Celt. (Den of Mercenaries Book 2) (10 page)

After the last two and a half weeks, she was finally done. They hadn’t been aged yet, but all of
her
work was finished.

And she was damn proud of the results. All of her hard work rested right in front of her eyes, and just the satisfaction she saw in his eyes was enough to make her feel like she’d done a good job.

It had taken another four days to finally complete it, and she may have been done even sooner had Kyrnon not been taking up every other spare moment she had.

Not that she minded.

All too quickly, she was enjoying his company. It was the simple things really, like two nights ago when they watched a movie on his couch. For the first fifteen minutes he was throwing popcorn at her, and for the next hour explaining to her in excruciating detail how the fighting depicted in it was off.

He was goofy.

He was sweet.

He was … everything.

“I’ve made the check out to cash,” Gabriel said, pulling an envelope from his breast pocket. “I’ve also included a pair of tickets to the auction, should you and a friend want to attend.”

Amber blinked in surprise. Despite her work, she hadn’t actually been expecting to get an invite to the mysterious auction. “Oh, thank you.”

Maybe she’d bring Kyrnon, he seemed to appreciate art enough.

“Saturday,” Gabriel said after she took the envelope from him. “Arrive before six.”

She couldn’t wait.

T
wo nights before the auction
, Amber found herself in a little boutique in The Village with Lauren passing her selections over top the door. After failing to find anything that she thought would work for the event, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to find a dress, while filling Lauren in on all things Kyrnon.

“So what’s he like?” Lauren asked from the other side of the dressing room door, her shadow shifting with her pacing. “Since you’re intent on hiding him, you’ll just have to tell me.”

Laughing, Amber finished zipping up the dress she was wearing before reentering the dressing room floor. “I’m not
hiding
him. The timing just hasn’t worked.”

Like that first night she had gone out with Lauren and Kyrnon had been waiting on her when she got home. Had Mishca not had an emergency at home, they could have met then. And just like then, each time after had fallen along the same lines.

She stepped in front of the trio of mirrors, smoothing her hands down the skirt of the dress. As Lauren walked small circles around her, commenting on everything she liked and disliked, Amber almost smiled at how just a few years ago, their positions were reversed, and it was Amber helping her find a dress for a gala Lauren was attending.

“Well,” Lauren said with a wave of her hand. “I’m still waiting.”

Thinking of him, Amber did smile this time. “He’s great. Really, really great.”

“That’s what you said last time. Give me something new.”

As she contemplated her reflection, she did the same of her answer. “He makes me feel unapologetic. I don’t feel like I have to be anyone else when I’m with him.”

Which was almost the complete opposite of what she had felt with Rob, she was realizing. Thinking back, she could see the moments where she made allowances for the things he said and the way he made her feel.

He hadn’t outright said anything was wrong with her dream of becoming a full-time artist, but he had always treated it like it was a hobby, one he thought she would grow out of. If Kyrnon came over and she was absorbed in work, he merely waited for her to finish before seeking her out. And he actively asked her about past works, though not about what she was currently working on since she never talked about those, and even asking about inspirations and previous artists she might have been channeling.

He just seemed to
care
about her and what she loved to do, and that was all she could ever ask for in a relationship.

And that was what it was, though they had never put a name to it. He was just, as he would put it, her fella.

“Love is in the air,” Lauren said wistfully. “Luka and Alex got married. Klaus is having twins. And now you have Kyrnon.” Then she frowned. “I feel like we’re getting old.”

Amber had met Reagan a few times, mostly by chance when she was with Niklaus and they dropped by the penthouse to see Mishca and Lauren. And even if she didn’t know her that well, she still thought she had to be something special if she managed to get Niklaus to calm down.

“And if there’s anyone getting old, you’re first. Unlike the rest of us, you’re already married with a kid. We’re still catching up.”

Lauren groaned. “Don’t say that. It’s worse because Mishca is already ready for a second. I’ll be lucky to graduate without him knocking me up.”

“But you have to admit. Sacha is too adorable not to have a sibling.”

“Don’t let Mish hear you say that. That’s been his argument since the day he gave me that smile of his and asked me to have his baby.” A sudden blush stained her cheeks as she cleared her throat. “But enough about that. What do you think of the dress?”

