Burn Notice Hard Bargain

A “government worker,” Perry Clark, approached Michael Westen, ostensibly to review his case, so M “vetted” him by reporting him to the police to see how he would react. The police rousted him and he acted just like a bureaucrat so M figured that he was "legit." Fiona, in her tiring way, reminded M that it was her birthday and he should get her a present. Sam brought his new Cadillac, a gift from Veronica, to show off for M and told him that all he could find on Clark was that he was a "name in a cubicle." Sam also needed M to help him with a job which his girlfriend Veronica asked him to handle. Nick Lam was a bumbling post-adolescent, house-sitter whose fiancé, Dawn, had been kidnapped. He had been letting everyone think that the house and cars were all his so the kidnappers were demanding $5 million ransom and he didn’t' have it. He offered M $15,000 or his surfboard collection for his help. M acted as the hostage negotiator and demanded a video confirmation of life.

 

They arranged for a dropoff of the video at the mall and the idiot didn’t follow instructions and made a silly guesture at M when he had picked up the package. Of course that telegraphed to the kidnapper, Lucio Velasquez, that M and Fiona were there. After a chase, Fiona tazed Lucio and they took him hostage. Lucio said that he was only a "finder" and didn't know where the boss was keeping the girl.  So Sam tickled him to get him to smile and they took photos which looked like Lucio was double-dealing in order to convince him that he should help them locate the hostage. Reyes was the boss and they decided to scam him by enticing him into another kidnapping. Sam played the disgruntled bodyguard, Fiona was the potential victim and Lucio "found" them for Reyes. M played the negotiator, Andrew Chambers, who Lam's family had brought in. Reyes took M to a massage parlor to talk. M was able to bargain for $3 million and got 48 hours extension.

 

Fiona lusted over a Makarov Soviet issue side-arm from 1951 in the collection of the home owner where Lam was living. They set up a tracking device in Sam’s shoe for his meeting with Reyes – and he was able to beat him down into showing him where they kept the hostages.  Once he decided on a "better" hostage, Reyes decided to move up the deadline so he could do Sam’s job more quickly. M met with Reyes while Sam and Fiona went to blow down the door and rescue Dawn. When she was safe, Nick seemed to forget the $15 grand he had offered before; but, offered the surfboards which M said he didn’t want to take. Dawn slugged Nick for lying to her.

 

After being put off several times and blustering about needing to get some respect, Perry Clark finally came to Ms loft to talk about his case. He turned out to be an assassin sent by Cowan who then tried to garrote M with a wire. M braced his hand at his neck and got him to fall to the floor in front of his sink. M let go of the wire and smashed into the cabinet sink for his hidden gun; then shot Clark moments before he was choked to death. Clark ran out into the night wounded and was later found dead, with no ID, in an alley. He had apparently killed the real Perry Clark and took his identity.  M gave Fiona the Makarov for her birthday.