“This unit is perfect,” Mr. Fleming said. “Beyond perfect.”
“Good to hear that. It’s one of my favorites as well.”
“How long has it been on the market?”
Too long…“Almost a year.”
“Ah.” He wandered near the penthouse’s window. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how long it stays as long as it gets sold, right?”
No. “I can show you the east wing, if you like. It’s where the private pool and sauna are.”
“I would love that, but tell me one thing first,” he said. “When will I get to meet with the woman who listed it?”
“There is no woman. It’s owned by me.”
He arched a brow. “I talked to her a few weeks ago about getting a full-day tour at all your top units. I meant to tell her I was coming into town today.”
“Are you talking about Stacy, perhaps?” I asked. “She’s my assistant.”
“No, that’s not her name.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “She said I could watch movies and enjoy a full night in each condo so I could get a real feel for each one.”
“She saidwhat?”
“Here. See?” He flipped his phone toward me, and an image of the woman I’d just seen flashed in front of me. Exceptthis time she wasn’t naked—which honestly made it easier to remember she was a problem.
She was wearing a navy blue suit, and she was smiling on a real estate page.
My company’sreal estate page.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…
“She’s who I’ve been talking to for the past couple of weeks,” he said. “She’s already scheduled me for several city tours, dinner reservations with some unique people, and other things that are kind of making me see that New York might not be as full of criminals as I thought.”
“Until you find out you’ve been dealing with one this entire time…”
“Huh?” He looked at me. “What did you just say?”
“I said, tell me everything this woman has promised you and we’ll go from there.”
“She said I wasn’t supposed to reveal anything to anyone.”
“I’mher boss,” I said, pointing to my name at the top of the page. “Tell me everything. Right now…”
THE AGENT
CHLOE
Three days later
The city served an encore of grey skies and drizzling rain this morning—with a side of freezing winds.
Clinging to my umbrella, I strolled down Sixth Avenue and shivered. I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder every five minutes, wondering if anyone was following me.
I’d watched enoughLaw & Order: SVUto spot plainclothes detectives, and so far I was in the clear.
They could be anywhere, though…
A brunette sipped coffee at the corner, staring at me for a little too long. I squinted in her direction, anticipating her calling for backup, but she slipped into a cab.