Looking back to her reflection, Amber shrugged. “It’s okay, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite.” And definitely not worth the price attached to it.

“This one?”

Lauren led the way back toward the front of the boutique where there was a selection of jewel-toned gowns, but there was another that she was focused on, this one sitting on a mannequin in the window.

The top half was made mostly of lace, sheerer around the arms, across the collarbone, and along the waistline. The skirt was full, so long that it would brush the floor, even if she was standing.

And it was blue. Such a brilliant sapphire shade that it was amazing she had missed it when they first came in.

It was a beautiful dress, that couldn’t be denied, but it was different than what she had been thinking.

“You don’t think this one is a bit … dramatic for an auction?”

“Mish once took me to an auction and they were dressed like it was the red carpet, so no, it looks fine. And while it might not be the same kind of auction, the people spending money are.” Lauren smiled wide. “So try it on and see if it works.”

It only took one glance in the mirror for her to decide that she was in love with it and couldn’t possibly say no. Bought and bagged, Amber carried it back to Lauren’s car, laying it out along the backseat.

The shopping done, they found a restaurant to eat at, Mishca’s guy remained in the background and out of sight. Though she had wondered what it would be like for him to trail them all day, she couldn’t actually remember seeing him until they were getting in the car and saw him through the rearview mirror.

By the time she got home and had the dress stashed away, she was pulling out her phone to call Kyrnon.

“
A
re you coming over later
?”

Setting his mobile on the passenger seat as he reached for his gloves, Kyrnon kept his gaze set on the gallery a block down the street. As much as he would have loved to already be with her, he still had a job to do. And as of late, he had absolute shite.

During the times he picked her up and dropped her off, he still hadn’t seen anything that could remotely link him to the painting, or even just the relationship between Elliot and Gabriel. Even when he went inside there once under the guise of visiting her, he still hadn’t found anything.

It wasn’t until he noticed a reoccurring theme with her that he finally understood what he was missing. Before she went in to work, and as she was getting off, she would always send a text. So while she slept beside him one night, he checked her messages and found the number, which ultimately led him to a shipping company that Kyrnon knew Gabriel owned.

That was why he was here tonight, to figure out why she would need to contact someone about a painting she was working on.

And more curious, she never talked to him about it.

It was one of the things he liked about her, her willingness to share herself with him. She was open and honest, almost to a fault. Kyrnon was suspicious by nature, so he couldn’t ignore that she was hiding something from him.

“I’ll be there,” Kyrnon said as he carefully opened the car door. “And I’ll even bring dinner. See you soon.”

He could hear the smile in her voice as she hung up. Pocketing the device, he started for Cedar, checking the time on his watch as he went.

Rule number sixteen: Get in and get out in under six minutes.

It didn’t matter if he was only doing recon, or if he was actually taking something from the place he was breaking into, he needed to be sure it could be done in a short period time. Most days, he tried to keep that time even shorter, especially if there was a better security system.

It would only take one time to fuck up and he’d be spending some time in a federal prison, at least if they caught him first.

And that was if the Kingmaker even let it get that far. There had only been a few in all the years Kyrnon had served as a mercenary for the Den that had been caught.

They didn’t see the next sunrise.

Circling the back of the building, knowing there was another entrance that wasn’t as visible as the one on the street, he turned the dial on his watch, set his timer, and sent it off before he was crouching down to pick the lock.

Five minutes, thirty seconds
…

The lock was easy enough, and since he had seen Amber enter it enough, he keyed in the security code, watching the lights flash green before he had the door open and shut behind him, and was moving down the hallway.

Though there was no one meant to be inside, Kyrnon still moved cautiously, knowing that the best planning in the world couldn’t account for human error.

It only took one person deciding to stay later, or coming back for a cell phone that would mess up his plan.

Five minutes …

He knew whatever Amber worked on wouldn’t be out in the main gallery, and he had already checked for
L’amant Flétrie
and found no evidence of it ever having been out there.

But there was one room he had seen her emerge from that was off the back hallway—storage, he had thought it was. Before he started for it, however, he made a spliff of the camera feed.

Despite the security measures in place, the room was fairly easy to get into. It
was
storage considering the crates inside the room, plus the supplies, but it was the pair of easels on the other side of the room that caught his attention.

