Page 38 of Chasing Caine

“I need to talk to Bianca again.” Samantha frowned. “To someone who’ll tell me the whole truth.”

I placed a hand on her arm. “Bell—”

When she turned her frown on me, I mirrored it. This was not just professional Samantha, it was professional and irritated Samantha. Pet names and displays of affection were not an option.

“Fine,” I huffed, releasing my hand and not caring to hide my frustration from her. “Ms. Caine, the Carabinieri are meeting us here in literally five minutes. You don’t need to speak with Bianca. That’stheirjob. That’s why they were asking about the pigment pots and the missing lens on Saturday.”

Her jaw flexed several times, her eyes narrowed. There was the silence again. Always with the staring, this woman. I could shake her and yell, ‘Let your feelings out!’ but it wouldn’t make any difference.

Particularly with Umberto there.

Why was she always so restrained in public? What was she trying to prove? And why did she care so much about this?

“I should go,” Umberto whispered to Mario.

“Probably wise,” Mario responded, more a stage whisper, and they retreated from the room, toward the garden.

“Somebody stole this from you.” She jabbed a finger at the blank spot of the wall, as though Pompeii belonged to me. “This isyourproject and you don’t care.”

“Of course I care.” I stepped closer and put a hand on her hip. “But I care more about being here with you. I know you feel strongly about this, and I don’t want to detract from that, but…”

But what? She was reacting exactly the way I knew she would. I should have been proud, like I was at the auction. Like when I showed her the first proof the Chagall had been a fake or when I watched her in the press conference.

It was selfish, but part of me wanted to distract her from the thefts so she’d focus on me. On us. We only had so much time before she’d return to the States, and I wanted every ounce of her to myself.

I let out a sigh. Letting things go was not Samantha’s style, unless it was her decision. But perhaps a little understanding would help smooth things over.

“My Lara Croft.” I cupped her cheek with my free hand. On our first date—or business meeting, if you asked her—she’d explained what her video game hero meant to her. “Protecting the treasures of the world from thieves and charlatans.”

“Bianca knows more than she told us and I want those details.” Her face softened despite the serious words. Honesty and truth were the two most important qualities to her. I hadn’t been completely honest with her and now she thought Bianca hadn’t either. “And no amount of Ferraro charm is going to change that.”

“Are you sure?” I kissed the tip of her nose, already knowing the answer. “My charm seemed to work when we slipped behind the lab.”

An almost-smile crept across her face. “I’m being serious.”

I let out a small laugh. “I would never accuse you of anything but, Ms. Caine.”

Chapter 14

Samantha

Theofficerlookedtwelveyears old. Maybe thirteen. Obviously, he was much older than that to be a member of the Carabinieri—sporting the white belt across his blue-clad chest and the flaming grenade insignia on his peak cap—but the rounded features, barely-there stubble, and blush just added to the youthful appearance.

“And who discovered that the segment of the wall was missing?” he said, pen hovering over his notebook.

“That would be Ms. Caine.” Antonio gestured to me. At least he didn’t huff that time. Respecting my professional boundaries hadn’t been a problem at the lab, but once we were out at the Casa, it had become a challenge.

Or maybe that was because he’d been trying to hide the mysterious disappearance of the pigment pots from me.

Fortunately, he’d recovered most of his senses before the officers arrived and agreed to visit Bianca before we went to the museum.

I shook my head. “It was all of us. We were looking at photos on the train and noticed they didn’t match what was on the wall when we got here Sunday afternoon.”

The officer nodded. “Can I see the photos?”

Antonio showed the pictures on his phone and forwarded them as requested.

The officer questioning us, Carabiniere Fredo De Rosa, raised an eyebrow. “And you discovered this after our discussion about the pigment pots Saturday?”