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Bigwigs who were potentially giving the company billions of dollars? The guards wouldn’t know to stop someone like Ryan. Not when she was at his side, vouching for him.

“I wasn’t informed of the tour,” Hugo replied, appearing uncertain. “I need to check with Frederick.” He reached for his tux pocket. Probably going for a phone so he could call or text Frederick.

Such a bad plan. Her heart sank. “Um…”

“Forget it,” Ryan announced, sounding bored and arrogant all at once. “I told you, Simone, I have no interest in the gallery.”

He had not told her those words. Quite the opposite, in fact. Now who is telling white lies? She gaped at him.

“My interest in the entire business is waning,” Ryan continued with a sardonic twist of his lips. “Perhaps I should reevaluate all my plans.”

“No!” Her sharp cry. Her frantic gaze whipped back to Hugo. “We need to tour the gallery. A quick tour.” She swallowed. “Now.”

Hugo tensed, but he clearly did not want to be the reason why a major deal fell through for his boss. “Five minutes,” he said.

Right. Yes. Brilliant. She could do so very much with five minutes.

Hugo unlocked and opened the doors. “Five,” he repeated.

“Not a good idea,” Alexei rumbled, his Russian accent hitting hard on not. “They should not enter.”

Yes, well, she didn’t care about his opinion.

“Don’t touch anything,” Hugo warned her. “Everything has an alarm trigger.”

Great fact to know. “Look but don’t touch,” she replied. “Understood.” Grabbing Ryan’s hand, Simone hurried inside the gallery. The doors shut behind them, and the sounds of the party were immediately muted. Her breath whispered out as her gaze darted around the gallery. Finally, she was inside. Now, if she could just find her prize, she could proceed to step two.

“Well, color me impressed. I’d heard the collection was good, but this goes beyond my expectations.” Ryan began to amble around the space. “I think I recognize a Monet, and that sketch is a Rembrandt.”

She crept away from him because she had zero interest in the fine art that hung on the walls. Though she was interested in the two security cameras she’d just spotted. Being careful, she made sure to stay out of their range. “Frederick fancies himself as a collector. He believes that he has an eye for beauty.”

Ryan’s dark gaze darted toward her. “Does he?”

She could see the jewelry at the back of the gallery. A crown that had once belonged to a French queen. A bracelet that had adorned the wrist of a pharaoh’s favored wife. Ryan was also making his way toward the jewelry, and that was unfortunate. Simone needed space to work. Why couldn’t he go stare at the Monet or something?

She’d gone through the gallery’s logs at the London office. She knew the items that were supposed to be there, the ones that had been heavily insured. But she wasn’t looking for the listed items. She was looking for the ones that Frederick had deliberately kept off any official record.

“Nice statue,” Ryan mused. He’d stopped nearby. “Heavy emotional intensity. Pretty sure that’s a Camille Claudel.”

Simone’s gaze had just landed on her target. A shiver skated over her body. “Sounds to me like you’re quite the expert on beautiful things, too.”

“I try,” he allowed. His voice drifted behind her. Had he stopped to view the Claudel work? Maybe it would keep him busy for a bit.

“Claudel is a favorite of mine,” Ryan continued, voice musing. “I had no idea this one was even in a private collection.”

“You should try offering to buy it from Frederick,” she said. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that he was about five feet away, seemingly fixated on the small bronze piece. “Make the right offer, and you never know what you’ll get.” Her fingers were practically itching as she darted her hand into the tiny, red bag that hung over one shoulder. She’d been given the option of checking her bag when she arrived at the estate. How adorable. Why would she check something that would be needed later?

She’d have to be careful with her next movements. But she had not come completely unprepared. She’d suspected that even a slight touch would set off all the alarms in the gallery. It had certainly been helpful of Hugo to confirm that suspicion for her. She’d be fast, she’d be accurate, and if she played this scene just right?—

An alarm blasted, the shrill cry ear-piercing. Her bag fell to the floor as a startled scream tore from her. Immediately, she whirled, her gaze searching for Ryan.

The alarm blasted—endlessly. The shriek made her ears hurt as her heart threatened to jump right out of her chest. This was bad. This was…

Ryan grabbed her. His hands closed around her shoulders, and he hauled her against him. She caught sight of the gallery doors flying open. Hugo and Alexei bounded inside, and they both had their guns drawn.

Bad. So bad. This is?—

Ryan’s mouth crashed down onto hers.