Scandalous 2 Page 0,22

look at it, all I see are reflections of you."

Jack pulls her into a tight hug, wishing he could shelter her from the days ahead.

Chapter 14

ABBY

Gus and Kate fly back the next morning, telling us what they saw over coffee. We're sitting in the conference room in front of a span of windows.

Kate is bleary-eyed. She came out with Gus. I told her that I'd take her back home later. "They can't back out without pissing off my boss, so they won't. It's hard to get traveling shows. They're so expensive and most of the smaller museums don't have the funding or the ability to get a show on their own. The traveling shows are important to them. So, pulling out of one can screw them out of future shows. If they toss Jack, they toss the Russian czars exhibit next fall, so they won't do it, but all the people are riled up," Kate explains. "The locals see picketers at the museum and want to know what's going on. They assume it must be bad if there are protestors. Then the news comes out, then the paper, and then schools ban us and things start to get hairy."

She stifles a yawn and Gus continues. "Any publicity is good publicity but this carries a double edged sword," Gus says. He dumps three more packets of sugar into his coffee and stirs. "Groups like this one have been known to be sponges. They attract every lunatic that doesn't like the way things are and rallies them together. They all blame Jack and feel better about it. The problem is, with that many people together and angry about something, things tend to get ugly."

"It isn't even about the art," Kate says. I shoot her a look, but she misses it. I don't want her to say it. I see Jack struggling with this every day. "It's about you two. That Brimstone group made the art an extension of the morality problems in America. Somehow that guy Wrath has them thinking that you created the seven deadly sins and then painted them onto those canvases."

Cara chimes in from the door. "That's ridiculous. There are actual paintings of the seven deadly sins. Jacks are nothing like those." She's leaning in the doorway, listening to the conversation while watching the front of the gallery. From her spot at the door, she can see the entrance, her desk, and us.

Kate shrugs and answers, "Since when does a group need a logical reason to protest something? The group sounds insane to me, but the people were eating it up. One woman was telling a newscaster how your Woman in White portrait was of Jack raping an angel. Could you think of a more ludicrous - "

Jack tenses as Kate is talking. His blue gaze falls to the table as he works his jaw. Even though I can tell he's upset, I still don't expect his reaction. The mug in his hands is suddenly hurled at the wall. It shatters and falls to the carpet. Streaks of brown flow down the wall and soak into the floor. He doesn't look back or apologize. Jack simply springs from his chair, pushes past Cara, and leaves.

Kate glances at the wall and then back at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - "

"It's all right. He's just mad. You know how hard he tries to keep his name clean, and then this happens." Because of me. I know Jack's wrestling with something. I feel him pulling away. I have no idea how to fix it, but this is making it so much worse. I saw the way he moved, the way his body tensed before he hurled that glass at the wall. I glance at the door, wondering if I should follow Jack or give him time to calm down.

Gus looks at me oddly. It's like he has something to say, but doesn't want to tell me. "Abby, they're going to slaughter Jack. It's not just that they want to shut him down; they want to make him into an example. This is far from over."

"So what do we do? Is your boss pissed?" I ask Kate, suddenly, wondering what their take on it is.

"Oh, please. As if my boss cares about some yokels down south. As long as the exhibit stays in one piece, she's fine with it. The tour has hired security personnel to make sure no one does anything to the paintings. The tour ends back here