Page 107 of The Prize

“Yes, Mr. Wilder wanted me to inform you there won’t be any exhibit this evening. There’s been a change of plan.”

“I was wondering why no one turned up.” He seemed to suppress a frown, though he gave a nod as he opened the door for me and I felt a rush of adrenaline that I’d made it in. That wasn’t how I’d expected it to go. Once inside my heart jackhammered against my ribs—

The glass case atop a thin marble podium was empty and my legs almost gave way.

Where the hell was the painting? Another guard checked his cell phone at the back of the room and quickly shoved it into his pocket. “Ma’am, can I help you?”

I threw him a friendly wave. “Just checking in.” I pointed to the glass case. “Making sure everything is in order.”

“I’m waiting on the guests.” He didn’t sound too sure. “Do you know how long they’ll be? I was told this would end at eleven. That’s half an hour ago.”

“It was canceled, I’m afraid.”

He looked astonished. “I’ve been paid to guard nothing?”

I hoped Eli hadn’t stormed in here and taken it away.

“Has anyone been in this room other than me?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Mr. Wilder.”

My blood pressure spiked. “When?”

“Around eight.”

Those hours since seeing him dragged violently away felt like decades.

“Did he say anything?”

“Paid us.”

“Okay, good. That’s taken care of.” My brow was spotted in perspiration. “Nothing was brought into this room or removed?”

“No, ma’am.”

“And you’ve been in here all evening?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Mr. Wilder sends his apologies.” I backed up toward the door. “Sorry for any inconvenience.” I gave a nod of thanks to the guard outside and hurried back into the lounge of The Rose Club, making my way to the elevators. Once inside, I opened my purse and pulled out the key card Tobias had given me earlier and with trembling hands shoved it into the panel to give me access to the highest floor. All the way to where Tobias was meant to be staying in the penthouse.

To my relief, the key card worked and I was in his room and searching for that damn painting, my hands shaking and my spine locked in dread. The vast suite was a luxurious haven of the best of everything this hotel had to offer—though now the gold-and-burgundy-themed room felt nauseatingly with its over-the-top luxury, the colors burning my eyes with the glare of opulence, and the amount of space was nothing but an impossible challenge.

I ran into the bedroom.

One of Tobias’s white shirts hung over the back of a chair and I raised it to my nose and breathed him in, that heady mixture of power and passion, and I buried my face in the softness of the material connecting me to him.

Give me the strength to find this.

I had to think like Icon.

I threw my purse on the bed and looked around. Tobias favored neatness, and with that in mind I knew his suitcase and the holder for the painting would be tucked away. I found a few clothes in the wardrobe and there came a stark terror he may never wear them again. I should never have left his side. We’d used the wrong strategy with Eli. He liked to win. Period. There was never going to be any negotiating, no reasoning, because in his twisted mind it was acceptable to exchange a life for a painting.

There was a large chrome case in the wardrobe and I dragged it out and lifted it onto the bed. Each side had four silver locks that would need a combination to open. I needed to crack the code, needed into this case.

Think.

I entered the year of my birth on the left and his on the right. I swapped this over when it didn’t work. Several attempts of another idea failed too. I paced while dragging my panicked thoughts back from what Eli might be doing to Tobias.