A pair of Ukrainian buyers were their biggest competition, according to the rumors Evan had heard over the past day. They were buying for themselves, leaving clear ideas of their intent. To do as much damage as possible to their enemies, which included the United States.
Right now the Ukrainians were being bid up by a young man with a Caribbean accent Evan had met briefly. He knew this was just a Hail Mary for the younger man. He had no real shot at winning.
Juliet was in charge of bidding for them. She sat, looking almost bored, as the action continued, not putting in a bid at all.
“Planning to jump in at some point?” Doing nothing made Evan nervous.
“I have a plan. Just simmer down.” Juliet winked at him.
Evan sat back in his chair. He didn’t exactly relax, but one thing he had learned was that when Juliet had a plan, it was almost always a good one. He kept telling her to trust herself. Now was his chance to show her that he trusted her, too.
Juliet did nothing as the Ukrainians continued to bid, forcing Caribbean Accent out of the running. Evan thought surely she would jump in then, but it was Heath Morel who bid instead.
Juliet tensed, but didn’t say or do anything. She and everybody else watched as the bidding went back and forth like a Ping-Pong match between the Ukrainians and Morel. Evan wanted to prod her to get in there, but forced himself not to.
Juliet could handle this.
The bidding slowed down and began growing in increments of five thousand dollars rather than the twenty thousand just moments before. Juliet made her play. She raised her hand to get the auctioneer’s attention and made a bid one hundred thousand dollars above the current price.
A collective gasp echoed through the sitting area. Cady grinned, all but rubbing his hands together. Morel turned to glare at Juliet, and Evan slipped an arm around her shoulders for support.
The bidding was now too high for Morel. He stormed out of the room. The Ukrainians bid again, five thousand higher than Juliet’s huge bump. She countered with fifty thousand dollars more.
No gasps this time, just silence. Juliet had obviously proved herself as the person to be beat in this auction. Evan turned to watch the Ukrainians argue with each other in short, quiet barks. One obviously wanted to keep bidding. The other recognized the truth: Juliet was going to win.
She’d handled it perfectly. Throwing around the exact amount of money to stop the bidding cold. Letting the others know she was serious, but not seeming wasteful. As she’d told him, she’d had a plan. And it had worked.
The Ukrainians finally shook their heads at the auctioneer. He asked for any other offers, waited a few moments, then closed the bidding. Juliet now owned the drone override codes.
Evan’s relief was palpable. Their biggest obstacle had just been overcome. Cady walked up to congratulate them, Christopher by his side.
“Well bid, my dear,” Vince said, holding out his hand to Juliet. She gave it to him, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips.
Evan could see Juliet didn’t like the feel of Cady’s lips on her skin, but she held it together.
“Thank you, Vince. Sometimes it just takes a woman’s touch.”
“And a very deft one it was. Although it seems like you’ve made some other people quite unhappy.”
Evan noticed that Christopher had inched closer to Juliet. Evan wasn’t sure whether it had been done on purpose or not, but he still didn’t want the younger man anywhere near her. Evan slipped an arm around her and pulled her against him, farther from Christopher.
“Some people are sore losers,” he told Vince.
“I’d like to know some more about the people you buy for,” Vince said, while leading them toward the dining area. Now that the bidding was complete, dinner would be served. Although it looked as if neither Morel nor the Ukrainians had much of an appetite. They were nowhere to be found.
“We buy for different people at different times,” Evan told Vince.
“But none of our clients like us to talk about them.” Juliet smiled charmingly at the Cadys.
“And that is why you are so good at what you do.” Vince returned Juliet’s smile, but his was much more calculating. This had probably been a test to see if the Sinclairs kept their heads, and their mouths shut, even when feeling a little cocky, having just come off a win.
“It’s a shame you’ve been out of the game for so many months,” Christopher said.
Juliet wrapped her arm more tightly around Evan as the boat rocked again, and looked up at him. “Bob and I just needed some time to ourselves.”
“And why was that?” Christopher asked.
Evan didn’t know why the man was pushing this point, but was determined not to give him anything to use against them. “Everybody needs a break sometimes. Plus, can you blame me for wanting to spend more time with someone this beautiful?” He bent down and kissed Juliet’s cheek.
Vince chuckled. Christopher seemed less amused. “Yes, if I had someone so lovely I would never let her out of my sight,” he responded stiffly. “Excuse me.”
Christopher walked toward some of the other guests.
“Ignore my son. Maria spoiled him as a child and he has not had such good luck with the ladies,” Vince told them. “He lived in Europe until recent months, near his mother’s family. He’s had a difficult time adjusting to American culture.”
Evan winked at Vince. “Not everyone can be as charming and witty as you and I, Vince. Know what I mean?”
Juliet rolled her eyes. Vince chuckled ruefully. “Well, he is my son. Someday all of this gets handed down to him, so I’m trying to teach him as much as possible.” He looked toward where Christopher had stormed off. “But often it’s difficult.”
Evan slapped Vince on the back. As both Bob Sinclair and Evan Karcz,
