Revenge Comes Calling - (NC-17) WIP (5/?)

[alikat]

Title: Revenge Comes Calling (WIP)

Author: alikat7

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 tequila_kaniac and blackbelblondie for the beta!

“Feel better?” Quinn watched her closely while sipping his coffee. He’d taken her to the coffee shop when she finally stopped crying and bought her a latte.

She shrugged and looked away quickly. “I’m okay.” She was still nervous about fooling him, but realized that her nerves probably added to the act so she just allowed them to take over. Turning towards him, she replied, “Eliot would never hurt me, you know?”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” he asked, his gaze leveling hers. When she didn’t answer, he reached out to lay his hand on her arm. “I’m really sorry about yesterday. That was just a job and…well, I didn’t know you.”

“But you do know me,” she replied. “You’ve been following me for weeks…watching me. You knew me. And you still…” she trailed off, glancing around the coffee shop.

Quinn nodded and a flash of guilt crossed his face before he looked down. “Yeah, I guess I do. But I didn’t think…I didn’t know you’d affect me this way.”

“What do you mean?” Katie asked innocently, wondering how far to push this. She didn’t want him to claim that he had feelings for her yet and rush her into a position of putting up or shutting up. She had to string him along. “No, don’t say anything. I kinda know what you mean but you shouldn’t say it.”

“Why? Do you honestly think Eliot loves you?”

“Yes,” she insisted, nodding her head vigorously. “He’s not normally like this. He’s just stressed right now, but usually, he’s very loving and kind.”

“Unless you upset him which I’m sure happens a lot,” his eyes searched hers. “I know what his temper is like. I fight my own every day but he…he’s so much worse than me. I’d never lay a hand on a woman.”

Katie couldn’t resist snorting and coughed, trying to cover it up. “But you did yesterday. So are you trying to say that yesterday wasn’t the norm?”

“Something about you, Katie…I just wanted to touch you but I knew that Spencer had you completely fooled. It got to me. If I could take it back I would but I guess I’ll just have to show you that it’s not who I am, not the real me at least.”

Katie sipped her latte, deep in thought. She wasn’t sure if any part of this was true. Eliot came off as one thing when she knew that he was actually a good person. After what Quinn did yesterday, she wasn’t about to assume the same thing about him but maybe, just maybe, he did have a little bit of goodness in him. But the way he watched her, made her feel like prey.

She smiled. “Let’s go gambling. I haven’t been to Las Vegas in years and I want to win some money.”

“We really should go back. I need to help them out with the plans.” He glanced down at his watch and she stood.

“Okay, you go ahead. I’m just going to go play for awhile.” Walking away with purpose, she heard him muttering under his breathe as he got up and followed her. A sneaky smile pulled at her lips before she finally acknowledged him walking beside her. “Change your mind?”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Believe it or not, I can survive on my own. I mean, I’m not in danger anymore right?” She smiled at him mischievously. “My stalker is you so…I think I’m pretty safe.”

Quinn laughed and shook his head. “Good point but better keep an eye on you since Spencer can’t be bothered.”

“Tell you what. We’ll go shoot some craps. I win, you let me gamble more.”

They had reached the craps table and he paused, his eyes looking deep into hers. “And if I win?”

“Whatever you want,” she shrugged.

He chuckled evilly causing goose bumps to race up her spine. “Do you know how tempting that is? I think you do. What is your game, Katie?”

“I just think you’re underestimating my abilities and luck,” she grinned and held out some money to the dealer. As the man handed her the chips, Quinn looked over his shoulder quickly before returning his attention to her.

“Okay, you win: we will keep playing for as long as you want. I win…” he paused as the dealer handed her the dice. “You let me take you out tonight.”

“Just you and me…and Eliot?”

“No, just you and me,” he whispered in her ear, letting his hand caress her back. Quinn took her hand and lightly blew on the dice while gazing intently at her. Katie swallowed hard. God, she was so screwed if she lost. Eliot was going to kill her. She prayed she’d have some luck. When she tossed the dice, she closed her eyes, too afraid to see what she rolled.

“Lady rolls a seven!” the dealer called and she smirked at Quinn, who rolled his eyes.

