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Red Stone of Passion
ISBN #978-1-906590-86-4
©Copyright Tuesday Morrigan 2008
Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright July 2008
Edited by Christine Riley
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork
Published in 2008 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road
, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated total-e-burning.
RED STONE OF PASSION
Tuesday Morrigan
Dedication
This story is dedicated to my family and friends for understanding my need to write and for appreciating my love of gemstones.
Chapter One
Life of an Outlaw
Riana Ruben signalled to Celeste, the classically beautiful blonde woman beside her before sneaking away from the museum tour. Once out of earshot, she pulled the vibrating cell phone from her pocket and pressed her left index finger on the screen. The LCD panel blinked as it read her fingerprint.
“Welcome Agent Ruben.”
The small screen lit up seconds later and Daphnia appeared. Her beautiful caramel skin was scrunched up in a mask of displeasure. “Tell me you’ve found Ms. Waters’ gem.”
“Yes, we have, D. We should be acquiring Waters’ jewel tonight and return should be no later than a week from then.”
Daphnia said nothing for a few moments. Riana knew Daphnia was reading information off the gigantic computer screen she kept to her left. No doubt Daphnia was double-checking the information from Interpol, the FBI, the PIA—the Preternatural Intelligence Agency— and Ms. Waters.
“You’re sure we got the right stone?”
“I’m positive.” Riana pressed a few buttons on the right hand of the screen, pulling up some of the files she had been working on and emailed them to Daphnia.
“We double checked last night. It’s definitely Ms. Water’s gem. I almost can’t believe that they stole the old broad’s rock only to sell it to a museum.”
“The museum’s board of directors has no idea it has a stolen artefact. The curator purchased it knowing it was stolen and fabricated the provenances for the big guys when Waters refused to sell it. Waters wants it returned without police involvement, and he has refused to give it back.”
“Good thing she called us, huh?”
Daphnia smirked. “Good thing the right people know we’re the Robin Hoods of the gem world.”
Riana smiled to herself as she thought about the gifts that made the women of Greedy Girls, Inc. different from every other gemstone bounty hunters. Unlike most hunters, the ladies of Greedy Girls, Inc. were mutants. Riana was a mutant with the ability to shape-shift into any type of feline whether house cat or, her favourite, panther.
The ability had saved her life on several occasions.
“Yeah. Everything in order?” Riana asked.
Daphnia compared the files Riana had sent. After a few seconds Daphnia smiled. The icy fire of amusement in her topaz eyes made Riana uneasy for just a moment. Its presence reminded Riana of just how cold and calculating her boss could be.
Rather than unnerving Riana, Daphnia’s cool exterior impressed her. Daphnia was the sole owner of Greedy Girls, Inc., a discreet firm that specialised in the retrieval of stolen pieces of jewellery. She was the best of the best in their field. Riana couldn’t help admiring her.
“Yes, everything is order. I’ll be damned. It really is Waters’ stone.” The last few words were spoken with awe. Daphnia obviously hadn’t really believed the curator would be stupid enough to put the stolen Waters’ gem on display. The woman and her gemstone collection were, after all, world famous.
“Dismissed,” Daphnia said curtly without looking.
Celeste barely glanced at Riana when she returned to the tour group. “Everything set to go?” she threw over her shoulder.
“Yes.”
“The Garland Garnet is a historical gem that was once a part of the most infamous of the queen’s pieces of jewellery,” the tour guide said as she led the way through the long aisle to the famous stone. It was once Queen Cleopatra’s favourite necklace. “The Garland Garnet has a history as long as time. There is an ancient myth that the garnet once belonged to the Egyptian goddess Isis. From there on it passed through the hands of almost every great queen the history books have known. It is unique for its size and colour. The Garland Garnet weighs over one hundred and twenty two carats and its signature colour is a combination of red and purple.”
Riana stared at the perfectly crafted gem. It was inside a cold glass case that made the deep, blood red colour of the stone all the more shocking.
The tour guide swept one slim arm in front of the stone’s glass pane, highlighting the beauty of the infamous rock. “The Garland Garnet is better known as the ‘Red Stone of Passion’. Every queen who has had it has had great luck with the opposite sex. The stone was rumoured to be owned by the six times married movie star, Winifred Waters.”
Riana stared at the gemstone. She glanced at Celeste to find that the blonde was riveted by the jewel. Riana didn’t blame her. The stone was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous.
It was their first official tour. She and Celeste had taken their own tours late at night after the museum had closed, so this was the first time she’d heard the tour guide speak about the rock’s legendary past. “Now’s there a rock I need. I had the shittiest blind date last night,” she muttered to herself. The members of her tour group immediately burst into laughter. Apparently she hadn’t muttered the words quietly enough.
