Once that was done, she would kill the man responsible for all this. Death was too kind for him, though. Adriana felt the darkness creeping into the deepest recesses of her thoughts. It drowned out the light so that all she could see and feel were things only the most evil people in the world could feel. She didn’t care. Death was too easy for the man who’d taken her father. She would make him suffer in ways he’d never imagined. And then, only as he began to slip into unconsciousness, would she ease his suffering with the peace of death.
2
“I’m disappointed with you, Ally. You’re zero for two right now. I hope you have a plan to get the third painting. Would be a shame if my colleague’s thief bested you completely.”
Allyson had hopped on the first plane to London on Saturday. She knew her boss would want to meet face to face. He was old school like that, always wanting to keep things personal and up close. It made giving bad news that much more difficult.
Frank Shaw stared at Allyson from behind his massive desk. The fully stocked bookshelf wrapped around him like an amphitheater and exaggerated his voice to give it a more commanding sound.
She owed her life to the man. At the moment, however, contempt was growing in her heart. Based on what Adriana had told her, and that could have been total bull, Frank was planning on killing Allyson as soon as this whole game with the paintings was over whether she succeeded or not.
There was no doubt she couldn’t trust Adriana. The woman was a thief. On top of that, she’d gone to extraordinary lengths to keep her real identity concealed. That wasn’t something unheard of in their world, but many thieves prided themselves on their reputation as well. It was how they acquired the kinds of jobs she’d done for Frank in the past. On the other hand, Adriana had got the best of Allyson when they were in Zurich. The Spaniard could have killed her had she so desired. It certainly would have made things much easier. Allyson supposed that Frank would find another thief to come in and finish the game were that to happen. But it hadn’t happened. Adriana had let her live, a fact that both caused her to wonder and caused a great deal of irritation. Like an insect burrowing under her skin, it scratched at her.
Allyson searched her benefactor’s face for a sign of malevolence. He was smiling like a politician, and in his pinstripe suit, he looked every bit the part of someone running for public office: lying through his teeth and ready to stab whoever he needed to in the back.
It didn’t matter if Adriana was telling the truth or not. Allyson’s plan had always been the same. Get the paintings by any means necessary and kill the Spaniard when she was done. Sure, the two could work together for now, but as soon as she had the location of the three paintings and they were on their way out the door with them, that was when she’d strike. No one got the best of Allyson Webster. Not anyone who lived to tell about it.
“You don’t have to worry, Frank. I’ll get you the painting. In fact, I have a plan to get you all three.”
He was taken aback by the surprising comment. “Do I look worried? And how exactly do you plan to do that? You’re not thinking of stealing the other two from my competitor, are you?” He put both hands on his desk and leaned forward. “Because that would not be a good idea. This is not the kind of man you want to mess with. That is, if you could even figure out who he is, which I don’t believe is possible. He spends a great deal of time and money ensuring that his identity is kept secret.”
She rolled her shoulders at his warning. “Sounds like you doubt my abilities, Frank. And you underestimate my persistence.”
He smiled sympathetically at her as if she were a child trying to stick a round peg in a square hole. “My dear, I do not doubt your abilities. And I know how persistent you can be. Believe me, I do. But this man is ruthless. If you even try to figure out who he is, he’ll erase you.”
Allyson noted the odd choice of words. He’d not said kill or eliminate. Frank said this guy would erase her. There was something strangely more sinister about that word.
“I’m a big girl, Frank. You know that. And if you want those paintings, then I believe I can get them for you.”
His hands folded atop the desk. A look of grave concern stretched across his face. When he spoke, it was with stern warning in his voice. “Even if you could get those paintings, he would think it was me who took them. And the rules are that we don’t go after each other’s spoils. If I were to do so, he would kill me. And he’d be right to.”
Allyson frowned. That was a strange thing to say. Maybe she didn’t understand the whole billionaire club mindset. From the sound of his voice, though, Frank came off as scared. He never displayed fear of anyone, not that she’d ever seen.
“Promise me,” he said in a firm tone. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid and go after those other paintings. Let them go. Just get me the third one.”
She nodded absently as if it was no big deal. “Sure, Frank. I’ll leave the other two alone. Understood. You want me to let it go, I’ll let it go. I just thought you might like to have three priceless pieces of art instead of one, but that’s cool.”
“Good. Here’s the information you’ll need on the third painting.” He slid a manila folder across the wide desk.
He could have just sent her the file via email, but that wasn’t usually his style. Again, old school. Frank tended to lean toward the old ways.
She grasped the file and pried it open with her fingernails. The contents contained a picture of the painting she was to go after, a short description of it on the next page, the last known whereabouts, and when Frank needed to have the painting by.
She laughed loudly. “You want me to go after a Rembrandt? Jeez, Frank. You guys are really swinging for the fences here, aren’t you?”
His easy grin returned, and he leaned back once more, propping one elbow up on his armrest. “If you’re going to go, go big. Right?”
“Yeah.” She stared at the painting. “But a Rembrandt? That’s kind of… well, bigger than big.”
“You’ll notice that the painting went missing somewhere toward the end of the war. It’s believed that Hitler took it to Paris to be a part of his extensive museum collection. Many great works were taken there; only a fraction of them were recovered. Whether or not they were destroyed is up for speculation, but we believe this particular painting of the angel with the features of Rembrandt’s son, Titus, is still around and probably in good condition. Or at least we would hope so.”
She eyed the paperwork for a minute, only looking up when she was finished getting all the details she needed. Truth was, she barely noticed any of the fine print. Allyson knew that Adriana was getting a phone call containing the same information. The plan was to rendezvous as soon as possible, work on finding the location of the painting together, recover it, and then take it to the Belgian. Only later would she help the other woman steal back the three paintings.
Of course, now that plan would have to be altered. Frank was more than a little concerned about the idea of stealing the other two pieces of art from his colleague. Even as he’d warned her against that plan, Allyson was already forming another in her mind. If Frank didn’t want the artwork, no problem. She had enough underworld connections to sell it herself. Come to think of it, there would be a much higher financial reward in it for her to do it that way. Instead of getting a cut, Allyson would get the full amount of the paintings’ value. The more she thought about it, the more she liked that idea.