by M. J. O'Shea
“Couldn’t sleep. Had no idea how you guys were doing it.”
Jack grinned. “Obviously, I wasn’t. Up for a little nightcap? Might make us sleepy.”
“I feel dizzy already. Can you believe we did it, Jack?” Jack wasn’t sure if he’d heard Alo say his name before. If he had, he hadn’t done it very many times. “I’m still in shock.”
“I know. And hopefully we’ll do it again tomorrow. And again, and again.” Alo actually giggled. It was endearing as hell. Jack poured two small whiskeys. “Here, kid. Drink this. It’ll calm you down a little.”
“I don’t even know if I want to sleep.” Alo took the drink and downed it anyway. Screwed up his nose after and made a face.
“You have to. So do I. We have another big day tomorrow, hopefully a productive one.”
“I can’t believe we got so lucky tonight,” Alo mused.
“That was more your smarts than anything else.”
“I meant the not getting arrested part,” Alo said with a grin.
“I have a feeling we’re going to have to pull that off more than once on this little trip.”
“Yeah. Probably. We’ve been lucky twice. Have you talked to anyone at the network yet?”
Jack shook his head. “I wanted to wait until we had something concrete, and tonight I was just too... I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I was involved in anything this good. I wanted a bit of time before I started dealing with the dickheads at the network. You know, just to be happy.”
He wanted to see the fruits of their adventure again. They hadn’t talked much about the painting. Jack was a little afraid to get it out in the middle of a hotel. Kendra had said a name on the ride back to the hotel, but Jack hadn’t been familiar with it.
“Tell me again about the painting.” He wanted to know just what kind of a whale he’d roped in. Especially if it ended up being the only one.
Alo nodded and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
Alo came into the room again, with the rolled-up painting held gingerly in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m even touching it,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t be touching it. I should have gloves on.”
“Just. Roll it out. Carefully.” He watched as Alo rolled the painting out along the coffee table. They had light in there, and Brad and Kendra had long since fallen asleep, so there weren’t other faces squished around it. Jack got a chance to examine it. The painting was a riot of colors, flowers made of wild splotches of bright red and yellow. A background of green.
“This is a Klimt,” Alo said. He sounded like he could barely breathe at the thought of it. “He’s one of the masters. One of the greats. The closest I’ve ever been to one of his paintings was in a museum once.”
“Have you ever seen this particular painting before? Like, in a book or anything?” Jack asked.
Alo shook his head. “No. I’m sure I haven’t. I did a search a few hours ago too. I couldn’t find anything online that matched it exactly. But the signature is there. The style is perfect.”
“What would it be worth if it ends up being real?”
Alo coughed. “Millions. Many, many millions.”
Jack reached out to stroke the colors, and Alo smacked his hand away. “Don’t even think about it. It’s bad enough that I’m handling it as much as I already have.”
“I’ll go out in the morning before we leave and get a hard case. Okay? Will that make you feel better?”
“Marginally.”
Jack laughed and ruffled Alo’s hair. “Let’s try to get some sleep, okay? Maybe the whiskey will kick in, and we can pass out.” He stood and turned toward his shared room with Brad.
Alo stood as well and gently rolled the painting up. “Night, Jack.”
“Night, kid.”
“I can’t believe we did it,” Alo crowed quietly. His blood sang through his veins.
One of them had been gone. Yes. But it almost didn’t matter in the victory of the last two days. They’d won. It didn’t even matter if they couldn’t find a single other thing. They’d done more than enough already. With the painting and the heavy ruby ring they’d found earlier that day, Jack had something massive to show his network, and Alo was going to be able to get rid of the people who wouldn’t leave him alone. Plus the dickheads at school who thought he was stupid.
He still couldn’t even think of what he had stashed in his room—a massive ring that looked like it was meant for a king and the painting. God, the painting. Just the thought that the two probably priceless items were in his hotel room was enough to give him the sweats. And it looked like they were going to be there for a while too. One more detail he and Jack hadn’t quite cleared up—what the hell they were going to do with anything they might find? The thought of everything that had happened that day made him want to jump up and down. Or maybe puke. Alo had never been so nervous in his life.
