Number 06 │ A Leverage Fanfiction

The Zanzibar Marketplace Job | Part 1

McRory's Pub

I leaned back in the booth at McRory's, beer in hand, a grin tugging at the corners of my lips. The pub was as lively as ever, the air filled with the comforting hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses.

"I leave for a couple days," I said, once hardison was done recounting the job i had missed, chuckling, "and you people manage to get yourselves on the Triad's bad side?"

Hardison threw up his hands, already defensive. "How were we supposed to know the Pans were actually the Shanghai Triad? They just sounded like a local knockoff of Panda Express."

Eliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. And we're lucky we didn't all end up as their special."

"And the new girl did pretty well, even if Nate revoked her earbud privileges for the last half of the job." Hardison said.

Eliot smirked, shaking his head. "I'll give her that—she's got balls, I tell you. Took those Triad guys head-on in a cleaver fight."

Parker nodded enthusiastically, chiming in with her own take. "She smells nice."

We all turned to look at her, silent for a beat, before collectively deciding to ignore that one.

Hardison, ever the curious one, leaned forward. "Yeah, yeah. But where were you, anyway? Huh? Off on some tropical vacation?"

I grinned into my beer. "Oh, you know, just helping out some friends."

Flashback

The frigid Montreal air burned my lungs as I ducked behind a concrete pillar, bullets ricocheting off the walls around me. The mercenaries weren't holding back, their automatic rifles lighting up the dimly lit space.

"Hurry up, Megan!" I shouted over the cacophony, my back pressed against the pillar.

"I'm trying!" Megan's voice carried from the other side of the room, where she was crouched over a bomb with a tangle of wires in front of her. "Do you want to try disarming this thing?"

Beside me, Steve was crouched low, his face pale and his voice trembling. "Oh god, oh god, we're gonna die! I don't wanna die in Canada!"

"Steve," I said, reloading my gun, "I need you to do one thing for me right now."

"What's that?" he asked, voice trembling.

"Stop screaming," I replied, vaulting over the crate and taking out two more mercenaries in quick succession.

The shouting and gunfire grew louder as the mercenaries closed in. I swung around the pillar, firing off a few rounds to keep them pinned down. One of them came too close, and I stepped out to meet him, landing a clean right hook that sent him sprawling.

"Oh god! Save me!" Steve let out another scream as a stray bullet zipped past his ear. "Shut up Steve!" I growled, slamming another magazine into my weapon.

"Got it!" Megan's triumphant shout rang out just as the timer on the bomb hit one second. The red light blinked once, then shut off.

"About damn time!" I yelled, grabbing Steve by the collar and pulling him to his feet. "Let's move!"

End of Flashback

The soft chime of the pub's doorbell caught my attention. I glanced up, beer in hand, and saw Tara stride in like she owned the place. Her dark jeans and leather jacket hugged her figure just right, and she moved with that easy confidence of someone who knew she belonged. She headed straight for the bar, exchanged a few words with the bartender, and ordered her drink.