Chapter Five- Triangles

When the meeting ended, Carly headed straight for the bar and ordered a drink from Claude.

Robert and Luke stayed in the back room.

Zander, Lucky and Spinelli walked toward the door of the club.

Spinelli said to Zander, "Can you give me a ride?"

"What?" Zander asked " You lost the score from our last job and the Lamborghini?"

Spinelli shrugged, "The Jackal has fallen upon some hard times, man."

They walked out and Jason sat down next to his ex.

Carly downed her vodka on the rocks and ordered another.

"You still drink like a fish," Jason said

"Six months don't change anybody all that much, Jase. You still worry about stuff that is none of your business."

"Only when it comes to you," Jason said. "But you've always been my business."

She bit her the inside of her lip, a small tell. The only one she had.

Jason knew she wasn't as unaffected by him as she wanted to be.

A smile curved his lips, but he turned away before she saw it. He leaned his back on the bar and looked at the pool table.

Thought about her naked on that pool table a couple of years before, under him and happy.

"Going to be staying at the cottage again?" he asked

"Another thing that is not your business." she said "Why don't you stick with what you do best?"

She stood up and met his eyes, challenging him and making him weak for her at the same time.

Carly added, "Carry a gun and keep quiet. Don't try the heavy lifting like figuring me out or, God forbid, love."

She started to walk away and he grabbed her wrist.

She looked back over her shoulder at him, feeling her pulse accelerate at his touch, the spot where his fingers rested against her skin burned.

"Glad you came home, Sweet Caroline," his words were soft, a caress conveying much more than friendship or even romance.

It was forgiveness.

The only problem: Carly was not sorry, she was still pissed as hell.

It ticked her off that Jason thought he could tell her who to sleep with when he was getting some action on the side himself.

Still his words made her ache, wanting him right here and right now. The past be damned.

It took all she had to turn and walk out of Luke's club without inviting Jason back to her place.

For the rest of the day she wondered if he might show up, late that night, slide into her bed, and without a word bring her back to life.

LUCKY walked into his loft. His eyes immediately went to his fiancee, who sat on the bed, reading a book, with a comforter over her legs. His eyes moved over the pink bra that she wore.

She raised an eyebrow, and in a I know what you were up to voice, said "You were seeing your father."

He peeled off his t-shirt.

Lucky's expression was one of pure need. He gently tugged down the cover, revealing the pink panties she wore.

"Tell me the truth, Lucks, your back in. Right?"

He crawled onto the bed, taking her book and tossing it onto the floor.

She smiled, not able to resist him.

"Emily, you don't really want me to answer that, do you?" He whispered, his tone all sex, his lips searing kisses along her collarbone.

She sighed and said, in a resigned and frustrated tone, "You're back in."

She moved her mouth to his, not caring that he couldn't break free of the life.

Emily hadn't been able to break free of loving him since she was in middle school. Some things were just in your DNA.

LUKE dealt Robert two cards.

"Seven showing." Luke said. In front of Luke was his two cards, the upturned one was a nine.

"Hit me." Robert said

"You're gonna bust."

Robert tapped the table. Luke threw a card down. An eight.

"15 showing," Luke said

Robert tossed over his face down card, a queen of hearts.

Robert had 25 total.

"Told you," Luke said

"I had seventeen. You have to hit on seventeen." Robert said, repeating words he had told Luke a hundred times before.

"You never hit on seventeen."

"I do." Robert said

"That is why you always lose your ass in blackjack." Luke tossed down the cards.

He picked up his drink and took a sip. "You know, don't you, that there is more behind this job than a pissing contest over some broad from Brooklyn."

"I know," Robert agreed.

Luke said, "So what do you think is the real reason Ned is so worked up over The Cheating Whore?"

"The painting is called The Ever Faithful."

"I know," Luke said with a smile.

Robert chuckled. "Don't worry, mate. I plan to find out exactly what makes that piece of paint splotches so damn sought after. And I will do it before we ever go in to Greystone."

"Well, Nedly sure as hell isn't going to tell you just because you bat your blue eyes at him."

"They worked on you."

Luke shook his head. "You' re going to work the top of the triangle, aren't you?" Meaning Lois.

"You think my beautiful blue ones will work on her?" Robert blinked rapidly.

Luke fixed him with a narrowed eyed look and joked, "Who told you they were beautiful?"