The sad part was she was telling the truth. Last night had been horrible. It had been her first and only blind date, as far as she was concerned. Riana had figured since she was studying abroad, the men might be different.
She should have known things weren’t going to get well. Annemarie was a fellow classmate and member of Greedy Girls, Inc. Riana trusted her colleague and friend implicitly. So, when Annemarie had described her cousin to be a knight in shining armour, Riana had figured that when you threw in the British accent, the man had to be absolutely perfect. She had been seriously wrong.
She shuddered and pushed aside thoughts of her horrendous date and turned to the woman beside her. At that moment, the guide signalled for the group to move forward and onto to the next museum piece. Riana and Celeste stayed behind. As far as they were concerned, the tour was over. They saw what they’d come to see. After a quick glance confirmed the two women were alone, Riana asked softly, “What do you think, Celeste?”
“I think we both need that rock,” Celeste responded just as quietly.
“Tonight?”
“Yes, definitely tonight. The plan is in order and we have every
thing according to clockwork.” Celeste glanced at her watch. “The guards should be changing right…now.”
At that exact moment a second guard came to great the large, uniformed man that stood beside the entrance.
Celeste turned and gave her a bold grin. “Definitely tonight.”
There was a bold light in Celeste’s eyes that Riana imagined was mirrored in her own. There was something incredibly nerve wracking and exciting about recovering a stone. There were so many elements and factors to consider and anything could go wrong. That characteristic made repossession all the more exciting, because no matter how well you planned the extraction process, there were some occurrences you just couldn’t plan for.
Riana and Celeste’s ability to respond to those surprise elements at a moment’s notice were what made Greedy Girls , Inc. the most efficient, talented gem retrieval company in the world.
Several hours later, Riana met Celeste a block away from the museum. “Are you ready?” Celeste asked as she walked up to her.
Riana shrugged. “I’m as ready as I ever will be.”
“Good, let’s go then.” Celeste turned and headed towards the museum’s side alley. Riana followed behind. Every single step she took seemed to pound through her mind. She was nervous and excited. Very excited. There was nothing like breaking into a highly protected building and taking something from it. It was so exhilarating. Almost as good as having sex.
Halfway to the alleyway, Celeste moved back, stepping into the shadows. Riana didn’t falter because the two women were so attuned to one another that Riana knew the exact moment Celeste left. She proceeded, moving slowly, totally focused on her goal and the change going through her body. By the time she reached the side alley entrance to the museum she was in her full cat form. During this particular occasion she shifted to take on the shape of a black house cat.
Just as Riana fully took on her new image, the back door opened and out walked Jean-Luc, a security guard. He slipped the pack of cigarettes he had been holding back into his pocket when he spotted her small frame. He walked several steps into the corridor before kneeling down and beckoning to Riana. She meowed loudly and rubbed up against him. For the past week she had been snuggling up to the same guard, gaining his trust.
Fully aware of her senses, Riana knew the exact moment Celeste employed her mutant abilities and turned into a dark cloud. The small mist moved over the man and slipped into the museum. Riana’s purr became even louder as she rubbed up against the guard’s calf. He stood and beckoned Riana forward. She watched as his hand slipped into his pocket. When she saw his fingers grip the box of cigarettes that lay there, she ran forward, surprising Jean-Luc with her swift actions. With a switch of her tail, Riana entered the museum, content that everything had gone as planned.
Celeste was, in mist form, inside the building and she had, literally been invited into it.
With every step she took her senses seemed to strengthen until she could see everything around her as though it was daylight. After following the guard through the museum for approximately two and a half minutes, Riana reached her destination. She took off, running into the tiny enclave she knew hid the museum’s state of the art system. When she found the door, she pressed her small body against the door and listened for any sign of life. She heard the distinctive sound of a few mice’s heartbeats but nothing more. Once again Jean-Luc was working alone. As he had been for the past six days.
She mentally purred before shifting her form to stand in her fully dressed humanoid form.
Riana turned and strode into the women’s bathroom that was one hallway away. Once within the restroom she headed straight for the third stall on the left. Feeling sufficiently pleased with the mission so far, Riana glanced at the steel and black watch on her wrist. She was a little early. That gave her cushion time. With a smile, she slipped her hand behind the toilet and grabbed the sealed package that hid there.
When her fingers closed around the cool plastic she felt the cool comfort of a well-crafted mission. She lifted the items and quickly opened the sealant. She dumped it into a trash and dropped a few vials of dissolvent on top. The sealant immediately melted.
Riana then grasped two black slips of fabric and lifted the utility belt. It snapped around her waist easily. She grabbed two silver glinted items from the front pouches. One was a knife and the other was a small cell phone.
