The Brazen Amazon

by Sandy James

  A smile lit her round face, the same type of grin that had to be on his face whenever he thought about his job. What was she? A cop? FBI?

  “I’m on a mission,” she said.

  Mission?

  Didn’t that just go figure. The woman was delusional.

  Such a dirty, rotten shame.

  Zach sighed. San Francisco was a magnet for crazies. Gorgeous or not, he didn’t have time to play head games with a schizophrenic—even if she was so captivating she made his body harden in interest.

  He tried to step around her.

  She moved with him.

  He sidestepped the other direction.

  She was his shadow.

  “Enough already,” he snapped. “I’ve got to go.”

  With a smirk, she nodded. “Damned right you do.”

  Zach’s temper rose in response. “If you’d just get out of my way—”

  A flash of silver hit one of his wrists then the other.

  Handcuffs? “What the hell?”

  “I had no choice.”

  Was this some deviant sex game she wanted to play? She might be damn pretty, but kinky wasn’t his thing. “Sorry, lady. I’m not into S&M.”

  “Into what?”

  “Whatever depraved thing you’re thinking of doing with me handcuffed.”

  “You think I want to...” She laughed in his face and waved a hand in dismissal. “Pervert.”

  He couldn’t believe how disappointed he was in her reaction. “If it’s not about sex, then—”

  “I’m protecting you.”

  “Protecting me? From who?”

  “From the guys trying to kill you.”

  Adrenaline shot through him as he struggled to process what was going on. Trying to hold onto his phone, he growled when she snatched it right out of his hand and shoved it in his front pocket. He didn’t want to fight a woman, especially an insane one, but this was getting out of hand. She couldn’t know he was a second-degree black belt in tae kwon do and that he could hurt her if she kept this up.

  Then he saw the shadow.

  Someone else was in the alley. When her eyes darted to that figure and back, he knew she saw him too. So why didn’t either of them make a move to grab his phone or wallet?

  Enough of this shit. “Look, lady—”

  “Gina. Gina Himmel.”

  He gritted his teeth and mentally counted to ten so he wouldn’t go postal on her or the idiot who was working with her. For muggers, they were both inept. “Fine. Gina Himmel. You need to take these handcuffs off. Now.”

  “Duck.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  She didn’t repeat herself. Instead, she shoved him hard to his left. He took a stumbling step. Before he’d regained his footing, she landed a solid right hook to the other mugger’s face. The guy went down hard, sprawling on his back. He covered his bleeding nose with both hands and groaned. Judging from the crunching sound when she’d driven her fist into the man’s face, she’d broken his nose.

  Before Zach could gather his scattered wits to say anything, she grabbed his wrist. When she ran out of the alley, he really didn’t have too many choices—either plop on his ass or follow her. If she took him someplace he didn’t want to go, he’d end this game.

  “Who the hell was that?” He followed the fast pace she set with those long, sleek legs.

  “Someone who wanted to hurt you.”

  “How can you know that?”

  She didn’t answer, and it took him a few minutes of trailing behind her to decide she was never going to. At least she was taking him close to home, albeit following a different route than he usually took.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Your place.”

  How in the hell did she know where he lived?

  “Why are you stalking me?”

  She didn’t reply until she slowed their pace as they approached his building from the rear alley. “I’m not a stalker.”

  “Well, well,” he drawled. “Home sweet home.” He tried not to sound too breathless from the run. Not only was Gina breathing normally, she wasn’t sweating. “If you’re not a stalker, how do you know where I live?”

  “Stalking’s not the same as keeping an eye on someone. I won’t hurt you.”

  Zach got no creepy vibes from her, although he wanted to grill her about why she thought she needed to watch him. He would bide his time and see what she revealed without prodding. At least she couldn’t get into his place from the alley. “Out of luck, lady. Can’t get in the back way.”

  She wasn’t looking at the barred door that opened into the craft shop occupying the bottom floor of the building. Instead, her gaze focused on the fire escape for his second story apartment. “Don’t need to.”

