Relic

by Renee Collins

  I tore my fingers through his hair; I arched my neck and pressed his face to my throat. My body pulsed with a surge of desire. His every touch made it rage like a blacksmith’s forge.

  Suddenly he pulled back, gripping my upper arms. “Wait,” he said, breathing hard. “What’s goin’ on here?”

  “I think it’s pretty obvious,” I said with a smirk.

  “What about Connelly?”

  “Connelly?”

  “Adelaide told me about him tonight.” Landon tightened his grip but looked away from me. “When you saw me with Dora, I came runnin’ after you, but you were too quick. I went to The Desert Rose to talk to Adelaide about it, to see if there was any way to patch things up. She told me how Connelly’s got his guards watching you day and night.”

  I smiled, not bothering to correct him. Adelaide’s little story would serve for tonight.

  “I’m sorry about what I said the other night,” he added, scraping for words. “And I’m real sorry about Dora. It didn’t mean anything. And nothing really happened, I swear. I was just mad at you. I was hurt, and so I—”

  I put my finger on his lips. “It doesn’t matter. Dora’s a cheap, used-up whore. I know it’s me you want.”

  Landon’s brow lowered. “You’re acting different, Maggie.”

  “I am different.” I slid my arms around him and clutched his lower back.

  Enough talk. I wanted to taste him. I wanted him to drink of me. He kissed me, but I could feel his resistance. Angrily, I pushed him to his back on the bed. My hands curled at his shirt, and I ripped the buttons open. The sight of his firm, bare chest made my insides burn. I kissed him again, pressing myself against his body. Landon moaned softly, but I could still feel him pulling back.

  “I know you want me,” I said between kisses. “Don’t fight it.”

  He tried to push me away. “Seriously, what’s gotten into you?”

  “I’m tired of being weak,” I said, running my hands down his chest. “I’m ready to be strong. I’m going to have everything I want now.”

  “But what about Connelly?”

  I tossed my head back and laughed. “He’s a fool.”

  “A fool with power and spies and men with guns. A man who the law turns a blind eye to.”

  I pushed my fingers through Landon’s hair again, kissed his cheek, his neck, his earlobe. “Let’s kill him, then,” I whispered into his ear.

  He pushed me away, sitting up. “What?”

  “We’ll kill him. It would be simple. I know where he sleeps. We could do the job right now.”

  Landon looked at me like I was a stranger. “Listen to yourself, Maggie.”

  “No,” I said, shoving him back down on the bed. “Enough talk. I didn’t come here for that. You know what I came for.”

  I started to undo the front laces on the corset of my dress. Landon’s eyes widened. “Maggie.”

  Another pull. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. I was reaching to untie the final lace and expose myself fully, when Landon’s hand shot forward. He grabbed the relic that hung around my neck.

  “What in the—?”

  A jolt ran through me. I grabbed for the relic. His eyes linked with mine…and he seemed to understand. “Take this off,” he said.

  “No!”

  But it was too late. Landon ripped the relic away from my throat. The chain snapped. As the tension broke, the relic flew to the ground.

  “NO!”

  I made a lunge for it, but Landon’s arms hooked around me. He tackled me to the bed, pinning my arms at my sides.

  “Let go of me!” I screamed.

  “It’s not you, Maggie,” he said, pressing his cheek to mine. “Whatever that thing did to you, it’s not you. It’s not your mind.”

  I was panting, my pulse throbbing in my throat. I screamed and struggled in vain. And with each breath, the darkness seeped out of me, seemed to exit with every beat of my heart. Landon held me to the bed until he could feel my body relax.

  He slowly let go of me. Breathing hard, we stared at each other for a long moment. Then I became aware of my dress hanging open in the front. I pulled the blanket up to cover me as shame burned over my face. I blinked hard, trying to grasp what on earth had just happened.

  “The relic,” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “It was the relic.”

  “I know,” he said softly.

