Page 16 of Promises to Keep

She and the man named Ian laughed.

I whispered, “What is it you want to stop doing this?”

Agnie said, “Nothing really, I am going to destroy all these paintings out of sheer malice.”

Lady Mairead clung to my sleeve. “Daena press her, Kaitlyn! We must protect the art!”

I put up my hands. “You’re right, I’m not here to interfere. Come on Hayley, if our being here is causing the art to be destroyed and it’s causing Lady Mairead distress, then I will not be a part of it.” I took a step back. “Please don’t destroy any more paintings.”

Agnie grinned. “Now I have Lady Mairead and Kaitlyn both begging me for the art. Hmm, what should I do...?”

Ian the Troublesome said, “Ye ought tae feckin’ destroy it all.”

She laughed and pushed another button on the remote. There was a loud bang, like a small explosion — rubble sprayed around, and one of the sculptures tipped forward rocking, rumbling, and then dumping over on its side, broken in half.

Lady Mairead shrieked, but she wasn’t the only one, people rushed the doors. The police pushed us toward the walls.

Agnie said, “That was perfect, my demolition man is so good, isn’t he Ian?”

Lady Mairead said, “What do ye want me tae do?!”

Agnie said, “I want ye tae come with us, it’s verra verra simple.”

Lady Mairead’s hands shook. “Fine, yes, I understand.”

Agnie turned to me, “Kaitlyn, tell your husband that Lady Mairead is just the first of many.”

She led Lady Mairead down the hall, accompanied by that asshole, Ian.

Hayley and I watched them go. “What the hell just happened?”

“Lady Mairead was just taken by, and I do not say this lightly, the biggest bitch in the world, and we don’t know where or how or when she is going, which means we didn’t learn the most important things.”

“And no do-over.”

“Nope, next time it’s Magnus’s turn.”

* * *

We followed the crowd into the large foyer and got in line. The police were searching through bags on the way out. Hayley and I slowly proceeded through the queue.

I whispered, “Do you have any paperwork, proving anything about yourself?”

“No, do you?”

“Nothing.”

She whispered, “How do you think they got through this security checkpoint? Where did they take Lady Mairead?”

“I have no idea, but I have a phone in my bag.”

She said, “And I’m packing.”

We both tucked our walkie-talkie necklaces deeper into our dresses. I created a screen while she pulled up the front of her dress and shoved her gun into the front of her underpants. “Oh man, they are drooping with the weight.”

She screened me while I stuffed my phone into my underwear. “Cold cold cold.”

“Did you get photos?”

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