  He scoffed. “Still out of luck. That ladder only releases from the top. Unless you can jump two stories.”

  Her cocky smirk was bewitching, as was the smugness in her dark eyes. She sprang straight into the air and grabbed one of the upper rungs of the metal ladder.

  Was she an Olympic high jumper? He’d never seen anyone hang in the air that long, including NBA players. As she dangled by one hand, she reached for the release catch with the other. The ladder slid open until it reached low enough anyone could climb it. She rode it all the way down.

  Still hovering a bit above him, she smiled. “We go in this way.”

  Zach raised his handcuffed hands. “Not me.”

  Gina dropped to the ground as if the distance was no obstacle. Her knees barely bent when she hit pavement. “You weren’t giving me a choice. I had to make you come with me without a fight. That guy in the alley was after you.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I just do. An informant discovered there’s a threat to you.” She fished a small key out of her pocket. How she could dig it out with those pants being nothing but a second skin was beyond him. “If I take the cuffs off, will you listen?”

  He nodded and held his cuffed wrists out to her.

  After she unlocked the handcuffs, she hooked them on her belt and clicked them shut, adding to her punk rock look.

  He rubbed his wrists. Not because they hurt, but because he wanted her to feel guilty for having thrown them on him. Her wince made him bite back a satisfied grin, confirming his belief she wasn’t a real threat.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she said.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head. “Not until you tell me what’s going on here. Who are you?”

  “I told you. I’m Gina Himmel. I’m here to protect you.”

  “Isn’t this where another guy you know attacks me to prove your point?”

  Her jaw dropped. “How did you know he was—”

  Zach didn’t let her finish. “You stopped him too easily. Even if you broke his nose, if that guy really wanted to hurt me—or you for that matter—he wouldn’t have given up so quick. No weapon, either. He wasn’t a real threat. I knew that, otherwise I would’ve taken him down when I first saw him.”

  “You knew he was there all along?”

  He gave her a nod and a cheeky grin.

  A small frown formed on her pretty pink lips. “Johann’s gonna be sooo pissed,” she whispered, probably more to herself than to him.

  “What are you? Some freelance security chick?”

  “Don’t call me a chick.”

  He might be strangely fascinated by her, but he was done playing her game. She would either tell him what in the hell was going on, or he would climb that ladder and leave her behind.

  “Look, it’s time you tell me what’s really going on here. What exactly do you want from me?”

  Chapter Two

  Gina glanced around the alley to be sure no real danger lurked there. “I already told you. My informant heard there’s a threat, so I’m here to protect you.”

  Having Johann pretend to go after Zach so he would agree to accept her help was one thing. Standing in the dark alley like a couple of
sitting ducks was something entirely different.

  She wrapped her fingers around a rung of the ladder. “I’ll tell you all about it upstairs.”

  He shook his head. “Not until I get an answer. And not the one about your informant.”

  The back of her neck tingled. Her hair was standing on end as if a breeze had blown over wet skin. While that feeling wasn’t always a sign of danger, it often happened right before things got ugly.

  Amazon intuition?

  She’d never trusted it the way Rebecca did her touchy stomach. Whenever Earth got an upset tummy, evil was afoot. Megan tended to throw off smoke that smelled like cherry tobacco, a trait worthy of Fire. Sarita—Water—just giggled.

  Neck tingles aside, Gina wanted to get Zach out of the alley. Just in case. “Fine. I’ll give you all the answers you want.” He actually started to smile until she let the other shoe drop. “Upstairs.”

  Judging from the expression on that handsome face, he was exasperated with her. Hell, he’d just have to get in line if he wanted a piece of her hide. Rebecca—who was not only Earth but also the Guardian keeping watch over the three younger Amazons—always had a thing or two to say about Gina’s habit of going out on her own instead of waiting for her warrior sisters. Johann and Artair—her Sentinels—liked to remind her ad nauseum that she should learn to look before she leaped. Johann’s favorite word for her was “brazen.” And he didn’t mean it as a compliment.

