Number 06 │ A Leverage Fanfiction

The Beantown Bailout Job │Part 2

The next morning, the condo was alive with the soft hum of activity. Nate groggily woke up on the couch, the sound of rustling and chewing drifting from the kitchen. As his eyes adjusted, he blinked, taking in the scene before him. To his right, the loveseat had been shoved up against the door. I was sprawled on it, eyes closed, soaking up the last bit of morning peace.

Parker, in a nun's habit, hummed a tune as she rifled through the cupboard. When she noticed Nate watching, she grinned and offered a wave, her cheerfulness as unbothered as ever.

Sophie came downstairs, wearing Nate's shirt, the collar hanging loosely around her neck. She looked down at Nate, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"That's my shirt," Nate muttered, rubbing his temples.

"Yeah," Sophie replied with a grin. "We stayed the night to make sure you were okay."

Nate shot up, eyes wide. "You what?"

Sophie gave him an innocent shrug. "Don't worry. I didn't look under your bed. I know that's where guys keep... weird, kinky stuff."

Nate's face flushed a deep red. "There's nothing under my bed," he grumbled, then noticed me stir on the loveseat.

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. "Oh hey, you're awake. How's the head?" I asked, stretching lazily.

"This is all coffee," Parker called out from the kitchen, bewildered.

"Get out of there!" Nate yelped, standing up and surveying the room. He turned to Hardison and Eliot, who were seated at the table, their attention fixed on a laptop.

"What are you guys doing? Come on, get out of here," Nate continued, his frustration growing. "You're planning something. I know it. Come on. Get out of my house."

I sighed and sat up, "Nate, someone tried to kill you last night."

Eliot turned toward him, his arms crossed over his chest. "What do you want us to do, man? You want us to just blow town and leave you to figure this out?"

Nate glared at him. "Yes, actually. That's exactly what I want you to do."

Sophie joined in, her tone soft but insistent. "We found the phone number for the hospital in your pocket, and we know what you did. We know you saved that guy's life... and that little girl's. We're really proud of you, Nate."

Hardison slid forward in his chair, looking at Nate over his laptop. "Look, nobody else is going to help that guy or his daughter. That's what we do. We help people. By the way, I compared Sky's description of the attacker with accident footage from the security camera."

Hardison zoomed in on the thug's face. "Do you realize," Hardison continued, "on average, people are caught on security cameras 13 times a day? ATM cameras, traffic cameras. It's crazy. But we can track him. We can." He stopped typing for a moment, looking at the screen. "Well, I lost him in this."

Eliot tapped on the briefcase in front of him, opening it. "I found this empty briefcase from a Matt Kerrigan at the intersection."

Hardison looked at him, "That's Boston Commonwealth Bank, right?"

"No, First Independent Boston. That's where Kerrigan works. Come on." Nate corrected him, prompting a smirk from hardison.

Eliot squinted at the screen. "Who's this guy?"

"You don't know, do you?" Nate said, when Hardison took a second too long to answer. "That's Kerrigan's boss—Leary. Whatever." Nate mumbled, realizing that he was once again inserting himself in the discussion.