“Thank you for saying that,” I whisper. “Because right now I’m mostly excited, but there’s this other part of me that wants to puke and then rock in the corner and cry for a week.”
Valentina slides an arm around me and squeezes. “You’re going to be totally fine. It isn’t easy to expose our true self to others, especially those who might not appreciate it. But I can tell you this—if anyone says anything cruel or stupid or hurtful about any of your pieces, that says a lot more about them than it does about you.”
My gaze locks on the large piece I did that is a different version of the one I made for Harriet. Nudes, but in metal. Clearly locked in a carnal position.
“I know not everyone is going to like them. Some people will come to throw rocks, literally or figuratively.”
Valentina squeezes me again. “Don’t waste a minute worrying about them. Bad reviews are as inevitable as the sunrise. Just remember, even Picasso thought everything he ever painted was crap. You’re going to do great. If anyone says a cross word to you, chances are Rix will put them in cuffs, and they’ll spend the rest of the night dealing with paperwork and lawyers at the police station.”
The laugh that bubbles from my lips is genuine, and I send up a prayer of thanks that I’ve found people like Valentina in my life who have stepped in and changed its course.
But no one has changed the course more than Kane.And if he heard someone say something bad about my sculptures, I’m pretty sure that someone wouldn’t end up in the police station. Maybe the hospital. I’m ruling out the morgue.For now.
Today Kane’s off chasing down a lead on a human-trafficking shipment and trying to find out if it’s connected to the Lagarto shipment Rafe is tracking from his end. Even though I wanted to be involved, it feels good to be doing something that moves us forward, instead of focusing on digging us out of the mess my brother got himself in.
It’s been over two months since I’ve seen Rafe, and that time barely counts because I thought I watched his murder. I’ve recovered from that. Mostly. But I’m still desperate for a hug and dinner at our favorite restaurant. But until they make sure they cut off the head of the snake—or the lizard—that can’t happen.
I haven’t seen Magnolia since she left my apartment, and part of me wonders how she’s handling this, and if she and my brother are making plans to run off together. Even though I’m not sure whether I should trust her, if she’s the woman my brother is in love with, I’m going to welcome her to the family with open arms, regardless of whether she likes it or wants it. That’s just the way I am.
Valentina and I stand there in silence, staring at the sculptures and each lost in our own thoughts, when the front window of the gallery shatters with a crash.
“Oh my God!” Trinity, Valentina’s assistant, screams as all three of us instinctively hit the floor.
Tires squeal in the street and we brace, our arms over our heads, waiting for a wash of drive-by bullets to hit.
But they don’t come, and the roar of the engine fades away to be replaced by regular street noise.
Valentina tenses beside me. “I have to get to my phone. I have to call Rix.”
Her words sound as if they’re fueled by the same adrenaline dump that just hit my system. I’m poised and ready to fight for my life, if necessary. I don’t trust that the threat is gone just because a car drove away. I have to call Kane.
That’s when it hits me—this has to be connected to me.I brought this on the gallery. I put Valentina and Trinity in danger. My stomach twists into a knot, and now I think I really am going to vomit.
“Val? Is it safe? What do we do?” Trinity asks with urgency coating the fear in her voice.
Valentina stares at something on the floor, and my gaze snaps to it.
It looks like ...a pipe?
What the hell?
“Trinity, go to the back room. Stay there until I tell you to come out,” Valentina says with the tone of authority. “I’m calling Rix. Someone is going to pay for this.”
I open my mouth to tell her it could be because of me, but snap it shut. I can’t tell her anything.
I have to cancel the showing.It’s too selfish to take the chance. I should have never agreed. Lagarto has to know that either Rafe or someone who knew him is alive and hunting him, because his entire organization has been wiped out.
Then logic kicks in.But ...if it was a human trafficker seeking revenge, wouldn’t they have taken me or killed us all to prove a point? He wouldn’t have just broken a window with a pipe.Right?
Then I remember the man at the scrap yard ...
This is connected to me.I know it.
Now, what the hell am I going to do about it?
An hour later,behind a boarded-up window, Rix looks from me to Valentina and back at the security footage from the cameras he had installed for situations just like this.
I texted Kane, and he responded a few minutes ago that he’s on his way. I’m hoping we have this figured out before he gets here, because whoever threatened my safety will definitely fall into theneeds killingcategory, and I don’t know how to balance that situation while I’m standing next to a cop.