* * *
London was cold and rainy—but wasn’t it always? It didn’t help Gina’s jetlag. Or maybe it was her conscience that made her feet and her heart both feel like lead as they walked through Heathrow to their rental car, then on to a hotel. It was early morning and they were due at Eva’s in a few hours. Jeremy laid down in bed for a quick nap but Gina was too restless to sleep. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text from an unknown sender. It looked like some sort of spam, a string of numbers and letters.
Gina smiled as she decoded the message—the coordinates for a bar in Paris and today’s date through the next three days. Lachlan was less than three hundred miles away and wanted to see her. She bit her lower lip. If all went well today, she could hop on the train or fly and be there in a matter of hours. But if things didn’t go well, then the message was nothing but torture.
So close. And at the same time, a world away.
“Whatcha looking at that’s got you balled up?” Jeremy asked. “A message from Eva?”
Shit. She’d been so distracted she hadn’t noticed he was awake.
“No.” She put her phone away. “I haven’t heard from her yet. Maybe you should check your phone.”
His expression was unreadable but he pulled his phone out and looked at the screen. “Yup, she’s sending a car and can see us in two hours.” He looked back up at Gina. “Showtime.”
On the ride over, the rain turned to sleet—Gina’s least-favorite weather. Fluffy snow, spring rain, summer sun, she loved them all, but she hated this sloppy mess falling from the sky.
“Hey, smile,” Jeremy said. “She’s going to love it and we’ll have our biggest commission yet.” He glanced at the driver. Gina had surreptitiously taken a photo of the man for facial recognition later. Never could be too careful.
“I hope she loves it or else we’ve made a long trip for nothing.”
“Eh, you’ll sweet talk her into it if she’s on the fence.” He touched her cheek. “I have all the faith in the world in you, darling.”
Gina gave him a warm smile and grabbed his hand. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, lingering longer than she would have liked, but they had to put on a show.
Eva had an apartment in Mayfair. The upscale neighborhood looked dreary in the poor weather. The inside of Eva’s apartment was even drearier. The walls were painted in a blue so dark it was almost black. The furniture was stylish and uncomfortable. Her other artwork was weird and also dark, bordering on disturbing—a complete contrast to the bright and cheery watercolor of a bowl of citrus sitting on a table in front of open French doors leading to a sunny beach she ordered from Solaire.
“Glad you could make it on such short notice,” Eva said as she kissed their cheeks. She looked over Gina’s shoulder at the driver who escorted them up the stairs and to the apartment.
“Thank you, Max. That’s all for now.” The man tipped his hat, stared at Eva for a moment longer, then left.
As soon as he was gone, her light and airy demeanor changed. Her face crumpled in on itself.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. “I’m getting nervous. Marcus is good to me, but…” She shook her head. “I met some of the men we’ll be seeing on Little Edward. I don’t like them. I don’t like the way they look at me. Marcus is different, too. I don’t know.” She ran a hand through her hair, messing it up.
Gina hugged her. “It’s alright. I understand. This can be scary work. But it is so, so necessary.” She looked into Eva’s eyes. “You are saving people. Innocent little children and women who are living in hell. You’ll be gathering information that will also stop him from making deals that affect the entire world, too.”
Eva looked away, tears in her eyes.
“Eva. Look at me.” When Gina had her eyes again, she continued. “If you can’t do this, then you can walk away right now. We’ll leave the artwork here and take the brush back. We’ll find another way. It make take years, but we’ll do it. Eventually, those people will stop suffering, and the men responsible will pay. Eventually.”
Eva burst into tears. “I’ll do it,” she whispered.
Gina felt her soul shrivel up.
Jeremy stepped forward and hugged Eva.
“Thank you,” he told Eva, while his eyes never left Gina’s. “You’re doing the right thing.” He stepped back from Eva, keeping a loose grip on her upper arms and looking into her eyes. “You’ll be safe. He trusts you enough to take you there. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“What about after?” Eva’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“He’ll be in custody. And your fame will shield you. You’ll be a hero. Nothing can touch you.”
Gina felt sick. These weren’t guarantees. He was playing on her ego and her trust. She almost—almost—cut him off.
But Eva was nodding now and smiling through her tears. “You’re right. I’m doing the right thing. I’ll be fine.” She clenched her fist. “I have fifty-nine million followers. They’ll ask questions if something happens to me.”
Jeremy was nodding sympathetically. “Exactly. You have an army at your fingertips, Eva.”
