Page 121 of The Chase
I’d been too full of fear upon my arrival to be impressed by any advanced technology I encountered. Now I tried to understand the need for a virtual keyboard as Tobias waved his hand, commanding it to appear out of thin air. He was rambling on about laser projection and nono-bytes of data which, while kind of hot coming from this hunk du jour,it was not as interesting as ogling him, and to be honest, he’d lost me with the involved details. I reasoned it was no surprise I’d feared Tobias was Icon, and even though I now knew my paintings were safe, I allowed my imagination to gather the clues. Like Tobias, our man would also have a great understanding of technology; he’d also have similar resources, and the same level of ingenuity.
Everything pointed to Icon having stolenSt. Joan.
My gaze swept over Tobias’s face and I slid off the desk to stand closer to him, reaching up to cup his cheek. He leaned into me, his gaze seemingly trying to convey something he wanted to tell me.
You’re tired, I reassured myself, dazed from having believed I’d lost everything. Everyone becomes a suspect when your back is against the wall.
I daydreamed further that a better knowledge of Tobias’s world would help me better understand the thief’s universe, perhaps the way his mind worked.
His true motives.
My feet wobbled as the madness of my last few decisions reared. I’d been scared and confused and had totally mishandled those paintings.
I knew better.
Before the meeting with Magnus, I’d sat in Tobias’s private office en suite bathroom, wearing a robe from the Tower’s spa while his staff arranged for my clothes to be dry-cleaned. Apparently, the process could be expedited to less than twenty minutes, which gave me time to dry my hair with the blow-dryer borrowed from the gym. Turned out this was like a little village, with restaurants, that pool his receptionist had mentioned, and all sorts of other impressive amenities like a five-star restaurant and a cozy café—all I’d seen showcased on the promotional video he’d shown me.
Tobias kept opening his arms to me and I willingly fell into them, needing his hugs.
I imagined he had held back on sharing proof of his grand wealth so as not to intimidate me. Perhaps he’d also needed to explore my motives for being with him.
Maybe that was what he meant by “secretly dating” me.
My day had gone from one of the worst ever to blissfully happy now that I knew my paintings were in good hands.
The meeting with Magnus went well.
With Tobias’s two-man legal team guiding us through the process of all that legalese, I’d gotten the reassurance I needed that our plan to secure the artwork in his prestigious gallery would go smoothly.
Dr. Needham had been giddy with excitement at the prospect of showcasing a Michelangelo. He’d also told us that having the painting by Vermeer and the sketch by da Vinci was “an astounding privilege.” The works of art were now in the process of being transported to the National Gallery, where they’d be reframed and professionally cleaned.
Tobias was demonstrating now how fast he could type midair. “Am I boring you?” He gave a dashing smile.
“It’s just a little over my head, that’s all.” I gave his arm a squeeze. “You’re so clever.”
He brushed his hand over my cheek. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine.”
“Coming to terms with your father’s paintings finding a home? It’s more than just a resolution to all you’ve been through.”
“Not that I want to put any pressure on you,” I said, “but you’ve been a nice distraction. Other than earlier, of course. When I was convinced you were that burglar Interpol’s chasing.”
“Icon?”
“Yes.”
Tobias cupped my face with his hands and leaned in to kiss me, and I tipped my chin, my lips ready and needful for his lips.
He paused, his gaze narrowing. He stepped back from me. “Logan.”
My head snapped round to catch her standing in the doorway.
She gave a nod my way. “Tobias, are you okay if I head home?”
“Yes, of course,” he said. “Thank you for setting that meeting up for us.”
I almost cringed when I saw the hurt in her eyes. “Would you like to join us for brunch, Logan?” It came out before I’d had the chance to think about it, but still, it felt like the right thing to do.
