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“It’s nothing concrete, another hunch if you will, but he is known for holding galas where he auctions off stolen and sought-after pieces to the highest bidder. It used to be that his brother would acquire the art, and he would auction it. It seems now Stefan is doing both. It is impossible to know for sure, but I think the rumors around the painting began in Amsterdam, and I had heard whispers before they even managed to reach Reuben through his network of informants.”
Another hunch. Another gut feeling. Nothing solid.
“Plus, I’m not the only person connected to the art world to go missing from Amsterdam.”
My gaze swung toward Amanda. “What do you mean?”
She sighed. “A young man named Dimitri Chrysanthos disappeared from his job at a high-end gallery known for doing black-market deals on stolen art three months ago. His sister is a student at the University of Amsterdam and reported him missing when he didn’t come home to the flat they share. Maybe it’s connected, maybe it’s not, but it seems there is definitely something going on in Amsterdam.”
“So let’s go there first.”
Reuben shook his head. “I want you to see what else you can learn before you go back to Amsterdam. Like Amanda said, Chrysanthos’s disappearance might not have anything to do with the painting. We need to focus on the leads that have a clear connection to the piece, and Chrysanthos doesn’t. At least not right now.”
Jack cleared his throat. “So you want us to go to Venice, Prague, and Amsterdam and see if we can uncover anything solid?”
Reuben nodded, then looked right at me. “For the sake of full transparency, if your grandmother wasn’t on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, she would be on this list too.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head and held up a hand, his rings glinting in the overhead light. “No, there is nothing that makes me think she has the painting or that she plans to reveal that she does, but her level of interest alone would make her worth considering.”
I didn’t understand enough about any of this to respond, so I inclined my head the barest fraction to acknowledge that I understood and said nothing, even as my gut told me Reuben wasn’t done investigating where my grandmother was concerned regardless of where she happened to be right now.
“I know you just traveled all the way here, but time is of the essence. I would say you need to be in Venice within the next forty-eight hours.”
Jack groaned, then coughed to cover it, and I knew the last thing he wanted to do was spend another twenty hours on a plane. I wasn’t looking forward to it either—maybe not for the same reasons Jack was dreading it—but travel was part of the job, and our choices were limited.
“Since we need to hurry and there are three targets in three different countries, wouldn’t it make the most sense for us to split up? I can go to Venice while Jack hits Prague.”
Reuben considered my comment for a moment, glanced between Jack and me, and pursed his lips. Eventually, he shook his head. “I see your point, but I think it would be best for you and maintaining the cover I’ve created for you to stick together. Jack understands the delicate handling needed to getthe information we need.” He smiled. “Besides, I only have the one jet.”
He had a point, even if I didn’t like it. “Fine.”
“I have a contact in Venice who will set you up with a place to stay. For now, why don’t you rest and get ready, plan out a strategy. If there is anything you need, let me know. If I can’t get it here before you leave, I’ll make sure you have it when you land in Italy.”
“Thank you.” Jack stood to leave.
I did the same, holding out a hand to Amanda. “It was nice to meet you.”
She nodded. “You too. Give Juno my regards.”
“Will do.”
“I’m going to have lunch by the pool if you’d like to join me in a bit, otherwise, let’s say dinner at seven.” Reuben relaxed back in his chair.
“Sounds great.”
I followed Jack to the door and down a different hall than the one that led from the kitchen.
“Do you know where you’re going?” I pointed back the other way. “We came from over there.”
“I’ve been here before.” He kept walking. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Yeah, right. Last time I did that, you left me tied to a bed so you could steal my op.”
“Not my fault you didn’t see that coming.”
I wanted to say something back, but the fact of the matter was I had been blinded by Jack in that moment. I shouldn’t have trusted him, even if, in my defense, I hadn’t known he was going to go after my hit.
But I knew better now, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“Do we really have to go all the way to Venice? Can’t we just call and ask if she’s got the painting?” It was a stupid question, but galivanting around the globe looking for leads on a lost painting seemed equally stupid and like an epic waste of time.
