Meghan Ross: Con Artist in Training

Inside Track (Part 1)

"Meghan, I have to go do something for work. I'll meet you at the home, alright?" Mike said as he put his cellphone in his shoulder bag. He lifted his bike from its wall mount. "I want your homework done before you leave."

"Got it," Meghan replied. "I'm not to leave the apartment until my homework is finished and no deviating between here and Grammy's. Every day it's a new rule."

"And why so many rules?"

"Because I keep breaking them... do we have to go through this every time one of us walks out the door?"

"You just answered your own question. I have to go. Harvey was expecting me to leave here five minutes ago."

"You might as well tell him about me. If you did, you wouldn't be working as many late nights as you are."

"And how would that conversation go now that my background check has already been done and you don't exist on paper anymore? Hi, Harvey. This is my sister. I'm sorry my background check said she died in the womb, but there's a good reason for that. See, my brother, who also does not appear in the document, is a reformed con artist with past dealings in the criminal underworld. And Danny didn't want anyone from that world to know to keep us safe. Also, the US Marshall service has been looking for us for the last twelve years."

Meghan hung her head for a moment before replying with, "Yeah... that would be kinda difficult to explain with his loyalty speeches, wouldn't it?"

Mike felt the need to repeat the rules once again before saying goodbye and maneuvering his bike down the stairs. Meghan closed the door behind him. She rolled her eyes as she set the table with her overdue assignments.

She focused on one subject at a time. Five weeks-worth of assignments needed to be worked on, and she had to be at the home in two hours.

~***~***~

He thought he'd have some peace of mind between the time he left his apartment and the time he arrived at Harvey's car club only to be left behind because he was a few seconds late. Now he was late to the meet Harvey's client.

His cell phone rang while he connected his bike to the bike rack on the sidewalk. "Calling to complain about the new rule?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you doing your homework?"

"I just wanted to ask about going to Neal's if this meeting turns into an all-nighter."

"Has he initiated contact with you?" he asked, walking through the door.

"Not today."

"Then I expect you to be at the home. And then be home by curfew." There was silence from Meghan's side. Mike leaned forward to fix the hem of his pant leg. "Meghan, I asked you a question."

"No, you didn't."

"It was implied, and you know it."

"Fine. I'll be home by city curfew law."

He couldn't be too annoyed by the dripping attitude from his little sister. After all, he couldn't forget his own teenage years and the problems he'd caused for both Edith and the Marshalls. Mike hung up once satisfied with her response. Once he got a real look at his surroundings, his jaw dropped. The room was filled with high end cars. The kind of cars that would have a million-dollar monthly payment in comparison to what he could afford if he ever learned how to drive.

Mike finally saw where his boss was, bent over and examining the interior of what looked like an even higher tech DeLorean than the movies.

"Glad you showed up," came Harvey's irritated voice from the driver's side of the car."