Chapter Twenty #2
“That only applies if a buyer cares about the painting,” Mina said. “Not if he sees it as any other investment, like stocks or real estate.”
“Or sees it as a way to thumb his nose at a competitor,” Marius grumbled.
Gen gaped. “Who would think that way?”
“You have no idea how this world works,” Mina said grimly.
“Do you mean Grepper thumbing his nose at Ernaux?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Or at Gordon.”
Mina stared. “I shudder to think what that means.”
“In any case, that’s what we have to go on for now,” I said.
“Pretty nice house,” Bene observed, scrolling through the pictures Gordon forwarded.
“Very nice, and very difficult to approach unnoticed,” I agreed.
Gen leaned in to look at the pictures with Mina, who sat beside her. “Not exactly a little chalet, is it?”
Grepper’s mountainside hideaway was a massive, modern block of steel, cement, and giant glass panes. Bulletproof glass, I would wager.
I briefed the team on everything I had, then fielded questions and suggestions on how we might proceed. The landscape blurred past, and so did my mind after a while. Gen remained across from me throughout the three-hour trip, her foot touching mine, keeping the warmth and comfort coming.
I flashed her a weary smile, hoping those vibes went both ways.
“Still nothing from Henrik?” Gen asked when we changed trains in Basel.
“Just this.” I shared the brief message he’d sent, saying he was going undercover in Alexandre Ernaux’s coven and would be hard to reach.
“I’m telling you, he could be selling us out,” Bene warned.
“Why would he do that?” Gen demanded.
“Because our contracts are about to expire. Henrik will be thinking about next steps — such as making connections that could prove useful. Say, with a powerful vampire like Ernaux. And what better way to connect than tipping off Ernaux to the location of a long-lost Monet?”
I tried to keep the faith, but Bene’s theory had merit. Even Gen stared out the window pensively.
Gordon’s files occupied us through the next leg of the journey. Eventually, we reached Zurich, rented two cars, and drove another hour south, through the sunset.
“So beautiful,” Gen breathed, craning her neck at the mountains around us.
Also a bitch to climb, if that’s what we’ll be doing to reconnoiter Grepper’s place, Marius murmured into my mind.
I nodded warily. Yes, the mountains would be a challenge, especially given the snow blanketing them.
It was dark and quiet when we checked into the Hotel du Lac in a town not far from Lucerne. We took their last available rooms — two doubles and two singles for the six of us, including Henrik, in hopes that he might arrive soon.
Gen plucked a key from Mina’s hand. “I call a single room.”
“I call the other one,” Bene reached in.
I blocked his arm. “Not so fast. Two of us have to share.”
He nodded. “You and Henrik.”
I shook my head. “You and Henrik.”
Mina stuck the remaining keys in my hand and walked off with Marius. “You figure it out. See you at dinner.”
Gen raised a hand. “I have a suggestion.”
Bene waggled his eyebrows. “You and me take the double?”
I shot out a hand, wrapped it around his throat, and squeezed.
Gen jumped back. Bene pulled at my hands. “Just kidding, man.”
I squeezed harder. “I’m not.”
Bene’s eyes went wide, and he glanced between Gen and me.
“Is it so hard to settle things without a fight?” she scolded.
“I’d be all for that,” Bene squeaked.
“I take one single,” she started again. “You two share a double, and Henrik gets the other single. But since he’s not here tonight…”
I released Bene with a little shove. “I get his single tonight.”
Gen nodded. “For example.”
“You expect me to share with this gorilla tomorrow?” Bene complained, touching his neck gingerly.
“Last I checked, he was a tiger.” Gen sauntered away with her key. “See you at dinner.”
Bene and I watched her go. “Yeesh,” he said when she turned a corner. “She’s even worse than her sister.”
“I heard that!” Gen called.
Bene winced and raised his voice. “I mean, she’s as nice as her sister.”
