“Wait!” She inhales. Exhales. “Art. Leo never talked to me about anything except art.”
Triumph sweeps through me.
Gotcha.
I sit back down in the chair. “Tell me about the painting.”
She slumps, shoulders rounded with defeat. “You were right. It’s one of mine.” She glares at her kneecaps like they betrayed her.
Her dejected posture drains some of my satisfaction. I want her fire and sass…but I also have a task to complete. “How long have you been an art forger for the De Lucas?”
Her head snaps up. “Art forger?”
I cross my arms and smirk at her obvious shock. “Your surprise that I figured it out is almost insulting. Libertas has been painting for over twenty years, so unless you were some wunderkind, there’s no way you’re the original artist.”
The discovery gratifies me because I love solving puzzles. Lately, we’ve all failed in that arena. Especially me, since part of my job is to track down information and decode it to keep our organization thriving. Being stumped for so long makes me feel like a hack with a laptop.
Now, I can follow through on my promise and bring useful intel back to Finn.
No more standing there with nothing while he regards me with disappointment.
He’s fighting a war and trying to find a mole. Cian’s either glued to his side or out on the front lines. Darren usually goes back and forth between them, acting as support for their various projects. And me, what am I good for? Finding impossible information to give us the leg-up on our enemies and help us reverse this losing streak.
We all just want some peace and quiet. If Kiara’s information leads to us crushing Leo like the cockroach he is, then maybe we’ll finally achieve that goal.
“I didn’t expect a guy like you to even know about Libertas,” Kiara grumbles, stalling. “Or art in general.”
Her jab bounces off me. I know a lot of guys like me don’t give a shit about art. I never would have found Libertas either if my mom hadn’t introduced me.
My brain spins. This didn’t occur to me when I was piecing the puzzle together earlier, but if Kiara’s an art forger, does that mean she and Leo were never fucking? I love the idea of that a little too much. But if a lover’s quarrel didn’t send Kiara fleeing from the auction, what did?
Before I can hit her with another question, my phone blares to life.
And not just with any ringtone. With the one I reserve for Finn.
That means my time’s up. I need to go report to him on what I’ve found out from Kiara today. He won’t be expecting any drama likethis.
I had a hunch about Kiara’s value, but I never could have guessed she was this deeply entangled with the De Lucas. And my gut insists there’s more to the story.
I stand, answering Finn’s call in the same motion. “I’m on my way up,” I tell him, and the line drops.
“What’s going on?” Kiara climbs off the bed and follows me to the door, a puppy who doesn’t want to be left alone.
Something about that small, unconscious gesture pricks me right in the heart.
This woman. She’s a menace.
“I’ve got work to do, and you need to get your story straight.” I give her a long look. “I want to hear all about it when I get back.”
“You’re leaving?”
One of my eyebrows quirks. “You going to miss me?”
Her face pinches into a scowl. She’s so damn cute that I actually laugh out loud.
She startles and stares for a moment before shaking her head. “What am I supposed to do in here by myself? How long are you planning to keep me here?—”
“If you need something, tell me what it is.”
