The Blue Court Diamond 2
-
Chapter 2: Technicalities.
“Neal has the Blue Court Diamond,” Parker said. She started forming hand seals as she talked.
“Stop that,” Eliot snapped.
“What, afraid that I’m going to blow everything up?” Parker asked.
“Yes,” Eliot replied.
“Relax.” Parker sighed as she straightened her fingers out. “Did you hear what I said before?”
“Yes, our old teammate managed to steal something you had your eye on,” Eliot said, rolling his eyes.
“So, you agree that we have to go there and steal it from him?” Parker asked.
“Isn’t that ganging up on him?” Eliot asked.
“Just a bit.” Parker shrugged.
“I doubt that we could get away from our current team, anyway,” Eliot said. “You know how Nate is.”
“It shouldn’t take longer than a week,” they heard Sophie said as the apartment door opened. Sophie and Nate entered the room and absently greeted Eliot and Parker.
“But what if a job comes up?” Nate asked.
“We’ve just finished our second case of the month, and it’s only been a week since it started,” Sophie pointed out. “We could all use a break.”
“I suppose so,” Nate muttered and then opened his mouth to protest further.
“I’m going, Nate, for one week,” Sophie said before Nate could talk. She paused and took a deep breath. “It’s family, Nate.”
“Do you need us to come with you?” Nate asked, his resistance melting as it always did when confronted with the idea of family.
“I might need to help my sister disappear, I don’t think I need more people on the radar,” Sophie said. She leaned forward and kissed Nate on the cheek. “Thanks, though. I’ll see you all later.” With that, she left.
“Sister?” Nate repeated, looking stunned.
“So, we have off for a week?” Eliot asked.
“Yeah, yeah,” Nate absently replied, still puzzling over Sophie’s words.
“Then we can go see Neal,” Parker squealed. She grabbed Eliot’s arm and dragged him out of the room. “See you, Nate!”
Nate just blinked. “What was that all about?”
“Where’s everyone going? Do we have a job or something?” Hardison asked as he entered the apartment.
“No, we have off for the week,” Nate answered. “Sophie left to go help her sister. Did you know that she had one?”
“Nope,” Hardison replied.
“And I really have no idea where Parker took Eliot off to,” Nate said.
“Man, I know that they did not just leave me out of the fun,” Hardison said. He plopped down on the couch and sulkily grabbed the computer keyboard.
“It’s Parker,” Nate offered.
“Exactly.” Hardison logged into his email account and grinned when he read one of his new emails. He leaned back and tilted his head to look at Nate. “How would you like to attend a law enforcement conference?”
-
Peter was waiting in front of the office when Neal jumped down from out of nowhere. Peter blinked, “How did you do that?”
“I jumped from that building,” Neal said, motioning across the street.
“Whatever. Where’s the diamond?” Peter asked.
“It’s in a safe place,” Neal answered with a grin. He smoothed down the front of his suit. He really preferred to wear his vest when travelling by rooftop, but he really couldn’t wear it in public, which meant that he had to take it off before meeting Peter. “So, what’s this about El being a con woman?”
“Here,” Peter said as he shoved the file into Neal’s hands. “I can’t even talk about it, it’s so stupid. I mean, who could ever believe that my wife is a con artist?”
“Someone who hasn’t been around when she’s catering a party?” Neal suggested before wincing at the glare Peter sent him. “I mean, what did she say when you called her?”
“She laughed and wouldn’t reply,” Peter grumbled.
“Well, let’s go talk to her in person,” Neal suggested. “I’m sure she’ll explain everything.”
“After we get you set up with a new anklet,” Peter said, catching Neal’s shoulder before he could escape. “I don’t know what Hughes was thinking, letting you out unsupervised.”
“He was thinking of my ruggedly good looks,” Neal said, “along with the fact that I am a professional at that sort of a thing.”
“You’re more professional than a delivery or courier service?” Peter demanded.
“I was trained to be a courier and a body guard and many other roles and that was a sensitive mission,” Neal answered.
“The budget is a sensitive subject?” Peter raised an eyebrow.
“No, but the Blue Court Diamond certainly is,” Neal said.
“Yeah, tell me what’s up with that,” Peter said. “And where the diamond is.”
“The diamond is safe and I suppose someone somewhere has a reason for its being in New York,” Neal answered. He shrugged off Peter’s hand and started strolling down the street.
“Does anyone even know that it is in New York?” Peter asked, catching up with Neal and walking alongside him.
“Not yet,” Neal admitted, “I’m not due back for a couple more days and you’re the first person I’ve talked to.”
“We need to go let someone know, then. Who’s in charge of the diamond in New York?” Peter asked.
“It’ll be fine,” Neal waved it off, “they’ll have contacted the FBI by now. Just let Hughes take care of it.”
“I don’t know,” Peter wavered before shrugging it off. “Okay, we’ll let Hughes handle it. Although, I do have to warn you that there’s a good chance that he’ll put an APB out on you.”
“Hey, they said that I had to get the diamond to New York by Wednesday, they didn’t specifically say that I needed to travel with the officials or that I couldn’t be back earlier,” Neal pointed out. “Technically, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Peter laughed at that. “You’ve always done something wrong.”
“Let’s go talk to your wife and see what she did wrong,” Neal reminded.
“Right.” Peter motioned for Neal to go ahead of him on the way to his car.
