Skullduggery {sapphic thriller}

CHAPTER FOUR

"Who is he, Kirby?" Desirae called out behind me. "Just tell me who he is."

As I reached for the lock to leave, she caught a hold of my hand on the doorknob to stop me. Her body pressed close to mine with her lips barely a breath away from my ear. "If this is just some clever ruse to get to the painting—"

"Giving you his name won't tell you much. I'd rather show him to you." Letting go of the doorknob, I turned to face her. "Just trust me on this."

She kept her hand on the door, pinning me in place with her body and eyes as she searched for any sign of deceit. Truth was, I didn't even know if I trusted myself. I had no idea what to expect once I got back there. But if Landon was auctioning off Artie's undergrad work, the painting series I had in mind would be amongst it.

Desirae's teeth grazed her bottom lip as she settled on a decision. Twisting the knob, she cracked the door ajar behind me.

I poked my head around the corner to check the dimly lit hallway. Carl still sat with his back to us; his head bobbed in rhythm with whatever played through his headphones. Perched above him, a security camera pointed at the Renaissance Court, capturing the guests mingling through the galleries in the distance.

Retreating backwards, I spun around, catching in Desirae's arms. The blue velvet of her jumpsuit brushed against my bare legs where my damp dress kept riding up.

"What's your issue now, Kirby?"

"Uh, the cameras for one."

With a sigh, she slid her hands down my arms and let go. "I'll probably regret telling you this, but Landon gutted the old security system. The most expensive art pieces are on display in the permanent gallery so that's where he made them focus until this back hall gets renovated."

"There's no active cams back here? Not even in the collections room? That seems odd, doesn't it?"

"And to think, you could've slinked down these halls earlier without anyone knowing, but you had to be nosy and ran into me."

"Well, you're not the first beautiful woman who has led me astray," I whispered over my shoulder, stepping out into the hall once more. "And you likely won't be the last."

Her eyes creased with a smile that her lips tried to hide. She followed close behind as we made our way to the end. A red exit sign glowed softly in the shadows, pointing to the left. A strong chemical smell clung to the marble hallway. Pungent, but not cleaning supplies. Something else distantly familiar. Desirae seemed to notice it as well, but she continued down the hallway, past Landon's office and a few others. Just beyond, a pair of tall carved French doors led to the back of the auditorium.

I squatted down in front of them to take a look. Just like Desirae's studio and likely all the other rooms back here, a manual deadbolt locked the door. I straightened out both paper clips, then bent them in half to keep them rigid. Using one for tension along the bottom of the keyhole, I raked the other up against the pins inside.

Desirae leaned against the wall next to me as she stood watch. For a moment, my eyes wandered away from the lock, catching a glimpse of a black garter around her thigh through the slit of her jumpsuit as she crossed her ankles.

"So..." Her voice pulled my focus back to the lock as she remained facing forward. "Do you do this professionally or..."

I couldn't tell if she was actually looking for an answer, but saw no reason to lie at this point. "I did some time in prison recently. Picked up some new skills to keep my hands busy for the first couple years."

I could feel her eyes pass over me as she shifted her legs again. "You learned how to pick locks while you were in prison?"

Hearing the final pin spring into place, I twisted the clips to unlock the door.