The Relic

by Maggie Nash

  “You will hand me the relic now, my dear, or I will shoot your lover through the heart.”

  Bullshit. No way is she giving him that damn relic. “Don’t listen to him, Mags, he knows he’s lost.”

  “I assure you, my dear, I do not intend to lose. I am also a crack shot, so you can be very sure I will not miss.”

  Magda flashed Vince an exasperated look and shrugged. “I don’t know, Vincent. It’s a tough decision. The relic? Or you?”

  What does she mean a tough decision? “There’s no guarantee he won’t shoot you as well, Mags.”

  “True. But then again, he might not. I mean…pissing off the League of Amazing Women is never a good idea. We’re mean when we’re provoked.”

  He didn’t know where she was going with this but he played along anyway. “Oh yeah. I certainly wouldn’t take that risk. I am quite fond of my manhood.”

  “Excuse me, but can we cut this little chit chat short? I want my relic now, or I’ll shoot the both of you.”

  Vincent stepped in front of Magda, pushing her back further out of harm’s way. “I don’t think so.”

  Laughing malevolently, Thornton waved his weapon at Vince and zeroed in on Vincent’s chest. “So what are you going to stop me with? You have no weapons, you fool!”

  “But we do.”

  Thornton spun around toward the voice and Vincent took the opportunity to kick the gun out of his hand while he was distracted. As he dove toward his weapon, Magda took out his knee with a Tae Kwon Do kick her Master would have been proud of before restraining him with her foot to his neck.

  “It’s about time you girls got here. What took you so bloody long?”

  “Ha! We traipse through this godforsaken jungle risking life and limb and this is the thanks we get?”

  Turning his head, Vincent saw three grinning Amazons heading their way. The blonde out in front doing the talking and swinging a dangerous looking sword had to be Phoenyx. The other blonde brandishing the bow and arrow could only be that Celtic goddess Brigid, and the brunette with the dagger must be Rhae. These women looked as lethal as their reputations that preceded them. “Nice to meet you, ladies, and can I say you have excellent timing?”

  Phoenyx sauntered over to him and leaned in close to him. “Great to finally meet you, too, Stone.” She stepped back and winked her pretty green eyes at him. “I’ve heard plenty about you, and I must say, reality is even better than rumor, handsome.”

  As Rhae and Brigid trussed up Thornton and handed him over to the Penang police who had just arrived, Magda walked back toward Vince, standing so close he could feel the heat of her body. “So the transponder in the tablet worked then?”

  The other women gave each other knowing smiles as Phoenyx moved back a short distance. “Yep. As soon as the signal came on and we realized the device wasn’t moving we figured you were in trouble and we headed right on over. So where is the tablet anyway?”

  Rhae bent over and picked up something from a pile of rubble and held it above her head. “Here it is.”

  Magda’s face lit up. “I must have dropped it when we were captured. A lucky break that it was just where we came back to.”

  Lucky break? Arsey, that’s what it was. Some people had arse, and some class. These women had both, in spades. He should have figured she’d have some way of being tracked. The LAW had a reputation for being careful. The gods had certainly been smiling on them when she’d dropped it just where they needed to be found. “So what do you say, Mags? Do you want to open the box and make sure it’s what we came for?”

  Her face paled, although her eyes were bright with excitement. He could see the pulse in her neck beating a fast rhythm, almost in unison with his own. Her hands trembled as she lifted the box up in front of her. After a few struggles, the latch gave way and the lid sprung back of its own volition, making her jump.

  A bright light exploded all around them, blinding them all until Magda snapped the lid shut.

  “Shit!”

  “Fuck, what was that?”

  “Holy crap!”

  Magda held the box tightly and looked up at Vincent, smiling. “Yep, that looks like the famous relic.”

  Vincent pulled her into his arms, crushing the box between them. “It sure does, Mags. And thank Christ for that.”

