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Bring on the Wonder	By : Azuriel Category: G through L > Leverage Views: 498 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to the Leverage series. I own nothing in that universe. Therefore I cannot and am not making any money off of this story.

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Ian Wiltshire was wasting away an afternoon in his favorite pub in Capetown. It was near several hotels, and therefore frequented by tourists. Ian liked to watch people, especially tourists. They knew what the brochures told them about the South African capitol city. None of it was a lie, they just didn't know about the darker side of the city. They looked at everything with fresh and innocent eyes. Ian found it refreshing.

Ian could only escape the darker side temporarily by mingling with these tourists. Eventually he would have to go home to his family. Ian's father, Roger Wiltshire, he was involved in the diamond trade. As far as the public was concerned, that was all he did, but there was more under the surface. There was a lot of money to be made from the drug trade, as well as hiring out mercenaries. As far as Roger Wiltshire was concerned, everyone and everything could be bought and sold.

Ian also had an older brother Oliver. It was Oliver who was the heir apparent and being groomed to take over one day. Ian's relationship with his brother was complicated, but much better than his relationship with his father. The two of them were nothing alike. All of the money and power were nice, but Ian wasn't exactly comfortable with where it came from.

He liked to think he took more after his mother, whoever she was. Ian had no memory of her. Oliver had some vague memories of her since he was four when Ian was born. They didn't have the same mother. Oliver's mother was a local woman who their father had a year long fling with. She lived in a nice apartment in the city and was given a check every month from Roger to keep quiet about everything she knew, and of course for not fighting for custody of their son. None of it was really necessary because if she did put a toe out of line she'd likely disappear without a trace.

Ian's father wouldn't really tell him anything about his mother. It was a sore spot because he believed she had stolen some priceless art from his private collection along with some uncut diamonds worth a fortune. There was no real proof, but the items had disappeared the same time she had.

Oliver shared what little he remembered. She was a British woman who had mysteriously appeared at the country club where their father liked to socialize and play golf. She had taken quite an interest in the man. She claimed to be nobility, and nothing seemed off. Oliver had seen her snooping around, but at four years old he didn't think much of it. She was nice to him; gave him more attention than their father did.

From what Oliver remembered she had dark hair, brown eyes, and a creamy brown complexion. Ian had blond hair and cobalt blue eyes, but Oliver thought Ian had his mother's eyes in shape and the general shape of her face.

Roger wasn't the type to get emotionally attached to a woman, but he was furious about being conned. Ian never had any delusions of his mother coming back. She would be a dead woman before she knew what hit her.

That afternoon Ian noticed two of his father's men come into the pub. It seemed like they were looking for someone. That was a little unusual. His father didn't usually send goons into that part of town. That was another part of the reason Ian liked to hang out there.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a dark haired woman with a darker complexion duck into the alley. Ian got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't explain it right then and there, but he knew he had to catch up with her.

Ian was not some spoiled rich brat who couldn't take care of himself. He'd grown up around mercenaries and knew how to fight. He also knew how to be stealthy. Not only had he been trained by his father's goons, he'd picked up a few things from acquaintances he'd met all around the world. The strange woman thought she had gotten away cleanly when Ian snatched her into a side street and pinned her against the wall of a building. “Why are they after you?” the question was spoken barely above a whisper so they wouldn't be overheard.

“Please,” she whispered back in a distinct British accent. “I don't want trouble.” There was fear in her eyes, but also something else as she looked at the man who had her pinned. “You look so much like Roger.”

The mention of his father's name caught Ian off guard, but he didn't loosen his grip. “There's a reason for that,” his tone was cheeky. “You know my father?”

“In a manner of speaking,” she replied.

“Since you're running away from Val and Kent I can't imagine he's very happy with you. Give me a reason I shouldn't call them over right now.”

“Because I...” it showed in her eyes that her mind was desperately seeking the right words, but she couldn't find them. “Please, let's go somewhere safe and I'll explain. I really think you'll want to hear what I have to say, and I really need to say it.”

Ian couldn't explain why, but he trusted this woman. “Alright,” he took a step back. “My car is this way,” he started walking toward the parking lot. What he was doing was stupid. This woman could be planning to kidnap him for a hostage. Of course she'd be kidnapping the wrong son. Ian knew his father only kept him around because he was blood, but he wasn't worth much.

The woman was right behind him, and didn't seem to hesitate to get into his black SUV. In a way this was a sign of mutual trust. Once she was in the vehicle he could've easily driven home and delivered her. “Give me the address and stay hidden,” he barked the order. She was still being hunted and things would get really sticky if those men saw her in his car.

