Revenge Comes Calling (NC-17) WIP (3/?)

[alikat]

Title: Revenge Comes Calling (WIP)

Author: alikatkaniac

Characters: Eliot/OFC, Parker, Nate, Hardison, Sophie, Sterling

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: sex, language,  violence,

Disclaimer: Leverage characters belong to TNT.

Summary: When Eliot warned Katie about his past, she really didn't think it would affect their future. Unfortunately for her and the rest of the team, one of the team's previous encounters decides it's time they pay.


A/N Thanks to Blackbelblondie for the beta.



Sophie glanced over in Quinn's direction sensing the man was staring at her. She was correct.

"Care for a drink? Katie seems likely to have plenty of 'moonshine' around here." A quick smirk flashed before he rose. "But then you're more the fine wine type, aren't you?"

"Anything that will dull the pain of being in your company," Sophie smiled sweetly.

"Cheeky…I like that," he replied as he pulled a glass from the wet bar. She watched, annoyed, as he made himself at home and poured a drink.

To be fair, most of her annoyance was at herself for getting into the current situation. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid and reckless.

"So…what's your name this week?" Quinn handed her a glass and she glared. "We'll go with Sophie then. Who do you think is more valuable to Spencer? Katie or yourself?"

"Neither. I've been gone for awhile and easily replaced. Katie is just a passing phase but I'm assuming you know that already." She took a long drink watching him over the edge of the glass. "I think you'll be disappointed by his lack of reaction to your demands. He's not a fool."

"Ah…we're going to go with the 'Spencer has no heart' approach," he nodded. "Funny…I've seen differently. The way he watches over her sometimes when she's sleeping is quite touching."

"I wouldn't know. I don't peek in other people's windows," Sophie shot back, a little more uneasy now.

"No need to peek in windows. I'm surprised he wouldn't check for cameras more often. I have to admit, Katie isn't hard on the eyes. I've seen what she has to offer and knowing whose bed she's keeping warm…she loses some of her appeal. You on the other hand…what do you have to offer, I wonder?" His eyes practically undressed her and she had to restrain herself from shuddering in disgust.

"Mr. Quinn, please watch your mouth. It's not polite to speak that way to such a lady." Sophie heard the voice from the doorway and glanced over in complete shock. "Hello Ms. Deveraux. Or should I call you, Portia?"

oOoOo

"It makes no sense what-so-ever to have your girlfriend along with you!" Tara snapped.

"Um…girlfriend…standing right here." Katie glared at the grifter. Eliot looked like he wanted to leave both of them behind right now but Katie was fed up with Tara talking about her like she wasn't there. "Maybe you don't want me there but obviously Quinn does so…"

"Proof that you're dangerously naïve! You don't give into someone like Quinn," Tara crossed her arms over her chest and it took everything in her power for Katie to not knock the shit out of her. The grifter finally looked at her, rolled her eyes and continued, "It's nothing personal, Katie. You're just not…you're not…"

"I'm not one of you. I don't know as much. I get that. But…" Katie began but Eliot held up his hand and gave them a warning look that shut her up at least for a few minutes.

"Tara, trust me, I don't want her here. I really don't want you here either for that matter and this bitching back and forth between the two of you makes me want to hop a plane to Myanmar." He ignored Katie's gasp of indignation. "But Katie is here to assure that I keep Quinn happy long enough to get everyone out safely. Tara, you need to stay outside in case I need an exit or someone needs to go get Parker and Hardison. I'm not going to let anyone get hurt."

Tara paused for a moment then nodded. "If you're sure…I just don't want to see things get out of hand. We've had enough 'out of hand' lately. I don't want Sophie hurt because Quinn has a vendetta against you."

"Right but they don't know you're still out here. For all they know, you're already in the wind. You need to let me use that to our advantage," Eliot stressed and Katie could see that Tara actually did care.

"Let's go. Tara, here's a com," Eliot reached in his shirt pocket then handed it to her. "If you sense anything going down, you get out of here and make sure that Parker and Hardison are on the next flight out. Everyone got it?" Tara nodded and Katie heard Hardison's agreement over her own com. At first, his voice scared her because she forgot they could hear everything. Having voices in her head was a bit unnerving. But considering the day they'd had, it was far from the worst thing.

"Be careful," Tara said to both of them. The two women shared a look and Katie felt bad for assuming the grifter was a mega bitch. She's not Sophie but she did have a little bit of heart buried underneath all that toughness.

