Read Online Jude; The Fallen (The Fallen Series, Book 2) by Tara S. Wood, Lorecia Goings - Free Book Online

agreement. I’m glad she will be going to someone who will appreciate her beauty.” He returned the lid to the crate and gestured to the door. “Shall we negotiate?”
    Coriander followed him to the front and found Persephone standing by the counter. “Did you find something?” Persephone asked. “I knew you would.”
    Reginald took his place behind the counter and pulled out a notepad and pen. He scribbled for a moment and slid the pad across the counter. “If you find this sum agreeable, Miss Rhodes?”
    Coriander looked down at the pad. She paused for a moment and then took the pen from his grasp. She drew a line through the figure and jotted down a new one beneath it. There was a glint in her eye as she passed the pad back to Reginald. This was a dance with which she was familiar, one that started the blood rushing in her veins. The find may not have been hers, but she was fairly sure she would take home the spoils.
    Reginald’s eyebrow rose at Coriander’s figure, and for a second she feared he would turn her down. She waited and watched as the corners of his lips turned up into a slight smile. He raised his eyes to hers. “She’s worth so much more, you know. And you drive a hard bargain,” he said, offering her his hand. “But you have a deal.”
    Coriander met his grip with a firm shake. “If you’ll give me the account details, I’ll have it wired over to you as soon as possible, then we can arrange delivery.”
    “Very good.” Reginald plucked one of his business cards from the counter and turned it over to scrawl a series of numbers on the back. “Your accountant should find everything in order for the transfer. Ring me if you have any other questions or issues.”
    Coriander took the card. “I’ll be in touch soon. Thank you.”
    Reginald gave a slight bow at the waist. “The pleasure was mine. You ladies are welcome anytime. Who knows what treasures find their way here?”
    She grabbed Persephone and nodded as they made their way out. Once outside, Persephone spun her around. “So, what did you buy?”
    “A statue.”
    Persephone’s face was flush with excitement. “A statue? That’s all you have to say? Most of the time I have to tune you out when you start talking about your relics.”
    Coriander wrinkled her nose. “Well, that’s not nice. Don’t tell me that.”
    Persephone laughed as she linked their arms together and started walking. “I still love you, though.” She squeezed Coriander’s arm. “How much was that thing, anyway?”
    “A quarter mil.”
    “What?” Persephone squeaked. “You spent two-hundred and fifty-thousand dollars on a statue?”
    Coriander threw her head back and laughed with gusto. “Two words, Sephie. Egyptian. Princess.”

    The Dealer flipped the sign on the window and returned to the counter, quickly going through the end of day procedure. Once the tediousness had been dealt with, he opened a drawer to the left of the register, pulling out a ballpoint pen. He set it on the counter and stared at it for a moment, a small, satisfied smile creeping across his features. It was the last thing she had touched, and he had squirreled it away, careful to ensure no other customer handled the writing instrument.
    He closed his eyes, laid his hands on the counter, palms down, and blew out a deep breath. He counted to ten and reached out, curling his fingers around the tiny cylinder of plastic. Images assailed him as he opened up his mind, seeking the essence the red-headed woman had left behind. They filed past in a shuffle, a disjointed cinema in flashes of bright color. He saw sand and never-ending dunes, pyramids and tombs, wonders of worlds lost, and treasures too numerous to count.
    He shuddered and leaned forward as male faces came into view, all of them terrifyingly familiar, save one. Concentrating, he paused on the image of the dark-haired man. Tall and tanned, with a whiplash smile, the man exuded confidence and the easy grace of privilege. Blue