9 Crimes

Author's Note READ FIRST: This story starts in 2004 and is going to span the time that Ghost is in jail before eventually heading into the movie. The title is from the song of the same title by Damien Rice. I am considering breaking this story into 9 crimes or parts, but I might not depending on how long it gets. I hope you enjoy it.

Gordon looked at his crew carefully as he considered their options. "We're going to need help on this one," he finally said.

The men looked at him for a moment, each considering what this meant. The cut would have to be split another way, but they would be able to go after bigger jobs. In the end, it would be worth it. "All right, who do we get," John asked glancing at his friends.

"I might know someone," Jake said quickly. "He's an ivy league, but he's good with computers and could use the money."

"Can we trust him," Ghost asked eyeing Jake suspiciously. He didn't like Jake, never had, but he knew they needed him.

"I trust him," Jake said with a nod.

"We're going to need more than just him though," Gordon replied. This job called for major machinery, fire power, and explosives. "We'll have to go to Charlie."

"Man no way," John said as he stood up. "You remember what happened last time."

"You had it comin Johnny," Ghost replied with a laugh. "You're lucky that's all that happened."

John shook his head at the memory. "No way man, we can find someone else."

"Who else? We don't have time to find someone reliable and have them get what we need. We have to move fast John, and Charlie is the best in the business," Gordon said with a shrug.

"I heard they went legit though," Jake said glancing at John.

"Nah, it's just a cover up," Ghost said. "Charlie likes it too much to ever get out of the business."

"Jake, set up a meeting with your guy. We need to know that he is legit and that he isn't going to flip on us," Gordon said as he pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts before hitting the call button. "Tony, yeah it's Gordon. I need you to set up a meeting with Charlie, as soon as possible."

Jake paced around the loft of his club waiting for the others to arrive. He had setup the meeting for his friend tonight, but so far he was the only one who had shown up. Footsteps on the stairs caused him to pause and glance up. John came into view followed by Gordon.

"You're late," Jake said as they each took a seat. John began fixing himself a drink as Gordon pulled out a cigar.

"Ghost isn't here yet either," John pointed out.

"He's only on time when we have a job," Jake replied. "Besides he should be here any minute."

"What's his name," Gordon asked.

"AJ," a voice said from the doorway. "My name's AJ."

They all turned to look at the blond man. He was thin, but obviously muscular. His blonde hair peeked out of his porkpie hat; he wore black dress pants and a white shirt with a bowtie. He extended his hand to Gordon first.

"Gordon Cozier," Gordon said formally. "This is John Rahway."

"Evening," John said as he shook AJ's hand.

AJ nodded before shaking Jake's hand. "Good to see you man," he said easily. Jake motioned for him to sit as Ghost entered the room.

"Look who decided to finally show up," John joked as he sat down as well.

"I was busy," Ghost said glancing back at Lilly who was coming up the stairs behind him.

"Good to know," Jake said distastefully. Ghost didn't deserve a woman like Lilly. She was way to high class for him. "Nice to see you Lilly."

"You too Jake," Lilly said before greeting John and Gordon. "Who is this?"

"This is AJ," Jake said as AJ stood and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you AJ," Lilly said politely.

"Likewise," AJ said before sitting back down.

"Lilly, can you give us a few minutes sweetheart," Gordon asked. "We have some business to discuss."

"Of course," Lilly said before heading back downstairs. Jake and Ghost watched her as she went, Jake looked away first hoping no one else had noticed. Judging from the look AJ was giving him, it hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Jake says you're good AJ," Gordon said getting right down to business.

"Well, Jake's the best but I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve," AJ said with a shrug.

"Where'd you go to school," John asked.

"Yale," AJ replied.

"This is serious business Ivy League," Ghost said. "We don't mess around."

"Look, I know you pulled my rap sheet. I'm good at what I do and I think I can help you guys out. One job, if it doesn't work out then you can shoot me," AJ said seriously.

"Sounds good to me," Ghost said shooting a look at Gordon. He had the final say over who was in or out.

"All right, we'll give it a try, but if you screw us over you're a dead man," Gordon said firmly.

AJ nodded before glancing around the group. "So what's the plan?"

"Tomorrow we have a meeting with Charlie," Gordon explained. "Don't say it John, Tony set this up and I expect you all to be there. Jake walk AJ through the plan and see what the two of you can come up with. It's your responsibility to bring him to the meeting tomorrow. If this works we're going to have a sixth member of our team."

"G, I'm still not sure," John started to say before Ghost cut him off.

"Can it playboy. Play it cool and Charlie won't bother you," Ghost snapped.

"Besides it's the boss you've got to worry about not Charlie," Jake pointed out. "He's still running things back East."

"That makes me feel so much better Jake," John said sarcastically.

"Who is Charlie," AJ asked.

"An old friend of John's," Ghost said with a smirk. "Charlie is going to setup our equipment."

