Missing Witness at Whiskey Gulch by Elle James

Author:Elle James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-06-06T20:17:46+00:00

Chapter Ten

Becker had been across the room, pretending to admire a landscape while doing his best to eavesdrop on a heated conversation between Salvatore and Romano. The two men spoke in hushed tones, and Becker hadn’t been able to hear enough to make sense of their words. When he moved closer, they moved away to continue their discussion.

He’d seen Tacey approach Olivia. At first, he thought they were just discussing the artwork in front of them. But when Olivia stiffened, Becker knew it was more important than opinions on style and color. He’d given them the space to finish their conversation. When Tacey moved off to speak with another guest, Becker went to Olivia.

She was holding it together like a champ, but he could tell by the tightness around her mouth and the way she curled her fingers into fists that her control was slipping.

“She knows about us?” Becker asked.

Olivia nodded and looked up at him. “And where they’re keeping her.”

He forced a smile as he looked down into her eyes. They had to appear to be the carefree playboy and his girlfriend, even when they were on the verge of getting the information they were after. “Where?”

“She said she would text the location when she was certain they hadn’t moved her. She did say she was being held in a warehouse on the south side of Dallas, near the train yard.”

Becker’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t sure he trusted the woman. “Why would she tell you that?”

Olivia shook her head. “I think she was in love with Eduardo.”

“The victim?”

“If not in love, she cared about him, and his death made her realize the Romano family isn’t where she wants to be.” Olivia glanced toward the door. “Look.”

The woman in question was leaving the Wyeth room.

“Does that mean you’re ready to go?”

“Have you accomplished what you came here to do?” She looked around at the other men and women in the room. “Have you sufficiently networked to ensure an invite to any potential sale?”

Becker shook his head. “I have yet to gain an audience with either Salvatore or Romano.”

She gave him a tight smile. “Then we need to make that happen before we leave.” Her gaze swept the room again, and she paused.

Following her glance, Becker saw that Salvatore was finally alone, studying the painting Tacey and Olivia had been standing in front of.

“There’s a painting you need to see.” Olivia hooked his elbow and marched him over to where Salvatore stood.

“I think this is my favorite so far,” Olivia said as they approached the silver-haired man. “What do you think?”

Salvatore nodded. “It has merit. I appreciate the realism in the artist’s work.”

“It makes me wonder about the painting that disappeared from Cavendish Gallery. I would like to have observed it in person to see if it elicits the same emotion. What do you think? Did it make you feel the same?”

“I would like to say it does, but I have not had the pleasure of viewing it, other than the image presented in the media.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.