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Kat stared at the gallery wall

Five paintings re each of the paintings, studying their dimensions She felt her heart start to race

"What if that card wasn’t all he left?"

"What?" Hale asked, turning to look at her, but Kat was already walking forward, exa the ornate frames around the priceless works

"Miss," one of the docents said as Kat leaned forward "Miss, I’ to have to ask you to step back" The , but not before the idea had already taken root in Hale’s mind

"No," Hale started, and then he looked froain "Why would sos" He looked at the walls Counted "Behind five different paintings?" He didn’t even try to hide the awe in his voice

Because he’s done things like this before, Kat wanted to say Because using the name Romani means you always have a plan--a reason Because Psuedonima jobs aren’t ordinary jobs Because Visily Romani isn’t an ordinary thief

"But ould someone do that?"

"I don’t know, Hale"

"But ould--"

"II don’t know"

She suddenly felt the need to be free of the crowds and the noise and the history that hung on every wall, taunting her

"Sorily as she left the exhibit hall and started down the Henley’s grand pro to keep up "So fun! And he doesn’t care that other people are going to get hurt because of it"

People were starting to stare, so Hale placed his arm around her shoulder and tried to stop her--to calood thing"

"Maybe it’s what? Taccone’s after my dad, Hale Taccone--"

"Maybe it means we’ve found them And if they can be found"

It seemed to Katarina Bishop as if all the , very dubious past had been preparing her to say, "They can be stolen"

Chapter 16

As Kat watched the city roll by fro black car, she was acutely aware of the fact that she had three-- maybe four--options

Option one: she could call Arturo Taccone and tell his off the wall and out the door was his problem This, of course, was the option that iven what Mr Stein had told theet her thrown into Arturo Taccone’s

If they had been any other kind of paintings--or if Arturo Taccone had been any other kind of man--then option number tould have been the clear winner All it required was a five estion that a business card ht not have been all Visily Romani left behind But there was no way Kat could be certain that Taccone’s hold over the paintings was legal enough to see theh to see hi Kat knew for certain was that if she caused Taccone to lose the things he loved, then eventually, he would return the favor

The third option was still foruely in the back of her mind, but she kneould aleneral call to areek, wheeler, and/or inside player in the business Given recent events, it would probably also involve a lot of Kat being looked at and talked to like sohter and niece It would most certainly include the very real risk that Arturo Taccone’s paintings would not be the only ones liberated from the Henley collection That is, if Uncle Eddie said so

But Uncle Eddie had said it was over Uncle Eddie had said it was sacred, and if he didn’t think Kat could (or should) undo what Visily Romani had done, then there was no thief in the world ould atte back to option three

Maybe because that was the best of the options Or maybe, she feared, because it was the option that was in her blood

"We don’t have a lot of tiet the size of the Henley, we’ll have to--"

"This is nuts" Kat blurtedfro But stealing"--she stopped, glanced at the back of Marcus’s head, and lowered her voice--"from THE HENLEY ?"

When the car stopped, Kat and Hale got out Kat walked quickly, crunching gravel beneath her feet, and ran her hand through her hair--the very gesture she’d seen her father reed to do so stupid

"Iup at Hale as he kept pace beside her, "it’s the Henley"

"Yeah," Hale said, his voice cool

"No one has ever stolen a painting froain, his excite five"

"Well, technically, we’d be re-stealing theative"

She turned fro nowhere in particular Just going "Assu crew"

"Yeah, and no one really likes you," Hale added He didn’t sray sky Leaves blew across the ground at their feet "We’d need gear--the good stuff The really expensive stuff"

"Too bad I’ood forvoice"

Kat rolled her eyes "Seven days, Hale"