Lyrics belong to Weezer "Beverly Hills"
Asha is being played by Olivia Wilde, while Katia will be played by Eliza Dushku, Michal is played by Dominick Angelo Cangro, and Pasquale Enrico Cangro, the little boy from city by the sea.
That's where I want to be
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Rolling like a celebrity
Livin' in Beverly Hills:
Lucy's POV
I took in the shiny buildings all around me as I drove through Beverly Hills. Such an expanse of just outrageous wealth. And every one of these people advertising for it to be taken away from them. The criminal part of my mind, the part I tried so hard to keep quiet, was racing at all the prospects.
I had to smile, Scud always found a way to make good for himself. I glanced at the directions Max had given me, making a quick right turn. Amy was off with them, doing some Deb like thing while I found and recruited Scud. I was glad to be out of there for a little bit, the tension in the room was almost solid. Call me a little jealous, but I was happy to see Amy wasn't jumping all over herself to get back in with them, made all this a little more worthwhile.
One more glance at the address, and I pulled into the building, circling around the side and waiting at the intercom till Scud's voice came through.
"Welcome to Burger World, home of Uncle Ted's famous chili cheese burger. May I suggest you don't add extra onions. Can I take your order?" I had to smile at just how bored he sounded, I took a breath and ordered what he knew was my favorite.
"Can I have a double cheeseburger, extra onions, onion rings, and a shake, half vanilla and half frozen coke."
"Total's seven fifty-holy fuck you're Lucy!" I grinned and pulled my car around to where he was already hanging out the window.
"Hey Scud," I smiled, holding out a ten dollar bill.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, taking the money more on reflex I think, he just kinda held the bill in his hand.
"I need some help with a job."
"What about Amy?" He frowned a bit.
"The job was sorta her idea." He gave me a confused look.
"Its," I started to explain, but was interrupted.
"Marshall Scuddard!" Came a booming voice from behind him, causing Scud to jump about a mile. I smirked at the use of his full name as a man, who from the looks of it took most of his meals here, waddled up. "How about a little less flirting," he took a look at me, and I smiled. He only glared and turned back to Scud. "With girls you have no chance with, and a little more doing your job. How bout that?" He clapped Scud on the shoulder and walked away.
"Your change ma'am," Scud passed me my food and change. "That's my manager." He paused for a minute, seeming to contemplate something. "This a good job?"
"I only take the best," I replied.
"Right," he nodded. "Yeah," he nodded again, slapping the window ledge a couple times. "Gimmie five minutes to quit, I'll meet you in the parking lot." He gave me a little wave and mouthed five minutes. Smirking I pulled back to the parking lot.
"How does Amy feel about it?" Scud asked, shoving a fry in his mouth. He had apparently bought himself dinner with his employee discount, and promptly quit. We were sitting on the hood of my car finishing up our meals. I had already explained what the Debs wanted me to do, or at least as much as I knew.
"She's the reason I'm here. She wants us to be in the clear, living straight," he smirked over his drink at me, and I laughed a bit. "You know what I mean."
"So, not to call you're obvious bluff. But this job is about the shittiest you ever signed me up for."
"I need you there," I said making eye contact, then to break the seriousness, shoved my shoulder into his. "Besides who else is gonna get my ass outta trouble?"
"You do need that a lot," he nodded; I punched him in the arm. "Oww!"
"I don't need it that much!"
"Oh, I so save your ass ten times a day. Especially if there's a girl involved." I give him a look, which he returns tenfold, and finally I smile, caving in.
"Okay maybe you save it a lot if there's a girl involved."
"Don't you forget it," he nodded, jumping off the hood of the car. "So, am I getting paid anything for the torture this job is sure to be?"
"Actually I worked you out a nice deal."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, they're not gonna stick you in jail for that last little stunt you pulled after I left." He looked a little shocked that I had heard about that, and rubbed his hands together.
"Good deal," he nodded. "How'd you find out?"
"Janet's working this job too," I held back my laughter at his expression, something between someone who had just swallowed a bug, and someone who had just had a hot poker shoved up their...
"Janet?" He asked, blankly.
"Yeah, wanna fill me in on what went down there, cause she's not all that talkative."
"I fucked up. Big time," he hoisted himself back up next to me. I nodded sympathetically, and he continued. "Things were going great. Fun dates, late nights, good times. She got my record cleared and got me a job as an IT in this big insurance company. I handled the money transfers, kept track of the money, pay checks, stocks..." he trailed off.
"It was too much temptation? Too easy, huh?"
"God yes," he answered, lying back on the car, hands over his eyes. "So much money practically running through my fingers everyday, and I was the only one keeping track."
"Apparently not," I pointed out.
"Apparently," he nodded a little, sitting back up. "But I got near twenty mil before they noticed.
"Fuck," I breathed out.
