Page 78 of Take the Sub and Run

“You said copies first.”

“But they're forgeries.”

Sofie cocked her head, studying him. “I didn't admit to that.”

“But you did admit to having original artworks in your possession, many of which you either suspected or knew belonged in a museum?” Andrei tsked. “Your claim of innocence is getting harder to believe.”

“Innocence?” She smirked. “I never said I was a virgin.”

Andrei flinched at the word “virgin” and Sofie grinned in triumph. This was fun.

He recovered quickly. “The virgin maybe-thief,” Andrei mocked. “Planning to steal all those pieces of art she forged…”

“That would be stupid.”

“Then what are you stealing?”

“My paintings.”

“Your forgeries.”

“No, my art. My art.” Sofie pressed a hand to her chest as she emphasized the second “my.”

The mocking expression dropped from Andrei’s face. “Your art…”

Sofie sighed. She hadn’t planned to tell anyone, even Colette, this. However, the situation had gotten out of her control, if it had ever been in her control in the first place.

Sofie gestured at the computer keyboard. “May I?”

Andrei had to lean over and type in a password to unlock the computer. His arm brushed against her as he typed, and when he sat back, he placed his hand on her knee, even as she scooted forward in her chair to reach the keys.

A few seconds later, and she had a news article pulled up.

“Oh fuck,” Landon breathed.

Andrei looked at her, back at the article, and then started to laugh.

“What?” Colette said as she burst into the room. “What is it?”

“Were you listening at the door?” Landon demanded.

Rolf sighed. “Will someone please share the screen?”

Sofie scooted to one side so Colette could share her chair, but Colette opted to perch on Landon's knee. It seemed like an odd and intimate position for her to take, given their audience. But then again, these four people shared a bond from when they rescued Colette.

Sofie rolled her shoulders to try and shrug off that familiar feeling of being left behind. Of being the one who stayed at home while others went out and had adventures. Though she was sure Colette would not have described it as an adventure.

“Vatican unveils four newly discovered artworks,” Colette read out loud as Andrei shared what they were looking at with Rolf. “The collection includes an unfinished piece by da Vinci, two unsigned van Goghs, and a Cezan. These pieces, gifted to the church by devout Catholics either before or during the Second World War, were stored in the Vatican Apostolic Archive rather than the Vatican Museum’s art storage. Their discovery is due to an initiative by archive prefect Father Noah Visser to conduct a complete inventory of the archive’s contents.

“Previously thought to house only documents, the archive contains over 35,000 documents in the selective catalogue. The Vatican has stated it now expects to find other works of art hidden within the archive…”

Colette stopped reading as she reached for the mouse. Rather than scrolling down to continue with the article, she clicked on the image at the top. The grid layout showed four very different pieces of art, though each was easily identifiable as belonging to either da Vinci, van Gogh, or Cezan. A few more clicks brought up enlarged images of each individual piece.

Slowly, everyone in the room turned to look at Sofie.

She raised her chin, waiting for someone to say something. She’d assumed, based on Landon and Andrei’s reactions, that they figured out why she brought up this article. But maybe they were the ones who weren't that smart.

“Angel…” Andrei said slowly. “Did you paint those?”

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