Chapter 17

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

QUIN

“What the actual hell, Cal? It’s about damn time you returned my calls.” Cal had a habit of pissing me off, but I was so far beyond annoyed now I was about two seconds from getting on a plane to wherever he was just to make sure he was still alive.

Last night, I’d been sitting in my gallery, minding my own business while I completed paperwork, when I’d felt an overwhelming sense of dread, then nothing. Nero and Julius called it our freaky twin thing, but I had a sixth sense for knowing when Cal was in trouble, and I knew whatever he was doing, he was in deep shit.

I’d immediately called Cal, but of course, the call had gone straight to voicemail. For the next hour and a half, I’d paced the gallery and shot off text after text and made call after call to Cal with no return. Finally, as I was about to pack up and head home to have Felix trace his cell so I could buy a plane ticket, I’d felt him again.

But this time, it wasn’t dread that came through our twin bond.

This time, it was a deep sense of peace and wholeness, and since I’d felt it, I hadn’t felt much else from him. It was like our bond had been muted by whatever had happened. I had a working theory about what that was, but it didn’t make any sense, and the fact that Cal hadn’t called me back was making me antsy.

“Hi, Quin. Sorry I missed your calls. Things have been busy here.”

“Where exactly is here?”

“Jack and I are in Prague, but we’ve only got a couple hours before we’ve gotta be out of the city.”

Swiping a hand over my face, I cringed. “Cal, what did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did something?”

“Call it a hunch.”

“Well, Quintillus , for your information, we had a lovely meeting with one of the people in the FBI file today, and he politely asked us to leave town.”

“Well, Caligula , that sounds like a load of crap. You know you can’t lie to me. What really happened?”

Cal sighed on the other end of the line. “Abridged version, we broke into Vlk Mazal’s train yard last night, found out it’s not fine art he’s moving, then Jack was held at gunpoint, I shot Mazal’s son, and we ended up meeting with him at an art exhibition opening this afternoon during which he provided some incredibly useful information about our next target and told us in no uncertain terms to get out of Prague.”

“Cal…”

“Good news is, you can tell Felix that Vlk Mazal doesn’t have the painting.”

“Cal.”

“What?”

“What happened last night?”

“I just told you.”

I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it. “No, you didn’t. I felt… something, and now I’m having a hard time getting a read on you. I can tell you’re alive, but that’s it.”

My twin was quiet for a long moment before he cleared his throat. “So, you know Jack. Well, uh, he’s my fated mate, and we’re, uh, mated now. So yeah…”

The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the plush rug in my office. Not that it mattered because Cal could still easily hear my shouted “What the fuck?” that also brought my other brothers and Felix running because I never yelled and only swore when the situation really called for it. My body froze, even as my mind and heart digested the information. My hunch had been right.

“Quin? Is everything okay?” Nero’s mate looked at me with concern while Julius stooped to pick up my phone, and Nero stood glowering in the doorway to my study, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

“Thanks.” I took my phone from Julius and held it in my palm.

“I’m putting you on speaker.”

“No, Quin, don’t.” But Cal’s plea came too late.

“Hey, Cal. Everything okay? It’s way too quiet around here without you.”

“You missing me, little bro?”

“ Missing feels like a strong word.”

“You’re such a little shit, Jules. Nice.”

Nero pushed off the doorframe and stalked into the room. “Any news on the painting?”

“Hey, Nero. Good to hear from you too.”

My older brother shrugged. “Whatever. Just making sure you’re doing the job you’re supposed to be doing. We haven’t found much to go on from here.”

I waved my hand. “We can talk about the painting in a minute. Cal has some huge life news he’d like to share.”

“I hate you, Quin. Just so we’re clear.” Cal’s words were gritted out through clenched teeth, and even without seeing him, I knew the muscles in his jaw would be twitching.

“What’s up, Cal?”

Another long sigh from my twin. “Jack’s my fated mate. We’re mated. That’s it. Not a big deal.”

Nero’s scowl disappeared. “Like hell it’s not a big deal! Congrats, man.”

“That’s awesome, Cal! Congratulations!”

Julius frowned. “Wait. Haven’t you known Jack for, like, two years? Since that job he stole from you in South America?”

“In Colombia, and yeah.”

It was my turn to ask a question, and I already knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Have you known all this time that he’s your mate?”

Another long silence from Cal’s end of the line. “Maybe.”

