Page 119 of Triple Cross

AT TEN MINUTES TOnine on the morning of the auction, Lisa Moore lounged on a couch, sipping espresso and watching Suzanne Liu pace back and forth across the living room of the Airbnb Moore had been renting in Kalorama.

“Are you always like this before an auction?” Moore asked calmly.

Liu looked at her as if she were mad. “Of course. Everyone is when something is hot like this.”

“But you’re the agent now, not the editor,” Moore said, putting her coffee down.

“All the more reason to be biting my nails. This is my first time on the other side of the table, Lisa.”

Getting up and walking toward Liu, Moore said, “So you should be even chiller. You said it yourself last night—we’reholding an ace-high royal flush. Six different publishers said they intend to bid.”

The former editor shook her head. “You don’t understand, Lisa. Sometimes projects get too hot. For whatever reason, the suits start thinking the price is going to be too high for them to even bother bidding or that the writer isn’t seasoned enough to execute the narrative in a bestselling manner. In that case, we could get six different no-bids in the next hour.”

Moore came around behind her and started massaging her neck. “That won’t happen, Suzanne. I guarantee they’ll bid. How could they not? It’s too juicy, too delicious, the way it takes Thomas to his knees. Everyone loves to see the big man fall, don’t they? And besides, I’ll have you as an editor to guide me.”

Leaning back into her lover’s hands, Liu said, “Everyone does adore seeing an a-hole like Thomas brought low. And you’re right. You have me as a guide.”

“That’s my girl.”

Liu’s laptop dinged.

Liu pulled away from Moore, mild terror on her face as she hurried to the machine.

“You would have been terrible in combat,” Moore said, sighing.

“I’d have a nervous breakdown in combat,” Liu agreed and looked at an e-mail that had just come in. “Damn it!”

“What?”

Liu was trembling when she turned. “I told you it might get too rich for some people’s blood.”

“Which house?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, stalking away. “We need someone to believe in us here. We need someone to step forward so I can do my magic.”

“You’ll get it. We’ll get it. We haven’t gone through what we’ve gone through not to get the brass ring, Suzanne.”

“Publishing can be a fickle, subjective business. I’ve told you that.”

Moore gritted her teeth. “Have more faith. What’s the worst that can happen? We don’t get a deal and we self-publish on—”

Liu held up her hands in horror. “Don’t even say it!”

Ding!

Liu ran over and was fumbling with the trackpad when—ding!

She opened the new e-mails, her eyes widening. She spun around, grinning wildly, and pumped her fist.

“Game on!” she cried. “Two seven-figure offers!”

The fax machine began churning out paper. Liu grabbed those pages and whooped with joy. She did a little shimmy and then jigged toward Moore. “We got ourselves a serious bidding war, lover!”

Moore took her agent in her arms, and kissed her hungrily. “Of course we do, little girl. Didn’t I tell you if we paid attention to details, things would work out for us in a big, big way?”

CHAPTER 98

TWO HOURS LATER, SUZANNE LIUand Lisa Moore strode triumphantly down Water Street in DC’s trendy Navy Yard district.

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