Eliot led Katie downstairs and they walked a block in the wrong direction before crossing the street so it wouldn't be obvious where they came from. Two men were standing on the stairs outside her brownstone and she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. Eliot squeezed her hand, making her suddenly aware that she was shaking.

"Promise me that you'll do everything I tell you to," he whispered without turning to her and letting go of her hand.

"Promise me you won't get hurt," she replied back. He grabbed her arm and stopped in his tracks, irritation in his eyes.

"This is not a negotiation."

"Fine!" she shot back, knowing he would stand there until she agreed or hell froze over. He let go of her arm and they walked the rest of the distance to the brownstone.

The two men looked them over and one sized Eliot up, which amused Katie a little bit. After they searched Eliot, the other one turned to her and reached out before she slapped his hand away. "Do that again and you'll pull back a bloody stump," she warned.

"Katie…" Eliot said under his breath and she shot him a glare. Seeing he was serious, she rolled her eyes and reluctantly let the man pat her down.

The two men stepped aside and one waved them on. Eliot walked up the steps and she followed. Before he opened the door he muttered, "For once in your life, behave." She opened her mouth to reply then quickly shut it. He was trying to protect her and rescue Sophie so she'd follow his orders until this was over.

Quinn opened the door and, before he could say anything Eliot punched him, knocking him backwards. Katie rolled her eyes at being chastised by Mr. Impulsive a moment ago and moved out of the way in case the fight moved onto the stairs.

"Mr. Spencer, please come in," an older man moved in between Quinn and Eliot. Quinn came at Eliot again but stopped when the man gave him a warning glare before gesturing for Eliot and Katie to move inside.

"This must be Ms. Stanton-Williams." He held out his hand like he expected her to shake it and she stared at him coldly.

"And who are you?" she replied sarcastically.

"Blackpool," Eliot growled under his breath as he moved closer to the man. Katie sensed people behind her and glanced back to find the two men that searched them had rushed up the stairs with two others, guns drawn. Nervously she looked toward Eliot again, realizing that a man inside had a gun on them both too.

"Now Mr. Spencer, I know you have temper issues but do you really wish to see Ms. Stanton-Williams or Ms. Deveraux hurt?" the man said with what normally she would have thought was a pleasant smile. The guns and the situation destroyed any pretense of 'pleasant', however. "Come in and have a seat."

Blackpool stepped back and Eliot pulling her to his side so that he was in between her and the guns. Quinn looked like he'd give anything to continue their fight but when he saw Katie, he chuckled. "Good to see you again, sweetheart."

Eliot tensed and she placed her hand on his arm, tugging him into the living room. Two armed men were sitting beside Sophie.

"Are you okay?" Katie asked her as she sat beside Sophie.

"I've been better," Sophie replied, her face strained.

Eliot remained standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Blackpool walked over to their wet bar and poured three glasses of scotch. When he walked over and held one out to her, Katie shook her head. Sophie on the other hand took the drink, drinking it slowly and watching Blackpool.

"We haven't officially met," the man said to her. "I'm Ian Blackpool. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You have a sick sense of what's pleasurable then," Katie shot back with a glare.

"Oh yes, I should have known that Spencer's woman would have to have a certain amount of attitude to tolerate him." Blackpool laughed.

Katie smiled sweetly. "I guess, based on that theory, that you're single then."

"What do you want?" Eliot growled.

Blackpool took his time walking to the easy chair and sitting down. He sipped his drink a few times before finally answering. "You destroyed my reputation and stole my company away from me. What do you think I want? I want to be compensated for the loss."

"Nate couldn't be compensated for his loss. Why do you think you're deserving of it?" Sophie replied coolly. It was then Katie realized that Blackpool was Nate's former boss. She'd heard about him before but had forgotten his name. Her disgust and distaste for the man grew until she felt nauseous. But she could only imagine how the others felt. She felt Quinn's eyes on her from his vantage point in the opening to the foyer but she didn't want to glance in his direction. This didn't even feel like her home anymore with all these armed men here. She'd get rid of the place as soon as they got out of this mess. Of course, she was assuming that they did.

"What happened to Nate was truly tragic and I was sorry for his loss, but it wasn't personal," Mr. Blackpool attempted to look sincere but it was clear he didn't even care. "What he did, what you helped him do, was personal."

"Nate isn't around so what's your beef with us?" Katie tried to act clueless.

"Your boyfriend and Sophie both played their part in his revenge against me."