L’amant Flétrie
.

And a copy.

Fucking hell.

Had she been the one to do this? If so, she was
good
. Had he not studied everything he could on the original, he might not have noticed the slight differences between the two, but to the undiscerning eye, they were identical.

But that only raised another question?

Why was she making a forgery?

At least he understood why she had never mentioned it to him. Forgeries were bad business. And he doubted she was doing this on her own. Elliot probably put the deal together.

And that was how Gabriel and Elliot were connected, Kyrnon realized.

Gabriel had the painting, used Elliot to find someone to reproduce it … but that still didn’t explain
why
it needed to be done in the first place. If they were trying to fence it, why have another made?

Kyrnon was contemplating his next move when doors slammed shut down the hall. With no time to get out of there, he slipped around the side of a crate, still keeping a visual on the door.

Two men entered, one rolling in a dolly, the other checking their surroundings. They didn’t speak much as they made quick work of loading up both paintings, treating them quite carefully as they wheeled them out.

Keeping his steps light, Kyrnon followed behind, checking his watch as he went.

One minute …

“Where to this time?” One asked as he climbed into the passenger’s seat of the large moving truck.

“Monte’s place. They’re supposed to be getting rid of this thing soon.”

It wasn’t much later that they were pulling off, disappearing down the street. Slipping back out the way he came, Kyrnon was on his phone before he was even back at his car.

“Winter, I need a favor.”

Winter was chewing gum loudly, then asked, “What can I do for you, little Irish?”

If she didn’t stop calling him that
… “Gabriel Monte. Run the name, get me everything you can. Make sure you find any property he owns.”

“Domestic or foreign?”

“Domestic. New York specifically.” He had already gone through enough trouble bringing it in under the Kingmaker’s nose, he wasn’t going to stray too far now.

“I’ll send you my bill.
Ciao
.”

Kyrnon didn’t doubt that by the time he got back to Amber’s, she would have everything he needed, and he needed the answer to that quick. On his way to Amber’s apartment, he stopped by a local place to grab take-out. Thirty minutes later, he was there.

Feeling around the top of the doorframe, he grabbed the key she kept hidden there, letting himself into her place. “You need to find a better spot for this, lovie.”

“Is there anything else you’re going to complain about?” she called from where she was sitting on the fire escape, a sketchbook in her lap. “First it was my windows, then it was the deadbolt, and now my spare key. I can’t win with you.”

“It’s not
safe
,” he said dropping the food on the counter, spotting the envelope and check sitting there. He didn’t pick it up, rather only kept his gaze on it as he pulled containers from the bag.

“It’s perfectly safe, and besides,” she continued, padding over to him. “You’re here at the moment and I’m plenty safe with you.”

That made his ego kick up a notch. “Fair enough.” Glancing back at the check, Kyrnon asked, “How was work?”

Her eyes lit up as she smiled, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “I finished this big project today. Which reminds me. I was invited to this auction and I thought maybe you could come with me.”

So Gabriel was auctioning off the painting? That wasn’t surprising. A lot of his contacts were known to attend private auctions in hopes of obtaining a rare piece, but they rarely invited outsiders … at least not ones they didn’t think they could trust.

Did they think they could trust Amber?

Just how involved was she?

And how in the hell hadn’t he seen it?

“What kind of project?” he asked, walking her back to the couch, pulling her down on his lap.

Though she stayed put, she didn’t look as at ease as she usually did. “I can’t really talk about it.”

“Now you’ve got my interest.” Grabbing her hand, he kissed her palm. “Your secrets are safe with me.”

“I signed an NDA.”

For fuck’s sake. “Why?”

The question came out sharper than he intended, and he could feel the shift in her, the way she tensed against him as she readied to push away, but he kept his hands at her waist, making sure she wouldn’t get anywhere.

“Unless you’re moving artwork on the black market,” Kyrnon said, trying to soften his words, “what in the hell do you need a nondisclosure agreement for?”

Glancing away, she bit her lip. “I can’t talk about it.”

“What’d be the harm in telling me, eh?”

Patience had never been his strong suit, particularly when it came to information he needed, but he didn’t want to push too hard too fast and make her suspicious as to why he was asking.

“Fine, but you can’t say anything, to anyone.”