Inception - Bash Job

The Bash Job

B - Burying a Mole

Need inception performed on a captured member of an opposing faction in an ongoing territory war. The Mark needs to believe that his own faction's motives are no longer in line with his personal beliefs. Furthermore, the Mark needs to volunteer to return to his previous post within the opposing faction and feed our faction vital information.

"Good morning, professor." John folded over the paper he'd been glancing at as Elliot stepped into the cafe. "Since you're here, I'm assuming you've had time to consider the job offer?" He gave the man a knowing smile and sat the paper on the table before taking a sip of coffee.

"So, are you in?"

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"How many times have I told you not to be on the phone at the table?"

Trevor ducked to the side as a wooden spoon swiped through the air where his face had been a moment before. "Relax, love. You asked me fer a crew, and I'm tryin to get one for you."

"Well, do it in the study, not at my kitchen table!"

The spoon came dangerously close to his nose this time, and Trevor slipped out of his chair, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, alright. I'm going. I'm going. No reason to get yer knickers in a twist, love."

Trevor slipped out of the room just in time to hear someone pick up the phone on the other end of the line. "Ello, is this Hunt-?" He was cut off as the wooden spoon flew through the door and brained him.

"Keep it up and neither my knickers, nor their contents will be any of your business for the forseeable future!"

The Extractor cleared his throat and shifted a little further away from the doorway. "Erm, is this Hunter?"

Elliot gave a mild mannered smile and took his seat opposite John. Truth be told, he'd been more than a little hesitant to get involved with the job. It wasn't really John's fault, but the professor had found it difficult to remove the association between him and the last, rather infamous job.

"Well, seeing as how I haven't been paid for a job in a while," he said ruefully, "I guess... yeah, I'm in."

He looked idly at his empty fingers - John hadn't been thoughtful enough to get him a coffee - and sighed.

"I heard that extractor, Rina, was killed. I guess she did sort of ruin everything, but it was a sad thing to happen. You hear from any of the others?"

He immediately thought of Sofie. Of all of them, she'd been the nicest to him. That had been a pleasant surprise. He would have figured she'd be first to write him off. Well, that would teach him to judge a book by its cover.

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Hunter couldn't help but smile as he tried to puzzle together what was happening on the other side of the phone. The voice, however, he figured out right away. It wasn't one you forgot too quickly.

"Trevor? Is this a bad time?" he asked wryly. "If you need to sort out knickers, I can wait."

"That's the beauty of working with Bash." John responded, sitting aside his cup of coffee with a sad smile. "We get paid half of the fee up-front."

He shifted slightly in his chair at the other man's question. The last job they'd worked together wasn't one that John liked to be reminded of, for more reasons than one...

"I helped Michael get together some information on a job he was working about a week ago." John responded after a moment. "But other than that, I've not spoken with any of the others."

"What about you?" He shot back before he could think better of it.

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Trevor cleared his throat again, clearly somewhat annoyed that Hunter had heard that little exchange. "No, I'll deal wiff that in a bit." He responded.

"Are you currently available ta work?" There was a pause before Trevor continued. "Not tryin ta put ya on the spot or anythin, but it's sorta time sensitive. Same contract as last time."

Elliot shook his head, a bit morosely. He knew it was the nature of the job that interactions between members were just that - a job. While some did keep frequent communication, it was still hardly on the level of friendly. When Elliot worked with people for an extended period of time, got to know them on some level, it was much harder for him than others to simply brush all that away.

"I wonder how badly things went for Sofie," he murmured absent-mindedly. "I mean, she was the connection to Julian Hollingsworth."

He didn't know the circumstances behind Rina's death exactly, but it wasn't too much of a stretch to think things pointed toward Julian. And if that were the case, he might try to go after Sofie too.

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"Right," Hunter said, unable to keep the note of amusement from his voice.

But this wasn't a pleasure call, he knew. And Trevor went right to business when he could.

"Yeah, I'm free at the moment," he told the extractor, "Just tell me when and where."

John frowned and tipped back the remainder of his coffee. "Sofie made it pretty clear to me that she didn't want me around for the fallout."

He pushed his chair back from the table and stood. "So, I respected her wishes on the matter." John tapped his fingers on the table for a moment, looking at his coffee cup before turning his attention back to Elliot.

"In any case, pack your bags, professor. We'll see you at the airport tonight."

John gave the man a smile before stepping towards the door. There was still one more appointment today...

