Author's note: Thanks, again, for the marvelous reviews! I'm sorry for not being able to update sooner. School has begun (unfortunately) and I've got lots of stuff to do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one!
Disclaimer: I own only Andie Ocean and Gallagher-boy.
Chapter 5The Gallere des Gabanski was a fine medley of European architecture: modern yet authentic. The neat, two-story building sat at the crown of a small hill just outside Copenhagen. Opposite the Gallere was a wide square. A statue of a figure on horseback bathed in a large fountain was situated in the middle of the square. Rows of quaint shops reminiscent of Ye Olde England and sidewalk cafés lined the sides. The scene reminded Andie of the large Piazzas in Rome.
The pigeons and tourists frequenting the square complemented the picture.
Basher was at the wheel of the SUV, driving slowly behind another slow-moving car, inspecting the postcard-perfectness of the Gabanski Square. Danny sat beside him, studying the district map he obtained from a tourist help center.
Andie was stuck at the rear with Rusty Ryan. They looked out the windows and refused to acknowledge each other. Linus sat in the middle, uneasy and very aware of the tense situation hanging in the air between the two.
Linus looked from Andie to Rusty, then he leaned forward and asked Danny, "Can we get down for a walk?"
"Not yet," Danny murmured, his thumb moving across the map. Linus shifted and argued weakly, "It's very tense back here." Danny looked at him questioningly. "Very tense," Linus emphasized.
"I heard that," Rusty called out. Andie remained silent.
Danny sighed and set the map on his lap. "Can the two of you please stop behaving like – two-year-olds?"
"Are we?" Andie countered.
"Yes."
"We're sorry," Rusty chipped in. Linus threw his hands up and fell back against the seat. He wasn't the only one exasperated. Danny folded the map and pointed to a parking space near a sidewalk by the Gallere. "Basher, we're getting down here," he instructed. Then he looked back at his daughter and his best friend, and said, "Children, we're going for a walk."
This time, Danny did not try to pair the two of them together. He had had enough of their silly antics. Why, why can't they just get along? Was it because of their astrological differences? Personality clashes? Thinking about it only encouraged the presence of irritation.
All the better for Andie.
She walked with Linus, who, she discovered, was not a conversation man. Ahead of her, her father, Basher and Mr. Smartypants-Ryan were talking animatedly. From the restrained look on Linus's face, it was clear that he was wishing he could join them.
The problem was, she wasn't a conversation person either. But still, a conversation had to be struck. Silence was more awkward.
Right?
"So Linus," she ventured a little nervously. He turned to look at her as if caught by surprise, and the look instantly made her feel guilty for actually addressing him.
Suddenly she felt shy, and she cast her head down to hide her furious blush. "What is it, Andie?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing important."
Linus smiled and shrugged, "It's okay. You can talk to me about whatever that's on your mind. Whatever that's bothering you, I mean."
Andie looked up and met his gentle eyes. She broke into a grin. "Well, it's just that … I don't know why I can't seem to … well, fit in, I guess." She smiled at him. "It's nothing major," she quickly added.
"Why? Are we making you feel uneasy?"
"No," she quickly replied. "It's not that."
Linus knew what she meant. "It's about Rusty, isn't it?"
Andie drew a sharp breath and looked away. Rusty glanced behind at Linus and asked, "You called?"
Linus shook his head. "No."
Rusty frowned and became immersed in his discussion with Danny and Basher again.
Linus looked at Andie again. "What's the matter? He's a nice guy."
"Not with me," she mumbled.
"You can't say you're feeling left out," Linus laughed at the idea. Andie stared at him and that shut him up. "Sorry. It just doesn't seem right. Andie, you fit in perfectly with us. We're all your friends and we're all your teammates."
Andie sighed and said, "It's easy for you to say."
"I sincerely meant it," he said earnestly. "You're welcome here, and Danny and I will see to it that you don't feel left out."
Andie looked at him intently, then broke into a slow smile. "Thanks, Linus."
Linus's heart skipped a beat, and he said a little shakily, "No problem."
The Gabanski Diamond was the most beautiful thing Andie had ever seen. It sat on a velvet throne, encased by glass, and guarded by personal bodyguards. Andie could not take her eyes of the jewel-encrusted diamond. Was this worth the risk? Her eyes darted to the security guards standing rigidly on both sides of the showcase.
The Europol threat entered her mind again, and she glanced at Danny and Basher, who were pretending to be interested in a painting with only a red square in the middle of the canvas. Should she tell them about Europol? Should she warn them about the danger that now rested on her shoulders with the e-mail?
Her eyes rested once again on the Gabanski Diamond. This time, her gaze was plagued by guilt. Her mind drowned in a sea of dilemma. She had kept too many secrets. Too many for her own liking.
"It's that beautiful, huh?"
Andie jerked back into reality and turned her head in the direction of the intruder of her thoughts. Rusty Ryan grinned at her smugly. "A penny for your thoughts, Miss Ocean."
"I'm not going to accept even a thousand," she replied nonchalantly.
"Your loss then."
"You're the one on the losing side, Mr. Ryan," she smiled graciously at him, fluttering her eyelashes, "My thoughts are not going to mean anything to you, I'm afraid."
"I'm willing to take the risk," he whispered in her ear.
Andie grinned, enjoying the playful banter. She laid a finger on his shoulder and whispered back in his ear, "You're not going to like the outcome, trust me."
Rusty's hands rested on her waist and he drew her close to him. "I don't know why, but I think I will like what you have to offer, Miss Ocean," his fingers played with the buttons on her blouse, "underneath your clothes."
Andie laughed and pushed him gently away. "My dad's not going to like what you're trying to imply, Mr. Ryan."
"But you will," he replied mischievously.
Andie rolled her eyes and drifted away from the display. She caught an information counter with several brochures arranged on it. She headed for the counter and picked up a brochure generous with information about the Gallere.
And in the centrespread was a detailed and complete map of the Gallere itself.
"Perfect," she whispered.
"Who's the culprit?"
He threw a beige file onto the table and slid it across the table towards her. "Our experts got the lowdown on the impostor."
She eyed her superior as she opened the file and scanned the information inside. "Andromeda Theresa Danielle Ocean," she read aloud.
The Europol superintendent grinned. "Does 'Ocean' sound familiar?"
"You can't say she's related to Danny Ocean?" she asked disbelievingly.
"She's his daughter. And with all the lies she told Agent Kavnik, she's got herself an arrest warrant."
She turned the page, expecting more, but was disappointed to find that the 'lowdown' was only one page long. She held the paper up with two fingers and looked at her superior questioningly, "This is all you've got?"
He frowned and said, "This is one likely hacker, Agent Lahiri. If she was smart enough to obtain Kavnik's address, imagine what she'd be able to do if she got the password from her." He walked across the table and handed an envelope to her.
She took it and tore it open. A booklet of tickets fell onto her lap. "What's this all about?" she looked at him ridiculously. "I'm on leave, remember?"
"Well now you're not," he said firmly. "We tracked Andromeda Ocean to Copenhagen, Denmark, and that's where you're heading." Seeing the incredulous look on her face, he added hastily, "Treat it as a vacation."
She sighed and kept the ticket in her tote. "Fine. I'm not promising I'll be able to find her but - "
"You'd better, Agent Lahiri," he said fiercely, glaring at her.
Isabel Lahiri sighed again and headed for the door, "Yes, yes, whatever."
Rusty had been ignoring her phone calls for a long time, anyway. They both probably need a break.
And this would be hers.