Page 17 of The Scarab's Game
I didn’t want to state my other guess. Didn’t want to give voice to my concerns that this job was a setup. Or that I worried Jenn would suffer like I had—as a pawn.
“You suspect Fenix is involved?”
Gripping the chip in my pocket, I nodded. We were one week away from the four-month anniversary of my kidnapping by the Fenix Group. They’d taken me to force Scarlett’s hand in a theft. She and the Reynolds team had flown to England on a moment’s notice to rescue me despite the danger they put themselves in.
“Then she definitely needs to go home.”
“And what if itisFenix?” Sickness twisted in my gut. “What if they want to use her for leverage this time? They followed me to New York to grab me. Why wouldn’t they follow her home and take her from there?”
“You’re overreacting.” Rav’s gaze softened as he glanced toward my left pants pocket. Did he know the truth? “You haven’t continued with therapy, have you?”
I let go of the chip and folded my arms, mirroring him.
Therapy was a waste. I needed time, and I needed to do my job. Those were the things that mattered. Talking around the truth solved nothing. “They’ve only messed with our team in the past, but they’ve seen Scarlett mobilize to save someone she cares about.”
Rav’s nostrils flared, and danger flashed behind his eyes. “He wouldn’t dare.”
Scarlett’s ex-fiancé—a Fenix captain—was behind my kidnapping. His team almost killed half of ours in Rome. Then tried to kill Jayce and Drew in Washington.
And he’d also been the one to tip us off about the scarab.
“You’re probably right—I’m overreacting. Even if Noah was setting us up for the scarab job, there’s no way he’d know Jenn would be here.”
“If Noah lays one hand on her?—”
“You’ll have to get in line, Rav.”
Rav’s gaze slipped past me.
Drew said, “There’s something you need to hear.”
I turned to see Jenn and Jayce standing with him at the end of the hall.
Jenn clutched her arms across her chest, as though protecting herself. “The painting I’m working on for Massimo De Rosa? I followed his conservator’s notes, which didn’t match the actual painting. Aunt Penny thinks…Ithink the one I’m cleaning is a fake.”
That could explain things. If De Rosa was attempting to pass off a fake, he might want to spy on her progress and any communications she had in her room to ensure she wasn’t on to them. Not a quarter as dangerous as Fenix being behind it.
“Drew suggested I back out of the project, but I…” She raked her teeth over her bottom lip.
Jayce rolled up on her toes, all the sitting and standing still likely driving her mad. “She had a video chat with this hottie art conservator?—”
Drew’s eyes rolled heavenward.
“Not as hot as Drew, of course.” She winked at him, and he shook his head in faux irritation. “He thinks Jenn’s on to something and suggested some quick tests to confirm whether it’s the real deal or not, and then some next steps if it’s a fake.”
“Drew mentioned Reynolds Recoveries and…” Jenn let out a small laugh, giving her head a tiny shake, as though she could hardly believe what she was saying. “The conservator’s wife knows Scarlett. She offered to fly out and help.”
How would this play out? Send Jenn home and risk someone going after her when she didn’t have anyone to protect her? Let her go back to the De Rosa Gallery and risk... What? Where was the risk? That someone might take her from there? That Massimo and Dante were involved in the stolen art trade? We already suspected that, since they had the stolen scarab.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Jenn. “The tests are simple, and if they prove it’s a fake, I’m sure Massimo would want to know. He and Dante have been so nice to me.”
Dante, I growled inwardly.
“I’d like to confirm this for them. And if I’m wrong, I can just finish the job they hired me for.”
“You should go home.” Rav stepped around me, finally unfolding his arms. “Cancel the contract. They can find someone else.”
Relief washed over me. The forceful approach would only make Jenn more determined to stay, which aligned perfectly with my instincts.