"Yeah but if you get revenge on them, then they'll have to get revenge on you again, and then you'll get…do you see where I'm going here? Two words: vicious cycle. Why don't we just say it's a draw and everyone gets to go home?" Katie suggested as she stood up. One of the men grabbed her arm jerking her back down to sit down again. Eliot punched the man so hard that he flipped over the back of the couch and didn't move again. The other man beside Sophie rose but Blackpool raised his hand to signal for him to sit down.

"Apparently, Mr. Spencer doesn't like it when people touch his things. I completely understand that." Blackpool smiled at Katie.

Katie shook her head at being talked about like she was a possession. Before she could retort, Sophie spoke. "Why don't you get to the point, Blackpool? Personally I can barely stomach your presence any longer."

"Here are my terms. I want you to get a certain piece of artwork for me. And then I will exchange the art for Katie's freedom."

"Never going to happen," Eliot replied calmly.

"Katie had nothing to do with what we did to you, we're not going to negotiate using her," Sophie responded.

"Fine, then you can remain with me Sophie and Katie can leave with Mr. Spencer and Mr. Quinn," Blackpool suggested as he sat back in the chair and crossed his legs. Katie could tell by Quinn's face that he didn't know of this detail of the plan.

"Mr. Quinn's only trip with me will end with him in a body bag," Eliot replied and Quinn took a step toward him. Eliot moved too but stopped suddenly when he heard a gun cocked.

Katie glanced over to see the other man had a gun to Sophie's temple. Eliot glared at Blackpool. Before he could step away, Quinn sucked punched him hard enough that Eliot flew back onto the couch beside her. He had a hard time controlling his rage but he remained seated. She reached out her hand towards his face but dropped it quickly, knowing he wouldn't want her to check on him now.

Quinn sneered at Katie's glare in his direction. God, she couldn't wait until Eliot could wipe that smug look off his face.

"How are they going to steal the artwork without me?" Sophie asked calmly. "I'm the art expert."

"I'm sure they can manage. They've done well without you during your extended leave of absence," Blackpool pointed out.

"What's the piece? I'll just buy it for you," Katie suggested ignoring Eliot's glower.

Blackpool chuckled. "Do you have $250 million dollars and access to stolen art work now, Katie?"

"The only thing that comes close to that kind of money is Vermeer's The Concert," Sophie replied and Blackpool nodded. When Katie glanced at her, eye brows raised and completely clueless, she continued. "Stolen from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum March 18, 1990 and rumored to have been stolen by Whitey Bulger, but this painting hasn't been found. I would have heard about it."

"Now that Bulger is dead, it won't be found," Eliot added.

"Ah, so you know of Bulger?" Blackpool smirked at Eliot. "I should have suspected as much. But Sophie you are right, it hasn't been 'found' by the normal suspects, but I know exactly where it is."

"Wasn't the museum a client of IYS?" Sophie asked, her eyes narrowing. "So you knew all along where it was and covered it up."

"No, I assure you I did not find out until recently. I would have attempted to purchase it but your actions assured that was impossible. In fact, the paintings were smuggled back into the US recently as a result of my inquiries."

"And where are they now?" Eliot asked.

"You haven't agreed to my proposition. I'm not about to tell a room full of people where a painting worth that much is located," Blackpool chuckled again. "I'm not a fool."

"So you just want them to steal the painting?" Katie asked quietly. "Why would they do anything to help you?"

"Because if they don't, you or the grifter will end up dead," Blackpool cocked his head to the side as he watched Eliot. "Let me give you a few moments to think about it. Mr. Quinn, join me in the foyer."

When the men got up and left the room, the armed man rose pulling Sophie will him and sitting her down in a chair away a safe distance from her and Eliot.

"I'll stay. You can't do this without Sophie," Katie said, quietly to Eliot.

"No, this wasn't your doing Katie. Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. The team can operate just fine without me." Sophie argued.

Katie heard Parker, Tara, and Hardison debating the merits of each plan and Hardison added that there is no communication about the painting in the usual places. Eliot was quiet during the chatter of the others. Tara pointed out the obvious advantage they currently had which was her presence but that would be lost once Quinn found out she was around.

"Eliot, you know this is the only option." Sophie gave him a look that Katie couldn't quite translate.

"I can try to help Sophie out using my own methods, if you'd prefer that," Tara suggested. Sophie nodded and Katie glanced towards Eliot.

"But I'm useless as anything but a hostage," Katie whispered. "I mean…seriously? That's the only thing I have any experience in where this is concerned."

Eliot shook his head and thought for a few minutes. Everyone else was silent until he finally said to Tara, "Use your sources but don't do anything too risky because we won't be able to help."

"I'll stay in touch with Hardison. If for some reason, I lose contact with any of you, I'll use the alternative methods," Tara replied curtly.

