Disclaimer I do not own Hustle.

Chapter 2: The Show Must Go On.

Mickey looked around the expensively decorated ballroom as Albert took his seat by the bar. The place was full of high ranking businessmen from London's financial district along with their wives and partners. The amount of wealth clearly on display made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He glanced across to where Emma was standing next to the mark. Taking a deep breath he silently went over his cover story remembering that for the first part of the con Emma was essentially on her own.

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"Ash?" Sean rested his head back on the car seat as the older man ignored him. "Ash?"

Ash continued to ignore him as they watched the chauffer driven cars arrive to drop off the various dignitries and partners. Ash narrowed his eyes as he saw the man they had been waiting for arrive with a mysterious blonde woman roughly the same age as Emma. He glared straight ahead as his camera caught the image for posterity.

"Ash?"

"Bloody 'ell! What is the matter wiv you?" Ash snapped as he kept his eye on the man they knew Emma was going to dance with. The thought made his skin crawl and he knew Mickey hated the idea as much as he did. But Emma had been determined she was back in the game. He just wasn't sure after what happened with the Russian billionaire that he was ready to be back in the game, never mind the young woman that had been left for dead.

"That woman with Dean?"

"Blonde, legs up to her armpits?"

"Yeah."

"What about her?"

"Doesn't she look a bit familiar to you?" Sean leant forward in his seat. Ash shrugged his shoulders. The pretty blonde woman did look familiar but he had no idea where or when he would have seen her before. He clicked the camera a few more times, hoping that Emma or one of the boys would be able to tell him who she was.

"Can't say she does. Why?"

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"Thank you." Emma smiled her best charm smile as she took the flute of champagne from the bar man. She never really drank and certainly didn't drink on the job but keeping up appearances was all part of pulling the con off. It would look strange if the party girl she was supposed to be hadn't taken a glass. She turned to see Albert smile at her as he chatted away to a woman about his age. She could see no sign of Mickey as she walked across the marble florr of the ballroom. At that moment she wasn't sure if Mickey being there was a good or bad thing. They had been closer than ever recently and she knew if it wasn't for the quietly spoken grifter she never would have survived what had happened to her at the hands of the Russian billionare. Pushing all thoughts of hotel rooms, Cardiff and Ash in a hospital gown to the back of her mind she walked towards the mark. Dean Michael Anderson was not going to know what had hit him.

"Hello." She smiled as he raised his eyes to her. For a moment she wanted to slap him. His eyes seemed to roam over her body rather than meet her eye.

"Hello."

"Is this seat taken?" Smooth Em, really smooth. She thought to herself as she slipped into the vacant seat next to the older businessman.

"And you are?"

"Charlotte." She held out her hand. "Charlotte Stone." She could almost hear the guys laughing at her use of Mickey's surname. Somehow it had just seemed appropriate. She smiled slightly as she held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you Charlotte Stone."

"And you." Emma lied convincingly.

"Dean." He stated as she raised an eyebrow. "My name is Dean." Emma nodded in understanding as she felt Mickey's eyes on her. She knew she had finally got to the mark the team had been tailing for weeks. The man had persuaded young girls they could be top models when in fact he was riping them off. She tilted her head to one side as she listened to him. For a moment she could see that he could easily charm the birds off the trees but there was no way he was going to charm her. She looked out across the ballroom as Sean slipped in the door and approached Mickey. Her brother seemed oblivious to the fact that his presence could ruin her cover. He whispered something to Mickey before Mickey nodded, drank his champagne and walked towards her through the dancers. She had a feeling things had already began to go wrong.

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A/N Please review. Is Emma right?