"Took a little less than a month," he answered my next question before I could ask it.
"Guess they took it back if you're working for this place."
"Yeah a little hard to get another decent job when you're all over the wanted pages, places like this, they don't care. Long as you got a green card, or at least a good fake."
"Well this will clear all that up," I tried to lift his spirits, hoping off the car and opening the driver's door. He followed suite and we got in.
"If Janet doesn't kill me. She pretty much stopped talking to me after that. No official word, but I'm pretty sure we broke up."
"So it's gonna be you, me and the ex's on this one, huh?" I asked, trying to force a smile.
"Goody goody gum drops."
Amy's POV
I breathed a sigh of relief as Lucy strode into the apartment we had been given for the home base of our operations on this case. She sunk into the couch, Scud lowering himself next to her. I saw him and Janet catch each other's eye, and quickly look away. I raised an eyebrow at Lucy, and she mouthed 'tell you later'.
"Well now all the delinquents have been recruited," Max spoke, walking quickly into the large living room where we had set up the true center of our operation. Lucy kind of sneered at Max, but to her credit didn't say anything. Dominique followed Max in, a trail of smoke following her; she blew a line of smoke directly into Janet's face.
"Hey!" Janet waved frantically at her air. "We don't all want to die at thirty you know!"
"I am French," Dominique answered, settling into the arm chair like we should all know what she meant.
"Yeah, anyway," Max turned to face Lucy and Scud. "Ms. Petrie will be arriving momentarily and I would appreciate if you two could keep your mouths shut." As she spoke Ms. Petrie shimmered in behind her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That won't be necessary Brewer," she faced Lucy with a tight smile. "Ms. Diamond." Lucy gave her a curt nod. "I knew your father quite well. Many of us spent our whole careers tracking him."
"He spoke highly of you as well ma'am," Max and I exchanged looks at this show of mutual respect.
"I'm sure he did," Ms. Petrie made a face at Lucy that almost looked like a smile. "Good to have you on our side."
"Just here to clear my name."
"Whatever your motives," Ms Petrie amended. "Alright ladies, and gentleman, I suppose," she gave Scud a disdainful look. "You all know who Asha Tyler is, and how her crimes have been growing in intensity these past few years." Lucy's face looked a little pale at that, and I moved quietly to place a hand on her shoulder, she covered it with her own. We all watched as Ms. Petrie pulled a remote from her pocket, and brought up a holographic screen,
detailing Asha's work, and a photo of the girl. I had forgotten how gorgeous Lucy's ex was, even though the picture was crap.
"Money laundering for the Russian mob in 2003, this moved into counterfeiting with them in 2004. Apparently she became bored with this, because from late 2004 and into 2005 we found her working with the Columbians smuggling Heroin and the like. Last year she started her own business, specializing in manufacturing meth, and ecstasy. We're not sure where her factory is, but the drugs seem to be coming out of Florida. In the past few months we have been monitoring a connection between her and Katia Novak." Another picture and file was brought up.
"Katia Novak, as you may know is not a nice person. She was born poor, picked up repeatedly before her fifteenth birthday for prostitution. Took up with Igor Novak sometime before her eighteenth birthday, and they were quickly married. In 2003 Igor and his father, heads of the family crime ring were murdered, however all evidence was lost in a fire that destroyed their house."
"The boy's her son?" I asked.
"Michal Novak, heir to his father's fortune. His mother is running the operation now, with much more zest than Igor ever showed for the family business."
"Igor's father was Michal Senior, right?" Lucy asked, leaning forward.
"Correct. We suspect that Katia is making a large weapons deal with Asha, and gathering her troops for a mass takeover of the Czech Republic."
"Shit," I sat wide eyed. "Can she do that?"
"I have no doubt." Ms. Petrie nodded gravely. "All she needs are the weapons. No one else has been willing to deal with her because she is rash, impulsive, and uncontrollable. The only thing she cares about is her son. That is a weakness we can use."
"When do we start?" Max asked eagerly.
"Intel suggests there is a meeting at The Standard in Hollywood tonight," Janet read from the screen, smiling broadly at the nod of approval she received from Max.
"Then we move in, bust them," Max started.
"No," Ms. Petrie interrupted. "Lucy goes in, she goes alone."
"With all respect ma'am we could end this tonight if you just let us go in," max tried to argue.
"Take them tonight and all you get is them," Lucy said standing. "I get in, and we find out everything, secret lairs and all that. The whole ring goes down, not just the leaders."
"Precisely," now Ms. Petrie did smile.
"This is stupid," Dominique rolled her eyes, turning to stare out the window.
"The meetings at ten PM, I expect a full report," with that Ms. Petrie shimmered out and was gone.
I looked over at Lucy, who smiled wildly, starting to actually look a little excited about this whole thing. I on the other hand was feeling much less sure of myself after taking a look at those two women.
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