In over her head (closed-pm to join)

Charlotte (Charlie) Kendall

Paulie's Diner, 74th & Welsh, NYC

2 Years. It had been 2 years since she had left him.

Left him. Left their marriage.

Well, technically, they were still married. At least on paper.

Charlie knew Andrew didn't want to see her but she could tell when she had called him earlier in the week, he was surprised to hear from her. Although when she asked him to meet her, he didn't sound too thrilled because she was sure he knew I only wanted one thing.

Money.

No, Charlie wasn't going to blackmail Andrew out of money. She needed money because of a little gambling problem seemed to have.

Yeah...she had been forced to admit it. Usually Charlie was able to dig herself out of the debts she had acquired but not this time. Charlie had been in too deep for this one. She needed $50k by the end of the week or else she was dead.

That's what happens to one who borrows from the Russian Mob.

Originally it had been $10k...but you know, interest and all...

He was about 20 minutes late. Even though he said he would meet Charlie, she wasn't sure if he really would or not. Not after what she did to him...marrying him for his money and then leaving him shortly after...

In all truths, Charlie had no one else to turn to but Andrew.

bump....

He sat there in the dark, the Lincoln Towncar idling around him, rain dancing lightly on the roof.

Logically, he told himself, she wouldn't have asked, no, begged, him to meet her in this crappy diner in the middle of the night because she wanted to beg his forgiveness.

With the same logic, he reasoned that she probably wanted something, and judging by the meeting circumstances and her past history, it was not a ride to the airport. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her, let alone had a conversation of any substance with her, but he remembered the night she left......

Andrew pulled himself from his thoughts as his driver repeated the question. "Do you want me to go around the block again sir"?

He shook his head no, resigning himself to the fact that for all her faults, she was persistent and would not likely just go away because he didn't show up. Turning up his collar against the wind blowing across the river, he stepped from the car and made his way to the diner doors.