The bodyguard opened the passenger door to reveal a man whose face had wrinkled with age.
In his hands was a bouquet of flowers. Camellias, to be exact.
His feet trod the damp soil in search of the gravestone he so longed to see. Once there, he laid down the flowers and his fingers brushed the engraved name. Without turning around, he spoke softly, "What do you want Lucas?"
"Five years and nothing has changed. You still visit Camilla every day. It's hard to find a man with such loyalty and dedication nowadays."
He repeated. "What do you want?"
"I've got a job lined up, you're the best I know when it comes to reconnaissance. I need you on my team Whitey."
Whitey whipped around and half knocked Lucas on the head. "Are you stupid, boy? Was one time in jail not enough?"
"Things went wrong last time. And if I recall correctly, you weren't on my team. You remember what you promised my mother before she died?"
His eyes widened in response and he did nothing to mask his anger. "Don't you dare start with me, boy!"
Lucas ignored him and continued. "You promised my mother that you would look after me. Look, I don't blame you for anything that's happened. You thought I was stupid before and by leaving my team, you were trying to prove a point. Guess what? Point proven. But stupid gets people places. Rationality and reason dirty the game. You taught me that, remember?"
"What I remember is that it cost me the love of my life. Open your eyes Lucas. The game runs you to the ground, makes you think you have everything and rips it out from under you. Stop while you have the chance. Nathan did it, you should too."
"Nathan's in," Lucas said, hoping the short retaliation would hold its weight.
"What is it with you Scott boys? I'm going to knock some sense into that boy." Whitey turned to walk away.
However, Lucas caught his arm in time. "You know it's not going to make a difference. Don't you think it's time that you stopped living a routine? We all saw how happy Camilla made you, but we also saw how happy the game made you. What you're doing isn't living. And you can slap me for saying this, but now that Camilla isn't here, you can go back to the game. Camilla would have wanted you to be happy."
The slap he expected never came. "I'm too old for this."
Lucas scoffed. "Says who?"
"Says my last team. I got kicked off because I quote, 'The old man was getting in the way'."
"You walk faster than most of my team and your mind is as sharp as ever. No one knows the world like you do Whitey. One job. If you don't like it, you can walk."
"One job and if I don't like it, I can walk?" Whitey asked. His face resembled that of a kid asking his mother for ice cream.
Lucas nodded. "That's what I said."
"Maybe it's time I got my head checked because I couldn't possibly be contemplating this."
Rachel walked into the boxing gym, immediately standing out as the only woman in the place. She received several howls and whistles, to which she was accustomed and wholeheartedly welcomed.
Her hips involuntarily swayed a little bit more. Her chest involuntarily jutted out a little more. She wasn't the looker for nothing.
Once she caught the man of the hour, she trailed a lazy finger down the course of his spine. "Hey Morello, nice ass."
His smirk became apparent as he turned around. "Thanks. I guess your fake boobs are nice too."
Her expression changed into one of mock anger. She grabbed his balls and whispered into his ears. "Didn't know you kept raisins in there."
When she let go, Owen doubled over in pain and the veins in his face made their appearance. "What the fuck Rachel?"
She shrugged and sat on a nearby bench, legs crossed in a way that accentuated her calves. "I'd like to keep this encounter as short as possible because I have to meet up with someone else. So, I'm going to cut right to the chase. Lucas wants you on a job. You in?"
His laugh was nothing short of sarcastic. "You still got it bad for that pretty boy?"
She growled. "Shut up Owen. You in or not?"
"I'm in if Lucas has Jake."
She threw a quick fake smile in his direction. "Yes, your man crush is on the team. Is there anything else you need to know?"
"Yea. When do we leave?"
Cut to Chinatown in some backroom casino. Zoom in on the table with two people that looked nothing like the others in the room. That's Skills and Clay. The two always traveled with each other. Close as brothers. Both were born actors. Skills was the accents expert, had every one in the fucking book down pat. Clay was the languages expert. Quite helpful when some of their missions went awry because of a mishap in communication.
And that's exactly where Jake found them; hustling the people at their table, sharing knowing looks. Jake shook his head. The elderly? Now that was fucked up.
He walked over and lifted Clay's arm with one hand and pulled out the card in his sleeve with the other.
"Aww come on Jake. We were trying to play cards here," Skills groaned.
"You don't hustle from the elderly. Besides the stuff here? That's small fish."
"Fai di zao!" yelled the man, who quickly shut the door.
"Great. Now we're kicked out," Clay said.
"I've got better stuff lined up for you."
The two lifted their heads immediately at the prospect. "We're listening," said Skills.
"I don't know the specific details, but Lucas got out of prison and he's assembling a new team. Problem is, we've got to start from scratch and we don't know if you guys are up for it."
"We're in," Clay answered.
"As long as we get a sizable cut," Skills added.
"And there's another problem."
"We need an advance on our rent."
Jake furrowed his brows. "What happened to the money you guys made on the last job?"
