by Kim Baldwin
The day was already warm and the sun was barely up, but the steady sea breeze made it comfortable on the boat. “May I assume the promised land isn’t far off?” she asked her host. Lykourgos had invited her on his yacht with the purpose of a business proposition. TQ couldn’t wait to hear what kind of business this Greek tycoon wanted with her. So far, he had been vague, but something told her it would be big.
“Agio Oros,” he replied. “Mount Athos. The most splendid view in Halkidiki and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient treasures.”
His description got her full attention. “What kind of treasures?” she asked.
“There are twenty monasteries on the Holy Mountain,” he said, “the oldest dating back more than a thousand years. They contain an abundance of medieval art, richly drawn icons, ancient manuscripts, religious objects like chalices, holy relics, and elaborate codices. Some of the icons are believed to work miracles. An effort to catalogue and preserve the treasures has been under way for some thirty years or more, but the sheer magnitude of the collection is so vast, it will take many more decades to complete.”
“I can’t wait to see some of them,” TQ replied, already calculating how she might acquire a few choice pieces for her own collection.
“That will be impossible, I’m afraid.” Lykourgos frowned apologetically. “Women are prohibited from entering the mountain. Even for men, it is difficult and requires a special visa, signed by four of the secretaries of the leading monasteries. Although part of the Greek state, Agio Oros is self-governed, with its own rules.”
“Surely an exception can be made,” TQ said, and sipped her coffee. “We merely need to provide the good monks with the proper incentive.”
Lykourgos’s deep laugh made him even more attractive. “I have heard that you do not take no for an answer, Theodora. But I assure you, even my money can’t get you in.”
“I doubt there’s anything money can’t do, but that aside, why are you taking me to a place I’m not allowed to enter?” The sexist prohibition already irritated TQ.
“Come,” he said, extending his hand. “We are getting close now. Let me show you.”
They were momentarily distracted by the approach of a much smaller, but also luxurious, yacht. “Ariadne, your friends are here,” Lykourgos called out.
The young woman reemerged from below, wearing a turquoise bikini that matched her eyes and showed off her long, lean body. She said something in Greek to her father and gave TQ a cold stare before she made her way to the lower-deck stairs. From there, she jumped into the water and swam to the waiting yacht, where a group of five young women waited for her.
“She is my most precious achievement,” Lykourgos said.
“She looks very much like you.” TQ tried to sound respectful of his adoration for his irksome daughter.
“Only on the outside. She’s sharper and tougher than I’ll ever be. She is already thriving in the company.”
“Good for her.” TQ shrugged. “Now, back to what interests me.”
He led her forward, six levels up, to the sundeck. There they had a 360-degree view, but the sight ahead demanded their full attention.
Mount Athos rose dramatically from the sea, an enormous sharp-peaked pinnacle that appeared a deep, dark blue against the azure Aegean. A magnificent spectacle all on its own, and made the sight of a lifetime with the addition of the enormous monastery perched atop an enormous stone cliff just ahead. It towered over them, more than a thousand feet in the air.
“There were once three hundred monasteries on the Holy Mountain,” Lykourgos said. “This is the Simonopetra Monastery, or Simon’s Rock. It was founded in the thirteenth century by Simon the Athonite and is still in use. Its choir is world renowned.”
“Breathtaking,” TQ had to admit.
“Indeed.”
TQ took the view in a while longer, then turned to her host. “Now, tell me why we’re here.”
“This sacred and very secretive monastery possesses some of the world’s most priceless antiquities.”
“You mentioned.” TQ couldn’t wait for the pronouncement she was sure was going to make this particular business deal the finest of her life.
“Everyone knows, or at least suspects, that the monastery hides and protects artifacts the world has never heard of nor considers missing.”
“Yes, yes,” TQ said, eager for him to continue. “I own similar relics.”
“A high-ranking monk of another monastery is a close friend who has had the honor of acquainting himself with some of these missing relics.”
TQ’s rich background in rare antiques, after years in the auction business, was screaming for an answer. “Which? I’m sure I’ve heard of them.”
“A solid-gold icon that dates back to the twelfth century and depicts—”
“Theotokos.” TQ nearly yelped. “The mother of Christ.”
He nodded. “Not many know about the existence of this icon.”
“I’m not many.”
“Are you a religious woman, Theodora?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied. “Such asinine beliefs are for the simple masses.”
“I happen to have such asinine beliefs,” he said quietly, “but that’s another matter.”
“One I’m sure will bore me.”
“It is said that, aside from being priceless, the icon possesses the power to heal.”
“Pish posh. But if the idea thrills you…” She shrugged.
“I want that icon,” Lykourgos said.
“May I ask why? I’m sure you have plenty of priceless goods already decorating your walls or in a safety-deposit box.”
“I’m sick,” he replied. “And the best doctors in the world can’t do anything more than they already have.”
“And you think the icon will heal you.”
“I do, Theodora.”
“How quaint.”
“I’m willing to pay five hundred million euros.”
The Greek had more money than God. TQ laughed. “I hardly think money will convince these God-fearing pathological worshippers.”
