Asia was pushing her younger brother to take some well-earned time off. It was getting harder and harder for him to hide the physical and emotional exhaustion she knew he was battling. So far, he wasn’t listening, but she wasn’t going to stop her less-than-subtle suggestions—better he’s annoyed with me for poking my nose in his business than he falls off the deep end.
“You know, worrying about Israel isn’t going to do any good, Cara. You have expressed your concern, but ultimately, it’s up to him. He may be your younger brother, sweetheart, but he’s a grown man, fully capable of making his own decisions.” Asia wasn’t surprised he’d known she was thinking about her brother, but it was still annoying to hear the reminder about Israel being a big boy. Franklin’s eyes narrowed as he watched her, making Asia wonder how much he could actually hear. “I’d love to see you lose the battle you’re waging, Cara. I don’t need magic to know you want to roll your eyes, pet. Feel free—I think we’d both benefit from the spanking that particular show of disrespect would earn you.”
In your dreams… Sir.
Franklin was barely able to fight back the urge to laugh out loud at the challenge shining brightly in Asia’s expression. She had no idea how determined he was to make her his. Hell, she’d belonged to him even before he’d first touched her.
As a member of the Cordesi family, his magical skills were far more exceptional than Asia knew. He would have preferred to keep his family connections a secret, but when his name came up in connection with London, her brothers had enlisted the help of new brother-in-law, Luke Grayson. Between Israel Adler’s team and Grayson’s hacking expertise, they probably knew what Franklin had for breakfast on his first day of second grade.
Asking Asia when the appraisal inventory team would arrive had been unnecessary since he’d already spoken with the team leader. Franklin had steered her toward a company he knew wouldn’t steal Vienna blind. The former Vienna Quan was the only heir to a fortune amassed by multiple generations of one of Europe’s most prestigious car manufacturing companies. The stock and real estate alone were going to make her wealthy beyond her wildest imagination. Preliminary private reports indicated the contents of the properties may well exceed the value of the real estate itself. A quick glance around the large entry made him suspect those early calculations may be right.
“Come. Let’s do a quick walk-through. We’ll make a second pass to videotape everything after we’ve eaten lunch.” He’d promised to help her with the inventory, and he would—but he also intended to make certain she didn’t work herself into exhaustion as she was often prone to do.
The slow reveal of the depth of his dominant nature was testing his patience. For a man who was accustomed to walking into a club, negotiating with a submissive, sharing a scene with a woman who understood the score going in, then walking away once the sub regained her balance, this was a whole new ballgame.
Asia Adler was a contrast on so many levels, he didn’t think he would ever fully understand her—and damned if that didn’t make him want her even more. He’d watched her testimony in a senate meeting a couple of months earlier, impressed with her passion for not only the industry she represented but also her concern for the environment. Listening to her speak about leaving the world a better place for future generations had mesmerized him.
Taking her by the hand, Franklin led her through the first-floor rooms. The mansion was filled with expensive antiques, many of them would be difficult, if not impossible, to appraise because nothing like them had ever been sold on the open market. He’d seen several pieces of art of unmistakable origin and smiled when he saw Asia’s slender fingers caressing the smooth red Italian marble surface of a small standing cross, Franklin recognized as a Knights Templar relic.
In 1307, some of the Knights escaped to Scotland while many went to Portugal, where they were sheltered by King Dinis. Two years later, the King publicly declared the Knights and their property under his personal protection, and the Castle of Tomar was quickly filled with priceless works of art. Over the years, many smaller artifacts were stolen and sold, quietly disappearing into private collections around the world.
Asia’s fingers appeared to be skimming an inch above the surface as a crease formed between her brows.
“I can feel a vibration when I get close to this cross.” He didn’t speak, knowing she was trying to process the sensation. “This is the Knights Templar cross, isn’t it? I’m not a historian, but for some reason, the Templars have always fascinated me.”
Someday, he would explain her interest was fated, but that was a story for another day.
“Yes, it is. The marble is from Italy. You can be sure their use of Italian marble was a deliberate slap to the Vatican.” He knew for a fact, this piece was stolen in the 1600s. Franklin would make a couple of calls later tonight to doublecheck, but there was little doubt, the Templars knew where the cross was. If they’d wanted it back, it would have been easy to retrieve, so the question became—why did they allow the Quans to keep such an easily identifiable religious relic? Unless there was a previously undisclosed Templar connection in the Quans’ background. Interesting question.
He watched as Asia smoothed the pads of her fingers over the cool surface of the marble, letting her mind spin with so many questions, Franklin couldn’t begin to keep up. Damn, she processed information at the fucking speed of light—it was remarkable to witness.
“As I said, I’m not a Knights Templar scholar, but I doubt this piece was sold, which means it was stolen… yet it’s sitting right out in the open.” Franklin didn’t respond—it was much more fun to watch her sort through all the possibilities and their legal ramifications. Just when he thought she was going to let it go, Asia turned to him, asking, “What’s your connection to the Templars? You already knew it was stolen, and unless I’ve missed the mark, you know when.” Nodding, he gave her a rueful smile but didn’t respond. No doubt she wasn’t finished, and he’d prefer to pick and choose which questions to answer. The more she voiced, the more options he’d have.
“Brooklyn would have a grand time walking through this place. I have to wonder if the Quans were ever on her hot list.” Franklin had wondered the same thing but decided Brooklyn Adler’s success rate was too high to have missed all the pieces he’d seen. She was probably driving her husband crazy, begging him to let her join the inventory team. “Of course, if it was stolen long enough ago, it probably wasn’t insured.”
“Did she ever return an item she hadn’t been contracted to retrieve?” As a professional thief, working with all the major insurers, Brooklyn had been on the most-wanted lists of so many countries, she’d lost count. Franklin already knew the answer to the question because B, as her family and friends called her, had once returned a small figurine to one of his dearest friends. The solid gold figure of a young girl was stolen by the Nazis, and somehow, it was saved from being melted down to buy arms. Brooklyn’s goodwill gesture earned her the favor of one of the most powerful wizards in Western Europe. Since B recently retired, Franklin hoped the goodwill would extend to her oldest sister.
“I remember hearing her talk about a couple of instances where she found things and returned them to their rightful owners. I’m sure those were special circumstances. If she’d been caught, it would have been much harder to convince the authorities she was doing the right thing without documentation from the insurance company she was working for.” Franklin almost laughed out loud. It always surprised him when Asia’s legal eagle mind saw the world in black and white.