“True,” Max admits. “But Adam believes that by the time Leo lost access, he’d recruited one or more staffers at the palace and the prime minister’s cabinet to gather intel for him.”
“MESS is re-vetting everyone again to identify those staffers, but no luck as yet,” Lucie adds.
Dazed, I nod absently, refusing to believe. And then I remember that Leo will be here on Saturday. It has to be a mere coincidence, but I feel obligated to tell Max and Lucie about it.
“His new girlfriend is a Jane Austen fan,” I add to give them context. “And, back when I did amateur acting, Leo attended my gigs whenever he could. So, really, I don’t think this has anything to do with the key. How in the hell would he know I’m the new key seeker, anyway?”
Max lifts a phlegmatic shoulder. “Thanks to his eyes and ears in Pombrio.”
“Or maybe he doesn’t know it,” Lucie suggests. “Maybe he’s acting on a hunch. You’re here, spending three weeks at your London home without Matteo, while your studio is shooting a movie over in Cannes…”
I have a counterargument for that!“Sandra’s production is a very valid reason for me to be here. Not only is it my first—and maybe last—pro acting gig, but I’m the male lead of the show.”
“Here’s my take,” Max says. “Kurt’s men no doubt spy on everyone in the extended royal family. Your being in London was reported to Kurt who thought it was odd and dispatched his nephew to keep a close eye on you.”
Rubbish!Leo and I have never really talked about his powerful uncle’s actions against my country. We don’t need to. I know he doesn’t approve of them. But what kind of friend would I be if I demanded that Leo disown a family member as proof of our friendship?
“I’m not telling you to turn your back on your childhood friend, Jonas,” Max adds in a softer tone of voice. “Not until we have proof, anyway. Just watch your six around him,OK?”
“Understood.”
Lucie checks her watch. “Our twenty minutes are up.”
I check mine. “We can take five more. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. If I find the key—”
“Whenyou find the key,” Max corrects me.
“WhenI find the key and make an offer, what if Giselle says it isn’t for sale?”
Max shrugs. “Then you double the offer and keep raising it until she says yes. Your pre-authorization is two mil, but all you need to do is call in if she asks for more.”
“What if she says that key is her talisman or something, and she won’t sell it? Her family is rich. She doesn’t need the money.”
“Unfortunately,” Max concurs.
I level an expectant gaze at him.
“In that case, you’ll ask to borrow it to have a copy made,” he says.
Lucie jumps in, “If she doesn’t trust you, or can’t bear to part with it, then she can go with you. We’d love to recover the original, but a copy will do, too.”
“Theo’s key is a copy,” Max reminds me. “And it fits the lock.”
“What if she loves the idea that her key is unique, and wishes for it to remain so?”
Lucie quirks an eyebrow to convey how unlikely such an objection sounds. I agree, but it’s a contingency I’d like to have a plan for.
“Well,” Max exhales, “then you’ll say ‘bummer,’ and leave it at that.”
I do a double take.
He smiles at my reaction. “MESS will take over and send its best agents to sneak in and retrieve the key from the museum, or wherever she keeps it. They’ll make a copy and put it back on the same night. Giselle Fisher will be none the wiser in the morning.”
“OK,” I say nonchalantly to hide how much I’d hate to fail my mission and rely on MESS to get the job done. “You guys are the experts.”
It’s Max who’s taken by surprise now. “Are we?”
“After I was read in,” I say, gripping the door handle, “Theodor told me how Lucie and you spent a full night scouring a Lyon museum for the key.”
