Three Fates

it.”
    “How did you look at it?” Tia asked.
    “As a paycheck. Bottom line.” Cleo shrugged and dug into the chips again. “Modesty’s not a big issue for me. Most of the men, they don’t see you anyway. They just see tits and ass. For me, it paid the rent and gave me a chance to choreograph and dance. I had some pretty sharp numbers.”
    “I’d love to see sometime. Not the stripping part,” Tia said, going beet red when Cleo laughed. “The dancing.”
    “See, she’s really nice. You know what I think? That stuff you said before, about all of us being meant to come together. That rings for me. The three of us would never be sitting here like this otherwise. That’s cool. Now I’ve got a question for you,” she said to Rebecca. “You banging Jack yet, or what?”
    “Cleo.”
    “Oh, like you don’t wonder,” she tossed back, dismissing Tia’s appalled whisper.
    “Not yet.” Rebecca lifted her glass. “But I’m thinking about it. And now that we’ve brought up sex, I’d like to continue that area as pertains to Anita Gaye. The boys downstairs, they can play with the toys, study the maps and make manly noises over the technology of the thing. But they don’t understand what she is, inside. It takes a woman for that. It takes a woman to really see that sort of female ruthlessness. No matter what they say, a man’s always going to imagine a woman’s just a bit weaker, softer, easier than he is. We’re not. She’s not.”
    “She’s cold,” Tia said quietly. “All the way through, I think. It makes her more dangerous because she doesn’t care—not on any level—about anyone but herself. She wouldn’t hesitate to hurt someone to get what she wants. She probably thinks she deserves it. I’m getting analytical again,” she apologized. “All those years in therapy, and suddenly I’m a psychologist.”
    “I think you make sterling sense,” Rebecca agreed. “And I haven’t met the woman as yet. I’m getting a clearer picture of her from you than I did from Malachi. His description was colored with his own embarrassment, I think, and his anger. Once she knows we’ve outwitted her—as, by God, we will—what do you think she’ll do?”
    “She’ll try to take it out on at least one of us. Your family,” Tia said. “Because it started with Malachi.”
    “Cleo? You agree with that?”
    “Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “Yeah, I do.”
    “As do I. So, we have to make certain she can’t reach us. Whatever happens, we have to expose her for what she is. And take away her power.”
    “I’ve sort of started working on that.” Tia rose, walked into the kitchen to finally start the coffee. “Money gives her power, and if you look at her marriage, you have to conclude money is vital to her. I thought it might be helpful to find out how much she has. Then we’d have an idea how much we need to . . . what’s the word?” She stopped with the coffee scoop in one hand. “Hose her for. Is that right?” she asked Cleo.
    “Isn’t she great? Amateur, my ass. Tia honey, I think you could make a living out of this.”
    Downstairs Gideon jiggled the loose change in his pocket. “They’re taking a lot of time putting together coffee and tea.”
    Jack glanced at his computer clock, shrugged. “They went up there to huddle. But . . .” He turned to his monitors, danced his fingers over a keyboard and engaged the apartment cameras.
    When the women appeared on-screen, Malachi let out a low whistle. “You’ve spy cameras in your own flat? Does the word paranoia have any personal meaning for you?”
    “I prefer to think of it as thorough.”
    “They’ve crisps up there,” Gideon pointed out. “Should’ve known Cleo would nose out crisps. Almost looks like a party. Christ, they make a pretty picture, don’t they?”
    “Classy blonde, gorgeous redhead, sexy brunette.” Jack scanned the screen. “Covers all the bases. Take a good look because we’re going to have to decide how far into this we’re going to take them.”
    “I don’t see as we have much choice,” Gideon commented.
    “There’s always a choice.”
    “You’re meaning we can hold things back from them.” Malachi had leaned closer to the screen and now straightened. “Keep certain parts of the plan from them, tucking them up, as it were, to protect them from Anita.”
    “She’s responsible for two deaths so far. She’s got no reason to quibble about a third.”
    “It won’t do, Jack.” Malachi