Today's Reading
"So I hear tell." And he had, though he'd give Dandrae the sharp side of his tongue next time he saw him. The cully ought to have warned him the Shadow Broker liked to pull stunts. "How do you wish to play it, then?"
"I should like to inspect the artifact before I give you the money. Set the item down, then back off twenty paces. After I verify the authenticity, I shall put it in this empty satchel." She held up the bag in her left hand. "Then I will leave the money in its place, which is in this one." She lifted the other bag.
Brudge frowned. "Seems only fair I get to do some verifying as well. How do I know you've brought the full amount or even if there's anything in there?"
"In your own words, you have 'heard tell.' So no doubt you know I have never cheated anyone from the agreed-upon price."
A snort ripped out of him. "There's always a first in my line of business."
Though he couldn't see her face, he had no doubt her lips were pinched with irritation. Pulling out a stack of bills, she waved the wad in the air. "Would you like me to count them aloud?"
Sassy little sprite. A grin curved his mouth. "No need."
Shoving his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle the length of his palm, hardly two fingers wide, then nestled it atop the gravel. He retreated no more than a step before the woman shot up her palm.
"Take the lantern with you."
He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you wanted to inspect the trinket."
Laughter bubbled out of her, more demeaning than humorous. He bristled. He'd never let a man insult him so, much less a woman.
"Just do as you are told, Mr. Brudge."
He snatched up the lantern, the flame casting a wild dance of light as it swung in his grip, then counted off twenty paces. How satisfying it would be when Scupper took this snippet down to the ground.
She approached the tiny parcel, skirts billowing like dark clouds. Setting aside the satchels, she retrieved the package and unwrapped it. Hard to say what she saw in the small figurine. He wouldn't give two coppers for the ugly chunk of clay. Not that it mattered, as long as she was willing to pay.
And since she was, that meant others would part with coins for it too.
Apparently satisfied, she opened the clasp on one bag and tipped it upside down. "As you see, Mr. Brudge, I shall be putting the item into the empty satchel and will leave behind the one with the payment." Like a grand entertainer, she flourished her hand in the air.
Brudge rolled his eyes. How this woman had earned such a shrewd reputation was beyond him. Then again, this could all simply be a charade while the real Shadow Broker hid behind some tombstone. If that was the case, hopefully Scupper could handle him. He'd certainly paid the brute enough.
"Let Mr. Dandrae know if you come across any other Egyptian artifacts. I am always in the market for such." She snapped the bag closed. "Good night, Mr. Brudge. A pleasure doing business with you."
Her skirts swirled as she shot down the gravel path. Brudge ate up the ground himself in a mad dash to grab the money. The clasp broke as he forced the satchel open. Sure enough, a bundle of banknotes sat inside. A slow smile eased across his lips, then broke into a grin as Scupper stepped out of the shadows and grabbed the woman. She'd have screamed were the man's big hand not over her mouth. He wrenched the satchel containing the artifact from her grip just as she elbowed him in the gut, followed by another sharp blow even lower. Scupper grunted.
Brudge winced. That had to hurt.
A curse bellowed out of the man, followed by a swipe of his meat-hook hand. The strike launched the woman sideways. She landed in a heap while Scupper lurched away, hunched over.
Brudge caught up to him and clapped the man on the back. "Good work. Now let's be off. Train leaves in twenty minutes... just about the time that chit will wake up with a real skull banger. Stupid woman. She has no business being in a man's world." He chuckled as he clutched both satchels. He could triple the money if he and Scupper pulled this little trick a few more times.
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