Charley had already lost her appetite, but she ordered the hummus to make him happy, along with her favorite lunch platter and some baklava she�d take home for Sasha. Second only to making her feel like a child, Rudy�s favorite hobby was picking up the check�the bigger the better.

They never talked about money, but despite the fact that her job didn�t exactly offer a salary and benefits, and most of her father�s liquid assets were stashed in offshore accounts she couldn�t access, the $5,000 monthly maintenance fee on her father�s penthouse always got paid, the lights stayed on, and no matter how often she charged up the credit card, Charley never once saw a bill.

Sasha may have gotten a scholarship to college, but when it came to everything else? Charley knew damn well who was taking care of them, and it wasn�t some rainy-day insurance policy her father had set up.

Rudy didn�t mind the elephant in the room, though, so long as it was his elephant. It gave him power over her, a fundamental control that guaranteed she�d never leave or betray him. Never mind what she wanted, what she thought was right. Charley didn�t even know how to do anything else.

Worse, she didn�t have the courage to try.

She�d helped plan complicated, dangerous heists, evaded the FBI� Hell, she�d even been stabbed once. But none of that mattered, because when push came to shove, Charley was a fucking coward. Afraid to look in the mirror. Afraid to live.

Without the life her father had built for her, the person he�d molded her into, what did she have? What did she know?

The waiter returned with their appetizers and another martini for Rudy.

Now, watching him shove bread and hummus into his greasy mouth, Charley swallowed the bitter truth: without Rudy and the crew, Charlotte D'Amico didn�t exist.

"Talk to me about the Whitfield," he said suddenly, a glob of hummus stuck on the corner of his mouth. "Dorian Redthorne has already made arrangements to donate it to the Jewish Historical Society."

Charley nearly choked on her water. "What? How do you know that?"

He smiled without showing his teeth, which meant he wouldn�t reveal his source. After Charley and Rudy, there were three guys officially on the crew, but Rudy had an entire network of seedy freelance associates, every one of them jockeying for higher positions. Charley wasn�t surprised he�d already heard about the painting. In this city, even the rats had ears.

"He must�ve mentioned his plans last night," he said. "You two seemed to be getting along quite famously when I saw you."

Charley�s thighs clenched beneath the table as she tried in vain to stave off the memories, the ghost of Dorian�s passionate touch still burning her skin.

"Charlotte." Rudy reached across the table, caging her hand in an icy grip. Then, in a tone as cold as his touch, "If this job isn�t a priority for you anymore, maybe we need to have a different sort of conversation."

Charley tried not to squirm as shame and anger waged war in her chest.

Fuck you and your fucked-up priorities.

"It�s my only priority, I swear." Charley�s vision blurred with unshed tears, but she refused to cry in front of him. Crying wouldn�t get the job done, and it certainly wouldn�t win her any favors with Rudy. "It�s just a run of bad luck. I�ll break it�I know I will. Whatever you need from me, I�m here."

"Good." He finally released her hand, adjusting the hideous gold watch on his wrist. "I needed to hear that."

They finished their meal in silence, Charley picking at her food while Rudy shoveled it in by the forkful, pausing occasionally to leer at women passing on the sidewalk. After his third martini, Rudy finally wiped his mouth, and then tossed the blue cloth napkin over his empty plate. "I want you to head over to the JHS. Nose around, see if you can uncover anything about Redthorne�s situation."

"Right now?"

"Unless you have something better to do?" Rudy narrowed his eyes, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Hey, how�s Sasha? It�s been so long since we�ve all had dinner together. Maybe I�ll pay her a visit. I bet she�d like that."

Charley trembled inside. That�s all it took. The barest hint of a threat, a subtle reminder that Rudy knew exactly what mattered most to Charley�and exactly how to leverage it.

"JHS. Thirty-Fourth Street, right? Already on my way." Charley rose from her chair and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for lunch, Uncle Rudy. I�ll call with an update later."

"Do that." He waited until she�d reached the corner before speaking again, calling out so loudly that everyone else on the sidewalk turned to look. "Charlotte?" JrNovels.com