Con leaned forward. “No.”
“Excuse me?” For once, Lucy was fazed. A little.
“I’m saying ‘no’ to giving these to Portugal,” Con said.
“Con.” Lucy put a calming hand on his arm. “We understand your position that they belong to Ms. Dare’s family, but the fact is that the scepter that is intact was recovered on a salvage dive sponsored by Paxton Treasures. And, Lizzie,”-she turned to address the other woman-“you really have no claim to it without a long and arduous legal battle. The other scepter is not that valuable without the matching diamond. This is the best solution, giving you exactly what you want: the treasure in a public museum and not in the hands of a private owner.”
“Not enough,” Con said quietly.
“Con, we don’t negotiate with our clients.”
“I’m not part of this company yet, Lucy, so this man is not my client.” He turned to Judd. “And, frankly, this isn’t a negotiation. And this isn’t just about the scepters; it’s about the entire El Falcone salvage effort.”
Lizzie sat up straighter, a soft intake of breath.
“Every single item recovered is going to be donated for exhibit and display in a museum.” Con crossed his arms and leaned forward, meeting her gaze. “And Elizabeth Dare is going to oversee the dive, the recovery, the conservation and cleaning, the processing, and ultimately will control the setup of the public exhibit. Paxton Treasures will finance the entire project.”
The first hint of a smile teased Lizzie’s lips.
Judd’s jaw dropped open. “I’m afraid that would cost me millions and make me far less. I didn’t get where I am in this world by doing business that way.”
“No, you didn’t,” Lizzie said quietly. “You got there by muscling others out of your way, by forcing your agenda on the salvage and recovery industry, and by making your name synonymous with treasure hunting.”
Mouth turned down in mock self-deprecation, Judd shrugged. “I didn’t do all of those things on my own, my dear.”
“Of course not. You’ve had help from people like my father. From hundreds of divers and treasure hunters along the way, and quite a few wealthy people who bought what your teams brought up from the bottom of the ocean.”
Paxton backed up. “Look, if this is going to turn into some kind of name-calling argument, I’m out of here. As Lucy said, there can be a legal battle. And you will lose.”
“El Falcone is the biggest recovery effort in a decade or more,” Con replied, ignoring the threat. “This is your chance to do the right thing, for posterity, not prosperity.”
“Why would I do that?”
Con opened the file he had in front of him and slid a piece of paper across the table.
“This is a list of people I know personally. Some I’ve worked for; some I’ve worked…” He glanced at Lucy with a half smile. “Against. You’ll notice they are some of the wealthiest art collectors in the world, as well as quite a few individuals who deal in the gray and black market of treasure hunting.”
Judd read the list, his fists clenching tighter with every name. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Those people have personally guaranteed me that they will not purchase a single item of treasure salvaged from El Falcone. They are also spreading the word among other acquaintances to do the same.”
The friendly gray eyes weren’t so warm now. “That’s… preposterous.”
“As you know, the world of collecting treasure is a small one,” Con continued. “This recovery effort is going to receive massive media attention and generate enormous goodwill as a worldwide traveling exhibition. The benefits to Paxton Treasures are intangible but tremendous. And, of course, there’s the small problem of finding buyers…”
Judd read the page again, and while he did, Lucy’s expression remained impassive. She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t arguing, either. Big point for the boss.
“You’re right,” Judd finally said. “It’s a PR move that will give Paxton a wholly different kind of payback.” He turned to Lizzie and held out his hand. “Congratulations, young lady, you’ve got the job.”
“Thank you.” She shook his hand.
“I think we’ve wrapped this up for now, Lucy,” Judd said, standing to shake her hand and Con’s. “Why don’t you walk out with me, Lizzie, so we can iron out some of the details.”
“I’d love to.” She gave Con a warm smile, her golden brown eyes dancing. “Excuse me for a few minutes.”
When they left, Con turned to Lucy, bracing himself for the dressing-down.
“You love her,” she said quietly.
He smiled. “I do.”
“Enough to fight this battle, to risk infuriating me, and to threaten a client.”
He shrugged. “Having me work for you won’t always be easy, Lucy.”
“I don’t need easy,” she said. “I need smart. And that was very smart.” She pushed away from the table. “Come into my office. I have the contract drawn up.”
He followed her through a side door into her library, crossing to the antique chair in front of her desk.
After Lucy sat behind her writing table, she smoothed her loose-fitting jacket. “As you know, I’m expecting a baby, and I’ve decided to make some changes in the organization.”
“Really? I didn’t imagine having a baby would change anything for you, Lucy.”
“It won’t change me, and it won’t change this company. I’m just going to structure things slightly differently and give up some measure of control.” She held up her thumb and index finger a fraction apart. “Some small measure.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’m dividing the company into specific departments, with capable individuals at the helm of each. All department heads will report to Dan Gallagher.” She flashed a smile. “I believe you mentioned wanting his job.”
“Gallagher’s a good guy.” Fair and smart.
“He’ll report to me, as will a few others,” she continued. “One of the new departments will specialize in preventing and investigating art crimes-something we’ve done on an ad hoc basis, but I’d like to formalize it.”
“I know a little about art crimes.”
“And every player in the world of collecting, as you just proved. I’d like you to head the Bullet Catchers Art Crimes division, Con. I think you’d be masterful both in the field and as a manager.”
“Head it?” he asked, surprised.
“You’ll report directly to Dan. Then you two can start arm wrestling for his job anytime you like.”
“Thank you, Lucy. I’m in.”
“Great. And I have your first assignment, which happens to be in the Azores.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Perfectly serious. I just got a call from my friend on the Lisbon police force, who knew I’d be interested in this one. It seems someone on Corvo found something of great worth and is trying to sell it.” She handed him a file. “You might want to retrieve that-it should be a huge boon to the El Falcone exhibit. I didn’t mention this to Judd because it seemed… premature.”
He took the file, fighting a grin. “You’re a good woman, Lucy.”
“And you, I’ve discovered, are a good man.”
He just laughed softly.
EPILOGUE. One Year Later
“LIGHTS OUT, LIZZIE?”
From the back of the cavernous hotel ballroom of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Con stood at the wall, his voice as anxious as the hand on the light switch.
“Not yet,” she said, crossing the room, eyeing each display, making sure the treasures were laid out just the way she wanted them to be. “This is the calm before the storm, and I want to enjoy it.”
“This is the last night we’re going to be together for a week and a half,” he said pointedly. “And I want to enjoy it.”
She laughed lightly. “I do, too. But I’m not quite ready to give up this moment. It’s been a long year getting here.”