LILY
“Left to the main exhibit,and remember, to keep to the marked lines away from the paintings.”
I take a deep breath and try to settle the nerves fluttering in my stomach as I stroll slowly through the main floor at the Met.
It’s busy today, and I blend in among the crowd as I look at their exhibits, taking in the beautiful art. It makes sense that I would visit this place. I’m an artist, after all, which is why I breezily told Nero over breakfast I was going to pay a visit.
“There’s a new Rothko exhibit,” I joked, “But I’m sure it won’t hold a candle to yours.”
He barely looked up from his phone. “Sure. Fine.”
He’s been busy since the McKenna dinner, lining up the final pieces of his deal. I’m glad, because it hasn’t given him a chance to notice my anxiety, as I made my way to the museum, and walked in past security, my heart in my throat.
I’m here to meet the FBI.
This time, I was the one who reached out—calling the agent number I memorized from a payphone across from my yoga studio. I gave them a day and time, but even so, I haven’t been certain that I’ll actually show up.
Because once I make this deal… There’s no going back.
I linger in front of a series of paintings from the early nineteenth century, trying to delay my choice. They’re landscapes, and utterly beautiful. I can’t help wondering if I would have ever been featured in a museum if my art career had been allowed to flourish. Would I have seen one hung in a palace like this? Become a well-known name in the art world?
It’s impossible to know what would have happened if things were different, and I know that I’ve got to stop dwelling on what-ifs. Life is happening right now, and it’s up to me to make the right call.
Right now, I’m looking at two equally bad options, and I have to choose a path. Put my trust in Nero—or the Feds. I wonder for a second if this is what my dad felt when he became an informant. He never talked much about what led him to the decision, but I assume he thought it was the right choice.
He did it to protect us. Now, I need to think of Teddy.
Taking a deep breath, I turn away from the gallery hall, and head down a series of hallways. Half-hidden away from the main tourist sites, there’s a research library with some conference rooms. I bet on it being quieter, and I’m right. There’s only a couple of students deep in work, and I make my way to the very back room.
Agent Greggs is waiting for me, with the woman who approached me in the boutique dressing room.
Agent DiMedio.
“Lily,” Greggs smiles, greeting me. in fact, they’re both smiling. After all, I’m the one who’s coming to them this time. They think they’re already won. “Sit down. I grabbed some snacks from the cafeteria, if you’re hungry.” He gestures to the motley collection of vending machine snacks.
I shake my head.
“So, how’s it going?” DiMedia asks.
“Let’s not do this,” I reply. “All the small talk. I told you on the phone, I want to hear how this is going to go. What it is you want, and what you can offer me. No more games.”
The two of them exchange a look.
Agent Greggs pulls out a file. “Very well. In exchange for information that leads to the conviction of Nero Barretti, we’re willing to strike a deal. Immunity for anything you may know, or have been party to, and witness protection for you—and your brother.”
“We’ll set him up in college somewhere,” DiMedio adds, “and find you a job and an apartment nearby. You’ll have a team assigned to you, protection for the first couple of years, and then ad hoc. If we get word that the Barrettis know about your new identities, we’ll move you again, whatever it takes.”
My heart sinks, hearing it laid out for me like this. I was hoping for something better, but it’s the same deal my father took—and look how it turned out for him.
“Look, I know you’ve been through this already,” Agent Greggs says, leaning forward. “But this will be different.
I’ve pulled some strings. No more shitty small towns, you can pick where you want to go. Austin, maybe. Seattle. Portland. We’ll find you work in an art gallery or a museum, Teddy will be in a great school. And we can give you a small settlement, to get you started. Not a fortune, but enough to give you options. But most importantly, you’ll be safe. Both of you will.”
He’s saying all the right things. The guy has clearly done his homework about me. But I can’t shake this uneasy feeling that wherever we went, Nero would find us. Somehow.
He found me in Vegas. Yeah, it was an accident, but it still happened. And I can’t trust that the FBI will keep me safe. They are not all incorruptible, and if I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that Nero will find a way to find a weak spot and exploit it.
Maybe he already has. Maybe one of the agents looking back at me has already cut a deal, ready to tell him everything the minute I make my move.