  I turned away from him, overcome with humiliation for how I’d acted, for what I’d said. “I—”

  “Don’t apologize. I know it wasn’t you. I only want to know what that thing is and how on earth it got around your neck. Is that some gift from Álvar?”

  I shook my head, trembling.

  “Did you buy it?”

  “Adelaide and I got it from the miners’ camp yesterday. We were investigating the razings. The miner gave it to us, and I put it in my room. Tonight something made me want to use it.”

  Landon looked pale. “What is it?”

  I shook my head. “I took it to the refinery today. Even they didn’t know.”

  “Well, from now on, stay away from it.”

  I used my cloak to wrap up the relic. I knew the farther away from my touch, the better. Landon didn’t look happy about me taking it again, but he said nothing.

  “I’ll bury it like that miner did, ” I promised.

  I sat back beside him on the bed. Our eyes met, and warmth gripped my heart. I’d missed being with him so much. And as crazy as it had been to come here and attack him like I had, I knew it wasn’t anything I hadn’t secretly longed to do. Even now, I wished I could kiss him again. If only for a moment longer.

  But I wasn’t safe here. If someone had seen me leave, riding through town, or stalking into the hotel, word was certain to get back to Álvar. I sat up and hurriedly tightened the laces of my dress. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to go back to the Hacienda.”

  “No,” Landon said, grabbing my hand. “It’s not safe this late at night. Someone might notice you.”

  “If I wasn’t already noticed coming here.”

  Landon ground his teeth in thought. He then turned to rummage in his things. He pulled out the goblin relic belt.

  “Take this,” he said.

  “Landon, no. I can’t ask you to—”

  “You aren’t asking—I’m giving it to you. Please. Take this belt and sneak into The Desert Rose. Adelaide will hide you in her room for the night. Just keep wearing that belt. And then, in the afternoon sometime, when there’s plenty of noise and commotion, sneak on back out. Will you do that for me, Maggie? I won’t be able to sleep tonight if you tried to go back to that place.”

  I set my hand to his cheek. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight either way.”

  He sighed deeply. “What are we gonna do about this?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Landon cupped my face gently in his hands and pulled me in for a kiss. My eyes closed, and I tried to savor the warm sweetness of it.

  “We’ll find a way to be together again soon,” he said. “I promise.”

  I nodded, but inwardly, I wasn’t so sure.

  “Good-bye,” I whispered.

  I kissed his cheek one last time and slipped from his room. Putting on the goblin relic belt, it wasn’t hard to concentrate on the invisibility spreading over me. I knew my life depended on it.

  As I slipped through the dark streets to The Desert Rose, the feeling of power was long gone.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “I don’t like it,” Adelaide said, eyeing the relic on her vanity tabletop. “You should never have taken that thing in the first place.”

  It was late morning, and thankfully a slow day for Adelaide, so we were able to talk awhile in her room. Given my unexpected, middle-of-the-night visit last night, I had to explain everything, though I left out a few of the less than savory details. Didn’t see the point in making myself feel any more foolish.

  “I’m going
to give it to Moon John later,” I said as she braided my hair. “He’ll know what to do with it.”

  “Well, the sooner the better.”

  “Don’t worry. In the meantime, I’ll keep it well hidden in my bureau.”

  Adelaide finished my hair and examined our reflections in her mirror for a moment. “Be careful, Maggie. You’re playing a dangerous game. And you got your baby sister to think about.”

  “I know.”

  Suddenly, I remembered that I had arranged to spend some time with Ella that afternoon. The long-suffering Señora Duarte somehow managed to carve an hour out of Ella’s busy schedule.

  “I’d better go,” I said, rising to give Adelaide a hug.

  “I’ll see you soon?” she asked.

  “I hope so. I really do.”

  I raced back to the Hacienda to quickly change out of the vulgar dress and hide the relic again in my bureau. When I came down to the main hall, Ella and Señora Duarte were waiting for me.

  “Maggie!”

  Ella looked pretty as a painting in her yellow frock and curls. As she ran into my embrace, the feel of her little arms around me wiped away all the stress and worry and madness of the last few days. This was all that mattered. This girl, right here.