Kendra gave Alo a huge hug. “Babe, you were right. You can tell all those people to suck it. Maybe we find nothing else. At least you know you were right.”
Alo grinned hard. “What now? What do we do with the stuff?”
He had the ring hidden in the locked bottom of his suitcase along with the letters, and the painting in its new case hiding in the darkest corner underneath his bed, but that wasn’t the best long-term plan. Or even a good one.
There hadn’t been a safe in the room, and Alo wasn’t quite sure he trusted the thought of taking it to whatever storage the hotel had on the main level. Alo tried not to focus on the morning, or the valuables in his room, or the fact that he probably needed to call his mother who was likely to behead him when he landed in New York.
“Don’t worry about that. Tonight we celebrate, okay babe?” Kendra said gently.
“Dinner. In the hotel restaurant. It’s supposed to be fantastic.”
Jack wound an arm around Alo’s shoulder. He’d been fantastic all day, from the disappointment of the lost first artifact to the elation of the other two. Jack had been right there the whole time. Alo leaned a little closer.
“Dinner sounds great,” he said.
Alo had been so wound up all day, hell since the day in the café when he’d figured out the necklace clue, that eating had been the last thing on his mind. All of a sudden his belly wrenched. It was empty. He had a feeling that would be a theme in the next couple of weeks. It was bound to be an emotional rollercoaster. Not much time for keeping his typical schedule.
“Tomorrow we’re off to Munich. We’re going to take the train. I’d rather not check your suitcase onto an airplane. We’re going to need to deal with the... items.”
Even if they were safe in their room, it was obvious that nobody wanted to say it out loud, what they had.
“Yeah. I can definitely agree with that. I want to have my eye on it.”
Alo had a vague idea of what to do with the found treasure, one that involved discreet packages and a certain address in Florida. But he didn’t know how wise it would be to share that idea with the whole class. So he didn’t.
The four of them trailed out of the room and down to the hotel’s restaurant. The hotel was still lovely, and Alo could finally appreciate it—thick pale rugs, modern lines. It was everything he would’ve chosen for himself, and he loved it. Too bad they were about to leave.
He followed the others onto the elevator. The key to the locked part of his suitcase felt like it was burning a hole in his thigh, and he did a check for the thousandth time to make sure it was there. Sure, someone could probably break into his room and his suitcase, but the key made him feel safer. Alo could barely relax for the thought of what was up in that hotel room hidden in a suitcase pushed underneath the bed.
“You need a drink,” Kendra announced.
“I need four drinks,” Alo muttered.
“We can definitely make that happen,” Jack said with a snicker. He ordered a round of German beer for them along with their dinner—schnitzel and vegetables. Alo downed about half of his beer when it came. He’
d been either drugged with Dramamine or strung so tight with adrenaline, he was about to burst for going on three days. Alcohol was exactly what he needed.
Two rounds of beer and a pretzel appetizer later and he was definitely relaxed.
“You think they’re going to come after us here?” Alo asked. A little loudly. He probably needed to keep his voice down.
Jack chuckled and put a hand over his mouth. “Pipe down, Baby Spice.”
“Did you really just call me Baby Spice?” Alo made a face. He didn’t get all the nicknames. What was wrong with Alo? “That’s bullshit.”
Jack full out laughed. “Drunky Spice? Really. You’ve had two beers.”
“Well, do you think?” He didn’t repeat the rest of the question, but it was always there, hovering in the back of his mind. It had been since they’d left New York. Hell, since before that.
“If Watson, or whoever that was, was determined enough to send guys after you in New York, I’m sure he’s determined enough to come here. He has to find us first, though. I think as long as we fly beneath the radar, we’re going to have a big head start. Or he might not find us at all.”
