“Something else you guys should know,” added Michael. “A friend came this morning to let me know they took care of Breechner—found him snooping around the gallery. He was some schmuck private investigator hired to look into a forgery. The guy who bought your first reproduction was trying to sell it off to someone else, and that guy had his insurance company assess the painting. The appraiser pegged it as a forgery, so the deal fell through. Our buyer got his panties in a twist and decided he’d come after the seller. Both Breechner and his client have been made aware of their error and won’t be a problem any longer.”

“I appreciate your family helping with that.” I was surprised that I didn’t feel the fear and regret typically associated with being caught. Instead, it just made me want to work harder until my artwork was indistinguishable from the originals.

“I was impressed the guy was able to trace the painting back to me,” Michael mused. “We go through enough middlemen to make that a difficult feat. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, it’s probably best we’re transferring things to Nico and the Italians—change things up and keep the waters murky.”

My head snapped up, surprise widening my eyes. “What? What do you mean transferring things to Nico?”

“Nico and I talked things over and decided it would be best if you ran your operation through his outfit. You and I can still be friends, but we’ll remove the business from our equation. It keeps things simpler, and you still get to do what you do best. That work for you?” Michael asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

“Uh … yeah, I just … you guys talked it out?” When did that happen? I was stunned. Why hadn’t Nico told me on the way over?

“We were actually in the middle of talking when your dad called to tell Nico you were in trouble.”

I glanced back at Nico, whose face was impassive as he listened, leaning against the far wall. I gave him a soft smile, sending him all my gratitude and love.

“How are we feeling, Mr. Garin?” a nurse asked as she entered the room.

“Ahhh, time for my medicine. That’s the only bad thing about this place. They’re stingy on the meds.”

I wrapped my arms around Michael, hugging him tightly. “I’m going to let you rest, but you text me later.”

“Will do. Another twenty-four hours, and I should be out of here, so no more worrying.”