The Relic

by Maggie Nash

  “You wound me, Mags. I can’t help my natural charm, wit and good looks. What would you have me do? Wear a bag over my head?”

  She stifled a grin. “I don’t really care, to tell you the truth. You were just another notch in the belt for me, as I was for you.”

  His face shuttered and he grew serious. “Okay, let’s quit the personal stuff. I repeat my question again. What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Looking for something.”

  His expression turned hard. “Quit fencing, you’re here for the relic just as I am, but you have no idea what you’re letting yourself in for, Mags. This gig is dangerous.”

  Magda shivered. Having her fears confirmed as well as dealing with the one man who’d ever gotten under her skin was making this mission a hell of a lot more than she bargained for, but she refused to give in.

  The League of Amazing Women never give in, dammit!

  “I can handle it, Vince. I’ve been in sticky situations before and I can look after myself pretty well.”

  “Bloody hell, Magda, I don’t want you to get hurt. There’s some scary shit attached to this one. Don’t take the chance with your life.” He reached over and ran his finger over her cheek. “Despite what you think, I do care about you.”

  “Bullshit. You just want a clear run at the relic and I’m in your way.” She pushed his hand away from the tingling skin on her face. “Get this, buddy—I’m not going anywhere until I find that relic!”

  Thwack!

  “Fuck!” Vincent dragged Magda to the ground, covering her body with his. Raising his head, he checked to see where the weapon had come from.

  “Shit, Vince, you’re squashing me.”

  “Be quiet, Mags, I’m trying to save our lives here.”

  “What are you talking about?” she shouted, but as Vince shushed her again, he pointed to the arrow in the wall of the hut.

  “Holy crap!”

  “Exactly. Now get ready to make a run for it.”

  She shuffled out from underneath him and turned her head from side to side, looking around the village. “From the angle of the arrow, the shooter came from that direction,” she said, pointing toward the other side of the village. “That means we go back the way I came, which is behind this hut. I vote we make a run for it then split up to make it harder for them to track us.”

  Vincent shook his head. “Uh-uh. No way. We have a much better chance if we stick together. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  “Stop going all macho on me, Stone. Be realistic. Two of us running together is like a beacon to them. If we split up, they have to as well, and that will weaken their firepower.”

  “Listen, Superwoman, we have no idea how many of them are out there and we haven’t got time to argue about this now. Let’s get the heck out of here before they shoot at us again.” He stood and held out his hand for her and pulled her to her feet. After checking once again for any visible signs of the attacker, he squeezed her hand and kissed her surprised mouth firmly before running into the jungle, dragging her behind him.

  God, this woman infuriated him. Stubborn as much as she was beautiful. Vincent would ring her neck if anything happened to her. Didn’t she realize she couldn’t save the world from everything? Someone had to look out for her, and since there was no one else around, he was damn well going to do it.

  As they both weaved through the vegetation, he tried to decide where the protective streak had come from. She was a pro at this sort of stuff, as was he, so she should be able to look after herself. In fact, he knew she could. She’d been on several missions before where they’d crossed paths and he’d seen first-hand how handy she was with a gun, but this was different. Natives shooting arrows weren’t exactly your usual enemy and were totally unpredictable. Besides, there were more people involved with this than Magda knew about. It was going to get really ugly.

  Rain started to fall as they trekked farther into the jungle on their way back to civilization. Vincent only had a vague idea where they were, but since Magda seemed sure of her direction, he was happy enough to follow along. After the first five minutes, she’d cracked the shits at his hesitation and had taken over the lead. Okay by him. As long as one of them knew where to lead them, that was fine. Besides, if they got lost, she wouldn’t be able to blame him. She was already pretty angry with him after their brief liaison two years ago. He’d felt more for her than he was ready for, so he’d cut short their relationship quick smart. He knew if he’d hung around with her any longer he’d have been stuck, and he hadn’t been ready to do that. Not then, and not now. His job called for long absences and he didn’t think it was fair to any woman to have to wait around for him while he went off in search of lost artefacts. Not to mention most women wanted kids someday and he figured kids deserved to have two parents bringing them up. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be home enough, given his career choices, and having grown up with an absent father, he never wanted to do that to any child of his.

  And besides, he liked his life. Why should he change it for any woman? Women loved him as he was, and he loved women. He had a duty to spread the love around.

  That’s what he’d always thought, until he’d met Magda. Something about her called to him. Something dangerous he’d stopped before it had gone too far.

  He thought he’d gotten her out of his system, but just seeing her had been enough to convince him that hadn’t worked. But he didn’t have time to worry about that now. First, they had to get somewhere safe, then they needed to find that relic and get the hell out of Penang. The sooner the better. He was being paid handsomely for retrieving this relic, but right now he was quite happy to share with Mags if it meant they could find it sooner and hand it over. Then he could disappear and not have to think about what a threat she was to his emotional wellbeing, or lack of, as the case may be.

  He heard Magda swearing up front as she lost her footing on the increasingly muddy track. He reached for her, but she jerked away from him, righting herself by grabbing a sturdy branch in from of her.

