The Judas Relic: An Evangeline Heart Holiday Adventure (2 page)

“Got your message. When are you headed over to the land of Cockney? Fish and chips, a little Indian food, maybe?”

“Here already.” I wasn’t amused by his banter as I eased the door shut with my boot and kept watch through the dingy window. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“Are you working? Right now? Jesus, Lina. Really?”

“I just clocked out.” Mik Bartholomew gurgled, then fell silent.

“Uh, okay. I won’t keep you. I’ll be on that side of the pond tomorrow.”

I frowned and leaned closer to the window as a pair of headlights went by. The car didn’t slow but I needed to get out of there. “Okay. Great. Listen, any way I can call you back?”

“Yeah, but don’t forget. I may need your help on this one.”

My eyes widened and I straightened. He was a hell of a thief and I couldn’t think of a single situation in which he’d need my help. “Okay. I’ll call back.” I snapped my old-school phone shut and jammed it in my pocket, double-checked Mik’s vitals, and slipped out of the garage.

I was halfway down the alley before I realized I was whistling “Silent Night.”

Clay

Clay booked his flight to London and grabbed a beer. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself a little. Lina was a terrible thief, but … he kind of missed her. They’d uncovered the first relic together a few months back, and now they were in a holding pattern. Apparently, good old Metatron had given Lina some solid orders that the time to find the next relic would reveal itself soon but there was some patience required. She sure hadn’t liked that. Clay could understand. How could one be patient when one’s soulmate’s eternity was on the line, and they’d already been told that time was limited. So, the waiting game for the next set of orders was a little bit confusing to say the least.

It also meant that they’d spent a lot less time together. Lina had been doing her thing and he’d been doing his. She said she’d let him know when they’d be on the move again. They texted a few times here and there, met twice for a beer, but that was about it. He knew she was also trying to come to terms with her loss. And there was a lot of stuff that Clay didn’t know about her that he was certain ran real deep.

Lina was different. She had a toughness that reminded him of his mom, and while she had a lot to learn about breaking and entering, she was a fast learner and Clay knew that he couldn’t ask for a better person watching his six. He also knew that she was the right person to help him with this next job. It was a plus that she was already in the U.K., and he believed in timing—so it was serendipitous. He loved it when things just worked out.

Picking up his beer, Clay wandered through his flat, double-checking his gear bag, and threw some clothes in a duffel. At first glance, the job had been an easy one, which was why he’d taken it. But then the owner of the painting had doubled his manned security team once he’d taken possession of the new piece of art. As it sat right now, Clay wouldn’t have taken the job, and sure as hell not for what they were paying. He’d have charged double and asked for another week.

He finished his beer and changed it out for a new one, scratching his Malamute, Marvin, between his ears. “Sorry, kid, you gotta go to Dee’s for a week,” he said, referring to a gorgeous blonde that Clay had thought he was in love with for about six weeks. They’d bought Marvin together, they talked about moving in together. Then, Dee’s crazy came out. She still was a sweet lady, and they agreed to share custody of Marvin. Clay had him most of the time except when he had to leave for a job. Dee thought he was a salesman for a fishing-and-game company, which was what he told people. God knew he had enough gear around that he looked like he could be some kind of outdoorsman type. Dee liked her freedom and the arrangement. As did he, because she was also open to a “friends with benefits” sort of thing.

Marvin’s pink tongue lolled out and he licked Clay’s hand. “You get to hang with Mama Dee. It’ll be entertaining. I’m sure of that.”

Clay walked to the window above Forty-Fifth and stared down at the taxis and delivery vans hustling through the snow. Flakes stuck to tire tracks as they sped back and forth. His plane didn’t leave for a few hours.

He dropped Marvin at the Dee’s and partook in thirty minutes of extracurricular activities, which oddly enough, he found himself not really into. He gave Dee a kiss on the cheek as he was leaving her place. “I’ll be back ASAP. Have a Merry Christmas with my boy in case I’m not back in time.”

Dee frowned, hand on her hip. “I think this is the last time, Clay.”

He shrugged. “I get it. You got a boyfriend or something?”

She nodded. “Working on it. But it’s not just the sex. It’s Marvin. You can have full custody. I’m moving to Cali after the first. So, be back no later than the twenty-seventh.”

