Page 81 of The Prize
The engine roared to life and we sped out of the harbor, rocking over the open water with the wind blasting my face and billowing my clothes. Daring to look back, I saw Eli standing on the edge of Liberty Island dock with his men beside him.
“He won’t find this suspicious?” I asked Tobias.
“He probably expected us to take off in a helicopter.”
“So us having a speedboat ready...?”
“Is something I’d do.”
“Right. Do you think it went well?” I didn’t want to say any more with the skipper a few feet away.
Tobias gave me an assured nod and called out to our captain, “I appreciate this, Dan.”
“Always a pleasure, Mr. Wilder,” he called back.
Tobias scooted closer to me. “Dan’s a coast guard. Getting on and off the island is monitored because it’s a national monument.”
“How did you make that happen?” I nodded toward the island.
Tobias leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “Eli’s been waiting for me to pop up on the grid. Marshall saw him boarding a boat and let me know he was on his way.”
Grateful for the ever-growing distance between us and that island, I realized every moment on there had been orchestrated. Tobias had set a trap for Eli so our meeting would happen at that exact time. Eli had been right on our heels. The only other time I’d felt such terror was when I’d fallen through a trapdoor in Arizona, with the threat of drowning all too real. My heart was still hammering in my chest.
Tobias pulled out his cell and I watched him turn the GPS off.
As we zoomed along I clutched the side of the boat carrying us fast toward the mainland.
I’d verbally unleashed the painting into existence and even though it would only be seen by Eli and his father, my heart constricted that I was part of its cruel mystique. I wouldn’t rest until it was destroyed. Back during my student days when a fake painting had surfaced it had been perfectly acceptable to destroy the artwork and keep it out of the hands of dealers who duped unsuspecting collectors. My colleagues had seemingly enjoyed being part of eradicating fakes. I, however, refused to be present when the deed was done. Something inside me couldn’t bear to see art destroyed even in the name of ethics.
Tobias rested a hand on my knee. “You okay?”
I gave a nod and stared out at the city view, not wanting to show any doubt until I could resolve these complex feelings.
“You did great.” His expression revealed he was relieved to be away from that island too, but the way he kept glancing at me proved his concern for me was growing.
Off in the distance, dark clouds rolled in and threatened rain and my body stung with the chill. Tobias went to remove his jacket for me but I stopped him. This sting of cold kept me focused and served as a form of punishment for my misdeeds.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath trying to calm down.
Within half an hour I was happy to be back on dry land ascending the steps of the Manhattan marina.
Outside the dock Marshall was waiting for us in the SUV.
After pulling my seat belt on in the backseat I exhaled a shaky breath and it felt like the same one I’d been holding since being threatened by Eli. While in the New York Ballet Tobias had tried to persuade me to go home and not face this. Still, I’d been an asset to him, and the authenticity I’d provided would see Eli chomping at the bit to see ourMona Lisa.
Our Mona Lisa, I mused, guilt dripping off me for what I’d done.
“Marshall.” Tobias gestured to him. “Take us to my favorite haunt.”
“Got it, sir,” he replied, and shared a smile with his boss in the rearview mirror.
The glass divider rose between us.
“Sure you’re okay?” Tobias gave me a look of concern.
“I’m fine.”
“I’ve got it from here. You’ve done more than enough to help set this up.”
