The bartender shook the martini shaker vigorously, mixing the spirits together before opening the shaker and emptying the contents into a glass. Turning to the black-haired woman leaning on the bar, he placed the drink in front of her meeting her eyes with just a bit too much sincerity. "Your drink, madam," he said politely, his French accent lending a romantic tone to his voice.

The woman smiled, her cheeks still rosy from the nipping cold outside. "Thanks, love." She took the drink, leaving a tip on the counter, and turned and walked away. Wearing a synthetic down coat, chocolate brown in color, and charcoal grey tights with knee high black leather boots, the woman looked altogether at home amidst the trendy ski crowd she was currently in. She passed the lodge's grand fireplace, crackling and snapping away beneath the stone mantle, excusing herself as she nearly collided with a man with severe goggle tan lines who was clearly not watching where he was going. She took a casual glance at the wolf's head mounted on the wall as she sipped her martini and considered the task ahead of her.

"A little early in the day to be celebrating, don't you think Chloe?"

Though she had not seen him walk up, Chloe was by no means surprised to hear the voice. Instead, she shot a coy smile over her shoulder before turning and raising her drink questioningly. "This? This isn't celebration. This is standard preparation for a job like this," Chloe said matter-of-factly. "It's all in the proportions. One drink helps keep the nerves calm for more accurate judgments, while two would dull the senses."

Nate smiled. He was sporting a down coat similar to Chloe's but in navy blue over a white sweater and black chinos, and he grinned as he responded, "We can't be having any dulled senses, now. There's too much ahead of us tonight."

"Mmm, why do I get the feeling you aren't just talking about the artifact?" Chloe said, her voice low and husky as she leaned closer to Nathan.

Nate's smile widened, and he shrugged as he said, "I guess I must be a predictable kinda guy."

"Blech! Can you two knock it off?" Charlie Cutter's voice came through the earpieces that both Nate and Chloe wore. "Don't forget you're not the only ones who have to listen to you."

"Ugh, I think I just vomited in my mouth," Harry Flynn joined in Cutter's razzing. "Seriously, if you two can just keep it together until tonight, you'll have all the money you need to get a room somewhere."

Nate rolled his eyes and turned, quickly spotting Flynn on the other side of the great room in a grey sport coat, near the bathrooms. A moment later he also found Charlie on a bar stool, hunched over in his navy pea coat. "Guys, c'mon," Nate began.

"Yeah, you're one to talk, lover boy Flynn," Sully growled through their interconnected earpieces. Nate didn't bother looking for him, knowing that he was somewhere out on the mountain in a plane, ready to provide a quick getaway. "It was only ten minutes ago when we had to listen to you flirting with some poor girl in the ski lift. God, if you're gonna be creepy, at least do it when the other person has some possible escape route."

"Sully! Glad to hear you made it," Flynn said with mock enthusiasm.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Sully demanded.

"Oh, just didn't know if you already had obligations for the evening. You know, like bingo. Maybe some shuffleboard."

"Skatin' on some real thin ice, Harry."

"If I could interrupt you two gentlemen," Nate butt in, "we should go over the plan."

"Please," Chloe chimed in.

"I'm all ears," Cutter said, and Nate could see him slightly raise his mug from his perch across the room.

Nathan had wandered away from Chloe and was now pretending to admire a landscape painting while he spoke to his partners. "First off, the facts. This ski resort is owned by a man named Demetrius- a young, Russian, business type, with a personal hobby of collecting artifacts and antiquities. Of personal interest to our client is a particular seal from the Indus River Valley."

"That's where I come in," interjected Chloe, her voice now coming to him only from the earpiece.

"Right," Nate said, beginning to pace. "You pretend to be interested in his collection and persuade him to show it to you. The main objective of that is, number one: to establish that the seal really is in the safe, and number two: to rig the lock on the study door so it stays open for us. After that, your goal is simply to keep pretty boy away to make room for Flynn and I."

"Speaking of which, he had better actually be pretty," Chloe said. "I don't have a problem charming people into giving me what I want, but my acting skills are only so good."

