Golden Lies (45 page)

"And I saw it, too," Jasmine reminded her once again.

"I tell you to forget. You never forget. You cursed."

"I think it was the moment I realized how much you hated me," Jasmine said. "That's why I couldn't forget. I knew I was a disappointment, but I didn't know why -- a disappointment long before David came along."

"You first daughter, Jasmine. You born with no finger. The curse struck you because of him," she said, shooting another dark, stabbing look at Wallace. "He say they too valuable to send back."

"They were too valuable, and it was too late to turn back," Wallace replied. "We would have had to reveal where we got the dragons in the first place. And we couldn't do that. The scandal wouldn't have just done us in; it would have hurt the entire country. The United States and China were not exactly friends." He looked at the statue on the coffee table. "And neither were we—after the fire."

"I can't imagine that my grandfather ever went along with this theft, this plan," Riley said.

Paige heard the pain in Riley's voice; it matched the pain in her own heart. It was hard to believe that the men they loved and respected had made a very bad decision a long time ago.

"He went along with it," Wallace said. "You don't have to understand. It was a different time. We'd seen our friends die in front of us. We'd faced our own mortality, and when we got back to the States, times were hard. Those art pieces gave us a leg up. Lee and Ned were able to start their own businesses with the money they made, and I put Hathaway's back into the black. No one got hurt."

"How can you say that?" Paige asked. "It looks to me like a lot of people got hurt, our families most of all."

"I don't understand," Jasmine interrupted, looking at her mother. "If the dragon was cursed, why did you keep it all this time?"

"I couldn't do anything else with it," An-Mei said. "The pieces were separated. I thought they were destroyed in the fire. So every New Year I pray to the Dragon God for forgiveness and a chance to make it right. When the other dragon came to light I thought -- but then it was gone again."

"How did my grandfather get the other dragon?" Riley asked.

"I think Ned must have taken it to show some friends at the bar, to impress them," Lee replied. "He was always doing that. I didn't realize he hadn't returned it to the store before the fire."

"But then the store burned down, and my grandfather probably thought he'd be blamed if Wallace knew he had one of the dragons," Riley said. "It makes sense."

"You still have the box, don't you, Father?" David asked. "I saw it a long time ago. It wasn't in the basement when Mrs. Chen started the fire, was it?"

Wallace hesitated for a long moment. "We kept the records of our transactions in the box. I had removed it to my house for safekeeping."

"So you have my grandfather's dragon and the box." Riley picked up the other dragon from the coffee table. "I think it's time we put the pieces back together again."

* * *

An hour later they were gathered together in the dining room of the Hathaway mansion with one more member of the family in attendance, Victoria. Paige's mother was furious at all that had transpired outside of her presence and had made that quite clear to Paige when the motley group, as Victoria referred to them, had descended on the mansion. But no one was paying much attention to Victoria. There were now three pieces on the mahogany table, the two matching dragons and a long narrow box with an ornate lock.

"We should do it together," Paige said, motioning for Alyssa and Riley to come forward. "I believe we three were meant to put the pieces back together."

"I agree," Riley said, handing Alyssa the dragon that had been kept in her grandparents' apartment for so many years. Then he picked up the one belonging to his grandfather.

Paige picked up the box and held it out to them. She felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine as the box seemed to grow warmer in her hands. She could almost hear voices from the past, or was it music? For somewhere in her mind she could hear the distinct sound of a distant flute.

Riley and Alyssa moved forward, joining their dragons together. With Paige's help, they inserted the back joint of each dragon into the box. Their eyes met at the same moment the lock turned, and the lid snapped open.

Paige reached for the several pieces of paper that were inside the box, but Wallace grabbed the papers from her hand. Before anyone could move, he had pulled a lighter from his pocket and set the papers to flame, the evidence burning quickly.

"Damn, you're good," Riley said, not making it sound like a compliment. "No one will ever know the extent of your thievery."

"Or your grandfather's involvement," Wallace said. "We did this together."

"He is right," Lee said. "We made our choice a long time ago. It was wrong. We were all cursed because of it, but now it is over."

"Not quite," Riley said. "These pieces are going back to China, to be restored to the National Palace Museum." He paused. "You agree with that, don't you, Paige?"

She looked at her family standing across from her, waiting, watching. She couldn't remember when she'd had their attention before. And it was time to stand up, to take control as her grandfather had told her to do.

"Yes," she said. "The pieces will be returned, to the museum as soon as possible. My father will make sure of that, won't you, Dad?"

"It would be my honor," David replied.

"But—" Wallace sputtered.

"Don't try to stop us, Grandfather," Paige said. "It's the right thing to do, and we're going to do it.

"And just how do you think you're going to do it?" Wallace asked David. "Where are you going to say you got the set?"

"He's going to say," Victoria interrupted, "that the House of Hathaway in association with their friends, the Chen family and the Delaney family, discovered a rare and previously lost piece of Chinese art that is now being returned to its rightful place."

Her mother was so smart, reading the situation quickly and coming up with a solution that would turn the three men from thieves into heroes. Everyone in the room seemed dumbstruck by her suggestion. But who could argue? Each family wanted to protect their own.

"Shouldn't they have to pay for what they did?" Alyssa asked finally.

"Everyone has paid in his own way," David replied. "My father lost his wife, his daughter, and his granddaughter. Your grandfather suffered the shame of knowing that his wife had burned down the store. Your grandmother suffered horrible burns on her arms. Your mother lived a life of shame and dishonor, from which you suffered as well."