“Play on,” he said shaking his head and taking a seat at the table. She proceeded to lose the next four rolls which he found annoying and she thought was too funny. Luck really was watching after her the first roll.

“Let’s go play some poker, I don’t think craps is your game,” he rose and she followed him to another table.

“I’m not really good at this. I can’t remember the difference between a flush and a straight. Will you help me?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eliot lurking across the room. Quinn’s back was to her so she gave him a thumbs-up sign and she saw him chuckling when he walked away.

Katie bought the others as much time as she could without throwing herself completely naked at Quinn. And she wasn’t willing to go that far.

“We need to get back,” he replied, as she scooped up her chips. He picked up his winnings and then they went to cash them in.

“I need to go to the ladies room,” she veered to the left, walking towards the bathroom. Quinn grabbed her arm roughly. Katie turned to him, eyes wide, and he quickly let her go. She rubbed her arm while mumbling, “I guess I was wrong about thinking you weren’t violent.”

“I wasn’t thinking,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Besides, I didn’t hurt you.” When she didn’t speak, he looked very irritated so Katie took a step backwards to the bathroom.

“I’ll just be a minute,” she whispered, ducking into the bathroom. She wasn’t really hurt but she planned on milking it for awhile.

Katie waited a few extra minutes before returning to Quinn. She dabbed a few drops of water in the corners of her eyes for an extra measure the wondered if she laid it on too thick. When she came out, he wasn’t there. Before she could wander around, she saw him coming out of a shop with a small bag. He smiled and walked up, holding the bag out to her.

“What is it?” she watched him warily, unsure about any gift from him.

“Just a little something I thought you’d like,” he smiled. When she still watched him, he threw in, “You’ll find out faster if you open it.”

Katie took the bag from him finally and reached in to find a jewelry box. Ah, he thought she could be bought into buying his act. Typical. Before she opened the box, she shook her head. “I can’t accept a gift from you.”

“Why? Because your boyfriend is so jealous?” Annoyance was written on his face.

“No…he’s not jealous. Where I’m from, it’s just inappropriate for a man to give me jewelry, especially when I’m in a relationship with someone.” Katie shook the bag at Quinn but he refused to take it. “Maybe you can get your money back.”

“Consider it an apology,” he demanded, clearly irritated by her refusal. “At least open it before you refuse it.”

“Fine,” Katie replied shortly. She grabbed the box out of the bag, opened it, saw a bracelet made of white and yellow gold and nodded. “It’s beautiful. But I still can’t take it.” Snapping the box shut, she handed it to him. He glared at her and Katie finally began to get annoyed. “Is this a guilt gift because of yesterday or because you went from being a fairly nice guy awhile ago to grabbing my arm again like some kind of violent thug?”

His jaw tightened. “It’s just a gift. Does there have to be a reason?”

“Yes, considering our history over the last two days, I think a reason is perfectly understandable.”

“Look, I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. I’m not just a thug. You cut your boyfriend slack for his violence but I’m supposed to be a bad guy. Is that fair?” He glared at her.

“You kidnapped me yesterday. You hurt someone who was trying to help me. You kidnapped Sophie and even now you’re trying to force me to do something I don’t want to do,” Katie explained, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She could barely keep from slapping him but knew she had to keep her cool. “Eliot and I have a relationship…whether you like it or not. You act like he beats me or something. I understand he’s dangerous but he’s never hurt me.”

“Yet.”

Katie pushed the jewelry into his hand and turned around, walking back to the casino. She expected him to follow her and he did. Stalling him becoming a real chore, she knew she had to suck it up and deal. Walking into a small clothing shop beside the casino she began look through the dresses on the rack and ignored his presence.

“Let’s go upstairs.” He crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. She tried not to laugh because it reminded her of Eliot when he dragged him shopping.

“Go ahead. I’m in the mood to spend my winnings. Trust me. I don’t need help spending money.” Katie smiled and grabbed a few things off the rack. Quinn continued to look annoyed as she loaded up her arms with lots of things. Finally she turned to him and handed him a few things to hold.

