“No.”
He stalked closer, circling her. “What’s a fine upstanding astro-archeologist like you doing searching for something that could ruin your career?”
He was getting too close. “Finding the last fragment of theMona Lisawould be a crowning achievement.”
Niklas leaned forward in his chair. “The Institute thinks the expedition never left Earth.”
“My research indicates otherwise.”
Dathan watched her. Silent. Like a predator.
“I found a journal.” Well, partial records of a journal but they didn’t need to know all the details. “Written by the daughter of one of the head colonists. She didn’t want him to go.”
“Maybe he never did.”
Eos held his gaze. “She talks about how much she missed him. She included a sketch of the expedition logo. An entwined S and E circled by a trail of stars.”
“Plenty of Star’s End hoaxes out there.” Dathan shrugged. “I think I have a record of a man who opened the first strip club at Star’s End.”
She ground her teeth together. “I’ve seen an archived document from the New Louvre that shows they packaged the last known fragment of theMona Lisaready for transport. Unlike other Earth paintings, it was painted on poplar wood, and needed special containment. It was loaded onto the starshipNew Hope, which was headed for Star’s End.”
Silence again.
She knew it was big.
Dathan raised a brow. “You’re telling me you have a verified document that links the New Louvre to Star’s End?”
She huffed out a breath. “No. I couldn’t take it?—”
“I didn’t think so.”
“I’ve heard of the document,” Niklas said. “The Institute ruled it a hoax. The last fragment of da Vinci’s masterpiece perished when Paris was nuked at the beginning of the Great Terran War.”
“It isn’t a fake.” God, they were her last hope. She knew it was going to be a hard sell, but she didn’t think treasure hunters would be worried about verification of documents.
“Didn’t your mother work on the original authentication?” Niklas asked.
“Yes.” Dr. Asha Rai had been one of the Institute’s most talented. “She never believed it was a fake but bowed to pressure from her team. That belief led to her death.”
“How?” Dathan asked.
She felt the familiar tightness of grief. “She went on an expedition to find Star’s End. She was killed by space pirates.”
Dathan leaned closer, and her chest tightened. “I’m really sorry about your mother, but do you really want us to scour the galaxy searching for a mythical old Earth colony?”
She smelled him now. Some citrus-scented soap and warm male. “I hear you’re very good at finding things.”
They stared at each other.
Zayn snorted, breaking the moment. “Not so good at holding on to them, though.”
Dathan flashed his brother a narrow look before he turned back to Eos. He caught her chin. “Why isn’t the Institute backing you?”
Oh, she really didn’t want to go there. She tried to jerk away from his touch. “They don’t have enough evidence?—”
“I want the truth, Doc. You smell a little of desperation.”
Her spine stiffened. “It’s an old promise I intend to keep and the Institute isn’t interested. Now, do you want to hear what other information I have or not?”
