“Apologies, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He kept his voice light and musical, dialing up his accent, knowing they loved it on this side of the ocean. “I wanted to inquire into this property. And I was told you’re the listing agent.” He sparkled down, waiting.
The trolls smiled brightly, quickly stepping out of her car to pump his hand.Here we go. The hard sale.
“Well, I am just delighted to meet you!” She pulled a face, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m afraid this one isn’t even going to hit the market, but why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for! We have somebeautifulproperties over on Hickory Terrace, if you’re familiar? Now, is this for a family or —”
“I’m sorry, what do you mean it won’t be hitting the market?” Tate interrupted. He had an itch up his spine.Don’t tell me that. “Is it not for sale then?”
The troll’s smile twitched, not enough for the average person to have noticed, but he was anything but average. He had been raised on micro-expressions and changes in tone, practicallyable to taste on the air when good mood evaporated to bad, and the troll’s falter was not missed by him.
“Well, you know. Jack is going to want this.”
Her expression was meaningful, as if he were meant to know who the fuckJackwas in this context.Fucking neighborhoods like this. Tate wondered, for a split second, if he’d be better off walking away. After all, he knew what sort of busybody culture this environment was. But neither could he walk away from such a grand dame, already having been confirmed that she would likely be flattened because the land she sat on was where her value lay.
“Is the family not selling the property?”
The troll blinked. A bit too slow, a bit too measured. She was hiding something.
“They are.”
“I’m sorry, perhaps I was given bad information. A million apologies. Do you represent the buyer or the seller?”
Another blink, holding her face still. “I’m selling the property for the owners, but you understand—”
“If you’re representing the sellers, you have a fiduciary responsibility to put the house on the market.” Tate smiled hugely, keeping his tone light, a professional Irishman, his barkeep voice. “Not doing so creates a pocket listing, you understand. I would think you know that. It’s not explicitly illegal in this state, but you’ll lose your license for it.”
He was well-versed in the real estate laws in the state where he owned his own properties. The counsel in Greenbridge Glen had given him every manner of obstacle they could come up with, and he had needed to know the statutes and bylaws frontward and backward to outmaneuver them.
Tate saw the flicker of panic move through the woman’s eyes. He had no idea who this cuntJackwas, but Tate was about to ruin his fucking day.
“I’mextremelyinterested in this property. I’d be willing to make an offer right now, if it were officially on the market. Are you representing this other interested party already?”
Her movements were tight when she shook her head no. His eyes twinkled.
“That’sfortuitous. I was hoping you’d be able to representme, in that case.”
Another slow blink. “Represent . . . you.”
Tate gave her his most dazzling smile, keeping his teeth tightly reined in. “Aye. I’ve no agent of my own. But I want to ensure the listing is properly registered so nothing jeopardizes the escrow process. And if you’re representing both the buyerandthe seller . . .”
He spread his hands in an expansive gesture, letting her connect the dots. She would make full commission, a fact she understood by the way she blew out a hard breath, the chipper smile falling at last.
“Look. I don’t want to make enemies at City Hall. Areyoupaying in cash? Taking it as is? Because look at this thing. If you want to go over it with a fine-tooth comb and bring in your own inspector, let’s save ourselves the hassle now. Becausehe’sgoing to come to the table with cash, and I can be done with this tomorrow.”
“And earn that whopping three percent for your trouble. I can pay in cash as well. What’s the asking price?”
The price she named made him swallow hard. It wasn’t out of reach. He wouldn’t even need to disrupt his accounts here, Tate reminded himself. He had never touched a penny of his inheritance, not when he’d bought the Pixie, not even when he’d moved Caiomhe into her posh Malin Head facility, preferring to let it molder in a vault in Cork City rather than acknowledge the fact that his grandparents were gone by spending it. That wasthe price for theland, he understood. The land alone, because the house was a teardown to everyone else.
Buthecould turn her into something.
He could take her when she was broken and make her gleam. And if he could take this broken-down relic of a house and turn it into a proper home for his little girl, then maybe he could fix all that was broken within him for her as well. He was just another relic. Nothing that a proper project couldn’t help.
And when it was done,thisold girl would be worth twice the value, and Aelin would own her own little piece of this posh community her mother called home.
“Cash offer, as is. 10% over asking. You’re my agent. But I want to know that it’s all on the up and up. You might want to discuss this with your partner. And ifJackwants to take it to a bidding war, I’m prepared to meet him there.”
The troll pursed her lips, nodding. “Give me two days.”
Tate closed his eyes when he was back in his car. The same car he’d sold once before, when he bought the Pixie. The same car Rukh had managed to track down, so that he could buy her back.We might be selling you again, he thought, dropping his head back. He had calls to make. He could afford this easily, but it would take maneuvering to have that much cash on hand in forty-eight hours without upsetting the delicate balance of his accounts on this side of the ocean.You shouldn’t bother with that. Just have it wired. They left it for you to have a family of your own.
