by Sarah Fine
“Ah, Mr. Ward! At last,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. He beckoned to us, inviting Asa to join him in the booth. “Come and let me look at you!”
A hand closed around my upper arm, keeping me from moving forward as Asa did. One of the agents, this one with short blond hair, had restrained me. “What about her, Mr. Brindle?” he asked.
“She’s with me,” Asa said without turning around.
“Really, Mr. Ward,” said Frank Brindle. “We’ll only be discussing details, and I’m sure dear Miss Carver would be bored. Besides, I wanted to introduce you to Lila, as I’m sure you two will want to get to know each other.” He gestured to one corner of the room, where a stately woman who looked to be in her late thirties stood, her shoulders straight and her reddish hair in an elegant twist, wearing a black business suit.
Asa narrowed his eyes at Lila, sizing her up. “Nope. That’s not how this is going to go down. Mattie’s my reliquary.”
Frank’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “What?” He gave his agents a stern look. “I thought she was a veterinarian’s assistant.”
“Oh, I am,” I said. “This is my side gig.”
“But Lila is the best.”
Asa tugged me out of the blond agent’s grasp. “Mattie’s better.”
“You don’t know me, Mr. Ward,” Lila said in a crisp English accent.
Asa glared at her as he slowly and deliberately tapped the tip of his crooked nose.
Frank cleared his throat. “Allow me to state the purpose of this little gathering, and perhaps we can discuss details later. I am in need of the best magic sniffer there is.”
“Don’t you have one of your own?” I asked.
He sighed, producing a ponderous, wet flapping of his thick lips. “Well, I did. But poor Wendell . . . may he rest in peace.”
“Oh. My condolences,” I said.
Asa muttered something under his breath, but I didn’t catch it, and if Frank did, he seemed willing to ignore it. “We tried to reach out to you through your contacts but received no answer,” he said to Asa.
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe it was because I wasn’t interested in talking to you?”
Frank smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. “And yet here you are. Brotherly love wins the day. Imagine how fortunate we felt when we discovered the existence of Benjamin Ward, late of Rockford, Illinois, where you yourself engaged in some youthful shenanigans.”
Asa’s jaw was clenched, but Frank didn’t seem fazed by his hostility. “And,” he continued, “imagine how motivated we felt when we realized he was in dire need of assistance to prevent Zhong Lei’s Strikon from paying him and his lovely fiancée a visit.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“So you sent fucking Reza instead?” Asa’s lip curled.
Frank rubbed his belly. “Reza was gentle.”
“Reza pulled Ben’s pacemaker out of his chest,” I said, my voice cracking as I remembered the moment I found it.
“Ah, but he had an Ekstazo healer with him. Ben was never in any real danger.” His pale-blue eyes focused on Asa. “We just needed to get your attention.”
“You’re lucky Mattie loves him,” Asa grumbled, looking away.
“Come and sit,” Frank said, flicking his fingers at a waiter, who disappeared through a swinging door on the other side of the room. “Let’s discuss the possibilities for collaboration over dinner.”
A moment later, several waiters came in, carrying platters laden with food. Asa sidled over to the booth like a wary coyote and sat right on the edge of the seat, looking like he was ready to flee if given the right reason. I sat across from him because he gave no indication he was willing to scoot over.
As soon as Asa was settled, one of the waiters put several plates in front of him: a few different kinds of salad, some kind of sushi-looking roll thing, fruit kebabs, and a creamy soup.
“It’s all organic, vegan, and raw,” Frank said as a waiter set a plate of filet mignon a few inches from the enormous swell of his belly, and another in front of me.
Asa looked startled, and Frank merely grinned. “We did want to make sure you were comfortable, Mr. Ward.”
“By interrogating my contacts?”
“By inquiring as to your preferences,” Frank said smoothly before turning to me. He laid his chubby hand over mine, and it was warm and reassuring. “And you, my dear? Forgive me, but we were not attentive enough to see to your needs. You are a bit of a surprise.”
