Page 52 of Enduring Caine
“Giovanni said he bought it two months ago. If he’s really been trying to turn things around for the last two years, he wouldn’t have that painting.”
This was what I’d feared most about her going in there. She spent a great deal of time reviewing art crime cases, and when combined with her amazing visual memory for art, the odds of her finding something were too high. “Just because he has it does not mean it was obtained illegally.”
She folded her arms, a scowl creasing her face. But she didn’t argue the point.
“Every country has laws about this sort of thing. If he didn’t know it was stolen property… If he purchased it in good faith, then it’s legally his. Plus, if it was a case file on your desk, I’m assuming the insurance company already paid for it?”
“True, but he said he first saw it at the art dealer’s three years ago. That was before his little brush with death and decision to change things around. I’d bet money that art dealer was part of some other shady deal Giovanni was there for, so he would have at least suspected anything in their possession was not there legally. That eliminates any good faith argument.” She withdrew one hand from the fold and waved it through the air. “Plus, if he’s been in the smuggling business for so long, he would have picked up on clues or something from this art dealer. A simple internet search for that painting would have brought up its stolen history.”
Of course she wanted to believe the worst of my uncle, considering everything she knew about him.
Marone, after what I told her about him and how I’d reacted to his news about the changes, I could barely believeIwas considering his words to be the truth.
“Antonio, his entire speech about returning items to the country where they belonged—he’s not wrong about that. I mean, the woman it was stolen from deserves it back, but like you said, her insurance company already paid it out. It doesn’t even belong to her anymore. If the authorities recovered it, the insurance company would just sell it to recoup their money.”
“What are we going to do, then?”
She tucked her fingers under the hem of the white Henley Cristian had loaned me. “Get naked, have sex, and forget about it until morning?”
“Amore, we’ve been spending too much time together.” I laughed softly, helping her ease my shirt off. “You’re starting to sound like me.”
“Seriously, Iamlistening to what you said, to your warnings about this place. I’ve been biting my tongue about practically everything I know around Leonardo. After we’re gone, I’ll call Elliot and tell him it’s here.” She took the hem of her shirt in both hands, about to lift it over her head, and she paused. “I did tell Vincenzo about it, though.”
Of course she did.
When she’d snuck off to her room with her ex-boyfriend and told him secrets about my uncle.
I sucked in a slow breath.Stop being a jealous fool.Just because he was now a white knight, placing himself in front of the dragon that was my uncle, didn’t mean he was any better suited to be with her than before her discovery. “What did he say?”
Samantha was my soul mate, my future, and no one could ever change that—not even a handsome TPC agent, and especially not one who broke her heart, made her distrust all Italian men, and who begged me at every moment to slap his handsome smile off. She finished pulling off the shirt and held it in front of herself. “Just that he’s going to let them know about it.”
“Sounds good.” I took her shirt from her and dropped it to the floor. “Now, can we get on with the rest of our priorities? Or did you have other news?”
“That’s all I’ve got.” She let out a sigh, fingers tracing up the bandage on my arm. “Do you need help with this?”
“Will it make you feel better?”
Her gaze lingered there, the fingers gentle along the edge of the gauze. Itwouldmake her feel better. She didn’t have to say the words for me to know.
“Please do.” I remained still, watching her roll the bandage with practiced efficiency. “None of that when we get to Mario’s villa, though, sì?”
“Need to remain the big tough guy who took a bullet for his girlfriend?”
“What better way for Mario to understand that he can’t move in on my woman?”
“Trust me, I made it very clear to him when I was there in September.” A twinkle shone in her eye.
“Did you also threaten to break his nose?”
She smiled to herself as she worked. “Actually, yes.”
I kissed the side of her head. “I suppose I should consider myself lucky you never said that to me.”
A rumble of thunder shook the tower. Before dinner, Johann advised us a tornado had touched down earlier in the day, but fortunately, it dissipated almost as quickly as it had formed.
She paused with the bandage. “Whether the storm clears and we can meet Elliot tomorrow or not, I intend to get the passcode for the gallery. Giving it to Vincenzo is a separate decision, but one step at a time. Cesca might be the key—I bet I could get her code.”
“Cesca?” I urged her chin up so she’d look at me instead of the bandage. “We talked about this last night. She’s a child with no idea what her father does. You can’t involve her.”