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"Perfect, gov." Trevor smiled as he took a seat in his study and pulled a cigar from a box on the desk. "Be at the airport tonight then, gate C6. The lot of us'll be in Texas fer the next three days. Initial briefing'll be during the flight."

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John glanced at his pocket watch as he stepped into the bar. For a few seconds, he let his eyes wander up and down the cracked surface before snapping it shut and slipping it back into his coat. When Trevor had asked if he knew any Forgers, John had almost said no...

He still wasn't sure it was a good idea to bring her onboard, but he'd left her a message anyway. Whether or not she'd actually show to talk business was up to her though. Part of him actually hoped that she'd stay away. It had been a few days more than a month since their discussion in the bar where he was now sitting once more, and that time hadn't been nearly long enough...

"All right. Be seeing you."

Hunter ended the call and looked around his apartment. It shouldn't take long to pack, but given the deadline, it would be prudent to start right away.

Sliding a suitcase out of his closet, Hunter set to work at grabbing the most suitable clothes and putting them inside. He reached for a shirt and pulled it off the hook, then paused. It was a checkered shirt of black, white, and grey. He'd worn it on his first date with Anna. She told him how good he looked in it.

He expected something emotional to hit him, but nothing did. Then he pushed it into the back of the closet where it belonged.

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Sofie looked up when John entered. Her face gave nothing away, and she made no attempt to engage him until he seated himself next to her and got his own drink. She stirred her glass almost lazily, watching the liquid swirl serenely around the inside.

"Hello, John," she said, "It's been too long."

She took a sip, then lowered her glass.

"Too long, and not long enough," she murmured, more to herself than him.

The corner of John's mouth ticked up, almost inperceptibly, as the bartender slid him a drink.

"I told you the first time we spoke that false pretenses are wasted on me." He responded without looking in Sofie's direction. "The venom in your voice is enough to tell me that you don't want to be here, and although I'm curious as to why you showed up, tonight is for business, not pleasure."

John fished a notepad out of his pocket with the details of the job on the front page, including timeframe and payout, and slid it down the bar to Sofie. "On the spot offer. Take it or leave it, but we fly out in four hours."

Sofie had to smile as well. John was quite perceptive in his observations, but he wasn't entirely on point this time. She'd meant exactly what she said. Too long, and not long enough. She did want him there - something she'd never admit to him or anyone else. And yet, having him there made her lose assurance in herself. He always managed to find a chink in her armor, always make her question herself.

When he was with her, she lost control. And she had vowed to never lose control again.

She watched almost disinterestedly as John pulled out the pad with the details and slid it onto the bar. She gave it a cursory glance, gleaning the important details effortlessly.

"I'll take it," she said, standing up. "I'd best get ready then."

Sofie stood up and brushed past John, close enough for him to get a heady whiff of her perfume. She also left him with an unpaid bill, knowing he'd be too gentleman not to pick it up. The thought made her smile. She hadn't lost her touch at all.

Four hours later...



This hadn't been a good idea... John's face gave away nothing as he watched Sofie cross the concourse with a single rolling suitcase in tow. She was putting up a good facade, but her walk gave away the self-doubt lingering in her mind. What had done it though? The fallout from the previous job was the most likely answer, but that would be a sore subject with her, John was sure.

Trevor tapped him on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts, and John turned towards the Extractor.

"You gave em boff the right gate number?"

John rolled his eyes at the question. "How many years have you worked with me, Bash?"

The corner of Trevor's mouth tipped up at that. "Too many. I'm not sure whether ta be surprised or relieved that you've not had me committed to a mad house yet."

"Sanity's overrated..." John quipped back. "Speaking of which, is Hunter already on the plane?"

"Yeah, he's having a chat with the missus."

John raised an eyebrow at that. "How's that going?"

"When I left, they were discussing network security in furd world countries..." Trevor shuddered slightly, and John barked out a quick laugh.

"Well, I saw our Forger in the crowd a moment ago, but still no sign of the Chemist."

"Hope he gets a move on." Trevor responded, looking slightly sheepish. "The missus is breathin down me neck ta get this done quick-like..."

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"That's an interesting take on things." Karina said as Hunter finished his latest string of comments, and she twisted her wrist to look at her watch.

"Ay ay ay... How the time gets away from me. Where is that husband of mine?" She glanced out the window of the private jet they were sitting in, trying to see Trevor and the rest of his team through the glass of the concourse windows, but the sunset outside made it impossible to see anything inside the airport from this angle.

