Page 41 of Abra's Acquisition
When we finish eating, Danny and Jack clear the dishes and take them into the kitchen while the rest of us turn to Cicero expectantly.
“Okay, what has you so excited?” Abra asks him.
Cicero stares at Abra for several moments before shaking his head. “I don’t know where to start.”
Abra chuckles. “Start with the painting. What did you find out about The Widow in Black? You came back here to check the ship manifests. What did you find? Was the painting listed on the manifest?”
“Yes. When I was searching the manifest for the Harlequin figurine, I recall seeing it listed alongside a few paintings by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. I assumed these paintings were simply property of the De Villiers family.”
“But they aren’t?” I ask.
“No. I searched the De Villiers journals. They mentioned the paintings as being gifts. They didn’t mention who gave them the gifts, but they stated how they would ‘treasure’ them. They also mentioned that the paintings needed to be protected.”
“Protected from what?” Cleo asks.
Cicero shrugs. “I don’t know. They didn’t say.”
“Do we know what happened to the other four paintings?” I ask.
Cicero shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that if we win the auction tomorrow, we’ll find out. They could still be in the house. I wish there were a way to discover if the man who stole the painting once worked for the De Villliers.”
“I don’t understand why the paintings are so important,” I muse.
Cicero shrugs. “I don’t know. Not yet. I checked the manifest, and these are the ONLY paintings the De Villiers brought with them from France. That has to mean something. A wealthy and established family like the De Villiers would have had a vast collection of art, but they only brought these five paintings with them when they fled France. What’s more, these paintings were gifts. We know that the De Villiers visited with the royal familybefore boarding the ship. I’m guessing they are the ones who gave them the paintings.”
“For what purpose?” I ask.
Cicero shrugs. “I don’t know, but I have an idea. After studying the Widow in Black, I think there is more to it than just the image of an oak. I think there might be a painting under the painting. I want to have the painting X-rayed.”
“X-rayed?” Abra asks.
Cicero nods. “I have a friend at the museum who will fit me in tomorrow morning. I may be late for the auction, but I think this is important.”
“But you are coming to the auction?” Cleo asks.
Cicero nods. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
We chat about the upcoming auction for several more minutes. The plan is for all the Demon Dawgs to attend to back up Cleo. Hex is worried that Erickson and Miguel Costa will cause problems. I’m half-listening to the conversation as my eyes droop. They snap back open when Abra swings me into his arms.
“Let’s go to bed. You’ve had a long day and you need to take care of the little one, little mama,” he says. “Plus, I need some alone time with you.”
“My being pregnant really doesn’t bother you, does it?” I ask as he climbs the stairs.
Abra frowns at me. “Why would it bother me? I’m in awe of you. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. What you’ve gone through in these past few days would have most people crumbling. But that’s not you. You’ve deflected everything these assholes have thrown at you and kept moving forward.”
I frown as I consider his words. He’s right that the past few days haven't been great. They’ve been nothing short of aggravating and exhausting. Maybe I want to crawl under the covers and hide, but how would that fix anything? “I can’t givein to pressure. If I fall, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get up again.”
Abra shuts the door before lowering me to my feet. He places his big hands on each side of my face, forcing me to stare only at him.
“I don’t believe that. I think if you crumbled, you’d find a way to stand again. You, my dear, are one of the rare few who can make it on their own. The good news is, you aren’t alone. That makes you even stronger. You have your brothers. You have this club. You have me. I’ll stand by you through everything. Lean on me and trust me to support you in everything you do.”
I gape at him. How can this strong, rough-around-the-edges biker say something so profound and so lovely? “I don’t understand,” I finally admit. “What are you saying?”
His grey eyes soften as he stares into mine. “I’m saying that since the minute I found you locked in Erickson’s house, ready to battle with your hand-made weapons, I’ve been hooked. You’re everything I didn’t know I wanted or needed. Not only do I want to go to bed every night with you in my arms, but I want to wake up looking forward to hearing what you have to say and listening to you laugh. I can’t wait to see you grow round with this baby and then discover how amazing you’ll be as a mother.”
I open and close my mouth as I try to think of how to respond. Abra has blown my mind, and I’m speechless. He chuckles at my stunned expression. “I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but when I first saw you giving shit to Hex in that garage after we rescued you, I couldn’t imagine how any man could put up with your mouth and your attitude. But now I’m missing both. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I scrunch my nose at his words, but then can’t stop the chuckle from escaping. “You thought I was a mouthy bitch?” He nods, which makes me laugh harder. “Wow, you are very romantic.”
