Page 28 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

Petry turned back to the window. “When are you going to try again?”

“Again? I don’t think that’s a good idea. Getting through his security isn’t going to get any easier. I’m told even the officers on scene were impressed by it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, after this, Barrington beefs up what he already has.”

“Do you think I care about any of that? Figure out a way to get this done or start praying you can find a new job after I nuke your reputation. Or worse.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nico made a hasty exit and hoofed it to his own office at the opposite end of the floor.

His assistant, who always introduced herself as “Karol with a K,” shot out of her seat the second she saw him, a look of worry on her face. “M-M-Mr. Petry has been looking for you all morning.”

“I just saw him.”

“Oh.” She glanced past Nico, as if expecting to see Petry heading this way. “Is everything okay?”

“Couldn’t be better. Get me some coffee.”

“Coffee. Sure.”

He entered his office and shut the door behind him.

Petry was out of his mind. There was no way Nico would send anyone back to Barrington’s house. Doing so would only end in another disaster, making connecting the job back to them even more likely.

The very definition of a fixer’s job was to never let who he was working for get caught. But Nico was sure Petry would not let this go. There was more to his boss’s desire to hurt Barrington than mere retaliation for the trial’s outcome. Nico didn’t know what it was, nor did he want to. What he needed to concentrate on was finding a compromise that would sate his boss, or he could kiss his highly paid career goodbye. Or, as Petry had so eloquently put it, worse.

Karol brought him his coffee and left again as quickly as she came. He sipped it as he went back through the reports about Barrington that his contacts had given him, trying to come up with a solution that would satisfy Petry.

The paintings were such an obvious answer. Damn Toby for messing that up!

A page near the back of one of the reports caught his eye. It was a photo of a document found at a gallery that Barrington had asked to be on the lookout for more of his mother’s work.

While Barrington had apparently made it clear he was interested in any of her pieces, he had also provided a list of the paintings he was most keen on acquiring.

Nico had only glanced at it before as it had no relevance to his plan to break into the lawyer’s house. Now, however, he realized the paintings were the answer, and a new plan formed in his mind.

Implementing it would require a resource he didn’t have direct access to, but he knew someone who could point him to the right people.

Grinning, he called Eddie Benitez, the man who’d gotten Nico into the fixer business.

Chapter 10

Holly’s plane landed right on time. Unlike the imposing 747 bearing the presidential seal that usually shepherded her around, this aircraft was an unadorned Gulfstream G-800.

The aircraft taxied to an open hangar, where it was then towed inside. Everyone remained on board until the hangar doors were closed.

Stone had tagged along with the Secret Service detail assigned to pick her up. When Holly deplaned, she walked right into his open arms.

“Welcome to Santa Fe,” he said and gave her a long kiss.

“I didn’t expect to see you until I reached the house.”

“And why would I waste a minute of valuable time?”

“I’ve always liked the way you think.” She kissed him again.

They left the hangar in a black Suburban with tinted windows, flanked by identical vehicles, and were at the Lees’ in no time.

The front door swung open as they walked up. Kate stood just inside, holding a margarita in each hand.

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