Sofie moved at a clipped, confident pace as she moved through the airport to meet the rest of the team. She spotted John and another man standing by the plane looking anxious.

"Hello, boys," she said upon reaching them. She offered Trevor a smile and a handshake as she introduced herself. Her eyes darted to John, wondering if and what he'd said about her to the other man. Well, whatever else he may be, he was a professional. It didn't seem likely he'd gossip about her.

"Anyone else?" she asked, just as someone came bustling up behind her. Elliot looked rather breathless and a bit disheveled, his tie not quite together right and half his shirt having come untucked.

"Sorry... just got held up trying to decide what compounds to bring," he muttered, catching his breath.

"Hello again, Elliot," Sofie said. The chemist smiled pleasantly and engaged her in conversation as they headed inside the plane.

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Hunter had to smile as Karina mentioned her husband. He knew Trevor was married, but Karina was not what he had expected. He was about to ask her how that match had been made when Elliot and Sofie bustled into the room.

"He-llo," Hunter said, blinking rather stupidly at the sight of Sofie. She was a sight and a half, to be sure. Of course, she noticed the slightly dazed look on his face and smirked as he stood up to shake her hand.

"Hi, I'm Elliot," the professor said, intercepting the hand with an enthusiastic shake.

"Uh, hi," Hunter replied, caught off-guard. He seemed like a nice guy though. Hunter was sure they'd get along well enough.

Then in came Trevor, with John right behind him. Hunter sighed at the sight of John.

"Oh no, not you," he murmured, half-joking and half-serious. Sofie raised her eyebrows and smiled over at John.

"Making friends wherever you go, huh, John?" she asked, taking a seat across from Hunter. The Architect swallowed. Well, this was going to make for an interesting ride.

"Where did you find her, gov?" Trevor asked John, raising an eyebrow at the Pointman as they followed Sofie and Elliot, just out of earshot.

John shot the other man a dark look, and Trevor let out a bark of laughter. "We've not even taken off yet, and she's already got yer knickers in a twist? Bloody hell, I like her already."

"Nothing of mine is in a twist." John responded mildly as they stepped into the plane. After being greeted by Hunter and Sofie's comments, he couldn't fault Trevor for having another short chuckle as he went to talk with the captain though.

"What can I say?" John responded, sitting next to Hunter and swinging an arm over the Architect's shoulders. "The masses flock to me."

"How unfortunate for them..." Karina quipped from her seat across the cabin.

John put his free hand over his heart and swooned as if he'd been shot. "Oh, how you wound me, chica."

"If I wanted to wound you, mi amigo, I would tie you to a chair and mess up your handsome face." Karina shot back, her voice a mixture of humor and menace.

Trevor cleared his throat as he stepped into the cabin and sat down beside his wife. "Now, now. No need to be gettin violent, love." He leaned over to give Karina a peck on the cheek before turning to point at John. "And you, stop flirting wiff my girl."

John raised both of his hands in mock innocence, and Karina laughed.

"Now, if you lot are quite finished makin fools of yourselves, we've got a job ta plan." Trevor continued.

Sofie arched a delicately shaped brow once again as John engaged in banter with the other woman on the plane. Evidently, they were well acquainted. She didn't have to wonder how, however, as Trevor promptly identified her as his wife.

That was a bit surprising. It wasn't unheard of to have spouses both engaged in extraction, but it was far from common.

"Yes, let's," Sofie said, glancing around at the rest of the team. She knew that Elliot was the Chemist and John the Pointman. That must leave the husband as the extractor, and the young man not so discreetly eyeing her as the Architect.

"Something more challenging than last time, I hope," Hunter piped in, smiling at Trevor. "I've been doing a lot of practicing since then."

His eyes flickered to Sofie and then back to Trevor. She had to smile. It was a nice try, if rather transparent.

"Oh, it'll be a challenge all right..." John announced, giving Hunter a knowing look. He'd need to have a conversation with the Architect later. The poor man had no idea what he was fishing for...

"Indeed." Trevor agreed before turning to his wife. "How abouts you give em the rundown, love? This is your client, after all."

"Of course." Karina responded with a smile.

The plane had already reached cruising altitude. So, she unbelted herself and sat further forward in her chair. "Let me start by saying I independently represent the interests of several very wealthy families in Central and South America. I keep an eye out for unsavory individuals that might try to get into their business and warn them before things get 'out of hand', so to speak."

