The Prize

by Vanessa Fewings

  “Going alone is reckless. I saved your butt, remember?”

  He closed his eyes. “If anything happened to you.”

  “We go together or not at all, Tobias. This is the only way. Let me do it for my dad. Please, I need to prove I’m carrying on my family legacy. I’ll be part of the mission to get them back.”

  “Your dad would hate me.”

  I wrapped my arm around his and rested my head on his shoulder. “My father would be proud of you for what you’re doing to restore his paintings. It’s my turn now. Please, let me do this.” How could I live with myself, knowing he was out there risking his own life again because he knew what those paintings meant to me? “I’m ready.”

  He sighed heavily and pushed himself to his feet. “I’m leading the mission. Understand?”

  “Don’t underestimate my superpowers.”

  “Let’s put your superpowers to work. Go make coffee and grab a bite to eat, and then we’ll go over the schematics.”

  “If you sneak out I will find you.”

  “I know.” He gave a nod. “I’ll prep the kit.”

  Within ten minutes I’d dressed in a black tracksuit and a T-shirt and pulled on well-fitting sports shoes. Then I headed off to the kitchen. I took several bites out of a cheese and tomato sandwich that I found in the fridge, while brewing a pot of coffee. I carried our two mugs into Tobias’s workshop.

  He was in the room with the satellite tracking on and had brought up the map of New York. He turned and gave me a big grin as he accepted his mug. “Thank you.”

  “Careful, it’s hot. Do you need a painkiller?”

  “Already on it.” He stretched and tried to hide the pain.

  I could see he’d been beaten up, and was glad I’d caught him in time from leaving on his own. Was that relief I was seeing in his expression? Pride, maybe? Either way he seemed to have come round to me working with him.

  I dare to believe I’m doing my bit to balance out the evil in the world.

  These words felt like a sacred mantra that he’d once spoken to me and I was proud to be part of this.

  “Okay, this is where we’re going.” He turned a dial and zoomed in to Manhattan, and the image closed in on an old building. The large rotunda was like the one belonging to the Burells’ home in Amboise, France. The same one Wilder had broken into when he’d seen my paintings. He’d come out of there with more than just a Titian. He’d left with the truth of what they were hiding within their dark chamber. He’d left Amboise with more than hope, Tobias had left with a link that would lead him all the way to me.

  He pointed to the screen. “The signal for our GPS on our Mona Lisa is coming from here.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Right under our noses. Cloisters, it overlooks the Hudson River. Don’t be fooled by the ancient architecture, this place will be challenging to infiltrate.”

  “Dear God, let the paintings be with our Mona Lisa. Let this be worth it.”

  “You still have an out, Zara.” He turned to face me. “I’ve got this.”

  “Tell me what we’re up against?”

  “I’ve researched the security. Though we need to get in there to see what we’re looking at. Elliot Burell’s place in Arizona was fucked up, so something tells me this will be too. When I hacked into the company email there was an interesting revelation.”

  “Oh?”

  “When you don’t want an email to be traced, you write it and leave it in Drafts. It never leaves the email. It looks like a member of the Burell family gave a contractor his password for this email address so he could access the messages. It was an order of a large shipment of steel. I’m trying to imagine why he’d need so much steel going into Cloisters.”

  “A steel door?”

  “And a lot left over.” He turned to the screen. “This is going to be my most challenging job yet.”

  I rested my hands on my hips. “Do we have all the equipment we’ll need?”

  “The best money can buy. We must be prepared for anything. The Burells are merciless.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “An hour, maybe. Zara, it could be a trap for Icon.” He set his mug down. “I want you to promise me that if we get in there—”

  “If either of us are in danger we leave.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “This is a good day. I’m getting my paintings back and you get to expose this family for what they are.”

  He drew in a deep sigh. “I want to whisk you away afterward to a private beach on a deserted island. We’ll kick off the celebrations for our new life together.”

  I wrapped my arms around his chest. “Hold that thought.”

  That flinch reminded me of his bruises.

  He tapped my back for me to step away and pointed to the screen. “I’m going to show you what we have ahead of us.”

  I threw a salute. “I’m ready.”

  After twenty minutes of Tobias’s detailed presentation I was eager to go.

  We finished loading the white van Marshall had dropped off outside the house. It was apparently a rental and could hold all our equipment in the back and, should we be successful, the paintings we rescued too. With caffeine surging through our veins we stepped out into the chilly night and Tobias secured the front door.

  By ten we were heading along Harlem River Drive, which was the longer route but meant we’d approach from Broadway and be less conspicuous. We parked just off Margaret Corbin Drive and Tobias prepared the equipment. I watched him turn on all fifteen drones.

  He gave a cheery smile. “Once we find the paintings we hail the gang.” He nodded to the shiny drones. “Cutting the paintings out of their frames could harm them.”

  He was right of course. Bringing just the canvases would be easier, but the precision needed to extract each one from its frame would take us too long with the kind of care needed to protect them from tearing.

  If Tobias pulled this off it would be the heist of the century.