I shoved a key into his hands and made for the stairs since the single room was on the next level.
An arrangement that had serious advantages, as I came to realize over dinner, when Gen kept her foot resting comfortably against mine.
And not just her foot, but her hand too.
She laid it lightly on my thigh, out of sight of the others, under the table.
“Watch your cheese,” Marius ordered as Bene dug into the fondue we’d ordered. “Keep stirring.”
Bene rolled his eyes. “Rules for everything in this country.”
“That’s one of the few that makes sense,” Marius grumbled.
“What about the rest?” Bene asked.
Marius snorted. “Guess why I prefer France.”
Gen chuckled, and I closed my eyes, cementing the sound into my mind.
“More bread?” Mina offered…me? Gen?
I tuned out of the conversation and in to Gen. Her scent. Her voice. Her long, silky hair, glinting in the low lighting of the hotel restaurant.
“Oops.” She whipped her hand off my leg to catch the bread falling off her fondue fork.
My hand slipped onto her thigh, all by itself. The color of her cheeks deepened slightly, and she glanced at me before stirring the cheese.
“Nice wine,” Mina said, checking the label.
“Very nice,” Gen murmured, putting her hand over mine.
She closed her lips over the rim of her glass and sipped. Her throat bobbed when she swallowed, and heat rushed through me.
“What’s for dessert?” Bene asked, reaching for the menu.
Gen shot me a heated look, and I nearly choked.
She hid a grin with her napkin.
Stop teasing, I growled into her mind.
You love it, she chuckled. Maybe even need it.
She was right. It had been much too long since I’d allowed myself to loosen up. But this woman made me want things I’d never even dreamed of.
“Schwarzw?lder Kirschtorte…” Bene read from the menu. “Bündner Nusstorte… Zwetchgenschober…” He put the menu down with a grimace. “German makes everything sound like it should come with a hard hat and a warning label. Not exactly appetizing.”
“Black Forest cake. Nut cake. Plum pie,” Marius grumbled. “Not so difficult.”
Bene gave the menu a second glance, then lit up. “Tiramisu! I know what I want.”
So do I, Gen murmured into my mind, pushing her leg outward a little.
I fought off the temptation to let my hand drop farther.
Not interested? she pouted.
Very interested. Just trying to be patient, I shot back.
Not my strong suit.
I chuckled. I noticed.
“Hm?” Mina asked.
I cleared my throat. “No dessert for me.”
Not the kind on this menu anyway.
“Just coffee,” I added. “Decaf,” I added when the waiter came by. Lord knew I didn’t need any additional stimulation.
Dessert and drinks took an eternity, but eventually, we finished our meal and headed to our rooms.
“I’ll be at breakfast at six a.m. sharp,” I ordered.
Marius snorted before disappearing into his room with Mina. “We’ll be there at seven.”
Bene chuckled. “Sorry, boss.”
I shook my head. “This is my new strategy — calling a meeting an hour before I actually intend it.”
Bene laughed. “You’re smarter than you look.”
I headed for the stairs. “Bon soir, Bene. Bon soir, Geneviève.”
“Bon soir,” she fake-yawned, proving herself better at lying than her sister.
Upstairs in my room — well, Henrik’s, but mine for the night — I brushed my teeth in record time, ran my hands through my hair, and straightened the bed.
Outside, the stairs creaked, and my pulse spiked. A soft knock sounded at the door. When I opened it, Gen slipped past me, sliding her hand along my torso.
I closed the door as quietly as I could. Then I turned, facing her in a small room charged with enough energy for a power plant.
When Gen opened her mouth, I stuck up a hand and closed the distance between us.
“Any more teasing and you’ll kill me.” My voice came out all husky.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me closer. “I’ll make you a deal.” She brushed her lips over mine. “I won’t tease if you don’t hold back.”
She waited, lips poised over mine, heart beating hard against my chest.
“Deal,” I said, diving into a deep, smothering kiss.