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“Call me Mr.Black.”

“Original.I’ve never heard that before.”Annie looked disappointed in Mr.Black’s choice of name, and Xavier oddly felt like laughing.

“Next time I’ll do better.”

“There won’t be a next time,” Annie assured him.

“No, there won’t,” another voice said, as Agravain stepped up beside Annie, sword drawn.

“Bring as many people as you wish,” Mr.Black said.“But if you do something I don’t like, we shoot Mr.O’Connor.”

“My goal is to keep everyone alive,” Annie said bluntly.“Now, why don’t you tell me what it is Dodge sent you in here to find?”

Mr.Black inclined his head, not seeming surprised Annie knew who hired them.“To business, then.”

“Please.”

“We want the rest of the Oscar Wilde manuscript.”

“And you think we have it?”

“Let’s skip the part where you pretend youdon’thave it.”

Xavier lost a few bits of the conversation due to the throbbing in his head, but forced himself to pay attention when Annie said, “We’ll give you the manuscript.At least the piece we have.”

“Thank you for being reasonable.”

“But I don’t trust you, so I won’t just hand it over until I’m satisfied we can do the exchange without you deciding it would be easier to take the manuscript and then kill us all.”

“You have two of my men,” Mr.Black said reasonably.

“And you have two of mine.You want the manuscript and both your men, in exchange for my two.Hardly seems fair… Unless you’re willing to sacrifice the two men downstairs?”Annie arched brow.

Mr.Black shrugged.“They knew the risks.”His voice hardened.“The manuscript.”

“Give me my people first.You and yours leave peacefully.Once you’re outside, I’ll pass out the manuscript.If I go back on the deal, you can find a nest and pick us off as we leave.”

“No,” Colum said.“We’re not giving these feckers anything.”

“Mr.O’Connor,” Mr.Black said.“I’m sure your brother, Eric, would prefer you alive rather than sacrificing yourself for a few bits of paper.”

Xavier looked up, blinking away the blood that had gathered on his lashes from a cut somewhere on his forehead.He met and held Annie’s gaze, the cold horror there mirrored in his own.

Mr.Black just name-dropped the fleet admiral and made it clear they knew who Colum was to him.Dodge knew things about the Masters’ Admiralty not even all the territory admirals knew.

“The manuscript—” Annie started.

“No!”Colum started to struggle to his feet, but the man behind him shoved him down.He pushed the gun hard against the back of Colum’s head, knocking his glasses askew.

“No!”Xavier shouted, at the same time Annie started the negotiation again.

Fear, a terrible cold fear, gripped Xavier.He could lose Colum.

He could lose them both.

“The vase,” Xavier blurted out.

Everyone went silent and turned to look at him.