Note- This poor neglected story has been on hiatus. It will get done eventually- come hell or highwater.

Road Runnerz asked for an update so here are two new chapters.

Recap- Robert Scorpio runs a crew of con artists. They have been hired to rob Sonny Corinthos.

Scorpio's Eight

Chapter Twenty One- There is No Later

"So," Skye said, dragging out the word.

She sat with Luke inside of her hotel suite. She wore a silky black dress that skimmed her knees. They had just came back from dinner at the restaurant upstairs at the Metro Court.

She smirked at him and asked "Is this the last job then?"

Her eyes danced with amusement. They silently teased him about the fact all of Scorpio's Eight went into retirement the year before- as if a con artist could ever really walk away.

Luke wore a suit that was messy chic. His hair stuck up in a way that would have made her sworn he hadn't combed it all today. Still he pulled it off and somehow managed to look like a roguish badass.

He sipped his bourbon. Let it slide down and marinate over much abused liver before he answered, "For some of them, yeah. The Kid wants to start playing family man. I bet Caroline talks The Hitter into a year long honeymoon on some island where she doesn't have to wear more than a bikini and they don't leave until she gets so bored she's picking pockets for the practice. But she'll never get out completely. Grifting is in her blood."

"Like yours."

He shot her a devilish grin. "Damn straight. Not all of us were born blue bloods."

Skye had been one of those once. Adam Chandler's first little princess. Heir to billions and the one he dreamed would take over the helm of his corporation one day. But she walked away from all that in a quest to prove she could make good without a bit of help from him.

She hadn't gotten into this lifestyle because she loved pretending to be someone else, or stealing, or living a double life. She did it because she wanted to be rich and didn't want to ever get her wealth from being inside of a boardroom. That left very few options. Crime was the one that paid best.

She fell in with a bad man- but isn't that always the way it starts? And soon he had taught her how to crack a safe, scale a wall and- his most impressive trick- build a bomb. She ditched that boyfriend, perfected her skills, and made a reputation for herself.

It had been years since she had to ask anyone for anything. But with her self sufficiency came a certain kind of loneliness that no law abiding man could touch. That kind would never really see her- beyond her lovely long hair, her curves, her wit. He'd never see the wonderful dark parts of her heart, soul and mind. That is why someone like Luke got her. But his tendency to cheat is why she started to hate him, just after she started to love him.

Skye fled Port Charles and took over New York. She became notorious in certain circles. Her career couldn't have been hotter. But still she was alone.

Boss, the closest thing she had to a father, and the crew, her makeshift family, were all here. Luke was here. It felt amazing to be back. Like heaven. Like home.

She raised an eyebrow at him." We go tomorrow? You ready, old man? Been eating your wheaties and drinking your prune juice?"

He shook his head at her. "You have a mean streak in you, Red."

She chuckled.

Luke stood up and said, "I should mosey on, I suppose. Let you get to work."

Skye stood and moved closer to him. "Its been made for days now. I don't do last minute thrown together stuff like you do."

"Well, I'm talented enough to get away with it." He winked at her.

In the air, there was an electricity. It was a vibe that surrounded them, floating through the air, sinking into their skin, and coursing through their veins whenever a job was about to kick into high gear.

Her eyes filled with desire. Luke's widened slightly.

"Yeah?" he asked, pulling her close.

"Oh, yeah," she murmured as her lips moved to connect with his.

XXXXXXXXX

Anna sat in her home office, with headphones on her ears. Mac had planted a listening device in Robert's office during the wedding reception. There was nothing she loved more than getting the drop on her ex. It even made working for that psychotic bitch Faith Roscoe worth it.

Anna had figured the device- even though it was microscopic, as high end as anything used by the pentagon- would be found after a day. They used to sweep every 24 hours. But it looked like Robert had gotten lax lately. She tried not to let that worry her, but it nagged at the back of her mind.

If Robert was off his game, he had no business doing a job. Damn you, Luke Spencer, you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him, she thought.

But Luke was probably busy somewhere with booze and a broad, leaving his partner exposed at a point where Robert was his most fragile. Before Anna kept him together- making sure he stayed close to his daughter and brother, making sure he didn't ever feel like he had nothing to live for. But she hadn't been doing that for a good long while now, and he was suffering for it. Of course, Robert would never admit that to her.

She heard Robert talking to Lucky. "Didn't even take that pretty girl on a proper honeymoon, Romeo? You'll never keep her that way."

"Emily understands. She'll get her trip later. Anywhere she wants."

"Later, later, later," Robert sounded drunk, she noted. He went on, "Later. Sometimes there is no later. Oh well. Can't tell you kids anything. You'll learn. Want a drink?"

"Nah, I should get going. Rest up for the job. You want a ride home."

Robert grunted a negative response.

Lucky asked, "We're meeting up at 10 pm tomorrow, right?"

After a moment, he asked "Boss?"

"Treat her right, Romeo. Or you will regret it."

"I will. I swear. I love that girl like crazy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you do. Now get out of here. Don't keep her waiting too long. They don't wait forever, you know?"

Another moment passed. Anna's heart twisted with pain.

Robert said, "Go! Good night! Go! I'm fine."

"Night, Boss."

XXXXXXX

Ned sat at his desk at ELQ. The same one where he made million dollar deals on a daily basis, where he controlled the fate of hundreds of employees and the fortune of his whole family.

He loaded the last bullet into the gun. His hands shook.

As bad as he wanted enough cash to finally be out from under his Grandfather's thumb, he also wanted to still be able to look himself in the mirror each day.

Murderer, he thought, I never expected to grow up to be one of those.

Faith's face darted through his mind.

She was truly evil, he had no doubts about that.

Just one death, he told himself, one little tiny death...there's no other way.