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Chapter 3
Chapter 2: Technicalities.
“Neal has the Blue Court Diamond,” Parker said. She started forming hand seals as she talked.
“Stop that,” Eliot snapped.
“What, afraid that I’m going to blow everything up?” Parker asked.
“Yes,” Eliot replied.
“Relax.” Parker sighed as she straightened her fingers out. “Did you hear what I said before?”
“Yes, our old teammate managed to steal something you had your eye on,” Eliot said, rolling his eyes.
“So, you agree that we have to go there and steal it from him?” Parker asked.
“Isn’t that ganging up on him?” Eliot asked.
“Just a bit.” Parker shrugged.
“I doubt that we could get away from our current team, anyway,” Eliot said. “You know how Nate is.”
“It shouldn’t take longer than a week,” they heard Sophie said as the apartment door opened. Sophie and Nate entered the room and absently greeted Eliot and Parker.
“But what if a job comes up?” Nate asked.
“We’ve just finished our second case of the month, and it’s only been a week since it started,” Sophie pointed out. “We could all use a break.”
“I suppose so,” Nate muttered and then opened his mouth to protest further.
“I’m going, Nate, for one week,” Sophie said before Nate could talk. She paused and took a deep breath. “It’s family, Nate.”
“Do you need us to come with you?” Nate asked, his resistance melting as it always did when confronted with the idea of family.
“I might need to help my sister disappear, I don’t think I need more people on the radar,” Sophie said. She leaned forward and kissed Nate on the cheek. “Thanks, though. I’ll see you all later.” With that, she left.
“Sister?” Nate repeated, looking stunned.
“So, we have off for a week?” Eliot asked.
“Yeah, yeah,” Nate absently replied, still puzzling over Sophie’s words.
“Then we can go see Neal,” Parker squealed. She grabbed Eliot’s arm and dragged him out of the room. “See you, Nate!”
Nate just blinked. “What was that all about?”
“Where’s everyone going? Do we have a job or something?” Hardison asked as he entered the apartment.
“No, we have off for the week,” Nate answered. “Sophie left to go help her sister. Did you know that she had one?”
“Nope,” Hardison replied.
“And I really have no idea where Parker took Eliot off to,” Nate said.
“Man, I know that they did not just leave me out of the fun,” Hardison said. He plopped down on the couch and sulkily grabbed the computer keyboard.
“It’s Parker,” Nate offered.
“Exactly.” Hardison logged into his email account and grinned when he read one of his new emails. He leaned back and tilted his head to look at Nate. “How would you like to attend a law enforcement conference?”
-
Peter was waiting in front of the office when Neal jumped down from out of nowhere. Peter blinked, “How did you do that?”
“I jumped from that building,” Neal said, motioning across the street.
“Whatever. Where’s the diamond?” Peter asked.
“It’s in a safe place,” Neal answered with a grin. He smoothed down the front of his suit. He really preferred to wear his vest when travelling by rooftop, but he really couldn’t wear it in public, which meant that he had to take it off before meeting Peter. “So, what’s this about El being a con woman?”
“Here,” Peter said as he shoved the file into Neal’s hands. “I can’t even talk about it, it’s so stupid. I mean, who could ever believe that my wife is a con artist?”
“Someone who hasn’t been around when she’s catering a party?” Neal suggested before wincing at the glare Peter sent him. “I mean, what did she say when you called her?”
“She laughed and wouldn’t reply,” Peter grumbled.
“Well, let’s go talk to her in person,” Neal suggested. “I’m sure she’ll explain everything.”
“After we get you set up with a new anklet,” Peter said, catching Neal’s shoulder before he could escape. “I don’t know what Hughes was thinking, letting you out unsupervised.”
“He was thinking of my ruggedly good looks,” Neal said, “along with the fact that I am a professional at that sort of a thing.”
“You’re more professional than a delivery or courier service?” Peter demanded.
“I was trained to be a courier and a body guard and many other roles and that was a sensitive mission,” Neal answered.
“The budget is a sensitive subject?” Peter raised an eyebrow.
“No, but the Blue Court Diamond certainly is,” Neal said.
“Yeah, tell me what’s up with that,” Peter said. “And where the diamond is.”
“The diamond is safe and I suppose someone somewhere has a reason for its being in New York,” Neal answered. He shrugged off Peter’s hand and started strolling down the street.
“Does anyone even know that it is in New York?” Peter asked, catching up with Neal and walking alongside him.
“Not yet,” Neal admitted, “I’m not due back for a couple more days and you’re the first person I’ve talked to.”
“We need to go let someone know, then. Who’s in charge of the diamond in New York?” Peter asked.
“It’ll be fine,” Neal waved it off, “they’ll have contacted the FBI by now. Just let Hughes take care of it.”
“I don’t know,” Peter wavered before shrugging it off. “Okay, we’ll let Hughes handle it. Although, I do have to warn you that there’s a good chance that he’ll put an APB out on you.”
“Hey, they said that I had to get the diamond to New York by Wednesday, they didn’t specifically say that I needed to travel with the officials or that I couldn’t be back earlier,” Neal pointed out. “Technically, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Peter laughed at that. “You’ve always done something wrong.”
“Let’s go talk to your wife and see what she did wrong,” Neal reminded.
“Right.” Peter motioned for Neal to go ahead of him on the way to his car.
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Chapter 3