Harry snickered from somewhere in the building. "Chloe, darling, are you telling me you didn't even look this guy up before coming here? Even I did a quick internet search on him."

"Well, Nate and I were a bit busy last night," Chloe huffed.

"Ugh, spare us the details," Flynn groaned.

"What'd you look him up for?" Charlie inquired, sounding bored more than anything.

"Well, I just wanted to see what the competition was like," Flynn stated.

"Competition?" Chloe asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Harry, you're a fine person, but we are not currently in a relationship."

"Ah, but 'currently' is the operative word," Harry said "As long as I'm on the radar-"

"You're on my radar," Cutter interjected, catching everyone off guard.

Flynn scoffed. "'scuse me?"

"Yeah, you know, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'"

Flynn at least had the self-possession to laugh at Charlie's jab. "Good one, mate. I hope to be on the 'close' side, as opposed to the 'closer'"

"We'll talk about it-"

"Could you all be quiet so we can get back on topic, here?" Nate begged, exasperated.

"Thank you," Chloe muttered.

"Alright, so after Chloe does her thing with Demetrius, Flynn and I will make our way up to the study and snag the seal," Nate continued. "Charlie, you're on security. I hope that big pea coat isn't just for style's sake."

"I've got you covered," Charlie said. "I've got a Glock, and a few grenades just in case things go sideways."

Nate turned to face the room. He had a visual on all of his partners besides Harry. "Flynn, I saw you head towards the bathroom. Is it all coming out okay?"

"Oh, you're hilarious," the Englishman said sarcastically. "I'm so ready for this, mate."

Nate smirked. "Alright, Chloe. Our money's on you. Find your target."

"I think I've got him," her voice came back.


Chloe walked pointedly but casually toward a tall, brown haired man who was at the center of a group of people all talking with the kind of feigned excitement that screamed "I'm only friends with you because you're popular and have a lot of money". She carefully weighed her options as she got closer. Draining the last of her drink, she unzipped her coat, loosed another button on her shirt, and turned and hailed a waiter to ask him to take her empty glass. At the same time she took a step backward, bumping into the tall man with enough force to get his attention. She turned and met his eyes with a look of horror on her face.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" She put a hand over her mouth to add to the effect.

His brown eyes sparkled as he sized her up for a moment. "No problem." His voice was smooth, and carried just the hint of an accent.

Taking her hand away from her face, Chloe adopted a more flirtatious tone as she asked, "Say, are you Demetrius?"

He smirked "I may be."

Damn, those eyes! That smile! That chiseled jawline! Chloe thought. "I've was hoping to meet you tonight," she said. "I hear you have an interest in antiquities. I thought maybe we could- get to know each other a bit." Chloe tried to put just a hint of suggestion in her words. She found with him it wasn't hard.

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Are you a collector?"

"Just as a hobby," she said. "I'm sure it pales in comparison to your collection, but I'm quite enthusiastic about such things." She shifted her weight onto one hip, causing the neckline on her shirt to fall open a bit more as a result. It seemed to have the desired effect, as Demetrius' eyes flicked downward for just a second.

"Hmm," he seemed to consider for a moment. "I think I could arrange for a- private tour." He smiled at her. "I just need to deliver a message to a colleague, and I will come find you, miss-"

"Frazer. Chloe Frazer."

His eyes sparkled again. "Very well, miss Frazer. Shall we call it a date?"

"I'll hold you to it," she replied. Maybe in more ways than one, she thought to herself. As she watched him walk away, she spoke into her earpiece, "Guys, we're in."

"So we heard," Nate said. "Nice work."

"Well, I'll admit it wasn't exactly a hardship," Chloe added.

"Oh?" Flynn chimed in, quick to jump on the bait. "Tell us love, on a scale of one to ten, where would you rank ole' boy Demetrius?"

Chloe pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. "Oh, I'd give him an eight. Maybe an eight and a half."