"And my grandfather lost his daughter to drugs," Riley continued. "He also lost his mind and can't even remember his name, much less what he did fifty years ago. Mr. Hathaway is right. Everyone has paid a price for what was done." He paused. "Now, knowing that we've all agreed on what has to happen, I want to ensure it actually does happen. I think we should have the pieces put into a secure vault until they can be transported back to China."

"I'll make sure of that," Victoria said. "But first we'll put them on display in the upcoming Hathaway exhibit at the Asian Art Museum." Her eyes lit up at the thought. "You'll all be given due credit, of course. I'm a genius with a press release. Just ask anyone. I'd better make some calls."

"She's really something, your mother," Riley said to Paige as the group began to disperse.

"Yes, she is. I guess it's finally over." She couldn't help wondering where they would go from here now that they no longer had a dragon to chase.

"Not quite. I need to fill in my grandmother."

"Give her my love," Paige said. She watched him walk out the door with a heavy heart. Would she ever see him again?

"My family and I are leaving now," Alyssa said, coming up to Paige. "It's almost the new year. I think it's going to be a good one."

"I do, too. By the way, how do you feel about a new job?"

"What do you mean?"

"The House of Hathaway could certainly use another Hathaway."

"But I'm not a Hathaway."

"Aren't you?"

"Really? Can you do that? Hire me on without asking anyone?"

Paige smiled. "As a matter of fact, I can. You see, I'm the Hathaway heir. Only, I just recently discovered that I'm not the only one. And if I have to run that damn store one day, so do you. Of course, we'll have to get my mother out of it first."

"She's not going to want me there."

"No," Paige agreed. "But it's about time she realized that she's not the only woman in this family who gets what she wants. I want you in the store, and in my life. You're my sister. And I can't wait to get to know you."

Alyssa threw her arms around Paige and gave her a hug that Paige gladly returned. Out of this entire mess had come a new, wonderful relationship with a woman she could call a sister.

"I have to go," Alyssa said. "I have a man to meet."

"Ben?"

"I'd like to ring in the new year with him." She paused. "Maybe you and Riley should do the same thing."

"He's already gone."

"So go find him. You want him, too, don't you?"

She did. But this time he would have to come to her.

* * *

Paige entered her apartment just before midnight, exhausted from the night's events. All she wanted was a hot bath, a glass of wine, and bed. Two out of three were waiting for her in her bedroom. She smiled in pure delight. Riley had come to her. Granted, he was asleep, but it was the thought that counted.

She sat down on the side of the bed and put her hand on his chest. He stirred ever so slightly as she leaned over and put her mouth to his. She knew the moment he awoke, the moment he gave his heart to hers in one long, tender, passionate kiss.

He cupped her face when she tried to pull away and kissed her again as if he wanted to make sure she'd gotten the message the first time.

"Beautiful Paige," he murmured as he released her. "What took you so long?"

"I didn't know you would be waiting. How did you get in here?"

"I know a little bit about locks. And you need a better security system. In fact, I can think of a lot of things you need."

"Anything in particular—or should I say anyone?"

"Me," he replied with a grin.

"What about you? What do you need?"

"You, Paige."

"I want a long-term commitment."

"How long term?" he asked warily.

"Marriage, children, pets, a house of my own, furniture I choose, a garden."

"Whoa. Time out."

"What's the matter? Scared?"

"Terrified," he admitted.

"Okay, then, we'll start out slow. How about a real date involving dinner, maybe a little dancing, some champagne, rose petals on satin sheets?"

"Now you're talking. When can we go?"

"Any time you want."

"Paige," he said more seriously, "I don't know if I have it in me to be the kind of man you want and deserve. I don't want to disappoint you."

"You couldn't do that, Riley. And while I do hope for everything I said before, what I really want is you, on whatever terms you can give me. The truth is I'd rather have a few days with you than a lifetime with someone else. You've set me free, brought out a side of me I didn't know I had. I'll never be the same again."

"You've done the same thing for me." He pulled her hand to his heart. "I thought this had broken a long time ago. But you brought it back to life."

"I'm glad. We ended up on the same side after all," she said.

"Yes. Both our grandfathers were thieves. And Alyssa's, too. So much for protecting our families' names."

"Let's just hope our generation can turn things around."

"We will." He paused. "Are we going to have to wait for our romantic date to ... you know?"

"I think so. You should have to work for it this time."

"Paige," he groaned, "you're going to kill me."

"You better believe it. Starting now," she said with a wicked smile.

"I thought you just said—"

"It's a woman's perogative to change her mind. Besides, we haven't made love in this bed yet." She leaned over to kiss him, but he put a finger against her lips.

"Uh, Paige."

"What now?"

"I just remembered. I don't have my wallet."

"You have to start driving with your driver's license, Riley."

"I don't suppose you have another copy of the Odyssey laying around?" he asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no, and I hate to admit it, but this bed has seen about as much action as the one in my parents' house. I haven't brought a guy here in a long time. I don't think I have anything."

"That's all right. We have the rest of our lives to make love to each other."

"I like the sound of that."

"So do I," he admitted.

"Do you trust me, Riley, really trust me?"

"Yes, I do. Let me show you how much." He tossed her back on the pillows, his hands slipping under her sweater.