  “Let’s hope no one tries to steal our drones.” I hated leaving them unsupervised.

  “Actually—” Tobias pointed down the quiet dark road toward a cyclist heading our way.

  “Coops?” Although it was good to see him, there came concern that if we were caught he’d be dragged into our drama. Still, he looked happy to see us.

  We greeted him with a warm hug and I was amazed when Coops watched his boss prepare the gear. We pulled on our climbing equipment and attached our tools. After that adventure we’d shared around the city days ago I’d suspected Coops might have some knowledge of Wilder’s shenanigans. This was more than I realized—this was full disclosure.

  “If we’re not out of there in an hour, make the call,” Tobias told him. “The police and FBI.”

  “Got it.” Coops threw me a wary glance. “Last one, boss?”

  “Last one,” Tobias agreed.

  I watched them both interact, realizing this friendship went deep and this exchange proved that Coops had to have an inside knowledge on what Tobias had been up to over the years. I wondered if he knew he was Icon.

  The night-vision goggles we put on were part of an elaborate headset and we nudged them up onto our foreheads for now, and waved Coops goodbye. Staying close, I followed Tobias across the street toward Cloisters, the property nestled in the center of woodland and conveniently camouflaging our trek to our entry point.

  We made it to a Gothic chapel and I was taken aback by the intricate carving of the ancient stone. I wanted to seem as calm as Wilder, but my trembling hands gave me away.

  Tobias whispered, “This part of the building was transported from Burgundy. It’s nice, huh? This is where we access the old chapel.”

  “Okay, good, we can ask for forgiveness on the way in.”

  “Is that meant to be funny?”r />
  “I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

  He frowned with amusement. “Cute.”

  I gave a nod, ready for this to be over.

  Tobias studied me. “At no time touch my butt. No pinching. No admiring. Just don’t go there. Got it?”

  He made me smile and I dipped my head as he readjusted my headset.

  “No shenanigans,” he added.

  “What kind?”

  “I’ll give you a demo to be clear.” He pulled me into a kiss and I felt my headset bend against his forehead. He broke away and grinned as he nudged aside his headset to return to his passionate kiss, his tongue sweeping in a way that was both reassuring and inspirational. This burst of affection meant everything. He was letting me know how proud he was.

  I was about to break into a property with Icon himself to steal paintings. My paintings, I mused, so technically this wasn’t a heist but more of a process of retrieval.

  Tobias pointed to his own headset as he fitted it around his ear. “If we get separated we can communicate with this. If there’s anyone else down there with us, the visor will detect their body heat and a blue light will appear in the corner of your eyepiece for a second. Hide until you get a signal from me that it’s safe. The night vision kicks in when needed.” He looked me up and down. “Suits you.”

  I swallowed hard and, after taking several deep breaths, gave a nod I was ready and watched him work the lock on the French carved door.

  Terror flooded through my veins.

  Everything had changed and I tried to comprehend how this once careful girl had flourished into a courageous woman. These unfolding moments were about me taking my life back. Never had anything felt so right, and there came the sense there was an invisible thread between me and my paintings leading me to them.

  Tobias tapped my arm to get my attention. “Here’s the bad news—”

  “Bad news?”

  “On my mark, I’ll cut the power and we’ll only have sixty seconds to find the entry point to the underground network. Any more than that and the guards get suspicious—” Tobias directed his wristwatch toward the building. “Don’t dillydally your slow British arse.”

  This was how Icon deactivated the power during the heists, and right now I was receiving the mother of all demonstrations on his methods. The kind of evidence a member of Huntly Pierre would crave.

  All those weeks of tracking him down, and here I was breaking and entering into a building with him as an accomplice. With my heart pounding, my adrenaline surging and my breaths sharp on each inhale, I realized what I was doing.

  A thought flashed into my mind and it stunned me into silence. What if Tobias took my paintings and left me in there? What if all this was merely the endgame that I’d not even considered until now?

  “Jesus,” I muttered.

  Don’t take your eyes off him.

  “They’ll think it’s a glitch in their system.” He raised his hand and counted down. “Three, two and one.”

  We burst in and I watched Tobias secure the door—

  I was stunned by the beauty of the four stone tombs lying flat and upon them were carved effigies of mysterious women, each a Spanish masterpiece of sepulchral art decorating the resting place.

  Tobias hurried over to the statues at the front of the chapel and moved from one to the next, exploring each as he went. We were desperate to find a mechanism that would reveal a doorway. The schematics had shown this was the entry point to the underground tunnel but not specified exactly where. This had a Knight Templar feel to it and I guessed that was the point. Some secret society where access was granted to the privileged and the doorkeepers were the Burells.

  As we searched for a clue, the seconds dissolved and the strain made me feel as though oxygen was lacking. The cause was a heady mix of dread and adrenaline.

  Kneeling before one of the stone burial tombs I ran my fingers along the gap between the base and the stone body of a carved woman. I made the mistake of glancing up and seeing a flash of frustration on Wilder’s face. I leaped to my feet and ran to another tomb. He quickly joined me on the opposite side of her and we both ran our fingers along the edge. My hand bashed against solid resistance and pain shot into my fingers.