A pang of sadness lanced my heart. Cal and I had grown apart in our teens and into adulthood, but he was still my twin. I couldn’t deny that it hurt that he hadn’t told me he’d met his fated mate. I also couldn’t deny that on the heels of that pang of sadness was a wave of jealousy. I usually hid it well, but my artist’s heart was soft, and in lots of ways, I was a hopeless romantic. Cal had never bought into the idea of fated mates. Was I happy for him? Of course. But I was also sad for myself. It felt a little unfair that the twin who couldn’t have cared less about finding their fated mate had found them before I did. “Oh.”

“Quin. I didn’t keep it from you on purpose.”

I shook my head again, biting my cheek to hold back tears that threatened to fall. I was Quin Hunter, gallery owner and elite forger badass. I didn’t cry. But I was also Quin Hunter, hopelessly romantic artist, and this was hitting me hard in the feels on a number of fronts. “No, of course not. I know.”

Even if I didn’t.

“It was just complicated because it was Jack, and I hated him, but I was fated to him, ya know? It was a lot to process.”

“Right. I totally get it. I’m so happy for you.” But my tone felt flat even to my own ears.

Felix put a hand on my forearm and squeezed, and his touch brought me back to myself. I cleared the emotion that had threatened to overwhelm me from my throat. “So can we talk to Jack to give him our congratulations?”

“He’s packing right now. And there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. Felix and Jules are still there, right?”

“We’re here,” Julius said. “Congrats, by the way. I didn’t say it before.”

“Yeah, thanks. I need you and Felix to get me everything you can find on Stefan Dasselaar.”

The name tickled something in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t put my finger on why it sounded familiar.

Felix pulled out his phone and started making notes. “What do you know about him so far?”

“He owns a gallery in Amsterdam. Rumor has it he’s trafficking stolen art to the highest bidder.”

“Do you think he has the painting?”

“We don’t know, but if anyone knows where it is, I have a feeling it’s Dasselaar.”

“Okay, we’re on it.” Felix and Julius started for the door of my study, anxious to get digging.

“I also need you to find out what you can about Zacharias Grayson.”

Felix tapped away at his phone but looked up to ask, “A relative of Jack’s?”

“His father. He died during a heist he was working with our grandmother. No one knows what exactly happened, but Reuben and Jack think that whatever went down the night Jack’s dad died thirty-seven years ago is related to whatever is happening now. Both have to do with the painting.”

Nero took a step closer to the phone, peering down at the screen like he could see Cal on the other end if he tried hard enough. “Zach Grayson. I’ve heard that name before. Maybe it’s time we try a little harder to get in touch with Juno.”

“Good luck,” Julius said. “She’s on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific, and you know how she is about her phone.”

“Fuck,” Nero growled. “She’s going to be facing a shitstorm when she gets back.”

“Let’s hope not.” Felix grabbed Nero’s hand and laced their fingers together, and another pang of jealousy flitted through my heart.

“Let me know what you find out.”

“Will do. You have fun with your mate.” Julius smirked when Cal growled in response.

“I know, I know.” Felix shoved Julius out of the room, Nero following, until it was just Cal and me again, and I hit the button to take him off speaker.

“Quin, I’m sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. You know that, right?”

“I’m fine.” The lie fell from my lips easily, though it tasted bitter on my tongue. “I was just surprised. I really am happy for you.”

“The connection, the bond, it’s a lot. The closest thing I can compare it to is our freaky twin thing, only it’s way more intense.”

I blew out a breath. “Well, I’m not sure how much our twin thing is going to work now that you’re mated.”

“What do you mean?”

“It just feels different. Like I can’t read your emotions as much anymore. I know you’re okay, alive, well, but there’s just less.”

Cal went quiet again like he was feeling for me through our twin bond. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

It was time to change the subject. “The name Stefan Dasselaar sounds really familiar to me. I’m going to do some digging of my own. If he’s a gallery owner, I’m sure someone in my circles knows more about him. Can’t hurt to get some anecdotal info in addition to anything Felix and Jules dig up.”

“Sounds great. Let me know what you find out.”

“I will. Be careful, Cal.”

“Always.”

He hung up, and I threw my phone onto my desk, frustrated by my stupid feelings. I’d brought home some paperwork from the gallery, and the pile shifted. A bloodred-and-gold envelope stuck out from between two stapled inventory reports, and I plucked it from the stack. Gold calligraphy on the front showed it was addressed to my grandmother but had been delivered to the gallery’s address.

That alone was strange, but as I flipped the thick envelope over to open it, I noticed the name embossed on the flap, and I remembered where I’d seen the name of Cal’s target in Amsterdam before.

S. Dasselaar Galleries.

And now there were new questions to answer.

What did Stefan Dasselaar want with Juno Hunter, and why did he think he could contact her through my gallery?