Asa chuckled, seemingly to himself.
I glanced over at Lila, who was still standing in the corner, as if waiting to be invited to the table. “I’ll eat just about anything.”
“Mattie likes fries,” Asa said, picking up his fork. “And Pringles. Also, Twizzlers. Loves Twizzlers.”
I couldn’t tell if it was a dig or not, but I couldn’t bring myself to be offended. “I eat plenty of other things, too.”
He smirked and dug into his food. “Oh,” he said between bites. “And Frank’s an Ekstazo, Mattie. You keep holding his hand like that, and you’ll be high as a kite before the second course.”
I yanked my fingers from beneath Frank’s heavy hand. “That was sneaky, Mr. Brindle.”
The man chuckled good-naturedly. “Habit, my dear. I mean no harm.” He took a sip from his tumbler. “Shall we talk business?” He motioned Lila over to the table, but she hadn’t taken two steps when Asa looked up from his food.
“Out,” he said to her. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I wouldn’t work with you.”
Frank frowned. “I selected her especially for this job.”
“I’ll bet.” Asa swallowed the bite of salad he’d been chewing and sat back. “You want someone to babysit me and report back, to make sure I’m still in the pocket.”
“This is a sensitive matter.”
“Then send me with someone I trust.” Asa looked at me, then averted his gaze just as quickly.
I stared at him, an unexpectedly warm feeling stirring in my chest.
“But Frank trusts me,” said Lila, then clamped her lips shut as Frank’s eyes cut over to her. He regarded her for a moment, the conflict clear on his face. Then he waved Lila away. She scowled at me but exited quickly through the curtains.
“Now that we’ve lost our extra baggage,” Asa said as he started eating again, “you can tell me what exactly you want.” He shoved a huge forkful of salad into his mouth.
Frank grinned at him, as if taking pleasure in Asa’s enjoyment of his food. “It’s quite simple. I need you to go to Bangkok and collect a relic, then bring it back to me. I’ll provide your transportation and accommodation.”
“Mattie’ll need papers,” Asa said without looking up from his plate.
“I will have them waiting for you in San Francisco, along with your tickets.”
Asa plucked a strawberry off the end of a kebab. “Who has the relic now?”
Frank spun a gold ring around his thick index finger. “It is currently in the possession of Sukrit Montri.”
Asa swallowed his strawberry and stared at Frank. “You want me to steal a relic from the Thai boss.”
“Well, it’s not really his. He just happens to have it right now.”
“Asa doesn’t like semantics,” I babbled as I took a bite of the filet, which practically melted in my mouth. I couldn’t remember when I’d had a better steak.
“Mattie.” Asa’s voice jarred me to attention. “Jacks.”
“What? Oh!” I pressed my toe to the bristles he’d pasted to my shoe, and it was a little like a fog clearing. I’d had no idea that Frank was having that effect on me, but as soon as the pain zinged through me, so did reality. “So you’re saying that my fiancé’s life depends on whether Asa and I can steal some relic from a boss—one like you?” I looked over to the curtains, where I could see the silhouettes of Brindle’s guards hovering in the hallway.
“We don’t have to put it so bluntly,” said Frank with a smile.
I pushed my toe
harder onto the bristles. “But it would save time if we were just honest.” My heart had started to pound. “You’ll let him go if we bring you this magic?”
Frank nodded. “You have my word.”
Asa pushed an empty plate away and pulled his soup toward him. “And that’s all you want. One job.”
“It’s a big job, young man.”
“Kinda figured.” Asa hunched over his soup and set to work.
I bit my lip. “What kind of magic is it?”
“Strikon,” said Frank.
Asa paused with his spoon halfway toward his mouth. His gaze flicked to me, and then he continued eating. “Type?”
“Not really known,” said Frank. “It’s fairly old.”
“So the natural who produced it is dead.”
“Oh, yes.” Frank smiled. “Long since dead. And it’s apparently one of a kind. Hence my interest. I’m a bit of a collector.”