Jake turned his head toward Clay, who answered. "Well, we kind of spent it."
Then back to Skills. "Backpacking through Europe, to be exact."
Then back to Clay. "Those European girls don't easy if you catch my drift."
Then back to Skills. "And then we headed to South America."
Then back to Clay. "Blew most of it on underground casinos and drinks."
Jake finally decided to interrupt. "OKAY! Can you guys stop finishing each other's sentences?"
"Sorry Jake."
"We do it out of habit"
His eyes communicated a clear, "Really?" to shut them up.
"So… where are we meeting?"
"I'm kind of hungry. I think we should grab a bite to eat before we go. What do you think Skills?"
"Yea dawg, I'm-"
"Can you both please shut the hell up?"
Next destination was the park. According to Whitey, Richard had fallen off the radar. He was long removed from the game and spent most of his days feeding birds or playing chess.
Sure enough there he was.
"Drat, you always win," complained the elderly man as he got up from his seat, "I'm not playing anymore." His nurse helped him up as he walked away.
Lucas seized the opportunity and took the empty seat. "Never pegged you as the type, Richard."
It was clear to anyone who observed their relationship that Richard treated Lucas like a son. Richard laughed warmly and responded, "Things have changed Lucas. Whitey tells me you're back."
He shrugged. "News travels fast. I trust that you know what I'm going to ask you?"
"Yes I do Lucas. And the answer's no."
"Why not?"
"I'm old." He lifted his hands, which shook unsteadily. "My hands aren't good anymore. The game's cost me more than I can afford." He placed a hand on Lucas' cheek. "If you can respect an old man's wish, please don't press the issue."
Lucas sighed. " You're one of the best. Anyone else, I would have relentlessly asked until I got a yes. And you know you're making this hard for me." Richard nodded. "But I'll do what you ask. If you can do me a small favor though…"
"Anything."
"You know anyone else with your skill? Anyone that can be of help?"
It was Richard's turn to sigh. "Only one, but I won't be able to convince her."
"Who?" Lucas asked anxiously.
"My daughter."
A look of shock crossed Lucas' face. "You have a daughter?"
Richard nodded. "About your age too. Spitting image of her mother. Anyways, she refuses to talk to me. Says she hates me. I taught her everything I know and if you're even going to stand a chance, you need her, not me."
"Is she in the game?"
"No, it took me away from her. She blames it for my faults. Lucas, that girl inherited my stubbornness." Lucas nodded. "You going to have to work hard to convince her to do this." Lucas nodded again. "And when you do, you better take care of my little girl. If news gets back to me that you've done anything to hurt her, I'll make you go to hell and back. It won't matter that you're like a son to me."
"Understood. Where can I find her?"
"She works as a server at Katz's"
"Thanks Richard. Now, how about a game of chess?"
The gang sat at a local eatery, waiting for their food. Rachel and Owen met up with Jake, Skills, and Clay. Lucas let Mouth go after sensing the sheer boredom practically written across his forehead.
Skills pushed his plate toward Rachel, encouraging her to eat.
She looked at the plate in disgust and shook her head. Skills shrugged and began eating the rest of the contents.
"So, when's Lucas going to be here?" asked Skills.
Mouth answered. "When he told me to go, he was talking to Richard."
"Lucas isn't coming here," Jake announced, "He wants us to meet at his warehouse in Brooklyn."
"Man, I love that place," said Skills.
"I second that, that place is decked out. It's heaven in there," said Clay, "Minus the fact that there are no pictures of half-naked models on the walls."
"But now we have Rachel," said Skills in a rather peppy voice.
"Thanks a lot guys," she responded sarcastically.
"Aren't we waiting for someone?" Owen broke out.
"Quinn James. Nate is going to freak once he finds out Lucas recruited his sister-in-law," commented Rachel.
"Tell me about it," mumbled Jake.
Skills and Clay decided to veer from the spectrum and high-fived each other.
Rachel asked, "What are you two so happy about?"
"Another girl?" Skills said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Quinn James is hot," Clay said.
"Amen, brotha."
"Oh. My. God. Shoot me now." Rachel lowered her head until it finally hit the table.
The brunette walked straight to his table and whipped out a pen and a pad.
"Can I get you anything sir?"
Lucas stared at her for a few seconds before answering. She stared back. Why did customers have to do this? "Yea. Can I get a corned beef sandwich and water?"
"Anything else?"
"Yea, can I interest you in a job?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"A job. You know, kind of like the one you're doing now. Just with better pay and none of the customer bullshit that some people pull."
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I… I don't know who you are or what you're trying to pull."
"I wouldn't expect you to. And until this afternoon, I didn't know who you were either. Richard told me I could find you here."
Richard was apparently all she needed to hear as she stalked away.
He got up and followed her into the back. "Don't go. He doesn't have anything to do with this, alright? He's not on my team and you won't have to see him."
"Do you guys think this is some kind of joke? There's nothing 'thrilling' about conning people out of their money," she hissed.