  Chapter Seven

  The party was as good as any they’d had at the Mansion, but Magda’s heart wasn’t in it. The food was delicious, the drinks were flowing and dozens of gorgeous hunks were on tap. What more could she ask for?

  Stone. Bloody Vincent Stone.

  The bastard.

  Three weeks had passed since they’d left Penang and handed over the relic to the government of Malaysia, and he’d left her, saying that he’d call her. Ha! Three weeks and no contact at all. Maybe he was pissed that they’d gotten a smaller finder’s fee because she’d insisted in giving it to the local authorities?

  The bastard!

  This time she’d actually let go of the past and let him in to her heart, and what had he done? He’d given her that age-old line, I’ll call you… The one everyone knew actually meant, I’ll never call you again.

  Maybe she should just go with the flow and enjoy herself at the party. God knew the other girls were indulging big time.

  But all she could think about was Vincent. They’d connected while they’d been together in Penang. She knew they had become closer than they’d been in years, so why had he run away?

  Looking around her, she noticed she was the only League member not paired off. Sakura was being nicely nibbled by that redhead Thomas. Good for him! He’d been lusting after her for ages and until now, she’d been slipping out of his grasp, but judging from the grip he had on her wrists above her head as he held her hard against the wall, he wasn’t letting her go anytime soon.

  Phoe sat draped all over Thomas’ friend, Aaron, while he lazily massaged her neck with one hand and fed her treats with the other. Lucky Phoe.

  Rhae had disappeared with some guy with blue hair some time back and had yet to surface. Three guesses as to what they’re up to.

  Outside in the pool, Victoire, Lyonene, Angel and Brigid seemed to have this topless water polo thing going with four of the regulars, and since that particular game always ended with some very athletic moves in and out of the water, Magda moved back into the main party area.

  She needed to find her own man.

  She was a sexual being from way back, and watching all this frisky fun around her was making her hot, but none of the men here were doing it for her apparently.

  Bugger you Mr. “I’ll call you” Vincent fucking Stone!

  The crowd had thinned somewhat, as it had a tendency to do late in the evening at these parties. Groups of horny couples and sometimes threesomes found their way to the many private areas around the garden or on the ground floor of the mansion. Although she couldn’t see any tonight, occasionally there would be a group of exhibitionists who would get started in the main room or by the pool, and Mags had to admit that although she didn’t mind looking as much as anyone else, it didn’t hold any appeal for her anymore. Another thing to be angry with Stone about.

  The upper floors were, of course, the private domains of the League members. And once Magda found her man, that was where she was heading. Why should she wait for Stone? He’d obviously moved on. She should too.

  Taking a sip of her Lemon Ruski, she scanned the room for possible candidates. Over by the bar stood a tall, dark, muscular and gorgeous hunk of man.

  Perfect.

  Taking a deep breath, she put her best sexy sway to work and made her way right on over there. The music changed to a sexy samba just at the right time.

  I can do this. No way would Stone ruin her for any other men.

  Reaching the bar, she took another deep breath, knowing not many men could resist a look at her breasts almost falling out of her sexy spaghetti strapped top.

  “Hey, Jesse, you gorgeous hunk of man,” she said, winking. “
How about a dance with your favorite lady?”

  Jesse smiled, his sexy dimple showing and his chocolate eyes lighting up. “Sure thing, babe. Anything you want.”

  So far, so good.

  He stood up and slid his arms around her before rubbing his warm hands over her hips. He inched further down and it felt nice but at the same time, it didn’t feel as amazing as she thought it should. Maybe she should just let him touch her a little bit more, and the sizzle would start to happen. She hoped so, because at the moment, she was feeling nothing much at all.

  Vincent stood outside the Mansion door, wondering for the hundredth time if he’d done the right thing. Leaving Magda alone for three weeks had been harder than he’d ever imagined, but it was something he’d had to do on his own if they were ever going to have a chance at a lasting relationship. If he’d told her what he wanted to do, she’d have tried to stop him. Told him it wasn’t necessary, or worse, she would have taken it the wrong way. He’d taken a huge chance in not contacting her all this time, but it was for the right reasons and he hoped to hell she would understand and forgive him.

