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Chapter Nine
Holding the warm cup in both hands, Gabrielle sipped her weak oolong tea while Jamie polished off the last of her lo mein. He would wheedle her fortune cookie away from her as well - he always did - but she didn't mind. It was nice simply to be out with her friends, life getting back to some sense of normalcy after everything that had happened last weekend.
"I have something for you," Jamie said, breaking into Gabrielle's thoughts. He fished around in a cream-colored leather bag that sat between them on the bench and pulled out a white envelope. "Proceeds from the private showing."
Gabrielle tore open the seal and pulled out the gallery check. It was more than she expected. A few grand more. "Wow."
"Surprise," Jamie singsonged, grinning broadly. "I highballed the price. Figured what the hell, you know. And they pounced on it without any haggling whatsoever. Think I should have asked for more?"
"No," Gabrielle said. "No, this is, um... wow. Thanks."
"Nothing to it." He pointed to her fortune cookie. "You gonna eat that?"
She slid it across the table to him. "So, who's the buyer?"
"Ah, that remains a big mystery," he said, crushing the cookie inside its plastic wrapper. "They paid in cash, so obviously they were serious about the 'anonymous' part of the sale. And they sent a cab over to pick me up with the collection."
"What are you guys talking about?" Megan asked. She stared at the two of them, frowning in confusion. "I swear, I am the last to know everything."
"Our talented little artiste here has a secret admirer," Jamie supplied with ample drama. He pulled out the fortune, read it, and rolled his eyes as he discarded the slip of paper onto his empty plate. "What happened to the days when these things actually meant something? Anyway, a few nights ago, I was summoned to present Gabby's entire collection of photographs to an anonymous buyer downtown. They purchased them all - every last one."
Megan's eyes widened in Gabrielle's direction. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you, sweetie!"
"Whoever it was that bought them has a serious cloak-and-dagger fetish."
Gabrielle glanced at her friend as she slipped the check into her purse. "What do you mean?"
Jamie finished munching a shard of broken fortune cookie, then brushed the crumbs off his fingers. "Well, once I arrive at the address they gave me - one of those corporate suite places, with multiple tenants - I'm met in the lobby by some kind of bodyguard. He doesn't say anything to me, just mumbles something into a wireless mouthpiece, then leads me into an elevator that takes us up to the top floor of the building."
Megan's brows rose. "The penthouse?"
"Yeah. But here's the thing. The place is empty. All the lights are on in the suite, but there are no people inside. No furniture, no equipment, nothing. Just walls of windows, looking out over the city."
"That's bizarre. Don't you think so, Gabby?"
She nodded, a creeping sense of unease spreading over her as Jamie continued.
"So, the bodyguard tells me to take the first photograph out of the portfolio and walk it over to the north bank of windows. It's dark outside, and I've got my back to him now, but he tells me that I am to hold each photo up in front of me until he instructs me to put it aside and get another."
Megan laughed. "With your back to him? Why would he want you to do that?"
"Because the buyer was watching from another location," Gabrielle answered softly. "Somewhere in view of the penthouse windows."
Jamie nodded. "Apparently so. I couldn't hear anything, but I'm sure the bodyguard - or whatever he was - was taking directions through his earpiece. To tell you the truth, I was getting a little nervous about the whole thing, but it was cool. In the end, no harm done. All they wanted were your photographs. I only made it to the fourth one before they asked me for a price on all of them. So, like I said, I pitched high and they took it."
"Weird," Megan remarked. "Hey, Gab, maybe you've caught the interest of a devastatingly handsome, but reclusive, billionaire. This time next year, we could be dancing at your lavish wedding on Mykonos."
"Ugh, please," Jamie gasped. "Mykonos is so last year. All the pretty people are in Marbella, darling."
Gabrielle shook off the odd niggle of wariness that was gnawing at her from Jamie's strange account. Like he said, no harm done, and she had a fat check in her purse besides. Maybe she would treat Lucan to dinner, since the meal she'd made in celebration last night went to waste on her kitchen counter.
Not that she could summon the slightest bit of remorse for the loss of her manicotti.
Yeah, a romantic dinner out with Lucan sounded great. Hopefully, they'd have dessert in... breakfast, too.
Her mood instantly lightened, Gabrielle laughed along as her friends continued trading outlandish ideas about who the mysterious collector might actually be, and what it could mean to her future and by association, theirs as well. They were still at it after the table was cleared and the bill was paid, and the three of them exited the restaurant to the sunlit street outside.
"I have to dash," Megan said, giving Gabrielle and Jamie each a quick hug. "See you guys soon?"
