Scorpio's Eight

Chapter Twenty Five Who Wants It More?

Jax and Lois walked onto the Quatermaine yatch and down below the deck to meet Ned. Lois was dressed in a leopard print strapless mini dress; Jax wore a white bottom up shirt and black pants. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and it was more wrinkled than Ned had ever seen Jax wear. He seemed slightly buzzed too. Seeing this, Ned immediately wished he was high on something himself. Why hadn't he thought of that?

How can I kill someone sober? he wondered

Lois, seeing no painting in sight, pouted "You don't have it yet." She rolled her eyes, as if to say that Ned had, yet again, failed her.

"I just hung up with my partner," Ned said "The painting should be here soon."

"If you aren't double crossed," said Lois. "Don't you think its about time you tell me who you

brought into my scheme? I don't like being in dark about the person holding my share of a fortune."

"You'll see who it is shortly," Ned said "This is about over."

Lois' eyes darted between both men. "The only way this works is if we don't turn on each other at the last minute. Don't think about cutting me out. I know too much to be pushed aside now."

Jax walked over to the mini bar, took out a bottle of champagne and opened it. With a sneer, he asked Lois "Now would we do something like that? Never. Right, Ned?"

"Never," Ned agreed.

Lois' jaw clenched. These asshole better not even think about it, she thought.

She had agreed to go along with Jax's plan, when they were back at the Metro Court, but in truth the only plan she would work was her own and neither of these two former lovers had better get in her way.

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Skye called Jason. "We have a problem. Bring the van around. Now."

She clicked off her cell. Jason started up the van and began to drive around the lake towards the spot where Skye was supposed to pick up Robert. But then Spinelli said "Oh, this is not good. Not good at all." He was staring at a picture on his laptop.

"Talk," ordered Zander.

"A limo is pulling through the gates at Greystone right now. Since we killed the power, the gates are unlocked."

"Who is it?" asked Lucky, he had already had to tasered ten guards tonight and then drugged them, he didn't feel like hassling with a bunch of civilians too. They were always more trouble anyway- not understanding the rules of this life or anything, yapping about cops and judges and justice. It was tiresome, really.

Spinelli tapped on his keyboard "I am running the license right now. Come on, come on...they are getting out. Come on..."

"Quicker," Jason ordered

"I got it. It's...oh hell," Spinelli shook his head and said "It's Frankie Gianni."

"Chi-town mob kingpin Frankie Gianni?" groaned Lucky

"The one in the same," said Spinelli "And he's knocking on the door. It's open. If he tries it, he'll be tripping over passed out bodygaurds. Someone's got to get in there and stall him."

"I'll do it," Zander said. "Pass me the bag."

Lucky tossed it up to him. Zander pulled out a pair of glasses, contacts, and a blonde wig that made him look like a surfer dude. Then he slipped on a Hawaiian shirt. He shoved his gun into the back of his pants and said "Let me out here. Frankie is about to meet the Corinthos family pool boy- the only one left behind when Sonny took off for Puerto Rico."

Zander went running towards the stone wall, scaled it without much effort and then jogged up to the back door of the house and let himself in.

Jason drove around the house to meet up with Skye and see what was going sideways on her end of the job.

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Anna jumped into the late model Ford that Mac had waiting in the woods near the lake behind Sonny's house. Her whole face was lit up, she laughed and said "Like taking candy from a cocky ex-husband!"

Mac shook his head. This was all just fun and games for them. None of the crew really thought of what they did as a crime. It was more like the coolest underground Olympic event- The Long Con- and Scorpio's Eight were the undisputed champions.

Mac and Anna had been a part of making that legend but now, on their own, they broke it and took for themselves the gold medal. They knew that the rest of the crew wouldn't hold it against them but if they could steal the painting back, they sure as hell would not hesitate.

He hit the gas and they flew off the grass and back onto the gravel access road. They hung a quick left and headed away from Greystone, toward a country road that ran on the north side of the property. They had to get this painting handed over to their client as quick as possible or else they might be had by their own former friends. It was impossible to say what con Luke might come up with when he heard what went down. Neither Mac or Anna felt completely victorious yet.

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Jason looked at Robert, who lay in the backseat of Anna's car where Lucky had picked him up and placed him. The Hitter asked, "You sure he's all right?"

"His breathing is regular and steady," Skye said "You know Anna wouldn't really hurt him."

"I can't believe she..," Lucky started

"Believe it," Skye said "She is a woman scorned. You pretty boys should know plenty about what happens when you do a good woman wrong." She motioned at Robert, who was drooling and staring at them in a pissed off way. "This is what happens."

Jason knew the security company would be at the door of Greystone by now. Zander would have to handle that. They were supposed to be off the property at this point. This is what you called, in the world of conning, the moment when the plan could be officially called All Fucked Up.

Spinelli was in the van, on a cell phone, reporting all this to Luke. The Jackal said "I can't get Anna or Mac on GPS because they are obviously using a throwaway car that they probably bought just for this and isn't even registered. And I don't think I'll spot them on any security camera's cause they will stay on the back roads. But I have hacked into a satellite and gotten an image of Old Mill Road, the one that runs north of Sonny's property. That is the way they would go if they want to avoid the security company who will be coming in from the south side. There are three cars on Old Mill right now. One of them has to be them- slipping off into the great unknown with our loot."

Luke chuckled. "Nah, they just think they are. I'll be in touch."

Luke hung up and then made a phone call.

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Fifteen minutes later

"Floor it,"Anna ordered Mac. "Pass that guy."

Mac did what she said. "We're good. Relax."

"We have to make it ten miles on this road before the turn off. You know how much can go wrong in ten miles? My ex might be down but don't count him out."

Mac cut his eyes over to her. He had a bad feeling he knew what she was about to confess.

Anna said, "I didn't give him quite as much of the drug as we had planned."

"Damn it, woman!"

"I couldn't do it , okay?! It was Robert."

"You think I wanted to drug my brother. You know I didn't. But if we are gonna do a job, we can't half ass it, you know that." Mac let out a long breath. "How long till he can move again?"

Anna looked at her watch. "Five, six more minutes top. That should get us far enough away."

Mac didn't really care about the payoff that was coming from Faith. He had been in this business a long time and had millions upon millions to show for it. But both him and Anna would feel like fools if they got the painting jacked from them minutes after they stole it from Scorpio's Eight.

"Next time," he said "I do the dirty work. You've gone soft."

She punched his arm. "Take that back."

He smiled at her but it fell away when he saw a black four door come flying off a side road at top speeds, then slam on its brakes and block the road.

"Go around it!" Anna ordered as she reached down to her ankle holster and pulled out a gun.

Suddenly red and blue flashing lights started to spin on the dashboard of the car blocking there way.

"Cops," Mac muttered. "We better play along or else we'll have a pursuit on our hands. Pull down the backseat and shove the painting in the trunk. Hurry. We'll have to talk our way out of this."

Anna scurried to get the painting hidden away, while Mac shoved there gloves and masks into the glove box. Anna got back in her seat just as two men got out of the four door and approached them. Two more cars were stopped behind Anna and Mac's vehicle.

Mac rolled down his window "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

Author's note- Thanks to everyone who has reviewed recently and kicked my butt in gear with this story.