Page 149 of The Chase
Tobias rolled his eyes and used his foot to kick the door closed behind him.
I knocked on the conference room window after Danny to get his attention and shouted through the glass, “Call me, okay? If you need to talk about today.”
Danny offered me a thumbs-up.
I turned back to Tobias. “He’ll tell everyone about us.”
“You don’t mind that?” He tipped my chin up. “Do you?”
“Of course not. I’m just not sure how Adley will take me moving in on his most prestigious client.”
“Think of me as a perk.” He waggled his eyebrows and pulled me into him.
“You don’t know how wonderful it is to see you.” I glanced back at my folder.
“Sounds like you both had a rough day.”
“We found something at the Witt. The provenance of one of the paintings appears to have a sketchy history. We can’t be certain but it looks like a possible homicide is connected to the theft, dating back to 1955.”
“That would be difficult to prosecute now. Even with hard evidence.”
“I know. And all to own a Titian.”
His gaze drifted to the file. “Anything else turn up?”
There ran an insidious thread connecting Titian’s painting, the Jaeger’s Munch, and now mySt. Joan.All of them sharing the one common denominator of a sketchy provenance.
I stilled as the pieces formed in my mind. “Looks like the work of Icon.”
He gave a shrug. “Sounds like karma.”
“Sounds like arrogance. Whoever this is, they’re reckless. He’s unpredictable. He’s passing over pieces that far exceed what he’s taking. For someone driven by money this doesn’t add up.”
“Maybe it’s not what’s driving him. There’s more fuel than finance. Wealth isn’t the only motivation.”
“Well, I’m not letting up. That Titian is still out there and I’m not going to stop until I find it.”
He leaned in to kiss my neck, and it was impossible to resist him. He crushed his lips to mine and kissed me greedily. When his hands cupped my butt and pulled me into him, I caved into his possessive hold and opened my mouth further, tangling with his tongue as this stir of arousal sent my thoughts scattering.
I smiled at him. “You’re the best surprise a girl could wish for.”
His expression became thoughtful. “You asked me to let you in.”
I caressed his cheek and gave a smile of encouragement.
He leaned into my palm. “There’s something I want to show you.”
* * *
Our destination remained cloaked in secrecy.
With Tobias at the wheel of his sporty silver Jaguar, we drove along the backstreets of London and all the way to Copperfield Street.
Now and again, Tobias’s eyes would lift from the road ahead and flit over to me, and each time I melted in my seat. When he reached over and held my hand I felt our closeness more than ever.
After thirty minutes of winding our way through traffic, Tobias parked his Jag alongside a large wall covered in lush greenery.
He reached over and kissed the back of my hand. “I’ve never shown anyone this. No one knows of my involvement. I’d very much like it to stay that way.”
