Light streaming through a broken office window greeted her, the blinds tangled and pulled asunder by weather and time. She rushed through the debris and over to the window in time to see the man with the painting get into a gray Jaguar coupe. A soon as the passenger door closed, the coupe’s engine revved. The tires squealed for a half second on the asphalt before the car sped away and disappeared around the corner of the next block.
Allyson’s foot crunched some broken glass on the floor as she leaned in close behind Adriana, trying to get a view of the vehicle. “Did you see it?”
Adriana nodded. “Yeah. I got it.”
23
Rain pattered against the hotel room window as Adriana stood next to it, looking out onto the busy street below. Her face lengthened in disappointment as she ended the call.
“Any luck?” Allyson asked.
“No.” Adriana shook her head. “My connection said the car is registered to a local businessman who rents it out to high-end clients. That particular car was rented by a private entity.”
“So? We look up that entity and go find them.”
“It will be a dummy corporation. We’ll just be chasing shadows. Most likely, that company doesn’t even exist other than as a name.” Her voice trailed off, and she slumped down on the edge of the double bed.
“You’re just giving up? Just like that?” Allyson couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Look, I know that you want to get your father back, but you promised me we could track this guy down. I need those paintings. Once we steal those from this Belgian, I’m going to disappear to a beach somewhere. So you better have a better answer.”
Adriana stared at the floor. Her head turned back and forth, almost unconsciously. “Don’t worry. You’ll get your paintings. This time around, I let him lull me into the exact groove he wanted me in. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“So you’re going to let this one go and not go after him?”
“Like you said, you want all three paintings. Once you deliver them, your boss won’t come after you. You can vanish and live off your spoils for the rest of your life. Even if we had succeeded in tracing that guy back to the Belgian’s whereabouts, we would have to wait until he told us what the third painting is. And there’s something else you need to know.”
Allyson’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I believe this man knows where the paintings are. I think he’s just toying with us, making us run through his little gauntlet to do his dirty work for him.”
Allyson couldn’t refute the theory. It made sense. It also caused her to wonder if Frank knew where the paintings were all along. The idea caused a flame of anger to rise up in the pit of her stomach. She quelled it by reminding herself of what Adriana had said earlier: that Frank was going to kill her when she delivered the paintings.
“Okay. But what does that change?”
“Nothing,” Adriana’s lips barely moved. Her tone was full of staunch resolve. “If this whole thing works the way it has so far, we’ll find out what we’re looking for on Sunday night or Monday morning. When they let us know, we need to be ready to move. And I’m going to make sure I have a few tricks up my sleeve so that the last painting takes us right to the Belgian’s doorstep. For now, get some clothes and some rest.”
Allyson put her hands on her hips, not completely satisfied with the answer but enough so that she didn’t put up a fight. “What are you going to do?”
Adriana drew in a long deep breath. “Going to call the men who helped me and let them know about the painting. They deserve to know that it was found. After that, I’m going to call a friend to see if he can give us some assistance.”
Allyson’s eyes narrowed. “A friend? What friend?”
“He’s got connections with the US government. He may be able to get us some things that will make tracking down the Belgian a little easier.”
“This friend got a name?”
“I’m sure he’d rather remain anonymous. You, no doubt, have similar connections who would prefer to stay out of certain lights.”
Allyson smirked. “Point taken.”
Adriana fidgeted with her thumbs. She’d been trying not to get him involved, but she was out of options and Sean Wyatt almost always had a solution.
Thank You
I just wanted to say thank you for taking time out of your life to read a story I created. I’ve always loved sharing stories with people, and it is an honor that you decided to spend some time with one of mine. I truly appreciate it.
If you enjoyed it, swing by your online retailer and leave a review. These reviews help other readers find great books, and they help authors find new readers. So leaving a review helps two groups of people.
Feel free to stop by my website at ernestdempsey.net, and be sure to send me an email. I love chatting with readers, so don’t be shy.
Have a wonderful day, and thanks again for reading,
Ernest Dempsey
OTHER BOOKS BY ERNEST DEMPSEY
Sean Wyatt Thrillers:
The Secret of the Stones
The Cleric’s Vault
The Last Chamber
The Grecian Manifesto
The Norse Directive
The Jerusalem Creed
Game of Shadows
War of Thieves (An Adriana Villa Thriller)
The Syndicate (An Adriana Villa Thriller)
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my editors, Anne Storer and Jason Whited, for their incredible work on my books. Their efforts make my stories shine brighter than I ever imagined.
I’d also like to thank all of my VIP readers for their support and constant feedback that helps guide me along this writing journey. My VIP group is more than just a group of fans; they are truly my friends, and I hope I always entertain them with my words.
And last but not least, a big thank you goes out to my advance reader team, an elite group of VIP readers who are always supportive, constructive with their critiques, and who evangelize my stories to the world. Thank you all so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you.
Ernest