She looked up at him, tears and sweat streaming down her face. “I’m scared.”

“I know, Lizzie. But try. It’s our only shot.”

She closed her eyes and let go of the rock, reaching up to the scepter and hanging on, giving him her entire body weight, her whole life depending on that diamond staying in the prongs.

He heaved her up and she barely got a toehold on the rock. Her body lurched a little, pulling at the scepter, and she threw her weight toward the cliff for balance.

Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock as the diamond popped off into her hands. “Con!”

He swooped down to seize her hands, grabbing her. Her fingers flew open to take his, the diamond sailing right out into the air, falling and bouncing against the lava rock all the way down to the sea.

With Lizzie in one hand and the scepter in the other, gritting his teeth, he wrenched her up to his level, then pushed them both up the last two feet.

She fell face-first to the ground, fighting for air, spent, bleeding, and filthy. With his last ounce of strength, he thudded the scepter onto the dirt between their faces.

“All that,” she said, struggling for a breath as she closed her hand over it, “and it’s not a matched set anymore.”

He covered her fingers with his. “No. But we are.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“NICE OFFICE.” LIZZIE’S eyes widened as Con rounded the drive to a massive three-story Tudor mansion high above the Hudson River Valley. “You’d be a fool not to take this job.”

“We’ll see.” He reached over and took her hand. “I have some very tough contract stipulations.”

He parked in the circular drive by the fountain, noting the limo at the other side. Maybe he shouldn’t let her be surprised by this.

She didn’t seem to notice the car, since it fit right in the surroundings anyway, but leaned forward to drink in the rustic beauty of Lucy Sharpe’s home and the Bullet Catchers’ headquarters. He used the excuse to draw her closer, kissing her hair, then tilting her face up to get to her mouth.

“What was that for?” she asked.

“I need a reason?”

“No, but that kiss had a purpose.”

“Every kiss has a purpose. To show you how I feel about you.”

She smiled. “I know how you feel about me.”

Then maybe she wouldn’t want to kill him when she walked in. But if he had told her, she would have refused to come. And having her here was critical to their success.

As they reached the front, the door opened, held by Avery Cole, a young woman with wide-set brown eyes and sleek dark hair, her dimpled smile warm.

“Hello, Con,” she said, inviting them in with a glance toward Lizzie. “I don’t think Lucy mentioned that anyone else was coming to the meeting today.”

“This is Lizzie Dare, Avery,” Con said. “I thought she should be here.”

After they greeted each other, Avery warned Con, “Lucy’s not big on surprises.”

“I’ve heard.”

“I’ll let them know you’re here.” She disappeared up a wide set of mahogany stairs, leaving them in an oversize entryway alone.

He should tell her now, but that would still give her time to bolt.

Taking her hand, he pulled her closer. “We’re a team, Lizzie,” he said in her ear. “Don’t forget that.”

She looked up at him, confusion darkening her eyes. “I still don’t know why you want me here to negotiate your contract.”

“That part of the meeting is later. This part is why I want you here.”

She frowned. “What part?”

Avery appeared at the top of the stairs. “They’re in the war room, Con. Come on up.”

Still holding Lizzie’s hand, they walked up the oriental carpet that hushed the sound of footsteps. To the right, Lucy’s library door was open, but the large antique writing table she used for a desk was empty. He led Lizzie to the conference and meeting room next door to that. When they reached the arched opening, she froze.

“Elizabeth Dare, what a wonderful surprise!” Judd Paxton’s voice boomed his greeting as he crossed the room, hands outstretched, gray eyes twinkling. “I’m so delighted you are going to join us.”

She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing at Con.

“Trust me, sweetheart,” he whispered.

She had no choice but to return Paxton’s handshake.

Con introduced her to Lucy, who seemed unfazed by the unexpected addition, but she’d make her feelings known later.

On one side of the room, a world map monitor marked the whereabouts of every Bullet Catcher. The rest of the screens that took up most of the walls were dark, a sign that, for one brief day, anyway, there were no major crises underway for the company or its clients.

Just the one brewing in the war room itself.

Avery returned, carrying a large container that she set on the table, opening it to reveal the scepters resting on black satin, the single blue diamond nestled between them.

Lizzie folded her hands and stared across the table at Con.

“Let’s start out this meeting with a tribute to a very great and astute man,” Judd said, settling in next to Lizzie, either oblivious or unconcerned with the palpable waves of discord from her. “A man I always admired for his dedication to the archaeological aspects of treasure hunting.”

She dropped her eyes to the treasure on the table, working for control.

“That man,” he continued, “had a saying I always liked. Posterity, not prosperity.”

Judd held out his two hands in a generous gesture of benevolence, as though he were blessing the scepters. “In honor of Malcolm Dare, I propose to have these donated to the country of Portugal.” He beamed with the announcement. “Lucy, I would like someone from your company supervise the safe delivery of these to the proper officials and ensure that a Bullet Catcher team is part of the exhibit security when they are displayed to the public.”

Lizzie shifted in her seat.

Con knew what she was thinking: without the matching Bombay Blue diamonds, the scepters weren’t the world-altering treasure they once were.

“We can certainly handle that, Judd,” Lucy said. “And what about the dives you’re planning next season?”

“I don’t think I’ll need that level of on-board security again,” he replied, his attention on Con. “But I owe you a debt of gratitude, young man, for identifying the real problem on my dive.”

“And Lizzie,” Con added.

“Of course, Lizzie.”

“It was a team effort,” Lizzie said. “Without Sam being willing to hold a gun to his wife’s head, and then turn over evidence that will convict her, God only knows how Charlotte would have wormed her way out of this. Since the FBI investigators were able to trace Alita’s death to Dare Hawn, we finally have some closure on my father’s death.”

“I agree,” Judd said. “And as far as my stepson, I know he has personal problems, but his mother and I have decided to give him another chance, with additional responsibilities in the company.”

Not as the manager of the El Falcone dive, Con thought. But there’d be a more effective way to drop his bomb, so he said nothing.

“Everyone deserves a second chance, Judd,” Lucy said pointedly. “I think that’s very wise of you.”

“I’m sure I’ll have a lot more business for the Bullet Catchers, however,” Judd assured her. “And I’ll add you to my list of preferred specialists, Con. Assuming you are signing on permanently with the operation.”

Lucy smiled. “We’re working out the details in our next meeting.”

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.”