She paused, letting everyone on the plane absorb what she'd said. "In some, more extreme, cases, the families I represent contract me to deal with the problems I find, rather than choosing to handle it themselves." Left unsaid was who these families were or how they 'dealt' with their problems.

"I've currently been given the task of preparing a mole within a criminal organization, something long-term, to give one of the families I represent breathing room against a rather violent competitor. The mole has already been selected, based on an intense profiling by John." She waved in his direction as she continued to speak. "My organization has also already acquired this individual, and he is being retained at a secure facility under sedation."

Karina paused again and pulled a folder from beneath her seat, which she passed to Elliot. "Trevor told me you would need to see our medical reports for him, as well as a list of the compounds we're using to sedate him. So, I prepared it ahead of time."

Turning back to the rest of them, she continued. "On behalf of my client, I'm acting as a broker for my husband's services, in order to perform an act of inception. Due to the incredible difficulty of this task, my client has asked that I accompany the team for the duration of the job, including time spent in the dream, in order to ensure that a desirable outcome is reached." She gave them all a soft smile. "It's not that I don't trust in your abilities. My client simply wishes to have an available first-hand account of the events on retainer. For the most part, I will only be here to provide information, and if necessary, a little extra muscle."

Elliot gazed at the folder in Karina's hands with immense satisfaction.

"You came prepared. Thank you," he said, taking the folder from her. He immediately buried his face in it, pouring through its contents in fascination. Hunter watched him in amusement for a few moments before looking back at Karina as she continued on.

"An inception?" he murmured, surprised. That was definitely going to be more of a challenge. He didn't feel quite so sure of himself now. But in the end, it broke down to the same concepts and techniques. Architecture was architecture, regardless.

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Sofie too was surprised by the revelation that it would be an inception. It was quite difficult and had rarely been met with success. She had performed one herself, and that had been a nail-biting exercise.

She was more interested, however, in the fact that Karina would be acting as a Tourist this time around. Either their client was a controlling type, or word of exploits like Rina's last few stunts was making more people in the extraction community wary.

"Just as long as you know what you're doing," Sofie said, not with any notable hostility, but with the obvious statement that she did not approve of Tourists.

"Oh, no need to worry about me." Karina responded to Sofie with a disarming smile. "I may not be familiar with all of the modern extraction techniques, but I'm very good at surviving."

"No need to list your life achievements, chica." John spoke up. "We would like to get around to business today."

Karina pressed her lips together in a pout. "You're just mad that I've actually achieved things worth talking about with my life, mi amigo."

Trevor cleared his throat uncomfortably. "While I do enjoy watchin ya knock John down a peg or fhree, love, we do only have a few hours on the plane." He reached behind his seat and pulled out a briefcase, which he opened to reveal a passiv machine. "So, I suggest we get ta workin on a proper plan."

"Yes, let's." John responded, reaching for one of the cords. "Same place?"

"Probably for the best." Trevor said, slipping the needle into his wrist. Karina reached for a line and did the same.

When everyone was attached, Trevor hit the switch.

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Hunter would undoubtably recognize their new setting as the loft where Trevor and John had first worked with him. It was one of Trevor's favorite places, and one where he chose to do a lot of his thinking.

John stood in the middle of the seating area, and each member of the team had been given a plush chair to sit in. "So, by show of hands, how many of you have ever attempted or been associated with a team that has attempted an inception?" He asked, raising his own hand over his head.

Trevor's hand also went up, but Karina's remained down, which was unsurprising, given the conversation on the plane.

"Here again," Hunter mused, looking about the loft. It certainly brought back memories, not all of them good. Actually, most of them not particularly good...

The Architect took a seat on one of the plush chairs next to Elliot. The professor smiled warmly and he smiled back, but his eyes were more on the Forger seated directly across from him. She seemed to be familiar with John in some capacity - obviously from another job - but he had to wonder just what their relationship was. It wasn't just business. There seemed to be more to it than that.

Caught up in his own thoughts, he almost missed the question. Sofie and the professor put their hands up, but Hunter self-consciously kept his down. Elliot glanced over at him and smiled.

"Well, to be technical, I didn't go into the dreamspace during the inception," he added. "I just performed the proper sedations."

"As long as you have the proper compounds with you, I think we'll be able to leave you safely on the outside this time as well, professor." John responded to Elliot with a knowing grin. "It probably wouldn't hurt to have someone monitoring things from the outside."

"Agreed." Trevor chimed in, giving his wife an uncomfortable look. "I have a few reservations about being trapped in the dream space without a proper kick setup on the outside."