"Ooh, not bad," Harry said. "But just for a reference point, where would you rank Nate?"

"Flynn," Nate growled.

"I'd give him a solid six," Chloe said candidly.

"A six?" Nate squeaked, and Chloe fought the urge to giggle. "Alright, what about Flynn?"

"Well-"

"Children!" Charlie hissed over the earpieces. "Can we at least pretend like we have more maturity then six-year-olds?"

Chloe saw Demetrius coming her way through the crowd and said hurriedly, "All right. Gametime, boys."

"Just be careful," Nate said, still sounding a bit hurt, "okay?"

Chloe snorted. "Your a fine one to talk about being careful, Mr 'I don't need a disguise to go rob some guy blind'."

"Why would we need disguises?" Nate said. "There's on one here who will recognize us."

It was at that exact moment that Chloe heard a woman's voice, clearly picked up by Nate's earpiece, say alluringly, "Hello, Nathan," followed immediately by a mumbled, "Oh crap," from Nate.


Flynn burst into raucous laughter and Nate felt his ears get a little hot. "Oh! That's rich!" Harry guffawed. "Classic Drake luck!" Nate hoped that Flynn was at least somewhere private so he wasn't making a scene of himself.

Ignoring the cackling Englishman, he forced a polite smile and turned to face the woman who had spoken to him. On seeing her face, his last shred of denial was ripped away from him, and he faced the truth that it really was who he thought it was. "I'm sorry, I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

The woman's thin but shapely face cocked to the side as her pretty mouth turned up into a smile. She looked mostly the same as the last time Nate had seen her, save the fact that she had either died her hair silvery white or she was wearing a wig, and her lips were painted a bluish purple, neither of which looked totally natural against her olive-toned skin. It did, however, lend her a seductively icy, femme fatale kind of air. "Mm, always with your jokes, Nathan," she said in a sultry voice while placing a hand on his chest. "Of course you remember me!"

Nate looked around nervously. "No, I, uh, really think you might have me confused-"

"It's Lucretia," she said, tucking her chin as she feigned offense.

"Oh," Nate gave a forced laugh and scratched the back of his neck. "Right. You'll have to forgive me. I'm not the best with faces."

Closing what little distance there was between them, Lucretia slid her hand down his chest and brought it to rest on his stomach. Her face a mere inch away from his, she purred, "Maybe other things were more memorable?"

This comment brought a flurry of responses over the earpiece. Harry let out a low whistle while Sully growled, "The hell?". Chloe's smalltalk with Demetrius gained a sudden edge and Cutter snorted and grumbled, "For Christ's sake, get a room."

Nate gulped and hurriedly answered, "Y- yeah, maybe." The woman smiled and backed off just a bit, giving Nate some breathing room. He tugged at his collar and noticed his mouth suddenly felt very dry. He ran his tongue over his teeth before speaking again. "So what brings you here?"

Lucretia smiled. "My father partnered up with Demetrius on a couple jobs. Getting to use his resort is one of the perks."

"I, uh, noticed you changed your style a bit. Kind of that 'ice queen' look." Nate indicated her hair. "Very apropos."

'Ice queen?' He inwardly gagged on his own words. Good job, Nathan. That was corny as hell.

"You know me," she said coyly, batting her eyelashes. She then gave him an approving once-over and added, "Looking good yourself. You always fit in well."

He gulped at her not-so-subtle double entendre, while Charlie made a gagging sound in his ear. After finding a polite way to excuse himself Nate began walking pointedly toward the back of the building while wiping the sweat from his brow.

"So, on behalf of Chloe who's a bit occupied at the moment, mind telling us who that was?" Charlie inquired.

"Lucretia Pereira. I met her in Lisbon a few years back, and we might've gotten a bit friendly," Nate answered in a no nonsense voice. "Turns out her father's a big time mafia guy. He was furious when he found out, and I nearly lost my- well, dignity."

"Oh, bloody perfect!" Charlie said. "Is the geezer here, too?"

"I don't know," Nate said grimly. "But I don't want to find out."