  “You okay, Mags?”

  She stopped and turned to face him, her face tight, reflecting the strain they both felt. “Just dandy, Stone. Any signs of a tail?”

  “Not that I have seen, but with the rain, it’s hard to tell. The noise of the downpour would cover any sound they’re making.”

  “Not to mention cover our tracks, so that may be a good thing.”

  He stared at her erect nipples through the wet shirt.

  Oh yeah. “Definitely a good thing.”

  She looked down at her shirt and sighed. “Get your brain out of your pants, Stone. We have more important things to deal with right now.”

  “Sorry, but they’re great tits and here they are standing at attention for all the world to see. What’s a guy to do?” He smiled at her angry expression. She had a beautiful face, but when she was angry, it really shone. “I’ll try to keep my eyes to myself in future.”

  “Of course you will. Not. Just remember, we will not be having sex, so this is the closest you will get to ever seeing my tits again.”

  He laughed. You couldn’t blame a guy for enjoying the view, but she was right. The last thing they needed was to get involved again.

  The vegetation of the jungle seemed to be getting thicker, but at least the rain had eased off. Most of the water came down from branches in large drops, splashing off his face as he looked up to the light shining down in irregular beams through the dense canopy. They’d been traveling for at least an hour now and civilization was apparently not any closer than it had been thirty minutes before. He dragged the edge of his T-shirt over his sweat-soaked face.

  The humidity sucked big time.

  Mags was relentless in forging ahead, not even stopping once for a drink since they’d started. He stared at her up ahead as she held back a large branch for him. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

  She turned her head and grinned. “Of course. I left markers when I came in. We should g
et to the spot where I left my jeep soon.”

  Why was he surprised? “I forgot how organized you were, Mags.”

  “You mean you forgot how good I am at what I do.”

  “Oh no, I haven’t forgotten how good you are.” He smiled.

  He could feel her frustration as she let out a sigh and turned back to the track. Why did he keep riling her up? Sure, he was a flirt, but he was never disrespectful. Sheesh. But maybe it would help to keep her at arm’s length if she continued to hate him. If he was lucky.

  And pigs might fly too.

  It didn’t help that she had the cutest arse that swayed from side to side as she moved in front of him, and despite the danger they faced, he couldn’t shake the state of semi-arousal he found himself in. All he had to do was convince his body to stop wanting her, because it sure as hell was reacting to everything about her. Maybe a cold shower—or five—would help when they got back to civilization.

  The sky became more visible through the trees, the vegetation less dense, and Vincent was relieved to see a clearing up ahead. Magda picked up speed and jogged forward, her gun raised in her hand and pointing toward the jeep he assumed was her rental.

  “Get out of my car, you bastard, before I shoot you!”

  Vincent sprinted into the scrub and circled around her to the opposite side. A dark head popped up from the front seat of the jeep. From what he could see, it was a teenager, but it was difficult to tell with the Malays as they were all pretty short.

  Magda drew closer to the vehicle, both her hands now gripping the pistol firmly. She looked magnificent with her eyes flashing and her steady aim. If he didn’t know she wasn’t into shooting people, he’d swear she was about to pull the trigger. She’d once told him she could never take another life, not under any circumstances, and he believed her, but she was one hell of a shot and knew her weapons inside out, and she could shoot the gun out of any bad guy’s hand at fifty feet.

  A pair of hands rose above the seat and slowly a body appeared. Magda didn’t waver for a second. “I repeat, out of the car—now!”

  Scanning the surrounding vegetation, Vincent saw some movement just behind where she stood. He palmed his knife, a Scrimshaw hunting knife he’d mastered as a child going on boys-only trips with one of his many uncles. He never went anywhere without it now. It had saved his butt several times, and he used it now to cover Mags. Moving in from the rear of the jeep, he grabbed the native’s shirt and dragged him out of the seat and on to the ground, holding him face down in the dirt with his foot pressing hard on the neck of the trembling man while yelling at Mags to jump in the driver’s seat.

  She didn’t need to be told twice. She got in and revved up the engine while Vincent king-hit the man before jumping in beside her. She quickly reversed, swinging the jeep around, narrowly avoiding the running locals who had suddenly arrived to chase them.

  “Hold on, Stone, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

  The jeep went flying over a large piece of wood lying on the road, throwing Vincent back against the seat with a thump. “No kidding.”

  The trip back to the civilization was spent in relative silence, most likely due to the stress of being shot at and chased twice in as many hours. Sure, it wasn’t the first time, but even though Mags seemed to be doing okay, he personally felt totally out of his depth in the jungle environment. Give him the energy of rush hour or the open road of the outback and he was in his element, but get him in a rainforest and he had no idea.

  The outskirts of town came into view and Mags slowed down. “So where can I drop you?”

  Oh no. She’s not getting away that easy. “Wherever you go, I go, and after you’ve showered and cleaned up, I’m going to put you on the next plane out of here.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Forget it, Stone. I’m here to do a job and I fully intend to finish it. Get used to it.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration rising as he realized there was probably no way he could talk her out of leaving.

