“It’s fine. Forget it.”
“No, tell me. What is it?”
Lucia sighed. She was being silly. What did it even matter? The painting was good—apparently good enough. But somehow, that felt hollow. She didn’t reply, still caught between finding the right words and wondering if she should say anything at all.
“Lucia? Did I hurt your feelings somehow?”
“No, of course not. I just…You said the best forgers make the worst artists, and…for a forgery to succeed, it has to lack a soul.” She drew a foot along the hardwood floor. “It’s silly. Let’s head back to the others.”
“Maybe I was wrong.”
“Oh?”
“Perhaps what I said is true for ordinary artists or forgers.”
“You think it’s an artistic expression now?”
Penelope shrugged. “Who knows? Not like I’m the arbiter on what constitutes art.”
Lucia gave a shaky laugh.
“Either way, my point is, you… You are anything but ordinary.”
Lucia’s breath hitched and her mind reeled. How she’d longed to hear such words, to have someone say them. And while it filled her with lightness, with warmth, it scared her more than anything else.
It wasn’t validation she feared; it was what came after.
If someone saw her like this, did that mean they put her on a pedestal? What happened if she fell down? Given everything standing between them, Lucia feared there might not be another outcome. And with Penelope looking at her like that, a fall seemed inevitable.
Chapter 16
Rapids
Penelope dropped her gaze. What was she even doing? She needed to stop making it sound like she and Lucia were…
But she still felt almost breathless. She knew Lucia was talented; after all, she’d been in her studio, yet this was beyond anything she’d expected.
Never mind the entire situation of being here, in Francesca’s villa, discussing theft from the Meridian with the boss of what? Valentina’s rival organization?
Penelope had so many questions. Quite a few for herself, too, like, “What are you thinking?” Followed by, “Get the hell out of here.”
But she stayed.
No, not for Lucia, though she was a compelling reason—this was about her father. A chance to finally win him some justice.
Not the traditional kind; there was no undoing his conviction. But if she could damage Valentina, expose her and whatever she was hiding, maybe injure her standing—that would feel like justice.
And maybe, if she played it right, it could protect her, too. She was already tangled in this mess. Helping them swap theMadonnawouldn’t erase the danger, but it might buy her time. Give her a way to control the fallout, frame the story before someone else did.
Sometimes the only way out was through.
“Hey, are you OK?” Lucia asked.
“Yes. It’s just…a lot.”
“Yeah. Do you wanna go back and talk more with Francesca, or would you prefer to head out?”
“I’m not ready to go home yet,” Penelope said.