  Zach folded his arms over his chest and glared.

  Why did men have to be so damned stubborn?

  With a sigh, she tried to tell him enough to get him out of the line of fire. “Fine. The group I work for protects people—in a covert way. We were told you’ve got a threat coming your way. I’m here to keep you safe.”

  “Are you a cop?”

  She snorted. “Hardly.”

  “FBI?”

  “As if. Can we take this upstairs now? Please?”

  “Are you trying to get a job as my bodyguard? Is that why you had that guy pretend to attack so you could rescue me?”

  In all the time she’d been tailing him, she hadn’t taken the time to think about a good cover story for why she was protecting him. She could almost hear Rebecca’s voice chastising her for that oversight. Zach’s suggestion seemed as good as any.

  “You got me. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do. I’m part of a new firm called—um—Amazon Security.”

  “Amazon?” He arched a tawny eyebrow.

  “Yeah, um—Amazon because it’s all women bodyguards.” She racked her brain to expand the outrageous fib and make it semi-believable. “We saw an article about you in—um—Money magazine. That’s it.” She nodded, hoping it might convince him she wasn’t making things up as she went along. “Figured you might be in need of someone to watch your back. You know, ’cause competitors might not take so kindly to your quick rise to the top.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  Sure it wasn’t much of a cover story, but it was the best she could do on such short notice. He didn’t have to be so rude. If he knew he was one of many important people being chosen to be killed and replaced by a group of scheming demigods working for an Egyptian goddess bent on bringing down the whole fucking world, he’d be down on his knees, kissing her feet.

  “You want me as a client? Then try again. Maybe the truth might work better this time.”

  Gina shrugged, a bit amazed he’d tolerated her as long as he had. “Take it or leave it. I didn’t say you had to believe me. All you’ve gotta do is let me save your hide.”

  Did he always adopt that frown while thinking things over? Lips drawn thin, he stared at her for several long seconds. “Fine. Just answer one question.”

  She grinned, tasting success.

  “Which story?”

  Her lips dropped to a frown. “Pardon?”

  “Which story in Money did you read?”

  Shit.

  He had her there. Scrambling, she tried to save her ruse. “The one on the—um—” Her gaze scanned him from head to toe, stopping at the bulge. “Your phone.”

  “My phone?”

  “Yeah. It was about how your phone does stuff that nobody else’s does.”

  Zach stared at her for a few more seconds before he nodded.

  She squelched a relieved smile.

  After walking over to the ladder, he swept his hand in invitation. “After you.”

  “No. After you. I insist.”

  “Have it your way. But you’re only staying long enough to try and convince me I need a bodyguard. Believe me, I’m not stupid. I’ve considered one before. I don’t need security despite what your friend says.” He climbed one rung then turned back to her. His grin was so naughty her heart skipped a quick beat. “And don’t go thinking you’re here for the night. I’ve never let a woman spend the night, no matter what happens between us.”

  Gina couldn’t believe a blush heated her cheeks. He was wrong. She wasn’t a typical woman, and she wasn’t just staying for the night. She was staying until Richard got here to help stop whichever Son of Gaia was targeting Zach.

  Of course, Zach didn’t know that. The pompous geek thought she wanted to sleep with him. “You wish.”

  His responding grin reached deep inside her, squeezing into a warm knot in her gut. She nodded at the ladder, hoping he’d take the hint to keep moving before the whole situation got any more embarrassing.

  He climbed up to the landing.

  She followed close behind, trying not to stare at that gorgeous butt she’d admired for too long and blaming him for putting the nagging thoughts about sex in her head.

  Zach reached down to help her from the last rung onto the fire escape platform.

