Number 06 │ A Leverage Fanfiction

Tap Out Job │Part 2

Exterior Concert Venue

Hardison walked alongside Parker, his voice low but confident. "So, the concert's already televised. All we gotta do is show Rucker a TV production truck, and we're in charge."

Parker raised an eyebrow. "That means clearing out the real director, right?"

"Yep," Hardison nodded. "He's flying in from L.A. Network's got him covered. We'll handle the rest."

Airport lobby

The sun beat down as I waved from the airport to greet the director. "Mr. Laurence?" I called, a grin spread across my face. "Nice to meet you, my name's Sandy. I'll be driving you to the concert venue."

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it," he muttered, clearly annoyed.

I got him settled in the car, and we drove toward a quiet, remote spot. As we approached, I pulled over, the gravel crunching under the tires.

"Oh dear," I said, feigning concern. "No worries, sir. Just a quick check, I'll see what the issue is."

I popped the hood and began fiddling with the engine, ensuring the car wouldn't start again.

From inside, I heard him muttering angrily to himself. "Come on! Come on! Give me something! Is this gonna take long?"

I leaned in through the window, pretending to check in. "No, two shakes. Are you in a hurry?"

"Even half a bar... what? Yes! Hurry! Does anyone in this backwater hellhole know what that means?" His irritation was practically radiating out of the car.

"You're a director, right?" I asked casually. "What was your name again?"

"Laurence. Todd Laurence," he snapped.

"Ah, Todd. Well, listen, Mr. Laurence. I wrote a script..." I trailed off, pausing for effect. "It's about a limo driver who solves mysteries until his wife leaves him for—"

"For the love of God!" He cut me off, clearly losing his patience.

I grinned. "The best part: the feed store manager... His wife..."

"Yeah...?" he replied, growing more frustrated.

"Tramp," I said with a smirk.

"Hey, hee-haw, move the car!" he yelled. "Okay?"

I sighed dramatically, some people can be so rude you know? then reached into my pocket and tossed something into the creek next to us.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"Lug nuts," I said with a grin, walking away.

I grabbed my helmet from the motorbike and slid it on, pulling down the visor. I gave him a mock salute and revved the engine, speeding off.

<>

Concert Control Center

Sophie walked Rucker through the control center, showing him the setup. "Two handhelds on stage, two steadicams, three slashes, two robos, and a beauty. That's ten cameras in total." She gestured to the team at work. "There's a reason Fightingnet turned to me for this. I'm launching their channel."

Rucker nodded, interested. "And this is what you want from Wells?"

Sophie smiled. "He's providing the programming. UFC's big, but fans want more—real guys, real fights. That's what Wells is giving us."

Rucker raised an eyebrow. "That's what he says."

Sophie shrugged, confident. "Trust me, he's got it. And it's not just the fights. We're running a whole production." She motioned to the director. "Our guy here? He's top-notch."