John nodded at this, but Karina raised a hesitant hand.

"Yes?" John raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not familiar with all of your technical terms, as you well know. What, prey tell, is a kick?"

"Ah..." John took a step to his left and hooked a foot under the back of Hunter's chair, tipping it forward and partially dumping the Architect onto the floor. "That is a kick. It's that sensation you get when the carpet is pulled from beneath you or when you fall down the stairs, right after gravity kicks in, but before you actually hit the ground."

"I see..." Karina responded thoughtfully. "And this allows you to forcibly wake up the dreamers, correct?"

"Exactly." John gave her a smile before turning back to the rest of the group. "So, before we take this any further, I'd like to make sure you're all aware of what we're getting into. To perform an inception, we need to go at least three layers deep into the dream space. That means we'll need extreme sedation, and we won't be able to forcibly wake ourselves from the inside. Dying in this dream means a one way ticket to limbo, and our Mark does have a militarized subconscious. Nothing about this job is going to be easy."

He should have seen it coming. Really. It was John, after all.

The idea didn't comfort Hunter as he awkwardly half-stumbled, half-fell to the carpeted floor in front of him. He shot John a positively filthy look as Elliot offered a helping hand back into his seat.

"Thanks," he murmured as the Pointman carefully laid out the stakes. It was by far his most dangerous job yet, but if his time with John had taught him anything, it was to take life into your own hands.

"When do we start?" he asked, pleased with the steadiness of his voice.

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Limbo.

The word always sent a rush through her veins, one of paradoxical power and fear. She knew the risks better than any of them, but she wasn't going to falter now. Especially in front of him.

Sofie leaned back in her chair and swept her silky hair over her shoulder.

"I'm game," she said, smiling.

John mentally documented the flashes of both fear and discomfort on every face in the ring. Good. They needed to be afraid of the consequences. That fear would keep them motivated during the job.

"Alright then." John pulled a file from the table beside him. "Our Mark is George Ferral. He's the main financial consultant and advisor for the Suavez drug cartel. If you've never heard of the Suavez cartel, they basically own half of Guatamala." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Hunter, who was immediately to his left. "That's a list of the cartel's current financial holdings, including all the shell companies I could track down. After you're done drooling over all the zeros, pass it down."

"So, this is the difficult part..." John paused for a moment, sitting the folder back down. "To properly perform an inception, the subconscious has to completely accept the idea implanted into it. That means we have to work it down to the most simplistic form of the idea. 'Become a mole for a weaker, rival organization' is a little too complex for the mind to accept."

"Wait." Karina spoke up again, looking annoyed this time. "I thought you guys told me you could do this. If it's not possible, th--?"

Trevor cut her off with a motion of his hand, a clear display of the respect between them, but she looked anything but happy about holding her peace.

"We didn't say it was impossible, love." Trevor said with a grin. "Only that the idea we use needs to be more simple."

"And this is where our real work begins." John spoke again, finally taking a seat. "In the outermost layer, we need to present the full idea to the Mark. At the second layer, the idea must be reinforced, but not restated. And finally, in the deepest layer, the idea must be presented to the Mark in its most basic and idealistic form. At that point, we're essentially planting the motivation for carrying out the idea, rather than the idea itself."

Elliot was still reviewing the medical history of the Mark and ignored John. Hunter took the paper next and thought his eyes might vacate their sockets.

That was quite a large number.

Seeing as how Elliot wasn't paying attention, Hunter got up and handed it over to Sofie with a smile. She took the page without noticing him and looked it over. She raised her eyebrows, then handed it back over to John as he began to detail the finer points of inception.

Sofie gave the slightest of sighs, indicating that she already knew this concept well enough. Hunter, who had been listening attentively, blinked and resumed a much more casual posture as though he knew all of this as well.

"So, I assume you have some idea then of this most basic concept?" Sofie asked.

"Has the cartel treated him badly at any point?" Hunter suggested. "Maybe plant the idea that he deserves revenge?"

Sofie looked over at him, and he immediately could tell right away she wasn't impressed. He wilted slightly.

"Maybe," she said. "But positive emotions always trump negative emotions. It's better to dig deep down and appeal to some more altruistic sense. Hard when you're merely swapping one den of criminals for another."

She gave a fleeting look over at Karina, then turned her attention to John.

"Instead of revenge, perhaps justice would stay more firmly in the mind?"

