Page 118 of The Maverick
He smirked. “No, Lily Pad. I’m showing youa special room.”
I laughed. “With an electrical box and boiler?”
“But highly advanced.”
The door opened to another hallway. We made our way along it and entered another door that led us down several flights of stairs.
“Is this some kind of bunker?”
“A safe room. It’s called The Gathering.”
He pressed his palm to a screen, pressed a code, and shifted his position to where something scanned his face. A noise sounded, and the door clicked open.
“That’s some security you havethere,” I said.
“Before we leave, I’ll set you up so the screen recognizes you too.” He stepped in, leaned his cane against the wall, and looked at me. “If you’re ever in danger and need to use this room, you’ll have access to it.” He described the concrete walls, made of high-density steel, and how the door was both bulletproof and fireproof. It sounded like he was preparing for the apocalypse.
I nodded. “Who else has access to this?”
“Agnes and Joseph.”
I didn’t know what to say. He was trusting me with this room, which obviously held his most prized possessions.
Attikus walked around the room, which had cream-colored walls and warm lighting. On the walls were more framed drawings that resembled the ones displayed at home.
I turned to admire more art, and my heart swelled. “You’re Edgar Moore?” I walked up to theThree Roads Diverged in a Dark Woodpainting I had shipped off to the buyer in Boston.
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I placed that custom order a while ago under an alias. I wanted to see what you could come up with based on my brief description. And you delivered a masterpiece. It’s one of my favorites. That’s why it’s here.”
“SoThe Lost Lily Padisn’t a favorite anymore?” I teased.
“I can’t store everything in here. I needed reminders of you in my home too. So I chose that piece because it was the first painting I got from you.”
“I didn’t realize I had a stalker.”
He bent down for a kiss. “I guess I was attracted to you back then. Curious about the gorgeous artist who could reach into my soul.” He turned his attention back to the painting. “You’re the third road—the option that wasn’t visible to me. But I discovered it as I discovered you—what love can do to a person. You led me to my healing.”
“Attikus.” I wrapped my arms around him, appreciating his declaration.
“Come look at these.” He opened the door to a room full of my paintings.
I walked up to them, running my fingers down each frame. I’d sold these to people over the years. Some had been custom orders.
“How did you find these?”
“You can achieve a lot with money. Joseph had been helping me locate your work for a while.”
I was speechless. “Why do you have this room, Whistler?”
“It was an urge that grew into something complex,” he said. “I guess I built it as a way of protecting myself. It made me feel safe knowing I had a place to go to when the world fell apart. I had been planning my vengeance toward Ashton, Bobby, and Harry for a long time.” He looked around. “This room gave me a place to rest my mind and soul so I could recuperate.”
I spotted an office to the side and also a room with a bed. “You sleep here?”
“Sometimes when I work late.” He walked up to me. “But I don’t anymore since you moved into my house.”
He had a massive board filled withpictures and notes about his enemies. The research board looked like a second version of what he had at home.
I touched his cheek. “Despite how this room can protect you, it feels lonely.”
