Page 80 of Damaged

“We’ve kept you in the dark, James. Don’t take offense. It’s always easier this way.”

“You’ve kept me in the dark on what?”

“Those artifacts are insured for their assessed value, yes? The value your assistant derived.”

“Yes. The contract with Lloyd’s was signed before they were shipped.”

“Perfect. Of course. You’re smart. You wouldn’t risk that kind of capital.”

“Cut the shit, Cody. What was I kept in the dark on?”

“We didn’t need to launder any money. We wanted to make some. A professional burglary team is entering yourauction house right about…” Cody looks at his watch. “Oh.” He widens his eyes. “Four minutes ago, actually.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“We’re stealing the artifacts from you, James. Well, kind of. Insurance will cover it. And since you had no clue about this plan, investigators won’t have anything to pin you with.”

I go quiet. I’ve never been played like this before. This is why I should stay clear of secret little boy’s clubs. The artifacts were worth nearly a hundred million.

“Kashmir’s place is a bit of an impenetrable fortress. My father knows a couple buyers in Russia and Arabia that would kill for a bit of Cleopatra’s gold.”

“It’s Kasmir,” I correct. “Is he in on this?”

“No. But my father is. And some higher-ranking members here in The Society. There was a desire to see how you behaved.”

“Bullshit. This isn’t a test. You wanted to make a buck off me.”

“Why can’t it be both?”

“And the Russians?”

“Not us. Independent thieves.”

Suddenly I feel light-headed. Sophia is at the gallery.

I turn to the door, but the bodyguard already has his pistol drawn and trained on my chest. I still calculate how fast I could side-step and get a hand on his wrist.

“What are you nervous about? Your assistant?” He smiles. God, his teeth are small. “We needed someone there to gain access to the inventory vault.”

“You couldn’t have asked me the code?”

“That creates questions. How could the burglars possibly know the code themselves? No. It needed to look like they’d been posted up outside, waiting for an employee to enter at night so they could force them to give them entry to the vault. It’s all beenthought through and orchestrated very well. You have nothing to worry about, James. I even gave you an alibi. You were here.”

I walk toward the door, despite the gun drawn on me.

“The girl will be fine, James.”

“I swear to God, if anybody has laid a finger on her, I’m cutting off each and every one of yours, Cody. One by one.”

He goes white. He’s not very good at playing the tough guy because he isn’t one. “Well… It had to look real. Understand? I didn’t tell them to give her a pedicure.”

I stare at the bodyguard with loathing. He doesn’t look like a pro villain now, either. Not with the beads of sweat running down his shiny forehead.

I move to pass him, and he doesn’t stop me.

“Your little date will be fine, James. Just call it an evening. Get a good night’s sleep. If you don’t do anything stupid, you just renewed your contract with the Department of Defense for the next ten years.”

“Fuck you, Cody.”

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