Page 30 of Monochrome (ORCA #4)
CHAPTER
THIRTY
JULIUS
The twins were settled at the kitchen table with their ice cream, so we all trooped in there.
Despite the large size, it was a little tight with all of us crammed in together, but we made it work as we told Juno everything that had happened since she’d left.
A lot of it I already knew since I’d lived it, but as each of us filled her in on our parts of the story, I watched a host of emotions play across her face.
When we got to the events of yesterday and today, Ethan sent the twins into the living room to watch TV.
“After Dimitri shot Con, he took off in the boat. Quin and I shifted and corralled him into the sound where McMahon and Eli were waiting to haul him in. He’s been remanded into custody and is being held without bail until his arraignment.” Nero blew out a breath.
“I think that’s it.”
“That slimy little bastard. I never liked him, but when he came crawling to me, looking for a second chance, I figured it was a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.” She shook her head and let her shoulders fall.
When she lifted her head again, there was regret in her eyes, and she sought Jack out in the crowd.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t see him for who he truly was, Jack. I’m so sorry my negligence cost you your father.” She looked around and met each of our eyes.
“I’d long wondered if your parents’ death was in some way my fault. Having that fear confirmed is a blow I will never recover from, but I hope one day you will be able to forgive me, even if I don’t deserve it.”
One by one, we all reached out and took her hand, giving it a tight squeeze, but it was Quin who put a voice to what we were all thinking.
“There is nothing to forgive. This life comes with risks. We’ve all known that, and our parents did too. They died trying to do what was right, and there is honor in that.”
Juno wiped at her eyes and patted Quin’s hand.
“Thank you, Quin. I needed to hear that. I’m not sure I deserve your forgiveness, but I will take it.”
Quin kept holding her hand.
“I just wish we had been able to find the real painting.”
Juno slid her hand away.
“You have seen it.”
Quin shook his head.
Juno frowned. “I’m sure I’ve shown it to you.”
“Juno, are you saying you have The Evolution of Man ? The real thing?” Jack sounded incredulous.
“Of course I have it. Con was right. The night your father died, I was making a play for the painting. Only two other people on my crew knew what we were going in for. Everyone else thought it was a marble bust we were after, and we were, but I’d also found out a copy of the painting had resurfaced and had been sent for dating and restoration to find out if it was the original. My contact at the restoration lab confirmed it and told me I needed to get it out and keep it safe. So that’s exactly what I did.”
“What the actual fuck.” I whispered the last word so the twins wouldn’t hear.
“Where is it?”
“In Quin’s study.”
Everyone’s attention swung to Quin, who held up his hands.
“I swear I’d know if I had that painting.”
“Not if I hid it from you.” She slid her chair back from the table and stood.
“Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
If things were tight in the kitchen, it was even tighter with all of us crammed into Quin’s study.
Juno moved to the fireplace and pointed up at the painting that hung over the mantle.
“That is a Vermeer, and it’s a forgery. You know this because you had me paint it.” Quin gave our grandmother a quizzical look.
Juno smiled a secret smile.
“I did. Do you remember what was unique about this canvas?”
Quin’s brow furrowed as he probed the recesses of his mind, looking for the answer.
“You brought me the canvas already prepared instead of making me do it myself.”
She beamed at him.
“Yes, and why would I have done that?”
Quin looked at the painting, then at Juno, then back at the painting.
“No.”
“Can one of you take that down, please?” Juno gestured at the painting, and Nero stepped forward, reaching up to remove the painting from the wire it had been hung on.
He passed it to our grandmother, who set it on the floor and turned it around.
“Does anyone have a knife?” In a move that surprised no one, Cal and Jack both pulled out pocket knives and held them out to her.
She took Jack’s, which looked to be in better condition than Cal’s.
She expertly flipped open the blade and carefully cut through the backing, pulling the thick brown paper away.
Archival foam filled the cavity of the canvas, and it had been carefully sealed.
We all watched with bated breath as Juno removed the preservation materials to reveal Lucien Crowe’s The Evolution of Man , live and in full color.
Dimitri gasped, and I swear I heard Ben start to cry.
Dimitri stepped forward, holding out his hand.
“May I?”
Juno nodded.
“Please.”
Instantly and with almost no effort, Dimitri’s skin changed to match the colors on the canvas seamlessly.
It was impossible to tell where the canvas ended and his skin began.
“My god. It’s real.”
The room erupted into conversation all at once, and Nero had to whistle to get everyone to calm down.
“So, we have the painting. What are we supposed to do with it? The file Felix stole said this was the most stolen piece of art in the world. If we send it back to the museum you stole it from, it’s just going to get stolen again.” Nero crossed his arms, clearly pissed this revelation had created another problem we had to solve.
Juno considered him.
“Where is Quin’s forgery now?”
“Evidence lockup at SPD headquarters,” Eli said from somewhere near the door.
“What is the likelihood of us getting it back?” Juno asked.
Eli sighed. “Legally or illegally?”
Juno smiled a Mona Lisa smile and shrugged, but Nero held up a hand.
“Before you do something stupid like attempt to steal the painting from the police, let me make a phone call.”
Juno pretended to pout.
“Fine, but when did you stop being fun?”
“When you retired,” he shot back.
She laughed. “Fair enough.”
“I think I love her,” Ben whispered, and the room dissolved into laughter.
Nero pushed out of the room, presumably to call McMahon, and the rest of us dispersed.
Juno held court in the kitchen, filling anyone who would listen in on her glaciers and volcanoes trip and showing off all the pictures she’d taken on her phone.
Half of them were blurry or had the edge of her thumb in them because she really was terrible at using her phone.
Ethan and I finally made our excuses and took the twins up to bed.
I oversaw teeth brushing while Ethan laid out their pajamas and turned down their beds.
The routine felt so normal and domestic, and it was exactly what we’d needed after the day we’d all had.
“Don’t forget Buttercup,” Lily said, holding up her orca for Ethan to kiss after he tucked her in.
He gave the orca a quick peck.
“You too, Unca Jules.” Hearing her call me Uncle Jules again hit me right in the solar plexus, and nearly brought me to my knees.
I never thought kids were in my future, but now, I couldn’t imagine my life without Lily and Jude.
I couldn’t wait to see the people they grew into, and I was honored that I would get to be there every step of the way.
Lily waved her stuffed animal at me, clearly impatient, and I too leaned down to give it a kiss, then pulled the covers up around her.
Ethan and I slipped out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind us, and retreated to our room.
We went through the motions of getting ready for bed, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until we were tucked under the covers and I’d pulled Ethan’s body tight against mine.
“I love you, E.”
He rolled over in the circle of my arms and pressed a kiss to my lips.
He didn’t need to say anything.
It was all there in his kiss and in the emotions I could feel through our bond—love, joy, contentment, peace, forever.
We’d made it through so much in such a short time that our bond felt larger than just a mating bond.
We had been tried by fire, and like tempered steel, we were stronger because of it, and I knew no matter what life threw at us in the future, as long as we had each other, there was no storm we couldn’t weather.
And as Ethan and I fell asleep wrapped around each other, I looked forward to every challenge we would face because we would do it together. Forever.
Always.