“Yeah, I can feel it,” Asa said quietly.
“You’d be feeling it more if I didn’t keep my relics properly packaged,” Frank replied. “And I have no doubt Montri does as well.”
“What does ‘properly packaged’ mean?” I asked.
“It just means it’s kept in some sort of reliquary,” Asa said. “An object, not a person, though.”
“You may have to be quite close to sense it,” said Frank, polishing off his drink. “And you must transfer it to your reliquary as quickly as possible. It’s valuable. Montri will not be happy to lose it. We’ll have a private plane waiting at the airport, as exiting the city will likely be much more difficult than entering, even with a good reliquary.” He eyed me. “Are you sure about this, my dear? Forgive me, but you don’t sound very experienced.”
“You’ve got my fiancé, Mr. Brindle. I’d do anything. Also, I’m apparently a vault.”
“Strongest I ever met, bar none,” Asa said, though now he looked a little conflicted at getting me involved.
Frank peered at me, his blue eyes intent. “Well, I suppose you do have every reason to carry out this job and bring my relic home to me.”
I decided not to remind him that it didn’t seem like it was his relic.
Asa sighed and set his spoon in his empty soup bowl. “Okay. When do we leave?”
“You leave for San Francisco tonight. You’ll get your papers and tickets in the afternoon. You will depart for Bangkok on Friday at noon.”
“I need to see Ben before we go anywhere,” I said, my voice high and clear.
Frank pushed a button on his phone, which was sitting on the table next to his empty glass. “I’ve simply been waiting for you to ask. I expect you both have been so worried about him. I’m sorry this little game is necessary.”
Asa stared at Frank. “All for this one relic.”
Frank gave Asa a friendly, relaxed smile. “I’m very interested in the magic of this particular natural. It’s important to me.”
“Mattie?”
The sound of Ben’s voice brought me out of the booth so fast that my half-full plate went sliding to the floor, shattering on the marble. But I barely noticed.
Ben stood near the kitchens, beside an open door leading to a small room, his fair hair tousled, his brown eyes riveted on me and shining with emotion. “Oh my God,” he whispered.
With a sob, I ran to him, and he caught me in his arms and lifted me up, tilting his head back to kiss me. “I can’t believe you’re here.” His voice broke over the words, but I couldn’t speak at all. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him for all I was worth. So many days of worrying, so many nights of crying myself to sleep, and here he was, looking as perfect and healthy as the last time I’d seen him. He met my passion with gusto, his arm wrapped around my waist, one of his hands in my hair. The entire room disappeared, and it was just me and Ben, a world unto ourselves.
By the time he put me down, both of us were shaking. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again,” he said, laughing as he swiped a tear off his face.
I squeezed his hands, hungrily looking him over. “We have a lot to talk about,” I told him. I’d gone over this speech in my head a thousand times as Asa had driven in silence down the highway, knowing that if I ever did see Ben again, I might be too relieved to remember it otherwise. “I found out some things about you when you were gone, some things you did—”
“I know, I know. I’m so sorry.” Ben’s eyes clamped shut, and his face radiated pain. “I made so many mistakes. I’ve spent every minute of the past week and a half praying I would have the chance to make it up to you.”
“You’d better,” I said in a strained voice, then laid my head on his shoulder and breathed him in.
“I never wanted you to get wrapped up in this, Mattie.”
“You never should have kept it from me. Especially because it turns out that I’m a part of this world, too.”
“What?”
I looked up at him. “Yeah. I only found out by accident when I ran into Asa at . . .”
I had turned to my partner in crime—but he was gone. So was Frank. Sometime during my reunion with Ben, they had cleared out and I hadn’t even noticed. “He is a good skulker,” I muttered.
“He can’t even stand to be in the same room with me. I’m shocked he even came. I told them he wouldn’t,” Ben said, frowning at the empty booth. “But I guess they’re offering him a lot of money now that he’s here.”
“I don’t think that’s why he came, Ben.” I was still staring at the place Asa had been sitting a moment ago.
