AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure, sure.” Aleksander waved a hand lazily. “You won’t sell out your boss. I understand. But the question remains of what to do with you.”
He looked her up and down, and Emma felt her stomach tying itself into knots. Corporate espionage was a crime. She could easily end up in jail.
“Of course, I could turn you over to the authorities.” Aleksander smiled as Emma shifted in her chair. “Or, perhaps, I could give you a little… task. Given that you’ve slipped through my security and into my own office, I’m sure you could handle it.”
Emma remained silent, though she wondered what this job could be. Any job would be better than jail. Wouldn’t it?
“See, an… acquaintance of mine has recently acquired a new painting. Aurora. I want you to get it for me.”
Finally, Emma spoke up. “Mr. Ariti?—”
“Aleksander, please, since we’ll be business partners.”
“Aleksander. I don’t steal. If you want inside information, secrets, or uncovering misdeeds, I’m your girl. But I’m not experienced enough to actually take anything, nor am I willing to.”
“I understand.” Aleksander leaned forward. “But I doubt you want to end up in prison, either. And wouldn’t it be nice to expand your portfolio?”
It would not. Emma had firm lines that she refused to cross, and stealing was one of them. Although, a tiny voice in her head countered, perhaps stealing paintings isn’t all that different from stealing secrets. Emma shook herself. That wasn’t true. This was no time to waver in what she believed in.
Aleksander seemed to take her silence as agreement because he continued speaking. “The painting belongs to one Patrick Daniels. I’d like you to take it for me.”
“And how should I do that?” Emma asked. “As I told you, I have no experience in art theft.”
“Patrick keeps the painting in his personal collection. Beyond that, you’ll need to figure it out yourself.”
The task seemed impossible, but it seemed better to agree, at least so that she could get out of this office. Later, hopefully, she could find a way to get out of this mess without taking the painting or being turned in to the police. And, if this Patrick Daniels was an acquaintance of Aleksander Ariti, he might well be just as duplicitous and rude. Perhaps stealing from him wouldn’t violate Emma’s personal code as much as she worried it would.
“Fine.” Emma folded her arms.
“Excellent news.” Aleksander smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Let’s see. I’ll give you… two weeks?”
“That isn’t long enough,” Emma told him immediately. “A job on this scale… I’d need at least a few months.”
“I’ll give you one month. That seems more than fair, given that I’m keeping you out of prison.”
“Fine.” Emma got to her feet, but Aleksander held up a hand.
“Not so fast. I need to be sure that you aren’t going to back out of our little agreement, so I need your name.”
“Emma Anders,” Emma told him. It was one of the pseudonyms she used and was the name she’d applied for the cleaning job with. If Aleksander looked her up, he’d see enough of a paper trail to make him believe, at least momentarily, that Emma Anders really existed.
But Aleksander was already shaking his head. “I don’t believe you. You’re clearly a corporate spy and I doubt you’d give your own name.”
“I can show you an ID.” Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out her Emma Anders driver’s license. It was a forgery, but a good one, and it should pass inspection.
Aleksander didn’t even look at the ID. Instead, he lifted something from his desk and set it on the countertop. It was a cellphone.
“I can call the police right now,” he suggested.
Emma’s heart was pounding, but she stayed calm. Aleksander didn’t know her name. As long as she could get out of here without him calling the police, all would be well.
“Since you’re not willing to give me your name,” he continued. “How about a fingerprint?” And Aleksander slid a stamp pad across the table.
Emma hesitated for a long moment, but she didn’t see a way out. She took off one glove, then dipped a finger into the ink and pressed it to a piece of paper. At least her fingerprints weren’t in the law enforcement system — although with her fingerprint and a good look at her face, Aleksander probably knew enough to confidently report her any time. From there, it wouldn’t be hard for the police to find her.
She was really going to have to steal this painting. Oh, no. Emma didn’t know how this all could have gone so wrong. She’d done dozens of espionage jobs before and nothing like this had ever happened.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Aleksander said. “And I look forward to receiving that painting.” He slid the cellphone across the table. “Hold on to this. I’ll use it to contact you when I want to check up on your progress, and you can call me when you have the painting ready. My number is saved.”
