Ruthless Game, Chapter Eight: A Fresh Start
Ao3 | Fanfiction.Net
“This is a terrible idea,” Shelley said the next day when he came over to find Tara and Claire planning a long con. “I mean truly horrible.”
Claire rolled her eyes at him. “It’s a simple long con. We’re thinking of using a turnabout. It’s the simplest thing to pull off with our desired effect.”
Tara nodded. “It should be easy. We’ve already got her way in.”
“Wait,” Shelley said with a sigh as he rubbed a hand across his brow. He looked at Claire expectantly. “You’re planning on going in alone?”
“He knows Tara,” she said with a shrug. “She can’t go in with me. Besides, I’ve done solo cons before. I can do them again. Piece of cake.”
Shelley gave Tara a concerned glance before he turned back to Claire. “Hubris or moxy?” he asked.
Claire gave him a confused look. “What?”
“Your attitude, is it hubris or moxy?” Shelley repeated.
Claire grinned at him. “Moxy. All moxy.”
“Good,” he said seriously. “Hubris will get you killed.” He shook his head and stood up and paced in front of them. “Eliot’s gonna kill me if something happens to you and he finds out I knew about this.”
“Relax,” Tara said dismissively. “That won’t happen for at least two and a half weeks.”
“That, surprisingly, does not make me feel any better,” Shelley told her.
“If you’re so worried about it, you should come with me,” Claire said as she gave him a measuring glance. “You can be my muscle. I might need it, honestly.” He gave her a doubtful look but she continued. “This way you can make sure I come back in one piece so Eliot doesn’t murder you.”
Shelley chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully and then nodded. “That is a very distinct advantage.”
“Plus,” Tara said with a smirk. “A second might actually help with this. Isla could use a bodyguard.”
“Isla?” Shelley asked with a furrowed brow. “Who the hell is Isla?”
“My character,” Claire told him before she addressed Tara’s thought. “That would certainly add an interesting layer. I like it.”
“It sounds like I’m in this whether I like it or not,” Shelley said with a huff. “This is a terrible idea. Terrible.”
Claire chuckled dryly. “Welcome to the life of a grifter, my friend.”
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