“How did you even find him?”
I explained how it had happened, and Ben listened with wide eyes. “And now you’re going to Bangkok as Asa’s reliquary?” His brows lowered. “Is he . . . treating you all right?”
“Asa’s a little prickly, but I can handle him.”
“‘A little prickly’?” He let out a strangled laugh. “Okay.”
I ran my hands down Ben’s sleeves. “Can we talk about you? When I saw your pacemaker in the mailbox—”
Ben swallowed hard. “I’m okay. One of the guys had a healing touch. It was temporary, but it saved me.” He sighed and stepped back.
I held his hands tight. “But?”
“Apparently, Frank has a piece of magic that could make it permanent. It’s in one of his relics. He said he would give it to me.” He wasn’t meeting my eyes.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “What’s the catch?”
“It all depends on Asa,” he said bitterly. “Basically, my brother, who kind of hates me, gets to decide my fate.”
A tiny streak of frustration zipped through me. “He agreed to do the job, didn’t he? We leave tonight!”
“Asa will get paid, Mattie. And Frank says he’ll let me go once you guys are back.” He pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. “So you’d better make sure you stay safe. It’s just that . . . screw it. Never mind.”
I frowned, even as I held him close, relishing the planes of his muscular body, his familiar warmth after so much strangeness. “Haven’t you kept enough secrets from me?”
“I’m sorry. You’re so right,” he murmured in my ear. “I just didn’t want to put pressure on anyone. I don’t want more bad blood between me and Asa, and I can’t ask him for this myself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Frank promised me . . .” He took my face in his hands and made sure I was looking at him. “He told me that he would give me the relic that would heal my heart permanently, but only if Asa agreed to join Frank’s team.”
“His . . . team?”
“Yeah. Frank’s magic sensor passed away a few weeks ago, and he needs a new one. Apparently Asa is the best.” Ben chuckled. “Who knew? I thought he’d be drunk in a ditch somewhere, and it turns out he’s built this reputation and now all these people want to hire him.” He tilted his head as my brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just . . . Asa’s not really a team player.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Well, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. But I need this, Mattie. I can already feel the healing magic fading away, and I need to feel whole.” He grimaced. “I don’t think I’ve felt that way since I was first diagnosed with this stupid heart condition. I think it’s why I got so wrapped up in the magic—it felt so good that I forgot how broken I was.”
“But you were never broken. You were always perfect.” I ran my finger down his straight nose.
He gave me a sad smile. “You know I wasn’t. But I want to be, Mattie. For you. For the family we’re going to have together. I want to live a long life and take care of you and our kids.”
“I want that, too,” I said softly. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Will you help me, then? If you got Asa to come here, you could convince him to take this job. Mr. Brindle takes good care of his staff.”
“Asa chose to come here, Ben. I couldn’t have convinced him of anything if he hadn’t wanted to do it.”
Ben stroked his thumbs down my cheeks. “You’re underestimating yourself. Will you try to convince him? For me?”
I stared up at the man I loved, pushing down the uneasy feeling that had risen inside me. “Sure,” I whispered. “I’ll try. For you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We rode to the airport in one of Frank Brindle’s limos and flew to San Francisco on his private jet. Asa was silent throughout, but he also seemed less twitchy. Maybe now that he knew for sure what he needed to do, he was able to relax. Or maybe all that nervous energy had shifted to me. I could barely stay in my seat.
We’d found Ben. But now he was essentially a hostage, his life hanging in the balance, dependent on whether Asa and I could steal a valuable relic right from under the nose of the most powerful and dangerous man in Thailand. And on top of that, I was supposed to be convincing Asa to work for Frank so that Ben could have the healing magic he needed.
My fingertip slid over the slight indentation on my ring finger, now bare. I’d given my engagement ring to Ben for safekeeping. He swore when I returned that he’d get down on one knee and propose all over again. It had hurt to leave him, but it had only made me more determined to get him back, whole and healthy.