Quinn looked at the clothes for a minute then at her before dumping them on top of the rack beside him. Apparently, he’d reached his limit of placating her. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her towards the store entrance. “I’m not in the mood to play games, Katie.”

A man standing near the entrance watched the two of them closely before walking over to them. “Miss, are you okay?”

“She’s fine,” Quinn snapped, putting his arm around Katie and dragging her to his side. Giving her a stern look, he added, “She’s just getting a little carried away spending money, aren’t you hon?”

Katie didn’t want to involve someone else and get them hurt so she nodded slowly. The man continued to watch them when Quinn grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the elevators.

“You’re just pushing my buttons,” Quinn said under his breath. Katie couldn’t help but smile but quickly wiped it off her face before he could see.

“But I thought we were having fun earlier,” she replied, sounding sad and upset.

When they were alone in front of the elevator, he pushed her up against the wall firmly, causing her to gasp. “You’re toying with me and think I’m too stupid to catch on.”

“No, I’m not,” Katie whispered, avoiding his eyes. “I thought…I guess I’m just being silly but I thought you liked me.” Quinn put his hand on her neck and stepped closer to her. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her.

“No, you’re trying to play games. I should have expected it from you. Do you think you can seduce me? And the promise of sleeping with you will be enough to prevent me from killing your boyfriend or blowing this job?” Closer he leaned, his lips almost touching hers and his hand on her neck preventing her from turning away.

“Umm…I think you better let me go or…” she whispered, more than a little nervous.

The elevator dinged causing her to jump.

“Or what? You’ll scream? You’ll tell Eliot? I could take you some place where no one would hear your screams and do whatever I wanted to with you,” he whispered back, before touching his lips to hers. Before she could do anything, he jerked away from her so suddenly, she took a few steps forward to regain her balance.

Glancing up, she saw Eliot, looking murderous. “Go upstairs. Now,” he warned her. He’d thrown Quinn about six feet causing him to slide down the marble floors into a wall. Katie grabbed Eliot’s arm quickly.

“Stop! You know what will happen to Sophie…” she pleaded with him. “It’s my fault. I pushed it too far.”

“He threatened to…” Eliot stopped, seeing Quinn begin to stand up. Walking over, he kicked him in the neck, so Quinn slammed into the marble, blood spurting from his nose.

Katie jumped when she felt arms around her but looking back she saw Hardison, pulling her away from the fight. “Hardison, please, you need to stop him.”

Too late Katie realized that Eliot had kicked and beat Quinn until he was unable to move and Hardison shook his head at her. “Come on. Let him handle it.”

Eliot grabbed Quinn by the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the elevator, throwing him into the open one. “Take another elevator,” he seethed and pushed one of the buttons viciously.

Katie just stared at the door closing, too stunned to say anything. People were giving them strange looks so Hardison chuckled and said loudly, “Man! He really hates to lose a bet. It’s all good, folks.” He waited until everyone drifted away before pushing the up button again.

“I think we might need to change hotels after this,” he muttered under his breath. “Well…once Quinn regains consciousness.”

~*~

Eliot let Parker check the ropes once more before she gagged Quinn. Hardison and Katie had returned upstairs and he could see Katie was visibly shaken. Pulling her aside, he asked, “Why did you let it get so far? You told me you’d be careful.”

“I tried. He just…I guess he caught on,” Katie replied with a shrug. “One minute he was a little bit annoyed, the next I was pinned against a wall. Trust me. I didn’t try to get him mad this time.”

“Are you okay?” Hardison asked and Katie nodded. “What are we going to do with him now?”

“We’re going to keep him tied up for now,” Eliot replied, walking over to Katie. She appeared to be fine but he checked her out none-the-less.

“Did you find out anything while I was distracting him?” she asked, reaching out and taking his hand. She smiled gently, reassuring him she was okay. He didn’t want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t come down when he did though.

“I think we need to consider moving to another hotel. You caused a scene downstairs,” Hardison pointed out. “We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile.”

“Sorry. Did you want me to just let him take Katie someplace where we ‘wouldn’t hear her screams’?” he retorted then began rummaging through Quinn’s pockets. “We’ll change hotels but first I want to see how he’s keeping in contact with Blackpool.” Finding a cell phone, he handed it to Hardison who began playing with it and entering things on his computer. “Can we use it to track down Blackpool?”

