook her head. "No, I think the bright light will frighten him more." I nodded as I pulled out her iTouch. "You're probably right. Let's see how the bastard likes this." Parker raised her hand in to the air and looked at me expectantly.
Sighing I handed over the device. "Fine, you can do this one." She squealed, "Yea!" Placing my favorite detonating device into her excited hands she flipped it over and stared out into the distance. "Boom."
*Click*
*KABOOOOOOOOM*
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
(A/N): There you have it folks! Your next chapter. I am so sorry for being so late, but I hope you'll forgive me. I tried to make this an interesting chapter so it took me longer than I would have liked. Anyways, if anyone out there still reads this, you rock. If anyone new decided to come tag along, then welcome aboard! As always your input is greatly appreciated! I love to hear what you all have to think even if it's nothing but a 'good girl' or a 'you need help'. I love/need all! ; )
Lots of Love From Me to You,
-Rat