Page 45 of Stolen Temptation

“Nothing happened. Nothing earth-shattering, anyway.” Her belated answer comes with a story, that much is clear. The question is whether she can be coaxed into divulging it.

“Oh?”

I lean forward in my chair in a way I hope seemsinterestedand notmenacing.

Her tone becomes wistful. “What’s that old saying about how, when you make something you love into your job, you stop loving it?” She shakes her head. “Forget it.”

“You must be really talented.”

Her eyes snap to mine. There’s some pink in her cheeks.

Wow. Flattery? Really? That was the ticket all along?

When she doesn’t reply, I lean in harder. “It’s not everyone who can turn something they love into a job.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” she admits. “But I used to love the pictures in these old illustrated editions they have at Midnight.”

“Midnight?”

“Midnight Books. That’s my favorite bookstore.”

Something about the image of little Kiara reading storybooks at some magical hidden gem in New York City fascinates me. “And what were you saying about these books?”

“They’re amazing.” The light returns to her eyes. “They have all the classic fairy tales, tons of different editions. I’d read them all the time as I was growing up, and they inspired me a lot. I used to trace the pictures in the books, and when I got good at painting, I’d recreate them.”

A symphony of ringing bells deafens my mind.

I’d recreate them.

Her words ricochet in my ears as details, facts, and fiction coalesce into clarity.

Old illustrated editions of classic fairy tales.

Paintings.

Leonardo De Luca was auctioning off a painting by the reclusive artist Libertas. And, more importantly, he planned to sell said artist that very same evening. Libertas, their paintings…

Snatching my phone from the bed, I stop the recording and toggle over to a web browser. I search for Libertas’s work, and that’s when I see it.

The throughline I was missing.

Libertas’s work usually depicts surreal illustrations based on classic fairy tales. And Kiara just told me that she recreates the art of others.

When that realization hits me, I almost crush my own phone.

Leonardo wasn’t selling arealLibertas painting at that auction.

He was selling a forgery.

And he wasn’t selling the real Libertas either.

That bastard was trying to sell off Kiara…a young, talentedart forger. Someone unknown and easily controlled. Someone who could “produce” the art of a reclusive genius.

It never made sense to me how the De Lucas could have amassed a fortune selling rare artworks. Takes a lot of money and a prestigious collection to get into the business, neither of which they had when they first got started a few decades ago.

But now it’s all becoming clear.

Back in the old days, the De Lucas used to work as hired muscle for private companies smugglingrealmasterpieces out of Italy. I’m sure once they realized how lucrative art dealing is on the black market, Matteo wanted a cut. They’ve probably been stealing, forging, and quadrupling their profits ever since.