“All right. Thanks for watching him.”

Dee scratched the top of Marvin’s head. “I love him, but it is what it is.”

“Right.” Clay bent down and gave Marvin a big hug. He left him and Dee behind and although he knew it might be tough to find backup for his dog, he was in a strange way relieved.
 

He thought about this as he sat at the airport bar. He couldn’t make heads or tails out of why he would be relieved that his dog sitter and great piece of ass was leaving. That wasn’t at all like him. Jeez—what in the hell had gotten into him?

Lina

In my car, I drove a wandering circuit away from my kill. Nothing popped up that I didn’t expect, so I called the mission a success. I’d timed Bartholomew’s death well enough that I had at least a three-day window before anyone found his body, and there wasn’t a single thing linking him back to me. There never was. That’s part of what made me so desirable as a cleaner—none of the agencies who hired me ever had to have me on their payroll. And I demanded cash up front so I never had to follow up. Rarely did I even work with the same contact, and I liked it that way. I had no idea how they moved my name around internally, but the less I knew the better.

Most of my assignments came straight from Malcolm, but with him out of the country, they’d been contacting me directly. I much preferred Malcolm as a buffer—he made it easier to say no when I didn’t want to take a job.

But I’d been ready to go back to work and find at least a little bit of normalcy. On the freeway and headed toward London, I dialed Clay.

“Hi.” He was somewhere loud and I could barely hear him.

“Are you in a bar?”

“Yeah. Airport.” He covered the mouthpiece and said something but it was muffled.

“Can you talk?”

“Little bit. You may have to ask the questions.”

“Okay. Why do you need my help? What kind of job is this?” I asked.

“You’re good with crowds, and guards.”

Okay, so there were guards he needed to handle, but surely he’d been in that position before. It wasn’t like Clay stole necklaces out of old ladies’ jewelry boxes. He stole millions in jewels and ancient relics worth more—a ton more. “Ha. You sure about that? Remember Felt’s place?” I asked. “Our first little meeting?” I’d nearly had to kill Clay and a security guard on the heist where we’d met. Clay had dropped in—literally—while I was in the middle of stealing the first relic I’d needed to get my fiancé’s soul out of Hell. We’d both made out of there with nothing, except my determination to track down the ass who had screwed up my attempt to get the relic. That ass was, of course, Clay. I’d stolen the gear that he’d left behind and tracked him down.
 

Now we were working together, sort of. Metatron had essentially told us that Clay was my sidekick in this deal. That hadn’t exactly made either of us happy. It was what it was, but I was surprised by him asking for my help on one of his jobs. Granted, we had finally gotten the relic from the Renwick. I hated admitting that I didn’t think I could have done it without him—thus, my curiosity.

“I do remember Felt’s quite well and that’s why I want you on this one. You can uh, incapacitate the guards. Distract the crowd.”

“You know my deal. I only kill bad guys, and only when I’m paid to do it. I don’t off guys on the subway just because they’re douchebags. And I certainly won’t take out some security guards to help you get whatever it is you’re stealing this time.”

“I wouldn’t think of asking you to kill anyone. I don’t like blood and I know your creed. Bad guys only—and real bad guys. I get it. You in?”

“Where is it?” I tightened my hands around the steering wheel of the Range Rover that had been made available to me when I’d exited the private plane used to fly me to the UK.

“Near Ralph’s.”

I sighed. I couldn’t ask him how near, and I didn’t like that he was talking about Ralph in a crowded airport bar where anyone could overhear him. I’d already dragged Ralph and his housekeeper, Anna, into this when we’d gone to him in the beginning to pick his brain about his Book of Enoch knowledge. Yeah. The Book of Enoch had some kind of tie-in to why Griffin’s soul had been stolen by the dark side. What it was, I still didn’t know, but Ralph was an expert in ancient religious relics, and the Book of Enoch. “When does your flight land?”

“Nine a.m.
 
I’m on the red-eye. You picking me up?”

I sighed. “Yeah. We’ll talk then.”

