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“What do I think? That you used me and my studio to create a forgery that you hope to pass off as the original?”
Her hands curled into fists. “Look. I can’t tell you everything because there are other people involved and I can’t risk them. I wasn’t totally honest about the topper, but everything else we talked about was me. What happened between us was real. I like you. But this other stuff is why I’m not in a position to be in a relationship.”
“How real is anything with you? Your studio is full of forgeries.” He pointed at the canvases in the corner.
“Yes. But there’s a good reason for it.” She took another breath and wrapped her arms around her middle. “Without going into detail...remember when we talked about what happened to your dad and I asked if you would ever want to get revenge on the guys who scammed him? That’s what I’m doing.”
He huffed. Each lie was more outrageous than the last. “You want me to believe you’re some kind of fucking Robin Hood?”
“Kind of.”
“Robin Hood was a thief. But at least he took care of those around him. He didn’t put people at risk unknowingly. You used me and my studio for your shit.”
“This will never come back on you. Please.” She reached out to touch him and he jerked back. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Did you choose me intentionally, or was it luck of the draw?”
“What do you mean?”
He stood closer and stared into her eyes. “Did you target me because of my father?”
“Originally, my friend reached out to you, but I didn’t know that. I really did choose your studio because Bronte was offering a class. I thought I could get the basics and figure out how to make what I needed. I never expected to like you and want to spend time with you.”
“I can’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth.” He vibrated with rage. And hurt. “At least the guys who fucked over my father did it legally. They were unethical and immoral, but he chose to work with them. You’re the illegal version of them. And you made me an unwitting partner in your crime. You duped me into letting you in, and that’s worse than all the rest.”
“Ezra, please—”
“Take your fucking topper and do whatever you want. Don’t ever darken my door again.” He kicked the box, sending it sliding across the floor until it smacked into the table leg. He turned and stormed out.
London stood frozenin shock for a few minutes, staring at her open door. It wasn’t until a tear plopped on her shirt that she realized she was crying. So many thoughts swirled in her head. She had a topper—maybe, if it hadn’t broken—but Bruce Moore was advertising that he was auctioning the topper. She swiped at her tears. She needed to get to Audrey and Nikki in case they didn’t already know.
She sent them a text with 911. After locking the door, she looked at the box on the floor. She needed to know if the topper was salvageable, but she couldn’t force herself to do it yet. With the topper being in the press, it might not even matter. Their entire job might be blown out of the water.
While waiting for the girls to show up, she opened a new bottle of wine and poured a huge mug. Even as she did, she was reminded of Ezra’s teasing about her lack of stemware.
Fuck. They’d only spent one night together. He shouldn’t have this kind of effect on her. Sipping her wine, she sat on the couch and took a mental inventory of the progress she’d made on the other pieces. Every other thought she had was of Ezra, though. Maybe she should’ve just gone to the apartment and asked Audrey and Nikki to meet her there instead of at her place.
A few months ago, that would’ve been automatic. But now, Audrey was at Jared’s and Nikki at Wade’s, so the home base was just being used for work. The girls weren’t living there anymore. But she could sit there and not have any reminders of Ezra.
Her bell rang and she went to let Nikki and Audrey in. “Sorry to call you both here when I’m sure you were hanging with your guys.”
“No worries. We were actually just leaving the apartment when you called, so we had Jared’s driver bring us here,” Audrey said. “What’s wrong?”
She waved for them to follow her into her place.
Behind her, Nikki said, “This can’t be good. Did the topper not work?”
London shrugged. She still hadn’t opened the box.
“Was hot glass guy a dud in the sack?”
“Nikki!” Audrey admonished as she closed and locked the loft door.
“What? I’m just sayin’ that would be a hell of a letdown.”
London blew out a long deep breath. “The topper is in that box. Not sure if it’s still in one piece. I haven’t had the courage to look. Ezra delivered it tonight, along with a fat stack of accusations about me being a forger.”
“What?” Audrey asked, at the same time Nikki said, “Fuck me.”