Once again, Katie had no idea what was going on. Blackpool walked back into the room and Eliot rose, causing the men to tense up around him.

"Have you considered my proposition?"

Eliot pulled Katie up by her hand. "I'm walking out of here with Katie and the information you have about the painting. Mr. Quinn will not be…"

"That's non-negotiable," Blackpool interrupted. "I know your team is way too smart to just steal the painting back without trying anything else. This way I can assure that you're following the rules. Mr. Quinn is my insurance."

"If he lays one hand on my team…"

"If your team follows the rules, there won't be a problem." Blackpool smiled. "You and Mr. Quinn can settle up after I have my painting."

Sophie nodded and smiled reassuringly at her, but Katie didn't feel very hopeful. Blackpool gave Quinn some folders and a briefcase, then signaled the man beside Sophie.

"We'll be going now," he answered as the man pulled Sophie to her feet.

"Wait! Where are you going with her?" Katie blurted out, not even thinking. She had assumed that they'd stay here.

"So sweet and naïve. She's simply precious, Mr. Spencer." Blackpool chuckled. "Did you honestly think I'd remain here and make a target of myself and give your team a quick and easy rescue?"

Once again, Katie didn't think and rushed forward to hug Sophie. Tears burned her eyes and she silently cursed herself for not being cool and collected like everyone else.

"I'll be fine," Sophie whispered and Katie nodded before stepping back.

Blackpool and his men left with Sophie, leaving Eliot and Katie staring at Quinn, who looked like the cat who swallowed the canary. "Pack your bags, Katie. We're all headed for Las Vegas," he smiled. "Tell the rest of the team to come here now, Spencer." He tossed a cell phone to Eliot.

Katie glanced at Eliot who nodded reluctantly. She eased past Quinn and ran up the stairs, wondering about leaving the two men alone. At least she could listen to them via the com. So far she only heard Eliot and Hardison talking on the phone. As quickly as possible, she threw clothes and things for her and Eliot into a bag before returning the living room. Eliot was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed over his chest as Quinn paced back and forth. He grabbed the bag away from her. Before she could object, he explained, "I have to check for weapons."

"There's a lethal weapon standing ten feet from you now and you're not as concerned as you should be," she shrugged.

Quinn smirked at her. "Like I said earlier, he's tame now, thanks to you."

"Keep telling yourself that." Katie gave him a sweet, but knowing, smile.

"Katie," Eliot warned. "Come over here."

She walked over and Eliot muttered under his breath, "Please don't agitate the situation by talking to him. I'm having to restrain myself; I don't need you adding fuel to the fire."

"But…I was defending you…just telling him that you…I mean," she began, then sighed. "I'll shut up. He just provokes me."

"That's exactly what he's trying to do. As long as you keep responding, he'll keep trying to get under your skin. And mine."

"Fine. I don't know how you're able to resist the urge to beat the fuck out of him but if you can do that, I guess I can stop running my mouth," Katie replied and heard a quick laugh in her ear.

"Sorry, my bad," Hardison replied quietly, still chuckling.

"Katie, come here," Quinn demanded then when she paused, he gave her an impatient look. "Well?"

Remembering what Eliot said, she bit her lip and walked over to him. "What?"

"I'm hungry. Go make me something to eat," he ordered then sat down in the chair.

She counted to ten under her breath. "I don't have anything to eat in the house," she finally answered. "I've been out of town, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Rome, beautiful city, I enjoyed being there…with you," he glanced over at her affectionately and it was all she could do not to slap him.

"You weren't there with her, unless stalking is your idea of a vacation," Eliot replied shortly.

"Does it bother you, Eliot, the fact that I've been so close to her all this time, when even you weren't there? That I know which café she prefers to people watch and where she walked at night…all alone," Quinn asked, his gaze settling on Eliot. "And that blue dress that's cut so low that when she moved a certain way, you could see…everything."

She nervously watched the two men glaring at each other. Parker snapped 'Diversion!' in her ear and knowing what could happen if Eliot snapped, Katie quickly said, "You know…I think I have some snack food in the freezer. I'll throw it in the microwave."

Rushing into the kitchen she whispered, "Eliot, please don't do anything. Remember what you said to me." Silence. Then at last he gave her a short grunt in response. "Hardison, tell me you two are close."

"About five minutes," the hacker replied. "Just keep your cool, man, for Sophie's sake."

