Page 58 of Conning the Billionaire
Rita said, “Okay, okay. Kylie can read people well. She makes the lion’s share of the profits every night because she knows which mark to pick. Like when we did the lesbian breakup routine last weekend, she zeroed in on the guy who was not only going to give her some cash but also jewelry. Kylie has a gift. If she says that this guy is going to cut her in on a deal, if her nose smells that this guy is where the money is, maybe there’s some substance there.”
Priyanka and Alma were quiet.
Rita asked, “But Kylie, are you sure you’re thinking with your brain and not your clam?”
Kylie chuckled and said, “If it was just sex, I would have bolted that first night before he got the chance to be the first one to leave, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have talked to him a second time. If I smell anything wrong, if anything seems too dangerous or too weird or too good to be true, I promise I will leave. I will stand up and walk out and not look back.”
Rita said, “Okay. We trust you, and we are always here for you if you need backup. Now, what’s this con that he wants you to run with him?”
Kylie winced. “I think we’re going to swindle Salvatore Grande out of a painting worth half a million dollars.”
The groans turned to howls this time.
Rita said, “First of all, have you lost your damn mind, thinking that you’re going to swindle a mafia boss? And second, if the painting is worth half a million dollars, and he offered you half a million dollars, why is he doing this? There’s no profit in it for him.”
Yep, that was what had been bothering Kylie, and she hadn’t been able to quite put her finger on it. “That’s a damn good question. I know from looking online that the last couple of paintings by this artist sold for around half a million dollars, but maybe he thinks this one is worth more. And he said that the upside might be five million or more.”
Priyanka asked, “Does he have a buyer set up? Is this a commission job?”
“You know, I think this job is bigger than what he said. He said we’re going to sell the painting to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.”
Alma and Priyanka burst out laughing.
Priyanka said, “Oh, honey. No.”
Rita was clucking, and Kylie could imagine her shaking her head while she asked, “Is he going to sell it to the prince of Nigeria, too?”
“Look, I know this looks bad, but there’s something about him,” Kylie wheedled. “If I get half a million dollars from this guy, we can all get out. We can pack our things and move to Alaska or Thailand, or somewhere Salvatore Grande will never find us. I know it seems crazy. It seems like betting on the double-zero in roulette. But sometimes, the double-zero hits. I’ve got a feeling about this guy. I’ve got a feeling that he could be our ticket out of Atlantic City and away from Salvatore Grande and to a better life.”
That shut them up.
Rita said, “You be careful. I need you back in one piece, Ky. If anything seems screwy about this, walk away. You can always tell Salvatore what this guy is trying to do, and Salvatore will take care of him for you. Salvatore’s finder’s fee would probably be worth more than any money this guy would actually cough up.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Kylie said.
“Don’t get hurt,” Rita told her. “You can stay for two days, but if he hasn’t come up with a whole hell of a lot of money by then, get the hell out.”
18
THE CRAPPY PHILLY OFFICE
KYLIE
Kylie sat in the passenger seat of Micah’s BMW, her hands clutching a thick white envelope.
Outside the car, a plastic shopping bag careened over the cold sidewalk like an urban tumbleweed, bouncing off the brown weed stalks dying from last week’s autumn cold snap.
Micah gripped the steering wheel, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
Kylie shook her head. “This is literally what you’re paying me to do.”
Micah glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. “Not entirely.”
“Oh, don’t make this dirty. I’ve never tried to scam Salvatore Grande before. I was concentrating too hard on staying alive.”
“This is just a reconnaissance mission. All you need to do is look at the art on the walls, the computer on his desk, and whatever security systems you see. Everything you notice is valuable information. You don’t have to convince him of anything. You don’t have to do anything other than be alert and get out alive.”
“Yeah, I’ll look around. And I can take a picture with my phone if I see anything suspicious.”
