I've Got Soul but I'm Not a Soldier

Understanding

Hartley Rathaway was not on the agenda for today, but the kid is smart, albeit prickly. He's heard of the kid and the damage he did to the Flash, so Len's more than a little wary of him. Barry will not be happy about this, but Hartley seems on the level, more so than Mardon at any rate, and the Rogues are growing...

Lisa set up the meeting despite the fact she's 'getting to know' Cisco. But that's pleasure, she says, and this is business, and mixing the two isn't wise, like he did with the Flash. She says not everyone gets a happy ending like that.

So they meet with Hartley; he's intelligent, especially with tech. It's like having Cisco on the opposite side of the law. Hartley readily agrees to the Rogues' Code, and Len already has a simple heist planned to test out both Hartley and Mark. He wonders if he should tell Barry, but these two aren't fully part of his crew until they perform a heist together and they prove they can follow the rules. Then again, if things go sideways and they can't follow the rules, perhaps the Flash should be nearby to stop any potential casualties.

He doesn't like hiding things from Barry. He's always been as transparent as possible; he's a thief, not a liar. Hiding things from Barry will not end well, and he knows it.

After the meeting with Hartley, Len calls Barry and they meet at the safe house while Lisa and Mick get Hartley settled in somewhere. Again, this should be Len's job, but right now he has more important things to consider.

Barry's waiting for him at the safe house, a fresh pot of coffee brewed and ready for him, and Len sighs happily as he puts his cold gun and glasses on the table.

"You sounded tense on the phone," Barry says by way of explanation for the coffee, but he never needs to give excuses for making coffee. Coffee will never go to waste.

"About that," Len sighs, gesturing at the table. "Sit down, kid."

Barry frowns but does as he's told. "What's up?"

"I met with Hartley Rathaway today." He figures it's best to just come out and say it.

Barry stares at him for a long moment. The tense silence makes him squirm, and he never squirms. He's Captain Cold, and Cold doesn't squirm. But having his fiancé look at him like that is uncomfortable.

"Why?" Barry finally asks, releasing a breath.

"He's joining my Rogues," Len tells him honestly. "He's agreed to our rules, and he's smart."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't want to hide things," he replies, frowning.

"You know I can't, in good conscience, let anyone get hurt, right? And Hartley's thrown people off dams before," Barry says, frowning as well. "Not to mention he tried to kill me."

Len winces. "Yeah, I know, I spoke to him about that."

"And?"

"And he won't do it again?" he offers, because it's all he has. He doesn't want to let Hartley in for that very reason, but the Flash has fought pretty much all the meta-humans they've come across, and they've all tried to kill him. He's not sure of the story behind Mark's capture, but he knows the Flash was involved and that's enough for him to know there's probably a grudge there.

Perhaps he should have spoken to Mark about the Flash; he just thought the Flash showed up under the 'no killing people' category. Perhaps he should clear that up so there is absolutely no confusion.

But the first one to turn on Barry is the first one getting an ice shot to the chest.

So, there's that.