Page 103 of How to Get Even

‘How long do I have, before I have to make a decision?’ Chase asked as if considering both positions.

‘Twenty-four hours,’ Bella said decisively. ‘Any longer and we risk losing the momentum needed to capitalise on either Zadzisai or get enough info out on Sascha. But I don’t like it,’ she said, finally.

‘Noted,’ Chase said, making marks on his tablet and moving onto the next topic while avoiding her gaze.

22

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you […] we can hold the enemy’s fate in our hands.

THE ART OF WAR, SUN TZU

‘Where are we going?’ Chase asked as the cab took the side streets to avoid the commuter crush.

‘Sascha has something for us to see,’ Bella said evasively.

She was such a bad liar that he almost smiled. It didn’t help that Chase knew Sascha had moved all of her pieces out of the studio. He glanced at Bella, twisting her hands in her lap and, without thinking, reached across the seats and placed his hand over hers. She glanced back to him, a nervous smile on her lips and went back to looking out of the cab’s window.

Maybe this was Bella’s attempt to fight Sascha’s corner against Zadzisai as the feature artist. Bella had shot him glares throughout the whole meeting after he’d dropped the bombshell. Eight months ago, he’d not have even told the rest of the staff that Zadzisai had been in touch, let alone asked for their opinions. Christ, he’d been out of his depth. He’d kept everything to himself, just like he always had, so that no one would know if he made the right or wrong decision. But Bella had helped him see just how much better the gallery worked when they worked as one.

As an artist, Chase would have told Zadzisai to stick it. But as director he had to make decisions for the gallery. He thought back to when he’d taken Bella to the gallery warehouse, informed her imperiously about gatekeeping. He still felt that way. But he was now part of that, whether he liked it or not.

The cab pulled up to where Sascha was waiting with a grin on her face.

‘Sascha,’ he greeted with a nod as the tall woman smiled at him, but grinned at Bella. She handed Bella something and then waved goodbye and walked off.

‘Where is she going?’ Chase asked as Sascha disappeared into the crowded street.

‘I don’t know,’ Bella said, shrugging as she walked into the large building that housed the studio.

‘Bella,’ he said, tempted to act like a stroppy child and refuse to walk any further. ‘What is going on?’

‘You’ll see,’ she said, holding the door to the studio open.

Knowing gnawed his gut. He wasn’t going to like this at all.

Chase followed her into the studio space that, last he saw, had been covered in paint spatters and streaks, cast off, wiped-off, dripped and smeared. But now, the entire space was covered in large blank sheets of paper that made him shiver and want to run. Adrenaline dumped in his system, like ice dropped into water, displacing ripples of anger, fear, resentment, longing and so much more.

He cursed. ‘What did you do?’ He turned to Bella accusingly. He should have known that she’d not leave it alone.

‘I wanted to try something,’ she offered, twisting her hands.

He went to walk out, but she stood in his way, palm against his racing heart.

‘Bella, this isn’t something you can fix with pop psychology and well meaning,’ he growled. Hurt flashed in her eyes but was wiped away by a blink. ‘I want to leave.’

‘You can. But I’d like you to hear me out first.’

He pressed against her hand, testing her determination. She didn’t move and he wasn’t such a bastard that he’d push right through her. He clenched his teeth together to stop something stupid escaping his mouth like ‘please’.

He stepped back and circled the space like a caged animal.

‘When was the last time that you created a piece of work that wasn’t for sale?’ Bella asked, her voice echoing around a room bare of canvas, movement, people, noise.

He bit his lip and shook his head. He couldn’t remember. From the moment that he’d been discovered at university, everything had been geared towards a show, selling paintings, meeting buyers, and gallery directors.

‘A while.’

‘How long?’

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