  The door opened automatically and a sexy blonde he hadn’t seen before stood in front of him. Bloody hell they were all gorgeous in this organization. How the hell Boss got any work done, he had no idea. The blonde flashed him a mischievous smile and ushered him in.

  “You’ve come for Magda,” she said, her voice vaguely familiar.

  “Excuse me, do I know you?”

  Her laugh was throaty and matched her playful persona. “We haven’t been formally introduced, but we have sort of spoken on the phone before.”

  We have? “I’m certain I would have remembered meeting you—?” He held his hand out to her in greeting. “I’m Vincent Stone.”

  She laughed again, and before he had a chance to blink, she placed her hands on both sides of his head and pulled him in for a wet and warm kiss right there on the lips.

  “I’m Joell, and I’m glad you finally got off your butt and came to your senses.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Mags is pining away here, and you had better get her head back on straight or we may have to throw her out of the group. I mean, a depressed writer is bad enough, but a depressed crime fighter is a liability.”

  She’s pining? “The Magda I know wouldn’t let anything interfere with her work. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  “Normally I would agree with you, but this is the second time you’ve put her through this crap, and she’s a lot more fragile that you think. I mean at this very moment she’s contemplating going off and having her way with a young gun who’s barely out of the cradle. That’s not like her at all. When she’s with someone, she stays exclusive. But she’s just about given up on you, Stone.”

  Fuck! I’ve left it too late.

  Vince stormed into the hallway. “She’s fucking someone else? Where is she?”

  “Not yet, so if you hurry you can catch her in time. She’s in the ballroom.” She gave him a sly smile and wiggled her finger, beckoning him. “Follow me, lover boy.”

  Joell led him down a long corridor and into a large room where a wild party was taking place, the likes of which he had not seen for a long time.

  So how come I never got an invite to one of these shindigs when we were together?

  The room was overflowing with couples rubbing up against each other in time to the music and he was pretty sure the room reeked of sex. He scanned the area as quickly as he could, but no luck.

  Where the fuck is she?

  Joell grabbed his arm and proceeded to drag him toward the edge of the dance floor where she pointed to a couple right in the middle and under the spotlight.

  “There she is. Go do your stuff.”

  His heart flipped over when he saw her. She was so fucking sexy it almost hurt to look at her. She was wearing this shimmering tank top that barely covered those amazing breasts, and a skirt so short he was surprised he couldn’t see her pussy. And she was moving those hips in a way that made his dick hard instantly.

  And a pair of large hands was inching toward her pussy from behind.

  No way!

  Blood rushed to Vince’s brain, threatening to blow the top of his head off and before he knew it, he was right there in front of them.

  “Get your fucking hands off my woman!”

  Magda stopped dancing, her mouth opening slightly. He thought he saw something in her eyes. Relief? Yearning? But when he looked again, all he could see was anger.

  “Don’t listen to him, Jesse. I’m not his woman. Let’s keep dancing.”

  The hunky dance partner pulled away, holding his hands up palm out. “I don’t know, Mags, he looks pretty mean. I was just out for a little uncomplicated fun. This isn’t what I had in mind.”

  “Good thinking, dickhead. Now move on.”

  Jesse stood his ground, his face a thundercloud at the insult. “Now just a goddamn minute—”

  Magda moved in between them, a hand resting on each of their chests. “Hold the testosterone down there, boys. I’m a big girl now and I can choose whom I spend time with.”

  “Fine, then come with me now and we can discuss it.”

  “Is that what you want to do, Magda?” asked Jesse as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can get security to move him on if you need.”

  Vincent ignored him, instead focusing his gaze directly at Magda, showing her with his eyes just how much he needed her right at this minute. He hoped she could see past her anger.