Still hearing silence from the other room, Katie jerked some chicken nuggets out of the freezer, thankful she had something. Eliot preferred to cook real food, but she couldn't be bothered when he wasn't there so she kept handy things around for those times. She watched the plate rotate and chewed her nails.

This was going to be a long night.

oOoOo

The flight to Las Vegas was horrible. In addition to her having flown from Rome earlier, now Quinn insisted on her posing as his wife to keep her seated beside him in first class. He also made sure the others weren't seated together and the coms weren't working on the plane. She could practically feel Eliot's fury without even seeing him and Quinn chatted to her like they were friends. Then he flirted with the stewardesses and joked about wondering if his wife would mind. He did everything in his power to make sure she was uncomfortable, including grabbing her hand a few times when others were watching.

"You might want to get more comfortable pretending you like me, Katie, or this is going to be a long trip," he whispered in her ear.

"It's already a long trip. And I'm not that good an actress."

"You're feisty. True to the red hair I suppose." He sipped his third beer and put his hand on her leg. "Want to join the mile high club baby? Eliot never has to know."

"Take your hand off my leg and be a little less offensive. Seriously? Do you get some charge out of being rejected in every way possible?" she asked shooting a glare at him. "Are you always a jerk or is that just part of your profession?"

"I'm actually quite charming if you'd give me a chance. Under different circumstances, you'd probably like me very much," he assured her, moving his hand. "Trust me. I don't want to be on this trip any more than you do."

"You just want to kill Eliot or are willing to do anything for money."

"Not everyone was born into money, Katie. Some of us have to actually work for it," he replied and she noticed the subtle change in his voice. Glancing over, she saw he was watching her quietly, less annoying and aggressive.

"Having money isn't everything." She shrugged. "At least I can live with myself at the end of the day."

A smile tugged at his lips and he said, "Fair enough. But life makes us what we are, Katie. How can you judge me knowing what Eliot has done in his past? Or…are you unaware of the details?"

"I know enough. Is this a competition between you and him to see which one is the bigger sinner or who deserves to be judged? You stalked me for weeks, put a man in the hospital earlier for helping me, helped kidnap an innocent woman for scum like Blackpool, and are basically holding me hostage even now. I'm pretty sure nothing you say is going to convince me that you're in the right here," she shot back.

"I'd hardly call Sophie innocent. I was hired to do everything I did. Blackpool is just a paycheck and I don't get involved in the motives of my clients. None of your friends used to care about their clients or reasons either so it was all about the money for them as well. In fact, they still make quite a bit of money from the work they do even if they are helping people. Would you be so judging if I threw in a good deed or two? How do you define 'good'?" He glanced around the plane and lowered his voice further. "It's easy for you to turn a blind eye to what your friends and your lover do. But, trust me, I've never done anything close to what Spencer has done in his past. The man is cold blooded. He's just better at acting like he has a heart. And you choose to believe it because it suits you."

Katie didn't answer him, unsure what to say. Because at the end of the day, she was aware of being manipulated but, unlike the others, wasn't good at not having an emotional reaction. Plus she didn't want to try and out-manipulate a master so she kept her silence. Her gaze drifted to the window, trying to ignore him.

"You know what I think?" he asked quietly. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I think that it's all a game. Eliot comes home to you, pretends you're a normal couple for a couple of days to keep you happy, then goes back to what he's always done. You're completely convinced that the man you know is real. But remember, he and his friends are professional grifters. They con for a living. His name isn't even real, yet you continue to live with that lie deluding yourself that it's the only one."

"He's not conning me," she whispered in reply. "And neither are you."

"You're in over your head, Katie. You don't stand a chance against someone like him," he relaxed in the seat, still watching her intently. "You think what your ex-boyfriend did to you was horrible? Spencer and his friends are going to make you think that bullet ripping through you was a cake walk."

"Shut the f…" she began but he put his finger over her lips with a gentle smile.

"I'll stop. Just think about what I said and keep your eyes open for once. You've been ignoring the most obvious signs."

Katie ignored him for the rest of the flight and he left her alone. When they landed, he even helped her get her bags, pretending to a gentleman. His hand rested on her lower back as they walked down the ramp.

"Please stop," she said quietly.

"What sweetheart?"

"Stop acting like we're a couple. We're not on the plane anymore…just stop," she insisted, moving away from him.

"Sorry, Katie. Didn't mean to upset you," he smiled but kept his distance from her after that. She was grateful when the others came down the ramp after them. Hardison and Eliot made sure to keep Quinn far away from her and Parker while they got their rental car.

Sitting in the back seat with Parker and Hardison, Katie rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. She prayed this day was over soon.