It was a balmy day in Key West. A stiff breeze blew in from the Gulf, filling the air with a pleasant hint of the sea. Maddock and Angel sat on the deck of Maddock’s condo, soaking in the sun and suds. Maddock tried to lie back and relax, but Angel’s skimpy bikini, a star-spangled, red, white, and blue number, kept him pleasantly distracted. From inside, the sounds of boisterous conversation drifted out, along with strains of The Police playing on the stereo. Bones and Dima were regaling Willis, Matt, and Corey with the story of their search for the ark. As usual, Bones was doing most of the talking and all of the embellishing.
“Dude, I’m serious. Big, freaking, stone giants!”
“Aw, c’mon man,” Willis said. “Dima, is he messing with us?”
“If Bones says he saw them, I’ll take him at his word,” Dima said mildly.
Bones sputtered a protest over the raucous laughter.
Maddock smiled and closed his eyes. Things were just as they should be.
“Maddock, we need to talk.” Angel rolled over onto her side, tipped her sunglasses up, and fixed him with her doe-eyed gaze that he always found difficult to resist.
“What about?” he said with a touch of trepidation.
“First of all, we need better music. You know, something from this century.”
Maddock chuckled. “Talk to Corey. He’s spinning the discs.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Nobody says ‘spinning discs.’”
“What can I say? I’m an old soul.” He took a swig of Dos Equis and gave her a wink.
“We also need to talk about redecorating this place. It’s all boats and ocean crap.”
“I like boats and ocean crap.”
Angel smiled, reached out, and caressed his arm. “But it’s not going to be your bachelor pad much longer. It needs a bit of a woman’s touch. And we’ll also have to get the baby room ready.”
Maddock’s beer slipped from his limp fingers and clattered to the deck, spilling its frothy contents. He sat bolt upright. “Baby? What?”
Angel fell back onto her deck chair, laughing. It took her several seconds to catch her breath. “It’s too easy with you,” she said, wiping tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes. “I swear, I wish I had that on video.”
Maddock took several deep, slow breaths before he trusted himself to speak. “You are a wicked woman.”
“And that is why you love me.” She sat up, leaned over, and kissed him deeply. “But on a serious note, we do need to talk about setting a date.”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Avery stepped out onto the deck. “I heard you made it back safely from another of your shenanigans.”
“Great to see you, sis.” Maddock stood and made to give her a hug, but she pushed him away.
“I don’t need your sweat on me,” she said, grimacing at the sight of his dripping body.
“I’ll take a hug. I don’t mind a little sweat.” Tam Broderick poked her head out the door, smiling. She was clad in short shorts and a form-fitting tank top. “I even dressed for the occasion.”
“You don’t look right in anything but a power suit,” Maddock joked as he leaned in to hug her.
“Thanks, I guess. I was hoping we could talk.”
“Sure.” He turned to Angel and Avery. “Will you two excuse us?”
Angel nodded, then mouthed, “This isn’t over.”
Maddock had to laugh. That was one talk he wasn’t going to be able to weasel his way out of. He slipped on a shirt and he and Tam found an empty room where they could speak privately.
“Thanks again for the help you gave us,” he said. “Stone was a lifesaver.”
“I’ve found him useful. Speaking of Stone, he wants to put the Book of Noah back where you all found it. He thinks he can do it without raising any alarms this time. He seems to have taken it as a personal challenge.”
“Are you going to let him do it?”
“Hell, no. The Vatican already knows it’s gone, so the damage is done. I’m going to put it somewhere safe. Who knows when we might want or need it again.”
“So Dima did give it to you?” Maddock had feared she might renege on the deal.
Tam nodded. “She couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Now, tell me everything.”
Maddock took his time recounting events since the assault on Bones’ grandfather. He left nothing out. Though Tam always had a hidden agenda, she had demonstrated herself to be his ally, and a useful one at that. When he finished, she nodded thoughtfully, mulling things over.
“Do you think the stones were Atlantean?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Tyson used the phrase, ‘Long before the destruction of Atlantis.’ I don’t know how literally we should take that, though.”
“So the Trident’s goal is to reclaim the powers of the ancient world, and I assume they are talking really ancient. Even a few years ago I would have thought the whole thing was crazy. I’ll say this much — my life has been very different since I met you.”
“Join the club. I’m the one who keeps running afoul of these nuts. If the Trident has a naughty list, I assume I’m now on it.”
“Lord Jesus, I thought the Dominion was a headache.” She pressed her fingers to her temples and turned to gaze out the window at the street below. “I’ll bring this story to the powers-that-be. Since our big discovery I’ve got a bit more credibility when it comes to this mystical stuff, but I still don’t think many people believe me, and dealing with it is above my pay grade.”
“Don’t present it to them as mystical. Tell them it’s extremely advanced technology.”
“You think I don’t already do that?” She turned, tilted her head, and gave him a sly smile. “If you’re on the Trident’s list, the safest place for you is working for me. You know you’ve got a standing job offer.”
“Right. Then it’ll be my job to put myself in danger every day instead of just every once in a while. I’ll stick to my treasure hunting.”
“If you say so.” Tam turned around to face him. “How’s that going, by the way?”
“Are you trying to tell me you don’t already know?”
Tam held up her hands. “All right, I admit I keep tabs on you, but I haven’t seen any of your financials since you left the squad.”
“You’re a piece of work, you know that? Do I have any privacy where you’re concerned?”
“I promise there are no cameras in your toilet.”
Maddock wished he could stop himself from laughing. He resented the way Tam intruded on people’s lives and sometimes wielded private information like a club. At least she didn’t seem to be doing that in this instance.
“For your information, after Bones and I left for Turkey, the crew went back to the Templar wreck site and made a nice haul. It should bring a hefty price and keep us afloat for some time.”
“Good for you.” Her smile seemed genuine, but you never knew with Tam. “Speaking of treasure hunting, I’ve got something I’d like for you to look into that’s right up your alley. I’ll pay you, plus anything you salvage will be yours, but it can’t be known you’re working for me.”
“Tam, I just said I don’t want to work for you.”
“You’ll be an independent contractor. Come on. A paycheck, treasure, and the chance to erase the red from your page in my ledger.”
“Somehow I think I’ll always be in your debt.” He sighed. “All right. Tell me about this job.”