“I thought Tara had a lead on him,” Katie asked as she grabbed a drink from the bar.

“She did. But now, she doesn’t. He’s got someone working with him that’s pretty good apparently. Not just a meat head like Quinn here,” he answered. “Parker, get yours and Hardison’s stuff packed up. Katie, you take care of ours. Hardison, it’ll have to wait for now. We need to go soon.”

“But how are you going to take him out of here without people seeing you?” Katie asked and walked towards their room.

“Throw him out the window?” Eliot suggested. When Katie stopped at the door and looked at him like he might be serious, he shook his head. “It’s not that high up. We’ll lower him down from the roof in the back. Parker always has extra gear.”

After everyone was packed up, Eliot checked Quinn out. He really shouldn’t risk him waking up so he hit him once more and Katie yelped in surprise. Glancing over at her, he asked, “What?”

“I wasn’t expected you to do that,” she muttered under her breath. “I mean…it just seems a little overkill.”

“Do you want him waking up while we’re lowering him down twelve stories?”

“No, not really. I still don’t know how the hell we’re going to do this during the daytime without anyone seeing us.”

“Las Vegas never closes. During the day the rooms are just as likely to be empty as at night. There’s a service entrance near the back. You and Hardison go down there, check out, and then wait at the bottom,” he said, picking up Quinn under his arms. “Parker and I will take him up.”

Hardison and Katie grabbed their bags and left the suite while Parker checked for the roof access. When she found it, she came back for him and they exited the room. Quinn stayed knocked out until they got him up to the roof and Parker was able to strap him into the gear. Eliot dragged him closer to the edge and looked down to make sure Hardison and Katie were below. He heard a yelp from Parker before Quinn grabbed his ankle and jerk him to land hard on his knee, almost falling over the edge of the roof. Eliot reached back and shoved Parker away from Quinn before landing a hard hit into Quinn’s abdomen. Parker grabbed the rig and tried pulling Quinn away from Eliot, to get the two men away from the edge, but Quinn had grabbed Eliot and she was unable to pull both their weight.

Quinn got off the ground enough to shove Eliot forward again, so that one of his legs dangled off the edge. Using all his strength, he shoved himself backwards into Quinn but ended up leaving himself vulnerable for the other man to put him in a choke-hold. No more playing around at this point, Quinn cut off his air supply quickly. Parker landed a few good solid kicks in the man’s back causing him to release Eliot enough that he could catch a breath, but he had to roll quickly to the right, jump up and put himself between Parker and Quinn.

“Son of a bitch,” Quinn snapped, tackling him and taking him down hard. Parker kept her distance knowing he would still try to protect her and Quinn would use that to his advantage. “I’m going to kill you, Spencer.”

Eliot waited until Quinn came at him before landing a kick in the inside of the other man’s knee, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind him letting Quinn’s drive pull him toward the metal air vent which he crashed into. Striking him a few times while he was still stunned, Eliot caught an elbow to his solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him a bit before Quinn was able to wrestle himself away from Eliot.

Quinn leered as he approached Eliot, waiting to make his move. Eliot stood motionless, calmly watching the other man. He moved to strike and Eliot slammed his fist into the man's mid-section. While Quinn was doubled over, Eliot kneed him in the face, finally breaking his nose. Eliot allowed him to drop to the ground on all fours. Stepped back slightly and watching Quinn, he watched rise unsteadily, spitting out blood and wiping his nose on his sleeve, all the while glaring at him.

Quinn suddenly rushed him and Eliot leaned smoothly to his left, kicking out and catching the other man’s leg with his. The motion sent Quinn careening harmlessly past him and sprawling face first onto the ground.

“Ready to give up yet?” Eliot smirked.

Quinn spit out blood and attempting to rise. “Never, you fucker.”