Jake picked AJ up at his apartment before heading over to Charlie's office. It had been awhile since they had worked with Charlie; Jake wasn't sure what kind of reception to expect.

"Look, don't say much ok," Jake said as he pulled up to the building. He parked next to John and turned to look at AJ. "Last time we all worked together, things got… complicated and let's just say Gordon wasn't too happy with John once it was all said and done."

"I'm standing right here man," John said as AJ and Jake climbed out of the car.

"Hey, I didn't say anything that wasn't true. Where are G and Ghost?"

"Already inside I guess," John said as he headed toward the building. "Look whatever happens in here AJ don't hold it against me."

"Hey so long as I don't get my ass kicked we're good," AJ said as he followed them inside. They joined Ghost and G in the impressive lobby. From outside it looked like your standard warehouse, but the inside had been converted into a modern office space. AJ glanced around noticing the stairs that led to the upper floor.

"Is this everyone Mister Cozier," an assistant asked.

"Yes," Gordon said with a nod.

The assistant picked up the phone and spoke softly into it. "Gordon Cozier and his associates are here to see you."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs as someone came down. "Yes I know," a voice said, preceding the person. "I understand that, but my money is valuable and I don't like it when things go missing."

A young woman with striking features and bright red hair appeared on the staircase. Her accent indicated Boston by way of Ireland. She wore loose fitting navy dress pants and a white button up shirt. The sleeves on the shirt were rolled up revealing a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. She had an earpiece into which she was speaking.

"Listen you know my business philosophy, bet big win big, I sent a lot of money your way and I was guaranteed a massive return. Now either I get that return or we handle this like they do in the old country. You've got until this time tomorrow," she said before clicking off her earpiece. "Holly, write down that Mr. Fanning is supposed to call by 10 am tomorrow. If he doesn't, have a crew drop by to handle this."

"Yes ma'am," the assistant said quickly as the woman came near the bottom of the stairs. She paused a few steps from the end and looked at the group for the first time.

"Well, well, it's been a long time," she said with a smile. "It looks like you recovered all right Johnny."

AJ stared at the woman in confusion as she stepped down and hugged John. "You know I am sorry about that, there's no stopping him when he gets that way," she explained.

"Ah, I understand, I probably deserved it," John said as he released her.

"Probably," Ghost said sarcastically.

"Still got an attitude Ghost, good to know some things never change," she said as she stepped around to shake his hand. "G, you know you could have called me, there's no reason to go through Tony."

"It's been so long I didn't want to take advantage of an old friendship," Gordon said as he hugged her. "How are you sweetheart?"

"I can't complain, business is good," she said as she shook hands with Jake. "Good to see you Jake. Who is this?"

"This is AJ," Jake said gesturing toward the last man.

"Nice to meet you," AJ said extending his hand.

"You too, I'm Charlotte, everyone calls me Charlie though," she said with a smile. "Follow me guys, no need to discuss business in the lobby. Anyone want anything? Water? Coffee? Something stronger?"

Everyone shook their heads before following her through an ornate double door and down a short hallway to a conference room. She motioned them all in as her phone started ringing again. She held up her hand as she checked the caller id.

"Give me just a second guys, I've got to take this," she said as she answered her phone. "This is Charlotte."

AJ watched her for a moment before looking at the other guys. "How old is she," he asked softly.

"22," John said with a grin. "She's hot right? You can see why I got in to trouble over her."

"When you guys said Charlie I assumed it was a guy, I never thought it would be…," AJ trailed off as he motioned to her.

"Yes, I know that," Charlie said into the earpiece. She paused as she listened to the man on the other end. "Well thankfully I am the one running operations here on the West Coast not you, so why don't you back off and let me do things my way. When I want your opinion I will give it to you, until you can shut the hell up and do as I say or you can take it up with my father."

Charlie listened to the man's response with a smirk on her face. "Look I've got a meeting right now, so why don't you call him if you are so concerned? I'm sure he would love to hear about how you botched up the Fanning job and I'm cleaning up your mess."

Charlie hung up the phone and glanced at the guys. "Sorry about that, with the recent move I am still dealing with some angry men who can't handle the new… structure," she explained.

"How long have you been in charge," Gordon asked.

"About 6 months, feels like longer though," Charlie said before sitting down. "Enough about my shit, what can I do for you guys? I'm assuming you aren't here for a social call since it was Tony that set this up."

"We need your help with a job," Gordon said easily. He explained the premises of the job and what they needed. Jake and John occasionally threw in things they would need as well, Ghost and AJ stayed silent.

"Sounds like a big job, how quickly do I need to turn this order around," Charlie asked as she double checked her list.

"Two weeks, sooner if you can," John said firmly.

Charlie let out a low whistle. "I don't know if it's enough time for the explosives. I like to be thorough, but if you can set them up yourselves it will be faster."