"Perhaps." John responded after a brief pause. "I do agree that it's more complicated because of the conflicting interests between the cartels. There isn't really a black and white here, just two different shades of gray."

He turned his gaze to Karina before addressing her. "Care to shed some light on that for us, chika?"

"Of course." Karina crossed her legs and leaned back, bringing herself to her full sitting height. "There are a few key differences between the organization I represent in this matter and the one we're targeting. You've seen the net holdings of the Suavez cartel. My client's holdings only represent roughly twenty percent of that."

"The main reason for the discrepancy is the fact that my client still believes in a code of honor. While I cannot vouch for all of my client's activities being legal, none of them involve abductions or murder of innocents. The Suavez cartel, on the other hand, is rather notorious for targeting both women and children to achieve the results they desire."

"My client is also uninterested in further expanding his empire. He's become more of a family man with age, and he's determined that when he chooses to retire, or in the case of his demise, none of his misdeeds be able to affect his children. Suavez, on the other hand, shows no sign of stopping expansion. In fact, he sees himself as a sort of God. That type of egotism will eventually lead to his downfall, but it will also make him an even more powerful figure before the end."

Sofie had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as Karina waxed poetic about the supposed virtues of her cartel. No doubt the opposition would have equally positive things to say about their own side and cast plenty of dispersions on the other.

"Yes, that works for a nice recruitment campaign," she said, not bothering to keep the skepticism out of her voice. "But how does that help us turn this mole? Are we going to make him homesick for a nice cartel?"

"Could we?" the Architect suggested. Sofie turned to look at him, and he cleared his throat.

"I mean, do we know what reasons he joined Suavez in the first place? If it was to find something like a 'family' due to some lack in his life, then that might work. Make him think Suavez will never value him right, but that the client will take him in like a son?"

Hunter trailed off as Sofie stared at him.

"I mean, this is all hypothetical until John gets more information on him," he finished. Sofie had to admit, it wasn't a terrible idea, but unless they had the evidence to back it up, then the mole would put holes through it faster than Suavez would to him when he turned.

"Do you seriously think we'd be having this discussion if I didn't already have all of the information on the Mark?" John cut in, sounding wounded. "Ferral is actually rather pleased with his position in the Suavez cartel. He's making bank, not to mention the small portion he's skimming off the top without Suavez's knowledge."

"Of course, this does mean that he's confident in his risk taking. Ferral has made it quite clear that he doesn't want to be involved in any of the cartel's dirty work though. He's never actually killed anyone, and only on rare occasions is he ever out of the cartel's HQ at all. I would venture to guess that our Mark is actually somewhat squeamish."

He turned his gaze to Sofie for a moment. "You'll want more than that to work with though, won't you?" John's lips rose at the corners in a slight smile. "Ferral never knew his parents. Instead, he was raised by his maternal grandmother, who was killed in the crossfire of a cartel hit-and-run about two years ago. No one ever took ownership of the hit, but several sources have hinted at the fact that it might have been Suavez, particularly considering the actual target of the hit was one of Suavez's main competitors at the time."

"Ferral has also been acting somewhat sketchy around the higher-ups of the cartel recently. I couldn't pin that on his embezzling, considering the timing. So, I did some digging. Turns out Ferral has a new girlfriend." John pulled another piece of paper out of his folder and held it out for Sofie. "Mia Montegro. The daughter of--"

"Paul Montegro." Karina finished the sentence for him. "My client..." She chewed her lip for a moment, looking thoughtful. "How long has this been going on?"

"About three weeks, from what I can tell." John responded. "But she's the first girlfriend he's had since before college. So, she must mean something to him. She could be our 'in'."

Sofie raised an eyebrow at John. She was surprised to here this suggestion, least of all from him.

"You really think he's going to abandon all he has going for him for a girlfriend? He might not even be aware of her family," Sofie said skeptically.

Really, they'd only been dating a handful of weeks too. There was no telling at all at this stage how deep his affections might run.

"The grandmother angle might work," she said, mulling over the idea, "Assuming he actually cared for the old woman. But, as we said, a negative emotion isn't going to stick as well."

"You could spy on them to find out," Elliot said quite suddenly, startling Sofie. She hadn't even realized he was still paying attention to the conversation.

"What?"

"The Mark's affections for the client's daughter. You might be able to pick up clues on how deep his affections for her are, or how much either of them knows about the other," Elliot suggested. Sofie said nothing, but pursed her lips. It was possible, but she the most likely candidate to get stuck with the task was her. And it only brought back memories of her last spying date.