Charley shrugged her shoulders, downing another gulp. "I was about to call you when I got your text�I went to the JHS earlier to snoop around. The Whitfield was donated, like you said. The details are confidential, but everything seemed on the up-and-up."

"Why would a man like Dorian Redthorne pay that much for a painting just to donate it?" Rudy asked, downing the last of his drink.

Charley hid the smile behind her glass, remembering what Dorian had said. "Maybe he�s just a nice chap."

Rudy laughed, a machine-gun cackle that hurt her ears. "Oh, kiddo. Didn�t the old man ever teach you there�s no such thing?"

"Guess we didn�t get around to that lesson."

"No, I suppose not." Rudy turned back toward the kitchen. "I need another drink. Why don�t you two catch up?"

The moment he left the room, Travis was practically on top of her, stroking her arm with his cold fingers, sniffing her hair. "It�s good to see you, baby."

She curled in on herself, shrugging him off.

"Aw, don�t be like that." Travis trailed a finger along her cheek, tongue darting out between his lips like a damn reptile. "I haven�t stopped thinking about you. All those nasty things you used to say. You remember, don�t you?"

"Not really." She slid as far as she could to the other end of the couch, feigning indifference. "Guess I�ve moved on."

"Guess you�re still a stuck-up cunt."

She glared at him, new fire crackling in her belly. "Never doubt it, snake."

God, how the fuck had she ever fallen for this guy? The memory of his hands on her body, his crunchy hair, his sloppy tongue in her ear as he grunted over her body like an ape� She nearly gagged.

"Come on, baby. I�m just playing." Travis� gaze traveled down her body, stopping to rest at her crotch. "You still want it. I can tell by those tight jeans you wore for me."

"Don�t touch me, Travis. I mean it."

"Nah, I don�t think you do." He shoved his hand between her thighs, pinching her crotch through the jeans. "That�s a good little slut. Just like�what the fuck, bitch?"

Travis recoiled, his clothes soaked in Charley�s gin and tonic.

"I told you not to touch me, asshole. Do it again, and I�ll do something more� permanent." This time, she glared at his crotch, making sure he got the message loud and clear. Then, calling out to Rudy, "I need another drink, Uncle Rudy. And Travis needs a towel."

Her uncle returned a few minutes later with fresh drinks and a kitchen towel. He took one look at Travis, sulking at the far end of the couch in a soaked shirt, and laughed. "I see the reunion is going well."

"Smashing. What�s on the agenda tonight?" Charley asked, forcing a smile. She wasn�t interested in reunions or laughs over a few drinks. She�d bailed on the rest of girls� night with Sasha, turned off her phone during a perfectly delicious text volley with Dorian on the cab ride up, and endured the filthy, unwanted advances of her sleazy ex. The least Rudy could do was get to the fucking point.

"A new assignment, possibly. But believe me when I say there�s no room for error here." He sipped his martini so delicately it looked like a kiss. Over the rim, he exchanged a glance with Travis that Charley couldn�t decipher. "We need to be certain you can handle it. We have� concerns."

"What about Bones and the guys?" she asked, wondering when the fuck Rudy and Travis had become a �we.�

Where was the rest of the crew?

"This is more of a� side project." Rudy and his pet snake shared another cryptic glance. "We�re counting on your discretion."

Charley nodded, forcing herself not to push. She knew better than to challenge Rudy or go behind his back to the others, but this kind of secrecy was bad news. The fresh churn in her gut went well beyond her usual attack of conscience; something about this gig was off. JrNovels.com