“I’m glad someone finds this amusing,” Henrik sniffed.
Yes, it was a bit juvenile. But a little laugh went a long way on a crappy day, and today certainly qualified.
Except waking up this morning,my tiger corrected.
I closed my eyes, reliving the feel of Gen’s body nestled against mine.
“Sorry, Henrik,” she said, fair as ever. “We appreciate getting to stay here, and you get a free pass to make as much fun of my decor as you want.”
I had no doubt he would if he ever gained access to her private quarters…something I swore would never happen.
I cleared my throat, covering up my instinctive growl, and finished assigning bunks.
“Will you be all right on the couch?” I asked Gen.
She frowned. “Where will you and Bene sleep?”
“The floor.”
“The floor?” she protested.
“We’ll be fine, especially if we shift.” Bene toed a thick rug. “I call this one.”
“I call that one.” I pointed to the rug by the couch.
Gen’s eyes sparkled. “Um…Sure. The couch would be fine.”
Another night of near-yet-so-far might kill me, but I would take what I could get. And maybe when this mission was over…
I hit the brakes on those thoughts, fast.
We discussed the painting and the mission while waiting for a local Vietnamese place to deliver dinner.
“Ten thousand apiece,” Bene murmured with dollar signs in his eyes. “What a deal.”
“That’s not something to celebrate,” I warned. “Gordon is desperate.”
Marius nodded. “Really desperate.”
“The question is, why?” Henrik swirled his red wine.
Gen shrugged. “My dad’s work might be amateur, but that painting is priceless to us. Obviously, Gordon feels the same.”
“He carestoomuch,” Mina cautioned. “As if he has another motive.”
Marius made a face. “A safe bet when it comes to Gordon.”
“Like what?” Gen demanded.
“My grandmother kept cash in an envelope behind a painting,” I offered.
Bene scoffed. “Not sure that would work for Gordon, even if he used five-hundred-euro bills.”
“Documents, then,” Mina suggested. “Something he wanted to keep away from prying eyes.”
Gen frowned. “The backing of Dad’s painting was unusually thick…”
Everyone turned. “How thick?”
