Page 30 of The Thief

He’s right,and yet,I’m in no mood to hear it.

My thoughts keep returning to Lucia.

I don’t understand why I rushed to her side yesterday, not even stopping long enough to clean off. I felt something I couldn’t identify when I saw her crying by her parents’ graves, and suddenly, it was important to see her smile.

Instead of impressing on her that there would be consequences for defying me, I made the Titian a game. My most prized possession and I practically invited her to steal it.

I threw down the gauntlet in challenge, just so that she could pick it up.

And pick it up she had. And the thought of us engaged in a back-and-forth battle over theMadonna at Reposefills me with heady anticipation.

Lucia Petrucci is an addiction, and even though I know better, I’m lining up for my next hit. And it’s a mistake, but I don’t care.

“Yes?”

“I figured it out. In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve only seen you lose your temper once. Ten years ago, you ordered Marco into exile after he tried to rob a woman at the docks. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that woman was Lucia.”

Damn it. I have no idea how Dante found out about our connection, but I’m not surprised. This is the problem with hiring smart people. Eventually, they figure out your secrets.

“She hasn’t been back to Venice in ten years,” Dante says. “But when Arthur Kirkland sent you that video, you recognized her right away. Even though you haven’t seen her in a decade.”

“I’m good at faces,” I say, my tone making it clear I consider this conversation over. “There’s no need to make a big deal about it.”

“If you say so,” he replies. Unfortunately, he’s not done. “Kicking Marco out of Venice was complicated,” he continues in what must surely be the understatement of the year. “He was Domenico’s nephew, the apple of his eye, and Domenico was never willing to rein him in. You almost got yourself killed when you exiled him. I never knew why you did it.”

“Marco broke the rules, and he paid the price.”

“Or you did it for the girl.”

“You’re overstating Lucia’s importance,” I reply. “Now, if you’re done?—”

“Almost.” He fixes me with a serious look. “Back then, if you told me you did it for a woman, I would’ve called you the biggest fool in the world. But now. . . I understand better.”

Dante has spent the last decade pining over a woman he’s convinced he can’t have. Yes, he would definitely understand my obsession with Lucia.

I’m not obsessed with her. I’m just making sure she doesn’t steal my Titian.

“I’m just saying. . . You’ve done plenty for Venice. Your city is safe, and your people are prosperous.”

“What about the threat from Gafur?” I cut in.

He shrugs. “There’s always a threat on the horizon,” he says. “It doesn’t mean you need to stop living. Lucia Petrucci obviously means something to you. Maybe it’s time to be a little selfish, Antonio.”

16

LUCIA

Idon’t even know where to start with stealing the Titian from Antonio. It’s not as if I can ask Valentina for help. I mean, he’s her boss, and I don’t want to put her in an awkward situation. I’m thinking about how to approach the problem when I’m suddenly faced with a different one.

Dottore Garzolo finds out about the Titian.

It happens on Monday afternoon. I’m in my office, working on cataloging a cabinet filled with turn-of-the-century photographs, when my boss knocks on my door. “Hello, Lucia,” he says, coming into the small, windowless room. “What are you working on?”

“Old photographs of Venice.”

He picks up one of the photographs and puts it down. “Interesting.” He looks around, and his eyes land on one of the paintings I found in the storage room on Friday. This one, a pastoral landscape, is a genuine Giorgione.

“Ah,” he exclaims. “Sunset Over the River. I haven’t seen that painting in over a decade. I forgot all about it.” He picks it up reverently and peers nearsightedly at the canvas. “Look at the brush strokes, the feeling of moonlight on the water, the soft, luminous colors. We last exhibited it a few months after I started. It was credited to Giorgione, but now, I’m not sure. It might be a Titian or even a Domenico Mancini. Where did you find this?”

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