Page 121 of Marked By Moonlight

Standing beside Jensen was Celeste, who glanced behind me, then looked away quickly, hiding a smug look. What did that mean?

Briefcases cluttered the floor around Jensen’s feet, making me even edgier. Everything about this screamedMafia! Cartel! Illegal!

And there I stood, right in the thick of it.

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, once again reviewing my life choices. But ultimately, I knew I’d made the right decision. My friends’ freedom was worth helping Gordon finish this distasteful art deal.

Jensen motioned to the briefcases, and his men opened one after another for our inspection.

“Three million British pounds in cash, as Ms. Petrova requested.”

I stared at stack upon stack of bills. Wow. Maybe I didn’t have to feel all that sorry for Anastasia.

A svelte woman — Jensen’s personal assistant — took notes on her tablet.

Jensen checked his watch. “The remainder is scheduled to appear in that account in the Cayman Islands right…about…now.”

Celeste’s tablet pinged, and she scrolled through a message, then nodded primly. “Confirmed.”

Bene and Henrik opened the crate and slid enough of the painting out to satisfy Jensen, along with papers declaring the work genuine, signed by Gordon’s weasel of an art authenticator.

Jensen didn’t look too concerned. In fact, he barely glanced at the painting.

I felt as sick as I would be turning live horses over to a negligent new owner. Would he take good care of them? Would they be all right?

No,my gut told me.

Jensen would ensure that the canvas remained in good condition. But the art on it, and what it represented — that would be neglected.

“Good doing business with you,” he said, shaking Celeste’s hand.

She held his a little too long and smiled a little too coyly.

And just like that, it hit me. Somewhere along the line, they’d found time to sleep together, hadn’t they?

Bene rolled his eyes, signaling,Duh.

I hung my head. Of course they would. And of course, I was the last one to figure out the obvious. Celeste was a manipulativesuccubus, and Jensen had the two things she most coveted — power and money. Even more than Gordon.

A vague, uneasy feeling came over me, but I couldn’t quite place it. I was too worried about Marius — and too disgusted by the expressions Jensen and Celeste flashed at each other.Triumphant, like that was all sex amounted to. Not a revelation or a step toward something deeper. Just a contest. A victory.

“Good doing business with you,” Celeste echoed, flashing a seductive smile.

For a few seconds, Jensen stood in her spell. But he was enough of a tech nerd to eventually lose interest and turn away.

“Well, that’s that.” He clapped with an air of finality. “Thank you, gentlemen. And you, Miss Durand.”

I ought to have stepped back like the others, but I couldn’t help myself.

“What will you do with it?” I asked.

“Map its every feature,” he said proudly.

“I hope you’ll consider loaning it out for exhibition when you’re done,” I said, giving my (probably lost) cause one last-ditch effort.

“Oh yes. I’ll consider it,” he said with little conviction.

Outside, a ship churned past. Two ships, maybe, passing each other on the dark river.