“What?”Hunter asked.
“With you people, I can’t tell if you mean that or not,” Liam told him frankly.
“Oh no, seriously—she’ll be thrilled,” Hunter told him.“The worst part is Grace will wish he was part of it.He’ll be mad that he can’t do both jobs.”After a pause, Hunter added, “As long as they say they can do it.”
Liam nodded.“We should look for alternatives today before we meet.It’s… you know… just an idea….”
“A WONDERFUL, AWFULidea,” Chuck said, his face lighting up with excitement as they indulged in Prague’s version of Thai food in the big suite.“Do you know what that would take?”
“We’d need to borrow equipment to make the tunnel,” Michael said, “and we’d need to work the pump for at least twenty-four hours before we could seal the cofferdam to the hull—”
“And we’d need to figure out a way to sneak Mollyintothe boat?” Hunter began.
“And then for her to let me in through the bottom port—” Liam said, but Molly glared at both of them and shook her head.
“I sneak in through the port the morning before the heist,” she said.“I hide with the victims and spread the word.Liam, you don’t need to come in.I can find their passports.”
“I don’t want you there without backup,” Danny said unequivocally, and there was universal assent.
“But Danny,” she said patiently, “we’re going to be stretched thin.Who’ve we got on the museum job anyway?”
“Grace, Josh, Tor, Carl, and Tienne,” Danny said.“Since the port job just commandeered the rest of our muscle and Leon.”
“I can be muscle,” Leon said, miffed.
“Youhavemuscle,” Danny said, “but you’re like Fox—nobody’s going to believe you’re pit crew, Leon.We need you there with a handy rental yacht to take those girls to Hamburg with their passports and get them home.”
“No machine guns for Leon,” Felix intoned.
Leon humphed.“You know, my father made both me and Matteo work on the docks for years when we were younger.”
“You were probably the belles of the ball,” Danny retorted dryly.“When I met Fox, he was pickpocketing tourists in Rome, but every street kid for miles knew he was a rich man’s son, which is why he’s going to be bidding for the Renoir at the museum.”
“I am not,” Felix said.“I’ll be at the docks with you.Tor can buy the bloody Renoir.”
“He’ll probably get a better deal on it,” Danny snapped, which meant Felix would be at the docks.
“And there goes any cachet as a thief I’ve ever had,” Felix said, scowling.
Danny snorted.“Because all that praise for your ‘business acumen’ isn’t enough cachet for you?”
Felix’s chuckle rolled richly.“Those six units of junior college weren’t for naught,” he said, referring to the forged credentials he and Danny had established so Felix could run the network he and Julia had inherited/stolen from her father.“And not that I don’t look forward to being muscle,” he said, grinning wolfishly at Leon in one-upsmanship, “but does that mean I’mnotbuying a Renoir that evening?”
“No,” Danny said, sighing in concession and obviously changing plans with Felix’s teasing.“Kadjic and company didn’t spot Tor, and you’re right—he’s perfectly capable of playing the thwarted bidder.”
“Thank you,” Tor said smugly.
“Also,” Danny told him with a sharp look, “since Marco will be working with the catering crew for the museum gala, he’s going to need you to help him keep his cover.”
Marco shrugged.“I make the canapes, I serve the canapes….”
Danny shook his head.“Don’t be complacent,” he said.“If somebody looks at you and says, ‘Hey, haven’t I seen you before?Chicago?’you say—”
“I say yes, my boyfriend and I have been taking a tasting tour of Europe so I can bring the flavors of Poland and Prague to my hometown,” Marco replied smugly.Then he sobered.“You all have proven it many times,” he said.“Nobody notices the help.”
“Wait,” Felix said.“Why isn’t Lucius at the museum?”
“Because Lucius is helping to load trafficking victims into Leon’s yacht to just get them out of the port to safety,” Lucius replied testily.“It’s all hands on deck, Felix—quite literally.Tor is less likely to be connected to Chuck.Like it or not, we’ve been busy beavers, and we’re trying not to be seen too much.Tor’s cover as the traveling journalist means it’sfineif he’s recognized.”