The group all exchanged glances, they had experience with explosives but they had never done them on their own. "I can do it," AJ said easily.

"You have experience with this sort of thing," Gordon asked.

"Of course, grew up with it, should be a piece of cake," AJ said quickly.

"All right," Charlie said. "Sounds good to me. Anything else?"

"We're having a party tonight at the club," Jake informed her. "You should stop by."

"Lilly would love to see you," Ghost added.

Charlie laughed softly. "I'll see what I can do, if not tell her I'll call in a couple of days."

"Aight," Ghost said with an easy smile. "So what's the deal girl? You seeing anyone since Johnny boy set your old man off?"

"Real subtle," John drawled as he shook his head at Ghost.

Charlie blushed slightly but met Ghost's steady gaze. "Not really, besides you know I was just using Johnny for the sex. Don't let Blondie fool you."

"Hey, that one time was your idea," John said pointing at her.

"You didn't have to agree to it," Charlie replied holding her hands up in defense. Her assistant appeared at the door motioning for her attention. "Yes Holly?"

"Mr. Fanning is on the phone, he has something to discuss with you," Holly informed her.

"That was fast," Charlie commented. "Gents it was great to see you all, if I can get this taken care of I'll see you tonight."

The men all stood and headed toward the door. "Hey, AJ can you stay for a minute? I need to run something by you about this equipment," Charlie asked.

AJ looked at Jake to see if it was ok before answering. "Yeah, I've got a few minutes."

Charlie nodded at him before picking up the phone in the conference room. "This is Charlotte," she said firmly. She listened for a moment before speaking. "I'm glad it turned up, that sounds like an excellent idea. I want access to those funds by tomorrow morning. Thank you."

Charlie hung the phone back up before looking at AJ. "I don't mean to cast doubt on your abilities, but this is a big job and I know how Gordon likes things done. It's got to be done right, you sure you can handle it," she asked.

"It's a simple setup I've done it before," AJ reassured her.

"All right, I'll have what you need in a couple of days. Do you have somewhere to do your work? We've got plenty of space here if you need it," she explained.

"That would be good actually. I don't think I can explain sneaking C4 into my building."

"I don't know, you look like you could spin a pretty story," Charlie giving him a sweet smile.

"So… will I see you tonight," AJ asked.

"I don't know, I guess you'll just have to wait and see," Charlie said mysteriously.

AJ tipped his hat to her and he headed toward the door. "I look forward to seeing you again Miss Charlotte," he said in a cheesy southern accent.

She laughed loudly at his comment and shooed him out of the room. "Take your tattooed self back to the guys before they think I've kidnapped you or something," she ordered.

AJ headed back into the lobby noticing that the guys weren't there. He pushed the front door open and headed toward the parking lot. He spotted Jake and John standing between their cars as he approached them.

"What took you so long man," John asked. He smirked slightly as though he could tell what AJ was thinking.

"Nothing, she wanted to make sure I had somewhere to do the setup, said I could work here," he explained with a shrug.

"She surprised you huh," Jake asked.

"I just assumed Charlie was a guy, I didn't expect her. What happened with you two," he asked gesturing toward John.

"Three years ago we were doing a job and her dad sent her out here to help us out. One thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together, more than once. I didn't know she was only 19, so our age difference caused a problem, but when her dad caught us in bed together after the job ended and he kicked my ass. I mean seriously kicked my ass, she took me the hospital, but after a job we have no contact for at least 6 months to a year. By that time neither of us wanted to deal with the drama, so we called it quits."

"How much of an age difference are we talking here? It can't be more than a couple of years," AJ commented.

"I was 24 at the time, so five years," John replied.

"Damn you were robbing the cradle on that one John," Jake said with a laugh.

"Very funny, that's the way her dad saw it so I got what I deserved."

"Well she's 22 now, think you guys will…," AJ asked gesturing with his hands.

"Hell no," John said firmly. "Once was enough for me, but I saw the way you looked at her. Be careful man."

"Who is her dad," AJ asked quickly changing the subject.

"He's one of the heads of the Irish mafia, Neil Walsh," Jake explained.

"Shit, no wonder he kicked your ass," AJ said. "What's she doing all the way out here? I thought they were in Boston, Chicago, and Ireland."

"They were, but she convinced her dad that there was money to be made out here, so here she is," John replied. "She's a smart girl, but his guys give her a hard time for being a woman."

"Sounded like she was still dealing with some shit from that one phone call," Jake commented.

"Yeah, I've got to get out of here, got things to do before tonight. I'll see you guys then," John said before climbing into his car.

Jake and AJ climbed into his car as John pulled out. "All right man, break this down for me," AJ asked.

"What? The crew," Jake asked as he pulled out of the parking spot.

"Yeah, what am I getting myself into," AJ asked.

"You have no idea," Jake said with a devious smile.