  She took his offered hand although she could have been on the roof from there with nothing more than a small hop. Having him treat her like a lady was a luxury—the other men in her life tended to spend quite a bit of time knocking her on her ass in the name of training. At least Richard was polite and always helped her back to her feet after he’d whacked her down, which wasn’t often since they were so evenly matched.

  “Window’s locked,” Zach said as she got to her feet. “Didn’t count on that, did you? And you think you can guard me?” He shook his head.

  She wanted to wipe that condescending smile right off his face. “I’m on it.”

  Crouching down, she pulled her magic tool from her boot. On her last birthday, her patron goddess Ix Chel had given her what she called the “Key.” It wasn’t any bigger than a credit card, but if pushed up against any lock, the tumblers would magically open. Evidently her goddess knew how often Air locked herself out of her apartment. Plus the doodad had come in handy in her Amazon duties more often than she could count.

  Gina went to the window, shoved the Key between the upper and lower panes and the lock opened with a distinct click. She smiled at Zach, savoring his puzzled look. When he reached out to touch the Key, she jerked it away and shoved it in her back pocket.

  “What was that?”

  “One of the tools of the trade. I’m not as inept as you seem to think.” She opened the window. “After you.”

  “Can I see it?” He reached around like he was going to pluck the Key from her pocket. Or grab her ass.

  She slapped his hand.

  His responding frown looked as forlorn as a kid who only got underwear and socks from Santa Claus. “Why not?”

  “That’s one gadget you don’t get to lay your hands on to see what makes it tick. Besides, it only works for me.”

  “Bet I could figure it out.”

  He frowned some more before he crawled through the open window.

  She followed him inside.

  Zach flipped on a lamp.

  As her eyes adjusted to the light, Gina tried not to gawk.

  His home was nothing like what she expected. No empty food cartons. No video game controllers lying around. No electronic parts and pieces of colored wire sitting on the table, waiting f
or him to employ them in some new plaything of his. Definitely not a typical bachelor geek’s home.

  The place was neat as a pin and decorated in beiges and blues. What amazed her most were the homey details. Framed pictures of family or friends. A handmade afghan folded over the back of the couch. Coasters on the tables. If she hadn’t known the man lived alone, she would have sworn the place was a home for a married couple, because it sure looked like a woman had a strong hand in the décor. But she’d never seen Zach with any female except his sixty-something secretary.

  Shit.

  Did he prefer men? Could her gay-dar be that far out of whack?

  Then she saw the half-bath right off the kitchen and honed in on the small wicker rack of magazines sitting on the floor. A Playboy was front and center. An enormous sigh of relief escaped.

  “Start explaining,” Zach said, pulling her back from her appraisal of his apartment.

  “Already did. You obviously don’t realize how vulnerable you are.”

  “So you figured you’d show me by having that guy pretend to mug me in the alley?”

  Her cheeks flushed hot. “That was a mistake. Sorry, but I couldn’t wait around until someone came after you.”

  He cocked his head, causing a lock of brown hair to fall across his forehead, making him appear a bit of a rogue. “Why would someone come after me now as opposed to last year or next year?”

  “Because now you’ve got contracts with the Department of Defense. Why don’t you just draw a stupid bull’s eye on your chest?”

  Zach’s expression changed from curious to angry in the blink of an eye. “Who told you I have DOD contracts? That’s classified information.”

  “I have my sources.”

  “Yeah?” He jerked his phone from his pocket. “Well, I push one button, and I can get a shitload of people at the Pentagon to knock on your door. They’ll be more than a little curious who your sources are.”

  Gina hadn’t meant to piss him off, but he needed to understand—at least as much as he could. She wouldn’t open her whole world up to him unless she had to, but he had no idea how many people worshipped the Ancients, people in all walks of life. Including the armed forces.

  “I don’t care about your military contracts except that they make you vulnerable. I don’t know what the hell they’re for, and I honestly don’t give a shit. What I do care about is that if the wrong people get their hands on you, things could get scary. If someone convinced you to do what you do for the wrong reasons, you could bring the whole world to a screeching halt.”