Lucien used his tone carefully. Raleigh adopted a calm exterior most of the time, but when he was upset he was unpredictable. Too much money and not enough morals made Raleigh capable of crimes much worse than buying black market art.
âIt is not so obvious, Lucky. I have dealt with this dealer before and I have dealt with you before. Someone is representing himself falsely. I am a simple businessman at heart, but if you don't deal straight with me, I take it personally. You will accompany me to view this painting that is a âfake.â I have an independent authenticator meeting us there. She will decide who is lying to me. If it is you, Jane will be killed slowly in front of you, and then you will be killed just as slowly with those lovely images burning in your mind and Gerald's fists crushing every bone in your body.â Raleigh's black eyes communicated the unwavering certainty that he would discover the truth of the matter by any means possible. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room before Lucien could protest anymore.
It was clear that further information would not be coming from him. Gerald lagged behind long enough to tell Steven that they would be leaving soon, and then followed quickly after Raleigh. Lucien glared at Steven who continued to lurk in the corner and grin as if he was amused by the preceding conversation. His smile was not friendly, and Lucien imagined that Steven was already anticipating an unpleasant evening for himself and Jane.
At that point, Lucien realized how far gone Raleigh was. In their previous dealings, Raleigh had played the part of rich and eccentric art collector willing to bend a few rules to get what he wanted. Lucien had never seen him use his bodyguards for any other reason than to keep him protected from undesirable attention in sketchy situations. Regardless of the bravado and talk that he'd overheard in the van, tough guys for hire did what they were told. Now, Lucien could see that these men truly were killers, when need be. To keep that from happening, he had to show Raleigh that he was cooperative and not worried about the outcome of their meeting with the authenticator.
True, the painting that he had sold Raleigh was a fake. However, whatever this other dealer was offering him, it was a fake as well.Lucien was sure of this because the real painting was safe in a vault halfway across the world, and there was no way that it could have been stolen without him knowing about it immediately. He wasn't worried about going with Raleigh, but he was worried that Jane would falter under the present circumstances. Getting your life threatened by people who were obviously capable of murder was difficult the first time it happened. Lucien wasn't overly concerned, but he thought Jane wasn't the type to take it lightly.
In fact, Jane was looking a little green at just that moment. She was feeling worse. Jane had never been threatened like that before, and she didn't like Raleigh's matter of fact take on the situation. After the back and forth between Lucien and Raleigh, she was comforted by the fact that Lucien was sure that Raleigh was mistaken about the new painting. His confidence kept her from losing her cool and freaking out, but just barely. Oddly she felt a little ego boost when Raleigh believed she was Lucien's girlfriend. Maybe they weren't the odd couple that she imagined.
She felt like she was pretending to be someone who she really wished she was. Acting as Lucien's girlfriend could be dangerous in more ways than the obvious. It was something she could get used to, something she could grow attached to. She reminded herself that he was only doing this because it was necessary to protect them both. When this was all over, she would miss the connection to him that she felt now. It was a kindness that he was willing to protect her, but not a romantic gesture. Whatever she thought she wanted from him this morning was just a memory. The real thing was better,
âIt is not so obvious, Lucky. I have dealt with this dealer before and I have dealt with you before. Someone is representing himself falsely. I am a simple businessman at heart, but if you don't deal straight with me, I take it personally. You will accompany me to view this painting that is a âfake.â I have an independent authenticator meeting us there. She will decide who is lying to me. If it is you, Jane will be killed slowly in front of you, and then you will be killed just as slowly with those lovely images burning in your mind and Gerald's fists crushing every bone in your body.â Raleigh's black eyes communicated the unwavering certainty that he would discover the truth of the matter by any means possible. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room before Lucien could protest anymore.
It was clear that further information would not be coming from him. Gerald lagged behind long enough to tell Steven that they would be leaving soon, and then followed quickly after Raleigh. Lucien glared at Steven who continued to lurk in the corner and grin as if he was amused by the preceding conversation. His smile was not friendly, and Lucien imagined that Steven was already anticipating an unpleasant evening for himself and Jane.
At that point, Lucien realized how far gone Raleigh was. In their previous dealings, Raleigh had played the part of rich and eccentric art collector willing to bend a few rules to get what he wanted. Lucien had never seen him use his bodyguards for any other reason than to keep him protected from undesirable attention in sketchy situations. Regardless of the bravado and talk that he'd overheard in the van, tough guys for hire did what they were told. Now, Lucien could see that these men truly were killers, when need be. To keep that from happening, he had to show Raleigh that he was cooperative and not worried about the outcome of their meeting with the authenticator.
True, the painting that he had sold Raleigh was a fake. However, whatever this other dealer was offering him, it was a fake as well.Lucien was sure of this because the real painting was safe in a vault halfway across the world, and there was no way that it could have been stolen without him knowing about it immediately. He wasn't worried about going with Raleigh, but he was worried that Jane would falter under the present circumstances. Getting your life threatened by people who were obviously capable of murder was difficult the first time it happened. Lucien wasn't overly concerned, but he thought Jane wasn't the type to take it lightly.
In fact, Jane was looking a little green at just that moment. She was feeling worse. Jane had never been threatened like that before, and she didn't like Raleigh's matter of fact take on the situation. After the back and forth between Lucien and Raleigh, she was comforted by the fact that Lucien was sure that Raleigh was mistaken about the new painting. His confidence kept her from losing her cool and freaking out, but just barely. Oddly she felt a little ego boost when Raleigh believed she was Lucien's girlfriend. Maybe they weren't the odd couple that she imagined.
She felt like she was pretending to be someone who she really wished she was. Acting as Lucien's girlfriend could be dangerous in more ways than the obvious. It was something she could get used to, something she could grow attached to. She reminded herself that he was only doing this because it was necessary to protect them both. When this was all over, she would miss the connection to him that she felt now. It was a kindness that he was willing to protect her, but not a romantic gesture. Whatever she thought she wanted from him this morning was just a memory. The real thing was better,
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