"Maybe not for you. Look, I know money's a little tight right now."
She snorted. "Did Richard tell you that?"
"Uhh, maybe, but that's not really important," he said, "Manhattan isn't the best place to live and this deli isn't the best place to work. What I'm offering you is a chance to make it rich. Rich enough to retire. And something tells me you want to make it on your own."
"I'm not interested…"
"Oh, the name's Lucas."
"Lucas, I'm not interested in conning people. I'm trying to make an honest living."
Lucas took a glance at her. Yep, she was the type to play it straight. "Honest honestly hasn't gotten people very far, has it?"
"That's not true," she argued.
"Really? Businessmen. Responsible for the whole economy collapsing. Insider trading, housing bubble, anything to make a quick buck. They got off easy, they're not in jail. Politicians. Got a heck of a lot of power, but everyone knows that politicians are liars. You ever wonder why CEOs get massive bonuses for doing nothing while you're stuck here barely making it even though you're working your ass off?"
"Really, I don't need to hear anymore."
"But-"
"Lennie, can you see this man out?" The man nodded and immediately showed up next to the pair.
"Hear me out."
"You heard the lady, she wants you to leave."
Lucas raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I got it. Just let me say one last thing."
The man turned back to her. She nodded.
Lucas cleared his throat. He took out a black card and offered it to her. "Here's my card. If you change your mind, meet me at the location on the back."
She flipped the card over. "What makes you think I won't turn you over to the authorities?"
"Call it gut instinct."
By the time Lucas got back, it was nightfall and everyone was already at the meeting place.
Rachel was quietly sitting down, observing her nails. Nate was on the phone, most likely talking to his wife. Jake and Owen were joking around. Mouth took his customary place in front of his laptop, seated next to someone Lucas didn't recognize. He was trying to explain to Whitey how to send an email. Skills and Clay were playing with a BB gun in the corner. And Quinn was looking through his closet, something that elicited a confused look from Lucas.
He cleared his throat to gain the attention of the others. Nate looked at him and said his goodbyes and for the most part, everyone shut up. Except Skills and Clay. Quinn was still looking through his closet.
"Alright, I see that everyone's here already. Now I'm aware that some of you may not have worked with each other before and I trust that I've given you more than enough time to become acquainted with each other. Just in case you haven't, I'll give you a short intro."
He walked over to Nate. "This is my brother. Nice to have you on the team. He's our architect. He can pull out any floor plan and give us the down and dirty on all of it." He gave him a quick man hug, and then walked over to Rachel. "This is Rachel, or as I like to refer to as Red. Anyone else call her that, she's going to cut off your freaking head. Master seductress as you all can imagine." She gave a quick wave.
"Jake, my demolitions expert. Don't cross this pretty boy because he's got a quick temper."
"Thanks man. Touching introduction," joked Jake.
Lucas rolled his eyes and gently pushed his head. "Sitting next to him is Owen. Trained in multiple fighting styles and knows the specs of every weapon from the back of his head. Said to have taken out 10 guys in 5 minutes."
"Four," Owen intervened.
Lucas turned back. "Excuse me?"
"It was more like four."
Lucas shook his head. "Four it is. Moving on," he said while snatching the BB gun away from the deadly duo, "The two pranksters, Skills and Clay. They're our grifters. Watch out for these two."
He walked over to Mouth and Whitey. "Mouth is your tech guy. He can hack into any system there is. The guy next to him, I don't know who the hell he is, so you better talk to me quick."
Mouth timidly spoke. "He's Julian." Julian waved to the rest of the group. "He's into gadgets and he's got plenty of connections in the black market and on the streets."
Lucas looked at him skeptically and decided to shake his hand. He shrugged. "If Mouth says we could use you, then welcome to the team." The two guys high-fived each other.
"This man is a little older than the rest of us." Julian scoffed, which prompted a glare from Lucas. "Show some respect, alright?" he admonished, "I'm sure everyone knows him and he clearly needs no introduction. Whitey." Whitey patted Lucas' hands, which were placed on his shoulders.
"And last but not least, Quinn, who is currently looking through my closet for reasons unknown. She's our disguise expert."
"You've got a great sense of style, Luke," she said as she walked over to a seat while holding a pair of jeans, "I'm going to borrow this if you don't mind."
"Uhh, yea sure." He walked back to the front of the room. "Now that that's settled-"
"Wait. Where's Richard?" asked Rachel.
Just then, the brunette from the deli walked through the open doors of his warehouse. Lucas walked over and placed an arm over her shoulders.
"Who the hell is she?" Rachel quickly inquired.
"Richard can't do this job. This is Brooke guys. She's our lock pick."
Jake leaned over to whisper into Rachel's ear. "She's hot. You jealous?"
Two of the comments I got were asking whether Brooke is a Tess-like character. I think I'm going to make her, her own character. Rest assured, she will be a love interest for Lucas. It's only a matter of when.