“And you think you can satisfy her by doing this?” That made me pause. I knew that doing this con would make Bea happy—cons were the only things that ever made her happy. But would this satisfy her? That was a different question. I’d come here to help Uncle Carl, but instead, I’d gotten myself completely back in the game. Here I was, doing things I’d promised myself I would never do again.
I silently cursed Elle for seeing more than I did, for being wiser. She might be three years younger, but she’d spent more time with that woman, and I knew she was right. I was in trouble.
I pretended to know what I was doing and repeated the story I’d been telling myself for days. “Don’t worry. This should go down fine, and then I’ll return to New York.”
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Bea thinks you’re back on her crew for good. She told me that the two of you are starting up again, and that after this con, she’s got lots more planned.”
I felt a weight descend on me, and I sank down in my seat. I had assumed that Bea would only blackmail me once, but now I realized that was foolish. Unless I got that cocaine back, I would never be free of her.
“Damn. Thanks for the warning.”
Elle growled. “Dee, do I have to come down there and help you?”
“I can manage. Besides, aren’t you busy with your Robin Hood gang?”
Elle laughed at my reference. She had a crew of con artists who considered themselves to be ethical. They only attacked people who had too much money and abused their power. Dubbing themselves “The Adjusters,” Elle’s gang swindled rich crooks, teaching them lessons and redistributing wealth to their innocent victims. Elle was the mastermind of the crew but also their cat burglar. Always a good runner and gymnast, she could sneak in or out of any place without being seen.
The Adjusters got their start a few years back, when Elle went looking for her birth parents. She found them in Oregon, barely holding on to their home because of a predatory lender who had tricked them into an expensive refinance. Elle assembled a crew and pulled a long con that took the finance company for millions of dollars. Then, she gave most of it to the people they had cheated.