  I kissed her head and hugged her close. “Hey there, baby girl. How’ve you been?”

  “Good. I’m having lots of fun with my new friend Carmiana, and I’m doing real good at readin’. But I’m glad I get to see you today, Mags. We gonna go fishing like you promised?”

  “You bet.”

  Beside me, the severe Señora Duarte let out a sigh. She had a long, pinched face and pale skin that rarely saw sunshine. Outdoor activities clearly held little joy for her.

  “I suppose,” she said wearily, as if I had asked her permission. I certainly hadn’t, and the intrusion made me bristle.

  The more time I spent around this Señora Duarte, the more I could see that she clearly fancied herself the true guardian of Ella and saw me as some young tart whose presence had to be endured. She watched over my every step at the river, as if she were sure any moment I would somehow compromise Ella’s well-being. I tried to enjoy my time with my sister, anyway. Ella and I sat by the riverbank and cast lines into the cool, clay-colored water. As we waited for the fish to bite, we formed mud pies in a sun-baked row. It felt real nice, her and I getting along so well like this. For the first time, I started to wonder if maybe I could be as dear to her as Jeb had been.

  I’d only finished a third pie, however, when Señora Duarte approached. She stood by me and cleared her throat. “Miss Ella must go now,” she said.

  “What?”

  “She has her studies, and her siesta to take.”

  My jaw tightened. “But we just got here.”

  “On the contrary, it has been exactly one hour. That is what I agreed to. Nothing more.”

  I stood up and pointed a muddy finger at her. “Listen, ma’am—”

  “I am sorry if this does not please you, but I have this child’s welfare to think about.”

  “Are you suggesting I don’t think about that? She’s my family.”

  “But she is my responsibility.”

  I opened my mouth to contradict her, but she turned to Ella with a brisk spin. “Come now, niña. Rinse your hands. We must go.”

  It surprised me to see my spirited, fiery Ella obey immediately upon command. This señora clearly ran a tight ship. For some reason, that made me even madder. I had half a mind to tell her where to go, but I knew that would be foolish. I didn’t need any more trouble, and she obviously cared about my sister.

  I knelt and held out my arms for Ella. “Come here, you.”

  She hugged me and whispered in my ear. “We’ll have some time together again soon, Maggie.”

  “I know, baby girl,” I whispered back, holding her tighter. “I know.”

  Señora Duarte and Ella rode in the carriage back to the Hacienda, but I stayed behind. I just couldn’t bring myself to return yet. I needed time to think. Sitting by the river in the warm sun, I tried to figure out what I was going to do about the mess I’d created. But the more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Nothing added up. I felt tired and overwhelmed. I wanted to see Landon again, to rest in his arms and be safe.

  Heavy-hearted, I wandered back to The Desert Rose; I didn’t care if Connelly saw me. I needed someone to talk to. I needed Landon. But as I approached the entrance to the saloon, Adelaide burst through the doors toward me.

  “Oh Maggie!”

  Her face was red from crying, her eyes glassy. She stumbled forward, and I had to catch her to keep her from falling to her knees.

  “What is it?” I asked, pulling her up. “What’s wrong?”

  She drew in a sob and shook her head. “I can’t… I can’t go on.”

  My mind was racing with any number of horrible scenarios. I led Adelaide into the saloon and sat her at one of the tables. She pressed her hands to her face on the tabletop, and her shoulders trembled with a sob.

  I stroked her back. “Adelaide, please. Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong. You’re scaring me.”

  “They’re gone,” she finally said, not looking up. “They’re gone, Maggie.”

  “Who’s gone?”

  She sniffed and looked up at me with red, watery eyes. Something in her expression made a sliver of ice cut through my heart.

  “Who, Adelaide?” I said forcefully, grabbing her arms. “Tell me.”

  “Bobby and Landon.”

