The Con

The Con: Part 1/9

Title: The Con

Rating: PG

Characters: Killian, Emma, Belle, Robin

Category: Romance/Drama/Humor

Note: This is an AU I wrote a few months ago.  Hope you enjoy it! ~Steph

...The Con: Part 1/9...

~Rule #1: Never approach a mark. Let her come to you.~

Killian Jones and his best friend and partner, Robin, sat at a little cafe in downtown Manhattan, the morning newspaper spread out before them. It was the first Monday of the month and they had a first Monday of the month ritual.

On that Monday, they would scour the newspaper for their next mark. They were con men and damn good ones. They always ran the con together, with Killian taking the lead. He was more experienced and a natural charmer, so Robin was more than happy to allow him to lead the con, while he gathered intel.

They always looked for specific things in the articles, mostly focusing on the lifestyle, local, and obituary sections. They looked for single, wealthy women. If a rich man was listed in the obituary section, then they always checked to see if he had a widow they could swindle. They were usually older women and certainly not Killian's favorite marks. No, he preferred the young, beautiful, wealthy women.

Robin was combing through the obituaries today, while Killian searched lifestyle. Robin tapped his finger on a name.

"Walter Pettigrew, CEO of some big advertising agency just died. Leaves a widow and no children. Perfect. No children to grow suspicious of your motives."

But Killian didn't hear him. He was too busy staring at a picture of the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

"Killian? Did you hear me?" Robin asked.

Killian swallowed hard and then tapped his finger on the picture. "No, it's her. She's our next mark."

Robin leaned over and looked at the picture and accompanying article. "Emma Swan?"

Killian nodded, his finger sweeping across her face. "She's an heiress. The article says her parents perished in a car accident when she was 5. They had no other family so she was raised by a nanny. They left her their entire fortune. They made their money in oil for generations. The article is about a foundation for orphaned children she just started."

Robin winced. "I don't know, mate. Do we really want to con a lass who's trying to help disadvantaged kids? There has to be a line."

"She's the one," Killian whispered, unable to take his eyes off her face.

Robin stared at him for a long moment, then read the rest of the article. His eyes widened.

"Whoa, hold on a bloody minute. It says she owns a security firm that specializes in private investigation."

Killian shrugged. "So?"

"So?" Robin said, his eyebrows lifting. "Killian, it's her job to sniff out people like us. She'll see us coming a mile away."

Killian tore his eyes away from Emma and flashed Robin a grin. "You know I love a challenge. Plus, she must have wealthy clients. We can gain access to her records and then use the information on future cons. It's a win-win." Killian paused, his gaze moving back to Emma's picture, as his voice softened. "She's the one, Robin. It's settled."

"But I-..."

Killian cut him off "She's holding a fundraising gala tomorrow night to launch the foundation. We're going to be in attendance."