Peggy Nicholson - An Angel In Stone

“Or that she means to score big,” Raine murmured.

“All of the above. So my one bit of advice to you is, whatever you do, just don’t…lose your—”

Raine groaned. “Don’t you dare say it!”

“Okay, I won’t,” he agreed, chuckling. “I’ll call you when I’ve got more.” And just like that Trey was gone.

Raine sighed, hung up the phone and oozed back down to mattress level. “Nap?” she suggested, rubbing Otto’s belly with her toes.

Like a fuzzy orange bear trap, his paws snapped around her.

I t was 3:08! “Come on, Ms. Precisely, pick up that phone!” Raine prayed, wincing as another helicopter juddered overhead, then roared off over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Betting that Lia would have set their original rendezvous not too far from wherever she lived, Raine had returned to the neighborhood. The bridge breached like a gray whale over her northern horizon. Beneath its belly the blue river teemed with barges and boats. The lunchtime flood of brokers from Wall Street had gone back to their moneymaking, though foot-weary tourists still shuffled along the pier’s decks and stopped at its railings to ogle the view.

Raine’s laptop lay ready on the table before her, already opened to a Web site that boasted the best backward phone directory online. If Lia called from a landline, Raine could ID her number, then trace it from there.

“Dammit, call me!” Could Cade have gotten to the kid somehow? Outbid her already?

“Nice day. Feel like some company?” A straggler from the stock exchange touched the back of the chair opposite Raine’s and gave her a winsome smile.

“Sorry, but I’m expecting a business—yes!” Raine cried as her phone chimed. The suit shrugged and retreated while she said crisply, “Raine Ashaway speaking.”

“How much will you bid?” demanded Lia, cutting straight to the chase.

Raine rolled her eyes. “Hello, Lia. How are you?” That drew no response, so she continued. “I do have an offer I think you’ll like, but it’s a bit complicated. I’d rather show you the figures on paper. Could I invite you over to Pier 17 for a drink and a chat?”

“Not today. How much will you give for this amazing, most beguiling fossil?”

Raine smacked her forehead, then sighed. “Okay. Do you know what I mean by percent? A share of something?”

“Huh! You think I’m stupid? I study math, science, many difficult subjects here in New York City.”

“Good, then here’s what Ashaway All proposes. It wouldn’t be fair to offer you just a flat price for the tooth, because nobody knows what it’s worth. Nothing like it has ever been seen or sold before. So here’s what I suggest: We pay you a certain amount up front. An advance on what you’ll finally realize.” Enough cash to keep the kid happy, and let her embark on a shopping spree. Raine was hoping that by the time the real payoff arrived, she’d have calmed down enough to bank some of it. It would be a shame to see her blow her fortune overnight.

“How much?”

“That depends on what you sell me.” Much as she wanted the tooth, Raine wanted the rest of the T. rex more. Whatever Lia knew about the dino’s location, that had to be part of their deal. “But first, here’s what Ashaway All would do to earn our cut of the final sales price.”

Damn, but she hated to negotiate over the phone, unable to watch Lia’s face. Still Raine forged cheerily on, outlining how her firm, with its sterling reputation and worldwide connections, was best suited to vouch for the tooth’s authenticity and provenance.

In addition to that, they were uniquely qualified to promote publicity and boost desire. They’d create a buzz through scientific channels by writing scholarly articles for paleontology mags.

They’d alert relevant museums and the most avid collectors to this extraordinary opportunity. And best of all, Raine hoped to form a consortium of buyers to acquire, then donate Lia’s tooth to a world-class museum, where dinosaur-lovers from everywhere could come to—

“But how much do I get and when do I get it?” Lia cut in.

“I could give you your advance tomorrow,” Raine assured her.

“Then the rest of the money?”

Raine drew a deep breath and crossed her fingers. “Six months, maybe.” Maybe much longer if she could find the rest of the dino. If they brought the whole beast to auction at once, at least minimally cleaned so that bidders could see its opaline fire, it would take longer.

But then the sky would be the limit on what they could get. No, forget all limits; they’d shoot the moon. Lia would be set for life. “I know it’s hard, but it would really pay to be patient.”

“But how much would it pay? Why won’t you say this?”

“Because I don’t know,” Raine said, hanging on hard to her temper. “And anybody who claims to know what your tooth is worth—” Even if he’s tall, dark and toe-curlingly sexy “—would be lying. That’s why I’m recommending that we work on a percentage, rather than a flat fee.”

“How much would you pay me flat? Right here, right now?”

Raine ground her teeth. Okay, you want to be stupid? “I suppose…something in the range of a hundred thousand.” She could up that price if Cade matched it—but not by much, not for a single tooth.

“Hmm,” Lia hedged, for once at a loss for words.

“And I’ll buy your watch, as well,” Raine added. “Say an extra ten thou for that? What do you say, Lia?”

“I say…” Lia’s voice held a smirk. “That I have to think, most seriously.”

“That offer is good only for today, Lia.”

“Ohhh, you think so?” she crooned. “I bet you pay me that tomorrow, if I want it.” If Kincade didn’t offer her more tonight, is what she meant.

“You think so?” Raine echoed, extra dry. “Well, maybe—and maybe not. I guess we’ll just have to see, won’t we?” She grabbed the loose braid hanging on her shoulder and yanked it. Temper! If getting her dino required that she swallow her pride, then—“Look, there’s other options we could discuss. Why don’t I come over and—”

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