  “Fine. Then I suggest we work together on this. If we combine resources, we can wrap this up a lot faster, and I’m willing to split the finder’s fee fifty-fifty.”

  “Fifty-fifty? How generous. What if I find it on my own without your help? What if I don’t want to work with you?”

  “Come on, Mags, you know I’m right. We can accomplish much more together than on our own. I know I’m not your favorite person, but can’t we put our differences aside to get out of this alive?”

  He could see the wheels turning in her mind as she weighed up her options. She had to agree. His was the only sensible option. He held his breath waiting for her reply, but before she said anything, she turned into the underground car park of the Bayview, one of the most prestigious hotels in Georgetown, the capital of Penang.

  He blew out a short whistle. “Hoo wee, you LAW ladies sure know how to do it in style.”

  Magda smiled, reminding him of another reason he’d been attracted to her in the first place. “Why should we do it cheap? We all make enough from our novels to travel in style, but the extracurricular activities, well, they pay extremely well too. Besides, after traipsing around in the jungle all day, I need a nice haven to return to.”

  “Does this mean you agree to work with me?”

  She laughed, her turquoise eyes sparkling. “Down, boy. I haven’t made up my mind yet. I need a shower and a meal before I can make any decisions. I’ll also need to check in with The Mansion. I can’t really make that decision without the other girls’ input.”

  He grinned. Of course the Ladies of the LAW would want Magda to stay safe. He could let them do the persuading for him. “That’s cool. So you’re letting me crash at your place until then?”

  “Don’t get any ideas, Stone,” she said, handing the car keys to the valet. “As soon as I’ve spoken to the LAW, you can go back to whatever rat hole you’ve been staying in. I’m sure you have some woman back there waiting to shower you with whatever it is you get women to shower you with these days.”

  “Jealous?”

  “No way,” she spluttered, as she pushed the button for the elevator. “Grow up, Stone. It’s time you learned not all women exist to give you pleasure.”

  “You did a pretty good job once. Actually, I remember we pleasured each other pretty damn nicely there for a while.”

  “That was before I found out what a low life you really are, Stone. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

  “It’s not like you don’t have plenty of partners either, Mags. Why single me out when you do the same thing?”

  Magda hesitated before sliding the room card into its slot. “It’s not the same thing. I don’t sleep with more than one person at the same time.”

  He whistled as he followed her into the room. “Now that sounds like a pretty kinky idea. Wanna try it?”

  She stormed over to her drawers and grabbed a pile of clothes, holding them close to her body. “Fuck off, Stone, I’m dropping this conversation right now. Order yourself some room service. I’m going to have a long shower.”

  Chapter Two

  Magda vigorously scrubbed her body under the warm stream.

  Damn. Damn. Damn! Damn him for throwing our past relationship in my face. Damn him for being so damn gorgeous, and damn him for still being able to get under my skin.

  One soapy hand slid down between her legs and found her swollen clit. Her body had been in a state of excitement ever since she’d laid eyes on Vincent a few hours ago, and she longed for release. As her other hand rubbed against her breasts, her nipples puckered and she twisted them between her thumb and forefinger. Her pussy clenched as the familiar heat spiraled throughout her body and concentrated in all the right spots. How many times had she pleasured herself thinking about Vincent?

  Her head rolled back as her fingers worked their magic. Her hand continued working her swollen breasts, twirling each nipple in turn and pinching them until she felt the sweet pain of pleasure mounting to the brink b
ut not quite over the edge. In her mind’s eye, she conjured images of a happier time. Of long, hot nights making love with Vincent. She imagined his mouth sucking on her breasts, and his clever hands roaming all over her sensitized body.

  The shower door opened and a hand closed over her mouth.

  Shit!

  Warm breath tickled her ear. “Shh, Mags, it’s me. We have to get out of here.”

  She nodded, allowing him to release her mouth.

  If you could shout while whispering, that would describe what she wanted to do right now. She did a pretty good impression of it anyway. “What the fuck is going on?”

  He passed her a towel and some clothes.

  “Someone’s coming. I saw them in the lobby when I went down to look for some maps. They were heading for the lifts. We need to move now.”

  She dragged on the shorts and tank top then pulled on the canvas shoes as quickly as she could. Not the time to worry about modesty, she figured. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it all before.

  “Who are these people and what makes you think they are after us?”

  He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the balcony door. “No time to explain now. I’ll tell you everything later. Let’s just get the heck out of here before they catch up with us.”

  Vincent pulled a rope out of a backpack she hadn’t noticed him wearing and tied it to the railing, yanking on it hard before looking over the side and dropping the other end down. He turned and indicated for her to go first.

  “Are you crazy? It’s at least thirty feet down.”

  “Yes, it is, but we’re not going all the way.” He beckoned her over and pointed down. “See that balcony two floors down to the right?”

  She looked over the side. It was a long way down. One little slip and she’d be splattered all over the steamy footpath.

  Holy shit, could she do this?

  She could. Really. She could.

  She’d better.

  She’d gotten out of stickier situations before.

  “O-kay, no worries,” she looked back at Vince and nodded.