“I hope so. He’s creepy,” Alo slurred. He felt warm and sleepy, tucked up against Jack’s side in the restaurant booth. Jack was big, and he smelled good. Alo liked how it was vanilla and soft but still masculine, with a bit of sandalwood. He liked Jack. Maybe. He forced himself to sit up and shake it off. “Sorry. Got a little sleepy there.”
“Stay up long enough to eat your dinner. Then we can go to bed. We’re going to have to be at the train station pretty early in the morning.”
“’Kay.”
It felt nice. Pleasant and loose. Alo hadn’t ever liked being drunk before. He’d never liked the idea of losing control. But he liked it with Jack up against him in the cozy booth. When their food came, he ate and listened to Jack, Kendra, and Brad talk among themselves. Alo didn’t have much to say. Every time he thought of the day, he just had to smile.
Perry could screw himself. Everyone else who mocked him too. Wild-goose chase, his ass. He thought of the ring too. And the painting. More than anything Alo wanted to get them out, examine them, see if he could place them by date or origin. Fuck. There was the potential that he had an actual Klimt in his suitcase. His fifty dollar suitcase. It made him queasy but more excited than he’d ever remembered being—even when he first figured out what was in the letters. Alo dismissed himself to go to the bathroom and try to get his head cleared out a bit.
His phone buzzed. He wished he hadn’t had international service turned on back when his cousin got married. At least he wished he’d remembered to get the service removed. If so, then maybe his mother couldn’t keep trying to call him. Which was annoying. Alo answered his phone.
“Mom. It’s not a good idea for you to call me.” There had to be some reason why he should stay off his phone. “That’s why I haven’t been answering.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“Where are you, Alo?” Her voice sounded sharp, but Alo knew it was the worry talking. He’d be worried too if he was on the other end of the phone. He was worried anyway. Worry mixed with elation and a little bit of confusion about Jack thrown in.
“Mom, it’s really better for you not to know.” Well, that sounded dramatic. Alo rolled his eyes at himself. “Really, Mom. I’m fine. I’m not hurt. I’ll be home in a few days. Stay in Florida. You’re in Florida, right?”
“Yes. I want to go home.”
“Just give me a few days to deal with this. At least you get some nice weather, right?”
His mother was silent for a few minutes. “Alo, I swear to you if you get hurt in any way, I’m going to come find you, okay? I’m going to come find you, and I’m going to kill you myself.”
“I won’t get hurt. Hey, have you guys put Grandpa’s house on the market yet?” he asked.
“No. What on earth does that have to do with anything?”
“Don’t. I might have some packages delivered there. Souvenirs. I don’t want to have them sent home.”
“Alo Green tell me what’s going on. Now.”
Alo almost laughed at her stern little “now.” His mom wasn’t much of a disciplinarian. Never had been. Of course Alo had chosen to wait until he was twenty-two to do something that made her angry. Maybe he was just a late bloomer.
“Mom. I have to go. I’m fine. I promise.” Alo couldn’t help himself. “One more thing. Grandpa was right.”
He hung up, shoved his phone into his pocket, and went to use the bathroom in the lobby of the hotel. He stood at the sink for a long time, trying to sober up a little. Or figure out if he was really going to send the packages to his grandfather’s house without telling Jack or his team. Or if he meant it when he told his mother that he was perfectly safe. He finally figured he couldn’t wait much longer without one of the others coming in to look for him, so he shook off his floundering moment and left the restroom.
On his way back into the restaurant, Alo thought he might have seen a woman staring at him. She was seated in one of the plush armchairs in the hotel lobby with a magazine. The woman had pale skin, dark hair, short and sleek, and wore all black—not exactly uncommon for Europe in winter. He looked again, and she had her nose back in her magazine. Alo figured he’d been hallucinating, and he probably just looked a little drunk. Maybe that’s why she was looking at him in the first place.
He went back into the boisterous restaurant and slid into his place in the booth.
Alo was drunk. Not tipsy, not buzzed. Drunk. He’d only had a few more beers, but they were either a hell of a lot stronger than whatever his father usually brought home in the summer, or else the stress mixed with lack of sleep and the alcohol had really messed with his system. The team had gotten into the elevator after dinner, and he felt like the floor was weaving underneath him.
