The phone on the librarian’s desk rang shortly after two o’clock in the morning, bringing Sierra out of a deep sleep. It took her a few seconds to orient herself.
“That will be Mr. Jones,” she said, struggling to untangle herself from North’s arms and the bedding.
North got to his feet first and tossed her the shirt she had been wearing earlier. She pulled it on and reached for her trousers. North yanked on his pants. He zipped the fly as he went up the steps. She bounded after him.
“I’ll get it,” she said. “My job, remember?”
She grabbed the receiver of the old landline phone. “This is Sierra.”
“The deal is on,” Ambrose Jones said. “Tomorrow night. Make that tonight, given that it’s after two. You’ll have plenty of time to drive back to Seattle during the daytime tomorrow. Exchange will take place using the enhanced security services you and the buyer both requested. It will be handled by me personally. There’s just one catch.”
Sierra clutched the phone very tightly to her ear. “What?”
“The buyer insists on testing the artifact,” Jones said. “Says he’ll know if it’s the right one. He made it clear that if he thinks he’s been cheated he will destroy the artifact that your client wants.”
Sierra looked at North, who was leaning over the librarian’s desk, hands planted on the surface while he listened to the one-sided conversation.
“The buyer insists on testing the artifact,” she said.
North smiled his ice-cold smile. His eyes got a little hot.
“No problem,” he said.