“No one, Theodora, is immune to money, as you know. These people, however, cover their greed very convincingly.”
“If you think you can bribe the robes, I’m sure the amount you mentioned will do the trick, especially since this country’s economy is beyond repair.”
“The monks will never feel the economic or social hit Greece has taken. They are a country of their own, and a very wealthy one at that, very much like the Vatican. The amount I mentioned is for you.”
TQ pulled at the brim of her sun hat to shield her eyes from the glare as she looked at him. “Do explain,” she said coquettishly.
“Your track record of acquisitions speaks for itself. If anyone can…get it, it’s you.”
“I’m flattered that you estimate me accordingly, but my reputation is based on the fact I have always known the precise location of the object I’m after.” TQ thought the man’s sickness, whatever it was, had gone to his head. As appealing as the idea of owning the Theotokos was, the fortress was not only impenetrable, but it would also be impossible to find the icon in this small city without the knowledge of where it was being kept.
“I know where they hide it,” he said.
TQ tried not to gasp. “You what?”
“You have a renowned reputation in very private circles for trading in appropriated, priceless artifacts. I can lead you to it.”
She couldn’t believe the Greek would willingly lead her to one of the world’s most invaluable treasures. Oh, she would do it, all right.
“In return,” he said, “I will give you—”
TQ didn’t hear the rest. In return, I will walk away with the Theotokos and you will never see it again. She smiled. “We have a deal.”
About the Authors
Kim Baldwin (kimbaldwin.com), a former network news executive, has made her living as a writer for more than three decades. In addition to the El
ite Operatives Series she is co-authoring with Xenia Alexiou, she has published seven solo romantic adventure novels: Hunter’s Pursuit, Force of Nature, Whitewater Rendezvous, Flight Risk, Focus of Desire, Breaking the Ice, and High Impact. She’s also had several short stories published in BSB anthologies. A 2012 Lambda Literary Award winner and 2011 Lambda finalist, she is also the recipient of a 2011 Rainbow Award For Excellence, a 2010 Independent Publisher Book Award, three Golden Crown Literary Society Awards, eight Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Awards, and an Alice B. Readers Appreciation Award for her body of work. She has recorded audiobooks of her own novel Breaking the Ice, and the Rose Beecham mystery Grave Silence. Kim lives in Michigan but keeps her laptop, camera, and passport handy to travel whenever possible. She can be reached at [email protected].
Xenia Alexiou (xeniaalexiou.com) lives in Greece. An avid reader and knowledge junkie, she likes to travel all over the globe and take pictures of the wonderful and interesting people that represent different cultures. Trying to see the world through their eyes has been her most challenging yet rewarding pursuit so far. These travels have inspired countless stories, and it’s these stories that she has decided to write about. The Gemini Deception is her sixth novel, following Demons are Forever, Dying to Live, Missing Lynx, Thief of Always, and Lethal Affairs. She is a 2012 Lambda Literary winner, 2011 Lambda finalist, has received three Rainbow Award Honorable mentions, and is the recipient of three Golden Crown Literary Society Awards and six Lesbian Fiction Readers’ Choice Awards. Xenia is currently at work on the seventh and final book in the Elite Operatives Series. For more information, contact her at [email protected].
Lethal Affairs, Thief of Always, and Missing Lynx have been translated into Dutch, and the first two books are also available in Russian. In 2010, Dubbel Doelwit (Lethal Affairs) won second place among Dutch readers in their vote for best all-time Lesbian International (translated) book.
What Reviewers Say About the Elite Operatives Series
“Baldwin and Alexiou have written a barn burner of a thriller [in Dying to Live]. The reader is taken in from the first page to the last. The tension is maintained throughout the book with rare exception. Baldwin and Alexiou are defining the genre of romantic suspense within the lesbian genre with this series. You’ll find yourself rushing to purchase the first three books in the series if you haven’t already read them, or, if you have read them, wishing the authors would write the fifth in the series faster.”—Lambdaliterary.org
“Okay, I admit it: I am a fan of adventure/spy/thriller mysteries and always have been. So of course I have been lured into the web of the Elite Operatives series because as a kid, I was always imagining myself in the male leads of the spy thrillers I read. Baldwin and Alexiou clearly had the same fantasy. [They] have established a formula for this series that works: short, staccato chapters set in different locales that unfurl the plot layer by layer and then they develop into solid chapters where the main characters…begin to reveal themselves. The authors manage to take two plot themes that have been done and done again, meld them, and turn them into a solid, convincing, compelling page-turner that is quite satisfying.”—Lambdaliterary.org
“Dying to Live is a chest-grabbing, throat-closing, sleek, sexy, thoroughly enjoyable white-knuckle ride of a thriller. Baldwin and Alexiou prove once again their deft understanding of the genre puts them eye-to-eye with the best in the business. Buckle your seatbelts!”—Amanda Kyle Williams, Author of The Stranger You Seek and Stranger in the Room
