Read Online The Wives of Beverly Row 6: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks - Free Book Online

counter it was as if no time had passed at all.
    Trudy came over to the counter with two cups of coffee and took a seat on a stool next to Ariel’s.
    “So, Zola has told me that you’ve been very busy on her behalf,” Trudy said.
    “Yes I have,” Ariel said.
    “Well, I think that’s wonderful. That woman needed someone to stand up for her.”
    “This is going to change everything.”
    “What exactly is going on?” Trudy said.
    “Well, it’s a long story,” Ariel said, a sly smile crossing her face, “but basically, I’ve got Jake’s balls in the palm of my hand.”
    “How so?”
    “Well, I’ve got over three million dollars of his money!”
    Trudy almost spilled her coffee. “You are kidding!”
    Ariel shook her head. She had to admit, she felt very proud of what she’d managed to pull off.
    “How the hell did you get that to happen?”
    “Jake bought a painting from Gabe.”
    “For three million dollars?”
    “Three and a quarter! Yes!”
    “So what’s the story? What’s wrong with the painting?”
    Ariel laughed. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to get one up on you. I never would have pulled it off.”
    “Well, there’s so much glee in your face right now, I know something’s up with that painting.”
    “Well, it’s a little complicated, but essentially, the painting could be worth five million dollars to Jake.”
    “So he’s going to make money on it?”
    “Yes, but only if no one finds out that it’s a fake.”
    “It’s a fake?” Trudy said.
    “Yes, well, that’s the thing Jake doesn’t know yet.”
    “How do you know it’s worth five million?” Trudy said.
    “It’s a stolen painting. There’s a five million dollar reward if the museum it was stolen from can be convinced that it’s the real thing.”
    “And do you think Jake will be able to convince them that it is?”
    “Yes. Yes I do. It won’t be easy, it will be a long, drawn out process. But ultimately, they should fall for it. We’ve built up a convincing cover story, the forgery is technically perfect. Unless someone comes forward with the real painting, this should work.”
    “But only if you keep quiet,” Trudy said, smiling.
    “Yes, now that Jake owns the painting, he’s got a lot of money on the line. He’s going to find out tomorrow that the painting’s a fake.”
    “How’s he going to find that out?”
    “I’m going to tell him,” Ariel said.
    “Won’t he go to the police?”
    “The police won’t be able to prove it’s a fake. Only I can prove it’s a fake, and I won’t.”
    “I see,” Trudy said.
    “Basically, I’m going to tell him it’s a fake, but I’ll also tell him that no one ever needs to find out.”
    “So that he can still collect his five million?”
    “Exactly.”
    “But only if he lets Zola go?”
    “Yes,” Ariel said.
    Trudy shook her head. The way she was looking at Ariel was different than how she’d ever looked at her before. There was a new sense of admiration in her gaze.
    “That’s quite a plan,” Trudy said.
    “It’s pretty simple when you think about it,” Ariel said. “Jake can let Zola go, give her a generous divorce settlement and let her start a happy new life. If he does that, he can pass off his forged painting as the real thing and collect the five million from the museum.”
    “And if he doesn’t?” Trudy said.
    “There is no alternative. Once he thinks about it for a while, he’ll realize that. His only alternative is to start yelling that his own painting, something he just paid over three million dollars for, is a forgery.”
    “He could do that.”
    “He could, but all it would do would be to make the painting worthless. He’d lose over three million. That’s not Jake’s style.”
    “Wouldn’t you and Gabe get in trouble.”
    “Like I said, there’s no way of proving it’s a fake.”
    “So if he went to the police, all he’d really do is screw himself with the museum?”
    “They’re the only ones who really