The Spider

Write a story that includes the words: bug, portrait, heart.

Word count = 300.

Natasha Zowenski stood in the heart of the Louvre and whispered into the spider broach on the lapel of her suit, smiling at the irony. The bug was also her mike. Her earpiece crackled with her partner's Brooklyn accent.

"Is he there yet?"

"No, but I'm in front of the Mona Lisa. You wouldn't believe how tiny it is – wait…"

"What?"

"He's here, in the middle of the Japanese tourists."

"Has he spotted you?"

"Shh. He's coming.

Her earpiece screeched when he got close. "Bonjour, Monsieur Jacques. Is the lady ready?"

"Ze lady has expensive tastes. Are you sure you can afford her?"

Natasha gazed at his scrawny bald head. "I have the money. Where's the portrait?"

The falsifier lifted an eyebrow. "You Americans are always in a rush. Café?"

Natasha's heart raced. They were finally going to catch him. "I would love a coffee."

The metal chair screeched across the marble floor when he pulled it out for her. Perspiration wet her hands. They almost had him. He just had to pass her the counterfeit Mona Lisa, and it would be her first big break.

The waitress smiled at him.

"My poster and two cafés."

He lifted his cup with a twisted smile. "Espresso. Much better than ze sock juice you Americans drink." He cocked his head. "Show me your money."

She cracked her briefcase, and he laid the cylinder on the table. Natasha grabbed it and said the code words. "We've got her."

Suited men surged into the area. "Get him!"

His mouth twisted into that smile again, and he leaned back in his chair. Why was he so smug? She turned to the charging men, but they did not seize the counterfeiter. They grabbed her. "What?"

Monsieur Jacques grinned. "Mademoiselle, you are under arrest for art trafficking."