  Pull, mouthed Tobias.

  I tugged the stone protrusion and nothing happened. At this rate we’d be running for the door and getting out of here. I tried pushing the protrusion and there came the noise of stone scraping against stone filling the chamber. The carved woman slid off her base revealing stone steps leading into darkness.

  Tobias glanced at his watch. “Go.”

  I sprang into the unknown and turned sharply to make sure Tobias was right behind me. As he followed me down the steps, the entryway grated above us returning to its base and casting us into blackness. Sealing us in.

  Wilder flicked a light on his headset and lit the way down. Fine hairs prickled on my forearms from the drop in temperature, and I hoped there’d be a way out and we’d not become buried down here where no one would find us.

  It could be a trap for Icon, came Tobias’s words to haunt each step forward.

  Or the cruelest trap for me.

  The only noise was our careful shuffling downward. When we finally reached the end of the stairwell we peered down a very long hallway.

  His hand came down onto my shoulder. “I’ll lead.”

  Tobias was eerily serene and I put this down to him acclimating to these adventures where so much was at stake. At the very end he approached a keypad with the confidence of someone who’d done this before. He removed a gadget from his rucksack and used it to scan over finger pads with a blue fluorescence revealing what numbers had been punched by someone else. He repeated the combination and the door clicked open—

  Inside the room was an easel holding our Mona Lisa, her haunting eyes following us as we made our way toward her proving how authentic Tobias had crafted her. There was nothing else in here.

  Tobias narrowed his gaze as he studied her. “They changed the frame.”

  “Do you think Eli will try to resell her?”

  “Doubt it.” He leaned forward and examined the canvas. “Hey, Mona Lisa, your job is done.” He frowned as he noticed something on his watch. “The GPS isn’t coming from her.”

  A jolt of fear hit me. “You don’t think they found it?”

  “It’s pinging in this vicinity.”

  I threw him a wary glance because something felt wrong with her or perhaps everything felt right. The mystery reflected in Mona Lisa’s gaze was uncanny, the way she followed me as I walked around Tobias to take a closer look at her, the way her perfection screamed authentic.

  Tobias’s fist shot toward the canvas—

  I punched his hand to redirect it and almost knocked him off balance. He steadied himself and glared at me in disbelief, and then his expression turned to horror. “No way.”

  “I’d need my magnifier but...” Shaking my head. “She looks real.”

  “Jesus, I nearly punched a hole through her face. I thought she was ours.”

  “She’s the other Mona Lisa. She really exists.” My words came out full of awe.

  “Thank God for you, Leighton.”

  “Eli must know ours is a fake?”

  He shrugged. “There’s meant to be three that Leonardo painted. Maybe Eli wanted the other one?”

  “Where’s the GPS coming from?”

  Tobias raised his wristwatch to look at the screen. “That way.”

  “Shall we take this with us?”

  He examined the frame. “Sure, why not? Let me make sure she can come out easily first. We don’t have too much time.”

  Within a few minutes he had the canvas rolled up and tucked inside his rucksack. Following the blip on his wristwatch, he led me toward the only other door in here other than the one we’d
come through. With a turn of a handle it opened and we stepped out onto what looked like a high ramp that led to a stairwell.

  Impossible; I blinked to take in the vast view of what looked like a giant roller coaster without a tram, trying to grasp what I was looking at as my gaze scanned the enormous cavern beneath it, all the while recalling the large wheel in Arizona.

  What lay ahead was monstrously spectacular in comparison, the profound life-size design of a Rube Goldberg constructed in steel. This contraption was so complex with one mechanism promising to cause a domino effect on another should it be triggered. This was where all the steel had been used and it could only be navigated on foot.

  We’d never make it to the other side.

  My pulse quickened when I saw the enormous steel ball that was at least six feet in diameter. It looked like it was designed to come rolling along after you to knock you into the endless chasm.

  “It’s impossible.” I let out a shaky breath.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  TOBIAS TURNED TO face me. “Go back.”

  “Together or not at all.”

  His gaze swept over the design. “We’ve come this far, right?”

  “What is this?”

  “Part of their elaborate safe system, I suppose. That wheel back in Arizona looks like Eli was dipping his toe in the water of what was possible. This looks new.”

  “This looks finished.”

  Tobias pointed to the end where, should one be lucky enough to survive this madness, there was a doorway that might just lead to a vault. Oh, God, we’d come so close.

  “Bloody hell,” I said. “I hate them.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” He gave my arm a reassuring pat. “This is him trying to compete with Leonardo da Vinci. I told you he’s obsessed.”

  “How could anyone compete with such a master?”

  “Someone with daddy issues, evidently.” We walked to where the staircase ended and the Rube Goldberg device began. “This is mathematics and art cobbled together.”

  To walk on it we’d have to navigate the thin rails and if that chrome ball came loose we’d be screwed. One wrong move...