“Baldwin and Alexiou have given their fans a gripping read that’s difficult to put down! Dying to Live has a complex plot with a pandemic created by an arch villain, and a rescue from Columbian guerrillas. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I can’t wait for their next adventure!”—Just About Write
“Missing Lynx puts the thrill in thriller. In true thriller style, Baldwin and Alexiou take their women around the globe… from Vienna, all around the U.S. Southwest, on to New York, down to some of the most dangerous parts of Mexico, on to China and Vietnam and back to the Southwest. Quite the wild ride. A dark, edgy, often grisly tale, Missing Lynx has the grit and pacing of a Bourne saga, but with highly engaging and thoroughly challenging female characters. Not for the faint hearted.”—Lambdaliterary.org
“Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou just get better and better at coming up with tightly written thrillers with plenty of ‘seat of the pants’ action. Missing Lynx is a roller coaster ride into the seamier side of life and the bonds which bind humans into trying to better the world. This is a book which grips the reader until the final page!”—Just About Write
“Unexpected twists and turns, deadly action, complex characters and multiple subplots converge to make this book a gripping page turner. Lethal Affairs mixes political intrigue with romance, giving the reader an easy flowing and fast moving story that never lets up. A must-read, even though it has been out for a while. Thief of Always, the duo’s second, and equally good book in the Elite Operatives series, came out earlier this year.”—Curve Magazine
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
The Princess Affair by Nell Stark. Rhodes Scholar Kerry Donovan arrives at Oxford ready to focus on her studies, but her life and her priorities are thrown into chaos when she catches the eye of Her Royal Highness Princess Sasha. (978-1-60282-858-2)
The Chase by Jesse J. Thoma. When Isabelle Rochat’s life is threatened, she receives the unwelcome protection and attention of bounty hunter Holt Lasher who vows to keep Isabelle safe at all costs. (978-1-60282-859-9)
The Lone Hunt by L.L. Raand. In a world where humans and praeterns conspire for the ultimate power, violence is a way of life…and death. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-60282-860-5)
The Supernatural Detective by Crin Claxton. Tony Carson sees dead people. With a drag queen for a spirit guide and a devastatingly attractive herbalist for a client, she’s about to discover the spirit world can be a very dangerous world indeed. (978-1-60282-861-2)
Beloved Gomorrah by Justine Saracen. Undersea artists creating their own City on the Plain uncover the truth about Sodom and Gomorrah, whose “one righteous man” is a murderer, rapist, and conspirator in genocide. (978-1-60282-862-9)
The Left Hand of Justice by Jess Faraday. A kidnapped heiress, a heretical cult, a corrupt police chief, and an accused witch. Paris is burning, and the only one who can put out the fire is Detective Inspector Elise Corbeau...whose boss wants her dead. (978-1-60282-863-6)
Cut to the Chase by Lisa Girolami. Careful and methodical author Paige Randolph falls for brash and wild Hollywood actress, Avalon Randolph, but can these opposites find a happy middle ground in a town that never lives in the middle? (978-1-60282-783-7)
Every Second Counts by D. Jackson Leigh. Every second counts in Bridgette LeRoy’s desperate mission to protect her heart and stop Marc Ryder’s suicidal return to riding rodeo bulls. (978-1-60282-785-1)
More Than Friends by Erin Dutton. Evelyn Fisher thinks she has the perfect role model for a long-term relationship, until her best friends, Kendall and Melanie, split up and all three women must reevaluate their lives and their relationships. (978-1-60282-784-4)
Dirty Money by Ashley Bartlett. Vivian Cooper and Reese DiGiovanni just found out that falling in love is hard. It’s even harder when you’re running for your life. (978-1-60282-786-8)
Sea Glass Inn by Karis Walsh. When Melinda Andrews commissions a series of mosaics by Pamela Whitford for her new inn, she doesn’t expect to be more captivated by the artist than by the paintings. (978-1-60282-771-4)
The Awakening: A Sisters of Spirits novel by Yvonne Heidt. Sunny Skye has interacted with spirits her entire life, but when she runs into Officer Jordan Lawson during a ghost investigation, she discovers more than just facts in a missing girl’s cold case file. (978-1-60282-772-1)
Murphy’s Law by Yolanda Wallace. No matter how high you climb, you can’t escape your past. (978-1-60282-773-8)
Blacker Than Blue by Reb
ekah Weatherspoon. Threatened with losing her first love to a powerful demon, vampire Cleo Jones is willing to break the ultimate law of the undead to rebuild the family she has lost. (978-1-60282-774-5)
Silver Collar by Gill McKnight. Werewolf Luc Garoul is outlawed and out of control, but can her family track her down before a sinister predator gets there first? Fourth in the Garoul series. (978-1-60282-764-6)
The Dragon Tree Legacy by Ali Vali. For Aubrey Tarver time hasn’t dulled the pain of losing her first love Wiley Gremillion, but she has to set that aside when her choices put her life and her family’s lives in real danger. (978-1-60282-765-3)
The Midnight Room by Ronica Black. After a chance encounter with the mysterious and brooding Lillian Gray in the “midnight room” of The Griffin, a local lesbian bar, confident and gorgeous Audrey McCarthy learns that her bad-girl behavior isn’t bulletproof. (978-1-60282-766-0)