She quickly made her way over to the security door and once again listened to make sure it was empty. Pleased to find that Jean-Luc hasn’t change his procedure and was still looking for her, Riana used the small knife she held and opened the almost invisible flap in the wall that served as a cover to the security room’s keypad.
Riana pulled forward two small wires from the top of her cellular and hooked them up to a keypad. The cell phone lit up and a series of letters and numbers appeared. Teeth in her bottom lip, Riana texted furiously. After a series of tense moments Riana bypassed the museum’s security and unlocked the door. With a soft click it popped open. Riana strode in and headed straight for the main guard’s desk. She leaned over the series of screens to hook her cell phone directly into the building’s main brain. Riana glanced at her watch as she felt the last wire enter the CPU. She counted to five. A small text message appeared. She clicked it open and stood back. A dubbed video of the security room protecting the Garland Garnet appeared on the screen that had been watching the stone. It gave Riana exactly seven and a half minutes to get the gemstone out of the building and into a safety zone.
It was plenty of time.
Especially since at the moment, Riana knew Celeste had broken into the Garland’s display and slipped a piece of worthless stone that was the same weight into its spot.
Riana grinned, satisfied. Now it’s time for the fun to really begin, she thought as she shifted back into the form of a black house cat. She was going to force Jean-Luc to let her out.
She was suddenly feeling the need to run free.
Chapter Two
Two of America’s Most Wanted
Jacques Fredericks curled one thin lip in disgust the moment he sighted him, but Blaze Garnier wasn’t fazed by the museum curator’s reaction. He and the curator had an understanding. Blaze allowed Jacques to display his hatred of him, up to a point, and he, in turn, didn’t kill Jacques. At least not as long as his money came on time.
“We have a problem,” Jacques said the moment Blaze closed the office door.
Blaze had figured as much. Especially since Jacques was conducting this meeting in his office. Their typical meeting place was some decrepit warehouse in one of the slums that tourists never saw.
The Paris no lover wanted to venture into.
Places he was very comfortable in.
“Please, sit.”
Blaze raised one pale blond eyebrow. Jacques never addressed him as a human being and here he had actually said the word “please”. Things had to be bad.
“I prefer to stand,” Blaze growled. He was tired, dirty, and irritated. It had been a long night.
“Feeding on the tourists again?”
Blaze flashed the curator a cold smile that made the smaller man flinch in fear. Blaze was a vampire and Jacques was a werewolf. Their dislike was ingrained. Unlike the myth claimed, vampirism was a virus that increased the individual’s lifespan, strength, and senses. He did breathe and even indulged in food. Although he got sunburns, he never once was forced to hide from the sun. Unfortunately, he did need blood, but in much smaller doses than the legend stipulated. “We both know I prefer the natives. There is nothing quite like Parisian food,” Blaze retorted.
Jacques flicked his gaze to Blaze. There was obvious displeasure on his face at the sound of Blaze’s voice. Jacques was privileged and aristocratic, able to trace his family line hundreds of years. He did not like the fact that he was forced to associate with someone like Blaze. A man he would never befriend. A man he couldn’t decipher. Unlike Jacques, he had not lived his whole life in France. Earlier in thei
r “relationship” Jacques had tried to figure out where he had come from, where Blaze had been born, who he was.
But Blaze had many secrets, and his true identity was just one of them.
Jacques eyed him uneasily for a moment.
A shiver ran down Blaze’s spine. Jacques had shifty, soulless eyes that reminded him all too well of a hyena. Blaze wondered for the millionth time why he worked with Jacques.
Because I don’t have a damned choice.
For the last three months Blaze had been playing the part of a mercenary at the Preternatural Intelligence Agency’s request. He glanced at Jacques. Blaze was already looking forward to the moment he could close the case on Jacques and leave behind what was turning out to be a truly unpleasant experience.
“Would you like something to drink?” Jacques asked before striding to the small fridge that took up the left corner of his office.
Jacques’s gait was stiff, jerky, almost as though the curator was tensed, waiting for something to happen. Coupled with the fact that Jacques was wasting time offering him a drink told Blaze as much.
The shit had hit the fan. Blaze just needed to know what was going to be forced to clean up.
Blaze stifled the urge to sigh. “Jacques,” he growled softly.
The other man jerked at the underlying deadly tone. He turned slowly. “We have a situation.”
Blaze remained silent.
“The Garland Garnet has gone missing.”
Blaze lifted both eyebrows. The security around that particular gemstone rivalled the British Queen’s protection. It would have been a feat for him, and he was the best in his field.
“And you want me to get it back.”
“Yes.” Jacques’ grip on the small can of juice tightened. “The museum must never know it was missing. I have placed a replica in the display.” Jacques turned his gaze to him. “I don’t care what it takes. We must retrieve the stone.”
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