  Speaking the names broke her again, and she sobbed into my shoulder. I was frozen in my seat, numb. “They’re gone?”

  She shook her head, wiping the tears on her cheek. “They were sent away suddenly this morning on a job. Their furlough’s over early. Which means…”

  “They won’t be back till next spring,” I finished, my throat feeling dry as paper.

  Adelaide nodded and started to cry again. I tried to collect my thoughts, but it all seemed impossible. Only the night before, Landon had held me in his arms, kissed my mouth. And now he was gone until next spring. I blinked hard.

  “This has to be some kind of mistake. They weren’t supposed to go until June.”

  “It’s no mistake,” Adelaide said, fire in her tone. “It’s all Connelly’s doing, I swear it. He knew I loved Bobby, and so he told Señor Castilla to send them away.” She slammed her fist on the table. “He did it on purpose.” But then, her rage dissolved into sadness again. “Oh, Maggie. What am I gonna do? I can’t go on without Bobby; I can’t. I just can’t.”

  Her voice broke off in a fit of sobs, and I took her into my arms. It wasn’t right that a man like Connelly could control us and take away every piece of happiness we had. It wasn’t right.

  The last thing on earth either of us wanted to hear at the moment was that man’s voice. But Mr. Connelly had remarkably bad timing.

  “What’s going on down here?” he snarled. “You tryin’ to make the whole place sour with all this bawlin’ and moping?”

  A Creole man, probably one of Álvar’s entourage, stood with him, though he maintained a cool distance. I shot an angry glare at both of them. “We’re allowed to have feelings, aren’t we?”

  “Not when you’re puttin’ our customers at ill ease, you ain’t.”

  None of the men at the bar or any of the surrounding tables seemed to care two straws about us women crying at the corner table.

  I set my jaw. “We have the right to be here.”

  “You don’t have any rights unless I say you have ’em.” He jabbed his thumb at the upstairs. “Adelaide, you get to your room. You have a show tonight to prepare for.”

  When she didn’t move, he took a tense step closer, his eyes bulging. She flinched and rose slowly to her feet.

  Connelly snorted. “Get.”

  We both watched her move up the stairs. Something in her walk was different, broken. It hurt my heart to see it.

  Connelly turned to me. “And you. Álva
r’s people have been looking all over for you this afternoon.”

  My rage cooled with a thread of fear. “I was spending time with my sister.”

  “Yeah, two hours ago.” Connelly snorted. He nodded his head at the Creole standing beside him. “She’s all yours.”

  The Creole approached silently behind me, and I spun around.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am one of Señor Castilla’s men, señorita.”

  I stepped back. “I was just about to return.”

  “As well you should,” he said. “The señor has requested your company this evening.”

  “Another party?”

  “No. Tonight the señor wishes for a private audience.” The tone in his voice, the subtle emphasis in his words, sent a chill through me. “He has something very special in store for you.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  The dead, glazed eyes of the roast pig on the table fixed me with an accusing stare. I tried not to look at it, but even when I focused on pretending to listen to the musicians or admiring the sun-painted scenery of the desert cliff top where our table had been set up, I could still feel its gaze out of the corner of my eye.

  There it lay on a silver serving tray, surrounded with candied fruits, sugared nuts, maple leaves, and bright sprigs of chokecherries for show. A shining, polished apple had been placed in the animal’s mouth. I could understand how it felt.

  Something had changed. Everything was off. I’d sensed it the moment I arrived back at the Hacienda. Esperanza was there as usual, but this time Flora also waited for me, and instead of helping me into a dress of my choosing as before, Flora commanded that I be put through a full beauty regimen. Bathed, scrubbed, lotioned, and perfumed. And squeezed into a dress she’d created herself “at señor’s request.”

  It was blood red, low necked, and bore only the thinnest strip of material to pass for a sleeve. The maids laced me into an even tighter corset than before and pulled the rich taffeta fabric onto me. They curled the ends of my hair but only pulled half of it up in a jeweled clip. The rest hung in loose curls around my bare shoulders.