I thought about nothing and everything as I drove through the night, letting my thoughts bobble and bounce against each other, too exhausted to keep them contained. Ahead, the Severn Bridge illuminated the horizon as I motored down the M4. Griffin had loved suspension bridges, enamored by the architecture and engineering that made them work. Our first date had been on the Manhattan Bridge and he’d been like a kid with a train set, his eyes bright as he’d shown me details. My mind wandered back to that time. I couldn’t help myself, and it was as if I heard his voice clear as day in my mind.

“Back when they designed and built it, everything about this bridge was innovative.” He put his arm across my shoulders and pulled me near, pointing up at the underside of the bride as we walked beneath. The crisp scent of his aftershave tickled my nose as the breeze from the passing cars overhead swirled around us.

I hadn’t gone on a date in over a year, so engrossed in all my training with Malcolm, perfecting everything from my knife skills to my long-distance target practice. Of course, the gorgeous man at my side knew none of that. He thought I was a freelance journalist and if this thing went more than three dates (a personal best), I knew my story about who I was would have to become more intricate. But for now, I could enjoy his company and not have to worry about the future.

His arm dropped and he grinned at me. “Sorry, that’s probably super boring.”

“No.” I grabbed his forearm, then softened my voice. “No. Not at all. It’s actually really interesting. I guess you’re going to be an architect?”

He shook his head and pulled my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Lawyer.”

I blinked. “Wow. Really? But you’re so into this stuff.” I waved my hand at the underside of the steel and cables.

“My parents really wanted me to go into law. My dad and granddad were both lawyers.” He gave me a sideways glance. “Prosecutors, some of the best the country’s ever seen.”

Okay … so much for telling him that I killed people for a living. That one might be a teeny hurdle. And if this thing progressed to meeting the parents, I was going to have to be a damn good liar … which I’d already proven to be, if my test scores could be believed. But this was one date.

My fingers tightened on his arm and we walked in a comfortable silence toward the restaurant.

But if it was only one date, why did I feel like I’d known him forever?

The tires rumbled across the bridge half a world away from that one, yanking me back to the present. Other than my work trips out of town, I hadn’t been without Griffin since that night. We’d been inseparable and I’d loved him from the start.
 

Now I had to figure out how to spend my life without him by spending my first Christmas alone.

And it was going to suck.

Lina

Clay was impossible to miss as I pulled through the passenger pickup. Might have been the neon shirt. God, that man could be obnoxious like no one else, and the irony of his ability to blend into shadows wasn’t lost on me. Maybe being the most visible human being possible when he wasn’t on duty made him all the more invisible when he was.

I yanked the car to the sidewalk, veering between a bus and three taxis. He leaned over, checked the driver, found me suitable and grinned. “Hey babe. Nice wheels. Should work real well for our little job.” He opened the back hatch and tossed his bags in, then climbed in. “Thanks for the lift.”

“Yeah.” I twisted around to get back into the chaotic flow of cars racing past. “Tell me about this job.”

He snorted. “You’re no fun. All work and no play. Let’s go grab a beer and a bite.”

“It’s still morning.”

“Not at home.”

I rolled my eyes and gunned the gas, speeding us out of the way of three mopeds and a swarm of taxis. “The traffic here sucks. And, this driving on the wrong side of the road is just plain stupid.”

“You don’t drive a lot at home, do you?”

Not really. In Manhattan, I preferred to take the subway or to walk. Without a normal job to commute to, it seemed silly to drive. Most of my jobs were out of the country anyway, so I normally flew and the cars were always at my destination, gassed up and ready to go. But none of that was his business. “I’ll find you food, but tell me everything I need to know before we get there so I don’t have to play your stupid Twenty Questions again.”

He laughed and patted my thigh. “Always good to see you, too.”
 

I arched an eyebrow. “Get on with it.”

“Like I tried to tell you on the phone, I have too many active participants on this job. Since I agreed to this deal, the owner’s added another twenty guards. I’m good, but not that good. Oh, and uh, it’s a party.”

“A party?” I laughed. “Right. You’re funny.” I’d been on edge since crossing the bridge last night and thinking about Griffin. If there was one thing I could count on from Clay, it was his ability to get me either out of my head, or so deep in it that I couldn’t think of anything other than the job. It was refreshing and I appreciated it. While he might be a giant pain in my ass, he was a great partner and I was grateful for the intensity he gave to his work.