“If you insist,” Eliot shrugged and kicked him on his left side. The blow crushing bone and sickening crunch of ribs could be heard. “Your rib is broken. Hmm…I think we’ve been here before. It didn’t turn out for you too well last time either”

Wavering unsteadily, Quinn rose and wiped a sleeve weakly over his face and glared at him, while holding his side. Then with renewed vigor, he flung himself, with all his strength at Eliot, aiming at his waist. Eliot turned deftly to the side, grasping the man’s right arm at the wrist and elbow as he vaulted past. Twisting the elbow over itself, while holding the man’s wrist, Eliot used the Quinn’s own weight and forward momentum to dislocate his shoulder, then followed him to the ground, landing on with his elbow in Quinn’s spine. The action took mere seconds and left Quinn screaming in pain. Again, Eliot rose and backed off a few paces.

A wheezing rasp emanated from the man lying on the ground. He used his legs and his good arm to roll himself slowly onto his back. Blood streamed from nose and mouth. Even in this condition, he managed to sneer.

“Are you willing to kill me? Sealing Sophie’s fate and proving to Katie that you’re nothing but a killer?” Quinn asked, chuckled evilly.

If he was honest with himself, Eliot had to admit: he wanted to kill him. The sound of his heart pounded in his head powerfully as he regained his self-control.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eliot saw Parker and the genuine concern in her eyes. She’d only seen him lose control once in Kentucky when Katie got shot. The fear in her face snapped him out of this revenged-based rage and an overwhelming sense of calm seemed to fill him. He wasn’t willing to kill Quinn senselessly. His rage gone, he remembered that it had all replaced by this insane desire the team had instilled in him to do good, to be good, and do things for the right reasons. Killing Quinn would just be revenge and Eliot didn’t do that. Ever.

Quinn took advantage of his distraction and rose again, striking out at him and knocking him back a few feet. The two traded a few blows to the face before Eliot realized that Quinn backed him to the edge again. With a smirk, Quinn went for the kill with a kick to his midsection hard enough to knock him down, but Eliot managed to fall to the side, grabbing Quinn’s injured arm and jerking him hard enough that he sailed over the roof’s edge and fell with a scream.

After a few moments, Parker rushed over to him, checking out his injuries. “Are you okay?” Eliot heard more screams from below and glanced up at her with a slight cringe. After a moment, the thief smirked. “So yeah…the rig might have been a little longer than usual.”

Eliot shook his head and crawled to look over the edge where Quinn dangled about eleven stories down, swinging back and forth unconsciously but most likely alive. Falling back he breathed a sigh of relief before realizing they had to get off the roof quickly. He let Parker help him up so he could lower Quinn the final level then the two descended the stairs, hoping to avoid any encounters on the way down.

~*~

“It’s okay people. I told you, it’s an act,” Katie laughed nervously and pushed Quinn into their rental. “Our company helps people over come their fears and he wanted to conquer his fear of heights so we had to make it look real and…guess it did!”

“Hardison,” Katie hissed under her breath. “That hardly explains his bloody face and fucked up arm.”

“Eliot should have thought of that before he threw him off the roof,” Hardison replied in a higher voice which earned him a quick and breathless ‘fuck you’ from Eliot over coms.

“Alright, you guys, ya caught us. He’s a stuntman for a movie filming here but its top secret and we don’t want to end up on Access Hollywood. So keep it hush-hush and, if you show up tomorrow when we’re actually filming the scene, you might get to meet Tom Cru…oh, you’ll just have to be surprised. Don’t want to give it away too soon,” Hardison smiled one of his most charming smiles and some of the people standing there began smiling and whispering to each other.

“Just get in the car,” Hardison whispered to Katie and she jumped in the front seat. “Great, now we got to ditch this van. Parker. Parker!”

“What?” Parker breathlessly replied. “Kind of busy here…running…down a million steps.”

“Oh well, when you and Eliot get done with your exercise; take a little jog to the hotel across the street so we can pick you up.”

Eliot’s reply was interrupted by heavy breaths. “Damnit Hardison…not really…in the mood to jog…anywhere, ever…again. I’m about to take a header down the stairs…just so I don’t have….to run down another…flight.”

Katie smiled in spite of herself. “Sweetie, maybe you should think about that next time you knock someone off a building…in the daylight. This was your idea if I recall correctly,” she replied and he growled in response.




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