Wait Until Dark by Karen Robards, Andrea Kane, Linda Anderson, Mariah Stewart Page B

and I don't care. It gives us another shot at making things right. Do this any way you have to. Get her into bed and keep her there long enough to delay the start of her renovations. Use that time to soften her resolve. Then, when she's feeling more compliant, persuade her to sell you the manor."
    Slowly, Nicholas unfolded in the chair, leaned forward. "I'll take care of things at my end. Now let's talk about your end. Back off. Tell Tracy to back off. Neither of you has the slightest idea how to handle Lindsey. You think dangling dollar signs in front of her eyes will do the trick, and Tracy thinks she can browbeat Lindsey into giving up the house."
    Stuart shifted slightly, looking more than a little uncomfortable. "What does that mean?"
    "You know damned well what that means. First, you drive out to her apartment in Connecticut and try buying her off. Then, Tracy goes to Leland's office and lies in wait like some predator ready to strike, ripping into Lindsey and trying to shove ten million dollars down her throat."
    "Lindsey told you all that?"
    "Urn-hum. Friday. Over lunch, and not happily. What you did was stupid and counterproductive. Here's a news flash. Lindsey doesn't take well to being exploited. She's got every bit of Harlan's pride and backbone. She stands her ground. She's not impressed or scared off by the Falkner wealth and power. She wasn't raised on a diet of business hardball, but that doesn't mean she's a pushover. What Tracy pulled backfired completely. If she thought Lindsey would be intimidated by that verbal assault, she was wrong. All she succeeded in doing was pissing Lindsey off enough to intensify her resolve."
    "I hear you." Stuart nodded, making a steeple with his fingers and resting his chin atop them. "And, yes, Tracy can be overbearing. Especially now, with this situation making her crazy. I'll talk to her. We'll both back off. But Nick, I want that manor."
    Nicholas's brows rose. "You want it? I thought you wanted me to have it."
    "That's what I meant." Stuart came to his feet. "The important thing is that Lindsey doesn't have it." He glanced at his watch. "I've got a meeting. Then, I've got to run out to Rolling Hills, do my daily damage control. I've got to make sure no word of this reaches my mother."
    "Sounds good." Nicholas studied him thoughtfully, his expression neutral. "I have a phone call to make, anyway." He picked up the receiver, began punching in a number. "Send my regards to Camille."
    "Will do. And, Nick - keep me posted."
    Nicholas gave a terse nod. "When there's something to tell."
    Preoccupied, Stuart left the office, headed straight for his Jaguar XKR convertible. He climbed in, turned over the motor, and pulled out of the parking lot. He'd go straight home. Tracy would be there, waiting for him. They had to think this through, revise their strategy. Buying Lindsey off hadn't worked. Neither had threatening her. And so far, Nick hadn't managed to charm her into selling.
    They needed a new plan. And they needed it now.
    Behind his desk, Nicholas waited for the sound of Stuart's Jag zooming out of the lot. Then, he finished pressing the digits of the private line, leaning back in his chair as the number rang through.
    "Hello?"
    "Leland, it's me," Nicholas said without preamble. "We need to talk."

8
    A WEEK LATER , Lindsey put her mother on the late night flight to Paris. After seeing the plane take off, she drove straight home from the airport, packed the last of her things, and turned in so she could get an early morning start. The contractors would be arriving at eight A.M. She wanted to beat them there.
    The ringing of the telephone jolted her out of a deep sleep.
    Her bedroom was pitch black. She blinked, trying to focus on the digits of the alarm clock as she groped for the phone. Three thirty-five. Who in God's name would be calling at this hour?
    Abruptly, the cobwebs in her mind cleared, and her gut clenched. Her mother's flight. It had taken off six and a half hours