Three Fates

Burdett,” she hissed. “He’s got someone with him, but I can’t really see her.”
    “Let’s have a look.” Malachi nudged her aside, looked for himself, then let out his own whoop. To Tia’s surprise, he flipped locks, pulled open the door, then yanked the redhead into his arms.
    “There’s my girl!” He spun her once, kissed her hard, then dropped her back on her feet. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded in a lightning change of mood. “What the hell are you doing with him?”
    “I’ll tell you if you give me two seconds to get a breath.” Instead of answering, she turned to launch herself at Gideon. “Isn’t this a wonder? The three of us in New York.”
    “I’d like to know why we are,” Malachi continued, “when you should be home.”
    “So you and Gid can have all the fun? Bollocks to that. Hello, you must be Tia.” Smiling broadly, she stuck out a hand, grabbed Tia’s and shook hard and fast. “I’m Rebecca, and sorry to confess, I’m sister to these two heathens who can’t be bothered to tell you who’s walked in your door. It’s such a lovely place you have here. It is Cleo?” She turned to the brunette who leaned lazily against the back of the couch. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Jack Burdett, as Tia already knows, and we’ve brought considerable news with us.”
    The bell rang again.
    “That better be the Chinese,” Cleo said. “And let’s hope he brought extra egg rolls.”
    “Becca.” Gideon drew her aside, lowered his voice as Tia dealt with the delivery. “You’ve no business running off this way with a strange man.”
    “Why not?” Cleo demanded. “I did. Tia, I’m going to open some wine. Okay?”
    “Yes.” Because her head was spinning, Tia leaned back against the door, her arms full of Chinese takeout. Her apartment was full of people, and most of them were talking at once. In very loud voices. She was going to eat food loaded with MSG and would probably die young because of it.
    Her mother was barely speaking to her, there was a priceless objet d’art hidden behind the two-percent milk in her refrigerator, and she was sharing her bed with a man who was currently shouting at his sister.
    It was exhausting. It was . . . wonderful.
    “Been a busy little bee, haven’t you?” Jack commented.
    “Here. Let me give you a hand with those. Anybody order pot stickers?”
    “I did.” Cleo wandered over to him with an open bottle of wine. “I might share if you can manage to shut those three up.”
    “I can do that.” He angled his head, took a good long look at her. “She didn’t do you justice. Didn’t figure she would.”
    “Oh. Who?”
    “Anita Gaye.” The name, as he’d expected, dropped the room into silence. “She called about an hour ago, asked me to find you.”
    Cleo’s fingers tightened on the neck of the bottle. “Looks like I’m found.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” Rebecca demanded.
    “Easier to tell it once. She gave me the impression you’re a dangerous character,” he said to Cleo.
    “Bet your ass.”
    “Good. Let’s break out these pot stickers and talk about it.”

    HER LIVING ROOM was a mess. Correction, Tia thought, her life was the mess. There was a voice inside her head lecturing her to clean it up, this very minute. But it was a little hard to hear it with all the voices going on outside her head.
    She now had connections to thieves and murderers. And two precious objets d’art in her apartment.
    “Cunningham,” Malachi said as he studied the two statues. “It just figures. If you think about it all, if you believe the way life spins around, it just figures. There’s two of them.” He looked at his brother. “There’s what we were after.”
    “We were,” Gideon agreed, “at the start of it.”
    “We’re not at the start of it anymore.” Cleo surged to her feet, rage trembling through her. “That one’s mine, and don’t you forget it. I’ll see it melted down into a puddle before that bitch gets her hands on it.”
    “Calm yourself down, Cleo,” Malachi advised.
    “The hell I will. The three of you want to pay her back, that’s your business. But it stopped being about money when she had Mikey killed. He’s worth more than money.”
    “Of course he is.” For the first time in days, Gideon touched her, gently, just a brush of his hand against her leg.
    “I’m sorry about your friend.” Rebecca set down her wineglass. “I wish there was a way to make it