Title: fulcrum
Fandom: Leverage, Timeless
Rating: PG
Contents: Spoilers for Timeless, mostly

Summary: Connor Mason isn't their typical client.

“I don't quite know what I'm doing here,” the man says with an appealing smile. It doesn't touch the naked worry in his eyes. “But I need your help.”

Connor Mason is a very rich man, Elliot notes, or he manages to look like one. West Coast money, sharp suit, California accent. He's got a smart watch Elliot thinks Alec might drool over, and the tip of a high-end smart phone peeks out of a pocket.

Parker didn't tell Elliot much more than the man's name, but that's not his job. They're at the chef's table in the back of a Chinese restaurant in San Jose; Mason said he was being watched and couldn't deviate too much from his usual routine, but apparently had a known fondness for ha gao. Elliot keeps an eye on the front, and everyone moving through the kitchen. So far, he hasn't spotted anyone.

Parker lets the silence stretch out for a minute. The man just waits it out, fidgeting with his cufflinks once before folding his hands patiently on the table.

For someone that scared, he's still not an easy mark.

“You aren't our usual client.” Parker manages to say it in a way that's both utterly neutral and disdainful at the same time.

“Because I have money?” The man smiles again, one hand tilting upward in graceful question. “I assure you, the people who are threatening me have far more money than I do, as well as the political power to make problems like myself... disappear.”

Parker's eyes flicker to where Elliot is standing, and Elliot suddenly realizes why he's here. Parker's their mastermind, but her history's in theft, not espionage. If this is as big and dark as Mason's implying, then Elliot's experience is going to matter.

They shouldn't get involved. But damn it, even just meeting the man might drag them in. Elliot doesn't let himself sigh out loud. “We'll hear you out.”

“Good, good.” The fake smile drops off Mason's face like it never existed. “Let me tell you what I know about Rittenhouse.”