Ghosts and plans
She hummed while she plated the French toast and bacon hearing the footsteps of the team coming down. She put on another cup of coffee and smiled at Parker who repelled down from upstairs. Grabbing a cup of coffee as she swung upside down. Eliot followed Alec down the stairs winking at her before he poured a cup of coffee for himself sniffing her cup with an eye roll.
“Is there any coffee in that cup or is it just sugar and whipped cream?”
“I’ll have you know there is six shots of espresso in this also whip cream is dairy an important food group.” Darcy took a gulp of her coffee with a sigh of bliss. She would marry coffee if she could.
“Sweetheart if you keep looking at the coffee like that, I’m going to think you like it more than me.” Eliot said with a laugh.
“I love coffee more than I like anyone Eliot, it’s a forbidden love but I refused to be judged for it.”
Sophie came down next with Nate wrinkling her nose at the giant cup in Darcy’s hand. “Vile stuff” she mumbled under her breath while she reached for the tea.
“Thank you for making breakfast Darcy it looks delicious.” Nate told her with a smile and a pat on the head, Eliot rolled his eyes, Darcy just beamed at him.
“So your former PE teacher was unfortunately incarcerated last night it seems she ran an illegal dog fighting ring and well someone gave the local PD a tip. Mr. West well he’s out due to a concussion good girl.” Hardison high fived Darcy before he continued. “So you’re looking at your new government and economics teacher Mr. Adam Sinclair who already has a background as professor and Vatican art expert who may have been fired for suspicion of theft. He’s just the kind of teacher they would go for and your new PE teacher Coach Barker.”
Darcy laughed at Hardison’s face his eyebrows wagging “Aww come on, no one really Parker Barker. No one appreciates my brilliance.”
“Moving on” Nate shook his head with fond exasperation. How had he come to somehow have three grown children and a step daughter he’d never know but somehow these people had become family to him.
“Well the school is desperate for them to start because they were contacted by some Russians it was kind of hinky but they seemed scared, excited but scared.”
“Ah yes um that was me I may have contacted them.”
“Sophie what did you do?”
“Well we couldn’t figure out how to get us in Nate. I am not sending my only child back to those monsters alone! I know what that kind of discipline can do to a girl and I wont have it. We needed a cover that would give us unlimited access to the school. No snooping to find the bad stuff I wanted them to show us it with pride before I rip out their eyes.”
Alec shivered a bit, Sophie had always been the softy. The one who babied them was always going off on Nate for being to hard on them. But right now she scared the bejeezus out of him. Alec wondered just how much of Sophie Devereaux was an act.
“Who did you say you worked for Sophie?” Nate asked his voice hard he hoped that it wasn’t who he thought it was.
“I didn’t give a name. Only that I had heard from some associates that I may be able to get a few young American girls. That I thought might be right for our training program.”
“Sophie”
“I didn’t say who Nate. I’m not stupid I only spoke Russian and they assumed.”
“You know what could happen if the real Russians find out we’ve been impersonating them. This isn’t a joke Soph these people are dangerous they have the most dangerous assassin in history on their payroll.”
“I know Nate. I’ve tangled with them before, it’s the only way, don’t you see. They’re terrified like everyone is of the infamous Red Room. So we use that fear to get them to show us everything then we take them down.”
“And if the Red room gets wind of this and sends their ghost after us?”
“They wont because we’ll be long gone before anyone gets wind of it.” Sophies voice was sure. She knew it was a risk a bigger one that most knew but she also knew that Red Room wouldn’t have any interest in a Christian school in California. They had much bigger fish to fry and wouldn’t bother them.
“If this was for anyone else Soph, we wouldn’t be doing this, taking this kind of risk. Darcy is your daughter that makes her family so we’ll do what it takes but never again. We don’t go against ghosts.”
Sophie nodded letting out a breath. Glad Nate had agreed it was a stupid risk but someone had touched her daughter! That was something she wouldn’t stand for. She had risked everything to ensure Darcy lived a happy life. These people had taken that from her. Killed the only family she had ever known then dared to touch her. Sophie had stayed outside Darcy’s door last night to be sure Eliot remained a gentleman. She had heard every word Darcy had said and she had wept silently at her words. She vowed she would do anything to bring those bastards down, burn every bridge blow every cover it would be worth it. Sophie would do anything for Darcy. She had never planned on having children but when Darcy was born she finally knew what love was.
Nate nodded at her, understanding Sophie’s unspoken words. He had held her when she came back to the room in tears. He knew what it was to let your child down knew the doubt and hate that he felt everyday. He didn’t want that for Sophie. Darcy was alive but she was hurting in danger. He would save her and every other girl that damn school had taken and hurt.
“Ok you want to let the rest of us in on the secret, cus I cant create an identity if I don’t know the deal.”
“You don’t need to create a backstory that’s the beauty of the Red Room. It’s the boogey man. You don’t flash an ID and say your from a secret K.G.B. training facility. Since they have an assassin known as the ghost that has more confirmed kills than any other assassin in history no one would pretend to be K.G.B operatives which is the beauty of this. No one would dare question us.”
“You’re not talking about the Winter…”
“Shh don’t say his name. You don’t summon the boogey man when we’re about run a con using his handlers.”
“This guy this ghost how can it be the same guy over 400 confirmed kills over 70 years its impossible.”
“It’s not this is deep spy stuff experimental serums, brain washing the whole nine yards. I met him once in Myanmar he shot me in the arm. I was lucky he wasn’t after me I was just in the way. He ran through 30 men like it was nothing I was the only one left alive of course I was the only not trying to stop him.”
“Ok super creepy assassin where do I come in?” Darcy asked face confused.
“That’s the easy part, you try to break back in the school to save your friends. They catch you but your going in with Eliot and Parker already in place. It’s present time Eliot hand me those boxes over there.” Eliot rolled his eyes but got up and handed two boxes to him. “This is from Parker. This skirt is an exact replica of your school uniform but it has a secret pocket and a tiny screw driver sewed into the waist band. Now I know Eliot already gave you an untraceable phone but this is from me jail broken laptop it will pick up any network locked or not, nothing you look up can be tracked cookies are a thing of the past. Parker already gave you a few modified tasers so make sure you have one on you at all times. This is from your mom a new purse and backpack now each of these has false bottom where you have a couple of credit cards, some cash and passports drivers license’s..wait do you know how to drive?”
“Uhm never really got around to it. They don’t exactly teach that at school because you know they don’t want us to have more ways to leave.”
“We’ll work on that after we get your friends back.” Darcy aimed a grateful smile at Nate. And he may have blushed a bit at the unrestrained affection of her gaze. Nate stood up and took two little boxes from the one Alec held. “Uh this is from me.” He opened the first box with a smile, inside was a leather anklet with a star charm the other box had a similar anklet in gold. “I know you like stars. I wanted you to have options in case you need to dress up. Both of these have passive trackers in them we’ll only turn them on if necessary but I uh we wanted a way to find you in case of emergency.”
“These are beautiful thank you guys. I promise I’ll be careful I know what you guys are risking for me and I can’t thank you enough.”