“Celeste,” Mina practically spat.
She was dressed in a shimmery silver gown, all done up like she was on her way to a prime seat at the opera. And hell, maybe she was. She stepped to the middle of the room and looked around like a queen regarding her realm.
“That’s her, huh?” Gen muttered.
I nodded with distaste, and Bene sighed. “The one and only.”
The auctioneer gestured. “Please take a seat, madame.”
Celeste made a show of looking around for a chair until a middle-aged man offered her his, leaving him no option but to stand at the back of the room.
“Typical Celeste,” Marius muttered.
She took the seat as if it had been hers all along, barely thanking the man.
“Now, then,” the auctioneer said. “Lot 474. Starting at €500. Do I have €500?”
Anatole, the vampire, raised his bid card.
“Interesting,” I murmured.
Gen frowned. “A vampire bidding on my father’s painting isn’t interesting. It’s alarming.”
“€500… €550… €600.” The auctioneer acknowledged as Anatole and an old guy in a three-piece suit traded bids.
“€1000.” The vampire jumped ahead, looking to close the deal quickly.
The other bidder shook his head and dropped out.
“I have €1000,” the auctioneer said, looking around.
Judging by the previous sales, I didn’t expect it to go much higher.
Neither did the vampire, who sat smugly.
Neither did the auctioneer, who picked up a pencil, ready to note the final price.
Then the light over the device displaying remote bids blinked, and Madame Robert read, “€2000 from online bidder 2641.”
Eyebrows rose as the bidding continued in thousand-euro increments.
“€3000… €4000… €5000…”
“Who is that?” Mina asked.
“No way of knowing without hacking into the auctioneer’s system,” I murmured as the light blinked yet again.
“Can you?” Gen asked, a little wide-eyed.
I shook my head. “Not my skill set. But Gordon probably has someone.” I pulled out my phone and dialed.
“Or Gordon is the anonymous bidder,” Marius mused.
He wasn’t, as I established in a call that took less than twenty seconds and ended with Gordon’s curt, “I’ll get my man on it right now.”
Gen stared at my phone while Mina gave her a look that said,I told you our godfather is a criminal with all kinds of nefarious contacts.
Bene patted Gen’s shoulder.
