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“Please just…let us go.I’ll tell you where it is.”

The man holding Xavier released him, allowing Xavier to straighten his neck and relax his arm.Blood rushed to his head and he almost fell over.The man who’d been holding him gripped his upper arms, keeping him upright.

“Let me take him,” Xavier nodded at Colum, “and go downstairs.You can go out…however you got in.”Xavier swallowed hard, wiping blood from his face.“Nothing in here is worth their lives,” he said softly, looking first at Colum, then at Annie.

“Xavier…” Colum said.

“It’s good to meet a reasonable man,” Mr.Black said.

Annie was silent, watching him.He was grateful she was so damn smart.She’d heard him say vase, realized he had a plan, and let him take the lead.

Part of him, a large part really, was ready to give them the real manuscript.But the part of him that was, according to several people, an asshole wouldn’t give these fuckers anything.

“They come to me, you get the manuscript,” Annie said.“We keep your people long enough to get someone in to sweep for explosives or any other surprises you might have left us.”

“Done,” Mr.Black said.“And please know that despite my willingness to sacrifice them for the mission, I would prefer them alive.”

“I’m banking on it,” Annie said.

Mr.Black nodded at the man holding a gun on Colum.He stepped back…and immediately raised his gun, pointing it at Xavier.

“Colum, come here,” Annie demanded.

But Colum started for Xavier, an emotion with no name in his gaze.

Agravain sheathed his sword and stepped forward, past Mr.Black to intercept Colum, forcing him to turn away and retreat to the top of the stairs.

Xavier felt very alone in that movement, standing there surrounded by four faceless men, ready to lie to them when the truth would have been so much safer.

“First,” Mr.Black said.“He tells us where it is.Then we let him go.”

Xavier didn’t wait for Annie to negotiate.He wanted this done.

He turned, looking back into the room full of treasures.

“There’s a vase.A Wedgewood vase.Blue and white.Right there on the table.The manuscript is inside.We don’t know how they got it in or how to get it out without breaking it.The vase is one of a kind, created by Wedgewood himself.Might be worth more than the manuscript, but we X-rayed it and there’s a tube inside.Robbie Ross’s great-niece had it.Wilde left a clue to where it was in a signed copy of one of his plays that was on display in a museum in New York.”

Xavier spoke fast, sprinkling truth and bullshit liberally over every syllable.There were a thousand holes in that story, but no way they could know that.

At least he didn’t think they could.

He hoped.

Mr.Black took a step to the side, leaning to look into the room.“Let him go.”

The man with the gun lowered it, and Xavier stumbled past Mr.Black.Colum was there, arms open, and Xavier fell into them, closing his eyes against the increased throbbing caused by walking.

“Take him downstairs,” Annie whispered.“Lock yourselves in a secure room.”

Xavier didn’t argue.The last thing he heard as they cleared the bottom stair was Mr.Black and Annie.

“Thank you for this,” Mr.Black said.“When you feel safe to do so, please release my men.We’ll be watching and pick them up.”

“I assumed,” Annie replied dryly.

“And before I leave, let me give you something, because you’re right, our exchange isn’t totally fair.It wasn’t Dodge who hired us.Not directly.We work for the Spaniard.”

ChapterEighteen