Disclaimer Hustle isn't mine.
The Plan
"Sean, Emma." Micky got to his feet as he regarded the spiky haired grifter in the doorway of their apartment. "Meet Danny Blue."
"Hiya." He smiled as Emma raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't think you were coming home." Stacie turned to face her friend.
"What? And miss all this? Not for the world." He smiled broadly as Ash rolled his eyes. "Ash, Albert."
"Daniel." Albert remained seated. "You took your time."
"Yeah." He stepped into the room as Stacie smiled. "Sorry about that. Little problem at the airport."
"She was about my height. Hardly little."
"And I am sure she was gay. Stacie, I mean come on."
"Gay?" Emma laughed. "Because no straight woman could resist you?"
"Exactly." Danny beamed as the other men in the room groaned.
"Can we get back to the matter in hand?" Albert turned away from the younger members of the team as Emma and Stacie exchanged glances. It was rare that the older man showed any anger towards any of them. The fact Danny had caused such a reaction was a worry. Mickey nodded before sitting back down. Emma couldn't help but smile as she realised he was now sitting ever so slightly closer to her than he had been before the new comer had arrived.
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"You sure this is gonna work?" Ash watched as Mickey tugged on his cufflinks.
"Honestly?" Ash smiled as Mickey raised an eyebrow. "I hope it does but I have no idea. We know Rachel is only ever interested in money."
"Yeah."
"We also know that the mark is a nasty, violent, crook of a man that has somehow got involved with your ex wife. That his involvement with her happened sometime after he left America. While in America he and friends of his assaulted Stacie and Danny."
"Which means neither can be seen in all this." Eddie spoke up. "And to be honest, I really don't want my Carole involved either. It aint that long since she had the heart attack."
"Nothing will happen to Carole." Mickey smiled at the barman. Eddie raised an eyebrow.
"Better not. She's the one good thing in my life. I know you think I'm a soppy old git but I am happy for the first time in years. And thats down to her."
"Aw, Mills n Boon eat your 'eart out." Ash teased as Eddie blushed. "Nah mate. I am just winding you up. Carole is a good girl."
"Good grifter."
"Are my ears burning?" Carole smiled as she walked in. "Eddie, don't worry about me." She took his hand as she spoke. "I have been up against bigger and nastier than this plank and I can handle myself. Cardiac stent or not."
"Yeah but." Eddie turned to face her as she touched his cheek. Mickey and Ash pulled a face and stepped away from the couple. Both pretended they hadn't noticed what was going on in front of them as Emma and Sean walked in. For a moment Mickey held his breath. Emma smiled shyly as she slipped into a booth a little way away from the bar. She knew he hated her acting as bait but with Dean's background it seemed the obvious thing to do.
"You never know, Dean may remember me from the ball." She smiled slightly as Mickey tugged on his tie.
"Yeah."
"Eddie will be in the bar with Carole. Stacie and Danny will be outside. I just need to get talking to him. That's all. Same as I was the other night. You just need to keep out of the way so that I can find a way in. Rachel doesn't know me, so even if she recognises me she wont have the connection to you and Ash." She covered his hand with her own as he closed his eyes.
"Emma."
"You heard Stacie." She paused. "He's spiteful, sexist and if he was chocolate he'd eat himself. I can do this."
"I know you can." Mickey opened his eyes. "But maybe I don't want you to."
"You said it yourself Mickey. When I first met you." She slid her hand away, aware that the others could see what was going on should they look in their direction. "Never let the feelings get in the way of the work."
"That was before."
"He hurt people. He conned Albert's friend's grandaughter. She was 17 and was missing for how long?"
"Three months." Sean leant against the side of the booth as Mickey nodded. "I agree with Mickey."
"You would." Emma flashed him a look. "Just watch my back until I get out of there. Ash has worked up a perfect legend for me. Charlotte Stone is a real person as far as the paperwork is concerned."
"Ok." Mickey stared her straight in the face. "Tell me about Charlotte."
"31 years old. Ex model, currently looking to set up her own modelling agency. Divorced from you." She smiled as Mickey rolled his eyes. "No children, one older sister - Cathy Kennedy."
"That's me." Carole smiled broadly. "And I am going to have a drink with my younger sister. Come on love, before these lads over think it any more. I'm all for the long con but if this one goes on any longer the rest of my hair will be grey."
"Be careful." Albert watched the women go as Stacie ran a hand through her long black hair hoping that neither of them faced what she had done that cold night in New York not so long ago.
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Danny sat reading the paper as he watched Dean walk into the nightclub bar. The Vauxhall Astra he had acquired was not the kind of car he had been thinking about when Ash had told him what he would be doing. Sean sat next to him waiting for the text message from Emma that would let him know it was time to work the part of the con he was best at. The role of annoyed and over protective little brother came easily to him at the best of times.
"Come on."
"You are starting to sound like Mickey." Danny teased as Sean narrowed his eyes. His gaze never left the door of the nightclub.
"Leave it."
"Touchy!"
"I said leave it. Look my sister is in there. I don't see why you are even here."
"I am part of this crew!"
"You left."
"Well yeah."
"And Albert and the others had to pick up the pieces. So shut up and let me do my job."
"Ok, ok." Danny raised an eyebrow as a black cab pulled up opposite them. Dean got out and paid the cabbie before disappearing inside.
"We have lift off."
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Mickey stared at the computer monitor, grateful that Ash and Sean had been able to blag their way into the nightclub earlier in the day. They had posed as workmen there to fix the CCTV. Ash had managed to set up a feed so that the CCTV linked straight to the laptop they were currently watching.
"You know this is doing me 'ead in." Ash stated as Mickey nodded.
"Yeah."
"We should be down there. Carole is barely out of the hospital. Danny is an idiot at the best of times. Sean is too overprotective of his sister and Emma is still recovering."
"She said she can do this."
"Yeah." Ash looked at his friend. "And you know why she said that?"
"Ash."
"No Mickey. You and Albert are me best mates. You can hear this from me." Ash stared at his feet. "She is only there because she thinks she has something to prove."
"She doesn't." Mickey's voice was lower than usual. Almost a whisper as he watched the grainy image of Emma sat next to Carole appeared on the screen.
"She thinks she does." Ash pushed on. "After what happened before we ended up in Cardiff. You've been treating her differently. Now we all know there is something between the two of you. I aint saying you should hide it but there is no way you can let it affect what we do. I did that with Rachel and look what happened."
"Ash."
"No." Ash turned to stare at him as the image on the screen changed. "She is better than that. None of us would have handled what happened to er as well as she did. You keep telling me she can do this job with her eyes shut. Let her."
"I can't loose her." Mickey almost whispered as Albert leant forward to get a better look at the screen.
"Guys."
"Never thought I'd see the day." Ash smiled slightly before turning back to the screen. Mickey blushed as Albert got to his feet.
"Guys."
"What?"
"I just spoke to Carole." He placed his mobile phone back on the table. "Sean and Danny are looking and Stacie is ringing her contacts but." He shook his head.
"What?" Mickey knew Albert well enough to almost predict the next words out of his mouth.
"Emma's gone."
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A/N More soon. Where's Emma? Can the crew finish the con and find her or will they need her to rescue them? Please review. I am not keen on this chapter. The next one will be better. We're almost at the end now.