  She stared back, her expression unreadable. “No, that won’t be necessary, Jesse. I can handle Stone. Maybe it would be better if we took a rain check for now.”

  “If you’re sure?” he said, backing away slightly. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

  Blinking, she broke away and turned to the retreating man, reaching up and giving him a lingering kiss on the mouth. “Yes, I’m sure, Jesse, and yep, I know where to find you.”

  Vincent’s fists clenched and opened as he watched Magda kissing another man, but he restrained himself. Shit, he’d never had this sort of reaction to a woman before. Not this blinding, visceral jealousy. He was in deep shit, but he didn’t care anymore, as long as he could get her to admit she felt the same way. As long as he could get her to forgive him for being such a bastard, even if it was all in a good cause.

  Magda turned back to him, the smile she’d had for lover boy all gone and in its place a wariness he hoped to obliterate really soon.

  “Okay, Stone. I think we’ve made a big enough spectacle, so it looks like you won this round. We’ll go somewhere private for that chat you wanted.”

  “It isn’t a competition, Mags. I need to talk to you. I need to explain a few things.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and if he didn’t know that it was impossible, he’d swear he could see flying red sparks. This was going to be harder than he thought.

  “Damn right you have some explaining to do, but not here. I’ll take you to a place where we won’t have an audience.”

  He smiled. And when they got there he intended to show her exactly what he meant when he said she was his woman.

  And then some.

  Magda led him up several flights of stairs into another wing of the house to an ornately carved wooden door that bore the LAW crest with her name engraved on a bronze plate below.

  “This is where I live when I am staying at headquarters,” she said as she stood in front of a retinal scan on the wall next to the entrance. “We all have a suite of rooms here for when we’re rostered on duty.”

  The large door clicked and Magda pushed it open, ushering Vincent inside.

  He whistled at the amazing scene that greeted him. Magda had a tropical rainforest right here in the mansion, or so it appeared.

  On closer inspection, it wasn’t actually a forest, but a collection of large indoor plants surrounding a fountain of running water which fed a small pool about the size of a spa. The pool’s edge featured those pur
ple lilies his sister loved so much. The feature walls were murals of forests aiding in the illusion, and wall sconces infused a filtered light across the greenery and reflected off the pool, simulating the sun pouring in through the trees.

  “This is fantastic, Mags!”

  “Thanks,” she said. “When I first decorated, I wanted somewhere I could escape to, away from civilization.” She hesitated, taking her time closing the door. “Now when I come here, all I can think of is Penang.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  She sighed, moving toward what looked like a small bar fridge tucked into the corner. “It wasn’t exactly a picnic, Stone.”

  She wasn’t going to make it easy for him, that’s for sure. He couldn’t blame her. From her end, he was a right bastard.

  “It wasn’t all bad, Mags,” he said in a whisper.

  He wasn’t sure if she’d heard him or not, but then she turned to him, pain in her eyes, and spoke softly.

  “Apparently not good enough, but that’s okay. We didn’t make any promises, did we, Vincent?”

  “No, we didn’t, but—”

  “So you shouldn’t have a problem with me moving on and having some fun.”

  He took a deep breath. The time had come and he had to do it now. He couldn’t let her go on any longer not knowing how he felt about her. He could see she’d withdrawn from him, though, so first a little reminder of how good they were together.

  She looked confused as he smiled at her and came toward her. Good. He wanted her off balance. Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her toward him. Chest to chest. Hip to hip.

  Fuck! What this woman did to him! His dick went ballistic through his jeans.

  “Do you feel that?” he whispered in her ear as he planted a soft kiss on her delicate neck. “That’s how fucking good it was for me, Mags. I get an uber-hard-on just feeling your gorgeous body next to mine.”

  She did this sexy little catch in her breath and he could feel her body heating up as she pressed herself even closer to him. He’d bet double his finder’s fee that her panties were soaking wet. She sighed into his ear.