“Hey, buddy. You okay?” Jack asked.
“At least you didn’t call me Baby Spice this time,” Alo grumbled. “’M a little dizzy.”
“You didn’t eat enough of your dinner. We have some snacks in the suite. You’ll have to eat a few of those, take some ibuprofen, and drink a lot of water before you go to bed.”
Kendra gave them a long look. “How many did he have?” she asked Jack.
Alo rolled his eyes. He was perfectly capable of speaking. “Frour.” Alo held up all of his fingers.
“Guess our resident baby genius can’t hold his alcohol,” she muttered. “Shaming college kids everywhere.”
“What’s with the baby shit?” Alo asked. “I’m not a baby.”
Jack chuckled. “Let’s see. I’m ancient. Might as well be a mountain for as long as I’ve been around. Brad, you’re what, thirty-five?”
Brad nodded. “Kendra?”
“Twenty-nine.”
Jack looked at her for a long time.
“Fine. Shit. Thirty-four.”
“So see? That makes you Baby Spice.” Jack grinned.
“You’re a dickhead,” Alo grumbled.
Jack laughed out loud. “I think I like drunk Alo. You’re a lot less uptight like this.”
“Mm.” Alo leaned his head against Jack’s shoulder. Strong, strong, sexy Jack. Wait. Sexy? Alo struggled to raise his head. He didn’t want to get himself into thinking like that. Better stand on his own two feet.
“You’re fine. You don’t have to move.” Jack pushed his head gently until it was back on his shoulder. Just then the elevator dinged, and they hit their floor. “C’mon, drunky.”
Jack helped Alo down the hallway into their top-floor suite. He sank onto the couch in the sitting room area the second they got there. It felt nice to sit. Jack showed up with a packet of crackers, a large glass of water, and two pills.
“What are those?” Alo glared at the pills suspiciously.
He thought Jack was hot. Fine. Jack was hot. The network hadn’t hired him because he looked like a troll. That didn’t mean Alo wanted to
take pills from him. Alo wasn’t a big fan of pills.
“They’re just ibuprofen.” He held up the bottle. “You want different ones straight from the bottle?”
“No. ’M fine.”
“Then take these, drink your water, and eat these crackers. You’ll be a hell of a lot happier in the morning if you do.”
Alo downed the two painkillers and his water. Then he opened the packet of crackers and started to nibble on them.
“Why aren’t you guys drunk?” he asked.
Jack laughed. “Because we only had three beers, and we’re grown- ups who can hold our drinks. Come on. Let’s get you ready for bed.”
He led Alo into his room, which was to the left of the main sitting area. The larger room that Jack and Brad shared was to the right. Kendra’s was next to Alo’s.
Jack handed him another glass of water when they got in there. “Drink. I promise, you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Alo felt like he might throw up a little bit, but he took the water and downed it.
“Good. That will help.”
Alo leaned against Jack. “I think I’m more tired than anything else. And queasy.” He hadn’t had that much to drink, and the water and crackers had already helped a tiny bit to clear his head.
“Then let’s get you into bed so you can sleep the rest of it off.”
“You have nice eyes,” Alo said.
He’d noticed Jack’s eyes the very first night. They were big and cognac gold. He had long lashes and straight, thick eyebrows. That and his Hollywood grin, plus the fucking hair, made it hard for Alo to look away sometimes. Even though he knew it was the dumbest thing in the world to even consider it.
Jack pushed a lock of Alo’s hair behind his ear. “Thanks, babe,” he murmured.
“I hope this helps you, Jack. And I hope nobody shoots us.”
Jack chuckled and wiped a thumb across Alo’s cheek. “Come on. You need to get to bed. You’re totally wiped. And quit worrying about getting shot.”
He helped Alo unbutton his shirt and toss it across the chair. He didn’t help with his jeans but led him toward his bed instead.
“Night, Baby Spice.”