Page 64 of The Prize

A flash of terror swept over me and I bolted out of the room, hurried down the stairs and sprinted across the foyer. I burst into the drawing room and almost tripped over the rug—

Tobias was naked still and knelt before the large open fireplace. He’d rammed his portrait ofMona Lisaamongst the chopped wood in the hearth and was trying to light the fire.

“No!” I flew toward the fireplace and reached in and grabbed the frame.

He rose up onto his heels. “I’ll find another way.”

“Not like this.” My hands shook as I clutched her to my chest. “Not by fire.”

Flames licking at the paintings, turned around, disorientated, my heartbeat thumping violently against my rib cage as I sucked in scorched air.

The hearth whooshed up in orange flames and exuded heat.

Tobias pushed himself to his feet and the dampness from the shower shimmered over his body. “How, then?”

This painting muddled everything I knew about art because as I turned her around I was staring at the face of theMona Lisa.

CHAPTER NINE

ISTIRREDAWAKEto the scent of waffles and freshly brewed coffee wafting into Tobias’s bedroom that I’d made my own. Stretching beneath the covers, I was caught in the twilight of waking, and the promise of seeing him teased me into consciousness.

After pushing myself up to rest against the rosewood headboard, I wiped the sleepiness from my eyes. Tobias entered carrying in a tray stacked with two plates of waffles and two mugs balanced beside them. He strolled toward me wearing that cute grin I’d not seen for days, with his hair combed neatly, and he was alluringly dressed in a black J.Crew sweater and jeans.

I let out a grateful sigh when he rested the tray on the bed. “Oh, look, it’s the coffee fairy.”

“Spoiling you is my greatest pleasure.”

My head snapped toward the dresser and I saw the painting was gone.

Yesterday, I’d hugged that portrait after having barely saved it from the flames. Perhaps that moment would be remembered as my greatest weakness, but her beauty, her brilliance, her profound existence and the reason for it were too far-reaching. I wasn’t ready to do what had to be done.

We’d lain in bed together last night with theMona Lisasitting on the dresser over there, and we’d just stared at the ceiling with the weight of her existence on our shoulders.

Tell me she isn’t real,I’d whispered in the darkness.

Tobias had shaken his head, proving he knew this was no small deed.

He seemed a little calmer this morning. Offering me a mug and turning the handle for me to grasp.

“Does she still exist?” I asked softly.

“For now.”

“You’ve hidden her from me?”

“You reserve the right to change your mind.” Tobias’s knee met the mattress and it dipped as he leaned over to plant a kiss to the top of my head. “One day at a time, Zara.”

The week’s residue seeped in and caused a wave of melancholy. Distracting myself, I reached for a crispy strip of bacon and chewed on the saltiness, moaning in appreciation.

He unscrewed the syrup bottle and raised it in a gesture to see if I wanted some and then trickled it over our waffles. “Just say the word and she will no longer exist.” He held my gaze, searching for the answer.

If anything went wrong with his plan he could quite possibly lose The Wilder Museum and for me, it would mean the end of the possibility of ever owning my paintings again. Even my Michelangelo in The National Gallery was under threat. My reputation would be decimated.

“This is what we’ll tell Huntly Pierre.” Tobias sat beside me. “I’m in New York hunting down a rare painting and you’re helping me. They won’t need to know what it is. I’m also here to host a charitable ball that will be held in the Terrace Room at The Plaza tomorrow evening. The invites went out late but that shouldn’t be an issue.”

I took a bite out of a waffle and it melted on my tongue. “So it will look like business as usual for you?”

“Exactly.”