The woman did as ordered, and Ian headed in the direction of the hotel where she was staying. She had picked one of the nicer establishments, which had Ian intrigued. She might be competition of some sort, but Ian's gut was telling her she didn't mean him harm. Perhaps she wanted to recruit him as a spy. The idea of stabbing his father in the back did seem appealing at times.

After Ian parked the two moved quickly back to the woman's room. As soon as the door was shut Ian decided it was time for some answers. “We're somewhere private now. Who are you?” He didn't sense that anyone else was there waiting to jump him.

The woman turned to him, sadness now in her gaze. “The people I've come to care about know me as Sophie Devereaux,” she began as she lowered herself onto the edge of her bed. “But years ago, your father knew me as Violet Davenport.”

It took a minute for it all to sink in. Then it hit Ian like the whole building falling on top of him. “My mother?” It was his turn to practically fall into a chair near the door when his legs could no longer support him because of the shock. “That can't be. What kind of game are you playing? She wouldn't dare show her face here.”

“I'm not playing any kind of game,” Sophie's voice was full of emotion. “And if you'll recall, I was being chased by men who wanted to kill me when you got the drop on me.”

Ian had to take a minute to process all of it. “It's been slightly over two decades. Why now? Why should I believe you?”

“My life has recently changed,” Sophie began to explain. “I don't know how much you know, but I'm a grifter. That's all I've ever been since I was young.”

“So you did steal what went missing.”

“I did. I know there's really no good excuse for any of it, but if it makes you feel any better, leaving you behind ripped my heart in two.”

“So I'm just an occupational hazard?” Ian felt like his insides were tied up in knots and anger was rising up in his chest.

“To be perfectly honest, yes. Your father was a mark to me, nothing more. When I found out I was pregnant I... I didn't know what to think or feel. You certainly were not part of the plan. I was hunting down a big score because I was desperate. The job I was running before I came here went very bad very quickly. I managed to escape the consequences, but I had to go somewhere and do something to get back on my feet.”

“From what I've been told, what you took would've certainly done that. You could've sold the diamonds and lived out a decent life in hiding.”

“I could have,” Sophie agreed. “But as I said, I'm a grifter. I just kept going from one con job to another. Even if I had managed to take you with me, that would've been no life for you. The only solace I had was that you had a stable life. I know what kind of man your father is, but I knew he'd take care of his son. And really, if you think about your brother Oliver and his mother.; what he's done to her.”

“She doesn't live a bad life,” Ian responded. “As long as she keeps her mouth shut she's golden.”

“But how often does she get to see her son?”

Ian had to pause for a minute to think about it. “More often now than when he was a child. Wait, he'll know if you're telling the truth. He doesn't remember much, but he did give me a general description of you.”

It was Sophie's turn to think for a moment. “He probably could confirm, but can he be trusted to not tell your father?”

“If I ask him not to. I think he'll understand my situation.” Ian pulled his phone out and snapped a quick picture of Sophie before sending a message to Oliver.

“I hope your trust in him is well placed,” Sophie was very nervous.

While they waited for a response Sohie's phone rang. She grabbed it to send it straight to voicemail, but Ian got a glimpse of the caller's name. “Who's Nate?”

“The man you have to thank for me being here,” Sophie answered.

“How so?”

“I'll try to make a long story short. Nate used to be an investigator for a big insurance company. His company insured a few things that I stole, so naturally he chased after me. But then... Oh, it's absolutely heart breaking. He had a wife and son, but his son got very sick. The insurance company he'd worked so hard for refused to cover the needed treatment, and his son died. It broke him.”

“And that's what has you risking your life to come here?” It didn't make all that much sense.

“The first part of it. While he was drowning his sorrows a shady business man tried to take advantage of him. He came to Nate claiming that a client of the insurance company had stolen something valuable from him. This man had assembled a team of the best thieves in the world, but he thought a mind like Nate's would come in handy. Who better to anticipate the reaction of the insurance company investigators than one who used to hold that job?”

“That does make sense. And I take it you were a part of this team?”

“Not at first. Nate thought my talents would come in handy, and he knew right where to find me. The whole idea was to get some bad guys together and actually do some good. He talked me into it.”

“Since you called the man shady I have a feeling it didn't go well.”

