“It’s useless arguing with her,” Nir said. “She’s going to win, so just accept it.”

Alicia gave no such complaint. She looked like she’d been gifted with one of those metabolisms that allowed people to eat or drink whatever they wanted without gaining an ounce. Lifting one of the mugs, she returned to the leather chair where she’d been sitting before their vault excursion and settled in.

After taking a sip, she called, “Mila, this is amazing. What is that in there? A little touch of nutmeg?”

Mila walked to the doorway. “Well, yes it is, and thanks for noticing.” She nodded toward Nir. “That one on the other side of the desk guessed my secret ingredient was Christmas spirit.” Then muttering loud enough for all to hear, she said, “Gracious, he’s helpless as a whelp.”

“Thank you, Mila,” Nir said. “Now, please close the door behind you.”

“Thank you, Mila,” the ladies chimed as the door closed.

“Sorry. You can’t get good help these days.”

“Oh, please.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “You’d be lost without her. She’s the best thing you have going for you in Antwerp.”

Nir chuckled. “Yeah, she kind of is. So, ready for business?”

Alicia spoke up. “First, let me say thank you for flying me here all the way from Texas. This was my first time crossing the ocean on a private jet.”

“It was nothing at all,” Nir said, thinking she really should be thanking the Israeli government for her transatlantic flight. “I appreciate your taking the time to come here and listen to my proposal. Am I right that you have business in Milan after this?”

“I do. I’m going to visit the owner of the gallery where you saw my Marilyn Monroe painting.”

“Excellent. Well, you and Nicole can share the Gulfstream down to Italy. Then when you’re ready, I’ll arrange a first-class seat on a commercial airway for your trip home. Just give Mila your details before you leave. Is that amenable?”

“It is. In fact, if I can speak freely…”

Nir nodded.

Alicia seemed as if she was gathering her thoughts, then spoke. “Okay, not only is it amenable, but it’s a little too amenable. Honestly, if Nicole wasn’t part of this, I would have bugged out a while ago. My daddy always told me if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. And this whole thing looks just way too good to be true.”

Nicole looked ready to speak, but Nir gave her a quick glance. He knew how to handle this. He was the businessman. “I get it. Sometimes I come on a little too strong. Maybe it’s from growing up on a kibbutz in Israel where hard work was always expected of us. Or maybe it’s just me following the advice my dad ingrained in me.”

“Which was…”