Owen looks up at Giovanni from where we’re sitting on the floor. “Can I ask you a question?”
Giovanni hesitates a moment, his hand stopping halfway toward what I think is a rolled parchment in a fancy case. Then he nods and turns his attention fullyto Owen, which tells me that the man must really respect Owen.
“Did you care at all about The Shadowridge, or any of the other restorations you financed? Or did you just choose historical buildings because they made smuggling more convenient?”
“There are a lot of paths I could choose to make smuggling more convenient. I choose to finance restorations because there’s something sacred about reviving a place that time tried to forget. These buildings—cathedrals, opera houses, theaters—each one carries the soul of the people who walked their halls a hundred years ago and the bones of craftsmanship that no one bothers with anymore. Each time I walk into a space that was nearly lost to history but is alive again because I made it happen… Well, that’s the closest thing I know to immortality.”
I’m watching Owen’s face as warring emotions cross it. This man obviously feels the same way that Owen does about historical places, yet he’s also a criminal mastermind. And the reason why Owen is about to have his dream of restoring The Shadowridge ripped away.
“Why did you choose The Shadowridge?”
I know that the answer Owen is really asking is, why did it have to be the place he loves? Why couldn’t he have chosen anywhere else that would allow himto keep his dream? But Giovanni answers the question Owen actually asked.
“That was because of you. And that spark in your eyes when you talked about The Shadowridge. That reverence for the past, the sense that these walls aren’t just brick and plaster, but witnesses to history. I thought, finally, someone who understands that breathing life into something ancient is about legacy. I didn’t just finance The Shadowridge, Owen. I backed someone who believed, as deeply as I do, that the past deserves a future.”
The two men just look at each other for a long moment, a certain respect passing between them. There’s more, though, and I can’t even begin to guess what all is going through Owen’s mind right now.
“It’s all going to be ruined, you know. They aren’t going to let me finish.”
Giovanni gives a heavy sigh. “That’s the biggest tragedy in all of this. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you won’t be able to.” He turns back to his tasks of helping Man Bun Menace pack up the remaining objects.
Owen asks, “Then why smuggle artifacts? Why not something else?Anythingelse.”
“Maybe because I like working with people who also appreciate the past. Those are the buyers I want to seek out. The people I want to do business with.”
“But how can you have so muchappreciation for the past, yet try to take it away from people?” Owen gestures at all the antiquities the men are packing up. “Everyone should be able to appreciate those.”
“Because not everyone does. So, why not give them to people who are willing to pay a lot of money for them?”
“Why smuggle at all?” I ask. “Why not use that brilliant mind of yours for something less illegal?” Like something that doesn’t require me to investigate you, leading to your takedown right along with the takedown of my boyfriend’s dream.
Giovanni gives me a sly smile. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
Ahh. It’s about the challenge for him. Could he not find some other way to be challenged?
“So what’s next for you?” Owen asks him.
That’s a great question. He and Giovanni seem to have quite a rapport. I’m hoping he’ll give Owen a really good answer. Especially since Giovanni sees me as a scared little girl, not the woman who works for an intelligence agency who, when it comes to her work, is on fire. Not the tech op who executes plans like a boss, and is responsible for his current predicament.
“What’s next?” Giovanni echoes, almost to himself. “Let’s just say that there is always history looking to change hands. And not every exit is an ending.”
As Giovanni and Man Bun Menace each finish putting their final bubble-wrapped object into one oftwo big canvas packs, I ask, “What’s next forus?” Because, honestly, I’m getting a little scared. I think we’ve stalled him for long enough, but I don’t think the agents are going to come down into the tunnels—they’re going to wait for Giovanni to go up. And I don’t know what he plans to have happen between now and then.
He looks at me for a moment, then at Owen. “I like you, Owen. If it were anyone else, my answer would be different. Obviously, I can’t have you calling for help before I get far enough away to avoid being caught, so I’m going to leave you here. Once I am safely away, I’ll have an associate call in an anonymous tip on where to find you.” He glances at me. “I’ll even leave the light on for your girlfriend.”
Man Bun Menace gets his pack on first and heads down the tunnel toward the restaurant, flashlight in hand. Giovanni puts his pack on and then says, “Goodbye, Owen. I wish you the best in your future projects.” Then he turns to follow Man Bun.
We watch as Man Bun reaches the ladder at the end, steps up a rung, and opens the hatch above him. He steps up another rung before he sees what is surely a bunch of FBI agents, probably in full tactical gear, surrounding the opening. He gets the bright idea to step back down, but he barely moves before they reach down to pull him up.
Giovanni started running back in ourdirection the moment he spotted trouble, and he races straight to the opening leading up to The Shadowridge as agents pour into the tunnel from the restaurant. He quickly unlocks the hatch closer to where we are, only to find that there are just as many agents waiting for him there.
I grin at Owen as we both turn our hands to slip out of the zip ties and stand. Owen wraps his arms around me and turns me in a circle, like he’s so happy we found our way out of this that he has to spend the excitement somehow. “Can you believe we did it?”
I slide my arms around his neck and move in close. “Because you, Owen Hollis, have excellent stalling skills.”
“And you, Charlotte Lancaster, are way better than Chuck Norris or Liam Neeson.” I laugh, and he adds, “You are incredible.”
“Would you say I’m on fire?”