“Your feeling is correct. It wasn't long before we figured out that we had been lied to. We weren't returning stolen property, we were stealing it for him. And to add insult to injury he tried to lure us all to a warehouse and kill us with a bomb to get out of paying us.”

“And that has restored your virtue?”

“I wouldn't say that, and it was only the beginning of everything. Even though at first all of us working together was like herding cats, we decided we wanted payback. We got it. We also got the money we were owed and we scattered. But somehow we gravitated back toward each other. We would come across someone needing help, and we'd tell ourselves we would do one more job. Eventually we resigned ourselves to the fact that we enjoyed putting the fat cats in their place.”

“From thief to hero.” Ian couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. “And so you came to make things right.”

“Mostly, but it's not quite that simple. You of all people should know how men with money and power can't be touched by law enforcement.”

“I do. A lot of international agencies suspect my father for a lot of things, but he's always very careful to never leave any proof.” His phone dinged. It was a reply from Oliver. “Well, my brother can't be a thousand percent positive since it was so long ago, but he's pretty sure you're telling the truth.”

A soft smile graced Sophie's lips for a moment. “He was a sweet kid. But anyhow, as I was trying to explain, my team, we use our unique talents to find the proof. We run cons to expose them and bring them down a peg.”

“Is your team here?” Ian wondered out loud. “Are you actually stupid enough to try and con my father again?”

“Heavens no,” Sophie shook her head. “No, they stay back in the US. I'm on a little bit of break. I needed to clear my head a little. My relationship with Nate has a lot to do with it. Helping others who have nowhere else to turn helps him, but he's still very broken. I care for him, but he's emotionally frozen.”

“So all of this led you back to me how?”

“It's like I said, leaving you like I did ripped my heart in two, but I rationalized it. I don't think I was wrong, I think you were better off here. Still, all of my soul searching led to me realizing that abandoning you was my biggest regret. I wanted to see you, see the man you've grown up to be.”

Ian couldn't help but laugh. “My father is good and disappointed in me. Maybe you'll find you risked yourself for nothing.”

“No I didn't. One of my talents is reading people. You seem a little lost, but I think you have potential.”

“As what?”

Sophie patted the bed beside her, and Ian reluctantly moved to sit near her. She placed her hand gently on his cheek. “Anything you want to be.” Her phone rang again, but Ian didn't see who was calling. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

She answered and moved over to the window to talk. Ian didn't listen in. He was curious, but it wasn't really any of his business. After a few minutes she returned to his side. “Oh dear,” she sighed.

“Was that Nate?”

“No, it was one of the others. They've been calling me frequently to ask for advice. Though I'm afraid Nate might be in over his head again. As much as I think he needs to learn a lesson, I can't let them drown.” She paused a moment. “This might be asking a lot, but you have family contacts in major agencies, right?”

“Yes,” Ian answered, wondering what she was up to. “That's one of the ways my father keeps his ass out of the fire. Why?”

“Would you be willing to help me?”

Ian wasn't sure how to respond. “One, we just met. Two, you're my mother who abandoned me. That alone is causing some emotional issues.”

“I know.” Sophie bit her lip. “And I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important to me. You could come with me, maybe join the team. Though I will warn you, they'll accept you on my word, but it will take time to build trust with them.”

“Now you're asking me to uproot my entire life?”

“Is it the kind of life you really want to live? I think coming together the way we have has saved everyone but Nate. Maybe it could save you, and give us a chance to get to know each other. But you might not like my next ask.”

“You've already dropped a bomb on me, so....”

“I don't want them to know you're my son, at least not yet.”

Ian couldn't believe what he was hearing. “And why not? I didn't do anything wrong.”

“No, of course you didn't. I did, and so my reasons are a bit selfish. As much as we've become like a family we don't bring our pasts up unless it becomes relevant. I share as little as possible because there are so many things I wish to keep in the past. I don't want questions, and I want you to be judged on your own merit. I will tell them when the time is right, that time just isn't now.”

Ian thought about his options. He really wasn't happy under his father's thumb, and he would never get to know his mother if he stayed. She would have to leave again soon no matter what. The story she was telling also seemed intriguing. “Can I sleep on it?”

“There isn't a lot of time, but you can think about it and give me your answer tomorrow.”

“Write down what you need from me. I'll think about it and see what I can do.”

“That's all I ask,” Sophie gave a small smile as she wrote down her contact information and a brief summery of what the issue was, and ways it could be solved.

Ian took the paper and left. His world had just been rocked, and he had a major decision to make.
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Bring on the Wonder