Hunter nodded gratefully and followed them into the hallway, and soon Grace was deposited on one side of the big bed and Josh on the other.
“I’ll be back to get him in an hour or so,” Hunter said.“If you don’t mind, can we crash on your hide-a-bed?”
“No worries,” Liam told him, and then Hunter left, and it was just Josh and Liam while Liam pulled off Josh’s boots.Like Grace and Danny, he was wearing thieves’ clothes—which were great for sleeping, running, and stealing.
Tonight it would be sleeping.
“You did good tonight,” Liam said softly.“I think your Uncle Leon needed to hear that.”
“And now I feel bad for not saying it sooner.Guilt is a terrible thing.”Josh said that last part on a yawn.“Liam?”
“Yeah?”
“Grace and I are going to take over Grace’s dance school when this thing with Kadjic is done.”
Liam smiled and sat on the bed.The two of them had so much potential—so many ideas.“Good idea, boy-o.”
“You’ll visit, right?”
“Aye.And you’ll visit me.And this isn’t our last adventure by any means.”
Josh smiled a little, his eyes closed.“We were thinking about recruiting… maybe not perfect kids.Like, juvenile hall kids.Kids who need a break and have a certain set of skills.”
“And morals,” Liam said.“Don’t take your good hearts for granted.”
Joshhmmed, eyes still closed.“I want to be with you as much as possible.Maybe I can come on your adventures when you’re not coming on mine.”
“Sounds like a lot to do, Joshua Daniel.Maybe you should rest up so we can get this done first.”
“I love you.I love you so much.Nobody else could get me to go to bed early, you know.”
Liam chuckled.“I am aware.”
He lowered his head then and tried to put his soul in the kiss.And then he was back out and down the hall, in the thick of things, working with the family.Hisfamily now.Funny how that worked.
Easy as Klimt
STIRLING HADbeen right; the van Leon had purchased for them was glorious.Small—the roads of Eastern Europe weren’t as wide as those in America, and the small squarish vehicle with the name of a local cleaning service stenciled neatly on the doors was not nearly as hefty and decadent as their surveillance van in Chicago—but well equipped.Josh had even spotted a coffee maker tucked back in one of the cupboards.
The Klimt job had gone offflawlesslythe night before.Tienne and Grace had slipped in, dressed in the purloined uniform of the specialized cleaners, and they’d managed to move the Klimt into a janitor’s closet.There, they stripped the original canvas from the frame and replaced it with the forgery, and then they’d wrapped the real thing lovingly in an acid-resistant linen sheath and rolled it carefully into a waterproof, silicone-lined canister.
Which they left in the back of the janitor’s closet with a giant label, in Czech, that said,The Maidenby Gustav Klimt.
They were not actuallytryingto steal the painting—much to Grace’s eternal disgust.They weretryingto let Kadjic know that they knew hewantedthe painting.The hope was that, since the Klimt wing would be closed until the gala—the better to reveal thePrince William—the forgery and the original painting would not be noticed until there was a crowd of people to appreciate the… misplacement.
Tonight, Grace, who’d had his hair dyed white blond and streaked with strands of gold and violet sparkles that morning after the job, and Tienne, who was the only person in the crew who hadn’t changed his hair because with his slender build and long blond ponytail, he couldalsobe their blond woman, both wrapped colorful scarves around their necks and slouched about the gallery with tiny drinks in their hands, scooping hors d’oeuvres and lifting wallets in a desultory fashion while Carl made polite conversation with the chief docent.
All of them had their attention focused on Kadjic and his entourage, who kept stomping like theater thugs around the Klimt wing, first sneering at the Prince William and then eyeballing Carl with deep suspicion.
“Kadjic knows him,” Grace murmured in Josh’s ear, “but he can’t place him.It’s almost delicious.And Carl’s not even trying to hide.He’s using the same ID he used for the party.Who knew being an insurance guy made you bulletproof.”
“How’s Tor and my mother doing?”Josh asked.They’d been stretched so thin that while Marco was engaged in the museum’s food facilities, Lucius had been forced to do basic manual labor on the dock to get the cofferdam into place and help the girls escape.Juliahadbeen going to go on Carl’s arm, but that would have beentoomuch of a coincidence.Instead, she and Molly had planned her outfit carefully—complete with a red wig, temporary freckles, and green contacts.Pregnancy had added weight to her figure, and instead of bemoaning it, they’d capitalized on it, dressing her in a full green skirt and gold sweater.
She still looked stunning—as all the men in her life dutifully and enthusiastically told her—but she also appeared a little older and a lot more brazen and less reserved.To Josh’s delight, she was fully playing into her role as Tor’s literary agent and “a friend of his mother’s,” and Tor was a charming young friend enjoying her company.
“We’re fine, darling,” Julia murmured through what sounded like a full mouth.“And Marco’s canapes are to die for.We’ll need to kidnap that boy to get him back to Chicago, mark my words.”
“No kidnapping necessary,” Tor replied.“He can’t wait to get home and try new recipes.I’m sorry, can I help you?”
