Page 22 of The Honeymoon Heist

The man leading her said, “We’re just going to keep you for a couple of hours, and then you’ll see them again. We’ll get some ice cream together.”

She couldn’t believe the statement. It was idiotic, but he seemed to think it would calm her, and so she pretended it did.

“What kind of ice cream can I get?”

“Whatever you want. I promise.”

She smiled, not letting on that she knew it was a lie.

They walked up the road above the church until they reached a multilevel parking garage that stretched out down to the valley below. The men led her into the heart of the deck, down to the third floor, next to a bunch of other cars that looked like they’d been there for months, and unlocked a van, sliding the door open.

The older man said, “Get in. It won’t take too long.”

She did, taking a seat on a bench in the back, the two men taking seats opposite her. They sat down awkwardly, not sure what to do, and she realized that their taking of her wasn’t something they were used to. Something she could use to her advantage.

They sat self-consciously for a moment, and she stood up. The older man said, “Hey, stop that. If you want to move, ask first, or I’ll have to restrain you.”

Which told her they didn’t know what they were doing. She should have been restrained immediately. But she was not.

The younger of the two said, “I have to ask, as long as we’re here, how did you know that painting was a forgery?”

Forgery? What is he talking about?

She was not stupid enough to let on about that, of course.

She took a stab in the dark, saying, “When I saw that painting in the White Grotto, I knew it was a forgery. As soon as I saw it.”

She got a look of confusion, and then he responded, “That one was the real one.”

The other man said, “Shut up, Miles.”

Miles said, “Come on, Buck. I’d like to know. I put a lot of time into that painting, and some child took one look at it and knew it was fake?”

She said, “I didn’t know it was fake. I just assumed it was, because I saw it in the gallery after I saw it in the cave.”

Buck said, “Well, you were close. The one in the cave was the real one. The one in the gallery is fake. So now you know.”

She nodded and said, “Why the big deal? Why did you take my parents?”

They said nothing, leaning back into the van wall. She said, “We’re going to be okay, right? When they find out that my parents don’t care about the painting? Right?”

Buck said, “Right. That’s what will happen. Your parents will talk to a guy, and we’ll let you go.”

She could tell that he believed it, but she knew it wasn’t true. He wanted to believe to salve his soul. He didn’t want to be a part of this, but he was. And now it was time to prevent what they didn’t want to happen.

She said, “I have to go potty. Can I do that?”

Buck looked at Miles, and Miles shrugged, saying, “There’s a public restroom on the second deck.”

Buck said, “Okay, but we go to the van first, then walk straight there, and straight back.”

She nodded, drawing her courage.

Chapter 14

I walked out of the excavation wanting to scream. I was so full of adrenaline that I was about to burst, but if I did anything, they’d kill Amena. Which is exactly why they’d taken her.

To keep me under control.

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