Page 53 of Forging Caine

“So she told you the truth, did she?” Fiori sounded almost surprised. What had Vincenzo said about his relationship with Samantha? Did he genuinely believe she was in love with him and not me?

“Of course she did,” I snapped.Calm down, Tony. He’s baiting you.

“No need to worry.” Fiori’s voice was almost a purr, the tone of a man who knew he’d won the night. “Vincenzo’s elsewhere right now. Do you recall my pilot, Jason? He flew you both back to the mainland after my doctor took care of Ms. Caine’s ankle? He was also at the restaurant on Friday night. This piece is precious to me and I’d like one of my most trusted men watching over it.”

That sounded like a longer-term commitment than a simple delivery.

Samantha mouthed,Watching over?

“He can be at your place tonight.”

“No,” I said. There were plans to make. Discussions to have with the FBI. If it were anyone other than Jason coming, I would have argued further. But there was little point. “I’ll need to go by the studio and pick up additional equipment. Plus, it’s late and I’m tired.”

“Tomorrow afternoon, then. Jason will arrive at three o’clock.” He cleared his throat, no doubt intending the next as a threat. “Be sure you’re there. I look forward to this new arrangement.”

After I provided our address, I disconnected the call and stared at the phone. “Marone, bella. What have I gotten us into?”

Chapter 17

Samantha

Aconferencetablelargeenough for twenty dominated the Oaks boardroom at Foster Mutual Insurance. Windows along one end overlooked the building’s front lawn, parking lot, and the trees dotting the roadside.

Elliot and another Special Agent took seats across from me, withdrawing laptops from their bags.

We’d agreed to meet at my office since I had to be here anyway, and the stream of people coming in and out of the building would mask the two FBI agents’ attendance. I’d told the front desk I had some policyholders in to discuss a large claim and left it at that.

Elliot—in a dark suit with a white shirt, as usual—gestured to the similarly dressed female agent with him. “This is Kelsey Bernard. She’s been working with me on the smuggling case for the last year.”

Kelsey’s white-blond hair was styled in a pixie cut. Between that, her dark suit, and her bright red glasses, she reminded me of a younger version of Rhonda Wells, the owner of Mason’s Gallery in town. “I have paperwork for you to sign, consenting to surveillance, and I want to go over some ground rules with you.”

“Of course. Do we want to get started?” My schedule for the morning was tight. “I’ve only got a half hour before I’m meeting with my boss.”

Kelsey tapped a few keys on her keyboard. “Once Dr. Ferraro and our prosecutor arrive.”

“Antonio won’t be joining us today.”

Elliot cocked an eyebrow at me. “No?”

“Unfortunately, things are moving too fast. He had prep work to finish at home before heading to his office to pick up additional equipment. With the painting arriving this afternoon, we need to be sure he’s ready.” Not that we knew whatreadymeant. It was possible Fiori was being honest about the second painting and it wouldn’t be a stolen piece or a forgery. We could wind up researching a fifteenth century da Vinci or a 1980s Basquiat. “I can go over everything with you and I’ll fill him in. If it’s paperwork, we can figure something out.”

Elliot nodded. “We reviewed the notes you sent about your conversation with Fiori last night. Are you maintaining the theory that it was a test and that he wants you both working for him?”

“It still makes sense, but we’ll have to wait and see how everything plays out.”

Kelsey looked up from her screen. “Can we trust Dr. Ferraro? It was a reckless move to bring up his uncle during the conversation.”

“I felt the same way.” I glanced at my watch. Twenty-five minutes before my meeting with SIU and Matt. “But we talked about it afterward. Antonio said the goal was to sound emotional, which would make Fiori think he was sharing more than he’d intended—making him think he still had the upper hand.”

Elliot smiled, that same smile that usually went withWhen are you coming to work for me?After his comment yesterday about wanting both Antonio and me working for him, that look took on a whole new meaning. Antonio Ferraro and Sam Caine—partners.

My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen. “That’s Nathan. He’s at the front desk. Let me sign him in.”

Before the door fully shut behind me, Kelsey whispered, “I thought we were getting a federal prosecutor to replace him?”

Elliot responded, just as quietly, “Not with her in play.”

Kelsey said something else to him, but the closed door muffled it. Did she object to Nathan because she knew he and I were close? Or was there some other issue?

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