“Then let Dominic watch me do it,” I said. “If I fail, you can let him do whatever he wants with me.”

Arthur took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving mine.

“You have courage, Kate,” he said. “Or you are incredibly foolish.”

“Right now, they are the same thing,” I replied.

He set the glass down with a soft click on the dark wood.

“Very well,” Arthur said. “You have until next Thursday. I will provide the equipment you need to patch into the broadcast system.”

“And the recording device?”

“My people will handle that,” he said. “It must be undetectable by standard security sweepers.”

He walked to the door, signaling that our meeting was over.

“Do not make me regret this, Kate,” he said.

I didn’t answer. I walked out of the penthouse, my hands trembling only when the elevator doors finally closed.

The next five days were a blur of intense preparation and cold sweat.

I spent my nights in a small, cramped apartment, studying the blueprints of the Metropolitan Museum where the auction was to be held.